Information processing apparatus and information processing method

• US 20060264227A1
• Filed: 12/07/2004
• Published: 11/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaneko, Tanichi, Takahashi, Kei, Hatano, Ryo, Tonouchi, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,412,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/513
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

When a personal computer which implements an information processing apparatus according to this invention discovers communicable access points, the personal computer acquires pieces of information of the discovered access points. These pieces of information include, for example, the network name, communication speed, security level, communication channel, and radio field strength. A communication profile to be used by the personal computer is determined on the basis of these pieces of information, communication profiles set for the access points, and the priority of a communication profile to be used by the personal computer. A connection process between the personal computer and a wireless relay apparatus is automatically performed using the determined communication profile.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus having a communication apparatus which performs network connection via a wireless relay apparatus, comprising:

an information acquisition unit which acquires information of discovered wireless relay apparatuses by discovering the wireless relay apparatuses communicable with the communication apparatus;

a profile setting unit which sets communication profiles for the wireless relay apparatuses discovered by the information acquisition unit;

a priority condition setting unit which sets a priority condition for determining priorities of the communication profiles to be used by the communication apparatus; and

a profile determination unit which determines a communication profile to be used by the communication apparatus on the basis of the information of the wireless relay apparatuses that are acquired by the information acquisition unit, the communication profiles set by the profile setting unit, and the priority condition set by the priority condition setting unit.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information acquisition unit discovers the communicable wireless relay apparatuses by receiving beacons from wireless relay apparatuses present around the information processing apparatus, and acquires at least one of a network name, a communication speed, a security level, a communication channel, and a radio field strength of each wireless relay apparatus as the information of each wireless relay apparatus.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a storage device which stores information acquired by the information acquisition unit.

4. An apparatus according to claim 2, in which the priority condition setting unit sets the priority condition on the basis of at least one of the communication speed, the security level, the communication channel, and the radio field strength, and which further comprises an order determination unit which determines priorities for the communication profiles set by the profile setting unit on the basis of the priority condition set by the priority condition setting unit.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the profile determination unit determines the communication profile to be used by the communication apparatus in accordance with the priorities determined by the order determination unit.

6. An apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a connection determination unit which determines whether to automatically connect the communication apparatus to the wireless relay apparatus in which the communication profile determined by the profile determination unit is set; and

a connection processing unit which, when the connection determination unit determines to automatically connect the communication apparatus to the wireless relay apparatus, performs a connection process between the communication apparatus and the wireless relay apparatus in which the communication profile is set, by using the communication profile determined by the profile determination unit.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a change recognition unit which recognizes a change in communication environment between the wireless relay apparatus and the communication apparatus on the basis of a communication content between the wireless relay apparatus and the communication apparatus which have undergone the connection process by the connection processing unit; and

a profile change unit which changes a currently set communication profile to another communication profile in accordance with a content when the change recognition unit recognizes the change in the communication environment.

8. An apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a profile change unit which changes a currently set communication profile to another communication profile when a fault occurs in the communication apparatus.

9. A method of connecting a network via a wireless relay apparatus by using a communication apparatus, comprising:

discovering wireless relay apparatuses communicable with the communication apparatus to acquire information of the discovered wireless relay apparatuses;

setting communication profiles for the discovered wireless relay apparatuses;

setting a priority condition for determining priorities of the communication profiles to be used by the communication apparatus; and

determining a communication profile to be used by the communication apparatus on the basis of the acquired information of the wireless relay apparatuses, the set communication profiles, and the set priority condition.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein in acquiring the information, the communicable wireless relay apparatuses are discovered by receiving beacons from the wireless relay apparatuses, and at least one of a network name, a communication speed, a security level, a communication channel, and a radio field strength of each wireless relay apparatus is acquired as the information of each wireless relay apparatus.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising storing the acquired information in a storage device.

12. A method according to claim 10, in which in setting the priority condition, the priority condition is set on the basis of at least one of the communication speed, the security level, the communication channel, and the radio field strength, and which further comprises determining priorities for the set communication profiles on the basis of the set priority condition.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein in determining the communication profile, the communication profile to be used by the communication apparatus is determined in accordance with the determined priorities.

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

determining whether to automatically connect the communication apparatus to the wireless relay apparatus in which the determined communication profile is set; and

when the communication apparatus is determined to be automatically connected to the wireless relay apparatus, performing a connection process between the communication apparatus and the wireless relay apparatus in which the communication profile is set, by using the determined communication profile.

15. A method according to claim 14, further comprising:

recognizing a change in communication environment between the wireless relay apparatus and the communication apparatus on the basis of a communication content between the wireless relay apparatus and the communication apparatus which have undergone the connection process; and

changing a currently set communication profile to another communication profile in accordance with a content when the change in the communication environment is recognized.

16. A method according to claim 14, further comprising changing a currently set communication profile to another communication profile when a fault occurs in the communication apparatus.