Information processing apparatus, computer-readable storage medium having information processing program stored therein, information processing method, and information processing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9542240-B2
Application number	US-201113102422-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2011
Priority date	Feb 25, 2011
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

An application process unit executes a predetermined application program and a communication process unit performs a predetermined data communication process with another communication target. A communication stop determination unit determines whether or not to stop the data communication process performed by the communication process unit, on the basis of an instruction from the application process unit. When it is determined by the communication stop determination unit to stop the data communication process, the data communication process is stopped.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing apparatus comprising at least one processor, the information processing apparatus configured to:
execute a predetermined application program;
perform a predetermined data communication process with another communication target for another application program; and
determine whether or not to stop the data communication process for the other application program, performed in a background during execution of the predetermined application program, based on an instruction from the executing predetermined application program,
when it is determined to stop the data communication process, the data communication process performed for the other application program, in the background during execution of the predetermined application program, is stopped.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the data communication process can be performed in parallel with execution of the predetermined application program.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the information processing apparatus is configured to execute a plurality of application programs, and
when the plurality of application programs are executed, the information processing apparatus determines whether or not to stop the data communication process on the basis of each of instructions issued from the plurality of application programs.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the information processing apparatus determines to stop the data communication process, when an instruction to stop the data communication process has been issued from at least one of a plurality of application programs.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the information processing apparatus performs a first communication process in which communication is performed directly with another information processing apparatus, and performs a second communication process in which communication is performed with a predetermined communication target via an access point, and
the information processing apparatus determines whether or not to stop the first communication process and/or the second communication process.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the information processing apparatus performs a first communication process in which communication is performed directly with another information processing apparatus, and performs a second communication process in which communication is performed with a predetermined communication target via an access point,
stop instruction data includes a first stop instruction for instructing to stop the first communication process and a second stop instruction for instructing to stop the second communication process,
the information processing apparatus calculates a first stop instruction number that is the number of applications issuing the first stop instructions, and a second stop instruction number that is the number of applications issuing the second stop instructions, and
the information processing apparatus determines whether or not to stop the first communication process, on the basis of the first stop instruction number, and determines whether or not to stop the second communication process, on the basis of the second stop instruction number.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the information processing apparatus is a portable information processing apparatus,
the first communication process is a process of performing data communication with another portable information processing apparatus present in a range of short-distance wireless communication, and
the second communication process is a process of performing data communication with another information processing apparatus by using a network via an access point.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, when it is determined not to stop the data communication process, the information processing apparatus continues the data communication process even while the application program is executed.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the application program is executed as a foreground process, and
the data communication process is performed as a background process.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further configured to:
set stop instruction data indicating presence/absence of an instruction to stop the data communication process;
calculate the number of applications issuing instructions to stop the data communication process, on the basis of the stop instruction data; and
determine whether or not to stop the data communication process, on the basis of the number of applications issuing instructions to stop the data communication process.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further configured to perform, in conjunction with execution of the application program, communication as a part of a function of an application of the executed application program, wherein
when the communication is performed, the information processing apparatus determines to stop the data communication process performed with the another communication target.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further configured to change a state of the information processing apparatus between an unused state and a used state, wherein
when the information processing apparatus is in the unused state, the data communication process is performed regardless of a result of the determination of whether or not to stop the data communication process, performed in the background during execution of the predetermined application program, on the basis of the instruction.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the instruction stops the data communication process being performed for a different application program than the predetermined application program being executed.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the data communication process continues exclusively for the predetermined application program while communication performed in the background remains stopped for a specified period of time.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the communication process is performed using a communication device of the information processing apparatus and the data communication process for the other application program is stopped so as to, in part, allow the predetermined application program to utilize the communication device for a communication process.

16. An information processing apparatus comprising at least one processor, the information processing apparatus configured to:
perform a predetermined data communication process with another communication target;
store a plurality of application programs, in an application storage device, each including a stop control instruction indicating whether or not to stop the performed data communication process;
read at least one application program from the application storage device and execute the at least one application program;
issue a stop instruction for stopping the data communication process for another application program, performed in a background during execution of the at least one application program, based on a stop control instruction from the at least one application program being executed; and
stop the data communication process for the other application program, performed in the backgrou

Assignees

• Adachi Hiroaki
• Nintendo Co Ltd

Inventors

• Adachi Hiroaki

Classifications

• G06F9/54 Primary

  Interprogram communication · CPC title