COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20200133606A1
• Filed: 12/27/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsushita, Takeshi, Konji, Mitsuru
• Granted Patent: US 11,048,458 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1236 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A communication apparatus capable of performing near field communication acquires communication information of a target apparatus through the near field communication, determines whether or not the target apparatus is connected to an access point to which the communication apparatus is connected, on the basis of the communication information, and accepts the target apparatus as a target to which the communication apparatus is to be connected by using a peer-to-peer communication system, when it is determined that the target apparatus is not connected to the access point to which the communication apparatus is connected.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A control method of a communication apparatus capable of wirelessly connecting with an external access point provided externally to the communication apparatus and externally to a printer and with the printer, the control method comprising:

receiving selection of an image;

executing second wireless communication for transmitting a printing job for printing the selected image by direct wireless connection without executing first wireless communication with the printer after the selection of the image is received, in a case where, after the selection of the image is received, the printer is operated in a predetermined state that direct wireless connection between the printer and the communication apparatus without using the external access point is establishable;

executing third wireless communication for transmitting the printing job by direct wireless connection after executing the first wireless communication with the printer after the selection of the image is received, in a case where, after the selection of the image is received, the printer is not operated in the predetermined state and the printer is not included in a network including the communication apparatus and the external access point; and

executing fourth wireless communication for transmitting the printing job by connection between the printer and the communication apparatus via the external access point, in a case where, after the selection of the image is received, the printer is not operated in the predetermined state and the printer is included in the network including the communication apparatus and the external access point,

wherein the first wireless communication is executed by a shorter range communication method with a communication range shorter than a communication range of the second wireless communication, a communication range of the third wireless communication and a communication range of the forth wireless communication.

3. The control method according to claim 2, further comprising:

executing predetermined processing of broadcasting a predetermined command to the network including the communication apparatus and the external access point; and

determining whether a response to the predetermined command is obtained from the printer by the predetermined processing,

wherein the printer is included in the network including the communication apparatus and the external access point in a case where it is determined that the response to the predetermined command is obtained from the printer by the predetermined processing, and the printer is not included in the network including the communication apparatus and the external access point in a case where it is determined that the response to the predetermined command is not obtained from the printer by the predetermined processing.

4. The control method according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined processing is not executed in a case where the printer is not operated in the predetermined state after the selection of the image is received, and the predetermined processing is executed in a case where the printer is operated in the predetermined state after the selection of the image is received.

5. The control method according to claim 3,

wherein identification information about the printer is obtained by the first wireless communication, and

wherein it is determined that the response to the predetermined command is obtained from the printer by the predetermined processing in a case where information matching the identification information obtained by the first wireless communication is obtained by the predetermined processing, and it is determined that the response to the predetermined command is not obtained from the printer by the predetermined processing in a case where the information matching the identification information obtained by the first wireless communication is not obtained by the predetermined processing.

6. The control method according to claim 5, wherein the identification information is a MAC address of the printer.

7. The control method according to claim 2,

wherein information indicating whether the printer is operated in the predetermined state is obtained from the printer by the first wireless communication, and

wherein the second wireless communication is executed without executing the first wireless communication after the image is selected, in a case where information indicating that the printer is operated in the predetermined state is obtained from the printer by the first wireless communication.

8. The control method according to claim 2, wherein an instruction is issued to operate the printer in the predetermined state in a case where the printer is not operated in the predetermined state and the printer is not included in the network including the communication apparatus and the external access point after the selectin of the image is accepted.

9. The control method according to claim 8, wherein the instruction is issued by the shorter range communication method.

10. The control method according to claim 9,

wherein the second wireless communication is executed without executing the first wireless communication after the selection of the image is received in a case where, after the selection of the image is received, a setting of wireless communication to be used for transmitting the print job is enabled in the communication apparatus and the printer is operated in the predetermined state,

wherein the third wireless communication is executed after the first wireless communication with the printer after the image is selected is executed, in a case where, after the selection of the image is received, the setting of the wireless communication to be used for transmitting the print job is enabled in the communication apparatus, the printer is not operated in the predetermined state, and the printer is not included in the network including the communication apparatus and the external access point,

wherein the fourth wireless communication is executed, in a case where, after the selection of the image is received, the setting of the wireless communication to be used for transmitting the print job is enabled in the communication apparatus, the printer is not operated in the predetermined state, and the printer is included in the network including the communication apparatus and the external access point, and

wherein fifth wireless communication for transmitting the print job by the direct wireless communication is executed after the first wireless communication with the printer after the image is selected is executed, in a case where, after the selection of the image is received, the setting of the wireless communication to be used for transmitting the print job is disabled.

11. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the setting of the wireless communication to be used for transmitting the print job is to be enabled, in a case where, after the selection of the image is received, the setting of the wireless communication to be used for transmitting the print job is disabled.

12. The control method according to claim 2, wherein information for establishing the direct wireless communication is obtained from the printer by the first wireless communication.

13. The control method according to claim 2, wherein the first wireless communication is communication by near field communication.

14. The control method according to claim 2, wherein the first wireless communication is communication by Bluetooth.

15. The control method according to claim 2, wherein the second wireless communication, the third wireless communication and the fourth wireless communication are communication by Wi-Fi.

16. The control method according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined state is a state that an access point included in the communication apparatus is enabled.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing therein a control program which when executed by a computer executes the control method according to claim 2.

17. A communication apparatus capable of wirelessly connecting with an external access point provided externally to the communication apparatus and externally to a printer and with the printer, the communication apparatus comprising:

at least one processor configured to perform;

receiving selection of an image;

executing second wireless communication for transmitting a print job for printing the selected image by direct wireless connection without executing first wireless communication with the printer after the selection of the image is received, in a case where, after the selection of the image is received, the printer is operated in a predetermined state that direct wireless connection between the printer and the communication apparatus without using the external access point is establishable;

executing third wireless communication for transmitting the print job by direct wireless connection after executing the first wireless communication with the printer after the selection of the image is received, in a case where, after the selection of the image is received, the printer is not operated in the predetermined state and the printer is not included in a network including the communication apparatus and the external access point; and

executing fourth wireless communication for transmitting the print job by connection between the printer and the communication apparatus via the external access point, in a case where, after the selection of the image is received, the printer is not operated in the predetermined state and the printer is included in the network including the communication apparatus and the external access point,

wherein the first wireless communication is executed by a shorter range communication method with a communication range shorter than a communication range of the second wireless communication, a communication range of the third wireless communication and a communication range of the forth wireless communication.