Apparatus and method for establishing a network connection in a portable terminal

• US 8,833,641 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2012
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lim, Hun
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mikels, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US13/411,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20120223132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/379, 235/380, 235/435, 235/439, 235/451, 235/462
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2755 by optical scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

An apparatus and method for establishing a network connection in a portable terminal. The apparatus includes a controller, an image acquisition unit, and a code image analyzer. The controller establishes a network connection with a peripheral terminal using network information acquired through a code image. The image acquisition unit captures the code image generated by the peripheral terminal. The code image analyzer analyzes the code image acquired by the image acquisition unit and acquires the network information of the peripheral terminal. The code image includes at least any one of network information of the peripheral terminal, code image generation information, and information on an automatic execution program to be automatically executed after code image recognition.

Claims

1. An apparatus configured to establish a network connection in a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a controller, when an automatic connection program for automatically connecting with a peripheral terminal is executed, configured to;

control a camera module to capture a code image generated by the peripheral terminal;

analyze the captured code image in order to acquire network information of the peripheral terminal;

establish the network connection with the peripheral terminal; and

automatically execute a program corresponding to an automatic execution program information comprised in the code image;

wherein the code image comprises at least one of;

network information of the peripheral terminal, code image generation information, and information on the automatic execution program to be automatically executed after code image recognition.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the automatic execution program comprises at least one of:

a program for execution mode change, a program for configuration change, and a program executed after the network connection is established.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in a case where the code image is a code image generated in a licensed program, the controller is configured to establish the network connection with the peripheral terminal and, in a case where the code image is not the code image generated in the licensed program, the controller is configured to stop a network connection process with the peripheral terminal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to acquire at least one of:

a kind of a network interface supported in the peripheral terminal, an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a GateWay (GW), a NetMask (NM), a Domain Name System (DNS), an accessed Service Set IDentifier (SSID), a Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) key, the code image generation information, and the automatic execution program information.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the camera module in the portable terminal.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the code image further comprises a name of the program generating the code image.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to identify when the code image is a code image generated in a licensed program by analyzing the name of the program generating the code image.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the code image further comprises program version information.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to identify when the code image is a code image generated in a licensed program by analyzing the program version information.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to capture the code image of at least one of formats of a one-dimensional barcode, a two-dimensional barcode, a character string, a numeral string, and a color code.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

after outputting the code image, when the network connection is not performed during a predetermined time, change a format of the generated code image; and

output the changed code image.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to capture the code image displayed on a display screen of the peripheral terminal.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to execute a synchronization program for synchronizing with the peripheral terminal after the network connection is established.

14. An apparatus configured to establish a network connection in a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a controller, when an automatic connection program for automatically connecting with a peripheral terminal is executed, configured to;

capture, via a camera module, a code image generated by the peripheral terminal;

analyze the captured code image in order to acquire network information of the peripheral terminal;

establish the network connection with the peripheral terminal using the acquired network information; and

automatically execute a program corresponding to an automatic execution program information comprised in the code image;

wherein, when the code image comprises information indicating a licensed program used to generate the code image, the controller is configured to establish the network connection with the peripheral terminal; and

wherein, when the code image does not comprise information indicating a licensed program used to generate the code image, the controller is configured to stop a network connection process with the peripheral terminal.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the code image further comprises a name of the program generating the code image.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to identify when the code image includes information indicating a licensed program by identifying the name of the program generating the code image.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the code image further comprises program version information.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to identify when the code image comprises information indicating a licensed program by identifying the program version information.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the code image further comprises at least one of:

network information of the peripheral terminal, code image generation information, and information on an automatic execution program to be automatically executed after code image recognition.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the automatic execution program comprises at least one of:

instructions for execution mode change, instructions for a configuration change, and a program executed after the network connection is established.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to acquire at least one of:

a kind of a network interface supported in the peripheral terminal, an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a GateWay (GW), a NetMask (NM), a Domain Name System (DNS), an accessed Service Set IDentifier (SSID), a Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) key, the code image generation information, and the automatic execution program information.