Patent ID: 7707279

Claim:
An apparatus for setting a parameter via a network, comprising: a computer coupled to a memory, said computer comprising: (a) a device finding unit that finds nodes connected with the network; (b) a setting value reading unit that reads out setting values of the found nodes; (c) a user I/F unit that displays a common setting item possessed by plural ones of the nodes found by the device finding unit, and inputs a setting value of the common setting item; (d) a per-pattern processing unit that performs a calculation with respect to the setting value inputted by the user I/F unit; and (e) a setting value writing unit that writes the setting value into nodes connected with the network on the basis of the setting value inputted by the user I/F unit, wherein, (i) the device finding unit finds a first node and a second node that are connected with the network; (ii) the setting value reading unit respectively reads out setting values of the first node and the second node; (iii) the user I/F unit: (1) displays a common setting item possessed by the first node and the second node, (2) displays a control code pair that bounds first character information that is a target of incrementing, and (3) displays second character information that does not belong to the target of incrementing, the first character information, and the second character information being displayed simultaneously on the same line, and inputs and displays a first setting value including the first character information being the target of incrementing; (iv) the per-pattern processing unit receives the value of the first character information being the target of incrementing from the inputted first setting value and, on the basis of the control code, changes the value of the first character information being the target of incrementing in the first setting value into a value which is obtained by performing a predetermined calculation with respect to the received value of the character information so as to seek a second setting value; and (v) the setting value writing unit writes the first setting value inputted by the user I/F unit into the first node and writes the second setting value calculated by the per-pattern processing unit into the second node.