Patent ID: 8385209

Claim:
A network communication apparatus transmitting, via a network, a first acknowledgment transferred from a higher-level layer with respect to a reception of a predetermined number of first segments to a transmission source of the first segments, and transmitting, via the network, a second segment transferred from the higher-level layer with respect to a reception of a second acknowledgment to a transmission source of the second acknowledgment, the network communication apparatus comprising: a first condition setting section in which a first condition for specifying a connection in which to delay the first acknowledgment is set; a first judgment means for judging whether the first acknowledgment transferred from the higher-level layer is to be delayed in accordance with the first condition set in the first condition setting section; a transmission processing means for delaying the first acknowledgment judged to be delayed and transmitting the first acknowledgment to the transmission source of the first segments, wherein the transmission processing means includes: a first table registration means for extracting first connection information that specifies a connection from a header of the first acknowledgment judged to be delayed by the first judgment means, and for registering the first connection information in a first table, a first delay means for comparing second connection information, the second connection information being included in a header of the first acknowledgment transferred from the higher-level layer with the first connection information in the first table, and for delaying the first acknowledgment when the second connection information and the first connection information match; a second condition setting section in which a second condition for specifying a connection in which to delay the second acknowledgment is set; a second judgment means for judging whether the second acknowledgment received via the network is to be delayed in accordance with the second condition set in the second condition setting section; a reception processing means for delaying the second acknowledgment judged to be delayed and transferring the second acknowledgement to the higher-level layer; and a first invalidation information setting means for calculating a continuous time during which the first connection information does not match the second connection information in the comparison for each of the first connection information registered in the first table, and setting information for invalidating, as a comparison target of the second connection information, the first connection information whose continuous time has exceeded a preset time in the first table in association with the first connection information.