Technique for communicating by utilizing communication setting information

• US 8,275,861 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Kawai, Sunao
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Murphy, Charles
• Application Number:
  US12/276,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20090144401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: 709/236, 709/235, 709/232, 709/231, 709/230, 709/229, 709/228, 709/224, 709/217, 709/208, 709/207, 709/206, 709/204, 709/225, 709/21, 455/557, 455/556.1, 455/553.1, 455/518, 455/455, 455/417, 455/414.1, 370/469, 370/468, 370/466, 370/432, 370/429, 370/419, 370/401, 726/18, 726/15, 726/1, 718/102, 713/189, 713/187, 713/173, 713/169, 713/168, 713/155
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A communication device is configured to connect with a network including a plurality of types of external devices. The communication device is provided with a spec storage device, a type obtaining device, and a communication attempt device. The spec storage device is configured to store an association of a type of external device and a spec of communication setting information which is capable of being set in the type of external device. The type obtaining device is configured to obtain type information of each external device. The communication attempt device is configured to attempt to communicate with each external device by utilizing communication setting information which complies with the spec associated with the obtained type information of external device by the type obtaining device.

Claims

1. A communication device for managing a plurality of printers, the plurality of printers including a first type of one or more printers, a second type of one or more printers, and a third type of one or more printers, the communication device comprising:

a spec storage device configured to store an association of a type of printer and a spec of communication setting information which is capable of being set in the type of printer, wherein a first spec of communication setting information which is capable of being set in the first type of printer is different from a second spec of communication setting information which is capable of being set in the second type of printer, and a third spec of communication setting information which is capable of being set in the third type of printer is the same as the first spec of communication information which is capable of being set in the first type of printer;

a type obtaining device configured to obtain the first, second, or third type of each printer;

a communication attempt device configured to attempt to communicate with each printer;

a first communication setting information storage device configured to store particular communication setting information complying with the first spec associated with the first type of printer;

a second communication setting information storage device configured to store a plurality of communication setting information which is different from the particular communication setting information; and

a changing device configured to change communication setting information to be utilized from the particular communication setting information to any of the plurality of communication setting information,

wherein the communication attempt device;

(1) determines, for each of the plurality of printers, whether the particular communication setting information complies with the spec associated with the type of printer;

(1-1) attempts to communicate by utilizing the particular communication setting information with a first printer included in the plurality of printers, the first printer being a printer for which a positive determination has been made in the above (1), and the first printer being included in one of the first type of one or more printers and the third type of one or more printers; and

(1-2) refrains from attempting to communicate by utilizing the particular communication setting information with a second printer included in the plurality of printers, the second printer being a printer for which a negative determination has been made in the above (1), and the second printer being included in the second type of one or more printers;

wherein the changing device changes the communication setting information to be utilized from the particular communication setting information to any of the plurality of communication setting information in a case where the second printer exists, and

wherein the communication attempt device further;

(2) determines whether communication setting information after the change complies with the second spec associated with the second type of printer;

(2-1) attempts to communicate by utilizing the communication setting information after the change with the second printer in a case where a positive determination has been made in the above (2); and

(2-2) refrains from attempting to communicate by utilizing the communication setting information after the change with the second printer in a case where a negative determination has been made in the above (2).

2. The communication device as in claim 1, wherein

the spec storage device stores an association of a type of printer, a spec of communication setting information which is capable of being set in the type of printer, and default communication setting information, and

in the case where the negative determination has been made in the above (2), the communication attempt device attempts to communicate with the second printer by utilizing the default communication setting information associated with the second type of the printer.

3. The communication device as in claim 1, wherein

the types of printers are classified by at least vendors of printers,

the type of printer stored in the spec storage device includes at least vendor information of the printer, and

the type obtaining device obtains at least the vendor information of each printer.

4. The communication device as in claim 3, wherein

the types of printers are classified by at least vendors and product names of printers,

the type of printer stored in the spec storage device includes a combination of at least vendor information of the printer and product name information of the printer, and

the type obtaining device obtains at least the vendor information and product name information of each printer.

5. The communication device as in claim 1, wherein

the communication setting information is security communication setting information including at least one information of a user name, an authentication key, an encryption key, and a context.

6. The communication device as in claim 5, wherein

the type obtaining device obtains the type of each printer by communicating without utilizing the security communication setting information.

7. The communication device as in claim 6, wherein

the type obtaining device obtains a type of each printer by communicating with each printer in accordance with Simple Network Management Protocol version 1 without utilizing the security communication setting information, and

the communication attempt device attempts to communicate with each printer in accordance with Simple Network management Protocol version 3 by utilizing the security communication setting information.

8. The communication device as in claim 1, wherein

the first spec includes a number of letters of an authentication key which is capable of being set in the first type of printer,

the second spec includes a number of letters of an authentication key which is capable of being set in the second type of printer,

the third spec includes a number of letters of an authentication key which is capable of being set in the third type of printer,

the number of letters of the authentication key included in the first spec is different from the number of letters of the authentication key included in the second spec,

the number of letters of the authentication key included in the third spec is the same as the number of letters of the authentication key included in the first spec,

a number of letters of a particular authentication key included in the particular communication setting information complies with the number of letters of the authentication key included in the first spec and the third spec,

the number of letters of the particular authentication key does not comply with the number of letters of the authentication key included in the second spec,

in the above (1), the communication attempt device determines, for each of the plurality of printers, whether the particular communication setting information complies with the spec associated with the type of the printer by checking whether the number of letters of the particular authentication key complies with a number of letters of an authentication key included in the spec associated with the type of the printer, and

in the above (2), the communication attempt device determines whether the communication setting information after the change complies with the second spec associated with the type of the second printer by checking whether a number of letters of an authentication key included in the communication setting information after the change complies with the number of letters of the authentication key included in the second spec associated with the second type of the printer.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program for a communication device for managing a plurality of printers, the plurality of printers including a first type of one or more printers, a second type of one or more printers, and a third type of one or more printers, the computer program including instructions for ordering a computer mounted on the communication device to perform:

storing an association of a type of printer and a spec of communication setting information which is capable of being set in the type of printer, wherein a first spec of communication setting information which is capable of being set in the first type of printer is different from a second spec of communication setting information which is capable of being set in the second type of printer, and a third spec of communication setting information which is capable of being set in the third type of printer is the same as the first spec of communication information which is capable of being set in the first type of printer;

obtaining the first, second, or third type of each printer;

attempting to communicate with each printer;

storing particular communication setting information complying with the first spec associated with the first type of printer;

storing a plurality of communication setting information which is different from the particular communication setting information; and

changing communication setting information to be utilized from the particular communication setting information to any of the plurality of communication setting information,

wherein the attempting includes;

(1) determining, for each of the plurality of printers, whether the particular communication setting information complies with the spec associated with the type of printer;

(1-1) attempting to communicate by utilizing the particular communication setting information with a first printer included in the plurality of printers, the first printer being a printer for which a positive determination has been made in the above (1), and the first printer being included in one of the first type of one or more printers and the third type of one or more printers; and

(1-2) refraining from attempting to communicate by utilizing the particular communication setting information with a second printer included in the plurality of printers, the second printer being a printer for which a negative determination has been made in the above (1), and the second printer being included in the second type of one or more printers;

wherein in the changing, the communication setting information to be utilized is changed from the particular communication setting information to any of the plurality of communication setting information in a case where the second printer exists, and

wherein the attempting further includes;

(2) determining whether communication setting information after the change complies with the second spec associated with the second type of printer;

(2-1) attempting to communicate by utilizing the communication setting information after the change with the second printer in a case where a positive determination has been made in the above (2); and

(2-2) refraining from attempting to communicate by utilizing the communication setting information after the change with the second printer in a case where a negative determination has been made in the above (2).

10. A communication device for managing a plurality of printers, the plurality of printers including a first type of one or more printers, a second type of one or more printers, and a third type of one or more printers, the communication device comprising:

a spec storage device configured to stores an association of a type of printer and a spec of communication setting information which is capable of being set in the type of printer, wherein a first spec of communication setting information which is capable of being set in the first type of printer is different from a second spec of communication setting information which is capable of being set in the second type of printer, and a third spec of communication setting information which is capable of being set in the third type of printer is the same as the first spec of communication information which is capable of being set in the first type of printer;

a first communication setting information storage device configured to store particular communication setting information complying with the first spec associated with the first type of printer;

a second communication setting information storage device configured to store a plurality of communication setting information which is different from the particular communication setting information;

a processing device; and

memory storing computer executable instructions, which when executed by the processing device cause the communication device to provide;

a type obtaining device configured to obtain the first, second, or third type of each printer;

a communication attempt device configured to attempts to communicate with each printer, wherein the communication attempt device;

(1) determines, for each of the plurality of printers, whether the particular communication setting information complies with the spec associated with the type of printer;

(1-1) attempts to communicate by utilizing the particular communication setting information with a first printer included in the plurality of printers, the first printer being a device for which a positive determination has been made in the above (1), and the first printer being included in one of the first type of one or more printers and the third type of one or more printers; and

(1-2) refrains from attempting to communicate by utilizing the particular communication setting information with a second printer included in the plurality of printers, the second printer being a device for which a negative determination has been made in the above (1), and the second printer being included in the second type of one or more printers;

a changing device configured to changes communication setting information to be utilized from the particular communication setting information to any of the plurality of communication setting information, wherein the changing device changes the communication setting information to be utilized from the particular communication setting information to any of the plurality of communication setting information in a case where the second printer exists, and

wherein the communication attempt device further;

(2) determines whether communication setting information after the change complies with the second spec associated with the second type of printer;

(2-1) attempts to communicate by utilizing the communication setting information after the change with the second printer in a case where a positive determination has been made in the above (2); and

(2-2) refrains from attempting to communicate by utilizing the communication setting information after the change with the second printer in a case where a negative determination has been made in the above (2).