Image processing apparatus, image processing apparatus control method, and storage medium

• US 10,162,580 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2017
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sako, Ritsuto
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnes, Ted
• Application Number:
  US15/679,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20180024797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1205 resulting in increased flexibility in print job configuration, e.g. job settings, print requirements, job tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1254 Automatic configuration, e.g. by driver
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1255 Settings incompatibility, e.g. constraints, user requirements vs. device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/007 only remotely, e.g. at a host computer dedicated computer interfaces to print systems G06F3/1201

Abstract

An image processing apparatus wirelessly communicates with an information processing apparatus without passing through an access point, provides a print service in which predetermined printing is performed in response to a print request from the information processing apparatus via a wireless communication unit, and enables a setting that is used for providing the print service if the setting is disabled when the information processing apparatus establishes communication with the image processing apparatus via the wireless communication unit.

Claims

1. A printing apparatus comprising:

a wireless communicator;

a printer; and

a controller,

wherein, when the printing apparatus starts a direct wireless communication, which is directly and wirelessly communicating with an information processing apparatus by the wireless communicator without going through a relay apparatus, the controller determines whether or not a setting of a specific protocol for the printing apparatus to provide a printing service to the information processing apparatus is enabled, and

wherein, in accordance with the determination that the setting of the specific protocol is not enabled, the controller changes the setting of the specific protocol from disable to enable.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller changes the setting of the specific protocol back to disable from enable in accordance with a predetermined condition being satisfied.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined condition is that wireless connection with the information processing apparatus by the direct wireless communication has been disconnected.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, in accordance with the disconnection of the wireless communication from the information processing apparatus, the wireless communicator wirelessly reconnects to the relay apparatus which had been wirelessly connected immediately before starting the direct wireless communication.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when the printing apparatus starts the direct wireless communication, if it is determined that the setting of the specific protocol is enabled, the setting of the specific protocol is maintained as enabled even if the predetermined condition is satisfied.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined condition is that wireless connection with the information processing apparatus by the direct wireless communication has been disconnected.

7. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific protocol is IPP (Internet Printing Protocol).

8. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific protocol is mDNS (multicast Domain Name System).

9. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the direct wireless communication is wireless communication by Wi-Fi Direct.

10. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller changes the setting of the specific protocol from disable to enable if the information processing apparatus is a predetermined information processing apparatus, and the setting of the specific protocol is maintained as disabled if the information processing apparatus is not the predetermined information processing apparatus.

11. The printing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein whether or not the information processing apparatus is the predetermined information processing apparatus is determined based on SSID (Service Set Identifier), which is transmitted from the information processing apparatus.

12. The printing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein whether or not the information processing apparatus is the predetermined information processing apparatus is determined based on information included in a Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) message, which is transmitted from the information processing apparatus.

13. A method for controlling a printing apparatus comprising:

determining, when the printing apparatus starts a direct wireless communication, which is directly and wirelessly communicating with an information processing apparatus by a wireless communicator without going through a relay apparatus, whether or not a setting of a specific protocol for the printing apparatus to provide a printing service to the information processing apparatus is enabled; and

changing the setting of the specific protocol from disable to enable, in accordance with the determination that the setting of the specific protocol is not enabled.

14. A non-transitory storage medium on which is stored a computer program for making a computer execute a method for controlling a printing apparatus, the method comprising:

determining, when the printing apparatus starts a direct wireless communication, which is directly and wirelessly communicating with an information processing apparatus by a wireless communicator without going through a relay apparatus, whether or not a setting of a specific protocol for the printing apparatus to provide a printing service to the information processing apparatus is enabled; and

changing the setting of the specific protocol from disable to enable, in accordance with the determination that the setting of the specific protocol is not enabled.