JPH09230955A - Method and device for information processing - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to speedily restore operation environment at an interruption point of time even if information processing is interrupted and operation environment changes. SOLUTION: This processor inputs operation environment information when a specific processor interrupts a specific process, and stores it in a storage part. In this case, the operation environment information stored in the storage part is transferred to the specific information processor (S41). The specific information processor side restores the operation environment when the specific process is interrupted according to the transferred operation environment information (S42).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a work environment holding device for holding a personal work environment of a PC and reproducing it later.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a PC (personal computer)
I did some work with, and when I interrupted it, I took a final measure such as holding a file, and when I resumed the work, I recreated the work environment by a manual work that relied on my memory.

[0003]

At present, many portable P-types are used.
C has a resume function, and when the work on the PC is temporarily interrupted, the work is interrupted by pressing the suspend switch instead of turning off the power of the PC. There are many portable PCs that realize this function by closing the display. During suspend,
The PC interrupts the supply of power to many components such as a display and a hard disk, and keeps only the minimum current consumption required to maintain a memory (RAM) to maintain the working environment of the user. Or, depending on the type of PC, save the user's work environment on the hard disk,
There are some that reduce the current consumption to almost zero.

When the work is resumed, the work environment held is read out and restored from the memory or the hard disk by pushing the resume switch, opening the display, or the like, and the state before the work is interrupted is restored. A PC with such a resume function can reproduce the work environment immediately before startup, but with a PC that is shared by a plurality of people, the work environment of an individual will be changed by being used by another person. .

Further, it is very difficult to automatically reproduce the work environment on another PC. In the above conventional technique,
While one PC is interrupting work, another PC
It is difficult to reproduce the work environment if you use or change the work environment to do your own completely different work. Further, when trying to resume the work suspended on another PC, it was very difficult to automatically reproduce the work environment.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional example, and even if the work environment is interrupted midway and the work environment is changed, the work environment at the time of the interruption can be promptly recovered. And its device.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, an information processing method and apparatus of the present invention have the following configurations. That is, the work environment information storing step of inputting the work environment information when the processing of the predetermined process is interrupted in the predetermined information processing device and storing the work environment information in the storage means, and the work environment information stored in the storage means are A transfer step of transferring to the predetermined information processing apparatus, and a recovery step of recovering the work environment when the processing of the predetermined process is interrupted based on the work environment information transferred in the transfer step.

Another aspect of the present invention is a work environment information storage means for inputting work environment information when processing of a predetermined process is interrupted in a predetermined information processing device and storing the work environment information in a storage means.
Transfer means for transferring the work environment information stored in the storage means to the predetermined information processing device, and work when the processing of the predetermined process is interrupted based on the work environment information transferred by the transfer means And a recovery means for recovering the environment.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION First, after summarizing the points of an information processing method and an apparatus thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be given. An information processing method and an apparatus thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention input work environment information such as files involved in work on a computer, types of windows opened on a screen, number, position, and size. , In the storage device. Then, when the work is restarted by the computer, the work environment is reproduced by transferring the work environment information held in the storage device to the PC.

The information processing method and its apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail. Below, using the figure,
An embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a work environment holding device which is an information processing method device according to the present embodiment. By the bus 11, the CPU 12 and the storage device 3
13, the IO controller 14, the command key 15, and the infrared port 16 are mutually connected.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the PC. Bus 2
1, the CPU 22, the storage device 23, the work environment detection unit 24, the work environment setting unit 25, the IO controller 26, the input / output device 27, and the infrared port 28 are mutually connected. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when the work environment of the PC is held by the device according to the present embodiment. The flow of processing when maintaining the work environment of the PC will be described below.

In step S31, the user uses the command key 15 of the work environment maintenance device to key in a work environment maintenance command to the PC. Then, in the work environment holding device, the input work environment holding command is sent to the IO controller 1
4. The CPU 12 receives it via the bus 11. Then, the CPU 12 sends a work environment transfer request command to the infrared port 16, and the infrared port 16 modulates the command and sends it as an infrared signal to the infrared port 28 of the PC.

Next, step S32 is processing on the PC side. That is, the PC inputs a work environment transfer request command from the infrared port 28, confirms the command, collects work environment information at that time, and creates work environment information together with necessary files. Here, the process on the PC is composed of steps S321 to S325.

In step S321, the work environment detection unit 2
4, the processes loaded on the memory of the PC at that time are listed up, and the application program that the user was executing is stored in the storage device 23 as the work environment information together with its execution state. In step S322, the work environment detection unit 24 lists process-related files.

In step S321, the temporary files used by the listed processes, the files created by the processes, and the like are stored as work environment information in the storage device 2.
3 In step S323, the work environment detection unit 24 lists the objects on the screen. The type, number, position, and size of objects such as windows opened on the screen are stored in the storage device 23 as work environment information together with the resolution of the entire screen.

In step S324, step S321
From the PC to the work environment information saved in S323 from
Create work environment information as a whole. Step S32
In step 5, the work environment information created in step S324 is transferred to the work environment holding device through the IO controller 26 and the infrared port 28.

This is the end of the processing on the PC side. On the other hand, in the work environment holding device, in step S33,
The infrared port 16 receives the work environment information transmitted by infrared rays from the PC. Step S3
In 4, the received work environment information is stored in the storage device 13 through the IO controller 14 under the control of the CPU 12.

The storage of the work environment of the PC is completed as described above. Next, the procedure for reproducing the saved work environment will be described with reference to FIG. In step S41, the user issues a work environment reproduction command using the command key 15 of the work environment holding device. The work environment holding device receives this command, and the work environment reproduction command is sent to the IO controller 1
4, sent to the CPU 12 via the bus 11.

The CPU 12 sends a work environment reproduction request command to the PC through the infrared port 16. Step S
42 is a process on the PC side, and steps S421 to S421
424. In step S421, the PC receives the work environment information sent from the work environment holding device through the infrared port 28. The received work environment data is held in the storage device 23 through the IO controller 26.

In step S422, the work environment setting section 25 is operated based on the work environment data stored in the storage device 23.
Causes the loading of process-related files. This corresponds to step S322, and the temporary file used by the process saved in step S322, the file generated by the process, and the like are loaded into the PC.

In step S423, step S322
The work environment setting unit 25 starts the process and restores the execution state according to the process saved by the process and its execution state. At this time, the file opened by the process at the time of saving is also opened.
In step S424, the object on the screen is reproduced. The type, number, position, and size of objects such as windows on the screen saved in step S323 are reproduced together with the resolution of the entire screen.

Here, when the PC is different at the time of holding and at the time of reproduction, the resolution of the screen may not be reproduced, but in this case, by reproducing the ratio with the size of the entire screen, the configuration on the screen can be changed. Reproduce. By the above processing, the work environment on the PC can be temporarily saved, and after performing another work on the PC, the work environment saved on another PC can be reproduced. [Other Embodiments] In the above embodiment, the work environment information before the work interruption is reproduced by holding the work environment information in the work environment holding device according to the present embodiment and transferring it to the PC. It was On the other hand, in a network environment in which the resources of the server computer as shown in FIG. 5 are shared by a plurality of client computers,
Processing is performed with the following processing configuration. That is, as in the processing procedure shown in FIG. 6, the work environment information is held in the server computer, and only the work environment information identification code is transferred to and held in the work environment holding device. And when work is resumed,
As in the processing procedure shown in FIG. 7, the work environment holding apparatus transmits the work environment identification code to the client computer, whereby the client computer retrieves the work environment information from the server computer and reproduces the work environment. To do.

By adopting such a configuration, in the network of the server client environment, the information held in the work environment holding device according to the present embodiment can be limited to only the work environment information identification code. Can be shortened and the internal storage device can be saved. Further, when the work environment is brought out to a PC on a different network, all necessary work environments are held in the work environment holding device as in the first embodiment.

Next, the information processing procedure of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. First, with reference to FIG. 6, in step S60, the work environment holding device 50 according to the present embodiment, in any of the client computers (one of 52, 53, 54: FIG. 5),
An environment information transfer request command is issued to the server computer 51.

In step S61, the client computer which receives the environment information transfer request command generates work environment information. In step S62, the client computer transfers the generated work environment information to the server computer 51. In step S63, the server computer 51 stores the work environment information transferred from the client computer in the internal memory.

In step S64, the server computer 51 transfers a predetermined work environment information identification code for identifying work environment information stored in its internal memory to the client computer which has transferred the work environment information. On the other hand, the client computer stores the work environment information identification code transferred from the server computer 51 in its internal memory.

In step S65, the client computer transfers the work environment information identification code stored in its internal memory to the work environment holding device 50. In step S66, the work environment holding device 50 receives the work environment information identification code and stores it in the internal memory. The above is the procedure for storing the environment information in the work environment holding device 50.

Next, with reference to FIG. 7, a work environment recovery processing procedure will be described. In step S71, the work environment holding device 50 transfers the work environment information identification code stored in the internal memory to the above-mentioned client computer. On the other hand, the client computer receives the work environment information identification code, and from the server computer 51,
It waits for the reception of the work environment information corresponding to the received work environment information identification code.

In step S72, the work environment holding device 5
0 means to the server computer 51, step S7
In step 1, the work environment information identification code transferred to the client computer and the command instructing the client computer to send the work environment information corresponding to the work environment information identification code are transferred. Step S
At 73, when the server computer 51 receives the command, the server computer 51 transfers the work environment information corresponding to the received work environment information identification code to the client computer.

In step S74, the client computer reconstructs the corresponding work environment based on the work environment information received from the server computer 51. In step S75, the client computer sends to the server computer 51 a status code indicating that the rebuilding of the work environment has been completed. On the other hand, the server computer 51 receives the status code and deletes the corresponding work environment information from the internal memory.

The processing procedure of the work environment holding apparatus according to the present embodiment has been described above with the model of the server and the client computer connected on the network in FIG.
Needless to say, the processing of the work environment holding device may be realized as one task in the server computer. Further, the present invention may be applied to a system including a plurality of devices or an apparatus including a single device. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to a case where the present invention is achieved by supplying a program to a system or an apparatus. In this case, the system or device enjoys the effects of the present invention by reading the program into the system or device from a storage medium storing a program represented by software for achieving the present invention. It becomes possible.

As described above, according to this embodiment, while one PC is interrupting work, another person
Even after using C or changing the work environment to perform a completely different work of oneself, the work environment before the interruption can be easily reproduced. Further, even when the work suspended by another PC is to be restarted, the work environment before the suspension can be automatically reproduced.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, even when the information processing is interrupted midway and the work environment changes,
The work environment at the time of interruption can be promptly restored.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a work environment holding device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a PC which is a processing target of the work environment holding device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing when the work environment information of the PC is held in the work environment holding device.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing when reproducing a work environment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a network of a server client environment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure for holding a work environment in a server client environment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure for reproducing a work environment in a server client environment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 bus 12 CPU 13 storage device 14 IO controller 15 command key 16 infrared port 21 bus 22 CPU 23 storage device 24 work environment detection unit 25 work environment setting unit 26 IO controller 27 input / output device 28 infrared port

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Tsuneaki Tsunosawa 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A work environment information storing step of inputting work environment information when a process of a predetermined process is interrupted by a predetermined information processing device and storing the work environment information in a storage means, and a work environment stored in the storage means. A transfer step of transferring information to the predetermined information processing apparatus, and a recovery step of recovering the work environment when the processing of the predetermined process is interrupted based on the work environment information transferred in the transfer step An information processing method characterized by the above. 2. The work environment information storage step and the transfer step are executed by an information processing apparatus different from the predetermined information processing apparatus, and the recovery step is executed by the predetermined information processing apparatus. The information processing method according to claim 1. 3. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the work environment information includes information on a file that has been opened when the processing of the predetermined process is interrupted. 4. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the work environment information includes information on a window that is open when the processing of the predetermined process is interrupted. 5. The information processing method according to claim 4, wherein the window information includes information on the type, number, position, and size of the window. 6. The information processing method according to claim 4, wherein the window information further includes information displayed in the window at the time when the processing of the predetermined process is interrupted. 7. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the transfer step performs transfer using infrared rays. 8. A work environment information storage means for inputting work environment information when processing of a predetermined process is interrupted by a predetermined information processing device and storing the work environment information in a storage means, and a work environment stored in the storage means. A transfer unit that transfers information to the predetermined information processing apparatus, and a recovery unit that recovers the work environment when the processing of the predetermined process is interrupted based on the work environment information transferred by the transfer unit An information processing device characterized by the above. 9. The work environment information storage means and the transfer means are executed by an information processing apparatus different from the predetermined information processing apparatus, and the recovery means is executed by the predetermined information processing apparatus. The information processing device according to claim 8. 10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the work environment information includes information on a file that is open when the processing of the predetermined process is interrupted. 11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the work environment information includes information on a window that is open when the processing of the predetermined process is interrupted. 12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the window information includes information on the type, number, position and size of windows. 13. The window information further includes information displayed in the window when the processing of the predetermined process is interrupted.
An information processing apparatus according to claim 1. 14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the transfer means performs transfer using infrared rays.