System using wired interface to configure wireless connection between host and image forming device

• US 8,769,064 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2011
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HP Printing Korea Co., Ltd. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Won, Cheol-yon, Oh, Byung-woon
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le H
• Application Number:
  US13/180,035
• Publication Number:
  US 20120151023A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230.1, 370/254, 370/328, 370/331, 370/235, 709/220, 709/237, 709/224, 709/222, 709/221, 709/228, 726/3, 705/2
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0879 Manual configuration through operator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration

Abstract

An image forming device, a host device, and connecting methods thereof are provided. The method includes that when the image forming device is connected to the host device through a wired interface, installing a driver program to execute a wireless connection setting program, determining an internet protocol (IP) setting method of the image forming device according to an IP setting method of the host device, copying network setup information of the host device and transmitting the copied network setup information to the image forming device through the wired interface, and when the image forming device sets an IP address thereof according to the determined IP setting method and transmits the IP address to the host device through the wired interface, establishing a wireless connection setting using the transmitted IP address.

Claims

1. A method of connecting a host device to an image forming device, the method comprising:

when the image forming device is connected to the host device through a wired interface, installing a driver program to execute a wireless connection setting program;

determining an internet protocol (IP) setting method of the image forming device according to an IP setting method of the host device;

copying network setup information of the host device and transmitting the copied network setup information to the image forming device through the wired interface; and

when the image forming device sets an IP address thereof according to the determined IP setting method and transmits the IP address to the host device through the wired interface, establishing a wireless connection setting using the transmitted IP address.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the determination of the IP setting method comprises:

when the wireless connection setting program is executed, determining whether it is possible for the host device to access a wireless network;

when it is determined that it is possible for the host device to access the wireless network, outputting a screen to determine a connection mode as one of an automatic connection mode and a manual connection mode; and

when the automatic connection mode is selected, determining an IP setting method of the image forming device as a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) method or an Auto-IP method according to the IP setting method of the host device, when the manual connection mode is selected on the screen, determining the IP setting method of the image forming device as a manual IP inputting method, and outputting a screen to receive a manually input IP address of the image forming device.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the performing of the wireless connection setting comprises:

when the IP address is transmitted through the wired interface, transmitting a packet internet groper (PING) signal using the transmitted IP address;

when a PING response to the PING signal is normally received, automatically setting a port using the IP address, and when there is no PING response to the PING signal, outputting a screen to receive a manually input IP address of the image forming device; and

setting a network transmission control protocol-internet protocol (TCP/IP) port of a driver program using the transmitted IP address or the manually input IP address.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network setup information comprises at least one of a Service Set IDentifier (SSID), an operation mode, an encryption, and a Pre-Shared Key (PSK).

5. A method of connecting an image forming device to a host device, the method comprising:

copying and receiving network setup information from the host device connected to the image forming device through a wired interface;

accessing a wireless network according to the received network setup information;

determining an internet protocol (IP) address according to an IP setting method of the host device; and

transmitting the determined IP address to the host device through the wired interface to automatically set a port using the IP address.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein when the IP setting method of the host device is a DHCP method, the image forming device requests a DHCP server of the wireless network to allocate an IP address and determines the allocated IP address as an IP address of the image forming device, and when the IP setting method of the host device is an Auto-IP method, the image forming device generates an arbitrary IP address, checks whether the generated IP address is usable through the wireless network, and when the generated IP address is usable, determines the generated IP address as an IP address of the image forming device.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the network setup information comprises at least one of a Service Set IDentifier (SSID), an operation mode, an encryption, and a Pre-Shared Key (PSK).

8. A host device which is wirelessly connected to an image forming device, comprising:

a wireless communicator to be connected to a wireless network according to pre-set network setup information;

a wired communicator to be connected to the image forming device through a wired interface; and

a controller to determine an internet protocol (IP) setting method of the image forming device according to an IP setting method of the host device, copy the network setup information, and transmit the copied network setup information to the image forming device through the wired communicator, when a wireless connection setting program is executed when the image forming device is connected to the wired communicator,

wherein when the image forming device sets an IP address according to the determined IP setting method and transmits the IP address to the host device through the wired interface, the controller is wirelessly connected to the image forming device using the IP address.

9. The host device as claimed in claim 8, wherein when a recording medium recording a driver program is connected to the host device, the controller installs the driver program to automatically execute a wireless connection setting program.

10. The host device as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

an output unit to output a connection mode determination screen to determine a connection mode when the wireless connection setting program is executed; and

an input unit to select an automatic connection mode or a manual connection mode through the connection mode determination screen.

11. The host device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the controller controls the output unit to determine an IP setting method of the image forming device as a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) method or an Auto-IP method according to an IP setting method of the host device when the automatic connection mode is selected on the connection mode determination screen and to determine the IP setting method of the image forming device as a manual IP inputting method and output a screen to receive a manually input IP address of the image forming device when the manual connection mode is selected on the connection mode determination screen.

12. The host device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the controller controls the output unit to transmit a packet internet groper (PING) signal using the received IP address when the IP address is received through the wired interface, to automatically set a port using the IP address when a PING response to the PING signal is normally received, and to output a screen to receive a manually input IP address of the image forming device when there is no PING response to the PING signal.

13. The host device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the network setup information comprises at least one of a Service Set IDentifier (SSID), an operation mode, an encryption, and a Pre-Shared Key (PSK).

14. An image forming device, comprising:

a wired interface unit to copy and receive network setup information from a host device connected to the image forming device through a wired interface;

a wireless interface unit to access a wireless network according to the network setup information; and

a controller to determine an internet protocol (IP) address according to an IP setting method of the host device, transmit the determined IP address to the host device through the wired interface, and automatically set a port using the IP address.

15. The image forming device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the controller requests a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server of a wireless network to allocate an IP address and determines the allocated IP address as an IP address of the image forming device when the IP setting method of the host device is a DHCP method, and generates an arbitrary IP address, checks whether the generated IP address is usable, through the wireless network, and when the generated IP address is usable, determines the generated IP address as an IP address of the image forming device, when the IP setting method of the host device is an Auto-IP method.

16. The image forming device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the network setup information comprises at least one of a Service Set IDentifier (SSID), an operation mode, an encryption, and a Pre-Shared Key (PSK).

17. A method of connecting a host device to an image forming device, where both the host device and image forming device include a wired interface and a wireless interface, the method comprising:

when the image forming device is connected to the host device through the wired interface and a wireless connection setting program has been executed, and the host device is operating in an automatic connection mode, transmitting a copy of the network setup information of the host device to the image forming device through the wired interface;

determining an internet protocol (IP) address of the image forming device;

receiving the IP address of the image forming device with the host device through the wired interface; and

establishing wireless communication between the host device and the image forming apparatus using the received IP address.