Electronic apparatus and communication control method

• US 9,124,343 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2013
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Client Solutions CO., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukui, Kotaro, Oka, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai V
• Application Number:
  US13/849,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20130217337A1
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/41.1, 455/557
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/004 in the uplink, i.e. towards network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/00 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/19 Connection re-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/30 Connection release
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a connection control module is configured to transmit a connection request signal during a period in which a communication module is in an unconnected state, and to establish a connection between the communication module and an external device which are in a close proximity state. A halt module is configured to halt a communication control module from executing a negotiation with the external device, when the connection between the communication module and the external device is released by the connection release request signal from the external device and thereafter the connection between the communication module and the external device is re-established by the connection control module.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a communication module configured to execute close proximity wireless transfer;

a connection control module configured to transmit a connection request signal during a period in which the communication module is in an unconnected state, and to establish a connection between the communication module and an external device which are in a close proximity state;

a communication control module configured to execute a negotiation with the external device when the connection is established, to determine a service which is to be provided by close proximity wireless transfer between the communication module and the external device, and to execute the determined service;

a connection release module configured to release the connection between the communication module and the external device when there occurs an event of communication time-out due to a release of the close proximity state or an event of reception of a connection release request signal from the external device; and

a halt module configured to halt the communication control module from executing the negotiation, if (i) the connection between the communication module and the external device is released by the connection release request signal supplied from the external device and (ii) before an elapse of a predetermined time from time at which the connection is released by the connection release request signal, a new connection between the communication module and the external device is re-established by the connection control module.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the halt module is configured to display on a display a message for confirming with a user about whether or not to continue the close proximity wireless transfer between the communication module and the external device, and to halt the communication control module from executing the negotiation when the user designates not to continue the close proximity wireless transfer.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the halt module is configured to determine whether an identifier of an external device, a connection of which is newly established to the communication module by the connection control module after the release of the connection by the connection release request signal, agrees with an identifier of the external device which is previously connected to the communication module, and to halt the communication control module from executing the negotiation when the identifiers agree.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the halt module is configured to display on a display a message for confirming with a user about whether or not to continue the close proximity wireless transfer between the communication module and the external device, to halt the communication control module from executing the negotiation when the user designates not to continue the close proximity wireless transfer, and to permit the communication control module to execute the negotiation when the user designates to continue the close proximity wireless transfer.

5. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a communication module configured to execute close proximity wireless transfer;

a connection control module configured to transmit a connection request signal during a period in which the communication module is in an unconnected state, and to establish a connection between the communication module and a first external device which are in a close proximity state;

a communication control module configured to execute data transfer between the communication module and the first external device; and

a connection release module configured to release the connection between the communication module and the first external device when there occurs an event of communication time-out due to a release of the close proximity state or an event of reception of a connection release request signal from the first external device,

wherein the communication control module is further configured;

if (i) the connection between the communication module and the first external device is released by the connection release request signal supplied from the first external device and (ii) before an elapse of a predetermined time from time at which the connection is released by the connection release request signal, a new connection between the communication module and a second external device is established by the connection control module;

to compare an identifier of the second external device with an identifier of the first external device;

to execute data transfer between the communication module and the second external device if the identifiers disagree; and

not to execute the data transfer between the communication module and the second external device if the identifiers agree.

6. A communication control method of controlling close proximity wireless transfer which is executed by a communication module provided in an electronic apparatus, comprising:

transmitting a connection request signal during a period in which the communication module is in an unconnected state, and establishing a connection between the communication module and an external device which are in a close proximity state;

executing a negotiation with the external device when the connection is established, determining a service which is to be provided by close proximity wireless transfer between the communication module and the external device, and executing the determined service;

releasing the connection between the communication module and the external device when there occurs an event of communication time-out due to a release of the close proximity state or an event of reception of a connection release request signal from the external device; and

halting the execution of the negotiation, if (i) the connection between the communication module and the external device is released by the connection release request signal supplied from the external device and (ii) before an elapse of a predetermined time from time at which the connection is released by the connection release request signal, a new connection between the communication module and the external device is re-established.

7. The communication control method of claim 6, wherein the halting comprises displaying on a display a message for confirming with a user about whether or not to continue the close proximity wireless transfer between the communication module and the external device, and halting the execution of the negotiation when the user designates not to continue the close proximity wireless transfer.

8. The communication control method of claim 6, wherein the halting comprises determining whether an identifier of an external device, a connection of which is newly established to the communication module after the release of the connection by the connection release request signal, agrees with an identifier of the external device which is previously connected to the communication module, and halting the execution of the negotiation when the identifiers agree.

9. The communication control method of claim 6, wherein the halting comprises displaying on a display a message for confirming with a user about whether or not to continue the close proximity wireless transfer between the communication module and the external device, halting the execution of the negotiation when the user designates not to continue the close proximity wireless transfer, and permitting the execution of the negotiation when the user designates to continue the close proximity wireless transfer.

10. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a communication module configured to execute close proximity wireless transfer;

a connection control module configured to transmit a connection request signal during a period in which the communication module is in an unconnected state, and to establish a connection between the communication module and an external device which are in a close proximity state;

a communication control module configured to execute data transfer between the communication module and the external device when the connection is established; and

a connection release module configured to release the connection between the communication module and the external device when there occurs an event of communication time-out due to a release of the close proximity state or an event of reception of a connection release request signal from the external device,

wherein the communication control module does not to execute data transfer between the communication module and the external device, if (i) the connection between the communication module and the external device is released by the connection release request signal and (ii) before an elapse of a predetermined time from time at which the connection is released by the connection release request signal, a new connection between the communication module and the external device is re-established.

11. The electronic apparatus of claim 10, wherein the communication control module is further configured:

if (i) the connection between the communication module and the external device is released by the connection release request signal and (ii) before the elapse of the predetermined time from time at which the connection is released by the connection release request signal, the new connection between the communication module and the external device is re-established by the connection control module;

to display on a display a message for confirming with a user about whether or not to continue the close proximity wireless transfer between the communication module and the external device; and

not to execute data transfer between the communication module and the external device if the user designates not to continue the close proximity wireless transfer.

12. The electronic apparatus of claim 10, wherein the communication control module is further configured:

if (i) the connection between the communication module and the external device is released by the connection release request signal and (ii) before the elapse of the predetermined time from time at which the connection is released by the connection release request signal, the new connection between the communication module and the external device is re-established by the connection control module;

to display on a display a message for confirming with a user about whether or not to continue the close proximity wireless transfer between the communication module and the external device;

not to execute data transfer between the communication module and the external device if the user designates not to continue the close proximity wireless transfer; and

to execute data transfer between the communication module and the external device if the user designates to continue the close proximity wireless transfer.

13. A communication control method of controlling close proximity wireless transfer which is executed by a communication module provided in an electronic apparatus, comprising:

transmitting a connection request signal during a period in which the communication module is in an unconnected state, and establishing a connection between the communication module and an external device which are in a close proximity state;

executing data transfer between the communication module and the external device; and

releasing the connection between the communication module and the external device when there occurs an event of communication time-out due to a release of the close proximity state or an event of reception of a connection release request signal from the external device,

wherein if (i) the connection between the communication module and the external device is released by the connection release request signal and (ii) before an elapse of a predetermined time from time at which the connection is released by the connection release request signal, a new connection between the communication module and the external device is re-established by the connection control module,

the executing does not execute data transfer between the communication module and the external device.

14. The communication control method of claim 13, further comprising displaying on a display a message for confirming with a user about whether or not to continue the close proximity wireless transfer between the communication module and the external device, if (i) the connection between the communication module and the external device is released by the connection release request signal and (ii) before the elapses of the predetermined time from time at which the connection is released by the connection release request signal, the new connection between the communication module and the external device is re-established, and

wherein the executing does not execute data transfer between the communication module and the external device if the user designates not to continue the close proximity wireless transfer.

15. The communication control method of claim 13, further comprising displaying on a display a message for confirming with a user about whether or not to continue the close proximity wireless transfer between the communication module and the external device, if (i) the connection between the communication module and the external device is released by the connection release request signal and (ii) before the elapses of the predetermined time from time at which the connection is released by the connection release request signal, the new connection between the communication module and the external device is re-established by the connection control module, and

wherein the executing does not execute data transfer between the communication module and the external device if the user designates not to continue the close proximity wireless transfer, and

wherein the executing executes data transfer between the communication module and the external device if the user designates to continue the close proximity wireless transfer.