| 摘要 |
<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve reduced office power consumption by, when the number of active user computers in the vicinity of the network printer is large, setting the network printer in a standby state and, when that number is small, powering off the network printer. <P>SOLUTION: A method for managing a first unit and one or more other units connected to the first unit over a network is provided. The method includes (i) detecting, by a management unit, the operating state of the other units positioned within a specific range from the first unit on the basis of the location of each of the first and other units over the network, the operating state including at least an operating state at which a service request is capable of being transmitted to the first unit. The method further includes (ii) transmitting, by the management unit, to the first unit, an instruction to change an operating state of the first unit depending on a number of the other units being in the detected operating state at which the service request is capable of being transmitted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT |
