INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, SERVER APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20120317229A1
• Filed: 06/06/2012
• Published: 12/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shimakawa, Masato
• Application Number:
  US13/489,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20120317229A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A control section is configured to control a communication section to establish a safe communication path with a server apparatus connected to a first network, and to transmit user identification information and first device identification information to the server apparatus for registration in the server apparatus, the user identification information identifying a user of the information processing apparatus, the first device identification information identifying the information processing apparatus, to make a search for at least one device connected to a second network, and to receive second device identification information identifying the device, to transmit, to the server apparatus, together with the received second device identification information, setting request information asking the at least one device for association settings between the information processing apparatus and the at least one device, and to receive, from the server apparatus, response information transmitted by the device in response to the setting request information.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a communication section configured to be connectable to a first network and a second network; and

a control section configured to be able to control the communication section

to establish a safe communication path with a server apparatus connected to the first network, and to transmit user identification information and first device identification information to the server apparatus for registration in the server apparatus, the user identification information identifying a user of the information processing apparatus, the first device identification information identifying the information processing apparatus,

to make a search for at least one device connected to the second network, and to receive second device identification information identifying the device,

to transmit, to the server apparatus, together with the received second device identification information, setting request information asking the at least one device for association settings between the information processing apparatus and the at least one device, and

to receive, from the server apparatus, response information transmitted by the device in response to the setting request information.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display section; and

an operation accepting section configured to accept an operation of the user, wherein

the control section is configured to be able to control

the display section to display information about the at least one device found by the search,

the communication section to transmit the setting request information when an operation is accepted for selecting a target device from the displayed information for transmission of the setting request information, and

the display section to, when the response information is received, change a display state of information about the selected device.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the control section is configured to be able to control

the display section to display a plurality of pieces of type information each indicating an association type with the device, and

the communication section to, when an operation is accepted for making a selection of one piece of type information from the displayed plurality of pieces of type information, transmit the setting request information together with the selected type information.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the control section is configured to be able to control

the display section to display a first area displaying an object indicating the at least one device found by the search, and a second area provided to each of the association types, and

the communication section to, when an operation of drag-and-drop is accepted for the object displayed in the first area to the second area, transmit the setting request information together with the type information indicating the association type corresponding to the second area.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the control section is configured to be able to control the communication section

to transmit, in a case where a device done with the association settings is connected to a third network other than the first network and the second network, search request information, the search request information asking the device to make a search for another device connected to the third network, and if found, to send back device identification information about the other device,

to receive the device identification information about the other device sent by the device in response to the search request information, and

to transmit, to the server apparatus, together with the received device identification information about the other device, setting request information asking the other device for the association settings between the information processing apparatus and the other device.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the server apparatus is configured

to receive, from another device connected to a third network other than the first network and the second network, position information about the other device and device identification information about the other device, and

to store the position information and the device identification information, and

the control section is configured to be able to control the communication section

to transmit, to the server apparatus, search request information asking for a search for a device near a position indicated by the position information,

to receive device identification information about a device found near the position, the identification information being transmitted by the server apparatus in response to the search request information, and

to transmit, to the server apparatus, together with the received device identification information, the setting request information asking the device near the position for the association settings between the information processing apparatus and the device near the position.

7. A server apparatus, comprising:

a communication section configured to be connectable to a first network; and

a control section configured to be able to control the communication section

to establish a safe communication path with an information processing apparatus connected to the first network, and to receive user identification information and first device identification information from the information processing apparatus for registration in the server apparatus, the user identification information identifying a user of the information processing apparatus, the first device identification information identifying the information processing apparatus,

to receive, from the information processing apparatus, second device identification information and setting request information, the second device identification information identifying at least one device found by the information processing apparatus through a search for devices connected to a second network different from the first network, the second device identification information being obtained by the information processing apparatus, the setting request information asking the at least one device for association settings between the information processing apparatus and the at least one device,

to transmit the received setting request information to the at least one device,

to receive response information transmitted from the at least one device in response to the setting request information, and

to transmit the received response information to the information processing apparatus.

8. An information processing method in an information processing apparatus, comprising:

establishing a safe communication path with a server apparatus connected to a first network, and transmitting user identification information and first device identification information to the server apparatus for registration in the server apparatus, the user identification information identifying a user of the information processing apparatus, the first device identification information identifying the information processing apparatus;

receiving second device identification information identifying at least one device connected to a second network different from the first network found through a search;

transmitting, to the server apparatus, together with the received second device identification information, setting request information asking the at least one device for association settings between the information processing apparatus the at least one device; and

receiving, from the server apparatus, response information transmitted by the at least one device in response to the setting request information.

9. A program causing an information processing apparatus:

to establish a safe communication path with a server apparatus connected to a first network, and to transmit user identification information and first device identification information to the server apparatus for registration in the server apparatus, the user identification information identifying a user of the information processing apparatus, the first device identification information identifying the information processing apparatus;

to receive second device identification information identifying at least one device connected not to a second network different from the first network found through a search;

to transmit, to the server apparatus, together with the received second device identification information, setting request information asking the at least one device for association settings between the information processing apparatus the at least one device; and

to receive, from the server apparatus, response information transmitted by the at least one device in response to the setting request information.