Patent ID: 8441663

Claim:
A system for obtaining apparatus information and providing operation information, comprising: an apparatus information obtaining apparatus configured to obtain apparatus information from an image output apparatus via a network, the apparatus information including first model information and print number information of the image output apparatus, the apparatus information obtaining apparatus including, an image output apparatus list database storing a list of image output apparatuses from which the apparatus information is obtained, an apparatus information send instruction sending unit configured to instruct one of the image output apparatuses included in the image output apparatus list to send the apparatus information after an IP address associated with the image output apparatus is extracted from the list of image output apparatuses, and an apparatus information receiving unit configured to receive the apparatus information from the image output apparatus that is instructed to send the apparatus information, an operation information providing apparatus including, an apparatus information inputting unit configured to receive the apparatus information, an apparatus basic information database storing second model information of the image output apparatus, specification information, and use start time information, the specification information including a print speed of the image output apparatus, and the use start time information being used for calculating a use period of the image output apparatus, an apparatus basic information extracting unit configured to extract the print speed of the image output apparatus by referring to the apparatus basic information database using the first model information as a key, an operation cost calculating unit configured to calculate an operation ratio of the image output apparatus based on the print speed extracted by the apparatus basic information extracting unit and the print number information, a use period calculating unit configured to calculate the use period of the image output apparatus based on the use start time information extracted by the apparatus basic information extracting unit, and an operation information displaying unit configured to display a relationship between the operation ratio and the use period in a graph showing points each indicating a set of the operation ratio and the use period, wherein the operation information displaying unit divides the graph into a plurality of regions including a region in which the operation ratio is in a first operation range, a region in which the operation ratio is lower than the first operation range and the use period is a first period, and a region in which the operation ratio is lower than the first operation range and the use period is longer than the first period, wherein the IP address associated with the image output apparatus is extracted at a predetermined timing or in response to a start instruction of processing.