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US 8,572,222 B2Granted
Communication apparatus and communication method
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsTatsuhiko Sakai, Kenichi Fujii, Mitsuhiro Watanabe, Kazuo Moritomo
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Abstract
In a communication apparatus on a network where communication apparatuses perform direct communication with each other, a network management apparatus for managing the network based on message information transmitted and received on the network is determined. When the communication apparatus itself is determined as the network management apparatus, the apparatus collects information indicating device capabilities from other communication apparatuses. On the other hand, the communication apparatus receives information indicating device capabilities from another communication apparatus when the other communication apparatus is determined as the network management apparatus.
Claims15
A digital camera comprising:
- a microprocessor coupled to a memory unit;
- a search unit configured to search for a management apparatus in a first ad hoc wireless network, wherein the management apparatus decides a provider apparatus that provides communication parameters including a network identifier, an encryption method, an encryption key, an authentication method and an authentication key to configure a new ad hoc wireless network;
- a detection unit configured to detect one or more other communication apparatuses that are searching for the management apparatus in the first ad hoc network;
- a determination unit configured to determine the management apparatus in the first ad hoc wireless network from among the digital camera and the one or more other communication apparatuses that are searching for the management apparatus that are detected by the detection unit, if the detection unit has detected the one or more other communication apparatuses that are searching for the management apparatus and the search unit has not found the management apparatus;
- a collection unit configured to collect a device capability attribute value of each of the one or more other communication apparatuses that exists in the first ad hoc wireless network if the digital camera has been determined by the determination unit as the management apparatus;
- a selection unit configured to select the provider apparatus among the digital camera and the one or more other communication apparatuses, based on each device capability attribute value collected by the collection unit, if the digital camera has been determined by the determination unit as the management apparatus;
- a providing unit configured to provide the communication parameters to one or more receiver apparatuses that receive the communication parameters from the provider apparatus, if the selection unit selects the digital camera as the provider apparatus;
- and
- an acquisition unit configured to acquire the communication parameters from the provider apparatus, if the selection unit does not select the digital camera as the provider apparatus.
6 more elements
A communication method performed by a digital camera that includes a microprocessor, the method comprising:
- a search step of searching for a management apparatus in a first ad hoc wireless network, wherein the management apparatus decides a provider apparatus that provides communication parameters including a network identifier, an encryption method, an encryption key, an authentication method and an authentication key to configure a new ad hoc wireless network;
- a detection step of detecting one or more other communication apparatuses that are searching for the management apparatus in the first ad hoc network;
- a determination step of determining the management apparatus in the first ad hoc wireless network from among the digital camera and the one or more other communication apparatuses that are searching for the management apparatus that are detected in the detection step, if the one or more other communication apparatuses that are searching for the management apparatus are detected in the detection step and not the management apparatus is not been found in the search step;
- a collection step of collecting a device capability attribute value of each of the one or more other communication apparatuses that exists in the first ad hoc wireless network if the digital camera is determined to be the management apparatus in the determination step;
- a selection step that selects the provider apparatus among the digital camera and the one or more other communication apparatuses, based on each device capability attribute value collected in the collection step, if the digital camera has been determined in the determination step as the management apparatus;
- a providing step of providing the communication parameters to one or more receiver apparatuses that receive the communication parameters from the provider apparatus, if the digital camera is selected as the provider apparatus in the selection step;
- and
- an acquisition step of acquiring the communication parameters from the provider apparatus, if the digital camera is not selected as the provider apparatus in the selection step,
- wherein at least one of the above steps is performed, at least in part, by the microprocessor.
6 more elements
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a communication method comprising:
- a search step of searching for a management apparatus on a first ad hoc wireless network, wherein the management apparatus decides a provider apparatus that provides communication parameters including a network identifier, an encryption method, an encryption key, an authentication method and an authentication key to configure a new ad hoc wireless network;
- a detection step of detecting one or more other communication apparatuses that are searching for the management apparatus in the first ad hoc network;
- a determination step of determining the management apparatus in the first ad hoc wireless network from among a digital camera and the one or more other communication apparatuses that are searching for the management apparatus that are detected in the detection step, if the one or more other communication apparatuses that are searching for the management apparatus are detected in the detection step and the management apparatus is not found in the search step;
- a collection step of collecting a device attribute value of each of the one or more other communication apparatuses that exists in the first ad hoc wireless network if the digital camera is determined to be the management apparatus in the determination step;
- a selection step of selecting the provider apparatus among the digital camera and the one or more other communication apparatuses, based on each device capability attribute value collected in the collection step, if the digital camera has been determined as the management apparatus in the determination step;
- a providing step of providing the communication parameters to one or more receiver apparatuses that receive the communication parameters from the provider apparatus, if the digital camera is selected as the provider apparatus in the selection step;
- and
- an acquisition step of acquiring the communication parameters from the provider apparatus, if the digital camera is not selected as the provider apparatus in the selection step.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.