Patent ID: 7694137

Claim:
A remote operation method of an information processing apparatus connected to an authentication apparatus and an image processing apparatus via a network, the method comprising: accessing the image processing apparatus; receiving, from the image processing apparatus, remote-operating software for the information processing apparatus to remotely operate the image processing apparatus and data specifying the authentication apparatus, which authenticates an operation level of a remote operation, as a response to the accessing; issuing a request for an authentication process to the authentication apparatus based on the data received, if an instruction to operate remotely the image processing apparatus is input by a user, wherein the authentication process authenticates an operation level of the remote operation performed by the information processing apparatus; and remotely operating the image processing apparatus using the remote-operating software, wherein the remote operation is executed by the remote-operating software and is permitted by the operation level authenticated in the authentication process among two or more remote operations, wherein the data received includes add-on software, and the information processing apparatus requests the authentication apparatus to execute the authentication process by the add-on software, wherein the requested authentication process is performed using codes and a dictionary that defines operation levels with respect to the image processing apparatus, and wherein the dictionary is contained in the authentication apparatus on the network.