INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

• US 20080195688A1
• Filed: 02/08/2008
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: WATANABE, Hideyuki
• Application Number:
  US12/028,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20080195688A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 Reducing energy consumption in communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

An information processing apparatus determines, upon receipt of a packet via a network while in one of a plurality of power-saving modes, whether the packet is a reply request packet not requiring a process to be performed by the information processing apparatus. When the received packet is a reply request packet not requiring a process to be performed, the information processing apparatus generates a response packet to the received packet while in the one of the power-saving modes. The information processing apparatus returns the response packet via the network to the source of the reply request packet.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a controlling unit that controls a plurality of power-saving modes;

a determining unit that determines, upon receipt of a packet via a network while the information processing apparatus is in one of the power-saving modes, whether received packet is a reply request packet that does not require a process to be performed; and

a generating unit that generates, when the received packet is a reply request packet that does not require a process to be performed, a response packet to the received packet while maintaining the information processing apparatus in the one of the power-saving mode;

wherein

the determining unit determines, based on content of the received packet, whether the received packet requests return of predetermined information, and

the generating unit generates, when the received packet requests return of predetermined information, the response packet including the predetermined information.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a returning unit that returns the response packet via the network to a source of the reply request packet.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined information is information for identifying the information processing apparatus.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the identification information is a sequence number.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined information is Internet control message protocol data.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined information is user datagram protocol data.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the user datagram protocol data is simple network management protocol data.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the simple network management protocol data is management information block information.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the power-saving modes includes a first mode for supplying power to the controlling unit to operate the information processing apparatus, and a second mode for supplying power to a portion of the controlling unit to operate the information processing apparatus, and

the controlling unit operates the information processing apparatus in the first mode to return a response packet including simple network management protocol data for first time, and operates the information processing apparatus in the second mode to return a response packet including simple network management protocol data from second time.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an application specific integrated circuit that includes the determining unit, the generating unit, and the returning unit.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a size of the received packet is equal to or smaller than a predetermined size.

12. An information processing method applied to an information processing apparatus having a plurality of power-saving modes, the information processing method comprising:

controlling the power-saving modes;

determining, upon receipt of a packet via a network while the information processing apparatus is in one of the power-saving modes, whether received packet is a reply request packet that does not require a process to be performed; and

generating, when the received packet is a reply request packet that does not require a process to be performed, a response packet to the received packet while maintaining the information processing apparatus in the one of the power-saving mode;

wherein

the determining includes determining, based on content of the received packet, whether the received packet requests return of predetermined information, and

the generating includes generating, when the received packet requests return of predetermined information, the response packet including the predetermined information.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program codes embodied in the medium that, when executed, causes a computer to execute:

controlling a plurality of power-saving modes;

determining, upon receipt of a packet via a network while the computer is in one of the power-saving modes, whether received packet is a reply request packet that does not require a process to be performed; and

generating, when the received packet is a reply request packet that does not require a process to be performed, a response packet to the received packet while maintaining the computer in the one of the power-saving mode;

wherein

the determining includes determining, based on content of the received packet, whether the received packet requests return of predetermined information, and

the generating includes generating, when the received packet requests return of predetermined information, the response packet including the predetermined information.