MANAGEMENT APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20100246522A1
• Filed: 02/05/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hirose, Takatoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,908,614 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

The invention makes it possible to manage, even if some of wireless terminals leave a wireless communication network to be managed, the wireless terminals which have left. The invention provides a management apparatus which is connected to an AP and manages each wireless terminal communicating with the AP by using a management table, including a unit for determining based on the management table, when a wireless terminal leaves the first wireless communication network to newly form the second wireless communication network, the SSID of the second wireless communication network, a unit for updating the management table with the determined SSID, and a unit for transmitting the determined SSID to the wireless terminal which is to form the second wireless communication network.

Claims

1. A management apparatus comprising:

management means for managing attribute information of a first wireless terminal which connects to a first wireless communication network formed by a base station and attribute information of a second wireless terminal which has left the first wireless communication network and newly has formed a second wireless communication network;

acquisition means for acquiring attribute information of a third wireless terminal which newly has connected to the first wireless communication network;

instruction means for determining whether or not the connection of the third wireless terminal to the first wireless communication network is appropriate based on services which can be provided by the first and second wireless terminals wherein the services are specified by the attribute information of the first and second wireless terminals managed by the management means and a service which can be provided by the third wireless terminal wherein the service is specified by the attribute information of the third wireless terminal acquired by the acquisition means, and instructing, if the connection of the third wireless terminal is determined not to be appropriate, the third wireless terminal to leave the first wireless communication network or move to the second wireless communication network.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said management means manages the attribute information of the second wireless terminal and network information to perform communication in the second wireless communication network in correspondence with each other.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second wireless terminal is a device capable of switching between a function for operating as a wireless terminal which communicates with a base station and that for operating as a base station, and

wherein the second wireless terminal forms the second wireless communication network as a base station.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the instruction means instructs, in response to an inter-network moving request from the second wireless terminal, the second wireless terminal and a fourth wireless terminal communicating with the second wireless terminal to move to the second wireless communication network.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the network information managed by said management means is updated on the basis of the network information of the second wireless communication network, which is sent when the second wireless terminal forms the second wireless communication network.

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

request means for periodically requesting, after the second wireless communication network is formed, a wireless terminal which connects to the first wireless communication network to search the network information of the second wireless communication network,

wherein based on a response to the request, the network information managed by said management means is updated.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attribute information managed by said management means includes at least any one of information indicating device type of each of the wireless terminals and information indicating whether each of the wireless terminals is an input device or output device.

8. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the network information of the second wireless communication network includes at least any one of network identification information or communication channel.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said management means manages information on a communication band used by each wireless terminal, and

wherein when a communication band addition request is received from the second wireless terminal after the second wireless communication network is formed, it is determined based on the communication band information managed by said management means whether a communication band is addable.

9. (canceled)

11. A control method for a management apparatus, comprising:

a management step of managing attribute information of a first wireless terminal which connects to a first wireless communication network formed by a base station and attribute information of a second wireless terminal which has left the first wireless communication network and newly has formed a second wireless communication network; and

an acquiring step of acquiring attribute information of a third wireless terminal which newly has connected to the first wireless communication network;

an instructing step of determining whether or not the connection of the third wireless terminal to the first wireless communication network is appropriate based on services which can be provided by the first and second wireless terminals wherein the services are specified by the attribute information of the first and second wireless terminals managed in the management step and a service which can be provided by the third wireless terminal wherein the service is specified by the attribute information of the third wireless terminal acquired in the acquiring step, and instructing, if the connection of the third wireless terminal is determined not to be appropriate, the third wireless terminal to leave the first wireless communication network or move to the second wireless communication network.

12. A storage medium for storing a program which causes a computer to execute the control method according to claim 11.