Patent ID: 8549598

Claim:
A multifunction apparatus which communicates with, via a communication network, an information processing apparatus including a first web server section which operates in accordance with software of a web server, the multifunction apparatus working with an application which operates on the web server so as to carry out a cooperation process, comprising: a central processing unit (CPU); an authentication control section which communicates with an authentication server that (i) carries out an authentication process for authenticating a user who operates the multifunction apparatus and (ii) stores, for each user, user related information which is related to the each user and is used when the multifunction apparatus carries out the cooperation process with the application; a second web server section which operates in accordance with software of the web server; and a web browser section which communicates with the first web server section or the second web server section in accordance with software of a web browser, the authentication control section (i) controlling the authentication server to carry out the authentication process by transmitting login information, entered by a user, to the authentication server and (ii) storing the login information, the web browser section (i) accepting, from the first web server section, control information for informing the second web server section of a control instruction to obtain the user related information from the authentication server and (ii) carrying out an informing process, in which the second web server section is informed of the control instruction, on receipt of the control information from the first web server section, the authentication control section obtaining, from the authentication server, the user related information in accordance with the control instruction received by the second web server section, the user related information corresponding to the user indicated by the login information stored in the authentication control section, and the web browser section transmitting the user related information obtained by the authentication control section to the first web server section, and the multifunction apparatus and the authentication server being inside a firewall, and the information processing apparatus being outside the firewall.