Patent ID: 8127090

Claim:
An information processing apparatus comprising: an input unit that receives operation input from a user; a user-information storage unit that stores therein user information; a specification-information storage unit that stores therein a plurality of attributes for the user and specification information indicative of specifications of the user information stored in the user-information storage unit; a changing unit that, when the operation input is a request for changing the specification information, changes the specification information stored in the specification-information storage unit; a receiving unit that receives a request for changing the user information stored in the user-information storage unit; a determining unit that determines, based on the specification information changed by the changing unit, whether or not the user information can be changed; and an updating unit that updates the user information when the determining unit determines that the user information can be changed; wherein each attribute of the plurality of attributes is governed by an attribute rule, and the attribute rule of said each attribute determines that the specification information can be changed when the attribute rule of said each attribute to be changed complies with an attribute rule of said attribute stored in the specification -information storage unit, the attribute rule being a set of items.