COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD FOR COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD FOR INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20140189396A1
• Filed: 12/26/2013
• Published: 07/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Miyahara, Kazuya
• Granted Patent: US 9,563,255 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device

Abstract

A communication apparatus includes a connection unit configured to connect the communication apparatus to an external apparatus, a determination unit configured to determine whether the external apparatus is connected to the communication apparatus via the connection unit in a first connection mode, the first connection mode being a mode in which the external apparatus establishes a connection to a pre-registered apparatus, and a control unit configured to decide, based on a determination result obtained by the determination unit, whether to allow an operation for powering off the external apparatus to be performed.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a connection unit configured to connect the communication apparatus to an external apparatus;

a determination unit configured to determine whether the external apparatus is connected to the communication apparatus via the connection unit in a first connection mode, the first connection mode being a mode in which the external apparatus establishes a connection to a pre-registered apparatus; and

a control unit configured to decide, based on a determination result obtained by the determination unit, whether to allow an operation for powering off the external apparatus to be performed.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the determination unit determines that the external apparatus is connected to the communication apparatus via the connection unit in the first connection mode, the control unit allows the operation for powering off the external apparatus to be performed.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the determination unit determines that the external apparatus is connected to the communication apparatus via the connection unit in a second connection mode, the second connection mode being a mode in which the external apparatus selectively establishes a connection to a pre-registered or not-pre-registered apparatus, the control unit does not allow the operation for powering off the external apparatus to be performed.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first connection mode involves fewer operations to be performed on the external apparatus, until a connection between the communication apparatus and the external apparatus is established, than the second connection mode.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to decide, based on the determination result obtained by the determination unit, whether to allow an operation for disconnecting the communication apparatus from the external apparatus.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein in a case where the determination unit determines that the external apparatus is connected to the communication apparatus via the connection unit in a second connection mode, the second connection mode being a mode in which the external apparatus selectively establishes a connection to a pre-registered or not-pre-registered apparatus, the control unit allows the operation for disconnecting the communication apparatus from the external apparatus to be performed and does not allow the operation for powering off the external apparatus to be performed.

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein in a case where the determination unit determines that the external apparatus is connected to the communication apparatus via the connection unit in the first connection mode, the control unit allows the operation for powering off the external apparatus to be performed and does not allow the operation for disconnecting the communication apparatus from the external apparatus to be performed.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein in a case where the determination unit determines that the external apparatus is connected to the communication apparatus via the connection unit in the first connection mode, the control unit allows the operation for powering off the external apparatus and the operation for disconnecting the communication apparatus from the external apparatus to be performed.

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the operation for powering off the external apparatus is allowed by the control unit in a more limited case than in a case where the operation for disconnecting the communication apparatus from the external apparatus is allowed.

10. The communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the control unit allows the operation for powering off the external apparatus to be performed by causing a display unit to display a first icon with which the operation for powering off the external apparatus is accepted, and allows the operation for disconnecting the communication apparatus from the external apparatus to be performed by causing the display unit to display a second icon with which the operation for disconnecting the communication apparatus from the external apparatus is accepted, and

wherein the control unit does not allow the operation for powering off the external apparatus to be performed, by causing the first icon not to be displayed on a screen in which the second icon is displayed.

11. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pre-registered apparatus is an apparatus selected from one or more apparatuses that have previously been connected to the external apparatus.

12. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where a display unit of the external apparatus is in an off state, the control unit allows the operation for powering off the external apparatus to be performed.

13. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a connection unit configured to connect the information processing apparatus to a communication apparatus;

a registration unit configured to register a specified communication apparatus, the specified communication apparatus being a communication apparatus selected from one or more communication apparatuses that have previously been connected to the information processing apparatus via the connection unit; and

a control unit configured to perform power supply control on the image processing apparatus,

wherein the control unit sets a control level of the power supply control performed after the information processing apparatus is disconnected from the specified communication apparatus to be different from a control level of the power supply control performed after the information processing apparatus is disconnected from an apparatus other than the specified communication apparatus.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the connection unit is configured to connect the information processing apparatus to the communication apparatus in a plurality of modes, the plurality of modes including a first connection mode in which the information processing apparatus is connected to a communication apparatus selected through a user operation and a second connection mode in which the information processing apparatus is connected to a communication apparatus pre-registered by the registration unit, with fewer operations than in the first connection mode.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the connection unit, in a case where a certain notification is received from the connected communication apparatus, disconnects the information processing apparatus from the communication apparatus, and

wherein the control unit does not power off the information processing apparatus until a certain period passes in a state in which any user operation is accepted or until an instruction for powering off the information processing apparatus is accepted after the information processing apparatus is disconnected from the communication apparatus.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the certain period is set to be shorter in a case where the information processing apparatus is disconnected from the specified communication apparatus than in a case where the information processing apparatus is disconnected from the apparatus other than the specified communication apparatus.

17. A control method for a communication apparatus, comprising:

connecting the communication apparatus to an external apparatus;

determining whether the external apparatus is connected to the communication apparatus in a first connection mode, the first connection mode being a mode in which the external apparatus establishes a connection to a pre-registered apparatus; and

deciding, based on a determination result, whether to allow an operation for powering off the external apparatus to be performed.

18. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions for causing a computer to execute the method of claim 17.

19. A control method for an information processing apparatus, comprising:

connecting the information processing apparatus to a communication apparatus;

registering a specified communication apparatus, the specified communication apparatus being a communication apparatus selected from one or more communication apparatuses that have previously been connected to the information processing apparatus; and

performing power supply control on the image processing apparatus,

wherein a control level of the power supply control performed after the information processing apparatus is disconnected from the specified communication apparatus is different from a control level of the power supply control performed after the information processing apparatus is disconnected from an apparatus other than the specified communication apparatus.

20. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions for causing a computer to execute the method of claim 19.