Information processing apparatus and its control method

• US 20060279766A1
• Filed: 06/08/2006
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Noriyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,936,466 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.140
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5075 Remote control machines, e.g. by a host
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00109 Remote control of apparatus, e.g. by a host
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0177 Rotating set of developing units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1221 with regard to power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An information processing apparatus manages distributed processing by a plurality of devices which are connected to a computer network and have a power-saving mode. The apparatus includes a retriever, arranged to retrieve device information and operation states of the plurality of devices, and a selector, arranged to select target devices of the distributed processing based on at least one of the device information and operation states.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for managing distributed processing by a plurality of devices which are connected to a computer network and have a power-saving mode, comprising:

a retriever, arranged to retrieve device information and operation states of the plurality of devices; and

a selector, arranged to select target devices of the distributed processing based on at least one of the device information and operation states.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the device information includes unused time information required until a device of interest will shift to the power saving mode, which is set in the device of interest, and current unused time information and consumption power information of the device of interest, and the operation state includes information indicating whether or not the device of interest is in the power-saving mode.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said selector selects devices other than a device in the power-saving mode and a device just before shift to the power-saving mode as the target devices based on the device information and operation states.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said selector selects even the device in the power-saving mode, which requires electric power indicated by the consumption power information smaller than other devices, as the target device.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notification section arranged to notify information indicating the target devices selected by said selector to a request source of the distributed processing.

6. An information processing apparatus for managing distributed processing by a plurality of devices which are connected to a computer network and have a power-saving mode, comprising:

a retriever, arranged to retrieve device information and operation states of the plurality of devices; and

a setter, arranged to set distributed processing amounts to be distributed to the plurality of devices based on at least one of the device information and operation states.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the device information includes information indicating a processing capacity of a device of interest, and the operation state includes information indicating whether or not the device of interest is in the power-saving mode and time information until the device of interest will shift to the power-saving mode.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said setter sets the distributed processing amounts in accordance with products of the processing capacities and consumption power information.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a notification section arranged to notify the distributed processing amounts set by said setter to a request source of the distributed processing.

10. A method of controlling an information processing apparatus for managing distributed processing by a plurality of devices which are connected to a computer network and have a power-saving mode, the method comprising the steps of:

retrieving device information and operation states of the plurality of devices; and

selecting target devices of the distributed processing based on at least one of the device information and operation states.

11. A method of controlling an information processing apparatus for managing distributed processing by a plurality of devices which are connected to a computer network and have a power-saving mode, the method comprising the steps of:

retrieving device information and operation states of the plurality of devices; and

setting distributed processing amounts to be distributed to the plurality of devices based on at least one of the device information and operation states.

12. A computer program for an information processing method of controlling an information processing apparatus for managing distributed processing by a plurality of devices which are connected to a computer network and have a power-saving mode, the method comprising the steps of:

retrieving device information and operation states of the plurality of devices; and

selecting target devices of the distributed processing based on at least one of the device information and operation states.

13. A computer program for an information processing method of controlling an information processing apparatus for managing distributed processing by a plurality of devices which are connected to a computer network and have a power-saving mode, the method comprising the steps of:

retrieving device information and operation states of the plurality of devices; and

setting distributed processing amounts to be distributed to the plurality of devices based on at least one of the device information and operation states.

14. A computer program product stored on a computer readable medium comprising program code for an information processing method of controlling an information processing apparatus for managing distributed processing by a plurality of devices which are connected to a computer network and have a power-saving mode, the method comprising the steps of:

retrieving device information and operation states of the plurality of devices; and

selecting target devices of the distributed processing based on at least one of the device information and operation states.

15. A computer program product stored on a computer readable medium comprising program code for an information processing method of controlling an information processing apparatus for managing distributed processing by a plurality of devices which are connected to a computer network and have a power-saving mode, the method comprising the steps of:

retrieving device information and operation states of the plurality of devices; and

setting distributed processing amounts to be distributed to the plurality of devices based on at least one of the device information and operation states.