IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE APPARATUS

• US 20110037999A1
• Filed: 07/06/2010
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sano, Jumpei
• Granted Patent: US 9,195,422 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5012 Priority interrupt; Job recovery, e.g. after jamming or malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1221 with regard to power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

The invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a hibernation function and a control method of the apparatus. When a transition to hibernation is instructed, it is determined whether or not a job is ongoing, and if it is determined that a job is ongoing, a job suspension request for suspending the ongoing job is issued. As a result, a job execution unit prohibits a new job input in response to the job suspension request, and if the ongoing job involves data reception from an external apparatus, the job execution unit awaits for completion of the data reception and returns the response. In accordance with the response, a pre-processing sequence to be executed at the time of return from the hibernation is generated, and hibernation processing is performed.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a job execution unit configured to execute a job that involves image formation;

a determination unit configured to, when a transition to hibernation is instructed, determine whether or not the job execution unit is executing an ongoing job;

an issuance unit configured to, if the determination unit determines that the job execution unit is executing the ongoing job, issue a job suspension request that makes the job execution unit suspend the ongoing job; and

a hibernation control unit configured to, in accordance with a response from the job execution unit in reply to the request of the issuance unit, generate a pre-processing sequence to be executed at the time of return from the hibernation, and execute hibernation processing,

wherein the job execution unit prohibits a new job input in accordance with the job suspension request, and if the ongoing job involves data reception from an external apparatus, the job execution unit awaits for completion of the data reception and returns the response.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the job execution unit executes at least a copy job and an image forming job for receiving data from an external apparatus and forming an image, and

when the job execution unit receives the job suspension request during execution of the image forming job, the job execution unit awaits for completion of the data reception, stores data of the job, and returns the response.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a restoring unit configured to, at the time of return from the hibernation, restore data of the stored job, and have the apparatus restore a state immediately before the transition to the hibernation by executing the pre-processing sequence.

4. A method of controlling an image forming apparatus, comprising:

a job execution step of executing a job which involves image formation;

a determination step of, when a transition to hibernation is instructed, determining by a determination unit whether or not the job execution step is ongoing;

an issuance step of, if it is determined in the determination step that a job is ongoing, issuing a job suspension request which makes the ongoing job suspended; and

a hibernation control step of, in accordance with a response to the job suspension request, generating a pre-processing sequence to be executed at the time of return from the hibernation, and executing hibernation processing,

wherein in the job execution step, a new job input is prohibited in accordance with the job suspension request, and if the ongoing job involves data reception from an external apparatus, completion of the data reception is awaited and the response is returned.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the job execution step includes at least a copy job and an image forming job for receiving data from an external apparatus and forming an image, and

when the job suspension request is received during execution of the image forming job, completion of the data reception is awaited, data of the job is stored, and the response is returned.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising a restoring step of, at the time of return from the hibernation, restoring data of the stored job, and having the apparatus restore a state immediately before the transition to the hibernation by executing the pre-processing sequence.