Wireless communication apparatus selectively connecting to peripheral apparatuses

• US 7,917,608 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2006
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Tsunoda, Naoki, Uchiyama, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai; Henry W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Snyder; Steven G
• Application Number:
  US11/501,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20070038735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,692 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00278 with a printing apparatus, e.g. a laser beam printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00323 with a measuring, monitoring or signaling apparatus, e.g. for transmitting measured information to a central location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00334 with an apparatus processing barcodes or the like arrangements for sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

There is provided a wireless communication apparatus where a searching condition according to connection schemes for to-be-searched peripheral apparatuses is set, and a connection request transmitting source apparatus transmits a service searching request to the peripheral apparatuses to wait for detection of the peripheral apparatuses, when a peripheral apparatus is detected, it is determined whether or not the peripheral apparatus matches with the set searching condition, if the peripheral apparatus matches with the searching condition, the peripheral apparatus is registered in a system, so that one peripheral apparatus is determined, after that the service searching request is transmitted again through the searching communication, the detection of the peripheral apparatuses is waited for, and a connection establishment process is performed on the extracted peripheral apparatuses.

Claims

1. A wireless communication apparatus which can perform wireless communication to a plurality of peripheral apparatuses having a wireless communication function, the wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a searching condition setting unit which sets a searching condition according to connection schemes for the peripheral apparatuses;

an extracting unit which performs searching communication based on the searching condition set by the searching condition setting unit to extract only the peripheral apparatuses matching with the searching condition;

an address list storage unit which stores address information used for connection to the peripheral apparatuses extracted by the extracting unit; and

an extracting condition setting unit which sets as an extracting condition a wireless communication state quality and an extraction number corresponding to a number of the peripheral apparatuses to be extracted;

wherein the extracting unit extracts up to a number of peripheral apparatuses corresponding to the extraction number starting from the highest wireless communication state quality among the peripheral apparatuses matching the searching condition;

wherein the extracting unit is configured to determine whether or not all the peripheral apparatuses matching with the searching condition stored in the address list storage unit are connected, and if it is determined that unconnected peripheral apparatuses exist, after a predetermined time elapses, with reference to an address list stored in the address list storage unit, the extracting unit determines again whether or not all the peripheral apparatuses matching with the searching condition are connected.

2. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the extracting unit repeats the searching communication in a predetermined time period until a connection to all the peripheral apparatuses matching with the searching condition among the peripheral apparatuses of which address information is stored in the address list storage unit is completed.

3. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a wireless connection unit which performs a connection process in the wireless communication for all the peripheral apparatuses extracted by the extracting unit.

4. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an extraction timing setting unit which receives a setting input indicating whether or not the extracting of the extracting unit is allowed to be performed at the time of starting the wireless communication apparatus.

5. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a condition input unit which receives a setting input for the searching condition according to the connection schemes,

wherein the searching condition setting unit set the searching condition received from the condition input unit.

6. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a verification input unit which receives a verification input indicating whether or not the connection process is to be performed on the peripheral apparatuses extracted by the extracting unit.

7. A wireless communication method for a wireless communication apparatus which can perform wireless communication to a plurality of peripheral apparatuses having a wireless communication function, the wireless communication method comprising:

a searching condition setting step for setting a searching condition according to connection schemes for the peripheral apparatuses;

a searching communication step of performing searching communication based on the searching condition;

an extracting step of extracting only the peripheral apparatuses matching with the searching condition in the searching communication step;

an address list storing step of storing address information used for connection to all the peripheral apparatuses extracted in the extracting step;

an extracting condition setting step of setting as an extracting condition a wireless communication state quality and an extraction number corresponding to a number of the peripheral apparatuses to be extracted;

wherein, in the extracting step, up to a number of the peripheral apparatuses corresponding to the extraction number are extracted, starting from the highest wireless communication state quality among the peripheral apparatuses matching the searching condition;

wherein the extracting step includes determining whether or not all the peripheral apparatuses matching with the searching condition stored in an address list storage unit are connected, and if it is determined that unconnected peripheral apparatuses exist, after a predetermined time elapses, with reference to an address list stored in the address list storage unit, the extracting unit determining again whether or not all the peripheral apparatuses matching with the searching condition are connected.

8. The wireless communication method according to claim 7 wherein the searching communication step and the extracting step repeat in a predetermined time period until a connection to all the peripheral apparatuses matching with the searching condition among the peripheral apparatuses of which address information is stored in the address list storing step is completed.

9. A wireless communication program for a wireless communication apparatus which can perform wireless communication to a plurality of peripheral apparatuses having a wireless communication function, the program allowing a computer to execute the steps according to claim 7.

10. A recording medium recording the wireless communication program according to claim 9.

11. An image pickup apparatus which can perform wireless communication to a plurality of peripheral apparatuses having a wireless communication function, the image pickup apparatus comprising:

a searching condition setting unit which sets a searching condition according to connection schemes for the peripheral apparatuses;

an extracting unit which performs searching communication based on the searching condition set by the searching condition setting unit to extract only the peripheral apparatuses matching with the searching condition;

an address list storage unit which stores address information used for connection to the peripheral apparatuses extracted by the extracting unit; and

an extracting condition setting unit which sets as an extracting condition a wireless communication state quality and an extraction number corresponding to a number of the peripheral apparatuses to be extracted;

wherein the extracting unit extracts only up to a number of peripheral apparatuses corresponding to the extraction number starting from the highest wireless communication state quality among the peripheral apparatuses matching the searching condition;

wherein the extracting unit is configured to determine whether or not all the peripheral apparatuses matching with the searching condition stored in the address list storage unit are connected, and if it is determined that unconnected peripheral apparatuses exist, after a predetermined time elapses, with reference to an address list stored in the address list storage unit, the extracting unit is configured to determine again whether or not all the peripheral apparatuses matching with the searching condition are connected.