Communication Device and Terminal Device

• US 20150093992A1
• Filed: 09/26/2014
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 10,142,014 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/20 characterised by the transmission technique; characterised by the transmission medium
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile

Abstract

A system and method for providing network information using a short-range wireless communication path between a communication device and a terminal device is described. In some examples, authentication information is required from the terminal device prior to communication of the network information. In some examples, the short-range wireless communication path is disconnected and reestablished in which one of the terminal device and the communication device changes operation modes of a short-range wireless interface.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

a short-range wireless interface configured to perform wireless communication with a terminal device using a short-range wireless communication protocol, the short-range wireless interface operable in a peer-to-peer mode and another mode;

a Wi-Fi interface configured to perform wireless communication with the terminal device using a Wi-Fi-compliant communication protocol;

a processor; and

a memory storing computer-readable instructions therein, the computer-readable instruction, when executed by the processor, causing the communication device to perform;

receiving, over a short-range wireless connection via the short-range wireless interface in the peer-to-peer mode, request information from the terminal device, the request information to perform a function by the communication device;

transmitting, via the short-range wireless interface in the peer-to-peer mode, first response information to the terminal device in response to the receiving of the request information;

in response to a termination and reactivation of the short-range wireless connection to the terminal device, receiving, via the short-range wireless interface in the another mode, authentication information from the terminal device;

executing a first determination process in which the communication device determines whether the authentication information is correct in response to the receiving the authentication information;

when determined, in the first determination process, that the authentication information is correct, performing, via the short-range wireless interface in the another mode, communication of network information to be used to connect with the Wi-Fi interface, otherwise, when determined, in the first determination process, that the authentication information is incorrect, not performing the communication of the network information; and

when the network information has been communicated, performing wireless communication with the terminal device using the Wi-Fi interface.

2. The communication device as in claim 1,

wherein the memory further stores setting information indicating whether the first determination process is to be executed;

wherein transmitting the first response information is performed when the setting information indicates that the first determination process is to be executed; and

wherein the instructions further comprise;

when the setting information indicates that the first determination process is not to be executed, transmitting, via the short-range wireless interface in the peer-to-peer mode, second response information that includes information relating to the network information without transmitting the first response information.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the instructions further comprise:

executing a second determination process in which the communication device determines whether the communication device performs the communication of the network information in response to the receiving of the request information; and

when determined, in the second determination process, that the communication device does not perform the communication of the network information, transmitting, via the short-range wireless interface in the peer-to-peer mode, third response information that indicates to prohibit the performing of the wireless communication with the terminal device using the Wi-Fi interface.

4. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the another mode is a reader/writer mode.

5. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the another mode is a card emulation mode.

6. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the instructions further comprise:

after transmitting the first response information via the short-range wireless interface, transmitting a deactivation signal to the terminal via the short-range wireless interface in the peer-to-peer mode.

7. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein transmitting the first response information via the short-range wireless interface results in the terminal device displaying instructions to move the terminal device away from and then close to the communication device to disconnect and then reconnect short-range wireless communication.

8. The communication device as in claim 1,

wherein the request information includes an execution request of a target function;

wherein the instructions further comprise;

when determined, in the first determination process, that the authentication information is correct, executing a fourth determination process in which the communication device determines whether the target function is to be performed;

wherein when determined, in the fourth determination process, that the target function is to be performed, performing, via the short-range wireless interface in the another mode, the communication of the network information to be used to connect with the Wi-Fi interface, otherwise, when determined, in the fourth determination process, that the target function is not to be performed, not performing the communication of the network information.

9. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the short-range wireless interface is an NFC-compatible interface.

10. A terminal device comprising:

a short-range wireless interface configured to perform wireless communication with a communication device using a short-range wireless communication protocol, the short-range wireless interface operable in a peer-to-peer mode and another mode;

a Wi-Fi interface configured to perform wireless communication with the communication device using a Wi-Fi-compliant communication protocol;

a processor; and

a memory storing computer-readable instructions therein, the computer-readable instruction, when executed by the processor, causing the terminal device to perform;

transmitting, over a short-range wireless connection via the short-range wireless interface in the peer-to-peer mode, request information to the communication device, the request information to perform a function by the communication device;

receiving, via the short-range wireless interface in the peer-to-peer mode, first response information from the communication device in response to transmitting of the request information;

in response to a termination and reactivation of the short-range wireless connection to the communication device, transmitting, via the short-range wireless interface in the another mode, authentication information to the communication device;

when the terminal device'"'"'s authentication information is determined to be correct by the communication device, performing, via the short-range wireless interface in the another mode, communication of network information to be used to connect with the Wi-Fi interface; and

when the network information has been communicated, performing wireless communication with the communication device using the Wi-Fi interface.

11. The terminal device according to claim 10, wherein the instructions further comprise:

in response to the termination, switching the peer-to-peer mode to the another mode; and

in response to the communication of network information, switching the another mode to the peer-to-peer mode.

12. The terminal device according to claim 10,

wherein the another mode is a card emulation mode.

13. The terminal device according to claim 10,

wherein the another mode is a reader/writer mode.

14. The terminal device according to claim 10, wherein the instructions further comprise:

receiving a disconnect signal from the communication device via the short-range wireless interface in the peer-to-peer mode.

15. The terminal device according to claim 10,

wherein the short-range wireless interface is an NFC-compatible interface.

16. A communication device comprising:

a short-range wireless interface configured to perform wireless communication with a terminal device using a short-range wireless communication protocol, the short-range wireless interface operable in at least one of a peer-to-peer mode and in another mode, the another mode including at least one of a reader/writer mode and a card-emulation mode;

a Wi-Fi interface configured to perform wireless communication with the terminal device using a Wi-Fi-compliant communication protocol;

a processor; and

a memory storing computer-readable instructions therein, the computer-readable instruction, when executed by the processor, causing the communication device to perform;

receiving, over a short-range wireless connection via the short-range wireless interface, request information from the terminal device, the request information to perform a function by the communication device;

transmitting, via the short-range wireless interface, first response information to the terminal device in response to the receiving of the request information;

receiving, via the short-range wireless interface, authentication information from the terminal device;

transmitting the received authentication information to another device;

receiving confirmation from the another device that the received authentication information is correct;

when the received authentication information is correct, performing, via the short-range wireless interface, communication of network information to be used to connect with the Wi-Fi interface, otherwise, when the received authentication information is incorrect, not performing the communication of the network information; and

when the network information has been communicated, performing wireless communication with the terminal device using the Wi-Fi interface.

17. The communication device according to claim 16,

wherein the request information is received in the peer-to-peer mode,

wherein the first response information is transmitted in the peer-to-peer mode,

wherein the authentication information is received in the peer-to-peer mode, and

wherein the network information is communicated in the peer-to-peer mode.

18. The communication device according to claim 16,

wherein the request information is received in the another mode,

wherein the first response information is transmitted in the another mode,

wherein the authentication information is received in the another mode, and

wherein the network information is communicated in the another mode.

19. The communication device according to claim 16,

wherein the short-range wireless connection becomes inactive after the transmission of the first response, and

wherein the instructions further comprise:

reestablishing the short-range wireless connection before receiving the authentication information from the terminal device.

20. The communication device according to claim 16, wherein the short-range wireless interfaces is an NFC-compatible interface.