Patent ID: 7930442

Claim:
An information processing apparatus performing data communication through a network with a terminal wherein a single or a plurality of optional devices are additionally mounted to said terminal, said apparatus comprising: an information obtaining device obtaining, from said terminal, information related to specification of an optional device having a type mounted on said terminal; a determining device determining, based on said obtained information, whether or not there is any optional device of which specification has been changed; a display displaying appearance images of said terminal and the optional device mounted on said terminal having display attributes; and a display processing device displaying, on said display, when it is determined by said determining device that there is said optional device of which specification has been changed, appearance image of said optional device with image size changed with time; wherein said display processing device includes a first display circuit displaying, on said display, appearance image of said optional device to repeat a display operation in which the appearance image is increased in size at a prescribed rate of increase from a standard size until it reaches a prescribed size, or the appearance image is decreased in size at a prescribed rate of decrease from a standard size until is disappears; and said prescribed size is 1.2 to 2.0 times larger than the appearance image of said standard size, said rate of increase is 1.1 times/sec. from the area of the appearance image of said standard size, said rate of decrease is 0.8 times/sec. to 0.5 times/sec. from the area of the appearance image of said standard size, and time interval of change in size of the appearance image is 0.5 to 2.0 seconds.