Wireless Network System, And Wireless Device Included In The System

• US 20080240068A1
• Filed: 03/26/2008
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Ishimoto, Kan
• Granted Patent: US 7,986,642 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/345
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A wireless network system having an access point, and wireless devices capable of wireless communication with the access point, each wireless device being capable of wireless communication with the other wireless device in an ad hoc mode without via the access point, wherein the access point includes a registrar setup portion to set up any of the wireless devices as a registrar which permits wireless communication between each wireless device and the access point, and each wireless device includes: a memory portion for storing identifiers of the wireless devices; a data-supply requesting portion operable in the ad hoc mode to transmit to the other wireless device a data-supply request packet requesting the other wireless device to transmit the identifier of the other wireless device stored in its memory portion; a request replying portion operated in response to the data-supply request packet to transmit to the other wireless device a data-supply-request reply packet including an own identifier; a reply-data receiving portion operable to receive the data-supply-request reply packet; an identifier retrieving portion operable to retrieve the identifier from the received data-supply-request reply packet, and store the retrieved identifier in its memory portion; and a registrar registering portion operable after the wireless device is set up as the registrar by the registrar setup portion (88) of the access point, to register the other wireless device the identifier of which is stored in the memory portion, as the wireless device which is permitted to effect wireless communication with the access point.

Claims

1. A wireless network system comprising an access point, and a plurality of wireless devices capable of wireless communication with the access point, each of the wireless devices being capable of wireless communication directly with the other wireless device in an ad hoc mode without communication with the access point,

wherein the access point includes a registrar setup portion configured to set up any of the wireless devices as a registrar which permits wireless communication between each of the wireless devices and the access point,

and wherein each of the wireless devices includes:

a memory portion for storing identifiers of the wireless devices;

a data-supply requesting portion configured to be operable in the ad hoc mode to transmit at a predetermined time interval to the other wireless device a data-supply request packet requesting the other wireless device to transmit the identifier of the other wireless device stored in the memory portion of the other wireless device;

a request replying portion configured to be operated in response to the data-supply request packet received from the other wireless device, to transmit to the other wireless device a data-supply-request reply packet including an own identifier;

a reply-data receiving portion configured to receive the data-supply-request reply packet transmitted from the other wireless device;

an identifier retrieving portion configured to retrieve the identifier from the data-supply-request reply packet received by the reply-data receiving portion, and store the retrieved identifier in the memory portion; and

a registrar registering portion configured to be operable after said each wireless device is set up as the registrar by the registrar setup portion of the access point, to register the other wireless device the identifier of which is stored in the memory portion, as the wireless device which is permitted to effect wireless communication with the access point.

2. The wireless network system according to claim 1, wherein said identifier retrieving portion stores the retrieved identifier in the memory portion, if the retrieved identifier has not already been stored in the memory portion.

3. The wireless network system according to claim 1, wherein each of the wireless devices further includes a reply setup portion configured to selectively enable or disable the request replying portion to operate.

4. The wireless network system according to claim 1, wherein the memory portion further stores device-specific data specifying each wireless device, in relation to the identifier, and the request replying portion transmits the data-supply-request reply packet which includes the identifier and the device-specific data which are related to each other, the reply-data receiving portion receiving the data-supply-request reply packet including the identifier and the device-specific data, the identifier retrieving portion storing the identifier and the device-specific data in the memory portion,

and wherein each of the wireless devices includes:

a comparator portion configured to compare the identifier stored in the memory portion in relation to the device-specific data, with the identifier received by the reply-data receiving portion together with the same device-specific data, to determine whether the identifier stored in the memory portion is different from the identifier received by the reply-data receiving portion; and

an identifier updating portion configured to be operable when the comparator portion has determined that the identifier stored in the memory portion is different from the identifier received by the reply-data receiving portion, to control the identifier retrieving portion such that the identifier stored in the memory portion is replaced by the identifier received by the reply-data receiving portion.

5. The wireless network system according to claim 4, wherein said identifier retrieving portion stores the identifier and the device-specific data in the memory portion, if the identifier and the device-specific data have not already been stored in the memory portion, in relation to each other.

6. A wireless device capable of wireless communication with an access point which includes a registrar setup portion configured to set up the wireless device as a registrar which permits wireless communication of the wireless device with the access point, the wireless device being capable of wireless communication directly with another wireless device in an ad hoc mode without communication with the access point, the wireless device comprising:

a memory portion for storing identifiers of wireless devices;

a data-supply requesting portion configured to be operable in the ad hoc mode to transmit at a predetermined time interval to another wireless device a data-supply request packet requesting said another wireless device to transmit the identifier of said another wireless device stored in the memory portion of said another wireless device;

a request replying portion configured to be operated in response to the data-supply request packet received from said another wireless device, to transmit to said another wireless device a data-supply-request reply packet including an own identifier;

a reply-data receiving portion configured to receive the data-supply-request reply packet transmitted from said another wireless device;

an identifier retrieving portion configured to retrieve the identifier from the data-supply-request reply packet received by the reply-data receiving portion, and store the retrieved identifier in the memory portion, if the retrieved identifier has not already been stored in the memory portion; and

a registrar registering portion configured to be operable after said each wireless device is set up as the registrar by the registrar setup portion of the access point, to register said another wireless device the identifier of which is stored in the memory portion, as the wireless device which is permitted to effect wireless communication with the access point.

7. The wireless device according to claim 6, wherein said identifier retrieving portion stores the retrieved identifier in the memory portion, if the retrieved identifier has not already been stored in the memory portion.

8. The wireless device according to claim 6, further comprising a reply setup portion configured to selectively enable or disable the request replying portion to operate.

9. The wireless device according to claim 6, wherein the memory portion further stores device-specific data specifying the wireless device, in relation to the identifier, and the request replying portion transmits the data-supply-request reply packet which includes the identifier and the device-specific data which are related to each other, the reply-data receiving portion receiving the data-supply-request reply packet including the identifier and the device-specific data, the identifier retrieving portion storing the identifier and the device-specific data in the memory portion,

and wherein each of the wireless devices includes:

a comparator portion configured to compare the identifier stored in the memory portion in relation to the device-specific data, with the identifier received by the reply-data receiving portion together with the same device-specific data, to determine whether the identifier stored in the memory portion is different from the identifier received by the reply-data receiving portion; and

an identifier updating portion configured to be operable when the comparator portion has determined that the identifier stored in the memory portion is different from the identifier received by the reply-data receiving portion, to control the identifier retrieving portion such that the identifier stored in the memory portion is replaced by the identifier received by the reply-data receiving portion.

10. The wireless device according to claim 9, wherein said identifier retrieving portion stores the identifier and the device-specific data in the memory portion, if the identifier and the device-specific data have not already been stored in the memory portion, in relation to each other.

11. The wireless device according to claim 6, further comprising a printer portion operable to print a content of the memory portion.

12. The wireless device according to claim 6, further comprising a display portion operable to display a content of the memory portion.