COMMUNICATION PARAMETER SETTING METHOD, COMMUNICATING APPARATUS, AND MANAGING APPARATUS FOR MANAGING COMMUNICATION PARAMETERS

• US 20100232305A1
• Filed: 10/18/2007
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Shichino, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,391,258 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0873 Checking configuration conflicts between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

When a plurality of managing apparatuses which manage communication parameters exists, there is a case where the wrong communication parameters are set into a communicating apparatus. When the communication parameters are set between the managing apparatus which manages the communication parameters and the communicating apparatus, if a plurality of managing apparatuses in a setting state of the communication parameters into the communicating apparatus is detected, the managing apparatus in the setting state is notified that the plurality of managing apparatuses in the setting state exists. Whether or not the setting of the communication parameters is continued is discriminated, thereby continuing or stopping the setting of the communication parameters.

Claims

1. A method of setting communication parameters between a managing apparatus for managing the communication parameters and a communicating apparatus, comprising:

a detecting step of detecting the managing apparatus in a setting state of the communication parameters into the communicating apparatus;

a comparing step of, if a plurality of managing apparatuses in the setting state is detected in the detecting step, making a comparison between the communication parameters managed by the plurality of managing apparatuses in the setting state;

a controlling step of continuing or stopping the setting of the communication parameters according to a comparison result made in the comparing step.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising a notifying step of, if the plurality of managing apparatuses in the setting state is detected in the detecting step, notifying the plurality of managing apparatuses in the setting state that the plurality of managing apparatuses in the setting state exists.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising a displaying step of, when the controlling step stops the setting of the communication parameters, displaying a message for urging a user to restart the setting of the communication parameters.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein when the setting of the communication parameters is restarted, the setting of the communication parameters is executed between the managing apparatus in the setting state which has been detected first and the communicating apparatus.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the comparing step makes the comparison based on a signal which is transmitted from a base station serving as a management target of the managing apparatus.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising a selecting step of, when the plurality of managing apparatuses in the setting state is detected in the detecting step, selecting the managing apparatus for executing the setting of the communication parameters between the managing apparatus and the communicating apparatus based on a receiving state of the signal from the base station.

7. A method according to claim 5, further comprising:

a deciding step of, when the plurality of managing apparatuses in the setting state is detected in the detecting step, deciding whether or not the managing apparatus for executing the setting of the communication parameters between the managing apparatus and the communicating apparatus is to be selected based on a receiving state of the signal from the base station; and

a notifying step, of notifying the plurality of managing apparatuses in the setting state that the plurality of managing apparatuses in the setting state exists, according to the decision in the deciding step.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein

the selecting step is executed in the communicating apparatus, and

the method further comprises a displaying step of displaying a message for making the managing apparatus selected in the selecting step correspond to the communicating apparatus which has selected the managing apparatus.

9. A communicating apparatus comprising:

a detecting device that detects a managing apparatus in a setting state of communication parameters into the communicating apparatus; and

a notifying device that, if the detecting device detects a plurality of managing apparatuses in the setting state notifies the managing apparatuses in the setting state that the plurality of managing apparatuses in the setting state exists.

10. A communicating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the detecting device performs the detection based on a signal which is transmitted from a base station serving as a management target of the managing apparatus in the setting state.

11. A communicating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein when the detecting device detects the plurality of managing apparatuses in the setting state, the notifying device performs the notification according to the communication parameters which are managed by the plurality of managing apparatuses.

12. A communicating apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

an additional detecting device that detects that the managing apparatus in the setting state has finished the setting state; and

a finishing device that finishes a setting state of the communicating apparatus based on the detection by the additional detecting device.

13. A communicating apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

an additional detecting device that detects that the managing apparatus in the setting state has finished the setting state; and

a displaying device that displays a message for urging a user to restart the setting of the communication parameters according to the detection by the additional detecting device.

14. A communicating apparatus according to claim 13, wherein when the setting of the communication parameters is restarted, the setting of the communication parameters is executed between the managing apparatus in the setting state which has been detected first and the communicating apparatus.

15. A communicating apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising

a selecting device that selects the managing apparatus for performing the setting of the communication parameters based on a receiving state of the signal from the base station when the detecting device detects the plurality of managing apparatuses in the setting state.

16. A communicating apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising

a deciding device that, when the detecting device detects the plurality of managing apparatuses in the setting state decides whether or not the managing apparatus for executing the setting of the communication parameters is to be selected based on a receiving state of the signal from the base station, and

wherein the notifying device performs the notification according to the decision by the deciding device.

17. A communicating apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising

a transmitting device that transmits information for displaying a message to make the managing apparatus correspond to the communicating apparatus to the managing apparatus selected by the selecting device.

18. A managing apparatus for managing communication parameters which are set into a communicating apparatus, comprising:

a managing device that manages communication parameters;

a detecting device that detects another managing apparatus in a setting state of the communication parameters;

a comparing device that compares the communication parameters which are managed by the other managing apparatus detected by the detecting unit device and the communication parameters managed by the managing device; and

a discriminating device that discriminates whether or not the setting of the communication parameters is to be continued according to a comparison result obtained by the comparing device.

19. A managing apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising

a notifying device that notifies a base station serving as a management target of the managing apparatus of a shift to the setting state of the communication parameters or an end of the setting state.

20. A managing apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising

a requesting device that requests the base station to change contents of a signal which is transmitted from the base station.

21. A managing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the detecting device detects the other managing apparatus based on a notification from the communicating apparatus.

22. A managing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the detecting unit device detects the other managing apparatus based on the signal from the base station.