Communication system having management apparatus and user apparatus, management apparatus, user apparatus, and method of controlling the same

• US 9,667,504 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2014
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Nakajima, Takafumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nano, Sargon
• Application Number:
  US14/243,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20140215048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,154 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/32 Specific management aspects for broadband networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

To facilitate account information setting, in a communication system including a management apparatus which manages account information to be used to use a service provided by a server apparatus, and a user apparatus which uses the service, the management apparatus selects, based on device classification information acquired from the user apparatus, account information to be provided to the user apparatus from one or more pieces of account information stored in a storage unit, and provides the account information to the user apparatus. The user apparatus sends the device classification information of the user apparatus to the management apparatus, receives, from the management apparatus, the account information selected based on the device classification information, and uses the service provided by the server apparatus.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a processor and a memory storing code to be executed by the processor, wherein, the processor executes the code to function as;

a transmitting unit configured to transmit device information of the communication apparatus to a first another apparatus in a sharing process, with the first another apparatus, for sharing communication parameters for getting a wireless connection to the first another apparatus;

a determination unit configured to determine, if the wireless connection to the first another apparatus is established using the communication parameters, whether the first another apparatus possesses account information corresponding to the communication apparatus, wherein the account information is used when making a second another apparatus perform a predetermined function;

a first requesting unit configured to request the account information to the first another apparatus in a case where the determination unit determines that the first another apparatus possesses the account information, and not to request the account information to the first another apparatus in a case where the determination unit determines that the first another apparatus does not possess the account information;

an acquisition unit configured to acquire the account information from the first another apparatus in accordance with the request from the first requesting unit; and

a control unit configured to control, by using the account information acquired by the acquisition unit, for making the second another apparatus perform the predetermined function,

wherein the first another apparatus and the second another apparatus are different.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second requesting unit configured to request a creation of the account information to the first another apparatus.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second requesting unit requests the creation of the account information to the first another apparatus in a case where the determination unit determines that the first another apparatus does not possess the account information, and does not request the creation of the account information to the first another apparatus in a case where the determination unit determines that the first another apparatus possesses the account information.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus communicates with the second another apparatus via the first another apparatus.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wireless connection with the first another apparatus complies with the IEEE 802.11 series standard.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wireless connection with the first another apparatus complies with the Bluetooth standard.

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sharing unit configured to perform the sharing process for sharing the communication parameters with the first another apparatus, wherein the transmitting unit transmits, during the sharing unit performing the sharing process, the device information of the communication apparatus to the first another apparatus.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the sharing unit performs a process complying with the WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) to share the communication parameters with the first another apparatus.

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wireless connection with the first another apparatus is direct wireless connection.

10. A method executed by a processor of a communication apparatus for controlling the communication apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting device information of the communication apparatus to a first another apparatus in a sharing process, with the first another apparatus, for sharing communication parameters for getting a wireless connection to the first another apparatus;

determining, if the wireless connection to the first another apparatus is established using the communication parameters, whether the first another apparatus possesses account information corresponding to the communication apparatus, wherein the account information is used when making a second another apparatus perform a predetermined function;

a first requesting step of requesting the account information to the first another apparatus in a case where the determining step determines that the first another apparatus possesses the account information, and not to request the account information to the first another apparatus in a case where the determining step determines that the first another apparatus does not possess the account information;

acquiring the account information from the first another apparatus in accordance with the request from the first requesting step; and

controlling, by using the acquired account information, for making the second another apparatus perform the predetermined function,

wherein the first another apparatus and the second another apparatus are different.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to function as a communication apparatus, the program code to execute:

transmitting device information of the communication apparatus to a first another apparatus in a sharing process, with the first another apparatus, for sharing communication parameters for getting a wireless connection to the first another apparatus;

determining, if the wireless connection to the first another apparatus is established using the communication parameters, whether the first another apparatus possesses account information corresponding to the communication apparatus, wherein the account information is used when making a second another apparatus perform a predetermined function;

a first requesting step of requesting the account information to the first another apparatus in a case where the determining step determines that the first another apparatus possesses the account information, and not to request the account information to the first another apparatus in a case where the determining step determines that the first another apparatus does not possess the account information;

acquiring the account information from the first another apparatus in accordance with the request from the first requesting step; and

controlling, by using the acquired account information, for making the second another apparatus perform the predetermined function,

wherein the first another apparatus and the second another apparatus are different.