Patent ID: 8520240

Claim:
A work flow execution system in which a plurality of processing apparatuses connected to a network executes a work flow in cooperation with each other according to a flow file in which a plurality of processing is described, the work flow execution system comprising: a processing apparatus which starts the work flow comprising: a determination unit configured to determine whether a processing apparatus including a power saving mode function is described in the flow file; an instruction unit configured to extract from the flow file a command to be processed by the processing apparatus which is determined to include the power saving mode function by the determination unit and to issue an instruction to register the extracted command as a return command in the processing apparatus which executes the work flow; and a starting unit configured to start the work flow after the instruction unit has issued the instruction, and a processing apparatus which includes the power saving mode function comprising: a registration unit configured to register in a management table the return command which is received based on the instruction from the instruction unit; a return unit configured to return the power saving mode to a normal operation mode when a command is received from any other processing apparatus while an operation mode is shifted to the power saving mode and the received command coincides with the return command registered in the management table; a deletion unit configured to delete the return command registered in the management table after the return unit has returned an operation mode to the normal operation mode; and an execution unit configured to receive and execute a command following the work flow started by the starting unit after the deletion unit has deleted the return command from the management table.