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

Claim 5:
6. A device management method that manages an external device connected via a network, the device management method comprising:
issuing a unique management ID to the external device;
storing device specifying information of the external device, the device specifying information including the unique management ID and predetermined device identification information;
displaying, in a list of devices to be managed, the external device for which the unique management ID is issued;
when a connection request is received from the external device via the network, determining 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, issue a issuing the unique management ID and transmitting the new management ID to the external device;
in a case that the external device, from which the connection request is received, 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, displaying a predetermined warning message indicating a possibility of having a duplicate device in the network; and
when an input of an instruction affirming the duplicate device is accepted, unifying the management ID of the external device, from which the connection request is received, with the management ID of the external device included in the list of devices to be managed.