Communication System and Communication Method

• US 20110106956A1
• Filed: 03/23/2006
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo (Beijing) Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo (Beijing) Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Huang, Jingnan, Luo, Yujin
• Granted Patent: US 8,312,151 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The present invention discloses a communication system and a method. The communication system includes at least first 802.11 equipment and second 802.11 equipment. The first 802.11 equipment including a network connector for searching relevant information of the second 802.11 equipment and modifying a network setting of the first 802.11 equipment according to the searched relevant information and a 802.11 driver interface. The second 802.11 equipment includes a 802.11 driver interface. The driver interface of the first 802.11 equipment communicates with the driver interface of the second 802.11 equipment in accordance with the modified network setting.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising at least first 802.11 equipment and a second 802.11 equipment, wherein, the first 802.11 equipment comprises a network connector for searching relevant information of the second 802.11 equipment and for modifying network setting of the first 802.11 equipment according to the searched relevant information, and a 802.11 driver interface;

the second 802.11 equipment comprises a 802.11 driver interface;

the 802.11 driver interface of the first 802.11 equipment communicates with the 802.11 driver interface of the second 802.11 equipment in accordance with the modified network setting.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the relevant information of the second 802.11 equipment comprises:

SSID, MAC address, encryption state and shared resource of the second 802.11 equipment.

3. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein said network connector of the first 802.11 equipment sets the SSID of the first 802.11 equipment as the searched SSID of the second 802.11 equipment, sets a authentication mode as open, and sets WEP encryption as disable.

4. The communication system according to anyone of claims 1, wherein after said network connector of the first 802.11 equipment has modified the network setting, the 802.11 driver interface of the first 802.11 equipment sends a connection request to the 802.11 driver interface of the second 802.11 equipment for requesting to initiate a 802.11-based network connection with the second 802.11 equipment.

5. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein said connection request is a Probe Request frame added with an information element indicating the connection request, and target address of the Probe Request frame is set as a MAC address of the second 802.11 equipment, and said information element indicating the connection request comprises:

a name of a user using the first 802.11 equipment, shared resource information for the connection request, and a connection request time-out period.

6. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein the 802.11 driver interface of the second 802.11 equipment sends a connection response to the 802.11 driver interface of the first 802.11 equipment, in response to the connection request from the first 802.11 equipment.

7. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein said connection response includes a Probe Response frame added with an information element indicating a response result of the connection request, and said information element indicating the response result of the connection request includes:

a response result of the connection request and a valid time of the connection.

8. The communication system according to claim 7, wherein if the connection response is a connection success response, the server connector adds information including the MAC address of the first 802.11 equipment, the target resource information of the connection, and the time-out period of the connection request into an access control list of equipment of the second 802.11 equipment, and the second 802.11 equipment controls communication with the first 802.11 equipment according to the access control list of equipments.

9. A communication method, comprising:

a) searching, by first 802.11 equipment, relevant information of second 802.11 equipment;

b) modifying, by the first 802.11 equipment, a network setting of the first 802.11 equipment according to relevant information searched in step a);

c) communicating, by the first 802.11 equipment, with the second 802.11 equipment in accordance with the modified network setting.

10. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein the relevant information of the second 802.11 equipment searched in step a) includes:

SSID, MAC address, encryption state and shared resource of the second 802.11 equipment.

11. The communication method according to claim 10, wherein in step b), the first 802.11 equipment, according to the relevant information searched in step a), sets the SSID of the first 802.11 equipment as the SSID of the second 802.11 equipment, sets an authentication mode as open, and sets WEP encryption as disable.

12. The communication method according to anyone of claims 9, wherein the step c) comprises the steps of:

1) the first 802.11 equipment sending a connection request to the second 802.11 equipment, requesting communication with the second 802.11 equipment;

2) the second 802.11 equipment sending a connection response to the first 802.11 equipment, in response to the connection request;

3) the first 802.11 equipment communicating with the second 802.11 equipment according to the connection response in step

     2).

13. The communication method according to claim 12, wherein said connection request is a Probe Request frame added with an information element indicating the connection request, and a target address of the Probe Request frame is set as a MAC address of the second 802.11 equipment, and said information element indicating the connection request includes:

a name of a user using the first 802.11 equipment, shared resource information for the connection request, and a connection request time-out period.

14. The communication method according to claim 12, wherein said connection request includes a Probe Response frame added with an information element indicating a response result of the connection request, and said information element indicating the response result of the connection request includes:

the response result of the connection request and valid time of the connection.

15. The communication method according to claim 12, wherein if the connection response is a connection success response, the server connector adds information including the MAC address of the first 802.11 equipment, the target resource information of the connection, and the time-out period of the connection request into an access control list of equipments of the second 802.11 equipment, the second 802.11 equipment controls communication with the first 802.11 equipment according to the access control list of equipments.