ASSISTANCE DEVICE

• US 20120054338A1
• Filed: 03/27/2011
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: ANDO, Satoko
• Granted Patent: US 8,560,680 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point

Abstract

An assistance device may provide a user with an identifier of an access point which is to be set in a wireless device. The assistance device may extract, from network information related to a network and stored in the assistance device, an IP address of an assignment server which had assigned an IP address to the assistance device. The assistance device may obtain from the access point, by utilizing the extracted IP address of the assignment server, information including, the identifier of the access point, so as to display the information including the identifier of the access point on a display unit.

Claims

1. An assistance device for providing a user with an identifier of an access point which is to be set in a wireless device, the assistance device comprising:

an extracting unit configured to extract, from network information related to a network and stored in the assistance device, an IP address of an assignment server which had assigned an IP address to the assistance device; and

a display controlling unit configured to obtain from the access point, by utilizing the extracted IP address of the assignment server, information including the identifier of the access point, so as to display the information including the identifier of the access point on a display unit.

2. The assistance device as in claim 1, wherein

the extracting unit comprises:

a first determination unit configured to determine, by utilizing specific information included in the stored network information, whether an IP address of the assistance device is an IP address which had been assigned by the assignment server,

wherein in a case where a determination is made that the IP address of the assistance device is the IP address which had been assigned by the assignment server, the extracting unit extracts the IP address of the assignment server.

3. The assistance device as in claim 1, wherein

the display controlling unit sends a first signal, with the extracted IP address of the assignment server as destination, to the access point which is configured integrally with the assignment server, so as to obtain the information including the identifier of the access point from the access point.

4. The assistance device as in claim 3, wherein:

the display controlling unit comprises;

a second determination unit configured to determine, by utilizing the extracted IP address of the assignment server, whether the access point having a router function which is configured separately with the assignment server may exist on a communication path between the assistance device and the assignment server,

wherein in a first case where a determination is made that the access, point having the router function may not exist on the communication path, the display controlling unit sends the first signal, with the extracted IP address of the assignment server as destination, so as to obtain the information including the identifier of the access point from the access point which is configured integrally with the assignment server.

5. The assistance device as in claim 4, wherein

in a second case where a determination is made that the access point having the router function may exist on the communication path, the display controlling unit further obtains an IP address of the access point having the router function which may exist on the communication path, and sends a second signal, with the obtained IP address of the access point as destination, so as to obtain the information including the identifier of the access point from the access point which is configured separately with the assignment server.

6. The assistance device as in claim 5, wherein

the display controlling unit sends a specific signal, with the extracted IP address of the assignment server as destination, so as to obtain a reply signal from the assignment server,

the second determination unit determines whether the access point having the router function may exist on the communication path by determining whether the obtained reply signal includes information indicating that the access point having the router function may exist on the communication path, and

in the second case, the display controlling unit obtains the IP address of the access point having the router function included in the reply signal.

7. An assistance device for providing a user with an identifier of an access point which is to be set in a wireless device, the assistance device comprising:

a computer; and

a storage unit for storing a computer program including computer readable instructions executed by the computer,

wherein the computer readable instructions cause the computer to perform as

an extracting unit configured to extract, from network information related to a network and stored in the assistance device, an IP address of an assignment server which had assigned an IP address to the assistance device; and

a display controlling unit configured to obtain from the access point, by utilizing the extracted IP address of the assignment server, information including the identifier of the access point, so as to display the information including the identifier of the access point on a display unit.

8. A computer readable device storing a computer program including computer readable instructions executed by a computer of an assistance device, the assistance device being configured to provide a user with an identifier of an access point which is to be set in a wireless device, wherein the computer readable instructions cause the computer to perform as:

an extracting unit configured to extract, from network information related to a network and stored in the assistance device, an IP address of an assignment server which had assigned an IP address to the assistance device; and

a display controlling unit configured to obtain from the access point, by utilizing the extracted IP address of the assignment server, information including the identifier of the access point, so as to display the information including the identifier of the access point on a display unit.

9. A method executed in an assistance device for providing a user with an identifier of an access point which is to be set in a wireless device, the method comprising:

extracting, from network information related to a network and stored in the assistance device, an IP address of an assignment server which had assigned an IP address to the assistance device; and

obtaining from the access point, by utilizing the extracted IP address of the assignment server, information including the identifier of the access point, so as to display the information including the identifier of the access point on a display unit.