Wireless station and wireless LAN system

• US 9,078,281 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2010
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Matsuda, Makoto, Ohara, Kiyotaka, Tagawa, Norio
• Primary Examiner(s): SAMS, MATTHEW C
• Application Number:
  US12/659,123
• Publication Number:
  US 20100202426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,958 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 370/329, 370/338
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1226 Discovery of devices having required properties
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1236 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/037 of the control plane, e.g. signalling traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0215 based on user or device properties, e.g. MTC-capable devices services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] H04W4/70; wireless resource selection or allocation plan definition based on terminal or device properties H04W72/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A wireless LAN system in which data communication between a wireless station whose connection method as a method for wireless connection can be set to one of a plurality of connection methods and a wireless access point whose connection method has been preset to one of the connection methods is made possible by setting the connection method of the wireless station to a method identical with the connection method of the wireless access point.

Claims

1. A wireless station capable of communicating with a wireless access point,

the wireless station comprising a controller that is configured to:

transmit first wireless station data including an identification data of the wireless station in response to a user operation through a specific channel of a plurality of channels;

transmit second wireless station data including the identification data of the wireless station through a channel that is identical to the specific channel;

switch the specific channel of the plurality of channels;

in case where the wireless station has received SSID data including an SSID through the specific channel used to transmit the first wireless station data and the second wireless station data within a predetermined period of time after the user operation, store the SSID included in the SSID data transmitted from the wireless access point which received the first wireless station data and the second wireless station data; and

transmit an association request to a wireless LAN network built by the wireless access point, using the SSID stored in the wireless station.

2. The wireless station according to claim 1, wherein the controller of the wireless station switches the specific channel to a channel different from the channel used to send the first wireless station data, and thereafter switches the specific channel to the channel used to send the first wireless station data.

3. The wireless station according to claim 1, wherein a communicable distance of the wireless station is not changed by:

the wireless station transmitting the first wireless station data or the second wireless station data;

the wireless station receiving the SSID data; and

the wireless station transmitting the association request to the wireless LAN network built by the wireless access point.

4. The wireless station according to claim 1, further comprising a print engine.

5. The wireless station according to claim 1, further comprising an operation panel configured to receive the user operation.

6. The wireless station according to claim 1, wherein the controller transmits a probe request as the first wireless station data.

7. The wireless station according to claim 4, wherein, in case where the wireless station has received data sent from a communication terminal which transmits instruction for setting up a wireless communication of the wireless station to the wireless access point, the print engine prints out an image based on the received data.

8. A wireless access point capable of communication with a wireless station,

the wireless access point comprising a controller that is configured to:

store an SSID;

store identification data of a host of first wireless station data in case where the wireless access point has received the first wireless station data from the wireless station through a preset channel after the wireless access point has received a user operation;

in case where the wireless access point has received second wireless station data including the identification data of the host of the first wireless station data through the preset channel within a predetermined period after the wireless access point received a user operation, transmit SSID data including the SSID stored in the wireless access point to the wireless station, being the host of the first wireless station data and the second wireless station data, through the preset channel; and

involve the wireless station, being a host of an association request, to a wireless LAN network built by the wireless access point when the association request is received from the wireless station using the SSID stored in the wireless access point.

9. The wireless access point according to claim 8, wherein the controller of the wireless access point transmits the SSID data to the wireless station, being the host of the second wireless station data, in case where the wireless access point has received the second wireless station data through the preset channel, and thereafter transmit an association reply to the wireless station for involving the wireless station, being the host of the association request, to the wireless LAN network built by the wireless access point.

10. The wireless access point according to claim 8, wherein a communicable distance of the wireless access point is not changed by:

the wireless access point receiving the first wireless station data or the second wireless station data;

the wireless access point transmitting the SSID data transmission;

or

the wireless access point involving the wireless station to the wireless LAN network.

11. The wireless access point according to claim 8, wherein, after the first wireless station data transmitted through the preset channel is received, the controller of the wireless access point transmits the SSID data to the wireless stations which has transmitted the second wireless station data through a channel which is identical to a channel used to transmit the first wireless station data.

12. The wireless access point according to claim 11, wherein the controller of the wireless access point transmits the SSID only to a wireless station which has sent the second wireless station data including identification data identical to the same included in the first wireless station data.

13. The wireless access point according to claim 8,

wherein a communication terminal is communicably connected to the wireless station, and

wherein the controller of the wireless station is further configured to:

acquire a first encryption key from the communication terminal via the wireless access point by a public key cryptosystem, the wireless access point executing a first wireless connection with the wireless station; and

alter settings of the wireless station so that data communication with the wireless access point is executed employing the encryption with the first encryption key, by releasing the first wireless connection with the wireless access point and establishing a second wireless connection employing the encryption with the first encryption key when the first encryption key is acquired from the communication terminal by the wireless station, and

wherein the communication terminal is configured to transfer the first encryption key to the wireless station via the wireless access point by the public key cryptosystem.

14. The wireless access point according to claim 13,

wherein the communication terminal transfers an authentication message to the wireless station by the public key cryptosystem prior to the transfer of the first encryption key,

wherein the communication terminal is further configured to:

let a user who confirmed the authentication message outputted by the wireless station carry out a confirmation operation after the authentication message is transferred to the wireless station by communication terminal, and

transfer the first encryption key when the confirmation operation is carried out through the communication terminal, and

wherein the controller of the wireless station is further configured to;

acquire the authentication message which is transferred from the communication terminal by the public key cryptosystem prior to the first encryption key,

output the authentication message acquired by the wireless station, and

acquire the first encryption key which is transferred from the communication terminal after the confirmation operation to the communication terminal is carried out by the user confirming the authentication message outputted by the message output system.

15. The wireless access point according to claim 8, the controller of the wireless access point switches the operating mode of the wireless access point to either one selected from:

a support mode supporting setting of the SSID of each wireless station by executing a transmission of the SSID data by the wireless access point; and

a normal mode not supporting setting of the SSID without executing the transmission of the SSID data by the wireless access point.

16. The wireless access point according to claim 15, wherein the controller of the wireless access point switches the operating mode in response to an instruction from outside.

17. The wireless access point according to claim 15, wherein the controller of the wireless access point switches the operation mode to the normal mode when a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the operation mode being switched to the support mode.

18. The wireless access point according to claim 15, wherein the controller of the wireless access point switches the operation mode to the normal mode, after being switched to the support mode, in response to the SSID data being transmitted once.

19. The wireless access point according to claim 8, wherein the user operation is a push of a specific button.

20. A wireless station capable of communication with a wireless access point,

the wireless station comprising a controller that is configured to:

transmit a first wireless station data including an identification data of the wireless station through a specific channel of a plurality of channels in case where an instruction has been received from a communication terminal communicably connected to the wireless station;

transmit a second wireless station data, including the identification data of the wireless station, through the specific channel;

switch the specific channel of the plurality of channels;

in case where the wireless station has received SSID data including an SSID through the specific channel used to transmit the first wireless station data and the second wireless station data, store the SSID included in the SSID data sent from a wireless access point which has received the first wireless station data and the second wireless station data within a predetermined period after the instruction from the communication terminal has been received; and

transmit an association request to a wireless LAN network built by the wireless access point, using the SSID stored in the wireless station.

21. A wireless LAN system comprising a wireless station capable of functioning as a wireless LAN station and a wireless access point capable of functioning as a wireless LAN access point,

the wireless station comprising a controller that configured to:

transmit first wireless station data including identification data of the wireless station through a specific channel of a plurality of channels in case where the wireless station has received a user operation, and to further transmit second wireless station data including the identification data of the wireless station through the specific channel;

switch the specific channel of the plurality of channels;

in case where the wireless station has received SSID data including an SSID from the wireless access point which has received the first wireless station data and the second wireless station data through the specific channel used to transmit the first wireless station data and the second wireless station data within a predetermined period of time after the wireless station has received the user operation, store the SSID included in the SSID data; and

transmit an association request to a wireless LAN network built by the wireless access point using the SSID stored in the wireless station, and

the wireless access point comprising a controller configured to;

store an SSID;

store identification data of a host of the first wireless station data in case where the wireless access point has received the first wireless station data through the preset channel after the wireless access point has received a user operation;

in case where the wireless access point has received the second wireless station data including the identification data of the host of the first wireless station data through the preset channel within a predetermined period after the wireless access point has received a user operation, transmit the SSID data including the SSID stored in the wireless access point to the wireless station, being the host of the first wireless station data and the second wireless station data, through the preset channel; and

involve the wireless station, being a host of the association request, to the wireless LAN network built by the wireless access point when the association request is received from the wireless station using the SSID stored in the wireless access point.