COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20120254469A1
• Filed: 01/31/2012
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: ANDO, Satoko
• Granted Patent: US 8,667,181 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/248
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols

Abstract

A communication device may receive a first request packet from a first device and receive a second request packet from a second device. The communication device may send a first response packet to the first device in response to the first request packet and send a second response packet to the second device in response to the second request packet. The communication device may decide a timing for sending the second response packet to the second device. The timing may be decided such that a time period from receiving the second request packet to sending the second response packet in response to the second request packet is longer than a time period from receiving the first request packet to sending the first response packet in response to the first request packet. The communication device may send the second response packet to the second device at the decided timing.

Claims

1. A communication device to be respectively connected with a first device and a second device, wherein

the first device is configured to repeatedly execute a process of sending a first request packet to the communication device and receiving a first response packet from the communication device in response to the first request packet, and configured to newly send the first request packet when a predetermined time period from receiving the first response packet has elapsed, and

the second device is configured to repeatedly execute a process of sending a second request packet to the communication device and receiving a second response packet from the communication device in response to the second request packet, and configured to newly send the second request packet when the predetermined time period from receiving the second response packet has elapsed,

the communication device comprises:

one or more processors; and

a memory that stores a computer program including instructions to be executed by the one or more processors,

wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors, when executed by the one or more processors, to function as;

a receiving control unit configured to receive the first request packet from the first device and receive the second request packet from the second device;

a sending control unit configured to send the first response packet to the first device in response to the first request packet and send the second response packet to the second device in response to the second request packet; and

a deciding unit configured to decide a sending timing for sending the second response packet to the second device, wherein the sending timing is decided such that a time period from receiving the second request packet to sending the second response packet in response to the second request packet is longer than a time period from receiving the first request packet to sending the first response packet in response to the first request packet,

wherein the sending control unit is configured to send the second response packet to the second device at the decided sending timing.

2. The communication device as in claim 1, wherein

the receiving control unit is configured to receive an Mth (the M being equal to or more than 1) first request packet from the first device and receive an Nth (the N being equal to or more than 1) second request packet from the second device after the Mth first request packet has been received from the first device and before an M+1th first request packet is received from the first device,

the sending control unit is configured to send an Mth first response packet to the first device in response to the Mth first request packet and send an Nth second response packet to the second device in response to the Nth second request packet,

the deciding unit is configured to decide a sending timing of the Nth second response packet such that a time period from receiving the Nth second request packet to sending the Nth second response packet is longer than a time period from receiving the Mth first request packet to sending the Mth first response packet, and

the sending control unit is configured to send the Nth second response packet to the second device at the decided sending timing.

3. The communication device as in claim 1, wherein

the deciding unit is configured to decide the sending timing of the second response packet using a timing related to receiving the first request packet.

4. The communication device as in claim 1, wherein

the deciding unit is configured to decide the sending timing of the second request packet each time the second request packet is received, until a timing when the first request packet is received is substantially equal to a timing when the second request packet is received, and

each time the second request packet is received, the sending control unit is configured to send the second response packet in response to the second request packet at the sending timing decided for the second request packet.

5. The communication device as in claim 1, wherein

the second device is configured:

to execute a process in accordance with the second response packet in a case where the second response packet in response to the second request packet is received before a specific time period from sending the second request packet to the communication device has elapsed; and

not to execute the process in accordance with the second response packet in a case where the second response packet in response to the second request packet is received after the specific time period from sending the second request packet to the communication device has elapsed, and

the deciding unit is configured to decide the sending timing such that the time period from receiving the second request packet to sending the second response packet in response to the second request packet is equal to or shorter than the specific time period.

6. The communication device as in claim 5, wherein

the receiving control unit is configured to receive an Mth (the M being equal to or more than 1) first request packet from the first device and receive an Nth (the N being equal to or more than 1) second request packet from the second device after the Mth first request packet has been received from the first device and before the M+1th first request packet is received from the first device,

the sending control unit is configured to send an Mth first response packet to the first device in response to the Mth first request packet and send an Nth second response packet to the second device in response to the Nth second request packet, and

the deciding unit is configured:

to decide a sending timing of the Nth second response packet such that a time period from receiving the Nth second request packet to sending the Nth second response packet is identical to the specific time period in a case where a specific difference between a receiving timing of the M+1th first request packet and a receiving timing of the Nth second request packet is longer than the specific time period; and

to decide the sending timing of the Nth second response packet such that the time period from receiving the Nth second request packet to sending the Nth second response packet is identical with the specific difference in a case where the specific difference is shorter than the specific time period.

7. The communication device as in claim 1, wherein

the one or more processors are capable of transiting between a high consumption state in which a power consumption is relatively high and a low consumption state in which the power consumption is relatively low,

the instructions cause the one or more processors, when executed by the one or more processors, to further function as:

a transiting control unit configured to cause the one or more processors to transit between the high consumption state and the low consumption state,

in a case where the first request packet is received while the one or more processors are in the low consumption state,

the transiting control unit is configured to cause the one or more processors to transit from the low consumption state to the high consumption state, and

the sending control unit is configured to send the first response packet in response to the first request packet while the one or more processors are in the high consumption state, and

in a case where the second request packet is received while the one or more processors are in the low consumption state,

the transiting control unit is configured to cause the one or more processors to transit from the low consumption state to the high consumption state, and

the sending control unit is configured to send the second response packet in response to the second request packet while the one or more processors are in the high consumption state.

8. A communication device to be respectively connected with a first device and a second device, wherein

the first device is configured to repeatedly execute a process of sending a first request packet to the communication device and receiving a first response packet from the communication device in response to the first request packet, and configured to newly send the first request packet when a predetermined time period from receiving the first response packet has elapsed, and

the second device is configured to repeatedly execute a process of sending a second request packet to the communication device and receiving a second response packet from the communication device in response to the second request packet, and configured to newly send the second request packet when the predetermined time period from receiving the second response packet has elapsed, the communication device comprising:

a receiving control unit configured to receive the first request packet from the first device and receive the second request packet from the second device;

a sending control unit configured to send the first response packet to the first device in response to the first request packet and send the second response packet to the second device in response to the second request packet; and

a deciding unit configured to decide a sending timing for sending the second response packet to the second device, wherein the sending timing is decided such that a time period from receiving the second request packet to sending the second response packet in response to the second request packet is longer than a time period from receiving the first request packet to sending the first response packet in response to the first request packet,

wherein the sending control unit is configured to send the second response packet to the second device at the decided sending timing.

9. A computer readable recording device including a computer program for a communication device to be respectively connected with a first device and a second device, wherein

the first device is configured to repeatedly execute a process of sending a first request packet to the communication device and receiving a first response packet from the communication device in response to the first request packet and configured to newly send the first request packet when a predetermined time period from receiving the first response packet has elapsed, and

the second device is configured to repeatedly execute a process of sending a second request packet to the communication device and receiving a second response packet from the communication device in response to the second request packet, and configured to newly send the second request packet when the predetermined time period from receiving the second response packet has elapsed,

the computer program including instructions for ordering one or more processes of the communication device to execute:

receiving the first request packet from the first device;

receiving the second request packet from the second device;

sending the first response packet to the first device in response to the first request packet;

sending the second response packet to the second device in response to the second request packet; and

deciding a sending timing for sending the second response packet to the second device, wherein the sending timing is decided such that a time period from receiving the second request packet to sending the second response packet in response to the second request packet is longer than a time period from receiving the first request packet to sending the first response packet in response to the first request packet,

wherein the second response packet is sent to the second device at the decided sending timing.