An image forming apparatus includes: an operation unit that is decentered from a center line between a right part and a left part of the image forming apparatus rightwards or leftwards and that is disposed closer to a rear face or a front face of the image forming apparatus; a human sensor that detects a user intending to use the image forming apparatus; and a controller that performs control of operation of the image forming apparatus by using a detection result of the human sensor, the human sensor having a detection range set to detect the user, the user being detectable even when the user is present at least partially outside a width range of the image forming apparatus.

An information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to, in a case where a time specified processing instruction to execute a specified process at a specified time is set, in response to detecting presence of a user near the information processing apparatus upon restoration from an energy save mode to a normal operation mode, hold a time specified processing instruction scheduled for a past specified time that is time before the restoration, the time specified processing instruction being held not to be executed upon the restoration.

An image forming apparatus includes: a human presence sensor that detects a user who uses the image forming apparatus; a first covering provided in front of the human presence sensor; and a second covering provided in front of the first covering, the second covering being configured not to interfere with detection of a detection target by the human presence sensor.

An information processing apparatus configured to transmit apparatus management information used in the management of the own apparatus to an external server is provided with a first communication unit; a second communication unit that is different from the first communication unit; a transmission unit configured to externally transmit apparatus management information via the first communication unit when in a regular power mode in which the information processing apparatus operates using a first power source configured to receive a power supply from outside the apparatus; and a control unit configured to perform, in a case that power supply to the information processing apparatus by the first power supply has been stopped, control such that power is supplied to the second communication unit by a second power source inside the apparatus after this power supply has been stopped, and the apparatus management information is externally transmitted via the second communication unit.

An image forming apparatus includes a user interface device, an image forming operation unit, a detection sensor having a two-dimensional structure including a plurality of sensor columns of sensors, a power supply to supply power to the user interface device and the image forming operation unit according to power modes including a sleep mode and a standby mode, in which the power supply is to supply more power in the standby mode than in the sleep mode, and a controller. The controller is to switch a power mode from the sleep mode to the stand-by mode, when a first condition is satisfied based on sensor data detected by the sensor columns, the first condition being a condition in which results of calculations performed on data, of the sensor data, corresponding to consecutive sensor columns among the plurality of sensor columns are each equal to or greater than a threshold value simultaneously for a period of time, to indicate detection of a human body, and to control the power supply to supply power corresponding to the switched power mode to the user interface device and the image forming operation unit.

A printer includes a printing unit powered from a battery which is charged by a charge IC, and a processor. The processor sets a mode of the printer to a print mode, and sets the mode to a low-power mode in which total power consumption of the printer is lower than that in the print mode, in a state that the printing unit stops printing. In a case where the processor sets the mode to the low-power mode, the processor sets the mode to a first low-power mode, in which the charge IC is driven at a first SW frequency, when the charge IC works to charge the battery, and sets the mode to a second low-power mode, in which the charge IC is driven at a second SW frequency lower than the first SW frequency, when the charge IC stops the charge of the battery.

A communication I/F of an image generating unit writes settings for an image data to a transitory storage unit by serial communication before the image data is transmitted from the image generating unit to the transitory storage unit. The communication I/F stores partial information of an address used for previous writing in a cache unit, and omits the writing of the partial information of the address used for further writing if the partial information of the address matches the partial information of the stored address.

Techniques of power management in devices having multi-processor core are described herein. In an example, an ethernet controller of a device comprises a MAC layer module which receives a data packet through a physical network. A multi-processor core coupled to the ethernet controller comprises a first and a second processor. The first and second processor comprise a first driver and a second driver, respectively. The second driver determines that the first processor has entered a power saving mode, receives the data packets directed towards the multi-processor core from the MAC layer module and stores the data packet in a data structure. The econd driver invokes the first driver based on a determination that the data packet is to be handled by the first processor and provides an address of the data structure storing the data packet to the first driver, the data structure being accessible to the first driver.

An information processing apparatus includes: a first processing device; and a second processing device of which power consumption is smaller than power consumption of the first processing device. The second processing device includes circuitry to determine whether a process received by the information processing apparatus in a power saving state is executable by the second processing device, recover the second processing device from a power saving state based on a determination that the process is executable by the second processing device, and execute the process after the second processing device is recovered.

An image forming apparatus includes a control device. The control device acts, when a built-in processor executes a control program, as a decider that decides whether the image forming apparatus has been used for business, depending on whether the terminal device that has requested a job to the image forming apparatus, or is to receive an output from the image forming apparatus, is registered in advance as a device for business use, or a device for private use, a used time detector that detects a time decided by the decider to have been used for business by the image forming apparatus, with respect to each of operation modes, and a transmitter that transmits information indicating the time used for business, with respect to each of the operation modes, detected by the used time detector, to a management computer installed in an office, through a network I/F.