Communication method, control station, and communication apparatus

• US 8,149,800 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2006
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sawada, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fahnert, Marisol
• Application Number:
  US11/612,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20070140197A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,933 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/328, 370331-335, 455/422.1, 455/445, 455136-444, 455/452.2, 455/67.11, 455524-525, 455502-509
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

When a first communication apparatus issues a request for communication quality securement to a control station in order to select communication using a communication path via a control station or communication using a direct communication path between communication apparatuses, it is determined whether the communication partner of the first communication apparatus is a communication apparatus accommodated in the same control station. The control station selects a communication path on the basis of the determination.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a reception unit that receives, from a first communication device, a request for direct communication between the first communication device and a second communication device;

a management unit that manages, as history information, to have a function that the first communication device communicates directly with the second communication device without the communication apparatus in accordance with the request of the direct communication received from the first communication device by the reception unit;

a determination unit that, when a request for communication with the first communication device is newly received from a third communication device, determines whether or not the communication apparatus accommodates both the first communication device and the third communication device, and determines whether or not the first communication device has the function based on the history information managed by the management unit; and

a selection unit that selects, based on a determination result by the determination unit, either the direct communication between the first communication device and the third communication device or the communication with the first communication device via the communication apparatus to instruct the third communication device to perform the selected communication,

wherein the reception unit, the management unit, determination unit and selection unit are partially implemented by at least one processor.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reception unit receives, from the first communication device, a request for communication bands between the first communication device and the second communication device with the request for the direct communication between the first communication device and a second communication device.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a response unit that responds to the third communication device so as to perform the communication with the first communication device via the communication apparatus selected by the selection unit even if the request for the direct communication between the first communication device and the third communication device is received from the third communication device.

4. A communication method of a communication apparatus comprising:

receiving, from a first communication device, a request for direct communication between the first communication device and a second communication device;

managing, as history information, to have a function that the first communication device communicates directly with the second communication device without the communication apparatus in accordance with the request of the direct communication received from the first communication device in the receiving step;

when a request for communication with the first communication device is newly received from a third communication device, determining whether or not the communication apparatus accommodates the first communication device and the third communication device, and determining whether or not the first communication device has the function based on the history information managed in the managing step; and

selecting, based on a determination result in the determining step, either the direct communication between the first communication device and the third communication device or the communication with the first communication device via the communication apparatus to instruct the third communication device to perform the selected communication.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute a communication method defined in claim 4 is recorded.