Radio communication system, radio communication apparatus and method, and program

• US 20040259552A1
• Filed: 04/05/2004
• Published: 12/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hirata, Shinichi, Togashi, Ko, Ihori, Shoko
• Granted Patent: US 7,594,021 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A radio communication system and apparatus is disclosed wherein setting necessary for communication with a desired radio communication apparatus with which a user wants to communicate can be performed with certainty by an operation system familiar to the user and a high security level can be assured for the communication which uses the setting. When a first radio communication apparatus receives a request for communication information necessary for communication through a radio network from a second radio communication apparatus through a radio circuit, it transmits identification information for the radio network and information regarding the security set in advance as communication information therein to the second radio communication apparatus through the radio circuit. The second radio communication apparatus sets the communication information to itself. The invention can be applied to a radio LAN for which a household electric appliance is used.

Claims

1. A radio communication system, comprising:

a first radio communication apparatus in which first information for identification of a radio network and second information regarding the security are set in advance as communication information necessary for communication through said radio network; and

a second radio communication apparatus operable for communicating with said first radio communication apparatus by radio communication through said radio network;

said second radio communication apparatus transmitting request information for requesting for transmission of the communication information to said first radio communication apparatus by radio communication;

said first radio communication apparatus transmitting the first and second information as a response to the request information transmitted thereto from said second radio communication apparatus;

said second radio communication apparatus setting the first and second information transmitted thereto from said first radio communication apparatus as the communication information;

said first and second radio communication apparatuses utilizing the communication information individually set therein to communicate with each other by radio communication.

2. A radio communication method for a radio communication system which includes a first radio communication apparatus in which first information for identification of a radio network and second information regarding the security are set in advance as communication information necessary for communication through said radio network and a second radio communication apparatus operable for communicating with said first radio communication apparatus by radio communication through said radio network, comprising:

a step performed by said second radio communication apparatus of transmitting request information for requesting for transmission of the communication information to said first radio communication apparatus by radio communication;

another step performed by said first radio communication apparatus of transmitting the first and second information as a response to the request information transmitted thereto from said second radio communication apparatus;

a further step performed by said second radio communication apparatus of setting the first and second information transmitted thereto from said first radio communication apparatus as the communication information; and

a still further step performed by said first and second radio communication apparatuses of utilizing the communication information individually set therein to communicate with each other by radio communication.

3. A radio communication apparatus which communicates with a different radio communication apparatus by radio communication through a radio network, comprising:

setting means in which first information for identification of said radio network and second information regarding the security are set as communication information necessary for communication through said radio network; and

transmission control means for controlling, when request information for requesting for transmission of the communication information is received from said different radio communication apparatus by radio communication, transmission of the first and second information to said different radio communication apparatus as a response to the request information by radio communication.

4. A radio communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the request information is a probe request.

5. A radio communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a management frame is utilized for the transmission of the request information and the communication information.

6. A radio communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first information is a Service Set Identification.

7. A radio communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the second information is a Wired Equivalent Privacy key.

8. A radio communication apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising encryption means for encrypting the communication information at least once, said transmission control means controlling the transmission of the communication information encrypted by said encryption means.

9. A radio communication method for a radio communication apparatus which communicates with a different radio communication apparatus by radio communication through a radio network, comprising:

a transmission control step of controlling, when request information for requesting for transmission of communication information necessary for communication through said radio network is transmitted from said different radio communication apparatus to said radio communication apparatus by radio communication, transmission of first information for identification of said radio network and second information regarding the security set as communication information in said radio communication apparatus in advance by radio communication from said radio communication apparatus to said different radio communication apparatus as a response to the request information.

10. A program for causing a computer, which controls a radio communication apparatus which communicates with a different radio communication apparatus by radio communication through a radio network, to execute:

a transmission control step of controlling, when request information for requesting for transmission of communication information necessary for communication through said radio network is transmitted from said different radio communication apparatus to said radio communication apparatus by radio communication, transmission of first information for identification of said radio network and second information regarding the security set as communication information in said radio communication apparatus in advance by radio communication from said radio communication apparatus to said different radio communication apparatus as a response to the request information.

11. A radio communication apparatus which communicates with a different radio communication apparatus by radio communication through a radio network, comprising:

transmission control means for controlling transmission of request information for requesting for transmission of communication information necessary for communication through said radio network to said different radio communication apparatus by radio communication; and

setting means for setting, when first information for identification of said radio network and second information regarding the security are transmitted as the communication information from said different radio communication apparatus to said radio communication apparatus by radio communication in response to the request information transmitted from said radio communication apparatus under the control of said transmission control means, the first and second information as the communication information therein.

12. A radio communication apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the request information is a probe request.

13. A radio communication apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a management frame is utilized for the transmission of the request information and the communication information.

14. A radio communication apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the first information is a Service Set Identification.

15. A radio communication apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the second information is a Wired Equivalent Privacy key.

16. A radio communication apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising conversion means for converting a signal transmitted thereto through said radio network into a signal which can be transmitted through a wire circuit and converting a signal transmitted thereto through said wire circuit into a signal which can be transmitted in said radio network.

17. A radio communication apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said radio communication apparatus is a personal computer card for a radio local area network.

18. A radio communication apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising decryption means for decrypting, where the first and second information transmitted thereto from said different radio communication apparatus are in a form encrypted at least once, the encrypted first and second information, said setting means setting the first and second information decrypted by said decryption means as the communication information.

19. A radio communication method for a radio communication apparatus which communicates with a different radio communication apparatus by radio communication through a radio network, comprising:

a transmission control step of controlling transmission of request information for requesting for transmission of communication information necessary for communication through said radio network to said different radio communication apparatus by radio communication; and

a setting step of setting, when first information for identification of said radio network and second information regarding the security are transmitted as the communication information from said different radio communication apparatus to said radio communication apparatus by radio communication in response to the request information transmitted from said radio communication apparatus under the control of the process at the transmission control step, the first and second information as the communication information therein.

20. A program for causing a computer, which controls a radio communication apparatus which communicates with a different radio communication apparatus by radio communication through a radio network, to execute:

a transmission control step of controlling transmission of request information for requesting for transmission of communication information necessary for communication through said radio network to said different radio communication apparatus by radio communication; and

a setting step of setting, when first information for identification of said radio network and second information regarding the security are transmitted as the communication information from said different radio communication apparatus to said radio communication apparatus by radio communication in response to the request information transmitted from said radio communication apparatus under the control of the process at the transmission control step, the first and second information as the communication information therein.