Wireless communication apparatus, communication system and method of configuring wireless communication therein

• US 20060239236A1
• Filed: 04/18/2006
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Otsuka, Mitsuru
• Application Number:
  US11/406,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20060239236A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• 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 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

It is made possible to designate erasure or updating of the communication parameters. If configuration information of a party has not been stored in a storage unit, then the configuration information of the communicating party apparatus is requested, the configuration information transmitted from the communicating party in response to the request is stored in the storage unit, wireless communication with the communicating party apparatus is executed in accordance with the configuration information that has been stored in the storage unit, and a user interface is provided so that the user may indicate updating of the configuration information that has been stored in the storage unit.

Claims

1. A communication system for performing communication wirelessly between a first wireless communication apparatus and a second wireless communication apparatus, comprising:

an acquisition unit for causing device information concerning the second wireless communication apparatus to be acquired by the first wireless communication apparatus;

a memory unit for storing configuration information, which is for the purpose of wireless communication, in correspondence with the device information concerning the second wireless communication apparatus;

a wireless communication unit for executing communication wirelessly between the first wireless communication apparatus and the second wireless communication apparatus in accordance with the configuration information that has been stored in said memory unit; and

an indication unit for indicating to update or erase the configuration information that has been stored in said memory unit in correspondence with the device information acquired by said acquisition unit.

2. A communication system for performing communication wirelessly with a wireless communication apparatus, comprising:

a memory unit for storing configuration information, which is for the purpose of wireless communication, in correspondence with device information concerning the wireless communication apparatus;

a requesting unit which, in a case where configuration information of a communicating party in wireless communication has not been stored in said memory unit, is for requesting configuration information of the wireless communication apparatus of the communicating party;

a unit for storing the configuration information, which has been transmitted from the communicating party, in said memory unit in response to the request by said requesting unit;

a wireless communication control unit for executing communication wirelessly with the wireless communication apparatus of the communicating party in accordance with the configuration information that has been stored in said memory unit;

an acquisition unit for acquiring device information concerning the wireless communication apparatus of the communicating party from said communicating party; and

an indication unit for indicating to update or erase the configuration information that has been stored in said memory unit in correspondence with the device information acquired by said acquisition unit.

3. A communication apparatus for performing communication wirelessly with a wireless communication apparatus, comprising:

a memory unit for storing configuration information, which is for the purpose of wireless communication, in correspondence with device information concerning another wireless communication apparatus;

an acquisition unit for acquiring device information concerning the other wireless communication apparatus from this other wireless communication apparatus; and

an indication unit for indicating to update or erase the configuration information that has been stored in said memory unit in correspondence with the device information acquired by said acquisition unit.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said acquisition unit acquires device information concerning a communicating party by a first communication scheme;

and

the configuration information for the purpose of wireless communication is information for performing wireless communication by a second communication scheme.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a requesting unit which, in a case where configuration information corresponding to the device information acquired by said acquisition unit has not been stored in said memory unit, is for requesting the other wireless communication apparatus for the configuration information.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first communication scheme is any of Near Field Communication, which is a standard used in a contactless IC card interface, infrared communication, Bluetooth or Ultra-Wide Band;

and

the second communication scheme is a scheme compliant with IEEE 802.11 related standard.

7. A wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a determination unit for determining, based upon identification information of a communicating party acquired by wireless communication by a first scheme, whether configuration information, which is for communicating wirelessly with the communicating party by a second scheme, has been stored; and

a display unit for presenting a display that conforms to the determination made by said determination unit;

wherein said display unit displays selectably at least any one of an indication to erase configuration information that corresponds to the communicating party, an indication to communicate wirelessly with the communicating party by the second scheme or an indication to update configuration information for communicating wirelessly with the communicating party by the second scheme.

8. A method of setting up wireless communication in a communication system for performing communication wirelessly between a first wireless communication apparatus and a second wireless communication apparatus, said method comprising:

an acquisition step of causing device information concerning the second wireless communication apparatus to be acquired by the first wireless communication apparatus;

a storing step of storing configuration information, which is for the purpose of wireless communication, in a memory in correspondence with the device information concerning the second wireless communication apparatus;

a wireless communication step of executing communication wirelessly between the first wireless communication apparatus and the second wireless communication apparatus in accordance with the configuration information that has been stored in the memory at said storing step; and

an indication step of indicating to update or erase the configuration information that has been stored in the memory at said storage step in correspondence with the device information acquired by said acquisition step.

9. A method of setting up wireless communication in a communication apparatus for performing communication wirelessly with a wireless communication apparatus, said method comprising:

a requesting step of requesting configuration information of a wireless communication apparatus of a communicating party in a case where configuration information of the communicating party in wireless communication has not been stored in a memory for storing configuration information, which is for wireless communication, in correspondence with device information concerning the wireless communication apparatus;

a step of storing the configuration information, which has been transmitted from the communicating party, in the memory in response to the request at the requesting step;

a wireless communication control step of executing communication wirelessly with the wireless communication apparatus of the communicating party in accordance with the configuration information that has been stored in the memory;

a step of acquiring device information concerning the wireless communication apparatus of the communicating party from said communicating party; and

an indication step of indicating to update or erase the configuration information that has been stored in the memory in correspondence with the device information acquired at said acquisition step.

10. A method of controlling a wireless communication apparatus, comprising:

an acquisition step of acquiring device information concerning another wireless communication apparatus from this other wireless communication apparatus; and

an indication step of indicating to update or erase configuration information, which is for wireless communication, stored in a memory unit in correspondence with the device information acquired at said acquisition step.

11. A method of controlling a wireless communication apparatus, comprising:

a determination step of determining, based upon identification information of a communicating party acquired by wireless communication by a first scheme, whether configuration information, which is for communicating wirelessly with the communicating party by a second scheme, has been stored; and

a display step of presenting a display that conforms to the determination made at said determination step;

wherein said display step displays selectably at least any one of an indication to erase configuration information that corresponds to the communicating party, an indication to communicate wirelessly with the communicating party by the second scheme or an indication to update configuration information for communicating wirelessly with the communicating party by the second scheme.