Communication apparatus, a communication control method, a communication control program and a recording medium storing the communication control program

• US 20050128957A1
• Filed: 12/10/2004
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Yuki, Tsutomu
• Application Number:
  US11/008,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20050128957A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A communication apparatus can be easily adapted to perform communication according a new protocol. A communication management part determines whether or not the equipment is communicable according to a protocol supported by the communication apparatus. When the equipment is determined to be incapable of communicating with the communication apparatus according to the protocol supported by the communication apparatus, the communication management part acquires a communication procedure from an external apparatus connected to the network so that the communication apparatus communicates with the equipment in accordance with the acquired communication procedure.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus configured and arranged to be connected to a network to which an equipment is connected, said communication apparatus comprising:

a communication management part that determines whether or not said equipment is communicable according to a protocol supported by said communication apparatus, and when said equipment is determined to be incapable of communicating with said communication apparatus according to the protocol supported by said communication apparatus, said communication management part acquires a communication procedure from an external apparatus connected to said network so that said communication apparatus communicates with said equipment in accordance with the acquired communication procedure.

2. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said communication management part determines a protocol that is supported by said equipment by performing a port scan on said equipment.

3. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said external apparatus manages a plurality of communication procedures corresponding to different protocols, and said communication management part acquires list information from said external apparatus, the list information indicating a list of said plurality of communication procedures managed by said external apparatus, so as to perform the port scan on said equipment in accordance with a port number indicated corresponding to each of said plurality of communication procedures in the list information.

4. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of communication procedures corresponding to different protocols, respectively; and

a communication procedure list management part that manages a list of communication procedure identification information that identifies each of said plurality of communication procedures, wherein said communication management part specifies one of said plurality of communication procedures that is used for communication with said equipment based on the communication procedure identification information managed by said communication procedure list management part.

5. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said communication management part adds the communication procedure identification information of said communication procedure acquired from said external apparatus to said communication procedure list management part.

6. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said communication management part requests said communication procedure to acquire equipment information regarding said equipment, and said communication procedure acquires the equipment information from said equipment in response to the request.

7. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said communication management part includes a first interface that receives the request of acquiring the equipment information, said first interface being a common interface irrespective of kinds of the communication procedure that are used in response to a call to the first interface.

8. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 7, further comprising an equipment information providing part that sends the equipment information to a client apparatus connected to said network in response to a request from said client apparatus, wherein said equipment information providing part requests said communication management part to acquire the equipment information through said first interface.

9. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 8, comprising a plurality of said equipment information providing parts, and said communication management part is commonly used by said equipment information providing parts.

10. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a first module that receives a request of communication from said communication management part by a second interface that is called according to a procedure common to any kinds of protocols; and

a second module that receives a request of communication with said equipment by a third interface that is specific to the protocol corresponding to said communication procedure,

wherein said first module requests said second module to communicate with said equipment through said third interface in response to the request from said communication management part.

11. A communication control method in a communication apparatus configured and arranged to be connected to a network to which an equipment is connected, said communication control method comprising:

a communication checking step of determining whether or not said equipment is communicable according to a protocol supported by said communication apparatus;

a communication procedure acquiring step of acquiring a communication procedure from an external apparatus connected to said network when said equipment is determined to be incapable of communicating with said communication apparatus according to the protocol supported by said communication apparatus; and

a communication step of communicating with said equipment in accordance with the acquired communication procedure.

12. The communication control method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a protocol determining step of determining a protocol that is supported by said equipment by performing a port scan on said equipment, wherein said communication procedure acquiring step acquires a communication procedure from said external apparatus, the communication procedure using the protocol that is determined to be supported by said equipment in said protocol determining step.

13. The communication control method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said external apparatus manages a plurality of communication procedures corresponding to different protocols, respectively, and said protocol determining step acquires list information from said external apparatus, the list information indicating a list of the communication procedures managed by said external apparatus, so as to perform the port scan on said equipment in accordance with a port number corresponding to one of said plurality of communication procedures contained in the list information.

14. The communication control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said communication step specifies one of said plurality of communication procedures that is used for communication with said equipment based on list information of communication procedure identification information that identifies each of said communication procedures corresponding to different protocols, respectively.

15. The communication control method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising an information adding step of adding the communication procedure identification information of said communication procedure acquired from said external apparatus to the list information of said communication procedures.

16. The communication control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said communication step receives equipment information regarding said equipment from said equipment through said communication procedure.

17. The communication control method as claimed in claim 16, wherein said communication step receives a request of acquiring said equipment information through a first interface that is a common interface irrespective of kinds of the communication procedure.

18. The communication control method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising an equipment information providing step of sending the equipment information to a client apparatus connected to said network in response to a request from said client apparatus, wherein said equipment information providing step requests said communication step to acquire the equipment information through said first interface.

19. The communication control method as claimed in claim 18, comprising a plurality of said equipment information providing steps, and said communication step is commonly used by said equipment information providing steps.

20. The communication control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said communication step includes:

a first step of calling a second interface that is called according to a procedure common to any kinds of protocols; and

a second step of performing communication with said equipment by calling a third interface that is specific to the protocol corresponding to said communication procedure.

21. A computer readable recording medium string a program for causing a computer to perform a communication control method in a communication apparatus configured and arranged to be connected to a network to which an equipment is connected, said communication control method comprising:

a communication checking step of determining whether or not said equipment is communicable according to a protocol supported by said communication apparatus;

a communication procedure acquiring step of acquiring a communication procedure from an external apparatus connected to said network when said equipment is determined to be incapable of communicating with said communication apparatus according to the protocol supported by said communication apparatus; and

a communication step of communicating with said equipment in accordance with the acquired communication procedure.

22. A program for causing a computer to perform a communication control method in a communication apparatus configured and arranged to be connected to a network to which an equipment is connected, said communication control method comprising:

a communication checking step of determining whether or not said equipment is communicable according to a protocol supported by said communication apparatus;

a communication procedure acquiring step of acquiring a communication procedure from an external apparatus connected to said network when said equipment is determined to be incapable of communicating with said communication apparatus according to the protocol supported by said communication apparatus; and

a communication step of communicating with said equipment in accordance with the acquired communication procedure.