140 to a download execution management table 870 which will be explained in FIG. 4 (580). Thereafter, it executes a download execution order determination processing 1300 which will be described later in FIG. 7 (590).

FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of a database which is under management of the downloader 550.

Downloader management information 800 is the information that the downloader 550 manages timings of checking update of the download control metafile 120. Check cycle information 810 is, for example, a predetermined check cycle time to be set by users. Last check time-and-date 820 is the information indicative of the date and hour of a check that was last performed in a periodical check event. Next check schedule time-and-date 830 is the data and hour that was determined by adding the check cycle information 810 to the last check time/date 820; by setting this value to a timer of the RTC 460, it is possible to check update of the download control metafile 120 at a time equal to the next check schedule time/date 830.

The download reservation management table 850 is a table for management of download reservation corresponding to the download control metafile 120 that is instructed by the Web page b 112 of FIG. 3. It has a download reservation title 851, download reservation location 852, download reservation explanation sentence 853, update check flag 854 and expire time/date 855, in which are respectively stored the download control metafile name 131, download control metafile location 132, download control metafile explanation sentence 133, update check flag 134 and expire time/date 135 of the download control information 130.

The download execution management table 870 is a table for management of download execution situations with respect to respective contents. It has a delivery content title 871, delivery content explanation sentence 872, delivery time-and-date 873, delivery content location 874, delivery content type 875, delivery content-use metafile location 876 and delivery content size 877, in which are respectively stored a delivery content title 141, delivery content explanation sentence 142, delivery time-and-date 143, delivery content location 144, delivery content type 145, delivery content-use metafile location 146 and delivery content size 147 of the download execution information 140 of the download control metafile 120 of FIG. 2, which was imported.

A download execution state 878 has several values of “Not Executed,” “Downloading,” “Downloaded” and “Halt State” and is used by the downloader 550 in order to manage the download execution state. Download progress information 879 is the information that is used to manage the degree of progress of a download operation; as an example, it serially stores a size of download-completed contents. In this case, by obtaining a ratio of it to the delivery content size 877, it is possible to display the download progress degree to the user in percentage (%), for example. At this time, in case the download execution state 878 is set to “Not Executed,” the download progress information 879's value stays at zero; in the case of “Downloaded,” the value of download progress information 879 is set equal to the delivery content size 877.

An appropriate number (M) of download execution management tables 870 are prepared, which number corresponds to the number of download-manageable contents.

In download execution management table pointers (1 856 to N 857) of the download reservation management table 850, the location of the download execution management table 870 (such as an address within HDD 450 or an address of the memory 430) is stored. N is the number of importable download execution information 140, which is different depending on a system design employed.

A download execution order table 900 is the table that the downloader 550 manages the priority degree of download execution. It includes an array of M pointers 910 relative to the download execution management table 870. Let this array be in an execution order, for example. The execution order is determined by the download execution order determination processing 1300.

The part that records the download control metafile in this way (e.g., HDD or memory) will also be called the download control metafile recording unit.

FIG. 5 shows a processing example to be performed by the downloader 550.

It is a system initial setup processing 600 of FIG. 5 that is performed in the information processing apparatus 400. Here, first, an input of a download control metafile check cycle is received from the user by means of the remote controller or else (at 610). For example, the user is expected to input information at time intervals on a per-day or per-hour basis. The input check cycle time is set in a field of check cycle time 810 (620). Next, a random number is generated in such a way as to cause every information processing apparatus 400 to generate a different value (630); then, based on such value, a reference time-and-date for checking the first download control metafile is generated (640). The initial setup may be done in such a manner that the check cycle time is fixed in the absence of reception of the user's setup or, alternatively, it is variably set up by the user.

The time-and-date information thus generated is stored in the next check schedule time/date 830 (650); then, a timer interrupt generation request of the time point of the next check schedule time/date 830 is set in the RTC 460 (660).

It is a timer interrupt processing 700 that is executed after having set up the timer interrupt generation request at 660.

At 660, when it becomes the time point that is set by the timer, the timer interrupt processing 700 of FIG. 5 is executed. The timer interrupt processing 700 is such that the value of the next check schedule time/date 830 is copied to the last check time/date 820 (720) to thereby execute a download update processing 1100 (730).

Thereafter, a value obtained by adding the check cycle time 810 to the last check time/date 820 is stored in the next check schedule time/date 830 (740); then, the timer interrupt generation request of the time point of the next check schedule time/date 830 is set in the RTC 460 (750). Whereby, the timer interrupt processing 700 is performed in accordance with the check cycle time 810; so, it is possible to check update of the download control metafile 120 in a fixed time cycle that was designated by the user, for example.

The part that sets up the update check timing (e.g., a part of the CPU which is executed by a program) in this way will also be called the check timing setup unit.