INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SAME

• US 20120221806A1
• Filed: 02/17/2012
• Published: 08/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kawasaki, Hiromasa
• Granted Patent: US 8,914,591 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0611 in relation to response time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0656 Data buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0676 Magnetic disk device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1214 at the submitting node
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1247 by conversion to printer ready format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1277 using filter pipeline, e.g. outside the driver, adding traps
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server

Abstract

An information processing apparatus processes data to be processed while accessing data to be processed that is stored in a memory or a HDD. The information processing apparatus determines the process content and calculates the access number to the HDD based on the determined process content and the content of data to be processed. The information processing apparatus also decides to store data to be processed in the memory when the access number is more than or equal to a threshold value. The information processing apparatus decides to store data to be processed in the HDD when the access number is less than the threshold value.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus that processes data to be processed while accessing the data to be processed which is stored in a first storage unit or a second storage unit whose access speed is slower than that of the first storage unit, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a process content determination unit configured to determine a process content;

an access number calculation unit configured to calculate the access number to the second storage unit based on the determined process content and a content of the data to be processed; and

a decision unit configured to decide to store the data to be processed in the first storage unit when the calculated access number is more than or equal to a predetermined first threshold value, and decide to store the data to be processed in the second storage unit when the calculated access number is less than the first threshold value.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the process content determination unit determines whether the process content is layout processing in which a displacement of coordinates occurs, the layout processing in which the displacement of coordinates does not occur, or a generation processing of the print data;

and

wherein the access number calculation unit calculates a predetermined fixed value corresponding to the layout processing as the access number when the determined process content is layout processing in which the displacement of coordinates does not occur, and calculates the access number based on the command number corresponding to an attribute of the data to be processed when the determined process content is the layout processing in which the displacement of coordinates or the generation processing of the print data occurs.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the information processing apparatus includes a plurality of process execution units that process the data to be processed in order of the predetermined process execution unit;

wherein, each time the respective process execution unit processes the data to be processed, the process content determination unit executes processing to determine the process content, the access number calculation unit executes processing to calculate the access number, and the decision unit executes processing to decide whether to store the data to be processed in the first storage unit or the second storage unit;

wherein, among the plurality of process execution units, the process execution unit that has completed the processing outputs a processing completion result to the process execution unit that processes next, and counts the number of commands corresponding to the attribute of the data to be processed when outputting the processing completion result; and

wherein, each time the respective process execution unit processes the data to be processed, the access number calculation unit judges whether or not the number of commands has been counted, and calculates the access number based on the number of commands that have been counted when the number of commands has been counted.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the decision unit further decides to store the data to be processed in the second storage unit when the access number that is less than the first threshold value is less than or equal to a second threshold value smaller than the predetermined first threshold value,

and decides to store the data to be processed in the first storage unit when the access number that is less than the first threshold value exceeds the second threshold value.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the decision unit further decides not to store the data to be processed corresponding to current processing in the second storage unit when the access number to the second storage unit corresponding to the current processing and the access number to the second storage unit corresponding to other processing different from the current processing are beyond a third threshold value.

6. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus that processes data to be processed while accessing the data to be processed, which is stored a first storage unit or a second storage unit having an access speed is slower than that of the first storage unit, the method comprising:

determining a process content,

calculating the access number to the second storage unit based on the determined process content and a content of the data to be processed, and

deciding to store the data to be processed in the first storage unit when the calculated access number is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold value, and to store the data to be processed in the second storage unit when the calculated access number is less than the first threshold value.