Wireless communication system, communication method, information processing apparatus, and storage medium having stored therein information processing program

• US 10,491,478 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2017
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Kanaya, Takumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, Lisa C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Salman, Raied A
• Application Number:
  US15/698,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20180254954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 726 1, 709222, 709228, 380270, 370338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0889 Techniques to speed-up the configuration process
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/58 Caching of addresses or names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/021 in wireless networks with changing topologies, e.g. ad-hoc networks self-organizing networks H04W84/18

Abstract

A master apparatus includes, in an action frame for connection, acceptance policy regarding acceptance of a slave apparatus, and transmits the action frame. After establishment of connection with the slave apparatus, the master apparatus transmits a disconnection request to the slave apparatus. After having been disconnected from the master apparatus, the slave apparatus determines whether or not to reconnect to the master apparatus, on the basis of the acceptance policy included in the action frame from the master apparatus, and the disconnection request received from the master apparatus. Upon determining that reconnection is not possible, the slave apparatus does not transmit a participation request to the master apparatus.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system including a plurality of information processing apparatuses each being configured to wirelessly communicate, the wireless communication system including a first information processing apparatus and a second information processing apparatus, wherein:

the first information processing apparatus includes at least one first processor configured to at least;

transmit information for establishing a connection with the second information processing apparatus;

establish connection between the first information processing apparatus and the second information processing apparatus; and

transmit a disconnection request to the second information processing apparatus being connected thereto,

the second information processing apparatus includes at least one second processor configured to at least;

receive, from the first information processing apparatus, the information for establishing the connection;

establish connection between the first information processing apparatus and the second information processing apparatus;

receive the disconnection request from the first information processing apparatus; and

determine whether to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus, based on the disconnection request and the information for establishing the connection, after having been disconnected from the first information processing apparatus,

the disconnection request has one of a plurality of different disconnection request types,

the second information processing apparatus further includes a data store configured to store information regarding received disconnection requests,

information indicating conditional permission/rejection of connection is includable with the transmission of the information for establishing the connection, and

the at least one second processor of the second information processing apparatus is further configured to at least decline to request reconnection to the first information processing apparatus based on the stored information regarding received disconnection requests and whether information indicating conditional permission/rejection of connection is included with the transmission of the information for establishing the connection.

2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the information for establishing the connection is broadcast by the at least one first processor of the first information processing apparatus.

3. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one second processor of the second information processing apparatus is further configured to:

cause a display to display connection destination candidates, based on the information for establishing the connection that has been received, and

upon determining not to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus, cause the display to display information of information processing apparatuses each having transmitted the information for establishing the connection, excluding the first information processing apparatus.

4. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein upon determining not to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus, a reconnection request to the first information processing apparatus is not automatically transmitted by the second information processing apparatus.

5. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first processor of the first information processing apparatus is further configured to:

repeatedly transmit the information for establishing the connection, and

transmit the disconnection request when a disconnection condition is satisfied.

6. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first processor of the first information processing apparatus is further configured to transmit first information as the information for establishing the connection before the disconnection request is transmitted, and transmit second information different from the first information, as the information for establishing the connection, after the disconnection request is transmitted.

7. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first processor of the first information processing apparatus is further configured to transmit the disconnection request in accordance with an operation performed by a user of the first information processing apparatus.

8. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first processor of the first information processing apparatus is further configured to transmit, in connection with the information for establishing the connection, any one of information indicating permission of connection, information indicating rejection of connection, and information indicating conditional permission/rejection of connection.

9. The wireless communication system according to claim 8, wherein the at least one second processor of the second information processing apparatus is further configured to determine whether to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus, based on the disconnection request and the information indicating conditional permission/rejection of connection.

10. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

the at least one second processor of the second information processing apparatus is further configured to transmit a connection request to the first information processing apparatus, upon determining to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus,

the at least one first processor of the first information processing apparatus is further configured to store a list of information processing apparatuses to which the first information processing apparatus has transmitted the disconnection request, and

the at least one first processor of the first information processing apparatus is further configured to determine whether the second information processing apparatus having transmitted the connection request is included in the list, and reject reconnection to the second information processing apparatus in response to the second information processing apparatus being included in the list.

11. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first information processing apparatus and the second information processing apparatus each store thereto connection identification information for identifying the connection established, and

the at least one second processor of the second information processing apparatus is further configured to determine whether to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus, based on the connection identification information as well as the disconnection request and the information for establishing the connection.

12. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein a first disconnection request type corresponds to an intentional rejection of connection and a second disconnection request type relates to a state of the second information processing apparatus.

13. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the determination of whether to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus is based on the type of the received disconnection request.

14. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein information indicating conditional permission/rejection of connection is included with the transmission of the information for establishing the connection.

15. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one second processor of the second information processing apparatus is further configured to determine whether to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus, based on the disconnection request and the information indicating conditional permission/rejection of connection.

16. A communication method performed in a wireless communication system including a plurality of information processing apparatuses each being configured to wirelessly communicate, the wireless communication system including a first information processing apparatus and a second information processing apparatus, the method comprising the second information processing apparatus:

receiving, from the first information processing apparatus, information for establishing a connection with the second information processing apparatus;

establishing connection between the first information processing apparatus and the second information processing apparatus;

receiving a disconnection request from the first information processing apparatus being connected thereto; and

determining whether to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus, based on the disconnection request and the information for establishing the connection, after having been disconnected from the first information processing apparatus;

wherein the disconnection request has one of a plurality of different disconnection request types;

wherein the second information processing apparatus further includes a data store configured to store information regarding received disconnection requests;

wherein information indicating conditional permission/rejection of connection is includable with the transmission of the information for establishing the connection; and

further comprising;

declining to request reconnection to the first information processing apparatus based on the stored information regarding received disconnection requests and whether information indicating conditional permission/rejection of connection is included with the transmission of the information for establishing the connection.

17. An information processing apparatus including a wireless transceiver and at least one processor configured to at least:

receive, from another information processing apparatus, information for establishing a connection;

establish connection with the other information processing apparatus;

receive a disconnection request from the other information processing apparatus while being connected to the other information processing apparatus; and

determine whether to reconnect to the other information processing apparatus, based on the disconnection request and the information for establishing the connection, after having been disconnected from the other information processing apparatus;

wherein the disconnection request has one of a plurality of different disconnection request types;

wherein the information processing apparatus further includes a data store configured to store information regarding received disconnection requests;

wherein information indicating conditional permission/rejection of connection is includable with the transmission of the information for establishing the connection; and

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to at least decline to request reconnection to the other processing apparatus based on the stored information regarding received disconnection requests and whether information indicating conditional permission/rejection of connection is included with the transmission of the information for establishing the connection.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein an information processing program to be executed by a computer of an information processing apparatus having a wireless transceiver, the program when executed causing the computer to at least:

receive, from another information processing apparatus, information for establishing a connection;

establish connection with the other information processing apparatus;

receive a disconnection request from the other information processing apparatus while being connected to the other information processing apparatus; and

determine whether to reconnect to the other information processing apparatus, based on the disconnection request and the information for establishing the connection, after having been disconnected from the other information processing apparatus;

wherein the disconnection request has one of a plurality of different disconnection request types;

wherein the information processing apparatus further includes a data store configured to store information regarding received disconnection requests;

wherein information indicating conditional permission/rejection of connection is includable with the transmission of the information for establishing the connection; and

the program, when executed, further causing the computer to at least decline to request reconnection to the other information processing apparatus based on the stored information regarding received disconnection requests and whether information indicating conditional permission/rejection of connection is included with the transmission of the information for establishing the connection.