Patent ID: 7853644

Claim:
A client-server system connected to a network, the system comprising: a client that is a personal computer connected to the network, the client sending a data request requesting page data over the network, the page data comprising first partial data and second partial data; a first printer including a data-providing server that is a web server connected to the client by the network and stores-is configured to store the first partial data; and a second printer including an assisted server that is a web server connected to the client and the data-providing server by the network and stores the first partial data and the second partial data, the second partial data including designation data indicating one of the assisted server and the data-providing server the assisted server receiving the data request from the client over the network and providing the client with the second partial data, the assisted server stores inquiring regarding the first partial data stored in the data-providing server by using a broadcast via the network, and the data-providing server providing identical data to the assisted server upon receiving the inquiry from the assisted server; wherein, when the identical data indicates the first partial data, the assisted server creates the second partial data and provides the second partial data to the client, the second partial data including the designation data indicating the data-providing server; wherein, when the identical data does not indicate the first partial data, the assisted server creates the second partial data and provides the second partial data to the client, the second partial data including the designation data indicating the assisted server; wherein the client receives the second partial data from the assisted server and receives the first partial data from one of the assisted server and the data-providing server that is indicated by the designation data included in the second partial data; wherein the assisted server uses an acquisition command to instruct the client to receive the first partial data from the data-providing server, the acquisition command indicating that the client should obtain the first partial data directly from the data-providing server, the client, upon receiving the acquisition command from the assisted server, sending a data request for the first partial data to the data-providing server, the data-providing server, upon receiving the data request from the client, sending the first partial data to the client.