Information processing apparatus, control method for information processing apparatus, and control method for communication system

• US 10,701,742 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2019
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sumiuchi, Kazuyoshi, Wakabayashi, Yuuki, Konji, Mitsuru
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai V
• Application Number:
  US16/286,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20190200399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 455 412, 455 411
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/34 Selective release of ongoing connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A control method for an information processing apparatus includes transmitting, by a first communication unit, information about an access point to which a second communication unit is connected, to a communication apparatus to which the first communication unit is connected. In a case where the information about the access point to which the second communication unit is connected is received, the communication apparatus connects to and communicates with the access point to which the second communication unit is connected by the second wireless communication method.

Claims

1. A control method for an information processing apparatus that communicates by a first wireless communication method and a second wireless communication method that is able to realize faster communication than the first wireless communication method, the control method comprising:

receiving a user instruction;

causing, based on the user instruction, a connection to be established, the connection being between the information processing apparatus and a communication apparatus by the first wireless communication method or being between the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method; and

transmitting, in a case where the connection between the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus by the first wireless communication method is caused to be established based on the user instruction, connection information for connecting the communication apparatus and an external access point external to the information processing apparatus and external to the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method to the communication apparatus by the first wireless communication method, and transmitting, in a case where the connection between the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method is caused to be established based on the user instruction, the connection information to the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method;

wherein a connection between the external access point and the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method is caused to be established in a case where the connection information is received by the communication apparatus.

2. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein the connection information transmitted in the case where the connection between the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus by the first wireless communication method is caused to be established based on the user instruction is connection information for connecting, by the second wireless communication method, the communication apparatus and the external access point to which the information processing apparatus is connected by the second wireless communication method.

3. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein the connection information is connection information for connecting, by the second wireless communication method, the communication apparatus and the external access point selected from a list of one or more external access points.

4. The control method according to claim 3, further comprising:

acquiring the list of the one or more external access points to which the communication apparatus is connectable from the communication apparatus,

wherein any of the external access points is selected from the acquired list.

5. The control method according to claim 3,

wherein, in a case where the list includes the external access point to which the information processing apparatus is connected by the second wireless communication method, the connection information for connecting, by the second wireless communication method, the communication apparatus and the external access point to which the information processing apparatus is connected by the second wireless communication method is transmitted, and

wherein, in a case where the list does not include the external access point to which the information processing apparatus is connected by the second wireless communication method, the connection information for connecting, by the second wireless communication method, the communication apparatus and the external access point selected from the list by a user is transmitted.

6. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein a signal that contains information for communicating with the communication apparatus by the first wireless communication method is received from the communication apparatus,

wherein a request for starting communication by the first wireless communication method is transmitted to the communication apparatus based on the signal, and

wherein, after the request is transmitted, the connection between the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus by the first wireless communication method is caused to be established.

7. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein the connection between the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method is a connection between the information processing apparatus and an internal access point that is internal to the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method.

8. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein the connection between the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method is established without receiving an input of a password for establishing the connection between the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method from a user.

9. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an input of a password for connection to the external access point by the second wireless communication method;

wherein the connection information contains the inputted password.

10. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a list that includes one or more communication apparatuses;

wherein the connection between the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus by the first wireless communication method is established in a case where the communication apparatus that performs communication by the first wireless communication method is selected from the list, and the connection between the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method is established in a case where the communication apparatus that performs communication by the second wireless communication method is selected from the list.

11. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

controlling to avoid duplicate display of the same communication apparatus in the list.

12. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein, in a case where the information processing apparatus is connected to the external access point by the second wireless communication method after receiving the user instruction, the connection information is transmitted to the communication apparatus, and in a case where the information processing apparatus is connected to the external access point by the second wireless communication method after receiving the user instruction, information for connection between the communication apparatus and the information processing apparatus not via the external access point is transmitted and the connection information to the communication apparatus is not transmitted.

13. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein the first wireless communication method is Bluetooth®

.

14. The control method according to claim 13,

wherein the first wireless communication method is Bluetooth Low Energy®

.

15. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein the first second wireless communication method is Wi-Fi®

.

16. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, to the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method, a print job for causing the communication apparatus to perform printing.

17. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying one or more apparatuses discovered by the first wireless communication method;

displaying one or more apparatuses discovered by the second wireless communication method; and

receiving selection of any of the displayed one or more apparatuses from a user,

wherein the connection between the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus by the first wireless communication method is caused to be established in a case where any of the one or more apparatuses discovered by the first wireless communication method is selected, and the connection between the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method is caused to be established in a case where any of the one or more apparatuses discovered by the second wireless communication method is selected.

18. The control method according to claim 17, wherein one or more apparatuses transmitting predetermined information among the one or more apparatuses discovered by the first wireless communication method are displayed, and one or more apparatuses not transmitting the predetermined information among the one or more apparatuses discovered by the first wireless communication method are not displayed.

19. The control method according to claim 17,

wherein the one or more apparatuses discovered by the first wireless communication method are displayed by a predetermined application program included in the information processing apparatus, and

wherein one or more apparatuses supporting the predetermined application program among the one or more apparatuses discovered by the first wireless communication method are displayed, and one or more apparatuses not supporting the predetermined application program among the one or more apparatuses discovered by the first wireless communication method are not displayed.

20. The control method according to claim 17, wherein one or more apparatuses transmitting predetermined information among the one or more apparatuses discovered by the second wireless communication method are displayed, and one or more apparatuses not transmitting the predetermined information among the one or more apparatuses discovered by the second wireless communication method are not displayed.

21. The control method according to claim 17,

wherein the one or more apparatuses discovered by the second wireless communication method are displayed by a predetermined application program included in the information processing apparatus, and

wherein one or more apparatuses supporting the predetermined application program among the one or more apparatuses discovered by the second wireless communication method are displayed, and one or more apparatuses not supporting the predetermined application program among the one or more apparatuses discovered by the second wireless communication method are not displayed.

22. An information processing apparatus that communicates by a first wireless communication method and by a second wireless communication method that is able to realize faster communication than the first wireless communication method, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a reception unit configured to receive a user instruction;

an establishment unit configured to cause, based on the user instruction, a connection to be established, the connection being between the information processing apparatus and a communication apparatus by the first wireless communication method or being between the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit, in a case where the connection between the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus by the first wireless communication method is caused to be established based on the user instruction, connection information for connecting the communication apparatus and an external access point external to the information processing apparatus and external to the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method to the communication apparatus by the first wireless communication method, and configured to transmit, in a case where the connection between the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method is caused to be established based on the user instruction, the connection information to the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method;

wherein a connection between the external access point and the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method is caused to be established in a case where the connection information is received by the communication apparatus.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing an information processing apparatus to execute a control method, the information processing apparatus communicating by a first wireless communication method and by a second wireless communication method that is able to realize faster communication than the first wireless communication method,

wherein the control method includes:

receiving a user instruction;

causing, based on the user instruction, a connection to be established, the connection being between the information processing apparatus and a communication apparatus by the first wireless communication method or being between the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method; and

transmitting, in a case where the connection between the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus by the first wireless communication method is caused to be established based on the user instruction, connection information for connecting the communication apparatus and an external access point external to the information processing apparatus and external to the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method to the communication apparatus by the first wireless communication method, and transmitting, in a case where the connection between the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method is caused to be established based on the user instruction, the connection information to the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method;

wherein a connection between the external access point and the communication apparatus by the second wireless communication method is caused to be established in a case where the connection information is received by the communication apparatus.