COMMUNICATION SYSTEM HAVING MANAGEMENT APPARATUS AND USER APPARATUS, MANAGEMENT APPARATUS, USER APPARATUS, AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20140215048A1
• Filed: 04/02/2014
• Published: 07/31/2014
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 9,667,504 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• 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

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A communication apparatus comprising:

a transmitting unit configured to transmit, when performing a sharing process for sharing a communication parameter for communicating with a management apparatus with the management apparatus, device information of the communication apparatus to the management apparatus;

an acquisition unit configured to acquire account information, which is used when making a server perform a predetermined function, in accordance with the device information from the management apparatus; and

a control unit configured to control, by using the account information acquired by the acquisition unit, for making the server perform the predetermined function.

19. The communication apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a requesting unit configured to request the account information to the management apparatus, wherein the acquiring unit acquires the account information in accordance with the device information from the management apparatus in accordance with the request from the requesting unit.

20. The communication apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a requesting unit configured to request a creation of the account information to the management apparatus.

21. The communication apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the communication apparatus communicates with the server via the management apparatus.

22. The communication apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the communication apparatus performs wireless communication complying with the IEEE 802.11 series standard with the management apparatus.

23. The communication apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the communication apparatus performs wireless communication complying with the Bluetooth standard with the management apparatus.

24. The communication apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a sharing unit configured to perform the sharing process for sharing the communication parameter with the management apparatus, wherein the transmitting unit transmits, when the sharing unit performs the sharing process, the device information of the communication apparatus to the management apparatus.

25. The communication apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the sharing unit performs a process complying with the WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) to share the communication parameter with the management apparatus.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to function as the units of the communication apparatus according to claim 18.

26. A method for controlling a communication apparatus comprising the steps of:

transmitting, when performing a sharing process for sharing a communication parameter for communicating with a management apparatus with the management apparatus, device information of the communication apparatus to the management apparatus;

acquiring account information, which is used when making a server perform a predetermined function, in accordance with the device information from the management apparatus; and

controlling, by using the acquired account information, for making the server perform the predetermined function.