COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, COMMUNICATION METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20110188658A1
• Filed: 07/17/2009
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Fujii, Kenichi, Sakai, Tatsuhiko, Goto, Fumihide
• Granted Patent: US 8,891,771 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/278
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/065 for group communications cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management involving conference or group key H04L9/0833
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/205 involving negotiation or determination of the one or more network security mechanisms to be used, e.g. by negotiation between the client and the server or between peers or by selection according to the capabilities of the entities involved negotiation of communication capabilities H04L69/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/041 Key generation or derivation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0433 Key management protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

Communication parameters can be appropriately set without deteriorating user operability even if roles are not determined in advance when automatically setting the communication parameters. The invention includes a communication method when apparatus C newly joins a network formed of apparatuses A and B. The method is characterized by including a step of causing apparatus B to determine whether it belongs to the network in response to press of a button, and to operate as a provider and notify apparatus A of it upon determining that it belongs to the network, and a step of causing apparatus A to transmit, upon receiving the notification, a search response signal containing information on apparatus B in response to a search signal from apparatus C.

Claims

1. A communication method when a third communication apparatus newly joins a network formed from a plurality of communication apparatuses including first and second communication apparatuses, comprising:

a determination step of causing the first communication apparatus to determine in response to a start instruction of communication parameter setting processing whether the first communication apparatus belongs to the network;

a start step of causing the first communication apparatus to start an operation as a provider which provides communication parameters upon determining that the first communication apparatus belongs to the network in the determination step;

a notification step of causing the first communication apparatus to notify the second communication apparatus that the operation as the provider is started;

a reception step of causing the second communication apparatus to receive the notification in the notification step; and

a response step of causing the second communication apparatus to transmit a response signal containing information on the first communication apparatus in response to a provider search signal from the third communication apparatus after reception in the reception step.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second communication apparatus starts transmission of a notification signal containing information on the first communication apparatus in response to reception in the reception step.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a first change step of causing the second communication apparatus to change a parameter for controlling transmission of the notification signal so that the number of times of transmission of the notification signal per unit time by the second communication apparatus becomes smaller than that of the first communication apparatus.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the second communication apparatus sets the parameter changed in the first change step to a value before change in response to reception of a communication parameter providing processing end notification or a communication parameter providing processing error notification from the first communication apparatus.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a second change step of causing the first communication apparatus to change a parameter for controlling transmission of the notification signal so that the number of times of transmission of the notification signal per unit time by the first communication apparatus becomes larger than that of the second communication apparatus, in response to start of operation as the provider in the start step.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

a providing step of causing the first communication apparatus to provide the third communication apparatus with communication parameters of the network to which the first communication apparatus belongs, and

a key exchange step of causing the first communication apparatus to perform an encryption key exchange processing with the third communication apparatus in response to end of the communication parameter providing processing in the providing step.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising a selection step of causing the first communication apparatus to select a method to be used from a plurality of encryption key exchange processing methods in each of which at least one of the number of held encryption keys and the number of exchange sequences is different,

wherein in the key exchange step, the exchange processing method selected in the selection step is executed.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein in the selection step, a method to be used is selected depending on whether a processing mode is a mode in which the communication parameters provided in the providing step are temporarily used.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein in the selection step, an encryption key exchange processing method to be used is selected depending on the number of communication apparatuses on the network to which the first communication apparatus belongs.

10. A communication apparatus comprising:

a determination unit configured to determine in response to a start instruction of communication parameter setting processing whether the communication apparatus already belongs to a network;

a start unit configured to start an operation as a provider which provides communication parameters to a communication apparatus that newly joins the network, upon determining that the communication apparatus belongs to the network by said determination unit; and

a notification unit configured to notify another communication apparatus belonging to the network that the operation as the provider is started.

12. A computer program stored in a computer-readable medium for causing a computer to operate as the communication apparatus according to claim 10.

11. A communication apparatus comprising:

a reception unit configured to receive, from another communication apparatus already belonging to a network, a notification that the another communication apparatus has started an operation as a provider which provides communication parameters for communication in the network; and

a response unit configured to transmit, when receiving the notification, a response signal containing information on the another communication apparatus in response to a provider search signal from a communication apparatus which newly joins the network.