Communication apparatus and communication system

• US 9,974,012 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2017
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sato, Ryosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Chakraborty, Raj
• Application Number:
  US15/648,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20170311248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 307 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411, 455 412
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00188 Printing, e.g. prints or reprints H04N1/0019, H04N1/00196 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0064 of control information between different access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0066 of control information between different types of networks in order to establish a new radio link in the target network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0072 of resource information of target access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1446 wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A communication apparatus includes first communication means for performing a wireless communication with another communication apparatus in a first communication method, second communication means for performing the wireless communication with another communication apparatus in a second communication method that is different from the first communication method, and sending means for sending a request message for requesting, by using the first communication means, a connection parameter for connecting to another communication apparatus via the second communication means, the request message including information about a communication service executable by the communication apparatus.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a first communication interface configured to perform communication based on a first wireless communication protocol;

a second communication interface configured to perform communication based on a second wireless communication protocol, the first wireless communication protocol having a slower communication speed than the second wireless communication protocol or being shorter in communication distance than the second wireless communication protocol;

one or more processors; and

one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the communication apparatus to perform operations comprising;

transmitting via the first communication interface a request message for requesting for connection based on the second wireless communication protocol to another apparatus,

wherein, in a case where communication with the another apparatus has been started by the first communication interface in a state in which a service that is to be executed via the second communication interface and accompanying information about the service have been selected, the communication apparatus includes in the request message transmitted to the another apparatus, information about the service and the accompanying information, and

wherein, in a case where communication with the another apparatus has been started by the first communication interface in a state in which a service that is to be executed via the second communication interface and accompanying information about the service have not been selected, the communication apparatus does not include in the request message transmitted to the another apparatus, information about the service and the accompanying information.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the service includes at least any of a print service, an image transmission service, a moving image reproduction service, and an image scanning service.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the second communication interface, after connecting to the another communication apparatus by using a connection parameter that is included in a response of the another communication apparatus to the request message, performs a communication with the another communication apparatus to execute the service.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, in a case where a plurality of services has been selected, the request message includes information about each of the plurality of services.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the request message includes information about a service that the communication apparatus is able to provide or information about a service that the communication apparatus is able to use.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, the operations performed by the communication apparatus, further comprising:

determining whether to perform communication with the another communication apparatus via the second communication interface or not on a basis of a response of the another communication apparatus to the request message.

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the determining determines that communication is to be performed via the second communication interface in a case where the response of the another communication apparatus to the request message includes information indicating that the service indicated by the information about the service is executable by the another apparatus.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 6, the operations performed by the communication apparatus, further comprising:

notifying a user of an error in a case of determination by the determining the communication via the second communication interface is not to be performed.

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first communication interface performs the communication through NFC (Near Field Communication).

10. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the second communication interface performs the communication using wireless communication based on IEEE802.11 series.

11. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the request message is a handover request message prescribed by an NFC Forum.

12. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the second communication interface connects to the another communication apparatus on a basis of a connection parameter that is shared in the communication of the request message and a response message to the request message via the first communication interface;

and

wherein the connection parameter includes at least one of an SSID, an encryption key, an encryption method, an authentication key, an authentication method, and a MAC address.

13. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the request message includes information indicating the second communication protocol and information about the service.

14. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the service is a print service, and the accompanying information is at least one of a print sheet size, a print color, and a presence or absence of two-sided printing.

15. A method comprising:

performing, at a first communication interface, communication based on a first wireless communication protocol;

performing, at a second communication interface, communication based on a second wireless communication protocol, the first wireless communication protocol having a slower communication speed than the second wireless communication protocol or being shorter in communication distance than the second wireless communication protocol; and

transmitting, via the first communication interface, a request message for requesting for connection based on the second wireless communication protocol to another apparatus,

wherein, in a case where communication with the another apparatus has been started by the first communication interface in a state in which a service that is to be executed via the second communication interface and accompanying information about the service have been selected, the communication apparatus includes in the request message transmitted to the another apparatus, information about the service and the accompanying information, and

wherein, in a case where communication with the another apparatus has been started by the first communication interface in a state in which a service that is to be executed via the second communication interface and accompanying information about the service have not been selected, the communication apparatus does not include in the request message transmitted to the another apparatus, information about the service and the accompanying information.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a communication apparatus to perform a process comprising:

performing, at a first communication interface, communication based on a first wireless communication protocol;

performing, at a second communication interface, communication based on a second wireless communication protocol, the first wireless communication protocol having a slower being lower in communication speed than the second wireless communication protocol or being shorter in communication distance than the second wireless communication protocol; and

transmitting, via the first communication interface, a request message for requesting for connection based on the second wireless communication protocol to another apparatus,

wherein, in a case where communication with the another apparatus has been started by the first communication interface in a state in which a service that is to be executed via the second communication interface and accompanying information about the service have been selected, the communication apparatus includes in the request message transmitted to the another apparatus, information about the service and the accompanying information, and

wherein, in a case where communication with the another apparatus has been started by the first communication interface in a state in which a service that is to be executed via the second communication interface and accompanying information about the service have not been selected, the communication apparatus does not include in the request message transmitted to the another apparatus, information about the service and the accompanying information.