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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9715381-B2
Application number	US-201615147145-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2016
Priority date	May 27, 2014
Publication date	Jul 25, 2017
Grant date	Jul 25, 2017

Abstract

An object is to provide an information processing apparatus and the like that can reduce power consumption of the information processing apparatus in downloading and installing. To achieve this object, whether or not there is system software update is confirmed in a low power consumption state in which only some of hardware components of the information processing apparatus are supplied with power and communication with a predetermined server can be performed. When there is the update, update data is downloaded, and at least some of the hardware components that are the update targets and that are not supplied with power in the low power consumption state are started to be supplied with power. Then, system update is executed. The series of processes are automatically executed without a user's operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing apparatus configured to communicate with an external computer system via a network and operate in at least one of a plurality of different power states that include: 1) first state, 2) a second state, and 3) a third state, the information processing apparatus including multiple hardware components that operate based on installed programmatic instructions where different ones of the multiple hardware components are supplied with power or not supplied with power depending on which one of the plurality of different power states the information processing apparatus is in, the first state configured to supply power to more components than the second state and the second state configured to supply power to more components than the third state, the information processing apparatus comprising:
a processing system that includes at least one hardware processor coupled to memory, the processing system configured to:
(a) while in the first state, execute a computer application and process received user input;
(b) while in the third state, determine that at least one programmatic update for at least one of the hardware components of the information processing apparatus is available;
(c) retrieve, via the network, the programmatic update from the external computer system;
(d) switch to the second state from the third state and based on which one of the hardware components of the information processing apparatus is to be updated with the at least one programmatic update, cause power to be supplied to one or more of the hardware components not supplied with power in the third state while also maintaining at least some other ones of the multiple hardware components of the information processing apparatus in a low or no power state; and
(e) while in the second state, update or install the programmatic update to the at least one of the hardware components.

2. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing system configured to perform (b), (d), and (e) without relying on user input to the information processing apparatus.

3. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the hardware component supplied with power in the second state, but not in the third state, is the at least one of the hardware components that the programmatic update is updated or installed to.

4. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing system configured to perform (c) in the third state.

5. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing system is further configured to:
switch to the third state in response to completion of the update or installation of the programmatic update.

6. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing system is further configured to:
while in the second state and during performance of (b), (d), or (e), receive input from a user input device;
responsive to the received input, switch to the first state.

7. The information processing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein, as a result of switching to the first state, performance of (b) is set as a background process performed by the processing system.

8. The information processing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein (b), (d), and (e) are continued as needed after the switch to the first state.

9. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein no video or audio signal is output during performance of (b), (d), and (e).

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing an information processing program for use with a computer of an information processing apparatus that is configured to communicate with an external computer system via a network and operate in at least one of a plurality of different power states that include: 1) first state, 2) a second state, and 3) a third state, the information processing apparatus including multiple hardware components that operate based on installed programmatic instructions where different ones of the multiple hardware components are supplied with power or not supplied with power depending on which one of the plurality of different power states the information processing apparatus is in, the first state configured to supply power to more components than the second state and the second state configured to supply power to more components than the third state, the information processing program comprising instructions that are configured to cause the computer to:
(a) while in the first state, execute a computer application and process received user input;
(b) while in the third state, determine that at least one programmatic update for at least one of the hardware components of the information processing apparatus is available;
(c) retrieve, via the network, the programmatic update from the external computer system;
(d) switch to the second state from the third state and based on which one of the hardware components of the information processing apparatus is to be updated with the at least one programmatic update, cause power to be supplied to one or more of the hardware components not supplied with power in the third state while also maintaining at least some other ones of the multiple hardware components of the information processing apparatus in a low or no power state; and
(e) while in the second state, update or install the programmatic update to the at least one of the hardware components.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein (b), (d), and (e) are performed without relying on user input to the information processing apparatus.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the hardware component supplied with power in the second state, but not in the third state, is the at least one of the hardware components that the programmatic update is updated or installed to.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein (c) is performed in the third state.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 , the information processing program comprising further instructions that are configured to switch to the third state in response to completion of the update or installation of the programmatic update.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the information processing program comprises further instructions that are configured to cause the computer to:
while in the second state and during performance of (b), (d), or (e), receive input from a user input device; and
responsive to the received input, switch to the first state.

16. An information processing method for controlling a computer of an information processing apparatus that is configured to communicate with an external computer system via a network and operate in at least one of a plurality of different power states that include: 1) first state, 2) a second state, and 3) a third state, the information processing apparatus including multiple hardware components that operate based on installed programmatic instructions where different ones of the multiple hardware components are supplied with power or not supplied with power depending on which one of the plurality of different power states the information processing apparatus is in, the first state configured to supply power to more components than the second state and the second state configured to supply power to more components than the third state, the method comprising:
(a) while in the first state, executing a computer application and processing received user input;
(b) while in the third stat

Assignees

• Nintendo Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tokunaga Eiji
• Ohshima Yoichi
• Kurita Tsuyoshi
• Suzuki Shinobu
• HORII Yu
• YASUDA Shumpei
• Tran David
• Borisov Eugene
• Macdonald Craig

Classifications

• G06F1/3296

  by lowering the supply or operating voltage · CPC title

• H04L67/02

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title

• G06F8/65 Primary

  Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title

• G06F1/3234

  Power saving characterised by the action undertaken · CPC title

• Y02B60/183

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic