Information apparatus and controlling method thereof

• US 8,150,459 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2009
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Client Computing Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Saito, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): SPITTLE, MATTHEW D
• Application Number:
  US12/408,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20090249099A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/310, 713/313, 713/320, 713/324, 455/12.1, 455/403, 455/550.1, 455/555, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/557, 455/558, 340/7.2, 340/7.32, 715/717, 715/741, 710/110, 710/305, 710/306, 710/313
• US Class Current: 455/556.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An information processing apparatus and method include mode controlling. A first information processing unit controls a telephone process using a radio communication unit and displays the image to display unit in response to a request, and a second information processing unit mutually operable in parallel with the first information processing unit controls a telephone process using the radio communication unit and makes the display unit display the image in response to a request. The mode controlling sets one of the first information processing unit and the second information processing unit to a master mode and sets other of the first information processing unit and the second information processing unit to a slave mode.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a display unit that displays an image;

a radio communication unit that transmits and receives data with external apparatuses;

a first information processing unit having a first telephone controlling unit that controls a telephone process using the radio communication unit and a first display requesting unit that makes the display unit display the image in response to a request from the first telephone controlling unit;

a second information processing unit having a second telephone controlling unit and a second display requesting unit, the second telephone controlling unit controlling a telephone process using the radio communication unit, making the display unit display the image in response to a request from a control unit inside the second information processing unit including the second telephone controlling unit, and the second information processing unit being mutually operable in parallel with the first information processing unit; and

a mode controlling unit that controls one of the first information processing unit and the second information processing unit and sets to a master mode,

wherein when the mode controlling unit sets the first information processing unit to the master mode, the first telephone controlling unit, the first display requesting unit, and the display unit are activated, and the second information processing unit is set to a slave mode in which the radio communication unit is activated and other functions are inactivated, and

when the mode controlling unit sets the second information processing unit to the master mode, the second display requesting unit, the second telephone controlling unit, and the radio communication unit are activated, and the first information processing unit is set to the slave mode in which the display unit is activated and other functions are inactivated.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

a status monitoring unit that monitors a power source status of each of the first information processing unit and the second information processing unit,

wherein when the mode controlling unit detects an incoming call from an outside source being terminated by the radio communication unit, based on a monitoring result by the status monitoring unit, the mode controlling unit

sets the first information processing unit to the master mode and the second information processing unit to the slave mode when the first information processing unit is in an active state, and

sets the second information processing unit to the master mode and the first information processing unit to the slave mode when the first information processing unit is in an inactive state.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the mode controlling unit sets the first information processing unit to the master mode and the second information processing unit to the slave mode based on a monitoring result by the status monitoring unit after the first information processing unit returns to an active state when the first information processing unit is in a power saving status.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

a power source unit that supplies power to the first information processing unit,

wherein the mode controlling unit

sets the first information processing unit to the master mode by starting the power supply to the first information processing unit and the second information processing unit to the slave mode when the mode controlling unit detects an input operation to a power switch to activate the first information processing unit when the power supply to the first information processing unit is stopped, and

sets the second information processing unit to the master mode and stops the power supply to the first information processing unit if the mode controlling unit detects the input operation to the power switch when the first information processing unit is in an active state.

5. A control method of an information processing apparatus, the method comprising:

controlling a telephone process using a radio communication unit by controlling a first telephone controlling unit after activating the first telephone controlling unit, a first display requesting unit, and the display unit provided in a first information processing unit and setting a second information processing unit to a slave mode in which the radio communication unit is activated and other functions are inactivated while displaying an image in a display unit of the first information processing unit in response to a request from a control unit inside the first information processing unit including the first telephone controlling unit when instructed by a mode controlling unit to set the first information processing unit to a master mode; and

controlling the telephone process using the radio communication unit by controlling a second telephone controlling unit after activating a second display requesting unit, the second telephone controlling unit, and the radio communication unit provided in the second information processing unit and setting the first information processing unit to the slave mode in which the display unit is activated and other functions are inactivated while displaying an image in the display unit in response to a request from a control unit inside the second information processing unit including the second telephone controlling unit when instructed by the mode controlling unit to set the second information processing unit to the master mode, and

where the radio communication unit exchanges data with external apparatuses and the second information processing unit is mutually operable in parallel with the first information processing unit.