Information processing apparatus, control method therefor, and recording medium

• US 9,258,836 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2013
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Fujita, Shunji
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Simon
• Application Number:
  US14/141,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20140187163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 413
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/36 by user or terminal equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/362 Conditional handover
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• 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

Abstract

An information processing apparatus, for communicating with a communication device using a first wireless communication protocol and a second wireless communication protocol, includes a first wireless communication unit configured to use the first wireless communication protocol and configured to receive information, relating to a start-up state of the communication device, from the communication device using the first wireless communication protocol, a second wireless communication unit configured to use the second wireless communication protocol, and a control unit configured to control a sequence for establishing connection, using the second wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication protocol, with the communication device. The control unit is arranged to change the sequence for establishing connection, using the second wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication protocol, in accordance with the content of the received information relating to the start-up state of the communication device.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, for communicating with a communication device using a first wireless communication protocol and a second wireless communication protocol different from the first wireless communication protocol,

comprising:

a first wireless communication unit configured to use the first wireless communication protocol and configured to receive information, relating to a start-up state of the communication device, from the communication device using the first wireless communication protocol;

a second wireless communication unit configured to use the second wireless communication protocol; and

a control unit configured to control a sequence for establishing connection, using the second wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication protocol, with the communication device,

wherein, in the sequence for establishing the connection using the second wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication protocol, the control unit waits for a waiting period before transmitting a connection request, the waiting period being different according to a content of the received information relating to the start-up state of the communication device, and

wherein in a case where the second wireless communication unit is disabled when the information relating to the start-up state of the communication device is received, the control unit performs control to enable the second wireless communication unit without waiting for the waiting period.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information, relating to the start-up state of the communication device, indicates whether or not the communication device can be returned from a power-off state to a power-on state at the time the information is received.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information, relating to the start-up state of the communication device, indicates the time required for the communication device to reach a state in which it can perform communication using the second wireless communication protocol.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information, relating to the start-up state of the communication device, indicates whether the communication device is in a power-on state or a power-off state.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the information, relating to the start-up state of the communication device, indicates whether the power-on state is a standby state or a normal state.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first wireless communication unit is configured to initiate power-on processing in the communication device, in a case where the start-up state of the communication device is the power-off state or the standby state.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a request for establishment of the connection, using the second wireless communication protocol, with the second wireless communication unit is a request for participation in a network, based on the second wireless communication protocol, which is configured by the communication device.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the network is a wireless local area network.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first wireless communication unit is configured to supply electric power to the communication device to cause the communication device to enter the power-on state using the electric power supplied from the first wireless communication unit.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first wireless communication unit is configured to supply electric power to the communication device.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first wireless communication unit is arranged to target a shorter communication distance than the second wireless communication unit.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first wireless communication unit is configured to share parameters with the communication device, the parameters being used for establishing the communication with the communication device and wherein the control unit is configured to use the received parameters in the sequence for establishing the connection, using the second wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication protocol, with the communication device.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the sequence for establishing the connection using the second wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication protocol, the control unit is configured to change a waiting period for a response to the connection request, according to the content of the received information relating to the start-up state of the communication device.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the sequence for establishing the connection using the second wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication protocol, the control unit is configured to perform control to retry transmitting the connection request in a case where no response to the connection request is received, and

wherein the control unit is configured to change a number of retries according to the content of the received information relating to the start-up state of the communication device.

15. A control method for an information processing apparatus comprising a first wireless communication unit and a second wireless communication unit, for communicating with a communication device using a first wireless communication protocol and a second wireless communication protocol different from the first wireless communication protocol,

comprising:

receiving information, relating to a start-up state of the communication device, from the communication device using the first wireless communication unit and the first wireless communication protocol; and

executing a sequence for establishing connection, using the second wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication protocol, with the communication device,

waiting for a waiting period before transmitting a connection request, in the sequence for establishing the connection using the second wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication protocol, the waiting period being different according to a content of the received information relating to the start-up state of the communication device, and

enabling the second wireless communication unit without waiting for the waiting period in a case where the second wireless communication unit is disabled when the information relating to the start-up state of the communication device is received.

16. A computer-readable non-transitory recording medium storing a program which on execution by a programmable information processing apparatus comprising a first wireless communication unit and a second wireless communication unit causes the information processing apparatus, for communicating with a communication device using a first wireless communication protocol and a second wireless communication protocol different from the first wireless communication protocol, to implement a following method;

receiving information, relating to a start-up state of the communication device, from the communication device using the first wireless communication unit and the first wireless communication protocol; and

executing a sequence for establishing connection, using the second wireless connection unit and the second wireless communication protocol, with the communication device,

waiting for a waiting period before transmitting a connection request, in the sequence for establishing the connection using the second wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication protocol, the waiting period being different according to a content of the received information relating to the start-up state of the communication device, and

enabling the second wireless communication unit without waiting for the waiting period in a case where the second wireless communication unit is disabled when the information relating to the start-up state of the communication device is received.