Information processing apparatus and grouping method

• US 7,865,580 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2006
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Wakai, Masanori
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess; Barbara N
• Application Number:
  US11/499,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20070041381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,611 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222, 709/224, 709/225, 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing

Abstract

In an information processing apparatus for identifying a plurality of communication devices, grouping and managing the identified communication devices, communication devices that are in a state of communication among devices forbidden are grouped and managed. Then, it acts for obtaining data of another communication device when the data is obtained among the communication devices grouped. The data obtaining proxy is performed when a request to obtain data of another communication device is received from a communication device, and data of another communication device is obtained based on the request, and it is sent to a communication device.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus that identifies, groups, and manages communication devices, the apparatus comprising:

a reading unit that reads identifying information, which identifies a plurality of communication devices, wherein none of the plurality of communication devices is permitted to access any other of the plurality of communication devices directly;

a grouping unit that groups and manages the plurality of communication devices

a receiving unit that receives, from a first communication device, a request to obtain data of a second communication device that has been grouped by the grouping unit;

a determination unit that determines whether the grouping unit has grouped the first communication device and the second communication device in a same group;

an obtaining unit that obtains data of the second communication device, if the determination unit determines that the first communication device and the second communication device are in the same group; and

a sending unit that sends the obtained data to the first communication device, if the determination unit determines that the first communication device and the second communication device are in the same group,

wherein at least one of the receiving unit and the determination unit is incorporated in a processor that is coupled to a memory, and

wherein the grouping unit determines whether grouping of each of the plurality of communication devices is permitted, and, if a communication device is not permitted to be grouped, the grouping unit does not group that communication device.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the grouping unit comprises:

a listing unit that lists the communication devices identified by the identifying information; and

a designating unit that designates one or more of the plurality of communication devices to be grouped from a displayed list.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the reading unit reads respective pieces of the identifying information of the plurality of communication devices.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the reading unit includes any one or a combination of a non-contact identification tag reading unit, a Universal Serial Bus connecting unit, an infrared communication unit, a short-range wireless unit, a barcode reading unit, and a capture unit.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the displayed list displays one or more images of one or more of the plurality of communication devices, and

the designating unit designates the one or more of the plurality of communication devices to be grouped using the one or more images.

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

a creating unit for creating a folder, wherein a group of the plurality of communication devices is permitted to access the folder; and

a synchronizing unit that automatically synchronizes the folder and data in one of the plurality of communication devices.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a corresponding folder creating unit that creates one or more corresponding folders, wherein each of the corresponding folders corresponds to a different one of the group of the plurality of communication devices permitted to access the folder,

wherein the synchronizing unit synchronizes each of the corresponding folders with a corresponding communication device of the group of the plurality of communication devices.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the synchronizing unit synchronizes data identifying information for identifying data and the receiving unit receives the data identifying information.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a synchronization object folder specifying unit that specifies a synchronization object folder; and

a synchronization details specifying unit that specifies synchronization details;

wherein the synchronizing unit synchronizes according to the specified synchronization details.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining unit saves the obtained data and determines whether the obtained data is within one of the plurality of communication devices, and, if the obtained data is determined to be within one of the plurality of communication devices, the obtaining unit uses the obtained data.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the grouping unit determines whether the apparatus is permitted to be grouped, and, if the apparatus is not permitted to be grouped, the grouping unit does not group the apparatus.

12. A grouping method performed by an information processing apparatus that identifies, groups, and manages communication devices, the method comprising:

reading identifying information, which identifies a plurality of communication devices, wherein none of the plurality of communication devices is permitted to access any other of the plurality of communication devices directly;

receiving, from a first communication device, a request to obtain data of a second communication device that has been grouped;

determining whether the first communication device and the second communication device have been grouped in a same group;

obtaining data of the second communication device, if the first communication device and the second communication device are determined to have been grouped in the same group; and

sending the obtained data to the first communication device, if the first communication device and the second communication device are determined to have been grouped in the same group,

wherein the grouping includes determining whether grouping of each of the plurality of communication devices is permitted, and, if a communication device is not permitted to be grouped, the grouping does not group that communication device.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable codes that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of identifying, grouping, and managing communication devices, the method comprising:

reading identifying information, which identifies a plurality of communication devices, wherein none of the plurality of communication devices is permitted to access any other of the plurality of communication devices directly;

grouping and managing the plurality of communication devices;

receiving, from a first communication device, a request to obtain data of a second communication device that has been grouped;

determining whether the first communication device and the second communication device have been grouped in a same group;

obtaining data of the second communication device, if the first communication device and the second communication device are determined to have been grouped in the same group; and

sending the obtained data to the first communication device, if the first communication device and the second communication device are determined to have been grouped in the same group,

wherein the grouping includes determining whether grouping of each of the plurality of communication devices is permitted, and, if a communication device is not permitted to be grouped, the grouping does not group that communication device.