Radio terminal and ad hoc communication method

• US 20060062220A1
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Suga, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,733,861 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A source terminal reflects user information of a communication destination terminal in setting information for ad hoc communication, and establishes an ad hoc network by notifying management information including the setting information to terminals surrounding its own terminal. The communication destination terminal monitors the user information of its own terminal in a received management information, and judges that the call is for its own terminal when the user information of its own terminal exists, and reflects the setting information including in the management information in the setting information for the ad hoc communication, and executes the ad hoc communication with the source terminal by participating in the ad hoc network. Then, ad hoc communication processes, manually executed conventionally, is executed automatically.

Claims

1. A radio terminal having an ad hoc communication function, comprising:

a designating means for designating a communication destination terminal;

a setting means for reflecting user information of said communication destination terminal designated by said designating means in setting information for ad hoc communication; and

an establishing means for establishing an ad hoc network by notifying management information including said setting information to terminals surrounding its own terminal.

2. The radio terminal according to claim 1, wherein said setting means comprises a means for reflecting user information of its own terminal in said setting information, in addition to the user information of said communication destination terminal.

3. The radio terminal according to claim 1, wherein said user information is telephone number information.

4. The radio terminal according to claim 1, wherein said establishing means comprises a means for notifying said management information including said setting information to terminals surrounding its own terminal periodically, in order to establish said ad hoc network.

5. The radio terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

a confirming means for confirming participation of said communication destination terminal in said established ad hoc network; and

an ad hoc communication means for executing ad hoc communication with said communication destination terminal, when the participation of said communication destination terminal in said ad hoc network was confirmed by said confirming means.

6. The radio terminal according to claim 5, further comprising:

network media being two kinds or more including said ad hoc communication; and

a transmitting means for executing a transmitting process to said communication destination terminal by using a different network medium except said ad hoc communication, in the case where the participation of said communication destination terminal in said ad hoc network was not able to be confirmed by said confirming means.

7. The radio terminal according to claim 1, wherein, said setting means comprises a means for reflecting information encrypted by using either one or both of a private key being the user information of its own terminal and a public key being the user information of said communication destination terminal in said setting information.

8. The radio terminal according to claim 1, wherein, said setting means comprises a means for setting information, in which an encryption key to be used in the ad hoc communication was encrypted by using a public key being the user information of said communication destination terminal, in said setting information.

9. A radio terminal having an ad hoc communication function, comprising:

a monitoring means for monitoring the existence of an ad hoc network by monitoring whether management information exists or not in an area surrounding said radio terminal;

a receiving call judging means for judging whether user information of its own terminal is included or not in said user information from said ad hoc network detected by monitoring at said monitoring means, and for judging that a received call is for its own terminal in the case where the user information of its own terminal was included; and

a participating means for executing ad hoc communication by reflecting said management information in setting information for ad hoc communication of its own terminal and by participating in said ad hoc network, in the case where the receiving call was judged for its own terminal by said received call judging means.

10. The radio terminal according to claim 9, further comprising:

a source terminal distinguishing means for judging whether user information of a source terminal that established said ad hoc network is included in said management information or not, and for distinguishing said source terminal based on said user information when said user information of said source terminal was included, in the case where the received call was judged for its own terminal by said received call judging means.

11. The radio terminal according to claim 9, wherein said user information is telephone number information.

12. The radio terminal according to claim 9, wherein said receiving call judging means comprises a means for judging whether said management information is able to be decrypted or not by using a private key being the user information of its own terminal, and for judging that the received call is for its own terminal when said management information was able to be decrypted.

13. The radio terminal according to claim 10, wherein said source terminal distinguishing means comprises a means for judging whether said management information is able to be decrypted or not by using a public key being the user information of said source terminal, and for judging that said management information is information from a legal source terminal when said management information was able to be decrypted.

14. The radio terminal according to claim 9, wherein in the case where an encryption key to be used for an ad hoc communication encrypted by using a public key being user information of its own terminal is included in said management information,

said participating means, comprising:

an extracting section that decrypts said encryption key for said ad hoc communication from said management information by using said private key being the user information of its own terminal and extracts said decrypted encryption key; and

an encryption communication section that executes said ad hoc communication in encryption by using the encryption key extracted by said extracting section.

15. An ad hoc communication method between radio terminals, comprising the steps of:

at a radio terminal as a source terminal,

reflecting user information of a radio terminal as a communication destination terminal in setting information for ad hoc communication;

establishing an ad hoc network by notifying management information including said setting information to terminals surrounding its own terminal;

at said communication destination terminal,

monitoring the existence of an ad hoc network by monitoring whether management information from surroundings exists or not;

judging whether user information of its own terminal is included or not in received user information, and judging that a received call is for its own terminal in the case where the user information of its own terminal was included;

reflecting said setting information being included in said management information in setting information for said ad hoc communication; and

executing ad hoc communication with said source terminal by participating in said ad hoc network.

16. The ad hoc communication method according to claim 15, at said source terminal, further comprising the step of:

reflecting user information of its own terminal in its own setting information, in addition to the user information of said communication destination terminal.

17. The ad hoc communication method according to claim 15, at said source terminal, further comprising the step of:

in order to establish said ad hoc network,

notifying said management information including said setting information to terminals surrounding its own terminal periodically.

18. The ad hoc communication method according to claim 15, at said source terminal, further comprising the steps of:

confirming participation of said communication destination terminal in said established ad hoc network; and

executing ad hoc communication with said communication destination terminal, when the participation of said communication destination terminal in said ad hoc network was confirmed.

19. The ad hoc communication method according to claim 18, wherein said source terminal provides network media being two kinds or more including said ad hoc communication, and at said source terminal, further comprising the step of:

in the case where the participation of said communication destination terminal in said ad hoc network was not able to be confirmed,

executing a transmitting process to said communication destination terminal by using a different network medium except said ad hoc communication.

20. The ad hoc communication method according to claim 15, at said source terminal, further comprising the step of:

reflecting information encrypted by using either one or both of a private key being the user information of its own terminal and a public key being the user information of said communication destination terminal in said setting information.

21. The ad hoc communication method according to claim 15, at said source terminal, further comprising the step of:

setting information, in which an encryption key to be used in the ad hoc communication was encrypted by using a public key being the user information of said communication destination terminal, in said setting information.

22. The ad hoc communication method according to claim 15, at said communication destination terminal, further comprising the steps of:

judging whether user information of said source terminal is included in said management information or not, in the case where the received call was judged for its own terminal; and

distinguishing said source terminal based on said user information when said user information of said source terminal was included.

23. The ad hoc communication method according to claim 15, wherein said user information is telephone number information.

24. The ad hoc communication method according to claim 20, wherein at said communication destination terminal, further comprising the steps of:

judging whether said management information is able to be decrypted or not by using a private key being the user information of its own terminal, and judging that the received call is for its own terminal when said management information was able to be decrypted.

25. The ad hoc communication method according to claim 20, wherein at said communication destination terminal, further comprising the steps of:

judging whether said management information is able to be decrypted or not by using a public key being the user information of said source terminal, and judging that said management information is information from a legal source terminal when said management information was able to be decrypted.

26. The ad hoc communication method according to claim 21, wherein at said communication destination terminal, further comprising the steps of:

decrypting said encryption key for said ad hoc communication from said management information by using said private key being the user information of its own terminal and extracting said decrypted encryption key; and

executing said ad hoc communication with said source terminal in encryption by using the extracted encryption key.