Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery – Data processing system error or fault handling – Reliability and availability
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-29
2002-12-31
Beausoleil, Robert (Department: 2184)
Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery
Data processing system error or fault handling
Reliability and availability
Reexamination Certificate
active
06502207
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, and more particularly, to a resume function for reproducing the work state that existed when a power source was turned off of the processing apparatus, upon turning on the power source again. The present invention also relates to a resume function in an information processing system which has a plurality of information processing apparatuses connected through a network.
Thanks to the advance of small device mounting techniques and development of power consumption reducing techniques in recent years, personal computers, work stations, word processors and so on (hereinafter they are called “information processing apparatuses have”) become increasingly smaller in size, and even notepad-size products operable with a battery have recently been brought to the market. Such battery driven information processing apparatuses require a user to frequently shut off the power supply either manually or automatically in order to prevent the battery from being consumed in a short time. However, when the power source is to be turned off, the user is required to store user information, for example, a document under processing and so on, in a non-volatile storage unit, and moreover, when the power source is to be turned on again, the user must recall a program and the thus stored user information from the non-volatile storage unit. For this reason, such frequent turning-off of the power source causes a problem that efficient use of the apparatus is less likely for the user.
To attend to this problem, it is now common for a battery driven information processing apparatus be provided with a so-called resume function is to store the contents of a display memory, I/O registers of input/output devices and so on in a main memory, and preserve the contents of the main memory by backing up the same with a battery before turning off the power source such that when the power source is again turned on, the contents of the display memory, the I/O registers of the input/output devices and so on preserved in the main memory are written back to the respective devices, and a state upon turning off the battery is reproduced as if the apparatus had been kept operating. Information processing apparatuses having such a resume function are disclosed, for example, in JP-A-57-17042 and JP-A-2-93814.
As described above, the resume function provides an excellent information processing apparatus which can reproduce a user's work state upon again turning on the power source and does not cause the degradation of the usability of the apparatus even if the power source is frequently turned off to reduce the consumption of the battery. However, the resume function hitherto provided in information processing apparatuses does not allow the user to perform another operation while preserving a work state. Also, when a plurality of users use a single information processing apparatus in which a user has preserved a work state using the resume function, another user, when turning on the information processing apparatus, will see the preserved work state of the previous user, thereby presenting unfavorable problems regarding security and utility.
Also, since the main memory is backed up by a battery to preserve a work state, the work state can be preserved only for a limited time period according to the capacity of the battery.
Further, the resume function hitherto provided in information processing apparatuses allows the user to reproduce a previous work state only on the same information processing apparatus in which the user interrupted a work and preserved the corresponding work state, thereby preventing the user from operating the same work on different apparatus at various locations.
The conventional resume function provided in information processing apparatuses further implies a problem that a connection state to a network cannot be correctly reproduced.
The conventional resume function provided in information processing apparatus further presents a problem that a message such as electronic mail transmitted through a network cannot be received during an automatic power-off state for reducing power consumption.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a first object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus which is capable of preserving and reproducing a plurality of work states.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus which is capable of preserving a plurality of work states without backing up a memory with a battery.
It is a third object of the present invention to provide an information processing system which is capable of reproducing a work state on a different information processing apparatus from that in which a user interrupted work and preserved the corresponding work state.
It is a fourth object of the present invention to provide an information processing system which is capable of preserving and reproducing a work state on a first information processing apparatus operated by a user using a file in a different information processing apparatus through a network.
It is a fifth object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus having a resume function which is capable of correctly reproducing a work state upon again turning on the power source even if the information processing apparatus is turned off while connected to another information processing apparatus on a network.
It is a sixth object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus which is capable of displaying a message sent from another information processing apparatus connected thereto through a network, even if the power source of the information processing apparatus is turned off.
The first object is achieved by providing plural sets of work state preservation areas for storing information in a storage unit, and reproducing a work state of the information processing apparatus based on the information in one set of the work state preservation areas specified by the operator from among the plural sets. Since work states at a plurality of times are respectively preserved in the plural sets of the work state preservation areas, respective work states of a plurality of operators or work states of a single operator at a plurality of times are preserved and reproduced.
The second object is achieved by preserving work states in a magnetic disk drive or the like which need not be backed up by a battery. Since the work states are preserved in a magnetic disk drive or the like which need not be backed up by a battery, a main memory does not require battery back-up so that no electric power is consumed during power-off state of the information processing apparatus.
The third object is achieved by providing plural sets of work state preservation areas in a storage unit of a first information processing apparatus; accessing the storage unit of the first information processing apparatus from a second information processing apparatus through a network; and executing at least processing for storing information on work states at particular times in work state preservation areas and processing for reproducing a work state based on information stored in one set of the work state preservation areas specified by the operator from among the plural sets. Since a plurality of information processing apparatuses are connected to each other through a network, and the work state preservation areas are collectively arranged in a single information processing apparatus, the other information processing apparatuses do not require battery back-up of main memories thereof or installation of a magnetic disk drive or the like. Also, the work state can be reproduced by an information processing apparatus other than that on which the work state was preserved.
The fourth object is achieved by executing processing for storing a used state of a file in use through the network when a work state is preserved and processing for
Itoh Hiromichi
Nakane Keiichi
Nonaka Naomichi
Watanabe Yoshinori
Antonelli Terry Stout & Kraus LLP
Beausoleil Robert
Duncan Marc
Hitachi , Ltd.
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