Electronic apparatus and control method thereof

• US 9,485,657 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2015
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Bae, Ju-han, Kang, Yong-jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Sarwar, Babar
• Application Number:
  US14/808,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20160165440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 455/411, 4554121-4142, 455418-4221, 455/456.1, 455/452.1, 455/450, 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 370328-332, 370/338, 370/348, 370/341
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

An electronic apparatus and a control method thereof are disclosed. The electronic apparatus according includes: a first communicator configured to communicate with an authentication terminal device; a second communicator configured to communicate with a new terminal device that is not registered with an access point (AP); a storage configured to store authentication information for accessing the AP; and a controller configured to control the second communicator to transmit the authentication information that is stored in the storage to the new terminal device in response to receiving terminal information of the new terminal device from the authentication terminal device through the first communicator.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a first communicator configured to communicate with an authentication terminal device;

a second communicator configured to communicate with a new terminal device that is not registered with an access point (AP);

a storage configured to store authentication information for accessing the AP; and

a controller configured to control the second communicator to transmit the authentication information that is stored in the storage to the new terminal device in response to receiving terminal information of the new terminal device from the authentication terminal device through the first communicator.

2. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the first communicator to receive the terminal information of the new terminal device from the authentication terminal device in response to the new terminal device being located within a preset distance from the authentication terminal device.

3. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to generate list information regarding at least one terminal device retrieved through the second communicator and to transmit the generated list information to the authentication terminal device, and

the controller is configured to control the first communicator to receive terminal information of a selected new terminal device from the authentication terminal device in response to a user selection of the new terminal device among the at least one terminal device included in the list information.

4. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the authentication information includes subsystem identification and key information for accessing the AP.

5. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a detector configured to detect whether at least one terminal device is located within a threshold distance; and

a display,

wherein the controller is configured to control the second communicator to transmit a signal to the new terminal device requesting the terminal information of the new terminal device in response to detecting that the new terminal device is located within the threshold distance, and to control the display to display a list user interface (UI) for a terminal device that is registered with the AP in response to the terminal information of the new terminal device being received through the second communicator.

6. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to control the first communicator to transmit the terminal information of the new terminal device to a first terminal device in response to a selection instruction for the first terminal device among terminal devices included in the displayed list UI being input.

7. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a display,

wherein the controller is configured to control the display to display a list UI based on received list information in response to receiving the list information from a second terminal device that is registered with the AP, and to control the first communicator to transmit the terminal information of the new terminal device to the second terminal device in response to a selection instruction for the new terminal device being input based on the displayed list UI.

8. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the list information is information regarding a data communications enabled terminal device retrieved by the second terminal device.

9. A control method of an electronic apparatus, the control method comprising:

receiving terminal information of a new terminal device, that is not registered with an access point (AP), from an authentication terminal device that is registered with the AP; and

transmitting stored authentication information for accessing the AP to the new terminal device based on the received terminal information of the new terminal device.

10. The control method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the receiving the terminal information comprises receiving the terminal information of the new terminal device from the authentication terminal device in response to the new terminal device being located within a preset distance from the authentication terminal device.

11. The control method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

retrieving terminal devices that are able to communicate with the electronic apparatus; and

generating list information regarding at least one terminal device that is retrieved and transmitting the generated list information to the authentication terminal device,

wherein the receiving the terminal information comprises receiving terminal information of a selected new terminal device from the authentication terminal device in response to a user selection of the new terminal device among at one terminal device included in the list information.

12. The control method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the authentication information includes subsystem identification (SSID) and key information for accessing the AP.

13. The control method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether at least one terminal device is located within a threshold distance;

transmitting a signal to the new terminal device requesting the terminal information of the new terminal device in response to determining that the new terminal device is located within in the threshold distance; and

displaying a list user interface (UI) for a terminal device that is registered with the AP in response to receiving the terminal information of the new terminal device.

14. The control method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising transmitting the terminal information of the new terminal device to a first terminal device in response to a selection instruction for the first terminal device among the terminal devices included in the displayed list UI being input.

15. The control method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

displaying a list UI based on received list information in response to receiving the list information from a second terminal device that is registered with the AP; and

transmitting the terminal information of the new terminal device to the second terminal device in response to a selection instruction for the new terminal device being input based on the displayed list UI.

16. The control method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the list information is information regarding a data communications enabled terminal device retrieved by the second terminal device.

17. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a communicator configured to communicate with at least one terminal device; and

a controller configured to transmit terminal information of the electronic apparatus to a first terminal device in response to receiving a signal requesting the terminal information of the electronic apparatus from the first terminal device through the communicator, and to perform an authentication process for an access point (AP) registration based on the received authentication information in response to the authentication information for the AP registration being received from a second terminal device.

18. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the first and second terminal devices are terminal devices that are registered with the AP.

19. A control method of an electronic apparatus, the control method comprising:

receiving a signal requesting terminal information of the electronic apparatus from a first terminal device;

transmitting the terminal information of the electronic apparatus to the first terminal device in response to receiving the signal requesting the terminal information of the electronic apparatus;

receiving authentication information for an access point (AP) registration from a second terminal device; and

performing an authentication process for the AP registration based on the received authentication information.

20. The control method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the first and second terminal devices are terminal devices that are registered with the AP.