Electronic apparatus capable of executing wireless communication, and program applied to the apparatus

• US 20050070335A1
• Filed: 09/09/2004
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 2BCom LLC (Markman Advisors LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Jitsuishi, Yasuyo, Kusubashi, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,546,147 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Before issuing a device name acquisition request, a wireless communication control utility displays device addresses acquired by responses to a station discovery request, as a list of the addresses of connectable devices on an LCD, and presents the list to the user, who is then able to select a device. A user who recognizes the correspondence between device addresses and devices can quickly and easily select a device.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus capable of executing wireless communication, comprising:

a display unit;

a communication unit configured to transmit a station discovery request to devices capable of data transmission by wireless communication; and

a processing unit configured to list and display on the display unit, a list of device addresses of the devices which respond to the station discovery request before obtaining names of the devices so as to be able to select at least one device as a connection partner from the list of device addresses, wherein the communication unit is further configured to transmit a connection request to the selected device.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the communication unit transmits a device name acquisition request to the devices which respond to the station discovery request after the processing unit lists and displays the list of device addresses;

and

the processing unit lists and displays a list of device names acquired by the device name acquisition request in a list display window on the display unit, wherein each device name is listed with its corresponding device address so as to be able to select at least one device.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

an acquired-name management unit configured to manage the device name and its corresponding device address; and

a display processing unit configured to list and display the device name and its corresponding device address, which are managed by the acquired-name management unit so as to be able to select at least one device.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a registered-name management unit configured to register names assigned by a user to devices having a communication function capable of responding to the station discovery request.

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 4, wherein the processing unit further acquires the registered name, and lists and displays the registered name with its corresponding device address so as to be able to select at least one device.

6. The electronic apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processing unit lists and displays in the list display window on the display unit rows of corresponding device data, wherein the corresponding device data comprises:

the addresses of the devices which respond to the station discovery request;

the device names acquired by the device name acquisition request;

the registered names acquired by the registered-name management unit; and

acquisition states of the device names and the registered names so as to be able to select at least one device.

7. The electronic apparatus of claim 6, wherein, in response to selecting one of the device name and the registered name from the corresponding device data, the communication unit transmits the connection request to the device having the selected name.

8. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code comprising:

a communication processing function configured to transmit a station discovery request to devices capable of data transmission by wireless communication, and configured to acquire device addresses of devices which respond to the station discovery request; and

a display processing function configured to list and display a list of the device addresses on a display device before obtaining names of the devices so as to be able to select at least one device as a connection partner from the list of device addresses.

9. The program of claim 8, wherein the communication processing function further comprises a function configured to transmit a connection request to the device having the selected device address.

10. The program of claim 9, wherein

the communication processing function further comprises a function configured to transmit a device name acquisition request to the devices which respond to the station discovery request after the device addresses listed and displayed;

and

the display processing function further comprises a function configured to list and display the device name acquired by the device name acquisition request, wherein each device name is listed and displayed with its corresponding device address so as to be able to select at least one device.

11. The program of claim 10, wherein the display processing function further comprises a function configured to manage the device name and its corresponding device address, and a function configured to list and display the managed device name and its corresponding managed device address so as to be able to select at least one device.

12. The program of claim 11, wherein the display processing function further comprises a function configured to manage registered names assigned by a user to devices having a communication function capable of responding to the station discovery request, and a function configured to list and display the addresses of the devices which respond to the station discovery request, the corresponding managed device names, and the corresponding registered names so as to be able to select at least one device.

13. A method for executing wireless communication, comprising:

transmitting a station discovery request to devices capable of data transmission by wireless communication;

listing and displaying on a display unit, a list of device addresses of the devices which respond to the station discovery request before obtaining names of the devices;

selecting a connection partner by selecting at least of one of the device addresses from the list of device addresses; and

transmitting a connection request to the selected device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

transmitting a device name acquisition request to the devices which respond to the station discovery request after listing and displaying the list of device addresses; and

listing and displaying a list of device names acquired by the device name acquisition request in a list display window on the display unit, wherein each device name is listed with its corresponding device address so as to be able to select at least one device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

managing the device name and its corresponding device address; and

listing and displaying the managed device name and its corresponding managed device address so as to be able to select at least one device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising registering names assigned by a user to devices having a communication function capable of responding to the station discovery request.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

acquiring the registered name; and

listing and displaying the registered name with its corresponding device address so as to be able to select at least one device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising listing and displaying in the list display window on the display unit rows of corresponding device data, wherein the corresponding device data comprises:

the addresses of the devices which respond to the station discovery request;

the device names acquired by the device name acquisition request;

the registered names acquired by the registered-name management unit; and

acquisition states of the device names and the registered names so as to be able to select at least one device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

selecting one of the device name and the registered name from the corresponding device data; and

transmitting the connection request to the device having the selected name.

20. An electronic apparatus capable of executing wireless communication, comprising:

means for transmitting a station discovery request to devices capable of data transmission by wireless communication;

means for listing and displaying a list of device addresses of the devices which respond to the station discovery request before obtaining names of the devices;

means for selecting one of the device addresses from the list of device addresses so as to be able to select at least one device as a connection partner; and

means for transmitting a connection request to the selected device.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

means for transmitting a device name acquisition request to the devices which respond to the station discovery request after listing and displaying the list of device addresses; and

means for listing and displaying a list of device names acquired by the device name acquisition request in a list display window on the display unit, wherein each device name is listed with its corresponding device address so as to be able to select at least one device.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising:

means for managing the device name and its corresponding device address; and

means for listing and means for displaying the managed device name and its corresponding managed device address so as to be able to select at least one device.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising means for registering names assigned by a user to devices having a communication function capable of responding to the station discovery request.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising:

means for acquiring the registered name; and

means for listing and means for displaying the registered name with its corresponding device address so as to be able to select at least one device.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising means for listing and means for displaying in the list display window on the display unit rows of corresponding device data, wherein the corresponding device data comprises:

the addresses of the devices which respond to the station discovery request;

the device names acquired by the device name acquisition request;

the registered names acquired by the registered-name management unit; and

acquisition states of the device names and the registered names so as to be able to select at least one device.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

means for selecting one of the device name and the registered name from the corresponding device data; and

means for transmitting the connection request to the device having the selected name.