Communication apparatus and communication method

• US 8,081,616 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2010
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kito, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Kenny
• Application Number:
  US12/967,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20110142021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 709/222
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a communication apparatus has a transmission/reception module, a WLAN-setting data storage module, a registrar process module, a WOL-setting data storage module, and a WOL-setting data addition module. The transmission/reception module transmits and receives data to and from an external apparatus through wireless communication. The WLAN-setting data storage module stores WLAN-setting data for setting a WLAN function. The registrar process module transmits and receives data to and from the external apparatus via the transmission/reception module on the basis of the data stored in the WLAN-setting data storage module, and registers the external apparatus as an enrollee. The WOL-setting data storage module stores WOL-setting data for setting WOL function with respect to the external apparatus. The WOL-setting data addition module adds the WOL-setting data stored in the WOL-setting data storage module, to the data to be transmitted by the registrar process module to the external apparatus.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a transmission and reception module configured to transmit data to, and receive data from, an external apparatus through wireless communication;

a wireless LAN (WLAN)-setting data storage module configured to store data for setting a WLAN function;

a registration process module configured to transmit the data to, and receive the data from, the external apparatus via the transmission and reception module on the basis of the data stored in the WLAN-setting data storage module, and to register the external apparatus as an enrollee;

a wake-on-LAN (WOL)-setting data storage module configured to store WOL-setting data for setting a WOL function with respect to the external apparatus; and

a WOL-setting data addition module configured to add the WOL-setting data stored in the WOL-setting data storage module to the data before transmission by the registration process module to the external apparatus.

2. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the WOL-setting data storage module is configured to store a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the communication apparatus as WOL-setting data.

3. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the WOL-setting data storage module is further configured to store an encryption key that is used to perform the WOL function, and the WOL-setting data addition module is further configured to add the encryption key stored in the WOL-setting data storage module to the data before transmission by the registrar process module to the external apparatus.

4. A communication apparatus comprising:

a transmission and reception module configured to transmit data to, and receive data from, an external apparatus through wireless communication;

a WLAN-setting data storage module configured to store data for setting a WLAN function;

an enrollee process module configured to transmit the data to, and receive the data from, the external apparatus via the transmission and reception module on the basis of the data stored in the WLAN-setting data storage module, and to register the communication apparatus as an enrollee of the external apparatus;

a WOL-setting data acquisition module configured to acquire WOL-setting data from the data the enrollee process module has received from the external apparatus; and

a WOL-setting data storage module configured to store the WOL-setting data acquired by the WOL-setting data acquisition module.

5. A communication method of achieving wireless communication between a first communication apparatus and a second communication apparatus, the method comprising:

exchanging data between the first and second communication apparatuses on the basis of data for setting a WLAN stored in the first and second communication apparatuses, and registering the second communication apparatus as an enrollee of the first communication apparatus;

adding WOL-setting data stored in the first communication apparatus for setting a WOL function between the first and second communication apparatuses to data to be transmitted from the first communication apparatus to the second communication apparatus; and

acquiring the WOL-setting data added to the data; and

recording the acquired WOL-setting data in the second communication apparatus.