Communication device , communication method, recording medium and program

• US 20050147108A1
• Filed: 10/27/2003
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakano, Takehiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,626,943 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic

Abstract

The present invention relates to a telecommunications apparatus and a method, a storage medium, and a program for determining whether or not the other side communicating content data is located on a LAN or across a WAN. In step S13, the difference between a counter value in a received check packet and a value in a register is computed. In step S14, the resultant difference is checked to determine if it is equal to a constant value X. If it is determined that the difference is equal to the constant value X, the counter value in the packet is stored in the register in step S15. In step S16, it is determined whether or not all the predetermined number of check packets is received. If all the predetermined number of check packets is received, it is determined that the communication takes place over a LAN connection in step S17. If, in step S14, it is determined that the difference is not equal to the constant value X, it is determined that the communication takes place across a WAN connection in step S18. The present invention can be applied to a personal computer on a wireless LAN.

Claims

1. A telecommunications apparatus for communicating over a network, comprising:

transmission means for transmitting a predetermined number of check packets after information indicating the sequence of the check packets is recorded in the check packets;

receiving means for receiving transmitted check packets;

checking means for checking the sequence of the predetermined number of check packets received by the receiving means; and

determination means for determining, based on the checking result of the checking means, whether or not another apparatus for communication is located on the same first network as itself or across a second network different from the first network.

2. The telecommunications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination means determines that another apparatus for communication is located on the first network if the checking means determines that the predetermined number of check packets received by the receiving means is in sequence, or the determination means determines that another apparatus for communication is located across the second network if the checking means determines that the predetermined number of check packets received by the receiving means is out of sequence.

3. The telecommunications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first network is a local area network (LAN) and the second network is a wide area network (WAN).

4. The telecommunications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication means and the receiving means work with a User Datagram Protocol (UDP).

5. A method for communicating over a network, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a predetermined number of check packets after information indicating the sequence of the check packets is recorded in the check packets;

receiving transmitted check packets;

checking the sequence of the predetermined number of check packets received in the receiving step; and

determining, based on the checking result in the checking step, whether or not another apparatus for communication is located on the same first network as itself or across a second network different from the first network.

6. A storage medium for storing a computer-readable program for communicating over a network, wherein the computer-readable program comprises the steps of:

transmitting a predetermined number of check packets after information indicating the sequence of the check packets is recorded in the check packets;

receiving transmitted check packets;

checking the sequence of the predetermined number of check packets received in the receiving step; and

determining, based on the checking result in the checking step, whether or not another apparatus for communication is located on the same first network as itself or across a second network different from the first network.

7. A program for communicating over a network, wherein the program allows a computer to execute the steps of:

transmitting a predetermined number of check packets after information indicating the sequence of the check packets is recorded in the check packets;

receiving transmitted check packets;

checking the sequence of the predetermined number of check packets received in the receiving step; and

determining, based on the checking result in the checking step, whether or not another apparatus for communication is located on the same first network as itself or across a second network different from the first network.

8. A telecommunications apparatus for communicating over a network, comprising:

transmission means for transmitting a predetermined number of check packets;

receiving means for receiving transmitted check packets;

information generating means for generating acknowledgement information and sending back the acknowledgement information after receiving the predetermined number of check packets by the receiving means;

acquiring means for acquiring the acknowledgement information sent back from another apparatus for communication;

measuring means for measuring an elapsed time from the transmission of the predetermined number of check packets by the transmission means to the reception of the acknowledgement information by the acquiring means; and

determination means for determining, based on a measuring result of the measuring means, whether or not another apparatus for communication is located on the same first network as itself or across a second network different from the first network.

9. The telecommunications apparatus for communicating over a network according to claim 8, wherein the determination means determines that another apparatus for communication is located on the first network if the elapsed time measured by the measuring means is smaller than a predetermined threshold value or determines that another apparatus for communication is located across the second network if the elapsed time measured by the measuring means is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value.

10. The telecommunications apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first network is a local area network (LAN) and the second network is a wide area network (WAN).

11. The telecommunications apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the communication means and the receiving means work with a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) or a User Datagram Protocol (UDP).

12. A telecommunications method for communicating over a network, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a predetermined number of check packets;

receiving transmitted check packets;

generating acknowledgement information and sending back the acknowledgement information after receiving the predetermined number of check packets in the receiving step;

acquiring the acknowledgement information sent back from another apparatus for communication;

measuring an elapsed time from the transmission of the predetermined number of check packets in the transmitting step to the reception of the acknowledgement information in the acquiring step; and

determining, based on a measuring result in the measuring step, whether or not another apparatus for communication is located on the same first network as itself or across a second network different from the first network.

13. A storage medium for storing a computer-readable program for communicating over a network, wherein the computer-readable program comprises the steps of:

transmitting a predetermined number of check packets;

receiving transmitted check packets;

generating acknowledgement information and sending back the acknowledgement information after receiving the predetermined number of check packets in the receiving step;

acquiring the acknowledgement information sent back from another apparatus for communication;

measuring an elapsed time from the transmission of the predetermined number of check packets in the transmitting step to the reception of the acknowledgement information in the acquiring step; and

determining, based on a measuring result in the measuring step, whether or not another apparatus for communication is located on the same first network as itself or across a second network different from the first network.

14. A program for communicating over a network, wherein the program allows a computer to execute the steps of:

transmitting a predetermined number of check packets;

receiving transmitted check packets;

generating acknowledgement information and sending back the acknowledgement information after receiving the predetermined number of check packets in the receiving step;

acquiring the acknowledgement information sent back from another apparatus for communication;

measuring an elapsed time from the transmission of the predetermined number of check packets in the transmitting step to the reception of the acknowledgement information in the acquiring step; and

determining, based on a measuring result in the measuring step, whether or not another apparatus for communication is located on the same first network as itself or across a second network different from the first network.

15. A telecommunications apparatus for communicating over a network, comprising:

transmission means for transmitting a predetermined number of check packets and retransmitting the check packets if a communication error occurs; and

determination means for determining that another apparatus for communication is located on the same first network as itself if the check packets are not retransmitted by the transmission means or determining that another apparatus for communication is located across a second network different from the first network if the check packets are retransmitted by the transmission means.

16. The telecommunications apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the transmission means works with a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).

17. The telecommunications apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the first network is a local area network (LAN) and the second network is a wide area network (WAN).

18. A method for communicating over a network, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a predetermined number of check packets and retransmitting the check packets if a communication error occurs; and

determining that another apparatus for communication is located on the same first network as itself if the check packets are not retransmitted in the transmitting step or determining that another apparatus for communication is located across a second network different from the first network if the check packets are retransmitted in the transmitting step.

19. A storage medium for storing a computer-readable program for communicating over a network, wherein the computer-readable program comprises the steps of:

transmitting a predetermined number of check packets and retransmitting the check packets if a communication error occurs; and

determining that another apparatus for communication is located on the same first network as itself if the check packets are not retransmitted in the transmitting step or determining that another apparatus for communication is located across a second network different from the first network if the check packets are retransmitted in the transmitting step.

20. A program for communicating over a network, wherein the program allows a computer to execute the steps of:

transmitting a predetermined number of check packets and retransmitting the check packets if a communication error occurs; and

determining that another apparatus for communication is located on the same first network as itself if the check packets are not retransmitted in the transmitting step or determining that another apparatus for communication is located across a second network different from the first network if the check packets are retransmitted in the transmitting step.