Patent ID: 7904637

Claim:
An information processing apparatus, which is configured to be connected to a storage device including a flash memory storing a rewrite count limitative value and a serial number of said storage device, rewriting information stored in the flash memory and monitoring a lifetime of the storage device using said rewrite count limitative value, said apparatus comprising: a computing unit; an acquiring unit acquiring said serial number of said storage device from said flash memory when said information processing apparatus is activated; a judging unit determining whether a management table for managing an accumulated rewrite count is present in said flash memory when said information processing apparatus is activated; a generating unit generating said management table in said flash memory if said judging unit determines that the management table is not present in said flash memory; a recording unit recording said accumulated rewrite count, which indicates a number of times an information is rewritten, into said management table generated by said generating unit and recording the serial number acquired by said acquiring unit into the management table generated by said generating unit if said judging unit determines that said management table is not present in said flash memory; a monitoring unit monitoring the lifetime of said storage device based on the accumulated rewrite count recorded in said management table and said rewrite count limitative value; an obtaining unit obtaining said serial number from said management table if said judging unit determines that said management table is present in said flash memory; and a determining unit determining whether said storage device has been replaced by comparing the serial number obtained by said obtaining unit and the serial number acquired by said acquiring unit, wherein said generating unit deletes said management table and thereafter generates a new management table in said flash memory if said determining unit determines that said storage device has been replaced.