JP2013171562A - Information processor, printing system and information processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To appropriately shift a printing device to a power saving state according to an application under execution.SOLUTION: An appropriate shift time Tapp is stored for each of applications A to C of a PC20A, a time X1 is acquired as an appropriate shift time Tapp for the application A under execution, and the time X1 is transmitted to a printer 30 as a demand shift time Tdem for demanding the setting of a shift time to a power saving mode. Then, a power saving shift time Tshi is set in the printer 30 on the basis of the received demand shift time Tdem, and the printer 30 is shifted to the power saving mode in accordance with the lapse of the set power saving transition time Tshi. Thus, it is possible to appropriately shift the printer 30 to the power saving mode in accordance with the application under execution.

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a printing system, and an information processing method.

  Conventionally, as this type of information processing apparatus, by changing various setting values such as the backlight brightness and auto power-off setting time, CPU clock frequency, etc. according to the length of scheduled work time, A device that suppresses power consumption of the device has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this apparatus, the work time is stored every time work is performed, and the scheduled work time is predicted based on the stored work time.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-189101

  By the way, in a printing apparatus that executes print processing in response to a print instruction from various applications, depending on the application to be executed, even if the work time is short, a print instruction is frequently issued, or conversely, the work time is long. There are cases where almost no print instruction is given. For this reason, as in the information processing apparatus described above, even if various setting values are simply changed according to the length of the scheduled work time, the power consumption may not be appropriately suppressed.

  An information processing apparatus, a printing system, and an information processing method according to the present invention are mainly intended to appropriately shift a printing apparatus to a power saving state according to an application being executed.

  The information processing apparatus, printing system, and information processing method of the present invention employ the following means in order to achieve the above-described main object.

The information processing apparatus of the present invention
An information processing apparatus that exchanges information with a printing apparatus that executes a printing process in response to a printing instruction from various applications and shifts to a power saving mode that suppresses power consumption when a predetermined transition time elapses after the execution.
Storage means for storing, for each application, transition time related information related to the transition time to the power saving mode according to each application;
Obtaining means for obtaining the transition time related information corresponding to the application being executed from the stored transition time related information;
Transmitting means for transmitting a requested transition time for requesting setting of a transition time to the power saving mode based on the acquired transition time related information;
It is a summary to provide.

  In the information processing apparatus of the present invention, the transition time related information regarding the transition time to the power saving mode corresponding to each application is stored for each application, and the transition time corresponding to the application being executed from the stored transition time related information The related information is acquired, and the requested transition time for requesting the setting of the transition time to the power saving mode is transmitted to the printing apparatus based on the acquired transition time related information. Thereby, the printing apparatus can be appropriately shifted to the power saving mode according to the application being executed. Here, the transition time related information may be the transition time itself to the power saving mode according to the application, or any information necessary for deriving the transition time to the power saving mode.

  In such an information processing apparatus of the present invention, the transition time related information may be set for each application based on the history of the print instruction from each application and stored in the storage unit. By so doing, it is possible to reflect the printing history of the application being executed at the request transition time, and thus it is possible to more appropriately shift the printing apparatus to the power saving mode.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the aspect of the present invention, the related information setting unit acquires, as the print instruction history, a print interval that is a time interval of the print instruction during execution of each application, and the acquired It may be a means for setting a time longer than the printing interval as the transition time related information. In this way, since the request transition time can be set longer than the printing interval, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the printing apparatus is in the power saving mode when a printing instruction is issued from each application. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the printer from waiting for a return after waiting for the printing apparatus to return from the power saving mode every time a print instruction is issued from the application. Here, the print interval may be the average time of the print instruction intervals, or may be the longest time of the print instruction intervals.

  In the information processing apparatus of the present invention according to this aspect, the related information setting unit sets a time longer than the print interval as the transition time related information except when the acquired print interval exceeds a predetermined time. When the printing interval exceeds the predetermined time, it may be a means for setting a time shorter than the printing interval as the transition time related information. In this way, for applications with a relatively high printing frequency where the printing interval does not exceed the predetermined interval, it is possible to prevent waiting for a return every time a printing instruction is issued, and the printing interval exceeds the predetermined time. For applications with a relatively low printing frequency, the printing apparatus can be shifted to the power saving mode in a shorter time than the printing interval.

  In the information processing apparatus of the present invention, the acquisition unit is a unit that acquires the transition time related information corresponding to each of the plurality of applications during execution of the plurality of applications, and the transmission unit includes the Of the plurality of pieces of acquired transition time related information, the longest transition time related information may be transmitted to the printing apparatus as the requested transition time. In this way, even when a plurality of applications are executed simultaneously, the printing apparatus can be appropriately shifted to the power saving mode.

The printing system of the present invention includes:
A printing process is executed in response to a print instruction from various applications, and a printing apparatus that shifts to a power saving mode that suppresses power consumption when a predetermined transition time elapses after the execution, and at least one that exchanges information with the printing apparatus An information processing apparatus, and a printing system comprising:
The information processing apparatus includes:
Storage means for storing, for each application, transition time related information related to the transition time to the power saving mode according to each application;
Obtaining means for obtaining the transition time related information corresponding to the application being executed from the stored transition time related information;
Transmitting means for transmitting a requested transition time for requesting setting of a transition time to the power saving mode based on the acquired transition time related information;
A device comprising:
The gist of the invention is that the printing apparatus sets a longer required transition time among the at least one requested transition time transmitted from the information processing apparatus as the transition time to the power saving mode.

  In the printing system of the present invention, the information processing apparatus stores, for each application, transition time related information related to the transition time to the power saving mode corresponding to each application, and the stored transition time related information is used as an application being executed. Corresponding transition time related information is acquired, and a requested transition time for requesting setting of the transition time to the power saving mode is transmitted to the printing apparatus based on the acquired transition time related information. Then, the printing apparatus sets a longer request transition time among the at least one request transition time transmitted from the information processing apparatus as the transition time to the power saving mode. Accordingly, even when a plurality of request transition times are transmitted from a plurality of information processing apparatuses to the printing apparatus, the printing apparatus can be appropriately shifted to the power saving mode according to the application being executed. Here, the longer request transition time may be a relatively long one, such as the longest request transition time transmitted from the information processing apparatus. Note that in the information processing apparatus of the printing system of the present invention, a configuration for realizing various aspects and functions of the information processing apparatus described above may be added.

The information processing method of the present invention includes:
An information processing method for exchanging information with a printing apparatus that executes a printing process in response to a printing instruction from various applications and shifts to a power saving mode that reduces power consumption when a predetermined transition time elapses after the execution.
(A) storing transition time related information related to the transition time to the power saving mode according to each application for each application;
(B) obtaining the transition time related information corresponding to the application being executed from the stored transition time related information;
(C) transmitting a requested transition time for requesting setting of a transition time to the power saving mode to the printing apparatus based on the acquired transition time related information;
It is made to include.

  In this information processing method of the present invention, the transition time related information related to the transition time to the power saving mode corresponding to each application is stored for each application, and the transition time corresponding to the application being executed from the stored transition time related information The related information is acquired, and the requested transition time for requesting the setting of the transition time to the power saving mode is transmitted to the printing apparatus based on the acquired transition time related information. Thereby, the printing apparatus can be appropriately shifted to the power saving mode according to the application being executed. In this information processing method, various aspects of the information processing apparatus described above may be adopted, or steps for realizing each function of the information processing apparatus described above may be added.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a printing system. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a printing history registration processing routine. The flowchart which shows an example of the setting process routine of appropriate transition time. The flowchart which shows an example of the transmission processing routine of request | requirement transition time. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the printing log | history for every application. Explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the average printing space | interval Tave and the appropriate transfer time Tapp. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the appropriate transition time for every application. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a power saving transition time setting processing routine. Explanatory drawing which shows the mode of the notification of request | requirement transfer time and the setting of power saving shift time.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a printing system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, a printing system 10 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of personal computers (PCs) 20 and a single printer 30 connected via a network 15 such as a LAN. The printer 30 is configured to receive various instructions and execute various processes such as a printing process. In FIG. 1, two PCs 20 </ b> A and 20 </ b> B are illustrated as the PC 20, but these are similarly configured and collectively referred to as the PC 20 unless otherwise distinguished.

  The PC 20 includes a CPU 21 that executes various controls, a flash memory 23 that stores various control programs, a RAM 21 that temporarily stores data, a hard disk drive (HDD) that stores various application programs, various data files, and the like. ) 25, a display 26 for displaying various information, and an input device 28 such as a keyboard and a mouse for inputting various commands by the user. The HDD 25 stores a printer driver 25a used for transmission / reception of print jobs and various instructions between the PC 20 and the printer 30 and execution of various processes, as well as applications A to word processors, spreadsheets, presentations, databases, and the like. Application programs 25b to 25d for executing C are stored. When a print instruction is issued during execution of the applications A to C, the printer driver 25a acquires the image data to be printed from the applications A to C, converts it into a data format that can be printed by the printer 30, and then the printer 30. Send to.

  The printer 30 includes a controller 31 having a CPU 32 for executing various controls, a flash memory 33 for storing various control programs, a RAM 34 for temporarily storing data, a printer unit 35 capable of printing on paper, an original document The scanner unit 36 that can be read, the operation panel 37 that can display various information including images on the touch panel display and accept various operations from the user, and the power supply to each part of the printer 30 can be controlled. And a multi-function printer including a power control unit 38. Although not shown in the figure, the printer unit 35 can perform printing by an ink jet method in which ink is ejected while moving a print head by driving a moving motor to a sheet conveyed by driving a transporting motor. Yes. The scanner unit 36 is based on an auto document feeder (ADF) system that generates scan data by irradiating light from a light source to a document that is automatically conveyed by driving a conveyance motor and reading reflected light by an image sensor. Reading and generating scan data by irradiating light from the light source while moving the light source and the image sensor by driving a motor for moving the original placed on the glass table and reading the reflected light by the image sensor Reading by a flat bed method is possible.

  The printer 30 supplies power to each unit such as a printer unit 40 (each motor, print head, etc.), a scanner unit 45 (each motor, light source, image sensor, etc.), and an operation panel 37 (display) by the power control unit 38. There are a non-power saving mode in which the printer 30 is in an active state and a power saving mode in which power supply to each unit is stopped and the printer 30 is in a standby state. Then, when the operation of the operation panel 37 of the printer 30 is not performed over the power saving transition time, or when the power saving transition time elapses after receiving a print job from the PC 20 and performing printing, the power saving is achieved. When the operation mode is changed to any mode and an operation is performed on the operation panel 37 or a print job is received from the PC 20, the mode is returned from the power saving mode to the non power saving mode. The printer 30 of the present embodiment has a relatively low power transfer time (hereinafter referred to as power save transfer time Tshi) of a default time T0 of about several minutes to several tens of minutes (eg, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 12 minutes, etc.). A short time is set, and a time longer than the default time T0 can be set. Here, when returning from the power saving mode, the return processing such as initialization of the position of the print head and the position of the image sensor is performed, so that it takes time to return, and waiting for return occurs.

  Next, the operation of the printing system 10 of the present embodiment configured as described above, particularly the operation when setting the power saving transition time Tshi will be described. Since the printing system 10 is configured to receive a request for the power saving transition time Tshi (hereinafter referred to as the requested transition time Tdem) from each PC 20, the printer 30 sets the power saving transition time Tshi. The operation on the printer 30 side will be described after the above operation is described. Further, the PC 20 notifies the request transition time Tdem corresponding to the application being executed to the printer 30. As a premise, the PC 20 sets an appropriate transition time Tapp that is the transition time to the power saving mode of the printer 30 according to the application. Set based on the print history of each application. Therefore, as an operation on the PC 20 side, registration of the print history for each application and setting of the appropriate transition time Tapp will be described, and then notification of the requested transition time Tdem will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a print history registration processing routine, FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a proper transition time setting processing routine, and FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a request transition time transmission processing routine. It is a flowchart which shows. These routines are similarly executed in each PC 20 by the CPU 22 of the controller 21 of the PC 20 reading out the printer driver 25a.

  First, the print history registration process routine of FIG. 2 will be described. This routine is executed when an application is activated on the PC 20. When this routine is executed, the controller 21 first starts measuring the printing interval Tint (step S100), determines whether there is a print instruction in the application being executed (step S110), and determines whether the application being executed is It is determined whether or not the process has been completed (step S120). Note that since printing is not executed at the beginning of execution of this routine, the time from when the application is started until the first printing is instructed is measured as the printing interval Tint. When it is determined in step S110 that there is a print instruction, the measurement of the print interval Tint is temporarily ended (step S130), and the measured print interval Tint is registered in the print history for each application of the HDD 25 together with the print date (step S140). . Then, waiting for the printing process of the printer 30 to end (step S150), the process returns to step S100, and measurement of the printing interval Tint is started again. If it is determined in step S120 that the application has been terminated while repeating these processes, the measurement of the printing interval Tint is terminated (step S160), and this routine is terminated.

  Since this registration processing routine is executed from the start to the end of the application, this routine is executed for each application during execution of a plurality of applications. In addition, if there is no print instruction during execution of the application, the print history (print interval Tint) is not registered. FIG. 5 shows an example of the print history for each application. 5A to 5C show print histories of the applications A to C of the PC 20A. As illustrated, in the applications A and C, a plurality of printing intervals Tint are stored because a plurality of printing instructions are given during execution on a predetermined printing date. On the other hand, in the application B, only one print interval Tint is stored because a print instruction is given only once. Although the print history of the PC 20B is not shown, the print history is similarly stored. These print histories may be stored as a storage period of a predetermined period (for example, several days, weeks, months, etc.).

  Next, the appropriate transition time setting processing routine of FIG. 3 will be described. This routine is executed when the execution of the application is terminated on the PC 20. When this routine is executed, the controller 21 first determines whether or not the print history of the finished application is stored (step S200). If there is no print history, the controller 21 sets the appropriate transition time Tap to power saving. A default time T0 is set (step S250). Here, depending on the usage status of the user and the type of application, there is one without a print history. While such an application is being executed, even if the printer 30 shifts to the power saving mode relatively early and waits for a return every time a print instruction is issued, the wait time for the return is large due to the low frequency of print instructions. There are few problems. For this reason, a relatively short default time T0 is set as an appropriate transition time Tapp for an application having no print history.

  When it is determined in step S200 that there is a print history, a print interval Tint within a predetermined period (for example, several days, weeks, months, etc.) is extracted from the print history (step S210), and the extracted print interval The average printing interval Tave is calculated by taking the average of Tint (step S220). For example, in the case of the printing history of application A in FIG. 5A, the average printing interval Tave is an average value (average time) from Tint (a0) to Tint (an). Next, it is determined whether or not the calculated average printing interval Tave is equal to or shorter than the predetermined time T1 (step S230), and whether it is equal to or longer than the default time T0 when it is equal to or shorter than the predetermined time T1 (step S240). Although details of the predetermined time T1 will be described later, a time that is larger than the default time T0 and is about ten minutes to several tens of minutes (for example, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, etc.) is set.

  If the average printing interval Tave is not less than or equal to the predetermined time T1 in step S230, the default time T0 is set as the appropriate transition time Tapp in step S250. Since the predetermined time T1 is longer than the default time T0, when the average printing interval Tave exceeds the predetermined time T1, the default time T0 shorter than the average printing interval Tave is set as the appropriate transition time Tapp.

  On the other hand, when the average printing interval Tave is not more than the predetermined time T1 and not less than the default time T0 in steps S230 and S240, a proper transition time Tapp is set by adding a margin α to the average printing interval Tave (step S260). The margin α can be about several minutes (such as 2 minutes or 3 minutes). Thus, when the average printing interval Tave is not less than the default time T0 and not more than the predetermined time T1, a time longer than the average printing interval Tave by the margin α is set as the appropriate transition time Tapp. If the average printing interval Tave is less than the predetermined time T1 in step S230 but less than the default time T0, the default time T0 is set as the appropriate transition time Tapp in step S250. For this reason, even when the average printing interval Tave is less than the default time T0, a time longer than the average printing interval Tave is set as the appropriate transition time Tapp. That is, if the average printing interval Tave is equal to or shorter than the predetermined time T1, a time longer than the average printing interval Tave is set as the appropriate transition time Tapp.

  When the appropriate transition time Tapp is set in steps S250 and S260, the set appropriate transition time Tapp is stored in the HDD 25 in association with each application (step S270), and this routine is terminated.

  FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the average printing interval Tave and the appropriate transition time Tapp. Here, it can be said that the printing frequency is relatively high when the average printing interval Tave is equal to or shorter than the predetermined time T1, and the printing frequency is relatively low when the average printing interval Tave exceeds the predetermined time T1. When the printer 30 returns from the power saving mode each time a printing instruction is issued when the printing frequency is high, the waiting time for the recovery becomes large, and the smooth printing process is impaired and the user's usability is reduced. End up. Further, if the return process is frequently performed, it is conceivable that the power consumption of the printer 30 becomes larger than that in the standby state in the non-power saving mode, and a sufficient power saving effect cannot be obtained. On the other hand, when the printing frequency is low, the waiting time does not become a big problem because the waiting time for returning is low even if the waiting for returning occurs when the printing instruction is given. In addition, since the average printing interval Tave is longer as it exceeds the predetermined time T1, the power saving mode is shifted to the power saving mode earlier than the default time T0 rather than continuing the non-power saving mode for a time longer than the average printing interval Tave. Therefore, it is considered that the power saving effect is enhanced by returning from the power saving mode when a printing instruction is issued. Therefore, in this embodiment, the predetermined time T1 is determined in advance in consideration of the power consumption during standby in each mode of the printer 30, the power consumption during the return process, the time required for the return process, and the like. When the frequency is high (the printing interval Tave is equal to or less than the predetermined time T1), a time longer than the average printing interval Tave is set as the appropriate transition time Tapp, and when the printing frequency is low (the average printing interval Tave exceeds the predetermined time T1) The default time T0 shorter than the average printing interval Tave is set as the appropriate transition time Tapp. Even if the average printing interval Tave is equal to or shorter than the predetermined time T1, if the average printing interval Tave is less than the default time T0, the default time T0 is uniformly set as the appropriate transition time Tapp because an extremely short time is set. On the other hand, it is to prevent the user's usability from being lowered or the return processing is frequently performed to increase the load on the printer 30.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of the appropriate transition time Tapp. FIG. 7A shows an appropriate transition time Tapp for each application in the PC 20A, and FIG. 7B shows an appropriate transition time Tapp for each application in the PC 20B. In the applications A and C of the PC 20A, times X1 and X3 obtained by adding a margin α to the average print interval Tave calculated from the print history (print interval Tint) are set as the appropriate transition time Tapp. Further, since the application B of the PC 20A has a small number of printings and the printing frequency is low (see FIG. 5B), the time X2, which is the default time T0, is set as the appropriate transition time Tapp. Note that the relationship between the magnitudes of time (long and short) is X1> X3> X2. On the other hand, in the PC 20B, the times Y1, Y2, and Y3 are set to the appropriate transition times Tapp for the applications A, B, and C, respectively, and the magnitude relationship is Y3> Y2> Y1.

  Next, the request transition time transmission processing routine of FIG. 4 will be described. This routine is periodically executed when the printer 30 is powered on. When this routine is executed, the controller 21 first determines whether there is an application being executed (step S300). If there is an application being executed, the appropriate transition time Tapp is acquired (step S310). When there are a plurality of applications being executed, the respective appropriate transition times Tapp are acquired. For an application for which the proper transition time Tapp is not registered, such as the first activation after installation, the default time T0 may be acquired as the proper transition time Tapp.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the acquired appropriate transition time Tapp is plural (step S320), and when it is not plural but one, the acquired appropriate transition time Tapp is set as the required transition time Tdem as it is (step S330). The set request transition time Tdem is transmitted to the printer 30 (step S350), and this routine is terminated. On the other hand, when the acquired appropriate transition times Tapp are plural, the longest (largest) time among the acquired appropriate transition times Tapp is set as the required transition time Tdem (step S340), and is transmitted to the printer 30 in step S350. This routine ends.

  If there is no application being executed in step S300, the default time T0 is set as the request transition time Tdem (step S360), and the routine is terminated by transmitting to the printer 30 in step S350.

  Next, processing on the printer 30 side will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a power saving transition time setting processing routine. This routine is executed by the controller 31 every time the request transition time Tdem is received from the PC 20. When this routine is executed, the controller 31 first determines whether or not the request transition time Tdem of the transmission source PC 20 that has transmitted the request transition time Tdem is stored in the RAM 34 (step S400). When the request transition time Tdem is received for the first time after the power is turned on, it is determined that the request transition time Tdem of the transmission source PC 20 is not stored, and the received request transition time Tdem is associated with the transmission source PC 20. And stored in the RAM 34 (step S410). If the request transition time Tdem from the transmission source PC 20 has already been stored, the request transition time Tdem received this time is overwritten and updated to the stored request transition time Tdem (step S420).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the requested transition times Tdem from the plurality of PCs 20 are stored in the RAM 34 (step S430). If only the requested transition time Tdem from one PC 20 is stored, the requested transition time Tdem is set as it is to the power saving transition time Tshi (step S440), and this routine is terminated. If a plurality of request transition times Tdem are stored, the longest (largest) request transition time Tdem among them is set as the power saving transition time Tshi (step S450), and this routine is terminated.

  Here, how the request transition time Tdem is notified and how the power saving transition time Tshi is set will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 shows a case where one application A is being executed on the PC 20A and three applications A, B, and C are being executed on the PC 20B. First, the PC 20A acquires a time X1 that is an appropriate transition time Tapp for the application A being executed, and transmits the time X1 to the printer 30 as the requested transition time Tdem. In addition, the PC 20B obtains the times Y1, Y2, and Y3 that are the appropriate transition times Tapp for the running applications A, B, and C, and requests the longest time Y3 (see FIG. 6) among the times Y1, Y2, and Y3. The transition time Tdem is transmitted to the printer 30. On the other hand, the printer 30 that has received the request transition time Tdem first stores each request transition time Tdem (time X1, Y3) in association with the transmission source PC 20A, 20B. Next, the longer one of time X1 and time Y3 (here, time Y3) is set as the power saving transition time Tshi. In this way, each PC 20 transmits the longest time among the appropriate transition times Tapp of the application being executed to the printer 30 as the requested transition time Tdem, and the printer 30 is the longest among the requested transition times Tdem received from each PC 20. The long time is set as the power saving transition time Tshi. Therefore, the longest appropriate transition time Tapp of each application being executed on the PCs 20A and 20B is set as the power saving transition time Tshi, and the printer 30 shifts to the power saving mode based on the power saving transition time Tshi. It will be.

  Further, for example, when the execution of the application C is completed on the PC 20B, the PC 20B acquires the times Y1 and Y2 as the appropriate transition times Tapp for the applications A and B being executed, and the printer 30 uses the long time Y2 as the requested transition time Tdem. Resubmit to. Upon receiving this, the printer 30 updates the request transition time Tdem of the PC 20B from the time Y3 to the time Y2, and then sets the longer of the time X1 and the time Y2 as the power saving transition time Tshi. When the request transition time Tdem is newly received and the power saving transition time Tshi is reset, it may be reflected in the determination of the transition to the power saving mode at that time, or the power saving after the next printing It may be reflected in the determination of the transition to the mode. In the former case, if the reset power saving transition time Tshi has already elapsed, the power saving mode may be entered immediately.

  Here, the correspondence between the components of the present embodiment and the components of the present invention will be clarified. The HDD 25 of this embodiment corresponds to “storage means”, and the controller 21 that executes the process of step S330 of the request transition time transmission processing routine corresponds to “acquisition means”, and step S340 of the request transition time transmission processing routine. The controller 21 that executes the processes of ˜380 corresponds to “transmission means”. The controller 21 that executes the print history registration processing routine and the appropriate transition time setting processing routine corresponds to the “related information setting means”. In the present embodiment, an example of the information processing method of the present invention is also clarified by describing the operation of the printer 20.

  According to the printing system 10 of the present embodiment described in detail above, the appropriate transition time Tapp corresponding to each application of the PC 20 is stored, the proper transition time Tapp corresponding to the application being executed is acquired, and the requested transition time is acquired. It is transmitted to the printer 30 as Tdem. Then, the printer 30 sets the power saving transition time Tshi based on the received request transition time Tdem, and shifts to the power saving mode when the power saving transition time Tshi elapses after the printing is completed. Thereby, the printer 30 can be appropriately shifted to the power saving mode according to the application being executed.

  Also, since the history of the print instruction of the application being executed is reflected in the request transition time Tdem, the transition to the power saving mode can be made more appropriate. Further, in the case of an application with a high printing frequency, a time longer than the printing interval Tave is set as the appropriate transition time Tapp, so that it is possible to prevent waiting for return each time a printing instruction is issued. In the case of an application with a low printing frequency, an appropriate transition time Tapp shorter than the average printing interval Tave is set. Therefore, the printer 30 can be shifted to the power saving mode early to obtain a power saving effect. In addition, during execution of a plurality of applications, the longest time among the appropriate transition times Tapp is set as the required transition time Tdem. Therefore, even when a plurality of applications are simultaneously executed, it is possible to appropriately shift to the power saving mode. it can. Since the printer 30 sets the longest request transition time Tdem received from the PCs 20A and 20B as the power saving transition time Tshi, even if a plurality of request transition times Tdem are received, the printer 30 appropriately shifts to the power saving mode. can do.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various modes as long as it belongs to the technical scope of the present invention.

  In the embodiment described above, the appropriate transition time Tapp for each application is set and stored based on the print instruction history (print interval Tave) of each application. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the use of each application itself is used. The appropriate transition time Tapp may be set and stored based on other history such as frequency history. Or it is not restricted to what sets appropriate transition time Tapp, It is good also as what memorize | stores the fixed value of proper transition time Tapp for every application beforehand. In this case, for example, a fixed value of the appropriate transition time Tapp may be determined and stored in consideration of general user usage conditions according to the type of each application.

  In the above-described embodiment, the print interval Tave, which is the print instruction interval, is acquired as the print instruction history of each application. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of print instructions, the number of printed sheets, and the like may be acquired. Good. In such a case, an appropriate transition time Tapp may be increased when the number of print instructions or the number of printed sheets is large.

  In the above-described embodiment, the average print interval Tave based on the simple average of the acquired print intervals Tave is used in setting the appropriate transition time Tapp. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the most recent print interval of the acquired print intervals Tave is used. An average printing interval based on a weighted average such as weighting a Tave or a longer printing interval Tave may be used, or only the longest time among the acquired printing intervals Tave may be used.

  In the embodiment described above, in setting the appropriate transition time Tapp, the margin α is added to the average print interval Tave to make it longer than the average print interval Tave. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is longer than the average print interval Tave. Any setting method can be used. For example, for each predetermined range of the average printing interval Tave, a proper transition time Tapp longer than the average printing interval Tave within the predetermined range may be set in advance in association with each other. Specifically, if the average printing interval Tave is in the range of 3 minutes to 5 minutes, the appropriate transition time Tapp is set to 7 minutes, and if the average printing interval Tave is in the range of 5 minutes to 7 minutes, the appropriate transition time Tap is set to 9 minutes. For example, the appropriate transition time Tapp may be set in advance stepwise as the average printing interval Tave becomes longer.

  In the embodiment described above, in setting the appropriate transition time Tapp, the default time T0 shorter than the average printing interval Tave is set when the average printing interval Tave exceeds the predetermined time T1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the predetermined time When T1 is exceeded, a time shorter than the average printing interval Tave may be set, for example, by subtracting a predetermined time from the average printing interval Tave. For example, as the average printing interval Tave increases, the time gradually decreases from time (T1 + α). Such a time may be set as the appropriate transition time Tapp.

  In the embodiment described above, in setting the appropriate transition time Tapp, the average printing interval Tave is set longer than the average printing interval Tave when the average printing interval Tave is equal to or shorter than the predetermined time T1, and is set shorter than the average printing interval Tave when exceeding the predetermined time T1. However, the appropriate transition time Tapp that is always longer than the average printing interval Tave may be set regardless of the value of the average printing interval Tave. In this case, the process of step S230 in the appropriate transition time setting process routine may be omitted.

  In the above-described embodiment, the longest of the appropriate transition times Tapp is set as the required transition time Tdem during execution of a plurality of applications. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the average value of the appropriate transition times Tapp of the running applications May be used as the requested transition time Tdem, or the appropriate transition time Tapm of the application executed first among the running applications may be used as the requested transition time Tdem, or the proper transition time Tapp of the application executed last is requested. It may be the transition time Tdem.

  In the above-described embodiment, the appropriate transition time Tapp is stored. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the average printing interval Tave may be stored. In this case, in the transmission process of the requested transition time, a process such as extracting the average printing interval Tave and adding the margin α and setting the longest time as the requested transition time Tdem may be performed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the printer 30 that has received the request transition time Tdem sets the longest one of the plurality of request transition times Tdem as the power saving transition time Tshi. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The average value of the time Tdem may be set to the power saving transition time Tshi, the request transition time Tdem received first may be set to the power saving transition time Tshi, or the request transition time Tdem received last The power saving transition time Tshi may be set.

  In the above-described embodiment, in setting the appropriate transition time Tapp, the default time T0 is set to the appropriate transition time Tapp when the average print interval Tave is less than the default time T0. May be set to different constant values, or may be set by adding a margin α to the average print interval Tave, as in the case where the average print interval Tave is equal to or greater than the default time T0.

  In the above-described embodiment, the printer 30 is an inkjet printer including the inkjet printer unit 35. However, the printer 30 is not limited thereto, and may be a printer including a laser printer unit. In addition, although the multifunction printer is illustrated as the printer 30, the printer 30 is not limited thereto, and may be a printer that does not include the scanner unit 36. Or it is good also as a printer provided with other units, such as a FAX unit.

  10 printing system 20, 20A, 20B personal computer (PC), 21 controller, 22 CPU, 23 flash memory, 24 RAM, 25 hard disk drive (HDD), 25a printer driver, 25b, 25c, 25d application, 26 display device, 28 Input device, 30 Printer, 31 Controller, 32 CPU, 33 Flash memory, 34 RAM, 35 Printer unit, 36 Scanner unit, 37 Operation panel, 38 Power control unit.

Claims (7)

An information processing apparatus that exchanges information with a printing apparatus that executes a printing process in response to a printing instruction from various applications and shifts to a power saving mode that suppresses power consumption when a predetermined transition time elapses after the execution.
Storage means for storing, for each application, transition time related information related to the transition time to the power saving mode according to each application;
Obtaining means for obtaining the transition time related information corresponding to the application being executed from the stored transition time related information;
Transmitting means for transmitting a requested transition time for requesting setting of a transition time to the power saving mode based on the acquired transition time related information;
An information processing apparatus comprising:   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a related information setting unit configured to set the transition time related information for each application based on a history of the print instruction from each application and store the information in the storage unit.   The related information setting unit acquires a print interval that is a time interval of the print instruction during execution of each application as the print instruction history, and sets a time longer than the acquired print interval to the transition time related The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, which is means for setting as information.   The related information setting means sets, as the transition time related information, a time longer than the printing interval except for the acquired printing interval exceeding a predetermined time, and when the printing interval exceeds the predetermined time, The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, which is means for setting a time shorter than a printing interval as the transition time related information. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The acquisition means is means for acquiring the transition time related information corresponding to each of the plurality of applications during execution of the plurality of applications,
The transmission means is means for transmitting, to the printing apparatus, the longest transition time-related information among the plurality of acquired transition time-related information as the request transition time. A printing process is executed in response to a print instruction from various applications, and a printing apparatus that shifts to a power saving mode that suppresses power consumption when a predetermined transition time elapses after the execution, and at least one that exchanges information with the printing apparatus An information processing apparatus, and a printing system comprising:
The information processing apparatus includes:
Storage means for storing, for each application, transition time related information related to the transition time to the power saving mode according to each application;
Obtaining means for obtaining the transition time related information corresponding to the application being executed from the stored transition time related information;
Transmitting means for transmitting a requested transition time for requesting setting of a transition time to the power saving mode based on the acquired transition time related information;
A device comprising:
The printing device is a device that sets a longer request transition time among the at least one request transition time transmitted from the information processing apparatus as the transition time to the power saving mode. . An information processing method for exchanging information with a printing apparatus that executes a printing process in response to a printing instruction from various applications and shifts to a power saving mode that reduces power consumption when a predetermined transition time elapses after the execution.
(A) storing transition time related information related to the transition time to the power saving mode according to each application for each application;
(B) obtaining the transition time related information corresponding to the application being executed from the stored transition time related information;
(C) transmitting a request transition time for requesting setting of a transition time to the power saving mode to the printing apparatus based on the acquired transition time related information;
An information processing method comprising: