Patent ID: 8191006

Claim:
An information processing apparatus that is configured to receive data from a plurality of external devices connected via a network, and to display an operation window based on a content of the data, said information processing apparatus comprising: a reception unit configured to receive a plurality of pieces of operation information transmitted from the plurality of external devices, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of operation information includes information related to an operation button for remotely operating a transmission source external device using the operation window; a distinction unit configured to distinguish whether a type of information included in the plurality of pieces of operation information received by said reception unit is common operation information or non-common operation information; and a display unit configured to (i) display, at a common display area of the operation window, one rendered image corresponding to the common operation information, and to (ii) display, at an individual display area of the operation window, a rendered image corresponding to the non-common operation information, wherein if information rendering a first operation button is received from respective ones of the plurality of external devices, but information rendering a second operation button is not received from at least one of the plurality of external devices, then the distinction unit distinguishes the information rendering the first operation button as being common operation information, and distinguishes the information rendering the second operation button as being non-common operation information.