Communication apparatus and communication method

• US 20060268744A1
• Filed: 04/24/2006
• Published: 11/30/2006
• 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 8,572,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

In a communication apparatus on a network where communication apparatuses perform direct communication with each other, a network management apparatus for managing the network based on message information transmitted and received on the network is determined. When the communication apparatus itself is determined as the network management apparatus, the apparatus collects information indicating device capabilities from other communication apparatuses. On the other hand, the communication apparatus receives information indicating device capabilities from another communication apparatus when the other communication apparatus is determined as the network management apparatus.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a determination unit configured to determine a management apparatus that manages a network, based on message information received over the network, and

a collection unit configured to collect device capability information of other communication apparatuses, based on the determination by the determination unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collection unit collects information indicating device capabilities from other communication apparatuses when the apparatus itself has been determined by the determination unit as the management apparatus, and

the communication apparatus has reception unit configured to receive information indicating device capabilities from another communication apparatus when the other communication apparatus has been determined as the management apparatus.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit transmits inquiry message information that inquires whether a management apparatus exists, and when declaration message information notifying the existence of a management apparatus is not received from another communication apparatus within a certain period of time after the transmission of the inquiry message information determines the apparatus itself as the management apparatus.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the management apparatus based on apparatus identification information of the transmission source apparatus of the inquiry message information as well as the apparatus itself when it recognizes that other apparatuses as well as the apparatus itself have transmitted declaration message information that notifies the existence of a management apparatus.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the apparatus awaits reception of the declaration message information from the management apparatus when the other communication apparatus is determined to be the management apparatus, and when the declaration message information is not received within a certain period of time, performs an error termination.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit transmits inquiry message information that inquires whether a management apparatus exists, and when declaration message information notifying the existence of a management apparatus is received from another communication apparatus within a certain period of time after the transmission of the inquiry message information, terminates transmission of the inquiry message information and determines the other apparatus as the management apparatus.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first management unit configured to transmit to other communication apparatuses master declaration message information that notifies the existence of a management apparatus, and managing the statuses of the other communication apparatuses, in the event that the apparatus itself is determined as the management apparatus by the determination unit, and

a second management unit configured to transmit to another communication apparatus slave declaration message information that notifies the existence of an apparatus to be managed by the other communication apparatus that is the management apparatus, and managing the status of the apparatus to be managed, in the event that the other apparatus is determined as the management apparatus by the determination unit.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the master declaration message information includes apparatus identification information and expire time information, indicating the time of existence on the network, of the message transmission source, and is transmitted to other communication apparatuses at an interval based on the expire time information, and

the slave declaration message information includes apparatus identification information and expire time information, indicating the time of existence on the network, of the message transmission sources, and is transmitted to the management apparatus at an interval based on the expire time information.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first management unit, upon receiving slave declaration message information from the other apparatuses, stores the apparatus identification information and the expire time information of the message transmission sources, and upon each reception of the slave declaration message information, updates the stored expire time information with the received expire time information, and when the slave declaration message information is not received from the other apparatuses within a time frame indicated by the updated expire time information, determines that the other communication apparatuses do not exist on the network.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the second management unit, upon receiving the master declaration message information from the management apparatus, stores the apparatus identification information and the expire time information of the message transmission source, and upon each reception of the master declaration message information, updates the stored expire time information with the received expire time information, and when the master declaration message information is not received from the management apparatus within a time frame indicated by the updated expire time information, determines that the management apparatus does not exist on the network and terminates transmission of the slave declaration message information.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collection unit is a unit configured to collect information indicating device capabilities from other communication apparatuses when the apparatus itself is determined by the determination unit as the management apparatus, and

the communication apparatus has a notification unit configured to notify its own device capability to another communication apparatus when the other communication apparatus is determined as the management apparatus.

12. A communication apparatus comprising:

a detection unit configured to detect message information notifying the existence of a management apparatus that manages a network, and

a transmission unit configured to transmit message information that notifies that the apparatus is a management object apparatus of the management apparatus, according to the detection results by the detection unit.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a transmission unit configured to transmit message information that notifies the existence of a management apparatus, according to the detection results by the detection unit.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising an inquiry unit configured to inquire existence of the management apparatus when message information that notifies the existence of the management apparatus cannot be detected within a certain period of time after the transition to configuration mode.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

an inquiry unit configured to transmit inquiry message information that inquires existence of the management apparatus,

a reception unit configured to receiving the inquiry message information transmitted by other communication apparatuses, and

an execution unit configured to execute processing for determining the management apparatus from the communication apparatus and other communication apparatuses when the inquiry message information is transmitted by the inquiry unit and inquiry message information transmitted by other communication apparatuses is received by the reception unit, in the event that message information notifying the existence of the management apparatus is not detected.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the execution unit executes the processing based on the identification information of the communication apparatus and the identification information of other communication apparatuses.

17. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a management unit configured to manage the existence of the management apparatus based on detection by the detection unit of message information notifying the existence of the management apparatus,

wherein the management unit manages the existence of the management apparatus based on whether second message information notifying the existence of the management apparatus is detected within a certain period of time after detecting first message information notifying the existence of the management apparatus.

18. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the detection unit initiates detection of message information notifying the existence of the management apparatus after making a transition to configuration mode in response to specific operations.

19. A communication apparatus comprising:

a detection unit configured to detect message information notifying the existence of a management apparatus that manages a network,

an operation unit configured to operate as the management apparatus according to detection results of the detection unit,

a reception unit configured to receive message information that are autonomously transmitted by management object apparatuses of the management apparatus, and notifies that the apparatuses are management subject apparatuses, and

a management unit configured to manage the management subject apparatuses based on message information received by the reception unit,

wherein the management unit manages the existence of a management subject apparatus based on whether second message information, transmitted from the same communication apparatus, notifying the existence of the management subject apparatus is detected within a certain period of time after detecting first message information.

20. A communication method comprising:

a determination step of determining a management apparatus that manages a network, based on message information transmitted and received over the network, and

a collection step of collecting device capability information of other communication apparatuses, based on the determination by the determination step.

23. A program for having a computer execute the communication method according to claim 20.

26. A computer-readable recording media recording the program according to claim 23.

21. A communication method comprising:

a detection step of detecting message information notifying the existence of a management apparatus that manages a network, and

a transmission step of transmitting message information that notifies that the apparatus itself is a management object apparatus of the management apparatus, according to the detection results by the detection step.

24. A program for having a computer execute the communication method according to claim 21.

27. A computer-readable recording media recording the program according to claim 24.

22. A communication method comprising:

an operation step that enables the apparatus itself to operate as a management apparatus according to a detection of message information notifying the existence of a management apparatus that manages a network, and

a management step of managing the management subject apparatuses based on message information that is autonomously transmitted by the management subject apparatuses of the management apparatus, and notifies that the apparatuses are management subject apparatuses,

wherein the management step manages the existence of the management subject apparatus based on whether second message information, transmitted from the same communication apparatus, notifying the existence of the management subject apparatus is detected within a certain period of time after detecting first message information.

25. A program for having a computer execute the communication method according to claim 22.

28. A computer-readable recording media recording the program according to claim 25.