Patent ID: 7600226

Claim:
An information processing apparatus communicating with a server apparatus that manages a device driver that controls a device that performs data processing, the information processing apparatus comprising: a storage device that stores a device driver which incorporates access information to access to the server apparatus and a property display screen showing an instruction item for inputting a device driver request; an input unit that, based on an instruction to the instruction item on the property display screen, inputs the access information incorporated by the device driver to an application; an obtainment control unit that controls a process to obtain, from the server apparatus, driver update page information using the application to which the access information is inputted by said input unit; a display unit that, based on the driver update page information, displays a screen including a user interface element defined by the driver update page information that asks a user for approval to allow environment information including version information indicating a version of the device driver currently used in the information processing apparatus to be transmitted from the information processing apparatus to the server apparatus; a detection unit that detects whether an instruction for the approval allowing transmission of the environment information is entered on the screen displayed by said display unit; a transmission unit that transmits the environment information to the server apparatus only if said detection unit detects that the instruction is entered; a reception unit that receives, from the server apparatus, display information including an instruction input portion for inputting a device driver update instruction, in response to the environment information transmitted by said transmission unit, wherein said display unit displays the instruction input portion based on the display information received by said reception unit, and wherein said reception unit receives a device driver installer from the server apparatus after detection of an instruction entered on the displayed instruction input portion; and an update control unit that controls a process to update the device driver and to detect another device provided on a network in accordance with execution of the device driver installer received by said reception unit, wherein said display unit displays a device driver stored in the server apparatus and another device driver that corresponds to the other device detected by said update control unit and that is not stored in the server apparatus, wherein said reception unit receives the other device driver from another server apparatus in accordance with execution of the device driver installer, and wherein said update control unit controls the process to update the device driver provided in the information processing apparatus using the other device driver and the device driver stored in the server apparatus in response to a user instruction.