Patent ID: 7971079

Claim:
An apparatus operable to enter a first or second power saving mode in which a main portion of the apparatus is powered off, comprising: a data presence/absence check unit configured to detect whether data waiting for processing is present or absent in the apparatus; an alarm unit configured to produce an alarm upon detection by the data presence/absence check unit that the data waiting for processing is present; a power saving mode transition check unit configured to check whether transition conditions for transition to the first or second power saving mode are satisfied; a first control unit configured to cause the apparatus to enter the first power saving mode without using the alarm unit and upon detection by the data presence/absence check unit that the data waiting for processing is absent; a second control unit configured to check a first predetermined condition upon the transition conditions being satisfied and upon detection by the data presence/absence check unit that the data waiting for processing is present, and configured to cause the apparatus to enter the second power saving mode upon finding that the first predetermined condition is satisfied; and a nonvolatile memory, wherein a second predetermined condition requires that available space in the nonvolatile memory is sufficient to store the data waiting for processing, and the second control unit is configured to copy the data waiting for processing to the nonvolatile memory and then cause the apparatus to enter the second power saving mode without having the alarm unit powered on upon finding that the second predetermined condition is satisfied, wherein the first predetermined condition requires that more than a predetermined time period remains before the processing is performed on the data, and the second control unit is configured to cause the apparatus to enter the second power saving mode with the alarm unit powered on upon finding that the first predetermined condition is satisfied, and wherein the transition conditions are not satisfied if a predetermined activity occurs during a preset time period.