Information processing apparatus and communication setting method

• US 6,983,156 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2002
• Issued: 01/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Client Solutions CO., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaji, Koichi, Fukushima, Kazuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles N.
• Application Number:
  US10/255,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20030073438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• Field of Search: 455/434, 4554561-4566, 455/457, 455/414.1, 455/424, 455418-420, 342/357.06, 342/357.09, 342/357.1
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/20 Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/30 using constraints in the total amount of available transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

When an access point receives radio waves from a GPS satellite and acquires its own position information, it sends a beacon signal containing the acquired information to a PC over a wireless LAN. If the PC receives the beacon signal containing the position information from the access point, it starts initializing the wireless LAN function of the PC. Specifically, the PC analyzes the position information sent from the access point, derives a region to which the position indicated by the position information belongs, and updates the setting information in a flash memory so as to conform to the radio communication standard of the derived region. At the same time, the updated setting information is set onto the operations (frequency band, transmission power) of the wireless LAN card.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a communication unit capable of executing communication;

a memory configured to store first setting information that enables communication in a first region, second setting information that enables communication in a second region, and third setting information that enables communication in the first and second regions, the first and second setting information including the third setting information, the third setting information being initially set in the memory, the first and second setting information other than the third setting information being not initially set in the memory;

an acquiring unit configured to acquire region information relating to a region where the apparatus is present; and

a processing unit configured to change setting information set in the memory from the third setting information to one of the first and second setting information, and configured to set the changed one of the first and second setting information onto operations of the communication unit, on the basis of the region information acquired by the acquiring unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the setting information includes information indicative of at least one of a usable frequency band and a transmission power.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring unit acquires the region information using a global positioning system (GPS).

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring unit acquires the region information from another communication device capable of communicating with the communication unit.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the region information includes country information.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the region information includes position information.

7. A communication setting method for an information processing apparatus having a communication unit capable of executing communication, the method comprising:

storing first setting information that enables communication in a first region, second setting information that enables communication in a second region, and third setting information that enables communication in the first and second regions, in a memory provided to the information processing apparatus, the first and second setting information including the third setting information, the third setting information being initially set in the memory, the first and second setting information other than the third setting information being not initially set in the memory;

acquiring region information relating to a region where the apparatus is present; and

changing setting information set in the memory from the third setting information to one of the first and second setting information, and setting the changed one of the first and second setting information onto operations of the communication unit, on the basis of the acquired region information.

8. The communication setting method according to claim 7, wherein the region information is acquired using a global positioning system (GPS).

9. The communication setting method according to claim 7, wherein each of the setting information includes information indicative of at least one of a usable frequency band and a transmission power.

10. The communication setting method according to claim 7, wherein the communication unit includes a wireless LAN communication unit.