Communicating apparatus, method, and communicating system

• US 10,142,334 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Endo, Shinya
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrishamkar, Kaveh
• Application Number:
  US15/205,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20170012971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/65 Environment-dependent, e.g. using captured environmental data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/30 Connection release
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A communicating apparatus, method, and system that capture an image, authenticate a person in the image that has been captured, determine a direction of the person based on a result of authenticating the person, and control transmission of a radio wave in the determined direction to connect a terminal device to a network, and communicate with the terminal device connected to the network by using access information included in the transmitted radio wave.

Claims

1. A communicating apparatus that communicates with at least one terminal device, the communicating apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to

capture an image,

authenticate a person in the image that has been captured,

determine a direction of the person based on a result of authenticating the person, and control transmission of a radio wave in the determined direction to connect the terminal device to a network, and

communicate with the terminal device connected to the network by using access information included in the transmitted radio wave, wherein

the circuitry is further configured to

calculate a size of a room in which the person is located in each direction based on the image, and calculate a size of an area based on the calculated size of the room,

adjust a transmission area of the radio wave according to the size of the area, and

control the radio wave to reach an entirety of the area and adjust radio wave intensity so as to not transmit the radio wave outside of the area.

2. The communicating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to stop transmitting the radio wave, in response to the person not being authenticated.

3. The communicating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to output pre-set warning information, in response to the person not being authenticated.

4. The communicating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to

transmit the radio wave including the access information to connect to the network using a directional radio wave, and

limit the terminal device from accessing the network by changing the access information at a predetermined timing.

5. A method for an apparatus that communicates with at least one terminal device, the method comprising:

capturing an image;

authenticating a person in the image that has been captured;

determining a direction of the person based on a result of authenticating the person, and controlling transmission of a radio wave in the determined direction to connect the terminal device to a network; and

communicating with the terminal device connected to the network by using access information included in the transmitted radio wave, wherein the method further comprises

calculating a size of a room in which the person is located in each direction based on the image;

calculating a size of an area based on the calculated size of the room;

adjusting a transmission area of the radio wave according to the size of the area; and

controlling the radio wave to reach an entirety of the area and adjusting radio wave intensity so as to not transmit the radio wave outside of the area.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

stopping transmission of the radio wave, in response to the person not being authenticated.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

outputting pre-set warning information, in response to the person not being authenticated.

8. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

transmitting the radio wave including the access information to connect to the network using a directional radio wave; and

limiting the terminal device from accessing the network by changing the access information at a predetermined timing.

9. A communicating system comprising:

an imaging apparatus; and

a communicating apparatus communicating with at least one terminal device, wherein

the imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit configured to capture an image of the terminal device, and

the communicating apparatus includes

an authenticating unit configured to authenticate a person based on the image captured by the imaging unit,

a communication controlling unit configured to determine a direction of the person based on a result of authenticating the person by the authenticating unit, and control transmission in the determined direction of a radio wave to connect the terminal device to a network, and

a communicating unit configured to communicate with the terminal device connected to the network by using access information included in the transmitted radio wave,

the communicating apparatus further includes an image analyzing unit configured to calculate a size of a room in which the person is located in each direction based on the image, and calculate a size of an area based on the calculated size of the room,

the communication controlling unit is further configured to adjust a transmission area of the radio wave according to the size of the area, and

the communication controlling unit is further configured to control the radio wave to reach an entirety of the area and adjust radio wave intensity so as to not transmit the radio wave outside of the area.

10. The communicating system according to claim 9, wherein the communication controlling unit is further configured to stop transmitting the radio wave, in response to the person not being authenticated.

11. The communicating system according to claim 9, wherein the communication controlling unit is further configured to output pre-set warning information, in response to the person not being authenticated.

12. The communicating system according to claim 9, wherein the communication controlling unit is further configured to transmit the radio wave including the access information to connect to the network using a directional radio wave, and limit the terminal device from accessing the network by changing the access information at a predetermined timing.