Information processing apparatus and method and program

• US 8,301,124 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2009
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Soma, Isao, Miyabayashi, Naoki, Yoneda, Yoshihiro, Kuroda, Seiji, Ishikawa, Yasuharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, David Q
• Application Number:
  US12/365,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20090221271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 412, 455/552.1, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

An information processing apparatus for communicating with a different information processing apparatus, includes: a first connection establishment block configured to control a first communication section, which carries out nearby wireless communication for delivering and accepting information to and from the different information processing apparatus positioned near to the information processing apparatus, to establish a connection for the nearby wireless communication; an acquisition block configured to acquire setting information for short range wireless communication which exhibits a wire communication range than the nearby wireless communication and capability information regarding the capacity of the different information processing apparatus from the different information processing apparatus through the nearby wireless communication; and a second connection establishment block configured to control a second communication section, which carries out the short range wireless communication, based on the setting information and the capability information to establish a connection for the short range wireless communication.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

first connection establishment means for controlling a first communication section, which can carry out a delivery and an acceptance of information to and from a different information processing apparatus positioned near to said information processing apparatus by a nearby wireless communication, to establish a connection for the nearby wireless communication;

acquisition means for acquiring setting information for a short range wireless communication which exhibits a wider communication range than the nearby wireless communication and capability information regarding a capacity of the different information processing apparatus from the different information processing apparatus through the nearby wireless communication for which the connection is established by said first connection establishment means;

second connection establishment means for controlling a second communication section, which carries out the short range wireless communication, based on the setting information acquired by said acquisition means to establish a connection for the short range wireless communication; and

process execution means for executing a predetermined process based on information delivered to and accepted from the different information processing apparatus based on the capability information acquired by said acquisition means and including at least one of behavior setting information which specifies a behavior of said information processing apparatus or the different information processing apparatus, connection apparatus information regarding an apparatus connected to the different information processing apparatus, apparatus state information indicative of a state of the different information processing apparatus and application information regarding an application which can be executed by the different information processing apparatus, wherein the capability information includes the apparatus state information, the apparatus state information indicates an existing power supply state of the different information processing apparatus, the process execution means executes the predetermined process, through the short range wireless communication, based on the existing power supply state,

the predetermined process provides a service to the different information processing apparatus based on the existing power supply state of the different information processing apparatus, and the service includes generating electromagnetic waves based on the existing power supply state of the different information processing apparatus.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capability information includes information representative of a communication system of the short range wireless communication by a second communication section of the different information processing apparatus, and

said second connection establishment means establishes the short range wireless communication in accordance with a communication system, which can be used for a communication by the different information processing apparatus, based on the setting information and the capability information.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said process execution means carries out, based on the application information included in the capability information, a setting of an application for executing a process based on information delivered and accepted through the short range wireless communication for which the connection is established by said second connection establishment means as the predetermined process.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capability information includes information indicative, for each of a plurality of different information processing apparatuses, of a communication system for the short range wireless communication by the second communication section,

said second connection establishment means being operable to select, based on the capability information, an opposite party of a communication for the short range wireless communication from among the plurality of the different information processing apparatuses and establish the short range wireless communication with the selected different information processing apparatus in accordance with a communication system that the selected different information processing apparatus can use for a communication.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capability information includes the application information which is information indicative, for each of a plurality of different information processing apparatuses, of applications which can be executed,

said second connection establishment means being operable to select an opposite party of a communication for the short range wireless communication from among the plurality of the different information processing apparatuses based on the capability information to establish the short range wireless communication,

said process execution means carrying out, based on the application information indicated by the capability information and regarding the applications which can be executed by the different information processing apparatuses selected by said second connection establishment means, a setting of the application for executing a process, based on the information delivered and accepted through the nearby wireless communication, for which the connection is established by said second connection establishment means as the predetermined process.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said process execution means carries out, based on the capability information, a setting for transmitting information outputted from the different information processing apparatus or an apparatus connected to the different information processing apparatus through the short range wireless communication for which the connection is established by said second connection establishment means or a setting for outputting information transmitted from the different information processing apparatus through the short range wireless communication for which the connection is established by said second connection establishment means.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmission means for transmitting the setting information and the capability information to the different information processing apparatus through the nearby wireless communication for which the connection is established by said first connection establishment means.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capability information includes at least two of the connection apparatus information, the apparatus state information and the application information.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nearby wireless communication is defined by an electromagnetic induction communication, and the short range wireless communication is a Bluetooth communication.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capability information includes the application information, the application information indicates a name of the application, and said process execution means carries out a setting of the application, which executes a process based on the information delivered and accepted through the short range wireless communication.

11. An information processing method for an information processing apparatus, comprising:

controlling a first communication section, which can carry out a delivery and an acceptance of information to and from a different information processing apparatus positioned near to the information processing apparatus by a nearby wireless communication, to establish a connection for the nearby wireless communication;

acquiring setting information for a short range wireless communication which exhibits a wider communication range than the nearby wireless communication and capability information regarding a capacity of the information processing apparatus from the different information processing apparatus through the nearby wireless communication for which the connection is established;

controlling a second communication section, which carries out the short range wireless communication, based on the acquired setting information, to establish a connection for the short range wireless communication; and

executing a predetermined process based on information delivered to and accepted from the different information processing apparatus based on the acquired capability information and including at least one of behavior setting information which specifies a behavior of the information processing apparatus or the different information processing apparatus, connection apparatus information regarding an apparatus connected to the different information processing apparatus, apparatus state information indicative of a state of the different information processing apparatus and application information regarding an application which can be executed by the different information processing apparatus, wherein the capability information includes the apparatus state information, the apparatus state information indicates an existing power supply state of the different information processing apparatus, the executing executes the predetermined process, through the short range wireless communication, based on the existing power supply state,

the predetermined process provides a service to the different information processing apparatus based on the existing power supply state of the different information processing apparatus, and the service includes generating electromagnetic waves based on the existing power supply state of the different information processing apparatus.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a program stored thereon that, when executed on a processor, causes an information processing apparatus to execute a process which comprises:

controlling with the processor a first communication section, which can carry out a delivery and an acceptance of information to and from a different information processing apparatus positioned near to the information processing apparatus by a nearby wireless communication, to establish a connection for the nearby wireless communication;

acquiring setting information for a short range wireless communication which exhibits a wider communication range than the nearby wireless communication and capability information regarding a capacity of the information processing apparatus from the different information processing apparatus through the nearby wireless communication for which the connection is established;

controlling a second communication section, which carries out the short range wireless communication, based on the acquired setting information, to establish a connection for the short range wireless communication; and

executing a predetermined process based on information delivered to and accepted from the different information processing apparatus based on the acquired capability information and including at least one of behavior setting information which specifies a behavior of the information processing apparatus or the different information processing apparatus, connection apparatus information regarding an apparatus connected to the different information processing apparatus, apparatus state information indicative of a state of the different information processing apparatus and application information regarding an application which can be executed by the different information processing apparatus, wherein the capability information includes the apparatus state information, the apparatus state information indicates an existing power supply state of the different information processing apparatus, the executing executes the predetermined process, through the short range wireless communication, based on the existing power supply state,

the predetermined process provides a service to the different information processing apparatus based on the existing power supply state of the different information processing apparatus, and the service includes generating electromagnetic waves based on the existing power supply state of the different information processing apparatus.