Patent ID: 7159020

Claim:
A priority determination device provided in one of a plurality of electronic apparatuses that can be connected to one another, are respectively assigned priorities, and respectively have operation units each performing a predetermined operation, characterized by comprising: connected state detection means for detecting the change in the connected state of said plurality of electronic apparatuses; first identification means for identifying the electronic apparatus or apparatuses connected after the change in the connected state by communicating with the other electronic apparatus or apparatuses in response to the detection of the change by said connected state detection means; first judgment means for judging whether or not said one electronic apparatus has the highest priority on the basis of the priority of each of the electronic apparatuses identified by said first identification means; and first operation allowance/inhibition means for allowing the operation performed by said operation unit when said first judgment means judges that said one electronic apparatus has the highest priority, while inhibiting the operation performed by said operation unit when said first judgment means judges that said one electronic apparatus does not have the highest priority; characterized in which priorities are previously set, respectively, in identification information for identifying said plurality of electronic apparatuses, said first identification means comprising first communication means for receiving the identification information from the other electronic apparatus or apparatuses connected after the change in the connected state in response to the detection of the change by said connected state detection means, and transmitting the self identification information to the other electronic apparatus or apparatuses connected after the change in the connected state, said first judgment means comprising first comparison means for comparing the identification information for the other electronic apparatus or apparatuses received by said communication means with the self identification information, to judge whether or not said one electronic apparatus has the highest priority.