Patent ID: 11949649
Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Field: Digital communication (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 0:
1. A device management apparatus that manages an external device connected via a network, the device management apparatus comprising:
a management identification (ID) issuer that issues a unique management ID to the external device;
a storage that stores device specifying information of the external device, the device specifying information including the unique management ID and predetermined device identification information;
a display that displays, in a list of devices to be managed, the external device to which the unique management ID is issued; and
a controller comprising at least one processor configured to:
transmit and receive various types of data to and from devices,
accept input of various types of instructions from a user, and
control the management ID issuer, the storage, and the display, wherein

when the controller has received a connection request from the external device via the network, the controller determines whether the external device has a management ID based on the device specifying information acquired from the external device, and if the external device has no management ID, the controller controls the management ID issuer to issue the unique management ID transmits the unique management ID to the external device,
in a case that the external device from which the controller has received the connection request has the management ID, and the list of devices to be managed includes a device having a different management ID but having the same device identification information, the controller controls the display to display a predetermined warning message indicating a possibility of having a duplicate device in the network, and when the controller accepts input of an instruction affirming the duplicate device, the controller unifies the management ID of the external device, from which the controller has received the connection request, with the management ID of the external device included in the list of devices to be managed.