Patent Publication Number: US-2006015656-A1

Title: Retrieval of configuration information from information processing apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus which utilizes an OS (Operating System) and applications.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Portable information processing apparatus such as cellular phones or the like which utilize an OS and applications have a registry for storing such inherent configuration information as information as to operating environments for operating the OS and the applications, and information as to actual operating states of the OS and the applications. The configurational information is registered in a RAM (Random Access Memory) in the information processing apparatus. The configuration information in the RAM is erased when the information processing apparatus is turned off or reset.  
      In order to avoid the risk of the erasure of the configuration information from the RAM when the information processing apparatus is turned off or reset, there has been proposed an information processing apparatus which register configuration information also in a nonvolatile memory such as FROM (Flash Read Only Memory) in the information processing apparatus. For details, reference should be made to Japanese laid-open patent publication  
      However, if the disclosed information processing apparatus fails to operate, then the configuration information registered in the nonvolatile memory cannot be retrieved. When another information processing apparatus is used as a substitute for the malfunctioning information processing apparatus, it is necessary to store the configuration information again in the other information processing apparatus. Therefore, when an information processing apparatus malfunctions and its operation is interrupted, a substituting information processing apparatus cannot immediately be put into operation because of the need for registering the configuration information therein prior to its operation.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus which allows configuration information registered therein to be retrieved in the event of a failure of the information processing apparatus.  
      According to the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus for registering and managing configuration information inherent therein for operating an OS, an application, data, or an expansion driver.  
      The information processing apparatus includes a nonvolatile memory incorporated in the information processing apparatus, a recording medium removably disposed in the information processing apparatus, and an information manger for registering the configuration information in the recording medium when the configuration information is registered in the nonvolatile memory.  
      With the above arrangement, since the configuration information is registered in not only the nonvolatile memory, but also the removable recording medium, even if the information processing apparatus malfunctions, the configuration information of the malfunctioning information processing apparatus can be retrieved through the recording medium.  
      When the recording medium having registered therein configuration information of another information processing apparatus is loaded, the information manager may read the configuration information of the other information processing apparatus from the recording medium.  
      With the above arrangement, when an information processing apparatus malfunctions, the recording medium may be removed from the malfunctioning information processing apparatus and may be loaded into another information processing apparatus, so that the other information processing apparatus can read and utilize the configuration information of the malfunctioning information processing apparatus.  
      When the recording medium having registered therein configuration information of another information processing apparatus is loaded, the information manager may read the configuration information of the other information processing apparatus from the recording medium, and may register the configuration information in the nonvolatile memory.  
      With the above arrangement, when an information processing apparatus malfunctions, the recording medium may be removed from the malfunctioning information processing apparatus and may be loaded into another information processing apparatus, so that the same configuration information as that of the malfunctioning information processing apparatus can be registered in the other information processing apparatus. In addition to registering configuration information of a malfunctioning information processing apparatus, it is also possible to register configuration information of an information processing apparatus as initial configuration information of another information processing apparatus.  
      When the recording medium having registered therein configuration information of another information processing apparatus and the application, the data, or the expansion driver is loaded, the information manager may read the configuration information of the other information processing apparatus and also may read the application, the data, or the expansion driver from the recording medium.  
      With the above arrangement, when an information processing apparatus malfunctions, the recording medium may be removed from the malfunctioning information processing apparatus and may be loaded into another information processing apparatus, so that the other information processing apparatus can restore the operating state of the application, etc. immediately prior to the failure of the information processing apparatus, and can continuously take over the operation of the malfunctioning information processing apparatus.  
      Specifically, the configuration information includes information as to operating environments for operating the OS, the application, the data, or the expansion driver, and information as to actual operating states of the OS, the application, the data, or the expansion driver.  
      The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate an example of the present invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; and  
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing the manner in which configuration information is retrieved from the information processing apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      As shown in  FIG. 1 , information processing apparatus  1  according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises RAM  11  incorporated therein, FROM  12  as a nonvolatile memory incorporated therein, CF (Compact Flash) card  13  as a removable recording medium removably disposed therein, and information manager  14  for managing information stored in RAM  11 , ROM  12 , and CF card  13 .  
      Information manager  14  registers inherent configuration information for operating application  132 , data  133 , and expansion driver  134  that are registered in CF card  13  and operating an OS (not shown), as configuration information (# 1 )  111  in RAM  11 . Specifically, the configuration information is information as to operating environments for operating the OS, application  132 , data  133 , and expansion driver  134 , and information as to actual operating states of the OS, application  132 , data  133 , and expansion driver  134 .  
      Information manager  14  also registers configuration information (# 1 )  111  stored in RAM  11  as configuration information (# 2 )  121  in FROM  12  and also registers configuration information (# 1 )  111  as configuration information (# 3 )  131  in CF card  13 .  
      In information processing apparatus  1 , therefore, the same configuration information is dually registered as configuration information (# 2 )  121  and configuration information (# 3 )  131  in respective two storage areas, i.e., an area in FROM  12  and an area in CF card  13 . The configuration information can be retrieved through CF card  13 .  
      Operation of information processing apparatus  1  according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to  FIG. 2 .  
       FIG. 2  shows two information processing apparatus  1 A,  1 B according to the present embodiment. Information processing apparatus  1 A,  1 B have respective RAMs  11 A,  11 B, respective FROMs  12 A,  12 B, respective CF cards  13 A,  13 B, and respective information managers  14 A,  14 B, which correspond to RAM  11 , FROM  12 , CF card  13 , and information manager  14 , respectively, shown in  FIG. 1 .  
      First, information processing apparatus  1 A operates to register configuration information for operating an OS and applications. Specifically, information manager  14 A registers the configuration information as configuration information (# 1 )  111 A in RAM  111 A. Then, information manager  14 A registers configuration information (# 1 )  111 A stored in RAM  11 A as configuration information (# 2 )  121 A in FROM  12 A. Configuration information (# 1 )  111 A and configuration information (# 2 )  121 A are identical to each other. Furthermore, information manager  14 A registers configuration information (# 1 )  111 A stored in RAM  11 A as configuration information (# 3 )  131 A in CF card  13 A. Configuration information (# 1 )  111 A, configuration information (# 2 )  121 A, and configuration information (# 3 )  131 A are identical to each other. FROM  12 A stores two pieces of configuration information, i.e., the configuration information that is presently registered and the configuration information that is previously registered. Even if the process of registering configuration information (# 1 )  111 A as configuration information (# 2 )  121 A in FROM  12 A fails, since the previously registered configuration information remains as configuration information (# 2 )  121 A in FROM  12 A, the present configuration information can be registered again based on previously registered configuration information (# 2 )  121 A in FROM  12 A.  
      The above process of registering configuration information in information processing apparatus  1 A can be manually set by the user from a menu that is registered in the operating system (OS).  
      Then, the user removes CF card  13 A from information processing apparatus  1 A, and loads CF card  13 A as CF card  13 B into information processing apparatus  1 B. CF card  13 A and CF card  13 B are identical to each other. Therefore, configuration information (# 3 )  131 A stored in CF card  13 A and configuration information (# 3 )  131 B stored in CF card  13 B are identical to each other.  
      For information processing apparatus  1 B to use configuration information (# 3 )  131 B stored in CF card  13 B from the OS and the applications, information processing apparatus  1 B operates to reflect (restore) the configuration information. Specifically, information manager  14 B reads configuration information (# 3 )  131 B stored in CF card  13 B, and registers configuration information (# 3 )  131 B as configuration information (# 4 )  121 B in FROM  12 B. Configuration information (# 3 )  131 B and configuration information (# 4 )  121 B are identical to each other. Furthermore, information manager  14 B registers configuration information (# 3 )  131 B stored in CF card  13 B as configuration information (# 5 )  111 B in RAM  11 B. Configuration information (# 3 )  131 B, configuration information (# 4 )  121 B, and configuration information (# 5 )  111 B are identical to each other.  
      Though not shown, CF card  13 A also stores application  132 , data  133 , and expansion driver  134  registered therein in addition to configuration information (# 3 )  131 A (see  FIG. 1 ). Therefore, information manager  14 B also reads application  132 , data  133 , and expansion driver  134  registered in CF card  13 A.  
      As described above, CF card  13 A removably mounted in information processing apparatus  1 A is removed therefrom and loaded as CF card  13 B into information processing apparatus  1 B, and configuration information (# 3 )  131 A, application  132 , etc. registered in CF card  13 A are reflected in information processing apparatus  1 B. Consequently, application  132  and data  133  which were used by information processing apparatus  1 A while it was in operation can continuously be used in information processing apparatus  1 B.  
      Even if information processing apparatus  1 A suffers a malfunction in its operation, the user may remove CF card  13 A from information processing apparatus  1 A and load CF card  13 B into information processing apparatus  1 B, so that information processing apparatus  1 B can restore the operation of application  132  and data  133  immediately prior to the failure of information processing apparatus  1 A, and can continuously take over the operation of information processing apparatus  1 A.  
      Information processing apparatus  1 A,  1 B are not limited to usage in the above application wherein the operation of malfunctioning information processing apparatus  1 A is continuously taken over by information processing apparatus  1 B. However, information processing apparatus  1 A,  1 B may be used in an application wherein when information processing apparatus  1 B starts to operate, the same operating environments as in information processing apparatus  1 A are initially set in information processing apparatus  1 B. As described above, information processing apparatus  1 A can register operating environments represented by an OS and applications as configuration information in CF card  13 A as a removable recording medium. Therefore, the same operating environments as in information processing apparatus  1 A can initially be set easily in information processing apparatus  1 B. Furthermore, when a plurality of information processing apparatus start to operate, the same operating environments as in information processing apparatus  1 A can initially be set easily in those information processing apparatus by using copies of CF card  13 A.  
      Information processing apparatus  1 A according to the present invention may not only have configuration information registered manually by the user from the operating system (OS) menu, but may have configuration information registered automatically in synchronism by the operating system (OS). However, when information manager  14 A registers configuration information (# 1 )  111  as configuration information (# 2 )  121 A in FROM  12 A and simultaneously registers configuration information (# 1 )  111  as configuration information (# 3 )  131 A in CF card  13 A, a writing error may possibly occur. Therefore, information manager  14 A needs to register configuration information (# 3 )  131 A in CF card  13 A after it has completed the registration of configuration information (# 2 )  121 A in FROM  12 A.  
      Each of information processing apparatus  1 A,  1 B according to the present invention may use not only a CF card, but also any of various removable recording mediums such as an SD (Secure Digital) card, a PC card, a memory stick, etc. as a removable recording medium for retrieving configuration information.  
      Each of information processing apparatus  1 A,  1 B according to the present invention is applicable to not only portable information processing apparatus such as a cellular phone, but also stationary information processing apparatus such as a PC. The principles of the present invention are applicable to any information processing apparatus which are energized by a power supply, and are not limited to cell-powered information processing apparatus.  
      While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described using specific terms, such description is for illustrative purposes only, and it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the following claims.