Data transfer device with computed start times for data blocks

Claim 1

A data reading device for accepting an external data transfer request, reading desired data from data storing means which stores various data and transferring the data to a sender of said data transfer request, the data reading device comprising: reading request issuing means for issuing a reading request which designates a data file corresponding to said data transfer request; reading request managing means for accepting said reading request to divide an object data file into data blocks of predetermined size and designating a time of a reading deadline for each data block to generate a reading request of each data block; transmission time computing means for computing a transfer starting time for each said data block which is used as a time of the reading deadline for each said data block; reading request sorting means for accepting and storing a reading request of each said data block generated by said reading request managing means to fetch the requests in descending order of the reading deadlines; data reading means for reading data, corresponding to a reading request at each said data block to be fetched according to said reading request sorting means from said data storing means; data holding means for temporarily holding data read by said data reading means; and data transferring means for detecting said data block whose transfer is to be started based on a transfer starting time of each said data block computed by said transmission time computing means and fetching said detected data block from said data holding means to transfer said data block to a sender of said data transfer request.