COMMUNICATION APPARATUS AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20170311248A1
• Filed: 07/12/2017
• Published: 10/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sato, Ryosuke
• Granted Patent: US 9,974,012 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00188 Printing, e.g. prints or reprints H04N1/0019, H04N1/00196 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0055 Transmission or use of information for re-establishing the radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0066 of control information between different types of networks in order to establish a new radio link in the target network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0072 of resource information of target access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A communication apparatus includes first communication means for performing a wireless communication with another communication apparatus in a first communication method, second communication means for performing the wireless communication with another communication apparatus in a second communication method that is different from the first communication method, and sending means for sending a request message for requesting, by using the first communication means, a connection parameter for connecting to another communication apparatus via the second communication means, the request message including information about a communication service executable by the communication apparatus.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a first communication unit configured to perform communication based on a first wireless communication method;

a second communication unit configured to perform communication based on a second wireless communication method, the first wireless communication method being lower in communication speed than the second wireless communication method or being shorter in communication distance than the second wireless communication method; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit a request message for requesting for connection based on the second wireless communication method to another apparatus,

wherein, in a case where communication with the another apparatus has been started by the first communication unit in a state in which a service that is to be executed via the second communication unit has been selected, the transmission unit transmits the request message including information about the service, and

wherein, in a case where communication with the another apparatus has been started by the first communication unit in a state in which a service that is to be executed via the second communication unit has not been selected, the transmission unit transmits the request message not including information about the service.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the service includes at least any of a print service, an image transmission service, a moving image reproduction service, and an image scanning service.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the second communication unit, after connecting to the another communication apparatus by using a connection parameter that is included in a response of the another communication apparatus to the request message, performs a communication with the another communication apparatus to execute the service.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, in a case where a plurality of services has been selected, the request message includes information about each of the plurality of services.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the request message includes information about a service that the communication apparatus is able to provide or information about a service that the communication apparatus is able to use.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a determination unit configured to determine whether to perform communication with the another communication apparatus via the second communication unit or not on a basis of a response of the another communication apparatus to the request message.

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the determination unit determines that communication is to be performed via the second communication unit in a case where the response of the another communication apparatus to the request message includes information indicating that the service indicated by the information about the service is executable by the another apparatus.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a notifying unit configured to notify a user of an error in a case of determination by the determination unit that the communication via the second communication unit is not to be performed.

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first communication unit performs the communication through NFC (Near Field Communication).

10. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the second communication unit performs the communication using wireless communication based on IEEE 802.11 series.

11. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the request message is a handover request message prescribed by an NFC Forum.

12. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the second communication unit connects to the another communication apparatus on a basis of a connection parameter that is shared in the communication of the request message and a response message to the request message via the first communication unit;

and

wherein the connection parameter includes at least one of an SSID, an encryption key, an encryption method, an authentication key, an authentication method, and a MAC address.

13. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the request message includes information indicating the second communication method and information about the service.

14. A method comprising:

performing, at a first communication unit, communication based on a first wireless communication method;

performing, at a second communication unit, communication based on a second wireless communication method, the first wireless communication method being lower in communication speed than the second wireless communication method or being shorter in communication distance than the second wireless communication method; and

transmitting, at a transmission unit, a request message for requesting for connection based on the second wireless communication method to another apparatus,

wherein, in a case where communication with the another apparatus has been started by the first communication unit in a state in which a service that is to be executed via the second communication unit has been selected, the transmission unit transmits the request message including information about the service, and

wherein, in a case where communication with the another apparatus has been started by the first communication unit in a state in which a service that is to be executed via the second communication unit has not been selected, the transmission unit transmits the request message not including information about the service.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a communication apparatus to perform a process comprising:

performing, at a first communication unit, communication based on a first wireless communication method;

performing, at a second communication unit, communication based on a second wireless communication method, the first wireless communication method being lower in communication speed than the second wireless communication method or being shorter in communication distance than the second wireless communication method; and

transmitting, at a transmission unit, a request message for requesting for connection based on the second wireless communication method to another apparatus,

wherein, in a case where communication with the another apparatus has been started by the first communication unit in a state in which a service that is to be executed via the second communication unit has been selected, the transmission unit transmits the request message including information about the service, and

wherein, in a case where communication with the another apparatus has been started by the first communication unit in a state in which a service that is to be executed via the second communication unit has not been selected, the transmission unit transmits the request message not including information about the service.