Method, apparatus, and system for controlling execution of an automatic process

• US 8,732,289 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2011
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Li, Yuping, Wang, Wei, Zou, Lan
• Primary Examiner(s): Moise, Emmanuel L
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABU ROUMI, MAHRAN Y
• Application Number:
  US13/235,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20120011231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 370/412, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0883 Semiautomatic configuration, e.g. proposals from system

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for controlling execution of an automatic process. The method includes: receiving a resume command that carries stoppoint information; determining whether the stoppoint information carried in the resume command is the same as information about a current stoppoint of a current automatic process; and resuming the current automatic process from the current stoppoint when the stoppoint information carried in the resume command is the same as the information about the current stoppoint. The present invention also discloses another method for controlling execution of an automatic process, a system, a management apparatus, an automatic apparatus, a computer program product, and a computer readable storage medium, ensuring that the automatic process is executed in accordance with user expectations.

Claims

1. A method for controlling execution of an automatic process, comprising:

sending, by a first device to a second device, a notification message that carries information about a first stop point which is set in the first device, and information about a first automatic process which is currently running on the first device, wherein when the first automatic process runs to the first stop point, the first device stops running the first automatic process;

receiving, by the first device, a resume command that carries information about a second stop point and information about a second automatic process sent from the second device after the notification message is received by the second device, wherein the resume command further carries time information indicating a time point;

determining, by the first device, whether the information about the first automatic process is the same as the information about the second automatic process;

if it has been determined by the first device that the information about the first automatic process is the same as the information about the second automatic process, determining, by the first device, whether the information of the second stop point carried in the resume command is the same as the information of the first stop point;

resuming, by the first device, the first automatic process from the first stop point according to the resume command only when the information of the second stop point carried in the resume command is the same as the information of the first stop point; and

waiting, by the first device, at the first stop point of the first automatic process, when the information of the second stop point carried in the resume command is not the same as the information of the first stop point.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the step of resuming, by the first device, the automatic process from the first stop point according to the resume command comprises:

resuming, by the first device the first automatic process from the first stop point according to the resume command at the time point indicated by the time information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the resume command is generated according to the notification message, and the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is identical to the information about the first stop point in the notification message.

4. A method for controlling execution of an automatic process, comprising:

receiving, by a second device from a first device, a notification message that carries information of a first stop point which is set in the first device, and information about a first automatic process which is currently running on the first device, wherein when the first automatic process runs to the first stop point, the first device stops running the first automatic process;

generating, by the second device, a resume command that carries information about a second stop point and information about a second automatic process after receiving the notification message, wherein the resume command further carries time information indicating a time point; and

sending, by the second device, the resume command to the first device,

wherein the resume command is used for the first device to determine whether the information about the first automatic process is the same as the information about the second automatic process, and, if it has been determined by the first device that the information about the first automatic process is the same as the information about the second automatic process, whether the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is the same as the information about the first stop point; and

the first device resumes the first automatic process from the first stop point according to the resume command only when the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is the same as the information about the first stop point; and

waits at the first stop point of the first automatic process, when the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is not the same as the information about the first stop point.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein

the time information in the resume command is used for the first device resumes the first automatic process from the first stop point according to the resume command at the time point indicated by the time information.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the resume command is generated according to the notification message, and the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is identical to the information about the first stop point in the notification message.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program code, which, when being executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute steps of:

sending to a device, a notification message that carries information about a first stop point which is set in the computer, and information about a first automatic process which is currently running on the computer, wherein when the first automatic process runs to the first stop point, the computer stops running the first automatic process;

receiving from the device a resume command that carries information about a second stop point and information about a second automatic process sent from the device after the notification message is received by the device, wherein the resume command further carries time information indicating a time point;

determining, whether the information about the first automatic process is the same as the information about the second automatic process;

determining whether the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is the same as the information about the first stop point;

resuming the first automatic process from the first stop point according to the resume command only when the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is the same as the information about the first stop point; and

waiting, at the first stop point of the first automatic process, when the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is not the same as the information about the first stop point.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the resume command is generated according to the notification message, and the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is identical to the information about the first stop point in the notification message.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program code, which, when being executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute steps of:

receiving from a device, a notification message that carries information about a first stop point which is set in the device, and information about a first automatic process which is currently running on the device, wherein when the first automatic process runs to the first stop point, the device stops running the first automatic process;

generating a resume command that carries information about a second stop point and information about a second automatic process after receiving the notification message, wherein the resume command further carries time information indicating a time point; and

sending the resume command to the device, wherein the resume command is used for the device to determine whether the information about the first automatic process is the same as the information about the second automatic process, and, if it has been determined by the first device that the information about the first automatic process is the same as the information about the second automatic process, whether the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is the same as the information about the first stop point; and

the device resumes the first automatic process from the first stop point according to the resume command only when the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is the same as the information about the first stop point; and

waits at the first stop point of the first automatic process, when the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is not the same as the information about the first stop point.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the resume command is generated according to the notification message, and the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is identical to the information about the first stop point in the notification message.

11. An automatic apparatus, comprising:

a transmitter, configured to send to a device a notification message that carries information about a first stop point which is set in the automatic apparatus, and information about a first automatic process which is currently running on the device, wherein when the first automatic process runs to the first stop point, the automatic apparatus stops running the first automatic process;

a receiver, configured to receive a resume command that carries information about a second stop point and information about a second automatic process sent from the device after the notification message is received by the device, wherein the resume command further carries time information indicating a time point;

a processor, configured to determine whether the information about the first automatic process is the same as the information about the second automatic process, and, if it has been determined by the first device that the information about the first automatic process is the same as the information about the second automatic process, whether the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is the same as the information about the first stop point; and

resume the first automatic process from the first stop point according to the resume command only when the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is the same as the information about the first stop point; and

wait at the first stop point of the first automatic process, when the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is not the same as the information about the first stop point.

12. The automatic apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the processor is configured to resume the automatic process from the first stop point according to the resume command at the time point indicated by the time information when the second stop point carried in the resume command is the same as the first stop point.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the resume command is generated according to the notification message, and the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is identical to the information about the first stop point in the notification message.

14. A management apparatus, comprising:

a receiver, configured to receive from a device, a notification message that carries information about a first stop point which is set in the first device, and information about a first automatic process which is currently running on the device, wherein when the first automatic process runs to the first stop point, the device stops running the first automatic process;

a processor, configured to generate a resume command that carries information about a second stop point and information about a second automatic process after the reception of the notification message, wherein the resume command further carries time information indicating a time point; and

a transmitter, configured to send the generated resume command to the device, wherein the resume command is used for the first device to determine whether the information about the first automatic process is the same as the information about the second automatic process, and, if it has been determined by the first device that the information about the first automatic process is the same as the information about the second automatic process, whether the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is the same as the information about the first stop point; and

the device resumes the first automatic process from the first stop point according to the resume command only when the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is the same as the information about the first stop point; and

waits at the first stop point of the first automatic process, when the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is not the same as the information about the first stop point.

15. The management apparatus of claim 14, wherein

the time information in the resume command is used for the first device resumes the automatic process from the first stop point according to the resume command at the time point indicated by the time information.

16. A system for controlling execution of an automatic process, comprising:

a management apparatus and an automatic apparatus;

wherein the management apparatus is configured to;

receive from the automatic apparatus, a notification message that carries a first stop point which is set in the automatic apparatus, and information about a first automatic process which is currently running on the device, wherein when the first automatic process runs to the first stop point, the automatic apparatus stops running the first automatic process;

generate a resume command that carries information about a second stop point and information about a second automatic process after receiving the notification message, wherein the resume command further carries time information indicating a time point; and

send the resume command to the automatic apparatus; and

the automatic apparatus is configured to;

send to the management apparatus, the notification message that carries the information about the first stop point and the information about a first automatic process;

receive from the management apparatus, the resume command;

determine whether the information about the first automatic process is the same as the information about the second automatic process, and, if it has been determined by the first device that the information about the first automatic process is the same as the information about the second automatic process, whether the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is the same as the information about the first stop point;

resume the first automatic process from the first stop point according to the resume command, only when the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is the same as the information about the first stop point; and

wait at the first stop point of the first automatic process, when the information about the second stop point carried in the resume command is not the same as the information about the first stop point.