Information processing apparatus, method for controlling thereof and computer program

• US 8,230,014 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2009
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Uchikawa, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ashraf, Waseem
• Application Number:
  US12/470,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20090292772A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709223-224
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a storage unit adapted to store information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, a reception unit adapted to receive from an other information processing apparatus a request to acquire information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses stored by the storage unit, a determination unit adapted to, by comparing an address of the image forming apparatus stored by the storage unit with an address of another information processing apparatus, determine whether the image forming apparatus has the address which another information processing apparatus can access, and a transmission unit adapted to transmit to another information processing apparatus the information of the image forming apparatus having the address which is determined by the determination unit to be accessible from another information processing apparatus.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus that is capable of connecting to a plurality of image forming apparatuses, comprising:

a processor and memory;

a storage unit adapted to store addresses of the plurality of image forming apparatuses;

a reception unit adapted to receive from an external apparatus a request to acquire the address stored by the storage unit;

a determination unit adapted to, based on the address by the storage unit and an address of the external apparatus, determine whether each of the addresses stored by the storage unit is an address which is able to be accessed from the external apparatus; and

a transmission unit adapted to transmit, to the external apparatus, at least one address determined as being able to be accessed from the external apparatus by the determination unit, wherein the determination unit determines whether the address of the image forming apparatus stored by the storage unit is a link local address, and, when the address of the image forming apparatus is the link local address, determines whether the image forming apparatus and the external apparatus exist in a same subnetwork, so as to determine whether the image forming apparatus has the address which the external apparatus is able to access.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatuses whose information is transmitted by the transmission unit do not include an image forming apparatus that is not determined by the determination unit to have an address which the external apparatus is able to access.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the address of the image forming apparatus and the address of the external apparatus are an IP address.

4. An information processing apparatus that is capable of connecting to a plurality of image forming apparatuses, comprising:

a processor and memory;

a storage unit adapted to store addresses of the plurality of image forming apparatuses which exist in the same subnetwork as the information processing;

a transmission unit adapted to transmit to an external apparatus the address of the image forming apparatus stored by the storage unit; and

a determination unit adapted to determine whether the information processing apparatus and the external apparatus exist in a same subnetwork;

wherein the transmission unit transmits the addresses of the plurality of image forming apparatuses stored by the storage unit when the determination unit determines that the information processing apparatus and the external apparatus exist in the same subnetwork, and transmits the addresses excluding a link local address from among the addresses of the plurality of image forming apparatuses stored by the storage unit when the determination unit does not determine that the information processing apparatus and the external apparatus exist in the same subnetwork.

5. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a processor and memory;

a reception unit adapted to receive addresses of a plurality of image forming apparatuses transmitted from an external apparatus, the plurality of image forming apparatus existing in the same subnetwork as the external apparatus;

a determination unit adapted to determine whether the information processing apparatus and the external apparatus exist in a same subnetwork; and

a storage unit adapted to store the addresses of the plurality of image forming apparatus received by the reception unit when the determination unit determines that the information processing apparatus and the external apparatus exist in the same subnetwork, and store the addresses excluding a link local address from among the addresses of the plurality of image forming apparatuses received by the reception unit when the determination unit does not determine that the information processing apparatus and the external apparatus exist in the same subnetwork.

6. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus that is capable of connecting to a plurality of image forming apparatuses, comprising steps of:

storing addresses of the plurality of image forming apparatuses which exist in the same subnetwork as the information processing in a storage unit;

transmitting to an external apparatus the address of the image forming apparatus stored by the storage unit; and

determining whether the information processing apparatus and the external apparatus exist in a same subnetwork;

wherein the addresses of the plurality of image forming apparatuses stored by the storage unit are transmitted when it is determined that the information processing apparatus and the external apparatus exist in the same subnetwork, and the addresses excluding a link local address from among the addresses of the plurality of image forming apparatuses stored by the storage unit are transmitted when it is not determined that the information processing apparatus and the external apparatus exist in the same subnetwork.

7. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus comprising steps of:

receiving addresses of a plurality of image forming apparatuses transmitted from an external apparatus, the plurality of image forming apparatuses existing in the same subnetwork as the external apparatus;

determining whether the information processing apparatus and the external apparatus exist in a same subnetwork; and

storing the received addresses of the plurality of image forming apparatus in a storage unit when it is determined that the information processing apparatus and the external apparatus exist in the same subnetwork, and storing the addresses excluding a link local address from among the received addresses of the plurality of image forming apparatuses in the storage unit when it is not determined that the information processing apparatus and the external apparatus exist in the same subnetwork.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing a program that causes an information processing apparatus that is capable of connecting to a plurality of image forming apparatuses to execute steps of:

storing addresses of the plurality of image forming apparatuses which exist in the same subnetwork as the information processing apparatus in a storage unit;

transmitting to an external apparatus the address of the image forming apparatus stored by the storage unit; and

determining whether the information processing apparatus and the external exist in a same subnetwork;

wherein the addresses of the plurality of image forming apparatuses stored by the storage unit are transmitted when it is determined that the information processing apparatus and the external apparatus exist in the same subnetwork, and the addresses excluding a link local address from among the addresses of the plurality of image forming apparatuses stored by the storage unit are transmitted when it is not determined that the information processing apparatus and the external apparatus exist in the same subnetwork.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing a program that causes an information processing apparatus to execute steps of:

receiving addresses of a plurality of image forming apparatuses transmitted from an external apparatus, the plurality of image forming apparatuses existing in the same subnetwork as the external apparatus;

determining whether the information processing apparatus and the external apparatus exist in a same subnetwork; and

storing the received addresses of the plurality of image forming apparatus in a storage unit when it is determined that the information processing apparatus and the external apparatus exist in the same subnetwork, and storing the addresses excluding a link local address from among the received addresses of the plurality of image forming apparatuses in the storage unit when it is not determined that the information processing apparatus and the external apparatus exist in the same subnetwork.

10. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus that is capable of connecting to a plurality of image forming apparatuses, the method comprising the steps of:

storing addresses of the plurality of image forming apparatuses;

receiving from an external apparatus a request to acquire the stored addresses;

based on the stored addresses and an address of the external apparatus, determining whether each of the stored addresses is an address which is able to be accessed from the external apparatus;

transmitting, to the external apparatus, at least one address determined as being able to be accessed from the external apparatus; and

determining whether the stored address of the image forming apparatus stored is a link local address, and, when the address of the image forming apparatus is the link local address, determining whether the image forming apparatus and the external apparatus exist in a same subnetwork, so as to determine whether the image forming apparatus has the address which the external apparatus is able to access.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing a program that causes an information processing apparatus to execute steps of:

storing addresses of the plurality of image forming apparatuses;

receiving from an external apparatus a request to acquire the stored addresses;

based on the stored addresses and an address of the external apparatus, determining whether each of the stored addresses is an address which is able to be accessed from the external apparatus;

transmitting, to the external apparatus, at least one address determined as being able to be accessed from the external apparatus; and

determining whether the stored address of the image forming apparatus stored is a link local address, and, when the address of the image forming apparatus is the link local address, determining whether the image forming apparatus and the external apparatus exist in a same subnetwork, so as to determine whether the image forming apparatus has the address which the external apparatus is able to access.