Patent ID: 6883043

Claim:
An information processing apparatus incorporated in a control unit, said control unit being connected to one of a plurality of other control units via a bus and accessed by one of said plurality of other control units that acquired a first access right, said information processing apparatus comprising: setting means for setting a mode for acquiring an access right; storing means for storing authentication information given at a time of production of the control unit incorporating the information processing apparatus; command receiving means for receiving a command to request the access right transmitted from the control unit; first executing means for executing: (i) a request process for requesting the authentication information of the control unit and transmitting the command to request the access right when a first mode is set by the setting means; (ii) a receiving process for receiving the authentication information transmitted by the request process; and (iii) a reply process for sending a reply command of acquiring the access right when the authentication information received by the receiving process and the authentication information stored by storing means match; and second executing means for executing: (i) the reply process for sending the reply command of acquiring the access right and transmitting the command to request the access right when a second mode is set by the setting means.