Patent ID: 7209899
Filing Date: 2007-04-24
Classification: G06Q,H04L

Abstract:
1. A management device to manage a share of costs related to network apparatuses, wherein each network apparatus is connected to a network, said management device comprising: a storing unit storing management information to classify each network apparatus based on a combination type, wherein said combination type is a type of a combination of business entities providing service to network apparatuses and corresponding shared costs of each of the business entities related to the providing of the network apparatuses, each network apparatus receiving the service from a business entity specified by said combination type; a managing unit managing sharing of costs related to each network apparatus based on said combination type; and a communicating unit receiving said combination type stored beforehand in a network apparatus with a network connection request from the network apparatus, wherein when said combination type is changed relative to each network apparatus, the combination type of each network apparatus stored in said management information is updated to a combination type of the network apparatus subsequent to the change, said managing unit compares said received combination type with the network apparatus combination type stored in said management information, and in the case of a match, sends to the network apparatus information corresponding to the combination type, and in a case that there is not a match, sends to the network apparatus information corresponding to the combination type stored in said management information, and furthermore, by sending to the network apparatus the combination type of the network apparatus subsequent to said change, updates the combination type stored in the network apparatus to the combination type of the network apparatus subsequent to said change.