Information processing apparatus selectively enabling or disabling packets discarding feature by its network interface card

• US 9,575,546 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2013
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Okazawa, Takashi, Kimura, Tomohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, THOMAS C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Poudel, Santosh R
• Application Number:
  US14/097,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20140164807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 713/323, 713/320
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3284 Power saving in printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1803 Receiving particular commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/4055 Managing power consumption, e.g. standby mode computer driven power saving management for a printer G06F3/1221; power saving in a data processing device in general G06F1/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00896 using a low-power mode, e.g. standby
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32032 Polling of transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0091 Digital copier; digital 'photocopier' H04N2201/0093 and H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 Reducing energy consumption in communication networks

Abstract

Whether to enable a packet discarding mode is designated and, if an information processing apparatus operates in a power saving mode and the packet discarding mode is enabled, the information processing apparatus determines processing for a received packet based on a proxy response pattern, a WOL pattern, and a discard pattern, and, if the information processing apparatus operates in the power saving mode and the packet discarding mode is disabled, the information processing apparatus determines processing for the received packet based on the proxy response pattern and the WOL pattern without using the discard pattern.

Claims

1. A printing apparatus operable in a power saving mode, the printing apparatus comprising:

at least one memory storing computer executable instructions; and

at least one processor configured to execute the computer executable instructions to implement;

a receiving unit configured to receive a packet sent from an external apparatus;

a setting unit configured to set, based on a user instruction, either one of a first setting in which a response pattern indicating a pattern of a packet to which the printing apparatus responds while maintaining the power saving mode, a discard pattern indicating a pattern of a packet to be discarded by the printing apparatus, and a shift pattern indicating a pattern of a packet for which the printing apparatus is shifted from the power saving mode to the normal power mode are used for determining processing to be performed for the packet received by the receiving unit when the printing apparatus operates in the power saving mode, and a second setting in which the response pattern and the shift pattern are used but the discard pattern is not used for determining processing to be performed for the packet received by the receiving unit when the printing apparatus operates in the power saving mode; and

a determining unit configured to determine processing to be performed for the packet received by the receiving unit based on the response pattern, the discard pattern, and the shift pattern in a case where the printing apparatus operates in the power saving mode and the setting unit sets the first setting, and to determine processing to be performed for the packet received by the receiving unit based on the response pattern and the shift pattern in a case where the printing apparatus operates in the power saving mode and the setting unit sets the second setting,

wherein in the case where the printing apparatus operates in the power saving mode, the setting unit sets the first setting, and the packet received by the receiving unit does not match any of the response pattern, the discard pattern, and the shift pattern, the at least one processor discards the packet received by the receiving unit, and

wherein in the case where the printing apparatus operates in the power saving mode, the setting unit sets the second setting, and the packet received by the receiving unit does not match any of the response pattern and the shift pattern, the at least one processor discards the packet received by the receiving unit.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display unit configured to display a setting screen for a user to select either one of the first setting and the second setting, and

wherein the setting unit sets either one of the first setting and the second setting based on the user instruction input via the setting screen.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discard pattern indicates a packet of a particular protocol.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the particular protocol is a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein in a case where the printing apparatus operates in the power saving mode and the setting unit sets the first setting, the determining unit determines whether the received packet matches the response pattern, then determines whether the received packet determined not to match the response pattern matches the discard pattern, and then determines whether the received packet determined not to match the discard pattern matches the shift pattern,

wherein in the power saving mode and the setting unit sets the second setting, the determining unit determines whether the received packet matches the response pattern, and then determines whether the received packet determined not to match the response pattern matches the shift pattern.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein in a case where the determining unit determines that the received packet does not match the shift pattern, the determining unit discards the received packet.

7. A method for controlling a printing apparatus operable in a power saving mode, the method comprising:

receiving a packet sent from an external apparatus;

setting, based on a user instruction, either one of a first setting in which a response pattern indicating a pattern of a packet to which the printing apparatus responds while maintaining the power saving mode, a discard pattern indicating a pattern of a packet to be discarded by the printing apparatus, and a shift pattern indicating a pattern of a packet for which the printing apparatus is shifted from the power saving mode to the normal power mode are used for determining processing to be performed for the packet received by the receiving when the printing apparatus operates in the power saving mode, and a second setting in which the response pattern and the shift pattern are used but the discard pattern is not used for determining processing to be performed for the packet received by the receiving when the printing apparatus operates in the power saving mode; and

determining processing to be performed for the packet received by the receiving based on the response pattern, the discard pattern, and the shift pattern in a case where the printing apparatus operates in the power saving mode and the setting sets the first setting, and to determine processing to be performed for the packet received by the receiving based on the response pattern and the shift pattern in a case where the printing apparatus operates in the power saving mode and the setting sets the second setting,

wherein in the case where the printing apparatus operates in the power saving mode, the setting sets the first setting, and the packet received by the receiving does not match any of the response pattern, the discard pattern, and the shift pattern, the packet received by the receiving is discarded, and

wherein in the case where the printing apparatus operates in the power saving mode, the setting sets the second setting, and the packet received by the receiving does not match any of the response pattern and the shift pattern, the packet received by the receiving is discarded.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute a method for controlling a printing apparatus operable in a power saving mode, the method comprising:

receiving a packet sent from an external apparatus;

setting, based on a user instruction, either one of a first setting in which a response pattern indicating a pattern of a packet to which the printing apparatus responds while maintaining the power saving mode, a discard pattern indicating a pattern of a packet to be discarded by the printing apparatus, and a shift pattern indicating a pattern of a packet for which the printing apparatus is shifted from the power saving mode to the normal power mode are used for determining processing to be performed for the packet received by the receiving when the printing apparatus operates in the power saving mode, and a second setting in which the response pattern and the shift pattern are used but the discard pattern is not used for determining processing to be performed for the packet received by the receiving when the printing apparatus operates in the power saving mode; and

determining processing to be performed for the packet received by the receiving based on the response pattern, the discard pattern, and the shift pattern in a case where the printing apparatus operates in the power saving mode and the setting sets the first setting, and to determine processing to be performed for the packet received by the receiving based on the response pattern and the shift pattern in a case where the printing apparatus operates in the power saving mode and the setting sets the second setting,

wherein in the case where the printing apparatus operates in the power saving mode, the setting sets the first setting, and the packet received by the receiving does not match any of the response pattern, the discard pattern, and the shift pattern, the packet received by the receiving is discarded, and

wherein in the case where the printing apparatus operates in the power saving mode, the setting sets the second setting, and the packet received by the receiving does not match any of the response pattern and the shift pattern, the packet received by the receiving is discarded.