Patent ID: 8219618

Claim:
An information communication system for exchanging a plurality of contents between a plurality of node devices, the information communication system comprising: a plurality of internal networks that are connected to an external network, wherein the internal networks comprise: the plurality of node devices connecting the internal networks; and a plurality of support devices, which connect the internal networks, and the external network, and which support the node devices connecting the internal networks to acquire contents by relaying between the internal networks and the external network, wherein a plurality of internal overlay networks, which are overlay networks that allow for exchanging of contents between the node devices connecting the internal networks, are constructed for the internal networks, wherein an external overlay network, which is an overlay network that allows for exchanging of contents among the support devices, is constructed on the external network, wherein node devices connecting a first internal network comprise first acquisition units that acquire contents from a first internal overlay network, wherein the first internal overlay network is one of the plurality of node internal networks, and the first internal overlay network is an access destination of the node devices connecting the first internal network, and wherein if the first acquisition units are unable to acquire the contents from the first internal overlay network, the first acquisition units acquire contents from one of the plurality of support devices in the external overlay network via a first support device, wherein the first support device is one of the plurality of support devices and the first support device connects to the first internal network.