Method of notifying function identification information and communication system

• US 9,806,981 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2013
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: 2BCom LLC (Markman Advisors LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Adachi, Tomoko, Horisaki, Koji, Sato, Kazumi, Toshimitsu, Kiyoshi, Namekata, Minoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Dung
• Application Number:
  US13/743,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20130128817A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,748 Days
• Field of Search: 4551274, 4555521, 4554351-4353, 455450, 455451, 4554521, 4554522, 3703952, 37039521
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

There is disclosed a notification method in a communication system of notifying specific multifunctionality information between terminal stations. An expansion code is generated from both a user input code and a function identification code corresponding to a specific function. A transmission frame including the expansion code is also generated and transmitted to at least one of the terminal stations.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit a first management frame including a Service Set Identifier (SSID) field, the first management frame received by another communication device,

wherein the SSID field identifies a service set and a value of the SSID field includes a function identification code indicating a wireless communication function outside the IEEE 802.11 specification, and

wherein the wireless communication function can be used for communication between the communication device and the another communication device when the function identification code is identified by the another communication device; and

further comprising;

a receiver configured to receive a second management frame sent in response to the first management frame; and

circuitry configured to determine whether the wireless communication function can be used based on the second management frame.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the SSID field consists of characters.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the function identification code is disposed in a lead portion of the SSID field.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the value of the SSID field is set by a user.

5. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first management frame is a probe request frame.

6. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the second management frame is a probe response frame.

7. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication function is used for communication with another communication device that is a transmission source of the second management frame after an association process is completed with the another communication device.

8. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an antenna configured to transmit the first management frame.

9. A communication device, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a first management frame including a Service Set Identifier (SSID) field, the first management frame transmitted by another communication device,

wherein the SSID field identifies a service set and a value of the SSID field includes a function identification code indicating a wireless communication function outside the IEEE 802.11 specification, and

wherein the wireless communication function can be used for communication between the communication device and the another communication device when the function identification code is identified by the communication device and further comprising;

a transmitter configured to transmit a second management frame in response to the first management frame, the second management frame generated based on a content of the first management frame,

wherein the another communication device determines, based on the second management frame, whether the wireless communication function can be used.

10. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein the SSID field consists of characters.

11. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein the function identification code is disposed in a lead portion of the SSID field.

12. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein the first management frame is a probe request frame.

13. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein the second management frame is a probe response frame.

14. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein the wireless communication function is used for communication with another communication device that is a transmission source of the first management frame after an association process is completed with the another communication device.

15. The communication device according to claim 9, further comprising:

an antenna configured to receive the first management frame.

16. A communication method, comprising:

transmitting, by a transmitter of a communication device, a first management frame including a Service Set Identifier (SSID) field, the first management frame received by another communication device,

wherein the SSID field identifies a service set and a value of the SSID field includes a function identification code indicating a wireless communication function outside the IEEE 802.11 specification, and

wherein the wireless communication function can be used for communication between the communication device and the another communication device when the function identification code is identified by the another communication device; and

further comprising;

receiving, by a receiver, a second management frame sent in response to the first management frame; and

determining, by circuitry, whether the wireless communication function can be used based on the second management frame.

17. A communication method, comprising:

receiving, by a receiver of a communication device, a first management frame including a Service Set Identifier (SSID) field, the first management frame transmitted by another communication device,

wherein the SSID field identifies a service set and a value of the SSID field includes a function identification code indicating a wireless communication function outside the IEEE 802.11 specification, and

wherein the wireless communication function can be used for communication between the communication device and the another communication device when the function identification code is identified by the communication device; and

further comprising;

transmitting, by a transmitter of the communication device, a second management frame in response to the first management frame, the second management frame generated based on a content of the first management frame,

wherein the another communication device determines, based on the second management frame, whether the wireless communication function can be used.