INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20100149581A1
• Filed: 12/09/2009
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Shinto, Yasushi
• Granted Patent: US 8,902,443 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.140
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1221 with regard to power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1267 Job repository, e.g. non-scheduled jobs, delay printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1291 Pool of printer devices: self-managing printing devices in a network, e.g. without a server
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/02 using printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1817 Buffers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00347 with another still picture apparatus, e.g. hybrid still picture apparatus circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between image input and image output device H04N1/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00885 Power supply means, e.g. arrangements for the control of power supply to the apparatus or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00888 Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00896 using a low-power mode, e.g. standby
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/001 Sharing resources, e.g. processing power or memory, with a connected apparatus or enhancing the capability of the still picture apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0036 Detecting or checking connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0049 By wire, cable or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A first information processing apparatus receives file information from a second information processing apparatus when the second information processing apparatus is switched to a power saving state. When the first information processing apparatus receives a file information acquisition request, which is directed to the second information processing apparatus from another apparatus, the file information that has been received from the second information processing apparatus is sent to the other apparatus. The first information processing apparatus acquires by proxy a file that is to be stored in the second information processing apparatus and sends the file acquired by proxy to the second information processing apparatus when the second information processing apparatus is restored to the normal power state.

Claims

1. An information processing system including a first information processing apparatus and a second information processing apparatus capable of communicating with the first information processing apparatus,

the first information processing apparatus comprising:

a first receiving unit configured to receive file information indicative of a file attribute and stored in a storage unit of the second information processing apparatus, from the second information processing apparatus when the second information processing apparatus is switched to a power saving state in which power supply at least to the storage unit is cutoff;

a second receiving unit configured to receive an acquisition request for acquiring the file information;

a first sending unit configured to send the file information, which is received by the first receiving unit, to a source of the acquisition request when the second receiving unit receives the acquisition request;

a third receiving unit configured to receive a file to be stored in the second information processing apparatus when the second information processing apparatus is in the power saving state;

an update unit configured to update the file information such that the information indicative of the file attribute received by the third receiving unit is added to the file information received by the first receiving unit when the third receiving unit receives the file; and

a second sending unit configured to send the file received by the third receiving unit to the second information processing apparatus when the second information processing apparatus is switched from the power saving state to a normal power state in which power is supplied at least to the storage unit,

the second information processing apparatus comprising;

a third sending unit configured to send the file information to the first information processing apparatus when the second information processing apparatus is switched to the power saving state;

a fourth receiving unit configured to receive the file sent from the second sending unit when the second information processing apparatus is switched from the power saving state to the normal power state; and

a control unit configured to control such that the file received by the fourth receiving unit is stored in the storage unit.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first information processing apparatus includes a fourth sending unit configured to send to the second information processing apparatus a restore order for restoring the second information processing apparatus from the power saving state to the normal power state when the acquisition request that the second receiving unit has received is a file acquisition request of a file corresponding to the file information;

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the file information includes at least any one of information indicative of a file name of the file, a creator of the file, and a created date and time of the file.

4. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a first receiving unit configured to, when another information processing apparatus including storage unit for storing a file is switched to a power saving state in which power supply at least to the storage unit is cutoff, receive from the other information processing apparatus the file information indicative of a file attribute that is stored in the storage unit of the other information processing apparatus;

a second receiving unit configured to receive an acquisition request for acquiring the file information;

a first sending unit configured to send the file information received by the first receiving unit to a source of the acquisition request when the second receiving unit receives the acquisition request;

a third receiving unit configured to receive a file to be stored in the other information processing apparatus when the other information processing apparatus is in the power saving state;

an update unit configured to update the file information by adding the information indicative of a file attribute of the file received by the third receiving unit to the file information received by the first receiving unit when the third receiving unit receives the file; and

a second sending unit configured to send the file received by the third receiving unit to the other information processing apparatus when the other information processing apparatus is switched from a power saving state to the normal power state in which power is supplied at least to the storage unit.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a third sending unit configured to send to the other information processing apparatus a restore order for restoring the other information processing apparatus from the power saving state to the normal power state, if the acquisition request received by the second receiving unit is a file acquisition request for a file corresponding to the file information.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the file information includes at least information indicative any one of a file name of the file, a creator of the file, and a created date and time of the file.

7. An information processing method for an information processing system including a first information processing apparatus and a second information processing apparatus capable of communicating with the first information processing apparatus, the method comprising:

sending file information indicative of a file attribute stored in a storage unit of the second information processing apparatus from the second information processing apparatus to the first information processing apparatus when the second information processing apparatus is switched to a power saving state in which power supply at least to the storage unit is cutoff;

receiving an acquisition request for causing the first information processing apparatus to acquire the file information;

sending the file information from the first information processing apparatus to a source of the acquisition request when the first information processing apparatus receives the acquisition request;

causing the first information processing apparatus to receive a file to be stored in the second information processing apparatus when the second information processing apparatus is in the power saving state;

updating the file information by adding information indicative of a file attribute of the received file to the file information sent to the first information processing apparatus when the first information processing apparatus receives a file to be stored in the second information processing apparatus;

sending the file to be stored in the second information processing apparatus from the first information processing apparatus to the second information processing apparatus when the second information processing apparatus is switched from the power saving state to a normal power state in which power is supplied at least to the storage unit; and

controlling the second information processing apparatus to store the file received from the first information processing apparatus in the storage unit.

8. The information processing method according to claim 7, wherein the first information processing apparatus sends to the second information processing apparatus a restore order for restoring the second information processing apparatus from the power saving state to the normal power state when the acquisition request is a file acquisition request of a file corresponding to the file information.

9. The information processing method according to claim 7, wherein the file information includes information indicative of at least any one of a file name of the file, a creator of the file, and a created date and time of the file.