Radio station and output prevention method

• US 7,471,662 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2004
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Otsuka, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller; Brandon J
• Application Number:
  US10/923,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20050047385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/68, 455/41.1, 455/41.3, 455/410, 455/411, 370/338, 370/245, 370/278
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/73 Access point logical identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A radio station, which conducts radio communications with an access point configuring a part of a wireless LAN, has a setting information acquisition section that acquires setting information as to whether or not the access point is set so as not to output connection data for conducting radio communications, a determination section that determines whether or not the access point is set so as not to output the connection data based on the setting information acquired by the setting information acquisition section, and an output prevention section that prevents a part or all of the connection data set or acquired in conducting radio communications with the access point from being outputted to the outside of the radio station if the determination section determines that the access point is set so as not to output the connection data.

Claims

1. A radio station, which conducts radio communications with an access point comprising a part of a wireless LAN and which communicates with other devices through the access point, the radio station comprising:

a parameter recording section that records connection data of the access point for conducting radio communications;

a setting information acquisition section that acquires setting information indicating whether the access point is set to prevent communication of the recorded connection data;

a determination section that determines whether the access point is set to prevent communication of the recorded connection data based on the setting information acquired by the setting information acquisition section; and

an output prevention section that prevents a part or all of the recorded connection data of the access point from being outputted to the outside of the radio station if the determination section determines that the access point is set to prevent communication of the recorded connection data.

2. The radio station according to claim 1,

wherein, when the radio station receives a request for the recorded connection data of the access point, the output prevention section prevents the recorded connection data of the access point from being transmitted in response to the request if the determination section determines that the access point is set to prevent communication of the recorded connection data of the access point.

3. The radio station according to claim 1,

wherein, when the radio station receives an instruction to display the recorded connection data of an access point on a display section, the output prevention section prevents the recorded connection data of the access point from being displayed on the display section if the determination section determines that the access point is set to prevent communication of the recorded connection data.

4. The radio station according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display section which displays data; and

an operation section which controls operation of the radio station,

wherein, when the operation section is operated to display the recorded connection data on the display section of the radio station, the output prevention section prevents the recorded connection data of the access point from being displayed on the display section if the determination section determines that the access point is set to prevent communication of the recorded connection data.

5. The radio station according to claim 1,

wherein the setting information acquisition section acquires the setting information at regular time intervals.

6. The radio station according to claim 1,

wherein the setting information is a probe response transmitted in response to a probe request from the radio station.

7. The radio station according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage section that stores the setting information acquired by the setting information acquisition section,

wherein the determination section determines whether the access point is set to prevent communication of the recorded connection data based on the setting information stored in the storage section.

8. The radio station according to claim 7,

wherein the setting information stored in the storage section is setting information of each access point set to prevent communication of the recorded connection data.

9. The radio station according to claim 1,

wherein the determination section further determines that an access point whose setting information is not acquired by the setting information acquisition section is an access point set to prevent communication of the recorded connection data.

10. The radio station according to claim 7,

wherein the setting information acquisition section further receives setting data transmitted from an access point whose setting information is already stored in the storage section, and tries to acquire second setting information determined according to the setting data, and

wherein the determination section determines that the access point is an access point set to prevent communication of the recorded connection data if the setting information acquisition section fails to acquire the second setting information.

11. The radio station according to claim 10, further comprising:

a setting information invalidation section that invalidates the setting information stored in the storage section before the setting information acquisition section tries to acquire the second setting information.

12. An output prevention method for preventing a radio station, which conducts radio communications with an access point comprising a part of a wireless LAN and which communicates with other devices through the access point, from outputting from the radio station at least a part of connection data used to conduct radio communications with the access point, the method comprising:

recording the connection data;

acquiring setting information indicating whether the access point is set to prevent communication of the recorded connection data;

determining whether the access point is set to prevent communication of the recorded connection data based on the acquired setting information; and

preventing a part or all of the recorded connection data of the access point from being outputted from the radio station if the access point is determined to be set to prevent communication of the recorded connection data.

13. A radio station which conducts radio communications with an access point and communicates with other devices through the access point, the radio station comprising:

a parameter recording section that records parameter data including a connection data indicating settings for the radio station to conduct radio communications with the access point;

a data receiving section that receives first data and second data transmitted from the access point, the first data including the connection data, the second data not including the connection data;

a determination section that determines which one of the first data and the second data the data receiving section receives;

an output section that outputs the parameter data recorded in the parameter recording section;

a command receiving section that receives a request command to output the parameter data from the output section; and

an output prevention section that performs an output control of the connection data from the output section based on a result of the determination section.

14. The radio station according to claim 13, wherein the output prevention section controls the output section to prevent the connection data from being outputted when the determination section determines that the data receiving section receives the second data.

15. The radio station according to claim 13, wherein the output prevention section controls the output section to output the connection data only when the determination section determines that the data receiving section receives the first data.

16. The radio station according to claim 13, further comprising:

an access point recording section that records the connection data when the determination section determines that the data receiving section receives the first data,

wherein the output prevention section controls the output section to output the connection data stored in the access point recording section.

17. The radio station according to claim 13,

wherein the output section outputs the parameter data to an information processing apparatus conducting communications with the radio station through the access point, and

wherein the command receiving section receives the request command to output the parameter data recorded in the parameter recording section from the information processing apparatus.

18. The radio station according to claim 13,

wherein the output section outputs the parameter data to a display to display the parameter data, and

wherein the command receiving section receives the request command to display the parameter data recorded in the parameter recording section from an information processing apparatus conducting communications with the radio station through the access point.

19. The radio station according to claim 13, further comprising:

an operation section to which a user can input a command,

wherein the output section outputs the parameter data to a display to display the parameter data, and

wherein the command receiving section receives the request command to display the parameter data recorded in the parameter recording section from the operation section.

20. The radio station according to claim 16, wherein:

the access point transmits either the first data or the second data at a predetermined timing;

the data receiving section receives either the first data or the second data transmitted from the access point;

the determination section determines which one of the first data and the second data the data receiving section receives; and

when the determination section determines that the data receiving section receives the first data, the access point recording section records the connection data included in the received first data.

21. A radio station that conducts wireless communications with an access point and communicates with other devices through the access point, the radio station comprising:

a receiving section that receives a parameter data for communicating with the access point, from the access point;

a determination section that, when the receiving section does not receive the parameter data from which an identifying data for identifying the access point is recognizable for a threshold time period, determines that the access point is set to prevent output of the identifying data; and

an outputting section that outputs information indicating that the access point is set to prevent output of the identifying data in response to a request for outputting the identifying data, when the determination section determines that the access point is set to prevent output of the identifying data.

22. The radio station according to claim 21, further comprising:

a transmitting section that transmits a request for the parameter data to the access point,

wherein the access point transmits the parameter data to the radio station in response to the request for the parameter data.

23. The radio station according to claim 21, further comprising:

a storage unit; and

a registering unit that, when the receiving section receives the parameter data from which the identifying data is recognizable, registers the identifying data to the storage unit,

wherein the determination section determines, in response to the request for outputting the identifying data, if the access point is set to prevent output of the identifying data when the storage unit does not store the identifying data.