# US 2014/0153022 A1 · Electronic apparatus capable of controlling order in which jobs are executed, control method therefor, and storage medium

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- Number: US 2014/0153022 A1
- Document ID: US20140153022A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/096,312
- Filed: 2013-12-04
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2012-12-05
- Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Hiroshi YAMAMIZU
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140153022A1

## CPC

- 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)}
- G06F 1/3284: {Power saving in printer}
- G06F 3/1221: {with regard to power consumption}
- G06F 3/126: {Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device}
- G06F 3/1285: {Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server}
- G06F 3/1291: {Pool of printer devices: self-managing printing devices in a network, e.g. without a server}
- G06F 3/1229: {Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels}
- Y02D 10/00: Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
- G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE

## Abstract

An electronic apparatus which is capable of executing jobs in an order in which the jobs were received while maximum power consumption is never exceeded. Based on a list stored in a storage unit, whether or not a job planned to be executed by the electronic apparatus is next on a waiting list is determined. Completion notification indicating that the job has been completed is received from one of at least one external apparatus. Power consumption is obtained from all of the at least one external apparatus when the job is next on a waiting list, and the completion notification is received. The job is executed when a sum of total power consumption of the at least one external apparatus and power consumed when the electronic apparatus executes the job is smaller than maximum power consumption determined in advance.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electronic apparatus which is capable of communicating with at least one external apparatus, and for which maximum power consumption by all of the at least one external apparatus and the electronic apparatus is determined in advance, comprising:
a storage unit configured to store a list indicating jobs planned to be executed by respective ones of the at least one external apparatus and the electronic apparatus, and indicating that an order in which the jobs planned to be executed are executed is an order in which the at least one external apparatus and the electronic apparatus have received the jobs;
an order determination unit configured to, based on the list stored in said storage unit, determine whether the job planned to be executed by the electronic apparatus is next on a waiting list;
a receiving unit configured to receive, from any one of the at least one external apparatus, a completion notification indicating that the job executed by the external apparatus has been completed;
an obtaining unit configured to obtain power consumption from all of the at least one external apparatus when said order determination unit determines that the job planned to be executed by the electronic apparatus is next on a waiting list, and said receiving unit receives the completion notification; and
an execution unit configured to execute the job planned to be executed when a sum of total power consumption of the at least one external apparatus obtained by said obtaining unit and power consumed when the electronic apparatus executes the job planned to be executed is smaller than the maximum power consumption.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the list is updated when the electronic apparatus receives the job, and upon receiving notification that any one of the at least one external apparatus has received the job from this external apparatus.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the list includes status information indicating statuses of the jobs planned to be executed and indicating that the jobs are being currently executed, and
the status information in the list is updated when the electronic apparatus starts executing the job planned to be executed, and upon receiving notification that any one of the at least one external apparatus starts executing another job planned to be executed from this external apparatus.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the electronic apparatus receives the job, the at least one external apparatus is notified that the job has been received, and when the electronic apparatus starts executing the job planned to be executed, the at least one external apparatus is notified that execution of the job planned to be executed has been started.

### Claim 5

A control method for an electronic apparatus which is capable of communicating with at least one external apparatus, and for which maximum power consumable by all of the at least one external apparatus and the electronic apparatus is determined in advance, and has a storage unit that stores a list indicating jobs planned to be executed by respective ones of the at least one external apparatus and the electronic apparatus, and indicating that an order in which the jobs planned to be executed are executed is an order in which the at least one external apparatus and the electronic apparatus have received the jobs, comprising:
an order determination step of, based on the list stored in the storage unit, determining whether the job planned to be executed by the electronic apparatus is next on a waiting list;
a receiving step of receiving, from any one of the at least one external apparatus, a completion notification indicating that the job executed by the external apparatus has been completed;
an obtaining step of obtaining power consumption from all of the at least one external apparatus when it is determined in said order determination step that the job planned to be executed by the electronic apparatus is next on a waiting list, and the completion notification is received in said receiving step; and
an execution step of executing the job planned to be executed when a sum of total power consumption of the at least one external apparatus obtained in said obtaining step and power consumed when the electronic apparatus executes the job planned to be executed is smaller than the maximum power consumption.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The control method according to claim 5, wherein the list is updated when the electronic apparatus receives the job, and upon receiving notification that any one of the at least one external apparatus has received the job from this external apparatus.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The control method according to claim 6, wherein the list includes status information indicating statuses of the jobs planned to be executed and indicating that the jobs are being currently executed, and
the status information in the list is updated when the electronic apparatus starts executing the job planned to be executed, and upon receiving notification that any one of the at least one external apparatus starts executing another job planned to be executed from this external apparatus.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The control method according to claim 7, wherein when the electronic apparatus receives the job, the at least one external apparatus is notified that the job has been received, and when the electronic apparatus starts executing the job planned to be executed, the at least one external apparatus is notified that execution of the job planned to be executed has been started.

### Claim 9

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a control method for an electronic apparatus which is capable of communicating with at least one external apparatus, and for which maximum power consumable by all of the at least one external apparatus and the electronic apparatus is determined in advance, and has a storage unit that stores a list indicating jobs planned to be executed by respective ones of the at least one external apparatus and the electronic apparatus, and indicating that an order in which the jobs planned to be executed are executed is an order in which the at least one external apparatus and the electronic apparatus have received the jobs, the control method comprising:
an order determination step of, based on the list stored in the storage unit, determining whether the job planned to be executed by the electronic apparatus is next on a waiting list;
a receiving step of receiving, from any one of the at least one external apparatus, a completion notification indicating that the job executed by the external apparatus has been completed;
an obtaining step of obtaining power consumption from all of the at least one external apparatus when it is determined in the order determination step that the job planned to be executed by the electronic apparatus is next on a waiting list, and the completion notification is received in the receiving step; and
an execution step of executing the job planned to be executed when a sum of total power consumption of the at least one external apparatus obtained in the obtaining step and power consumed when the electronic apparatus executes the job planned to be executed is smaller than the maximum power consumption.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the list is updated when the electronic apparatus receives the job, and upon receiving notification that any one of the at least one external apparatus has received the job from this external apparatus.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the list includes status information indicating statuses of the jobs planned to be executed and indicating that the jobs are being currently executed, and
the status information in the list is updated when the electronic apparatus starts executing the job planned to be executed, and upon receiving notification that any one of the at least one external apparatus starts executing another job planned to be executed from this external apparatus.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein when the electronic apparatus receives the job, the at least one external apparatus is notified that the job has been received, and when the electronic apparatus starts executing the job planned to be executed, the at least one external apparatus is notified that execution of the job planned to be executed has been started.