Patent ID: 8560870

Claim:
An information processing apparatus comprising: a main body; a plurality of power control target devices provided in the main body; a storage unit configured to store management data indicative of one or more power control target devices, among the plurality of power control target devices, which are used by each of a plurality of application programs; and a device management module configured to (i) receive from an operating system process information indicative of a list of processes which are being executed, (ii) determine whether a new process is started, based on a result of comparison between the received process information and last-received process information, (iii) determine, based on the management data, if the new process is started, one or more power control target devices which are used by an application program corresponding to the new process, and (iv) power on, among the determined one or more power control target devices, a power control target device which is in a power-off state, wherein the device management module is further configured to (i) determine whether a process being executed is terminated, based on the result of comparison between the received process information and the last-received process information, (ii) determine, based on the management data, if the process is terminated, one or more power control target devices which are used by an application program corresponding to the terminated process, and (iii) power off, among the determined one or more power control target devices, a power control target device which is in a power-on state and in association with which none of processes of all other associated application programs is being executed.