Device connecting method, information apparatus, and device connecting program recording medium

• US 20080155132A1
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kato, Katsutoshi, Yata, Kouichi, Jitsuishi, Yasuyo
• Application Number:
  US11/976,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20080155132A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00206 Transmitting or receiving computer data via an image communication device, e.g. a facsimile transceiver H04N1/00236 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00236 using an image reading or reproducing device, e.g. a facsimile reader or printer, as a local input to or local output from a computer image input to or image output from a computer via a network H04N1/00209
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00238 using an image reproducing device as a local output from a computer output via network, e.g. network printing H04N1/00233
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0015 Control of image communication with the connected apparatus, e.g. signalling capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

According to one embodiment, plural devices of a model supported by a device driver installed in a personal computer are automatically associated with one wireless communication port. Accordingly, even when various devices exist within a range capable of Bluetooth communication, for example, when a user newly places a portable printer around the personal computer, the user can perform a printing job without making complicated setting such as generation/switching of the wireless communication port or installation of a new device driver.

Claims

1. A device connecting method of connecting an information apparatus including an output port associated with a device driver and a device as an output destination of data outputted from the information apparatus via the output port by local wireless communication, the device connecting method comprising the steps of:

a device retrieving unit retrieving a device existing within a range capable of the local wireless communication by the information apparatus;

an attribute information acquiring unit acquiring attribute information on the device retrieved by the device retrieving unit from the device;

an attribute information judging unit judging whether or not the device is supported by the device driver based on the attribute information acquired by the attribute information acquiring unit; and

when the device is judged to be supported by the device driver, an output destination setting unit setting this device as the output destination of the output port.

2. The device connecting method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

a function information acquiring unit acquiring function information indicating a function supportable by the device retrieved by the device retrieving unit from the device; and

a function support judging unit judging whether or not the device is allowed to support the data based on the function information acquired by the function information acquiring unit;

wherein the attribute information acquiring unit acquires the attribute information from the device judged to be allowed to support the data.

3. The device connecting method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

a connection history storing unit storing a history which tells that the device is set as the output destination of the output port; and

when plural devices are retrieved by the device retrieving unit, a priority determining unit determining priorities of the plural devices based on the history stored in the connection history storing unit, wherein

the attribute information acquiring unit acquires the attribute information from a device with the highest priority out of the plural devices.

4. The device connecting method according to claim 1, wherein a model name of the device is included in the attribute information.

5. The device connecting method according to claim 3, wherein the priority determining unit determines the priorities of the plural devices in descending order of a number of times the device has been set as the output destination of the output port.

6. The device connecting method according to claim 3, wherein the priority determining unit determines the priorities of the plural devices in ascending order of a difference between a time when the device is last set as the output destination of the output port and a present time.

7. An information apparatus including an output port associated with a device driver and allowed to connect a device as an output destination of data outputted via the output port thereto by local wireless communication, the information apparatus comprising:

a device retrieving unit which retrieves a device existing within a range capable of the local wireless communication;

an attribute information acquiring unit which acquires attribute information on the device retrieved by said device retrieving unit from the device;

an attribute information judging unit which judges whether or not the device is supported by the device driver based on the attribute information acquired by said attribute information acquiring unit; and

an output destination setting unit which, when the device is judged to be supported by the device driver, sets this device as the output destination of the output port.

8. A computer-readable device connecting program recording medium used in an information apparatus including an output port associated with a device driver and allowed to connect a device as an output destination of data outputted via the output port thereto by local wireless communication, the device connecting program recording medium on which recorded is a device connecting program for causing the information apparatus to function as:

a device retrieving unit which retrieves a device existing within a range capable of the local wireless communication;

an attribute information acquiring unit which acquires attribute information on the device retrieved by the device retrieving unit from the device;

an attribute information judging unit which judges whether or not the device is supported by the device driver based on the attribute information acquired by the attribute information acquiring unit; and

an output destination setting unit which, when the device is judged to be supported by the device driver, sets this device as the output destination of the output port.