Power saving management system and power saving managing method for forwarding an updated power mode shift time to a plurality of output apparatuses over a network

• US 7,076,673 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2003
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yoshikawa, Tomoyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Browne, Lynne H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Anand B.
• Application Number:
  US10/368,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20030163747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/300
• 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: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A managing apparatus has a RAM for storing power saving mode shift time and notifies output apparatuses of the stored power saving mode shift time via a network. Each output apparatus is shifted to a power saving mode when measured time by a built-in timer reaches the notified power saving mode shift time.

Claims

1. A power saving management system having a plurality of output apparatuses with a power saving mode wherein

each of said plurality of output apparatuses comprises:

a timer unit adapted to measure a time;

a power saving mode shift time memory unit adapted to store a power saving mode shift time indicative of a time to shift to the power saving mode;

a power saving mode control unit adapted to shift said output apparatus to the power saving mode when the time measured by said timer unit reaches the power saving mode shift time stored by said power saving mode shift time memory unit;

a first updating unit adapted to update the power saving mode shift time stored by said power saving mode shift time memory unit in accordance with a power saving mode shift time notified by another of said plurality of output apparatuses;

a second updating unit adapted to update the power saving mode shift time stored by said power saving mode shift time memory unit in accordance with a user'"'"'s update operation for updating the power saving mode shift time; and

a notifying unit adapted to notify the other of said plurality of output apparatuses of the power saving mode shift time updated by said second updating unit.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said notifying unit notifies said plurality of other output apparatuses of the power saving mode shift time via a network in accordance with the user'"'"'s update operation.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein each of said output apparatuses comprises a display unit adapted to display a message showing that the power saving mode shift time has been updated in the case where the power saving mode shift time in said power saving mode shift time memory unit is updated in accordance with the power saving mode shift time notified by said plurality of other output apparatuses.

4. A power saving management system having a plurality of output apparatuses with a power saving mode and a managing apparatus for managing the power saving modes of the plurality of output apparatuses via a network,

wherein said managing apparatus comprises:

a management information memory unit adapted to store a power saving mode shift time indicative of a time to shift to the power saving mode; and

a notifying unit adapted to notify at least one of said plurality of output apparatuses of the power saving mode shift time stored in said management information memory unit via the network,

wherein each of said plurality of output apparatuses comprises;

a timer unit adapted to measure a time;

a power saving mode shift time memory unit adapted to store the power saving mode shift time;

a power saving mode control unit adapted to shift said output apparatus to the power saving mode when the time measured by said timer unit reaches the power saving mode shift time stored by said power saving mode shift time memory unit;

an updating unit adapted to update the power saving mode shift time stored by said power saving mode shift time memory unit in accordance with the power saving mode shift time notified by said notifying unit; and

an inquiry unit adapted to send an inquiry about the power saving mode shift time to said managing apparatus,

wherein said notifying unit notifies said output apparatus of the power saving mode shift time stored in said management information memory unit in response to the inquiry about the power saving mode shift time sent by said inquiry unit, and

wherein said updating unit updates the power saving mode shift time stored by said power saving mode shift time memory unit to the power saving mode shift time notified by said notifying unit, in response to the inquiry send by said inquiry unit.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein said output apparatus further comprises a second timer unit adapted to measure a time, and

said inquiry unit sends the inquiry about the power saving mode shift time when the time measured by said second timer unit reaches a predetermined time.

6. A power saving management system having a plurality of output apparatuses with a power saving mode and a managing apparatus for managing the power saving modes of the plurality of output apparatuses via a network,

wherein said managing apparatus comprises:

a management information memory unit adapted to store a power saving mode shift time indicative of a time to shift to the power saving mode; and

a notifying unit adapted to notify at least one of said plurality of output apparatuses of the power saving mode shift time stored in said management information memory unit via the network,

wherein each of said plurality of output apparatuses comprises;

a timer unit adapted to measure a time;

a power saving mode shift time memory unit adapted to store the power saving mode shift time;

a power saving mode control unit adapted to shift said output apparatus to the power saving mode when the time measured by said timer unit reaches the power saving mode shift time stored by said power saving mode shift time memory unit;

a first updating unit adapted to update the power saving mode shift time stored by said power saving mode shift time memory unit in accordance with the power saving mode shift time notified by said notifying unit;

a setting unit adapted to arbitrarily set the power saving mode shift time stored by said power saving mode shift time memory unit; and

a second notifying unit adapted to, when the power saving mode shift time stored by said power saving mode shift time memory unit is arbitrarily set by said setting unit, notify said managing apparatus of the arbitrarily set power saving mode shift time via the network, and

wherein said managing apparatus further comprises a second updating unit adapted to update the power saving mode shift time stored by said management information memory unit in accordance with the power saving mode shift time notified by said second notifying unit.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein when said first updating unit receives a response indicative of success or failure of the updating of the power saving mode shift time from said managing apparatus which received the power saving mode shift time notified by said second notifying unit, a message indicative of the success or failure of the updating of the power saving mode shift time by said managing apparatus is displayed on a display apparatus.

8. An output apparatus which has a power saving mode and can communicate with another output apparatus, comprising:

a first power saving mode shift time memory unit adapted to store a power saving mode shift time indicative of a time to shift to the power saving mode;

a first updating unit adapted to update the power saving mode shift time stored by said first power saving mode shift time memory unit, in accordance with a user'"'"'s update operation for updating the power saving mode shift time; and

a notifying unit adapted to notify said other output apparatus of the power saving mode shift time updated by said first updating unit,

wherein said other output apparatus shifts to the power saving mode when a time measured by a timer reaches the power saving mode shift time notified by said notifying unit.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said output apparatus can communicate with a plurality of other output apparatuses, and said notifying unit notifies said plurality of other output apparatuses of the updated power saving mode shift time via a network.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a counting unit adapted to count, based on a response from each of said plurality of other output apparatuses indicating whether or not the power saving mode shift time is updated, the number of output apparatuses in which the power saving mode shift time is updated and the number of output apparatuses in which the power saving mode shift time is not updated; and

a display unit adapted to display the numbers counted by said counting unit.

11. An apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a display unit adapted to display, based on a response from said other output apparatus indicating whether or not the power saving mode shift time is updated, a message showing whether or not the power saving mode shift time in said other output apparatus is updated, in accordance with the power saving mode shift time notified by said notifying unit.

12. A power saving managing method executed by a plurality of output apparatuses which are shifted to a power saving mode when a time measured by a timer reaches a power saving mode shift time and by a managing apparatus for managing the power saving modes of the plurality of output apparatuses via a network, comprising the steps of:

sending an inquiry about the power saving mode shift time from at least one of the plurality of output apparatuses to the managing apparatus via the network;

notifying the at least one output apparatus of the power saving mode shift time from the managing apparatus via the network, in response to the inquiry sent in said sending step; and

in the at least one output apparatus, updating the power saving mode shift time in accordance with the power saving mode shift time notified in said notifying step.

13. A power saving managing method executed by a plurality of output apparatuses which are shifted to a power saving mode when a time measured by a timer reaches a power saving mode shift time and by a managing apparatus for managing the power saving modes of the plurality of output apparatuses via a network, comprising:

a first notifying step of notifying at least one of the plurality of output apparatuses of the power saving mode shift time from the managing apparatus via the network; and

a first updating step of, in the at least one output apparatus, updating the power saving mode shift time in accordance with the power saving mode shift time notified in said first notifying step,

a second notifying step of, when the power saving mode shift time is arbitrarily set in the at least one output apparatus, notifying the managing apparatus of the arbitrarily set power saving mode shift time from the at least one output apparatus via said the network; and

a second updating step of, in the managing apparatus, updating the power saving mode shift time in accordance with the power saving mode shift time notified in said second notifying step.

14. A power saving managing method executed by an output apparatus which has a power saving mode and can communicate with another output apparatus, comprising the steps of:

in the output apparatus, updating a power saving mode shift time indicative of a time to shift to the power saving mode, in accordance with a user'"'"'s update operation for updating the power saving mode shift time; and

notifying the other output apparatus of the updated power saving mode shift times,

wherein the other output apparatus updates the power saving mode shift time in accordance with the power saving mode shift time notified in said notifying step.