MOBILE DEVICE AND COMMUNICATION CONTROL METHOD

• US 20150044988A1
• Filed: 07/25/2014
• Published: 02/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Okubo, Yuzuru
• Granted Patent: US 9,750,072 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1432 Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1467 involving prepayment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/28 with meter at substation or with calculation of charges at terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/55 for hybrid networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/60 based on actual use of network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/16 Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/34 Selective release of ongoing connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Determining an initial number of TCP connections, dynamically determining increases and decreases in the number of TCP connections, and so on depending on a wireless communication method that is used enables a plurality of TCP connections to be used for wireless communication methods having higher communication bandwidths, and can thus improve communication speeds. Meanwhile, a drop in communication speed can be suppressed when using wireless communication methods having lower communication bandwidths.

Claims

1. A mobile device that establishes communication with a partner apparatus through wireless communication with a base station, the device comprising:

a holding unit which holds a correspondence table in which wireless communication connection modes that can be used by the mobile device are associated with corresponding numbers of connections with the partner apparatus;

a specifying unit which specifies a current wireless communication connection mode of the mobile device;

a setting unit which sets the number of connections corresponding to the wireless communication connection mode specified by the specifying unit, based on the correspondence table; and

a communicating unit which carries out communication with the partner apparatus using the number of connections set by the setting unit.

2. The mobile device according to claim 1,

wherein if the wireless communication connection mode is a mobile telephone communication standard, the setting unit sets the number of connections to a number determined in advance for each communication standard.

3. The mobile device according to claim 1,

wherein if the wireless communication connection mode is not a mobile telephone communication standard, the setting unit sets the number of connections to a number determined in advance based on a connection speed.

4. The mobile device according to claim 3,

wherein the connection speed is a connection speed in a direction in which data is transferred.

5. The mobile device according to claim 1,

wherein the setting unit includes unit which determining whether or not the mobile device is moving at a high speed, and if the mobile device is moving at a high speed, the setting unit sets the number of connections to a number that is lower than the number corresponding to the wireless communication connection mode.

6. The mobile device according to claim 5,

wherein the mobile device is determined to be moving at a high speed if a number of handovers occurring in a predetermined amount of time is greater than a predetermined number.

7. The mobile device according to claim 1,

wherein the setting unit includes unit which determining whether or not a network being connected to is a low-speed communication network, and if the network is a low-speed communication network, the setting unit sets the number of connections to a number that is lower than the number corresponding to the wireless communication connection mode.

8. The mobile device according to claim 7,

wherein whether or not the network being connected to is a low-speed communication network is determined based on speed information associated with setting information specifying a connection destination leading to the partner apparatus.

9. The mobile device according to claim 1,

wherein the setting unit further obtains contract information indicating a contract mode for a fee charged to the mobile device, and if the contract mode is pay-for-use, the setting unit sets the number of connections to a number that is lower than the number corresponding to the wireless communication connection mode.

10. The mobile device according to claim 5,

wherein the number that is lower than the number corresponding to the wireless communication connection mode is 1.

11. The mobile device according to claim 1,

wherein the setting unit periodically sets the number of connections.

12. The mobile device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display unit which displaying a user interface,

wherein the user interface includes at least one of an instruction to set the number of connections using the setting unit, an instruction to periodically set the number of connections, an instruction to set the number of connections in accordance with a contract mode, an instruction to set the number of connections in accordance with whether or not the mobile device is moving at a high speed, and an instruction to set the number of connections in accordance with whether or not the network being connected to is a low-speed communication network.

13. A communication control method carried out by a mobile device that establishes communication with a partner apparatus through wireless communication with a base station, the method comprising:

holding a correspondence table in which wireless communication connection modes that can be used by the mobile device are associated with corresponding numbers of connections with the partner apparatus;

specifying a current wireless communication connection mode of the mobile device;

setting a number of connections corresponding to the wireless communication connection mode that has been specified, based on the correspondence table; and

carrying out communication with the partner apparatus using the number of connections that have been set.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having recorded therein a program for causing a computer to perform the method according to claim 13.