Patent ID: 8126513

Claim:
An information processing apparatus comprising: a generation unit which detects a state of an external light detection hole formed in a surface of the information processing apparatus and which generates a detection signal according to a luminous intensity of external light irradiated to the information processing apparatus; a determination unit which determines whether the detection signal generated by the generation unit is larger than a predetermined reference value; and an allocation unit which selectively allocates one of a plurality of predetermined functions of operation to an input unit based on whether or not the generated detection signal is determined as being larger than the predetermined reference value by the determination unit by accessing a table in which the input unit and the plurality of predetermined functions of operation are set to previously correspond to each other and be stored therein, wherein the predetermined reference value comprises a plurality of predetermined reference values, the determination unit is configured to sequentially determine whether the detection signal generated by the generation unit is larger than each of the plurality of predetermined reference values, and the allocation unit is configured to allocate selectively one of the plurality of predetermined functions of operation to the input unit based on the luminous intensity of the external light contained in the detection signal.