INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20110153784A1
• Filed: 11/09/2010
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sakata, Munetaka
• Granted Patent: US 8,572,213 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3284 Power saving in printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• 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: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a first reception unit receiving condition setting information which specifies a permission condition for permitting access to a file server and is sent from the file server when the processing apparatus transitions from a first power supply mode to a second power supply mode in which power consumption is less than that in the first power supply mode, a second reception unit receiving a process request with respect to the file server from a client computer, a determination unit determining whether the process request received by the second reception unit satisfies the permission condition specified in the condition setting information, and a transfer control unit sending a response indicating a refusal of access to the client computer without transferring the process request received by the second reception unit to the file server when the determination unit has determined that the permission condition is not satisfied.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus can be interposed between a client computer and a processing apparatus including a file server, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a first reception unit configured to receive condition setting information which specifies a permission condition for permitting access to the file server, the condition setting information being sent from the file server when the processing apparatus transitions from a first power supply mode to a second power supply mode in which power consumption is less than that in the first power supply mode;

a second reception unit configured to receive a process request with respect to the file server from the client computer;

a determination unit configured to determine whether the process request received by the second reception unit satisfies the permission condition specified in the condition setting information; and

a transfer control unit configured to send a response indicating a refusal of access to the client computer without transferring the process request received by the second reception unit to the file server when the determination unit has determined that the permission condition is not satisfied.

2. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the condition setting information specifies a file format which is permitted for writing or reading of the file server, and

the determination unit determines whether the process request received by the second reception unit is the permitted file format.

3. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the condition setting information specifies a user who is permitted access to the file server, and

the determination unit determines whether the process request received by the second reception unit has been performed by the permitted user.

4. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the first reception unit receives information indicating a directory or a file to be accessed in addition to the condition setting information.

5. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the processing apparatus is an image formation apparatus configured to perform an image formation process based on image formation data stored in the file server.

6. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein,

in the second power supply mode, at least power supply to the file server is stopped, and

the transfer control unit, when the determination unit determines that the permission condition is satisfied, sends a request for returning to the first power supply mode to the processing apparatus before transferring the process request received by the second reception unit to the file server.

8. A storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each of the units of the information processing apparatus of claim 1.

7. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus can be interposed between a client computer and a processing apparatus including a file server, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving condition setting information which specifies a permission condition for permitting access to the file server by using a first reception unit of the information processing apparatus, the condition setting information being sent from the file server when the processing apparatus transitions from a first power supply mode to a second power supply mode in which power consumption is less than that in the first power supply mode;

receiving a process request with respect to the file server from the client computer by using a second reception unit of the information processing apparatus;

determining whether the process request received by the second reception unit satisfies the permission condition specified in the condition setting information, by using a determination unit of the information processing apparatus; and

sending a response indicating a refusal of access to the client computer without transferring the process request received by the second reception unit to the file server when the determination unit has determined that the permission condition is not satisfied, by using a transfer control unit of the information processing apparatus.