Patent ID: 7533355

Claim:
An information processing apparatus comprising: a storage device, for storing predetermined objects for the printing devices based on directory information including a tree list; first display means for displaying a printer folder for printer management, the printer folder including a search icon; designation means for designating the search icon included in the printer folder displayed by said first display means; search means for searching for a plurality of printing devices provided on a network in response to a designation made by said designation means; detection means, for detecting specific objects in the directory information read from said storage device, the specific objects including at least a first specific object corresponding to a first one of the plurality of printing devices found by said search means and a second specific object corresponding to a second one of the plurality of printing devices found by said search means; second display means, for displaying, in accordance with the tree list, the specific objects detected by said detection means; control means, for permitting said second display means to display, in accordance with the tree list, the specific objects detected by said detection means, such that the first specific object is displayed in the tree list with a higher display priority than the second specific object if a number of other information processing apparatuses which exist between the first printing device and said information processing apparatus is smaller than a number of other information processing apparatuses which exist between the second printing device and said information processing apparatus; and discrimination means for discriminating, for each of the specific objects detected by said detection means, whether the specific object has a display right, wherein said control means permits said second display means to display the specific objects such that if said discrimination means discriminates that a certain specific object does not have a display right, a specific object having a display right and a higher display priority than the certain specific object is displayed.