Patent ID: 7969594

Claim:
An information processing apparatus which communicates with a plurality of external apparatuses that execute a process of a job by using a program which is executed if a license is provided, comprising: an executing unit constructed to execute a process of a job; a determination unit constructed to determine whether or not the executing unit can execute the process of the job; a decision unit constructed to decide an alternative device to make the process of the job alternate among the plurality of external apparatuses if the determination unit determines that the executing unit cannot execute the process of the job; and a transmission unit responsive to a determination by the determination unit that the executing unit cannot execute the process of the job, wherein responsive to such determination the transmission unit transmits condition information indicating a condition necessary for the alternative device to alternate the process of the job to the plurality of external apparatuses, wherein the alternative device is decided based at least on the condition information, wherein the decision unit determines whether or not there are external apparatuses among the plurality of external apparatuses which do not need the license to be provided from the information processing apparatus for executing the process of the job, wherein the external apparatuses are for executing the process of the job for the information processing apparatus, and wherein if the decision unit determines that external apparatuses which do not need the license are among the plurality of external apparatuses, the decision unit decides the alternative device from among the external apparatuses which do not need the license based on information responded from the external apparatuses depending on the transmission by the transmission unit and outputs the job to the alternative device, and if the decision unit determines that external apparatuses which do not need the license are not among the plurality of external apparatuses, the decision unit decides the alternative device from among the plurality of external apparatuses based on information responded from the external apparatuses depending on the transmission by the transmission unit and outputs the job and the license to the alternative device.