WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, COMMUNICATION METHOD, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND STORAGE MEDIUM HAVING STORED THEREIN INFORMATION PROCESSING PROGRAM

• US 20180254954A1
• Filed: 09/07/2017
• Published: 09/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: KANAYA, Takumi
• Granted Patent: US 10,491,478 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 having a wireless communication function,

the wireless communication system including a first information processing apparatus and a second information processing apparatus,

the first information processing apparatus executing:

a connection information transmitting process of transmitting information for establishing connection with the second information processing apparatus;

a connection process of establishing connection between the first information processing apparatus and the second information processing apparatus; and

a disconnection request transmitting process of transmitting a disconnection request to the second information processing apparatus being connected thereto,

the second information processing apparatus executing;

a connection information receiving process of receiving, from the first information processing apparatus, the information for establishing connection;

a connection process of establishing connection between the first information processing apparatus and the second information processing apparatus;

a disconnection request receiving process of receiving the disconnection request from the first information processing apparatus; and

a determination process of determining whether or not to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus, based on the disconnection request and the information for establishing connection, after having been disconnected from the first information processing apparatus.

2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first information processing apparatus, in the connection information transmitting process, broadcasts the information for establishing connection.

3. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the second information processing apparatus executes a display control process of causing a display to display connection destination candidates, based on the information for establishing connection which is received in the connection information receiving process, and

upon determining not to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus in the determination process, the second information processing apparatus, in the display control process, causes the display to display information of information processing apparatuses each having transmitted the information for establishing 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 in the determination process, the second information processing apparatus does not automatically transmit a reconnection request to the first information processing apparatus.

5. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the first information processing apparatus, in the connection information transmitting process, repeatedly transmits the information for establishing connection, and

the first information processing apparatus, in the disconnection request transmitting process, transmits the disconnection request when a disconnection condition is satisfied.

6. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

in the connection information transmitting process, the first information processing apparatus transmits first information as the information for establishing connection before the disconnection request is transmitted, and transmits second information different from the first information, as the information for establishing connection, after the disconnection request is transmitted.

7. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first information processing apparatus, in the disconnection request transmitting process, transmits 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 first information processing apparatus, in the connection information transmitting process, transmits, as the information for establishing 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 second information processing apparatus, in the determination process, determines whether or not 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 second information processing apparatus transmits a connection request to the first information processing apparatus, upon determining to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus in the determination process,

the first information processing apparatus stores therein a list of information processing apparatuses to which the first information processing apparatus has transmitted the disconnection request, and

the first information processing apparatus determines whether or not the second information processing apparatus having transmitted the connection request is included in the list, and rejects reconnection of the second information processing apparatus when the second information processing apparatus is 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 therein connection identification information for identifying the connection established in the connection process, and

the second information processing apparatus, in the determination process, determines whether or not to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus, on the basis of the connection identification information as well as the disconnection request and the information for establishing connection.

12. A communication method performed in a wireless communication system including a plurality of information processing apparatuses each having a wireless communication function,

the wireless communication system including a first information processing apparatus and a second information processing apparatus,

the first information processing apparatus executing:

a connection information transmitting step of transmitting information for establishing connection with the second information processing apparatus;

a connection step for establishing connection between the first information processing apparatus and the second information processing apparatus; and

a disconnection request transmitting step of transmitting a disconnection request to the second information processing apparatus being connected thereto,

the second information processing apparatus executing;

a connection information receiving step of receiving, from the first information processing apparatus, the information for establishing connection;

a connection step of establishing connection between the first information processing apparatus and the second information processing apparatus;

a disconnection request receiving step of receiving the disconnection request from the first information processing apparatus; and

a determination step of determining whether or not to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus, based on the disconnection request and the information for establishing connection, after having been disconnected from the first information processing apparatus.

13. An information processing apparatus having a wireless communication function, the information processing apparatus including at least one processor configured to execute:

a connection information receiving process of receiving, from another information processing apparatus, information for establishing connection;

a connection process of establishing connection with the other information processing apparatus;

a disconnection request receiving process of receiving a disconnection request from the other information processing apparatus while being connected to the other information processing apparatus; and

a determination process of determining whether or not to reconnect to the other information processing apparatus, based on the disconnection request and the information for establishing connection, after having been disconnected from the other information processing apparatus.

14. A storage medium having stored therein an information processing program to be executed by a computer of an information processing apparatus having a wireless communication function, the program causing the computer to execute:

a connection information receiving process of receiving, from another information processing apparatus, information for establishing connection;

a connection process of establishing connection with the other information processing apparatus;

a disconnection request receiving process of receiving a disconnection request from the other information processing apparatus while being connected to the other information processing apparatus; and

a determination process of determining whether or not to reconnect to the other information processing apparatus, based on the disconnection request and the information for establishing connection, after having been disconnected from the other information processing apparatus.

15. A wireless communication system including a plurality of information processing apparatuses each having a wireless communication function,

the wireless communication system including a first information processing apparatus and a second information processing apparatus,

the first information processing apparatus executing:

a transmission process of transmitting any one of;

connection permission information indicating that connection of the second information processing apparatus is permitted;

connection rejection information indicating that connection of the second information processing apparatus is rejected, and conditional connection permission/rejection information indicating that connection of the second information processing apparatus is conditionally permitted or rejected;

the second information processing apparatus executing;

a reception process of receiving the information transmitted by the first information processing apparatus in the transmission process;

a connection determining process of determining whether or not to connect to the first information processing apparatus, based on the information received in the reception process; and

a condition determining process of determining whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied, wherein

in the connection determining process, the second information processing apparatus

determines to connect to the first information processing apparatus upon receiving the connection permission information,

determines not to connect to the first information processing apparatus upon receiving the connection rejection information, and

determines to connect to the first information processing apparatus upon receiving the conditional connection permission/rejection information, when the predetermined condition is satisfied.