# US 11,115,816 B2 · Communication apparatus, control method of communication apparatus, computer program, and storage medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,115,816 B2 - Document ID: US11115816B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/592,208 - Filed: 2019-10-03 - Published: 2020-01-30 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2008-10-06 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Fumihide Goto; Tatsuhiko Sakai - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11115816B2 ## CPC - H04W 12/041: Key generation or derivation - H04W 76/10: Connection setup - H04L 43/12: Network monitoring probes - H04W 12/0431: Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement - H04W 12/0433: Key management protocols - H04W 12/069: using certificates or pre-shared keys - H04W 24/10: Scheduling measurement reports {; Arrangements for measurement reports} - H04W 84/20: Leader-follower arrangements - H04W 8/005: {Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals} - H04W 28/18: Negotiating wireless communication parameters - H04W 68/00: User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like - H04W 72/00: Local resource management - H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] - H04W 84/18: Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A communication apparatus connectable to a communication network notifies the presence of the communication apparatus using a communication channel assigned to the communication apparatus, then sets one communication channel different from the assigned communication channel of those available in the communication network, and searches for a communication partner apparatus which functions as a providing apparatus that provides communication parameters using the set communication channel. The communication apparatus repetitively executes the notification processing and the search processing, and changes a communication channel used in the search processing every time the repetition is executed one or a plurality of number of times. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A communication apparatus comprising: one or more computers that causes the communication apparatus to: execute search processing, by sending a probe request and receiving a probe response, to search a communication partner apparatus in a plurality of channels including a first channel and a second channel, wherein the second channel is not adjacent to the first channel; execute wait processing, by waiting for a probe request from a communication partner apparatus, wherein, in a case where the communication apparatus receives a probe request during execution of the wait processing, the communication apparatus responds by sending a probe response; execute share processing for sharing a communication parameter with the communication partner apparatus detected by the search processing or the communication partner apparatus from which the communication apparatus received a probe request during the wait processing; and provide predetermined information to a user after the share processing is successful, wherein when the search processing in the first channel is finished, the communication apparatus executes the search processing in the second channel without the search processing in a third channel which is adjacent to the first channel and length of period for the wait processing is randomly determined. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus notifies the user of a success based on a fact that the share processing is successful. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus displays on a display unit a message indicating success of the share processing based on a fact that the share processing is successful. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus notifies an error in a case where an error occurs in the share processing. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The communication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the communication apparatus notifies the user of an error in a case where an error occurs in the share processing. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The communication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the communication apparatus displays on a display unit a message indicating an error in a case where an error occurs in the share processing. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more computers further cause the communication apparatus to: switch a processing from the wait processing using a channel from one of the plurality of channels to the search processing, and then, switch a processing from the search processing to the wait processing using a channel from one of the plurality of channels. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the communication apparatus switches a processing from the search processing using the first channel to the wait processing using a channel from one of the plurality of channels, and then, switches a processing from the wait processing to the search processing using the second channel. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more computers further cause the communication apparatus to: determine roles of the communication apparatus, wherein, in the share processing, the communication apparatus provides the communication partner apparatus with the communication parameter in accordance with the role determined by the communication apparatus. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the communication apparatus compares information received from the communication partner apparatus and information relating to the communication apparatus, and determines the role based on a comparison result. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The communication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein information transmitted by the communication apparatus includes information indicating a role determined by the communication apparatus. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus searches the communication partner apparatus by executing the search processing using the plurality of channels from a plurality of available channels. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus does not transmit a probe request during a period that the communication apparatus is executing the wait processing. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein information transmitted by the communication apparatus includes information indicating that the communication apparatus has a function to execute the share processing or information indicating that the share processing is being executed. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus searches for the communication partner apparatus by executing the search processing, which transmits information indicating that a function for executing the share processing is equipped or information indicating that the share processing is being executed. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus searches for the communication partner apparatus by executing the search processing, which functions as a providing apparatus that provides a communication parameter. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus transmits a notification signal indicating existence of the communication apparatus using a channel from one of the plurality of channels during a period in which the communication apparatus is executing the wait processing. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more computers further cause the communication apparatus to: allow another communication apparatus to join a network established between the communication apparatus and the communication partner apparatus. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein there is a difference by N channels (N>1) between the first channel and the second channel. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The communication apparatus according to claim 19, wherein in a case where the search processing in the first channel is finished, the search processing in the second channel, which is increased by N channels from the first channel, is executed without executing the search processing in the third channel which is increased by one from the first channel. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The communication apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the N equals 3. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more computers further cause the communication apparatus to: determine, based on the received probe response, whether or not the communication partner apparatus which transmitted the probe response is a providing apparatus which provides communication parameters. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more computers further cause the communication apparatus to: receive a user's operation indicative of forming a network with the communication partner apparatus, wherein the communication apparatus executes the search processing to search the communication partner apparatus in response to detection of the user's operation. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus executes the share processing based on a Registration protocol regulated in Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS). ### Claim 25 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus executes a 4-way handshake regulated in IEEE802.11i and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) in a case where the communication apparatus connects to the communication partner apparatus based on the communication parameter. ### Claim 26 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication parameter includes at least one of SSID (Service Set Identifier), an encryption method, an encryption key, an authentication method, and an authentication key. ### Claim 27 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication parameter is a parameter for performing a wireless communication compliant with the IEEE802.11 standard. ### Claim 28 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more computers further cause the communication apparatus to: end the share processing in a case where the share processing performed by the communication apparatus is failed. ### Claim 29 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined information indicates that the share processing is successful. ### Claim 30 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus provides information being different from the predetermined information to the user in a case where an error occurs in the share processing. ### Claim 31 A method of controlling a communication apparatus, the method comprising: executing search processing, by sending a probe request and receiving a probe response, to search a communication partner apparatus in a plurality of channels including a first channel and a second channel, wherein the second channel is not adjacent to the first channel; executing wait processing, by waiting for a probe request from a communication partner apparatus, wherein, in a case where the communication apparatus receives a probe request during execution of the wait processing, the communication apparatus responds by sending a probe response; executing share processing for sharing a communication parameter with the communication partner apparatus detected by the search processing or the communication partner apparatus from which the communication apparatus received a probe request during the wait processing; and providing predetermined information to a user after the share processing is successful, wherein when the search processing in the first channel is finished, the search processing is executed in the second channel without executing the search processing in a third channel which is adjacent to the first channel and length of period for the wait processing is randomly determined. ### Claim 32 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a method of controlling a communication apparatus, the method comprising: executing search processing, by sending a probe request and receiving a probe response, to search a communication partner apparatus in a plurality of channels including a first channel and a second channel, wherein the second channel is not adjacent to the first channel; executing wait processing by waiting for a probe request from a communication partner apparatus, wherein, in a case where a probe request is received during execution of the wait processing, the wait processing responds by sending a probe response; executing share processing for sharing a communication parameter with the communication partner apparatus detected by the search processing or the communication partner apparatus from which the communication apparatus received a probe request during the wait processing; and providing predetermined information to a user after the share processing is successful, wherein when the search processing in the first channel is finished, the search processing is executed in the second channel without executing the search processing in a third channel which is adjacent to the first channel and length of period for the wait processing is randomly determined.