Communication apparatus, communication parameter configuration method and communication method

• US 20060246947A1
• Filed: 04/24/2006
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sakai, Tatsuhiko, Moritomo, Kazuo, Fujii, Kenichi, Watanabe, Mitsuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,882,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

In a communication apparatus on a network where communication apparatuses perform direct communication with other apparatuses, a providing apparatus that provides communication parameters, and a reception apparatus that receives the communication parameters are determined based on information indicating the capabilities of communication apparatuses existing on the network, and a transfer direction of the communication parameters is notified to the providing apparatus and the reception apparatus thereby determined.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a determination unit configured to determine, based on information indicating the capabilities of other communication apparatuses existing on the network, a providing apparatus that provides communication parameters for forming another network, and a reception apparatus that receives the communication parameters, and

a notification unit configured to notify a transfer direction of the communication parameters to the providing apparatus or the reception apparatus determined by the determination unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a collection unit configured to collect information that indicate the capabilities of the other communication apparatuses,

wherein the determination unit determines, based on the collected information, the providing apparatus and the reception apparatus.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit notifies its own identification information to the reception apparatus in the event that the apparatus itself is determined as the providing apparatus by the determination unit, and notifies its own identification information to the providing apparatus in the event that the apparatus itself is determined as a reception apparatus by the determination unit.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the event that a plurality of other communication apparatuses exist, the notification unit notifies its own identification information to the reception apparatus in the event that the apparatus itself is determined as the providing apparatus by the determination unit, and notifies its own identification information as well as identification information of the other reception apparatuses to the providing apparatus in the event that the apparatus itself is determined as a reception apparatus by the determination unit, and further notifies identification information of the providing apparatus to the other reception apparatuses.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an identification information collection unit configured to collect identification information of other communication apparatuses existing on the network,

wherein the notification unit notifies identification information collected by the identification information collection unit to the providing apparatus or the reception apparatuses upon notifying identification information of other communication apparatuses.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display control unit configured to display an error message when two or more communication apparatuses are determined as providing apparatuses by the determination unit.

7. A communication parameter configuration method comprising:

a determination step of determining, based on information indicating the capabilities of other communication apparatuses existing on the network, a providing apparatus that provides communication parameters for forming another network, and a reception apparatus that receives the communication parameters, and

a notification step of notifying a transfer direction of the communication parameters to the providing apparatus or the reception apparatus determined by the determination step,

wherein communication parameters are transferred from the providing apparatus to the reception apparatuses according to the transfer direction notified by the notification step, and the reception apparatuses are configured with the transferred communication parameters.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein

the providing apparatus comprises a request step of requesting authentication processing on the reception apparatuses, a request step of requesting encryption keys from reception apparatuses determined to be correct by the authentication processing, and a transmission step of encrypting the communication parameters using the encryption key from the reception apparatuses and transmitting the encrypted communication parameters to the reception apparatuses, and

the reception apparatuses comprises a step of decrypting and storing the received communication parameters.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising

a second determination step that determines the communication apparatus that performs the determination step,

wherein the communication apparatus determined by the second determination step performs the determination step.

17. A program for making a computer perform the communication parameter configuration method according to claim 7.

20. A computer-readable storage media storing the program according to claim 17.

10. A communication apparatus comprising:

a determination unit configured to determine, while participating in a first network, a providing apparatus that provides communication parameters for forming a second network, or a reception apparatus that receives the communication parameters from the providing apparatus, and

a notification unit configured to notify that the apparatus has either become a providing apparatus, or a reception apparatus that receives communication parameters from the providing apparatus, based on the determination by the determination unit.

11. A communication method for configuring communication parameters, the method comprising:

a determination step of determining, while participating in a first network, a providing apparatus that provides communication parameters for forming a second network, or a reception apparatus that receives the communication parameters from the providing apparatus, and

a notification step of notifying that the apparatus has either become a providing apparatus, or a reception apparatus that receives communication parameters from the providing apparatus, based on the determination by the determination step.

18. A program for making a computer perform the communication method according to claim 11.

21. A computer-readable storage media storing the program according to claim 18.

12. A communication method comprising:

a formation step of forming a network for communication parameter configuration at each device upon configuration of communication parameters,

a determination step of determining a determination apparatus that determines a providing apparatus that provides communication parameters for forming another network,

a collection step in which the determination apparatus collects information on other devices,

a determination step of determining a providing apparatus based on the collected information, and

a notification step of notifying communication parameters for forming another network from the providing apparatus to other apparatuses.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising a formation step of forming the other network using the communication parameters.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

a determination step of determining, following the determination of the providing apparatus, reception apparatuses that receive communication parameters from the providing apparatus, and

a notification step of notifying other apparatuses, based on the determination of the providing apparatus and the reception apparatuses, that an apparatus has become either a providing apparatus or a reception apparatus.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising a notification step of notifying identification information of reception apparatuses to the providing apparatus.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising a notification step of notifying identification information of the providing apparatus to the reception apparatuses.

19. A program for making a computer perform the communication method according to claim 12.

22. A computer-readable storage media storing the program according to claim 19.