Communications device and method, recording medium, and program

• US 7,711,388 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sato, Makoto, Noda, Takuro, Kakuda, Hiroshi, Komatsuzaki, Yoriko
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Safaipour; Bobbak
• Application Number:
  US10/544,034
• Publication Number:
  US 20060152477A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,328 Days
• Field of Search: 455/39, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/63.1, 455/456.5, 345/156
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

The present invention relates to a communications apparatus and method, a storage medium and a program that make it possible for the user to select a device to be made a communications partner more quickly and reliably. The searcher device 21 performs a search so as to detect only one device. If the response message from the searchee device 32 is obtained by the searcher device 21, on the display section of the searcher device 21 is displayed a selection screen for selecting whether or not to make the searchee device 32 a communications partner. If the searchee device 32 is not selected as a communications partner, the searcher device 21 performs another search so as to detect two devices. If the searchee device 31 and the searchee device 32 are detected in the second search, the searcher device 21 excludes the searchee device 32, which was not selected as a communications partner in the previous search, and displays a selection screen for selecting whether or not to perform communications with the searchee device 31. The present invention is applicable to various kinds of communications apparatuses, such as personal computers, PDAs, mobile phones and the like.

Claims

1. A communications apparatus characterized by comprising:

search means for performing a first search, through wireless communications, for devices existing within a range reachable by signals and detecting at least a first device;

display control means for displaying a first selection screen including an identification of only the first device detected by the first search to a user, the first selection screen enabling the user to indicate whether or not the first device is a communications partner desired by the user;

input means for receiving an input from the user through the first selection screen, the input indicating that the first device is not the desired communications partner;

memory means for storing, in response to the input, the identification of the first device in a list of communications partners not desired by the user,

wherein, in response to the input;

the search means performs a second search, through wireless communications, for devices existing within the range reachable by signals and detects at least the first device and a second device;

the display control means displays a second selection screen including an identification of only the second device detected by the second search to the user, the second selection screen enabling the user to indicate whether or not the second device is the desired communications partner, the second selection screen excluding the identification of the first device detected by the second search based on the storage of the identification of the first device in the list of communication partners not desired by the user; and

detection means for detecting reception intensity, at the communications apparatus, of signals transmitted from the devices detected through the search;

wherein, based on the detection result by the detection means, the display control means displays the first or the second selection screen with a device that transmits signals of an intensity of or above a predetermined threshold value as the first or the second device; and

wherein when a plurality of devices are simultaneously detected through the search performed by the search means, based on the detection result by the detection means, the display control means displays the first or the second selection screen with the device that transmits the signal of the highest intensity of the plurality of devices as the first or the second device.

2. The communications apparatus as described in claim 1, further comprising:

communications control means for performing subsequent wireless communications with the first device or the second device as the communications partner when the first device is selected as a communications partner through the first selection screen or when the second device is selected as a communications partner through the second selection screen.

3. The communications apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein when a plurality of devices are simultaneously detected through the search performed by the search means, the display control means displays the first or the second selection screen with one of the plurality of devices as the first or the second device.

4. The communications apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein when a plurality of devices are simultaneously detected through the search performed by the search means, the display control means displays the first or the second selection screen with the device detected first of the plurality of devices as the first or the second device.

5. The communications apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein the memory means stores identification information of all the devices that were not selected as a communications partner.

6. The communications apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein the search means controls the search range such that the search range for the second search and onward is wider than the search range for the first search.

7. A communications method comprising:

performing a first search, through wireless communications, for devices existing within a range reachable by signals and detecting at least a first device;

displaying a first selection screen including an identification of only the first device detected by the first search to a user, the first selection screen enabling the user to indicate whether or not the first device is a communications partner desired by the user;

receiving an input from the user through the first selection screen, the input indicating that the first device is not the desired communications partner;

storing, in response to the input, the identification of the first device in a list of communications partners not desired by the user;

performing, in response to the input, a second search, through wireless communications, for devices existing within the range reachable by signals and detecting at least the first device and a second device;

displaying a second selection screen including an identification of only the second device detected by the second search to the user, the second selection screen enabling the user to indicate whether or not the second device is the desired communications partner, the second selection screen excluding the identification of the first device detected by the second search based on the storage of the identification of the first device in the list of communications partners not desired by the user;

detecting reception intensity of signals transmitted from the devices detected through the searching;

displaying, based on the detected reception intensity, the first or the second selection screen with a device that transmits signals of an intensity of or above a predetermined threshold value as the first or the second device; and

displaying the first or the second selection screen with one of the plurality of devices that transmits signals of highest intensity as the first or the second device when a plurality of devices are simultaneously detected through the searching.

9. The communications method of claim 7, further comprising:

performing subsequent wireless communications with the first device or the second device as the communications partner when the first device is selected as the communications partner through the first selection screen or when the second device is selected as the communications partner through the second selection screen.

10. The communications method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing identification information of all the devices that were not selected as the communications partner.

11. The communications method of claim 7, wherein a search range for the second search and onward is wider than a search range for the first search.

8. A storage medium for storing a computer readable program, which, when executed by a processor, performs a method comprising:

performing a first search, through wireless communications, for devices existing within a range reachable by signals and detecting at least a first device;

displaying a first selection screen including an identification of the first device detected by the first search to a user, the first selection screen enabling the user to indicate whether or not the first device is a communications partner desired by the user;

receiving an input from the user through the first selection screen, the input indicating that the first device is not the desired communications partner;

storing, in response to the input, the identification of the first device in a list of communications partners not desired by the user;

performing, in response to the input, a second search, through wireless communications, for devices existing within the range reachable by signals and detecting at least the first device and a second device;

displaying a second selection screen including an identification the second device detected by the second search to the user, the second selection screen enabling the user to indicate whether or not the second device is the desired communications partner, the second selection screen excluding the identification of the first device detected by the second search based on the storage of the identification of the first device in the list of communications partners not desired by the user;

detecting reception intensity of signals transmitted from the devices detected through the searching;

displaying, based on the detected reception intensity, the first or the second selection screen with a device that transmits signals of an intensity of or above a predetermined threshold value as the first or the second device and; and

displaying the first or the second selection screen with one of the plurality of devices that transmits signals of highest intensity as the first or the second device when a plurality of devices are simultaneously detected through the searching.

12. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

performing subsequent wireless communications with the first device or the second device as the communications partner when the first device is selected as the communications partner through the first selection screen or when the second device is selected as the communications partner through the second selection screen.

13. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

storing identification information of all the devices that were not selected as the communications partner.

14. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein a search range for the second search and onward is wider than a search range for the first search.