Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer data routing – Least weight routing
Reexamination Certificate
1997-08-15
2001-11-27
Banankhah, Majid (Department: 2151)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer data routing
Least weight routing
C709S241000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06324562
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus having a function for executing a plurality of tasks in parallel, a multitask control method and a program recording medium stored with programs for making a computer to execute a plurality of tasks in parallel.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, information processing apparatus capable of executing a plurality of tasks in parallel have been used in various fields. In such information processing apparatus (also called “multitask system”), there are cases that limitation may be imposed to the kinds of tasks which are executable in parallel depending on the hardware installed. However, it is configured, in principle, that a task may be added to a group of tasks to be executed in parallel every time a task is instructed by a user.
As described above, the conventional information processing apparatus are configured to instantly start a task which is instructed by a user to be executed. Accordingly, for example, when instructions are rendered to simultaneously execute a task to reproduce a video data file which includes motion-picture data and voice data, and is generally represented by an extension of file such as “AVI” or “MOV” representing data categories, and a task to reproduce a voice data file represented by an extension “WAV,” as a result of the tasks being executed in parallel as schematically shown in
FIG. 12
, disadvantages such as followings arise:
(1) When the reproduction of a first video data (extension “AVI”) and the reproduction of a second video data (extension “AVI”) are instructed to be executed in parallel, a load on a processing circuit such as a CPU for processing video data is increased, and a processing speed thereof is lowered, so that the motion of the picture becomes not smooth. As a result, a user suffers a problem that it is difficult to see what kind of the motion picture is reproduced.
(2) When the reproduction of a first video data (extension “WAV”) and the reproduction of a second video data (extension “WAV”) are instructed to be executed in parallel, one voice data is interrupted to be reproduced in the middle of the reproduction, and then another voice data starts to be reproduced when a reproduction circuit (a sound circuit) cannot reproduce more than one voice data at a time. That is, the obtained result of the execution is against a user's intention to reproduce and listen to the voice data, respectively. Also, in case that the reproduction circuit can simultaneously reproduce a plurality of voice data, since the voice data are mixedly reproduced, the user is difficult to recognize what kind of voice data is reproduced.
(3) When the reproduction of a video data (extension “AVI”) and the reproduction of a voice data (extension “WAV”) are instructed to be executed in parallel, the reproductions of the voice data included in the video data and the voice data are effected under the condition of the above item (2). As a result, either situation is arisen where an execution result which is against the user's intention is obtained or it is difficult to recognize what kind of voices are reproduced.
As described above, executions of tasks in parallel to reproduce the motion-picture data (or a video data) and the voice data which are time sequence data cause a large load on the CPU and also affect the processing by other applications. Furthermore, since the execution result interferes with the user's sense, it causes the user's to be difficult to recognize the reproduced contents.
In the conventional information processing apparatus, in order to prevent such phenomena from occurring, as schematically shown in
FIG. 13
, it is required for the user to perform a job such as to instruct execution of a next task again after completion of each task (or after interrupting each task by operating an input apparatus such as a mouse and a keyboard).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above circumstances, the present invention has been made, and therefore has an object of the invention to provide an information processing apparatus capable of executing tasks sequentially with respect to tasks having a sort of attribute and, in addition, is capable of executing tasks in parallel with respect to tasks without such attribute as general multitask systems do. Further, another object of the invention is to provide an information processing apparatus capable of executing tasks in parallel without imposing a load on a processing circuit while preventing hindrance of a user's understanding.
To achieve the objects described above, in the present invention, an information processing apparatus is comprised of a first discrimination portion for discriminating the categories of generated tasks which are tasks generated, and a controlling portion for changing the timing of starting execution of generated tasks by a parallel execution portion executing tasks in parallel in accordance with the categories of the generated tasks discriminated by the first discrimination portion.
Accordingly to an information processing apparatus of the present invention having such construction, execution timing of a generated task (for example, a task instructed by a user to be executed) is changed in accordance with its category. Therefore, each generated task is effected in parallel or sequentially in consideration of the category of the task without requiring user's special operation. For this reason, it is possible to reproduce a data which is not desired to be reproduced simultaneously with its timing of starting execution shifted if, for example, a task whose timing of starting execution is changed is set as a task to reproduce a time sequential data such as image data and voice data.
When an information processing apparatus according to the present invention is formed, it is desirable to add a second discrimination portion for discriminating the categories of tasks executed by a parallel execution portion at the time of generating generated tasks and, at the same time, to employ as a control portion a portion which changes the timing of starting execution of generated tasks by a parallel execution portion in accordance with the category of a task under execution to be discriminated by the second discrimination portion and the category of a generated task discriminated by the first discrimination portion. An information processing apparatus employing such a construction makes it possible to execute each generated task in parallel or sequentially in consideration of the contents of tasks being executed at the time of generating tasks.
Further, when an information processing apparatus according to the present invention is formed, it is also possible to add a conditional data holding portion for classifying tasks into a first sort of tasks which are started to be executed without any conditions and a second sort of tasks whose timing of starting execution is changed and, at the same time, to employ a portion which determines the timing of starting execution of generated tasks by a parallel execution portion.
Further, when the timing of starting execution of generated tasks by a parallel execution portion is changed, it is also possible to employ a portion as a control portion to make the timing after completion of execution of predetermined categories of tasks executed by the parallel execution portion. When such a control portion is employed, an information processing apparatus which sequentially executes tasks having a certain attribute among generated tasks without requiring user's special operation can be obtained.
Further, when a priority data holding portion which holds priority data relating a plurality of categories and priority is added and a plurality of generated tasks whose timing of starting execution should be controlled exist, an information processing apparatus may be formed employing a portion which determines the order of starting execution of those generated tasks by a parallel execution portion in
Inagaki Hidehiro
Kasai Satoshi
Banankhah Majid
Fujitsu Limited
Staas & Halsey , LLP
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