PERSONAL NETWORK MANAGEMENT METHOD AND PERSONAL NETWORK MANAGEMENT APPARATUS

• US 20090113027A1
• Filed: 07/03/2006
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Iino, Satoshi, Gomyo, Kazumasa, Takei, Yoshihiko
• Application Number:
  US11/994,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20090113027A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks

Abstract

A personal network management method wherein if an access request is received from a communication terminal exterior to a personal network and the association of communication terminal information of the access request with the corresponding terminal in the personal network has not been registered yet, then the registration as to whether the connection to the communication terminal is permissible can be dynamically performed, and wherein the procedure of a registration from a communication terminal exterior to a personal network is facilitated, and an access into the personal network also can be performed. In a network system (1) according to this method, after a request of access to a mobile terminal (10) in a personal network (40) is transmitted from a mobile terminal (12) exterior to the personal network, a mobile terminal, which receives the access request, extracts information required for connection permission, and then transmits a connection permission registration request to a mobile network management apparatus (20). The mobile network management apparatus (20) additionally registers, based on the information received together with the connection permission registration request and received information, connection permission information with a database that manages the connections of the mobile terminals in the personal network.

Claims

1-8. -8. (canceled)

9. A personal network management method for managing a personal network comprising a plurality of communication terminal apparatuses connected with a network, the method comprising:

a receiving step of receiving a connection request from a communication terminal apparatus outside the personal network to a communication terminal apparatus inside the personal network; and

a determining step of determining whether or not the connection is possible based on an identifier of the communication terminal apparatus acquired upon the connection request.

10. A personal network management method for managing a personal network comprising a plurality of communication terminal apparatuses connected with a network, the method comprising:

a terminal connection management step of managing registration of a communication terminal identifier of a connection destination in a terminal connection management memory for every communication terminal apparatus constituting the personal network;

a receiving step of receiving a connection request from a communication terminal apparatus outside the personal network to a communication terminal apparatus inside the personal network;

a search step of extracting a communication terminal identifier of a connection source and a communication terminal identifier of a connection destination from the received connection request, and searching the terminal connection management memory for the communication terminal identifier of the connection destination; and

a registration step of associating and registering in the terminal connection management memory a communication terminal identifier of the communication terminal apparatus inside the personal network and the communication terminal identifier of the connection source, if the communication terminal identifier of the communication terminal apparatus inside the personal network and the communication terminal identifier of the connection source are not associated and registered in the terminal connection management memory.

11. The personal network management method of claim 10, wherein:

the plurality of communication terminal apparatuses constituting the personal network comprise a terminal apparatus for personal network management use and a communication terminal apparatus under the management of the terminal apparatus for personal network management use; and

the terminal connection management step comprises managing registration of a terminal identifier for personal network management use in a terminal attribute connection management memory for every communication terminal apparatus.

12. The personal network management method of claim 11, wherein the search step comprises searching the terminal attribute connection management memory for the terminal identifier for personal network management use based on a communication terminal identifier of the connection source and the communication terminal identifier of the connection destination, and, depending on whether or not the communication terminal identifier of the connection source is the same as the terminal identifier for personal network management use, determining whether or not the connection request is possible.

13. The personal network management method of claim 11, wherein:

the plurality of communication terminal apparatuses constituting the personal network comprise a terminal apparatus for personal network management use and a communication terminal apparatus under the management of the terminal apparatus for personal network management use; and

the registration step comprises determining whether a registration request source is able to change information in the terminal attribute connection memory of a connection request destination, and, if the change is possible, registering information in association with a connection target in the terminal connection management memory of the registration request destination.

14. A personal network management method for managing a personal network comprising a plurality of communication terminal apparatuses respectively connected with a plurality of different networks, the method comprising:

a terminal connection management step of managing registration of a communication terminal identifier of a connection destination in association with connected network information in a terminal connection management memory for every communication terminal apparatus constituting the personal network;

a receiving step of receiving a connection request from a communication terminal apparatus outside the personal network to a communication terminal apparatus inside the personal network;

a search step of extracting a communication terminal identifier of a connection source and a communication terminal identifier and network information for a connection destination from the received connection request, and, if the communication terminal of the connection destination does not belong to a same network, transferring the information to a network the connection destination belongs to, and searching the terminal connection management memory for each item of the extracted information; and

a registration step in a network the communication terminal inside the personal network belongs to, of associating and registering a communication terminal identifier of the communication terminal apparatus inside the personal network and the communication terminal identifier of the connection source in the terminal connection management memory, if the communication terminal identifier of the communication terminal apparatus inside the personal network and the communication terminal identifier of the connection source are not associated and registered in the terminal connection management memory.

15. A personal network management apparatus for managing a personal network comprising a plurality of communication terminal apparatuses connected with a network, the apparatus comprising:

a terminal connection management section that manages registration of a communication terminal identifier of a connection destination for every communication terminal apparatus constituting the personal network;

a receiving section that receives a connection request from a communication terminal apparatus outside the personal network to a communication terminal apparatus inside the personal network;

a search section that extracts a communication terminal identifier of a connection source and the communication terminal identifier of the connection destination from the received connection request, and searches the terminal connection management section for the communication terminal identifier of the connection destination; and

a registration section that associates and registers in the terminal connection management section a communication terminal identifier of the communication terminal apparatus inside the personal network and the communication terminal identifier of the connection source, if the communication terminal identifier of the communication terminal apparatus inside the personal network and the communication terminal identifier of the connection source are not associated and registered in the terminal connection management section.

16. The personal network management apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the plurality of communication terminal apparatuses constituting the personal network comprise a terminal apparatus for personal network management use and a communication terminal apparatus under the management of the terminal apparatus for personal network management use; and

the terminal connection management section manages registration of a terminal identifier for personal network management use in a terminal attribute connection management section for every communication terminal apparatus.

17. The personal network management apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the search section searches the terminal attribute management section for the terminal identifier for personal network management use for the communication terminal apparatus of the connection destination, and determines whether or not the connection request is possible based on whether or not the communication terminal identifier of the connection source and the terminal identifier for personal network management use are the same.

18. The personal network management method of claim 16, wherein:

the plurality of communication terminal apparatuses constituting the personal network comprise a terminal apparatus for personal network management use and a communication terminal apparatus under the management of the terminal apparatus for personal network management use; and

the registration section determines whether a registration request source is able to change information in the terminal connection management section of a connection request destination, and, if the change is possible, registers information in association with a connection target in the terminal connection management section of the registration request destination.

19. A personal network management apparatus for managing a personal network comprising a plurality of communication terminal apparatuses respectively connected with a plurality of different networks, the apparatus comprising:

a terminal connection management section that registers a communication terminal identifier of a connection destination in association with connected network information for every communication terminal apparatus constituting the personal network;

a receiving section that receives a connection request from a communication terminal apparatus outside the personal network to a communication terminal apparatus inside the personal network;

a search section that extracts a communication terminal identifier of a connection source and a communication terminal identifier and network information for a connection destination from the received connection request, and, if a communication terminal of the connection destination does not belong to a same network, transfers the information to a network the connection destination belongs to, and searches the terminal connection management section for each item of the extracted information; and

a registration section that associates and registers in the terminal connection management section a communication terminal identifier of the communication terminal apparatus inside the personal network and the communication terminal identifier of the connection source, if the communication terminal identifier of the communication terminal apparatus inside the personal network and the communication terminal identifier of the connection source are not associated and registered in the terminal connection management section.