Information processing apparatus and communication setting method

• US 20030073438A1
• Filed: 09/27/2002
• Published: 04/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Client Solutions CO., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukushima, Kazuya, Kaji, Koichi
• Granted Patent: US 6,983,156 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/20 Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/30 using constraints in the total amount of available transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

When an access point receives radio waves from a GPS satellite and acquires its own position information, it sends a beacon signal containing the acquired information to a PC over a wireless LAN. If the PC receives the beacon signal containing the position information from the access point, it starts initializing the wireless LAN function of the PC. Specifically, the PC analyzes the position information sent from the access point, derives a region to which the position indicated by the position information belongs, and updates the setting information in a flash memory so as to conform to the radio communication standard of the derived region. At the same time, the updated setting information is set onto the operations (frequency band, transmission power) of the wireless LAN card.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a communication unit capable of executing communication;

a memory configured to store first setting information that enables communication in a first region, and second setting information that enables communication in a second region;

an information acquiring unit configured to acquire region information relating to a region where the apparatus is present; and

a processing unit configured to set one of the first and second setting information stored in the memory onto operations of the communication unit, on the basis of the region information acquired by the information acquiring unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the memory further stores third setting information that enables communication in the first and second regions, and

the information processing apparatus is set to operate based on the third setting information as a default setting value.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the setting information includes information indicative of at least one of a usable frequency band and a transmission power.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information acquiring unit acquires the region information using a global positioning system (GPS).

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information acquiring unit acquires the region information from another communication device capable of communicating with the communication unit.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the region information includes country information.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the region information includes position information.

8. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a communication device capable of executing communication;

a memory configured to store first setting information that enables communication in a first region, and second setting information that enables communication in a second region;

a setting unit configured to set information which concerns about communication setting information relating to a region; and

a processing unit configured to set one of the first and second setting information stored in the memory onto operations of the communication device, on the basis of the region information set by the setting unit.

9. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a communication device configured to execute communication;

a memory configured to store a plurality of setting information which concerns about radio communication;

an information acquiring device configured to acquire region information; and

a processing unit configured to enable the communication device according to one of the plurality of setting information stored in the memory, on the basis of the region information acquired by the information acquiring device.

10. A communication setting method for an information processing apparatus having a communication unit capable of executing communication, the method comprising:

storing first setting information that enables communication in a first region and second setting information that enables communication in a second region, in a memory provided to the information processing apparatus;

acquiring region information relating to a region where the apparatus is present; and

setting one of the first and second setting information stored in the memory onto operations of the communication unit, on the basis of the acquired region information.

11. The communication setting method according to claim 10, wherein the region information is acquired using a global positioning system (GPS).

12. The communication setting method according to claim 10, wherein each of the setting information includes information indicative of at least one of a usable frequency band and a transmission power.

13. The communication setting method according to claim 10, wherein the communication unit includes a wireless LAN communication unit.

14. A communication setting method for an information processing apparatus having a communication unit capable of executing communication, the method comprising:

storing in a memory, setting information that conforms to communication standards of any region for shipment of the apparatus;

acquiring another setting information that conforms to a communication standard of a region to which a position of the apparatus belongs, from another communication device capable of communicating with the communication unit;

updating the setting information stored in the memory with the acquired another setting information; and

setting the updated setting information onto operations of the communication unit.

15. The communication setting method according to claim 14, wherein each of the setting information includes information indicative of at least one of a usable frequency band and a transmission power.

16. The communication setting method according to claim 14, wherein the communication unit includes a wireless LAN communication unit.