INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD AND PROGRAM

• US 20090221271A1
• Filed: 02/04/2009
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Miyabayashi, Naoki, Yoneda, Yoshihiro, Kuroda, Seiji, Ishikawa, Yasuharu, SOMA, Isao
• Granted Patent: US 8,301,124 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

An information processing apparatus for communicating with a different information processing apparatus, includes: a first connection establishment block configured to control a first communication section, which carries out nearby wireless communication for delivering and accepting information to and from the different information processing apparatus positioned near to the information processing apparatus, to establish a connection for the nearby wireless communication; an acquisition block configured to acquire setting information for short range wireless communication which exhibits a wire communication range than the nearby wireless communication and capability information regarding the capacity of the different information processing apparatus from the different information processing apparatus through the nearby wireless communication; and a second connection establishment block configured to control a second communication section, which carries out the short range wireless communication, based on the setting information and the capability information to establish a connection for the short range wireless communication.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for communicating with a different information processing apparatus, comprising:

first connection establishment means for controlling a first communication section, which carries out nearby wireless communication for delivering and accepting information to and from the different information processing apparatus positioned near to said information processing apparatus, to establish a connection for the nearby wireless communication;

acquisition means for acquiring setting information for short range wireless communication which exhibits a wider communication range than the nearby wireless communication and capability information regarding the capacity of the different information processing apparatus from the different information processing apparatus through the nearby wireless communication for which the connection is established by said first connection establishment means; and

second connection establishment means for controlling a second communication section, which carries out the short range wireless communication, based on the setting information and the capability information acquired by said acquisition means to establish a connection for the short range wireless communication.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capability information includes information representative of a communication system of the short range wireless communication by a second communication section of the different information processing apparatus, and

said second connection establishment means establishes the short range wireless communication in accordance with a communication system, which can be used for communication by the different information processing apparatus, based on the capability information.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

application setting means for carrying out setting of an application which executes a predetermined process based on the information delivered and accepted through the short range wireless communication for which the connection is established by said second connection establishment means,

the capability information including information regarding an application which can be executed by the different information processing apparatus,

said application setting means carrying out, based on information indicated by the capability information and regarding an application which can be executed by the different information processing apparatus, the setting of the application.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said information processing apparatus carries out communication with a plurality of different information processing apparatus, and

the capability information includes information indicative, for each of the plurality of the different information processing apparatus, of a communication system for the short range wireless communication by the second communication section of the different information processing apparatus,

said second connection establishment means being operable to select, based on the capability information, an opposite party of communication for the short range wireless communication from among the plurality of the different information processing apparatus and establish the short range wireless communication with the selected different information processing apparatus in accordance with a communication system with which the selected different information processing apparatus can use for communication.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

application setting means for carrying out setting of an application which executes a predetermined process based on the information delivered and accepted through the short range wireless communication for which the connection is established by said second connection establishment means,

said information processing apparatus carrying out communication with a plurality of different information processing apparatus,

the capability information including information indicative, for each of the plurality of the different information processing apparatus, of applications which can be executed by the different information processing apparatus,

said second connection establishment means being operable to select an opposite party of communication for the short range wireless communication from among the plurality of the different information processing apparatus based on the capability information to establish the short range wireless communication,

said application setting means carrying out, based on information indicated by the capability information and regarding the applications which can be executed by the different information processing apparatus selected by said second connection establishment means, the setting of the application.

6. An information processing method for an information processing apparatus for communicating with a different information processing apparatus, comprising the steps of:

controlling a first communication section, which carries out nearby wireless communication for delivering and accepting information to and from the different information processing apparatus positioned near to the information processing apparatus, to establish a connection for the nearby wireless communication;

acquiring setting information for short range wireless communication which exhibits a wider communication range than the nearby wireless communication and capability information regarding the capacity of the different information processing apparatus from the different information processing apparatus through the nearby wireless communication for which the connection is established; and

controlling a second communication section, which carries out the short range wireless communication, based on the acquired setting information and capability information, to establish a connection for the short range wireless communication.

7. A program for causing a computer to cause an information processing apparatus to communicate with a different information processing apparatus, the program comprising:

a first connection establishment step of controlling a first communication section, which carries out nearby wireless communication for delivering and accepting information to and from the different information processing apparatus positioned near to the computer, to establish a connection for the nearby wireless communication;

an acquisition step of acquiring setting information for short range wireless communication which exhibits a wider communication range than the nearby wireless communication and capability information regarding the capacity of the different information processing apparatus from the different information processing apparatus through the nearby wireless communication for which the connection is established; and

a second connection establishment step of controlling a second communication section, which carries out the short range wireless communication, based on the acquired setting information and capability information, to establish a connection for the short range wireless communication.

8. An information processing apparatus for communicating with a different information processing apparatus, comprising:

connection establishment means for controlling a communication section, which carries out nearby wireless communication for delivering and accepting information to and from the different information processing apparatus positioned near to said information processing apparatus, to establish a connection for the nearby wireless communication;

acquisition means for acquiring capability information regarding the capacity of the different information processing apparatus from the different information processing apparatus through the nearby wireless communication; and

application setting means for carrying out setting of an application for executing a predetermined process based on the information delivered and accepted to and from the different information processing apparatus based on the capability information acquired by said acquisition means.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising

transmission means for transmitting the capability information regarding the capacity of said information processing apparatus to the different information processing apparatus through the nearby wireless communication.

10. An information processing apparatus for communicating with a different information processing apparatus, comprising:

a first connection establishment block configured to control a first communication section, which carries out nearby wireless communication for delivering and accepting information to and from the different information processing apparatus positioned near to said information processing apparatus, to establish a connection for the nearby wireless communication;

an acquisition block configured to acquire setting information for short range wireless communication which exhibits a wire communication range than the nearby wireless communication and capability information regarding the capacity of the different information processing apparatus from the different information processing apparatus through the nearby wireless communication for which the connection is established by said first connection establishment block; and

a second connection establishment block configured to control a second communication section, which carries out the short range wireless communication, based on the setting information and the capability information acquired by said acquisition block to establish a connection for the short range wireless communication.

11. An information processing apparatus for communicating with a different information processing apparatus, comprising:

a connection establishment block configured to control a communication section, which carries out nearby wireless communication for delivering and accepting information to and from the different information processing apparatus positioned near to said information processing apparatus, to establish a connection for the nearby wireless communication;

an acquisition block configured to acquire capability information regarding the capacity of the different information processing apparatus from the different information processing apparatus through the nearby wireless communication; and

an application setting block configured to carry out setting of an application for executing a predetermined process based on the information delivered and accepted to and from the different information processing apparatus based on the capability information acquired by said acquisition block.