Patent ID: 8478866

Claim:
A device management apparatus for communicating with an information obtaining apparatus operating in a second network connected to a first network, and managing a device connected to the first network, the device management apparatus comprising: a controller programmed to provide: an extracting task that, when receiving a device information obtaining request from the information obtaining apparatus, extracts a communication protocol usable by the information obtaining apparatus from the device information obtaining request; a first requesting task that, when the device connected to the first network is not currently operating using the communication protocol extracted by said extracting task, and the device is able to activate the communication protocol, requests the device to activate the communication protocol; a second requesting task that, when the device has successfully activated the communication protocol in response to the request from said first requesting task, and access settings for the device need to be changed, requests the device to change the access settings; a creating task that, when the device has successfully changed the access settings in response to the request from said second requesting task, creates a response concerning device information to the information obtaining apparatus; and a sending task that sends the response created by said creating task to the information obtaining apparatus; and an instruction task that gives an instruction to change the access settings for the device connected to the first network, wherein in accordance with the instruction to change the access settings by said instruction task, said second requesting task registers an address of the information obtaining apparatus on an access permission list which the device has.