Patent ID: 8352664

Claim:
An information processing apparatus, which performs data communication with an external device, and which operates in a standard power mode, in which all parts of the information processing apparatus are in a standard power mode, or in a power saving mode, in which some parts of the information processing apparatus are in a power saving mode, the information processing apparatus comprising: a first data processor, which is configured to process data sent from the external device and which can switch a power consumption mode from a standard power mode, in which the first data processor performs data processing, to a power saving mode, in which the first data processor does not perform data processing, or vice versa; a switcher configured to switch the information processing apparatus between the standard power mode and the power saving mode; and a second data processor configured to process the data sent from the external device when the first data processor is in the power saving mode, and includes: a first judging device configured to make a judgment as to whether the data are to be processed by the first data processor or the second data processor depending on the data; and a connection establishing device configured to establish communication connection with the external device when the first judging device cannot make the judgment from the data, wherein the second data processor further includes: a second judging device configured to make a judgment as to whether the data are to be processed by the first data processor or the second data processor depending on following data received from the external device after the connection establishing device establishes communication connection, wherein when the second judging device determines that the data are to be processed by the second data processor, the second data processor processes the data; a return requesting device configured to request the first data processor to return to the standard power mode when the first judging device determines that new data received when the second data processor is processing the data are to be processed by the first processor; and a transferring device configured to transfer the new data to the first data processor so that the first data processor processes the new data while the second data processor processes the data, and wherein after the first judging device judges that the new data are to be processed by the first data processor, the first judging device determines based on the new data whether a part of the information processing apparatus other than the first data processor is to be returned to the standard power mode.