Communication system having management apparatus and user apparatus, management apparatus, user apparatus, and method of controlling the same

• US 8,738,687 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2010
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Nakajima, Takafumi
• Primary Examiner(s): NANO, SARGON N
• Application Number:
  US12/841,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20110040862A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,405 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/212, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/32 Specific management aspects for broadband networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

To facilitate account information setting, in a communication system including a management apparatus which manages account information to be used to use a service provided by a server apparatus, and a user apparatus which uses the service, the management apparatus selects, based on device classification information acquired from the user apparatus, account information to be provided to the user apparatus from one or more pieces of account information stored in a storage unit, and provides the account information to the user apparatus. The user apparatus sends the device classification information of the user apparatus to the management apparatus, receives, from the management apparatus, the account information selected based on the device classification information, and uses the service provided by the server apparatus.

Claims

1. A management apparatus which manages account information relating to a service provided by a server apparatus, comprising:

a storage unit configured to store a plurality of account information;

a setting unit configured to perform a setting process, by which a wireless parameter used in a communication between a user apparatus and the management apparatus is set, between the user apparatus and the management apparatus;

an acquisition unit configured to acquire, when the setting unit performs the setting process, device type information of the user apparatus from the user apparatus; and

a providing unit configured to provide, from among the plurality of account information stored in said storage unit, account information corresponding to the device type information of the user apparatus acquired by the acquisition unit,

wherein the account information comprises information for identifying the service provided by the server apparatus, user ID information and password information for logging in to the server apparatus.

2. The management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a registration unit configured to instruct the server apparatus to register account information designated by the user apparatus.

3. The management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a creation unit configured to create account information in accordance with an instruction from the user apparatus.

4. The management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said providing unit is configured to provide the account information corresponding to the device type information of the user apparatus to the user apparatus in a case where an account information acquisition request is received from the user apparatus.

5. The management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the device type information is information which can distinguish whether the user apparatus is a camera or a video camera.

6. The management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the service provided by the server apparatus is a service for sharing image data.

7. The management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the providing unit provides the same account information to a first user apparatus and a second user apparatus in a case where the acquisition unit acquires the same device type information from the first user apparatus and the second user apparatus.

8. The management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the account information is information used to authenticate the user apparatus at the server apparatus.

9. The management apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a selecting unit configured to select, from among the plurality of account information stored in the storage unit, the account information corresponding to the device type information of the user apparatus acquired by the acquisition unit,

wherein the providing unit provides the account information selected by the selecting unit to the user apparatus.

10. A method of controlling a management apparatus which manages account information related to a service provided by a server apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

storing in a storage unit a plurality of account information;

performing a setting process, by which a wireless parameter used in a communication between a user apparatus and the communication apparatus is set, between the user apparatus and the management apparatus;

acquiring, when the setting process is performed, device type information of the user apparatus from the user apparatus; and

providing, from among the plurality of account information stored in the storage unit, account information corresponding to the device type information of the user apparatus acquiring in the acquiring step to the user apparatus,

wherein the account information comprises information for identifying the service provided by the server apparatus, user ID information and password information for logging in to the server apparatus.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing code of a computer program that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute a method of controlling a management apparatus which manages account information related to a service provided by a server apparatus, the program comprising:

code for storing in a storage unit a plurality of account information;

code for performing a setting process, by which a wireless parameter used in a communication between a user apparatus and the management apparatus is set, between the user apparatus and the management apparatus;

code for acquiring, when the setting process is performed, device type information of the user apparatus from the user apparatus; and

code for providing, from among the plurality of account information stored in the storage unit, account information corresponding to the device type information of the user apparatus acquiring in the acquiring step to the user apparatus,

wherein the account information comprises information for identifying the service provided by the server apparatus, user ID information and password information for logging in to the server apparatus.