Electronic device, electronic device control method and program, and medium

Abstract

To eliminate erroneous selection of an external device with low priority and waiting time for an external device with high priority when searching for an external device to be set up. [Solution] The electronic device searches for printers using multiple methods, including task t1 and task t2. In a situation where there are printers discoverable in each task, if a first printer is found in the search in task t1 and a predetermined condition regarding a first access point to which that printer can be connected is met, a screen for connecting to the first printer is displayed before a predetermined time has passed since the start of the search, without a second printer discoverable in task t2 being considered as a connection destination candidate. In a situation where there are no printers discoverable in task t1 but a second printer discoverable in task t2, even if the second printer is found in the search in task t2, a screen indicating that a search is in progress is displayed until at least a predetermined time has passed unless a user operation is performed.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device that controls the connection of an external device to a wireless access point, a control method for an electronic device, a program, and a medium. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to enable an external device to be used from an electronic device such as an information processing device (e.g., a personal computer (PC) or a smartphone), there are applications that establish a connection between the electronic device and the external device, install drivers, and so on (hereinafter referred to as setup). In such applications, in order to determine the external device to be set up, a process of searching for external devices is performed for all interfaces (IFs) that the external device can support. The searched external devices are then presented to the user for selection, thereby determining the external device to be set up. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which an information processing device performs a communication device search process for a network to which it is connected and presents found devices to the user in order. The technology described in Patent Document 1 also has a means for receiving near field communication (NFC) information. When NFC information is received during a network search process, the network search process is stopped and the target communication device is determined according to the NFC information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-58470 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, there may be a priority order for the IFs of external devices to be searched. Therefore, in a configuration in which found external devices are presented to the user in order, if an external device with a lower priority IF is found first, the user may end up selecting the external device with the lower priority IF. On the other hand, it is also possible to display a screen indicating that a search is in progress until the search is completed for all IFs that the external device can support, and then present the external device with a higher priority to the user. However, this means that the user has to wait until the search for all IFs is completed, which takes extra time and results in a problem of reduced operability and productivity.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional examples, and when an external device is found in an interface with a high priority, the external device can be immediately presented to the user, improving user convenience and improving the productivity of processes that use external devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device capable of communicating with an external device, comprising: a search means for searching for external devices using a plurality of methods including a first method and a second method; When a search is started by the search means, a search in progress screen is displayed. in a situation where there is a first external device discoverable by the first method and a second external device discoverable by the second method, when the first external device is found by a search by the first method and a predetermined condition regarding a first access point to which the electronic device can be connected is satisfied, control is performed so that a first screen for connecting to the first external device is displayed before a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of a search by the search means, without the second external device being a candidate for a connection destination; a display control means for controlling, in a situation where there is no external device discoverable by the first method and there is the second external device discoverable by the second method, to display a second screen indicating that a search is in progress, even if the second external device is found by the search by the second method, unless a user operation is performed, until at least the predetermined time has elapsed; An electronic device is provided, comprising: [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, when an external device is found in an interface with a high priority, the external device can be immediately presented to the user, improving user convenience and improving the productivity of processes that use the external device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a printer search process to be set up in the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a setup target printer presentation process according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an automatic wireless setting process and a guidable environment determination process according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the display device 208 of the PC 101 in the setup target printer presentation process of the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0010] An information processing device and a communication device included in the communication system of this embodiment will be described. The information processing device and the communication device may also be referred to as an electronic device and an external device, respectively. In this embodiment, a personal computer (PC) is used as an example of the information processing device. However, this is not limited to this, and the present disclosure can be applied to various devices, such as terminal devices, smartphones, tablet devices, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), and digital cameras. Furthermore, while a printer is used as an example of the communication device in this embodiment, this is not limited to this, and the present disclosure can be applied to various devices capable of wireless communication with the information processing device. For example, the present disclosure can be applied to printers such as inkjet printers, full-color laser beam printers, and monochrome printers. Furthermore, the present disclosure can be applied not only to printers but also to copiers, facsimile machines, terminal devices, smartphones, laptop PCs, tablet devices, PDAs, digital cameras, music playback devices, televisions, smart speakers, and the like. The present disclosure can also be applied to multifunction peripherals equipped with multiple functions, such as copying, faxing, and printing.

[0011] In this embodiment, we consider the process of determining the printer to be set up during the setup process performed to make the printer usable from a PC. To make the printer usable from a PC, the PC and printer must be able to communicate with each other. For example, establishing a wireless infrastructure connection (hereinafter referred to as a wireless infrastructure connection) between the PC and printer enables the PC and printer to communicate with each other. A wireless infrastructure connection is a method of connecting via an AP, such as connecting the PC and printer to the same access point (AP) and communicating with each other. In other words, the user must connect the printer to the AP, and is required to enter the SSID (Service Set Identifier) ​​and password for connecting the printer to the AP into the printer.

[0012] ●Automatic wireless setting process However, to enter the SSID and password into the printer, the user must first confirm the correct SSID and password and then enter them correctly using the printer's input unit. While printer input units, such as physical buttons or touch panels, are available, they are limited by the small size of the panels and the difficulty of providing a sufficient number of physical buttons. Given the above-mentioned circumstances, it is not easy for users to correctly enter the SSID and password into the printer. Therefore, there is a technology (hereinafter referred to as the automatic wireless setting process) that allows a printer to connect to an AP without user interaction. In the automatic wireless setting process, the PC temporarily connects to the printer in wireless setting mode (described below) via a wireless direct connection, sends information about the AP to which the printer is to connect, such as the SSID and password, to the printer, and the printer uses that information to connect to the AP.

[0013] A wireless direct connection is a connection method in which two devices communicate directly without going through an external device such as an AP. For example, a wireless direct connection can be achieved by having a printer act as an AP corresponding to a unique SSID for the wireless direct connection, and a PC connect as a client to the printer acting as the AP. The unique SSID is uniquely determined for each printer manufacturer and printer model. In a wireless direct connection, the PC and printer are directly connected using a wireless LAN interface (LANIF) (described below), so they cannot communicate with any device other than each other. For this reason, a wireless direct connection is characterized by being often used as a temporary connection.

[0014] The wireless setting mode is an operating mode in which the printer operates as an AP corresponding to a unique SSID (hereinafter referred to as the unique SSID for the wireless setting mode) that is different from the unique SSID for a normal wireless direct connection for the automatic wireless setting process described above. In the wireless setting mode, the printer operating as an AP is in a state in which it accepts a wireless direct connection from a PC. The wireless setting mode is a mode that is used only when performing the automatic wireless setting process described above. In the wireless setting mode, the printer operates as an AP with a low security level (an AP with open authentication) because it is intended to connect the PC and printer without the user having to enter authentication information (such as a password). In this embodiment, in order to acquire candidates for the printer to be set up, the PC displays a screen that simply indicates that it is searching, and searches for printers in wireless setting mode and printers that are already able to communicate with the PC (hereinafter referred to as connected printers).

[0015] Here, a connected printer refers to a printer that has established a network connection, such as a wireless infrastructure connection, with a PC (hereinafter referred to as a network-connected printer), and a printer that has established a USB connection with a PC (hereinafter referred to as a USB-connected printer). Here, USB stands for Universal Serial Bus. Note that a network-connected printer is not limited to a wireless infrastructure connection. For example, it may be a printer connected to a router via a wired LAN (Local Area Network) that can communicate with a PC via the router, or it may be connected via a wireless direct connection, or a combination of these.

[0016] The search process for a printer in the wireless setting mode is realized by searching for the unique SSID for the wireless setting mode described above.

[0017] The process of searching for network-connected printers is realized by using SNMP to obtain MIB information from each device, including printers, in the PC's network environment. Here, SNMP stands for Simple Network Management Protocol, a network management protocol that is a standard for managing network devices. MIB stands for Management Information Base, a collection of device management information data. Each piece of MIB information is linked to a unique OID (Object Identifier). A PC can obtain necessary information from a communicating printer by specifying an OID using the SNMP protocol. Because OIDs can be defined uniquely by each vendor, specifying the unique OID set by the vendor for the printer and obtaining specific MIB information identifies the printer as a vendor-owned printer. As a result, the process of searching for network-connected printers provided by the printer vendor detects only the vendor's own printers as candidates for setup. However, during the above process, if a printer is in sleep mode, i.e., operating in power-saving mode, the response to the SNMP communication requested by the PC may be delayed. Therefore, in this embodiment, the PC's process of searching for network-connected printers continues for 10 seconds. If the specific MIB information cannot be acquired after continuing the search process for 10 seconds, it is determined that the network-connected printer does not exist in the PC's network environment.

[0018] ●Printer priority Here, the priority order of printers to be set up will be explained. The setup process is generally performed immediately after purchasing a printer, when the printer is not connected to anything. For this reason, in this embodiment, the priority order of a printer in wireless setting mode, which the PC automatically connects the printer to an AP, is set higher than the priority order of a connected printer. In other words, if both a printer in wireless setting mode and a connected printer are found, the printer in wireless setting mode is given priority and presented to the user.

[0019] As mentioned above, the search process for network-connected printers always runs for 10 seconds. Therefore, if the PC displays a screen indicating that a search is in progress until the search process for all printers is complete, the user will have to wait at least 10 seconds, even if a printer with a higher priority and a wireless setting mode has already been found, which is inconvenient. On the other hand, if the printers found in any of the IFs are presented to the user sequentially, if a connected printer with a lower priority is found before a printer with a wireless setting mode, the user may select the connected printer. Therefore, in this embodiment, a screen indicating that a search is in progress is displayed at least until the search process for printers with a wireless setting mode is complete. Then, after the search process for printers with a wireless setting mode is complete, if a printer with a wireless setting mode has been found, a screen prompting the user to connect to the printer with a wireless setting mode is displayed.

[0020] The above processing procedure is implemented and realized in an application program that searches for a printer to be connected and connects an information processing device such as a PC to the printer. In other words, the application program for searching for and connecting to a printer to be connected searches for a first external device, i.e., a printer in wireless setting mode, using a first method, and also searches for a second external device, i.e., a connected printer, using a second method. When these searches are initiated, a searching screen is displayed at least while the search in the second method is being performed. If a printer in wireless setting mode has been discovered, and if certain conditions regarding an access point to which the printer in wireless setting mode can connect are met, a first screen for connecting to the printer is displayed before a certain time has elapsed since the start of the search. In this case, even if a connected printer has been discovered, it is not considered as a connection destination candidate. Furthermore, if a printer in wireless setting mode has not been discovered but a connected printer has been discovered, a screen indicating that a search is in progress is displayed until at least a certain time has elapsed unless a user operation is performed.

[0021] This allows the user to be prompted to connect to a printer with a high-priority wireless setting mode without waiting the 10-second search time for connected printers. Furthermore, even if a connected printer with a low priority is found, it is not presented to the user until the search for a printer with a high-priority wireless setting mode is complete. This prevents the user from accidentally selecting a connected printer with a low priority as the printer to be set up, improving user convenience. This embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0022] First Embodiment ●Network configuration example FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration in this embodiment. FIG. 1(a) shows a state in which a PC 101 and an AP 102 are connected via a wireless LAN. Furthermore, a printer 103 and a printer 104 are also connected to a wireless access point (AP) 102 via the wireless LAN. That is, the PC 101 is able to communicate with the printers 103 and 104 via the AP 102, and a wireless infrastructure connection is established. In this way, a wireless infrastructure connection can be used to create a network environment in which a PC can communicate with two or more devices. Note that, for example, if the printer 103 and the AP 102 are connected via a wireless LAN and the PC 101 and the printer 103 are able to communicate via the AP 102, it can be said that the printer 103 has established a wireless infrastructure connection. That is, the connection between the PC 101 and the AP 102 does not have to be a wireless LAN; for example, in FIG. 1(a), the PC 101 may be connected to the AP 102 via a wired LAN.

[0023] On the other hand, there is also a connection method called wireless direct connection, which allows communication only between two devices. Figure 1(a) shows a state in which a PC 101 and a printer 104 have established a peer-to-peer connection (hereinafter referred to as a wireless P2P connection) via a wireless direct connection. In the environment shown in Figure 1(a), the PC 101 can detect the printers 103 and 104 as network-connected printers.

[0024] FIG. 1(b) shows a case where the printer 104 is operating in wireless setting mode. The printer 104 operating in wireless setting mode operates as an AP and transmits beacon information including SSID information corresponding to the AP. In the environment of FIG. 1(b), the PC 101 detects the printer 103 as a printer already connected to the network, and detects the printer 104 as a printer in wireless setting mode by receiving the beacon information transmitted by the printer 104. In other words, the PC 101 can discover the printer 103 as a connected printer and the printer 104 as a printer in wireless setting mode.

[0025] ●Configuration of each device 2 is a configuration diagram of a communication system including the hardware configuration of a PC 101 (i.e., an electronic device) and a printer 103 (i.e., an external device) in this embodiment. The PC 101 has a CPU 201, a ROM 202, a RAM 206, an external storage device 207, a display device 208, and an input IF 209. The PC 101 also has a USB IF 205, a wired LAN IF 210, and a wireless LAN IF 211. However, this embodiment is valid even if the PC 101 does not have the USB IF 205 or the wired LAN IF 210.

[0026] ROM 202 stores programs 203 corresponding to various processes, including a process for searching for a printer to be set up (hereinafter referred to as a setup target printer search process) and a program for automatic wireless setting process, as well as a wireless profile 204 (described below). An external storage device 207 also stores an operating system (OS), printer drivers, and various other data. CPU 201 reads out the stored program 203 from ROM 202, loads it into RAM 206, and executes it to perform various processes, including the automatic wireless setting process. Display device 208 displays the screens of the OS and program 203, and input IF 209 accepts input from the user, enabling the input of various data and operation instructions.

[0027] PC 101 can be connected to printer 103 via USB cable 221 or wirelessly via wireless direct connection 224 via P2P. PC 101 can also be connected to LAN 222 via Ethernet cable 225, and if printer 103 can also be connected to LAN 222, PC 101 and printer 103 can communicate with each other in the same LAN 222 environment. Furthermore, PC 101 can be connected to AP 223 via wireless LANIF 211, and AP 223 can be connected to LAN 222 via Ethernet cable 226, thereby enabling PC 101 to connect to LAN 222. If printer 103 can also be connected to AP 223, PC 101 and printer 103 can communicate with each other via AP 223.

[0028] Here, the wireless profile 204 is information including specific information (such as an SSID) of the AP 223 connected via the wireless LAN IF 211, authentication information (such as a password) used in authentication processing, etc. The wireless profile 204 is stored and managed by the CPU 201 executing the OS included in the external storage device 207.

[0029] The printer 103 includes a CPU 252, a ROM 253, a RAM 258, a display device 259, an input IF 260, a USB IF 251, a wireless LAN IF 256, and a wired LAN IF 257. The ROM 253 stores a program 254, a wireless profile 255, MIB information 261, and the like. The CPU 252 reads the program 254 from the ROM 253 into the RAM 258 and executes it to perform various controls on the printer 103. The display device 259 displays a screen of the program 254 to notify the user of the processing status and whether data input is being accepted. The input IF 260 accepts user input, enabling the user to input data and give operational instructions to the program 254. The printer 103 does not necessarily have to include the USB IF 251 and the wired LAN IF 257.

[0030] The printer 103 can be connected to the PC 101 via a USB cable 221 or wirelessly via a wireless direct connection 224 via a P2P connection. The printer 103 can connect to the AP 223 via a wireless LAN interface 256, and the AP 223 can connect to the LAN 222 via an Ethernet cable 226, thereby enabling the printer 103 to connect to the LAN 222. The wireless profile 255 is information that includes settings such as specific information (such as an SSID) and authentication information (such as a password) for the AP 223 connected via the wireless LAN interface 256. The wireless profile 255 is stored and managed by the CPU 252 executing a program 254 included in the ROM 253. For example, when the printer 103 is turned on, the printer 103 can reconnect to the previous network by using the wireless profile 255. Furthermore, the printer 103 may be configured to manage multiple wireless profiles, similar to the OS of the PC 101. As described above, the MIB information 261 is a standard for managing network devices, and holds information that can be used by the network management protocol SNMP.

[0031] The ROM 253 also stores a unique SSID that is set uniquely for the printer 103. The wireless LAN IF 256 of the printer 103 can operate as an AP corresponding to this unique SSID. Therefore, the PC 101 can connect to the printer 103 operating as an AP via the wireless direct connection 224, just as when connecting to the AP 223.

[0032] This embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Figs. 3 to 6. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing setup target printer search processing performed by PC 101 in this embodiment. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of printer detection processing performed by PC 101 in S307 of Fig. 3 in this embodiment. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of "automatic wireless setting processing guidance possibility determination" processing performed by PC 101 in S405 of Fig. 4 in this embodiment. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on display device 208 of PC 101 in the processing of the flowcharts shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

[0033] ● Search process for printers to be set up The setup target printer search process in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 shows the process of searching for a printer to be set up, but since this process displays a user interface screen such as that shown in Fig. 6, it can also be said to be a display control processing procedure.

[0034] In step S301, the CPU 201 of the PC 101 executes a program (such as an application) that includes a setup target printer search process included in the program 203, thereby starting the setup target printer search process.

[0035] When the CPU 201 starts the setup target printer search process in S301, it displays a processing screen 601 as shown in Fig. 6A in S302. The processing screen 601 is a searching screen that includes, for example, a character string 602 indicating that a printer search is in progress and an image 603 indicating that a printer search is in progress, and notifies the user that a printer is being searched for. The processing screen 601 does not accept user operations, and automatically switches the screen display after the CPU 201 executes the processes from S303 onwards.

[0036] Next, in step S303, the CPU 201 generates task t1, which executes printer search processing in wireless setting mode. Here, a task is a mechanism for executing asynchronous processing. For example, processing to be executed asynchronously can be defined in advance as a task, and then multiple tasks can be executed simultaneously, thereby achieving parallel processing.

[0037] Next, in S304, the CPU 201 generates task t2 for network-connected printer search processing. Next, in S305, the CPU 201 generates task t3 for USB-connected printer search processing. Then, in S306, the CPU 201 executes the generated tasks t1, t2, and t3 simultaneously, i.e., in parallel, to search for each printer through parallel processing. Note that in this embodiment, tasks t1, t2, and t3 are generated and search processing for each printer is executed, but the USB printer search processing does not have to be executed. That is, the CPU 201 does not have to execute the processing of S305. Also, in this embodiment, the processing in progress screen 601 is displayed in S302, and tasks t1, t2, and t3 are generated in this order, but this order is not particularly limited. For example, the tasks may be generated in the order of t2, t3, and t1, and then the processing in progress screen 601 may be displayed. Furthermore, execution of a task may be started each time it is generated.

[0038] Next, in S307, the CPU 201 executes "presentation of printer to be set up" to present the printer to be set up to the user according to the results of each task. S307 will be described later with reference to Fig. 4. Then, in S308, the CPU 201 ends the setup-target printer search process.

[0039] ●Presenting printers to be set up The setup target printer presentation process (S307 in FIG. 3) executed by the PC 101 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0040] In S401, the CPU 201 starts the setup target presentation process. In S402, the CPU 201 checks the processing status of task t1 and determines whether the processing of task t1 has ended. If it is determined in S402 that the processing of task t1 has not ended, the process returns to S402. On the other hand, if it is determined in S402 that the processing of task t1 has ended, the process proceeds to S403. In S403, the CPU 201 determines whether a printer in wireless setting mode has been found in the processing of task t1. If it is determined that a printer in wireless setting mode has been found, the process branches to S404. If it is determined that a printer in wireless setting mode has not been found, the process branches to S412. If it is determined that a printer in wireless setting mode has been found in S403, the CPU 201 performs processing in S404 to determine whether the environment is one in which guidance to automatic wireless setting processing is possible. The processing to determine whether the environment is one in which guidance to automatic wireless setting processing is possible will be described later with reference to FIG. 5. In S405, the CPU 201 determines whether it has been determined, as a result of the processing in S404, that the environment is one in which guidance to automatic wireless setting processing is possible. If it is determined that the environment allows guidance to the automatic wireless setting process, the process proceeds to S406. If it is determined that the environment does not allow guidance to the automatic wireless setting process, the process branches to S413. The process from S413 onwards will be described later.

[0041] In S406, the CPU 201 determines whether or not multiple printers in wireless setting mode were found in the processing of task t1. If it is determined in S406 that multiple printers in wireless setting mode were found in the processing of task t1, the process proceeds to S408. The processes from S408 onwards will be described later. On the other hand, if it is determined in S406 that multiple printers in wireless setting mode were found in the processing of task t1, the process proceeds to S407.

[0042] In S407, the CPU 201 displays a printer selection screen 621 (also referred to as a first printer selection screen) for the user to select a printer in wireless setting mode, as shown in FIG. 6C. The first printer selection screen 621 includes a list user interface (UI) 622 that displays information about multiple printers in wireless setting mode found in the processing of task t1, and a "Next" button 623. The list UI 622 includes items that display the printer's product name, the last five digits of the serial number, the IPv4 address, and the IPv6 address, which are information that the PC 101 obtains from the printer when it detects the printer. Here, IPv4 stands for Internet Protocol (IP) version 4, and IPv6 stands for IP version 6. Note that for information that cannot be obtained during printer detection, the CPU 201 of the PC 101 may communicate with the detected printer after printer detection and obtain the necessary information from the printer. In the example screen shown in Figure 6(c), two printers have been discovered as printers in wireless setting mode: one with the product name "AAAA series" and the last five digits of the serial number being "****11111," and the other with the product name "BBBB series" and the last five digits of the serial number being "****66666." The first printer selection screen 621 shown in Figure 6(c) shows how each of the discovered printers is displayed as an option.

[0043] Note that a printer in wireless setting mode is, for example, a printer 103 operating as an AP corresponding to a unique SSID stored in ROM 253. Therefore, there is no IPv4 address or IPv6 address corresponding to a printer in wireless setting mode. That is, list UI 622 does not need to have items for IPv4 address and IPv6 address. Also, first printer selection screen 621 for selecting a printer in wireless setting mode waits for user input via input IF 209 of PC 101. Then, when the user selects the printer to be set up and presses the “Next” button 623, the process proceeds to the next step, i.e., S408. By displaying first printer selection screen 621 for selecting a printer in wireless setting mode, even if multiple printers in wireless setting mode with high priority are found, PC 101 can narrow down the list to present to the user only printers in wireless setting mode.

[0044] When the CPU 201 detects that the user has pressed the "Next" button 623 on the first printer selection screen 621 displayed in S407, the process proceeds to S408.

[0045] In S408, the CPU 201 displays a connection guidance screen 631, as shown in FIG. 6(d), that prompts the user to connect to a printer in wireless setting mode. The connection guidance screen 631 has an area 632 that displays the product name and the last five digits of the serial number of the printer in wireless setting mode that is a candidate for setup. That is, the guidance screen 631 also serves as a confirmation screen for confirming the printer in wireless setting mode and the AP to connect to. The printer in wireless setting mode that is a candidate for setup is the printer selected on the printer selection screen 621 if the process proceeds from S407 to S408, and is the discovered printer in wireless setting mode if the process proceeds from S406 to S408. The connection guidance screen 631 also has an area 633 that displays the SSID of the AP to which the printer will connect in the automatic wireless setting process. The connection guidance screen 631 also has a "Connect" button 634 and a "Another Printer" button 635.

[0046] In S409, the CPU 201 determines whether to connect to the printer in the wireless setting mode that is a candidate for setup. If the user follows the guidance on the connection guidance screen 631 and presses the "Connect" button 634, the CPU 201 determines in S409 to connect to the printer in the wireless setting mode displayed on the connection guidance screen 631, and proceeds to S411. On the other hand, if the user does not follow the guidance on the connection guidance screen 631 and presses the "Another Printer" button 635, the CPU 201 determines in S409 not to connect to the printer in the wireless setting mode displayed on the connection guidance screen 631, and proceeds to S410. In S411, the CPU 201 ends the setup target printer presentation process. In S410, the CPU 201 again displays the processing in progress screen 601 as shown in FIG. 6A. Then, the process proceeds to S412, which will be described later, and executes the processes from S412 onwards.

[0047] If it is determined in S403 that a printer in wireless setting mode has not been found, or if the processing screen 601 has been redisplayed in S410, S412 is executed. In S412, the CPU 201 determines whether or not at least one of a network-connected printer or a USB-connected printer has been found. A network-connected printer is a printer searched for in the processing of task t2, and a USB-connected printer is a printer searched for in the processing of task t3. If it is determined in S412 that neither a network-connected printer nor a USB-connected printer has been found, the process proceeds to S420. On the other hand, if it is determined in S412 that at least one of a network-connected printer or a USB-connected printer has been found, the process proceeds to S413.

[0048] In S419, CPU 201 determines whether the processing of both tasks t2 and t3 has ended. In this embodiment, tasks t2 and t3 end in a predetermined time that is longer than that of task t1. If it is determined in S419 that the processing of both tasks t2 and t3 has ended, it is determined that a printer to be set up has not been found, and in S411 CPU 201 ends the processing of presenting a printer to be set up.

[0049] On the other hand, if it is determined in S419 that the processing of either task t2 or task t3 has not been completed, the CPU 201 returns to the processing of S412.

[0050] In S413, the CPU 201 displays a second printer selection screen 611 as shown in FIG. 6B. The second printer selection screen 611 has a list UI 612, a progress bar 613, and a "Next" button 614. The list UI 612 is a UI that displays information about the network-connected printer found in the processing of task t2, the USB-connected printer found in the processing of task t3, or both. Furthermore, if a printer in wireless setting mode was found in the processing of task t1 but it is determined in S405 that it is not possible to navigate to the automatic wireless setting process, the list UI 612 may also display the printer in wireless setting mode found in task t1. The list UI 612 has items that display the printer's product name, the last five digits of the serial number, the IPv4 address, and the IPv6 address.

[0051] In the example screen shown in Figure 6(b), a printer with the product name "AAAA series" and the last five digits of the serial number "****11111" is displayed as a printer in wireless setting mode. Also displayed as network-connected printers are a printer with the product name "XXXX series" and a printer with the product name "YYYY series." For the printer with the product name "XXXX series," the last five digits of the serial number are displayed as "****22222" and the IPv4 address is displayed as "192.168.100.100." For the printer with the product name "YYYYseries," the last five digits of the serial number are displayed as "****33333," the IPv4 address is displayed as "192.168.100.150," and the IPv6 address is displayed as "1234::5678:90ab:cdef." Furthermore, a printer with the product name "ZZZZ series" and the last five digits of the serial number "****44444" is displayed as a USB-connected printer option. As described above, the IPv4 address and IPv6 address are not displayed for printers in wireless setting mode, and similarly, the IPv4 address and IPv6 address are not displayed for USB-connected printers. A progress bar 613 indicates that task t2 or task t3 is currently being processed. While a progress bar is displayed as a UI indicating that task t2 or task t3 is currently being processed in this embodiment, this is not limiting. For example, a UI such as image 603 in FIG. 6A may be displayed. The "Next" button 614 is a button that the user presses after selecting a printer to be set up from the list UI 612 to confirm the printer to be set up and terminate the setup target printer presentation process. The "Next" button 614 can be pressed even when the progress bar 613 is in an enabled state indicating that a search is in progress, i.e., even when task t2 or task t3 is currently being executed.

[0052] In S414, the CPU 201 determines whether the "Next" button 614 on the second printer selection screen 611 has been pressed by the user. If it is determined in S414 that the "Next" button 614 has been pressed, the process proceeds to S411. On the other hand, if the "Next" button 614 has not been pressed in S414, the process proceeds to S415. In S411, the CPU 201 confirms the printer to be set up and ends the setup target printer presentation process. On the other hand, in S415, the CPU 201 subsequently determines whether the processing of both tasks t2 and t3 has ended. If it is determined in S415 that the processing of both tasks t2 and t3 has ended, the process proceeds to S416, and if it is determined that the processing of either task t2 or t3 has not ended, the process proceeds to S417. Note that when branching to S416, tasks t2 and t3 have been completed after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of execution, so the progress bar 613 indicating the progress of the search included in the currently displayed printer selection screen 611 in Figure 6(b) indicates that the search is complete. In other words, after tasks t2 and t3 are completed, the progress bar 613 no longer indicates that a search is in progress.

[0053] In S416, the CPU 201 determines whether the "Next" button 614 has been pressed again. If it is determined in S416 that the "Next" button 614 has been pressed by the user, the process proceeds to S411; otherwise, the determination in S416 is repeated. In S411, the CPU 201 confirms the printer to be set up, and ends the setup target printer presentation process.

[0054] Meanwhile, in S417, the CPU 201 determines whether at least one of an additional network-connected printer or an additional USB-connected printer has been found. An additional network-connected printer is a printer that can be discovered in the processing of task t2, and an additional USB-connected printer is a printer that can be discovered in the processing of task t3. If it is determined in S417 that at least one of a network-connected printer or a USB-connected printer has been found, the process proceeds to S418. If it is determined in S417 that neither an additional network-connected printer nor an additional USB-connected printer has been found, the process returns to the determination in S414.

[0055] In step S418, the CPU 201 adds information about the found printer to the list UI 612 of the printer selection screen 611 being displayed and displays it.

[0056] In this embodiment, even if one printer in wireless setting mode is determined as a candidate printer for setup in S406 or S407, the connection guidance screen 631 prompting the user to connect to the printer in wireless setting mode is displayed in S408. This allows the user to select the connected printer in cases where the user wants to perform setup processing other than connection processing (such as driver installation) for the connected printer. However, the connection guidance screen 631 does not have to be displayed. That is, when one printer in wireless setting mode that is a candidate printer for setup in S406 or S407 remains, the CPU 201 may determine that printer as the printer to be set up and end the setup target printer presentation processing. In this case, S408 and S409 are skipped and the processing ends in S411, so the user cannot select the printer to be set up from the connected printers found in the processing of task t2 or task t3. However, this also has the aspect of improving user convenience by reducing the number of user steps on screen 631 displayed in S408 and allowing the printer with a high priority wireless setting mode to be confirmed as the printer to be set up. Also, in a mode in which screen 631 in S408 is not displayed, CPU 201 may end the processing of tasks t2 and t3 at the timing when it is determined in S405 that the environment is such that guidance to automatic wireless setting processing is possible.

[0057] After the processing of Figure 4 is completed, the screen displayed on PC 101 may be, for example, a screen using the selected connected printer if the processing is completed by pressing the "Next" button in S414 or S416. Also, when connecting to a printer in wireless setting mode in S409, a screen using the selected connected printer may be displayed after the connection processing. Also, when it is determined in S419 that tasks t2 and t3 have been completed and the processing of Figure 4 is completed, a message may be displayed indicating that no candidate printer was found. In either case, the screens of Figures 6(a) to 6(d) displayed during the processing of Figure 4 may be replaced with other screens when the processing of Figure 4 is completed.

[0058] As shown in Figure 4, the process allows the application to search for printers in wireless mode, printers connected to an AP, or printers connected via USB, and display a list of printers as candidates for connection. The user can select a printer from the list. If the selected printer is in wireless mode, the application can connect to that printer using a specified procedure. The connection process involves, for example, directly connecting to the printer in wireless mode and sending connection information for connecting to the AP via that direct connection, such as an SSID and password (or passkey), to the printer in wireless mode. The printer in wireless mode then connects to the AP using the received information. This connects the printer in wireless mode to the communication network, enabling communication with other devices connected to the network. The connected device can then set up and use the printer via communication.

[0059] Furthermore, in the process of FIG. 4, if a printer in wireless setting mode is found, a screen for connecting to the printer in wireless setting mode is displayed, regardless of whether other candidate printers are found, and the user can be guided to connect to the printer in wireless setting mode. The search for connected printers via wireless LAN or USB performed using the second method takes longer than the search for connected printers performed using the first method. Therefore, if a printer in wireless setting mode is found within the search range, it can be discovered before the search for connected printers is completed. Therefore, if a printer in wireless setting mode is found and certain conditions regarding an access point to which the printer can be connected are met, a screen for connecting to the printer can be displayed after a certain time has elapsed since the start of the search, before the search for connected printers is completed. Here, the certain conditions are the conditions determined using the procedure of FIG. 5. In other words, if a printer in wireless setting mode is found, a screen for connecting to the printer in wireless setting mode is displayed regardless of whether a connected printer is found or the time elapsed since the start of the search.

[0060] On the other hand, if a printer in wireless setting mode cannot be found, a screen indicating that a search is in progress is displayed until the specified time has elapsed unless there is a user operation, regardless of whether a connected printer has been found. If a new printer is found at this time, the discovered printer is additionally displayed on the displayed screen.

[0061] Next, the determination process (S404 in FIG. 4) in this embodiment for determining whether the environment allows guidance to the automatic wireless setting process executed by the PC 101 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0062] In S501, the CPU 201 starts a determination process to determine whether the environment allows guidance to the automatic wireless setting process. In S502, the CPU 201 acquires the status of the wireless LAN I / F 211. Specifically, the CPU 201 executes a predetermined application programming interface (API) of the OS to acquire information indicating whether the wireless LAN I / F 211 is connected to an AP. In S503, the CPU 201 determines whether the status of the wireless LAN I / F 211 is a value indicating an AP connection. If it is determined that the status of the wireless LAN I / F 211 is a value indicating an AP connection, the process proceeds to S504; if not, i.e., if it is determined that the wireless LAN I / F 211 is not connected to an AP, the process proceeds to S512.

[0063] In S512, the CPU 201 determines that the current environment is an environment in which guidance to the automatic wireless setting process is not possible. The determination result is stored, for example, in the RAM 206 and is referenced when making the determination in S405. Then, in S519, the CPU 201 ends the determination process for determining whether the environment is one in which guidance to the automatic wireless setting process is possible.

[0064] Meanwhile, in step S504, the CPU 201 acquires information about the AP currently connected to the wireless LAN interface 211 (hereinafter referred to as connected AP information). At this time, the CPU 201 executes a predetermined API of the OS to acquire specific information (such as the SSID) and authentication information (such as the encryption method) about the AP 102 as the connected AP information.

[0065] Next, in S505, the CPU 201 acquires all wireless profiles 204 stored in the ROM 202. Specifically, the CPU 201 executes a predetermined API of the OS to acquire a list of the wireless profiles 204 stored in the ROM 202. Alternatively, the CPU 201 acquires the list of the wireless profiles 204 from a folder or registry in which the OS stores the wireless profiles 204, without executing the API.

[0066] The CPU 201 determines in steps S506 and S507 whether it is possible to acquire setting information (including the SSID and password) for the AP 102 to be sent to the printer 103 in the automatic wireless setting process from the information acquired in steps S504 and S505. The connected AP information acquired by the CPU 201 in step S504 does not include the password required to connect to the AP 102. Therefore, the CPU 201 acquires the password from the wireless profile acquired in step S505. Furthermore, if the setting information for the AP 102 cannot be acquired, the CPU 201 does not guide the user to the automatic wireless setting process because it is necessary to have the user specify the setting information for the AP 102.

[0067] First, in S506, the CPU 201 determines whether the SSID of the AP 102 acquired in S504 is included in the list of the wireless profile 204 acquired in S505. If it is determined that it is not included, the process proceeds to S507. If it is determined that it is included, it determines that the setting information (including the SSID and password) of the AP 102 can be acquired from the wireless profile, and executes the processes from S508 onwards. The processes from S508 onwards will be described later.

[0068] In S507, the CPU 201 determines whether an encryption method is not set for the AP 102, i.e., whether the AP 102 is open authentication, i.e., whether encryption is set for the AP 102. If it is determined in S507 that the AP 102 is open authentication, i.e., that encryption is not set for the AP 102, there is no need to set a password when connecting to the AP 102. That is, the CPU 201 does not need to obtain configuration information for the AP 102 from the wireless profile 204. Therefore, in this case, the CPU 201 determines that configuration information for the AP 102 can be obtained from the connected AP information obtained in S504, and proceeds to S508. On the other hand, if it is determined in S507 that the AP 102 is not open authentication, password information for the AP 102 cannot be obtained, so the CPU 201 proceeds to S512, stores information indicating that the current environment does not allow guidance to the automatic wireless setting process, and ends the process. Note that whether the AP 102 is open authentication may also be determined based on the connected AP information obtained in S504.

[0069] If it is determined in steps S506 and S507 that the setting information of the AP 102 can be acquired, the PC 101 then determines whether the wireless LAN I / F 211 of the PC 101 is in a state in which the automatic wireless setting process can be executed. That is, the PC 101 determines whether a wireless P2P connection with the printer 103 is possible. More specifically, the PC 101 determines whether the wireless LAN I / F 211 supports a communication protocol supported by the printer 103. Generally, the printer 103 has IPv4 as its network communication protocol. Therefore, in step S508, the CPU 201 determines whether the wireless LAN I / F 211 is capable of communication using IPv4, based on the status of the wireless LAN I / F 211 acquired in step S502. If it is determined in step S508 that the wireless LAN I / F 211 is capable of communication using IPv4, the CPU 201 determines that the current environment is one in which guidance to the automatic wireless setting process is possible. In this case, in step S511, the CPU 201 stores, in the RAM 206 or the like, information indicating that the environment is one in which guidance to the automatic wireless setting process is possible. The information saved in S511 is referenced in S405 of Fig. 4. Then, in S513, the CPU 201 ends the determination process for determining whether the environment allows guidance to the automatic wireless setting process.

[0070] On the other hand, if it is determined in S508 that IPv4 of the wireless LAN IF 211 is not valid (or is invalid), the process proceeds to S509. In S509, the CPU 201 determines whether IPv6 of the wireless LAN IF 211 is valid. If it is determined in S509 that IPv6 of the wireless LAN IF 211 is not valid (is invalid), the process proceeds to S512. On the other hand, if it is determined in S509 that IPv6 of the wireless LAN IF 211 is valid, the process proceeds to S510.

[0071] In step S512, the CPU 201 stores information indicating that the environment does not allow guidance to the automatic wireless setting process in the RAM 206, etc. Then, in step S513, the CPU 201 ends the determination process for determining whether the environment allows guidance to the automatic wireless setting process.

[0072] Meanwhile, in step S510, the CPU 201 determines whether the printer 103 supports wireless P2P connections using IPv6. Specifically, the CPU 201 determines whether the printer 103 supports wireless P2P connections using IPv6 based on the unique SSID for the wireless setting mode of the printer 103 found in the processing of task t1. More specifically, if the unique SSID for the wireless setting mode of the printer 103 contains a specific character string indicating IPv6 support, the CPU 201 determines that the printer 103 supports wireless P2P connections using IPv6. Note that, although the present embodiment illustrates an example in which the unique SSID for the wireless setting mode of the printer 103 contains a specific character string indicating IPv6 support, this is not a limitation. For example, a method may be used to determine whether the PC 101 is a model that supports wireless P2P connections using IPv6 based on the model name contained in the unique SSID for the wireless setting mode of the printer 103.

[0073] If it is determined in S510 that the printer 103 supports wireless P2P connections using IPv6, i.e., that the printer 103 is compatible with automatic wireless setting processing using IPv6, the process proceeds to S511. Then, in S511, the CPU 201 stores information indicating that the environment allows guidance to automatic wireless setting processing in the RAM 206, etc. Then, in S513, the CPU 201 ends the determination process for determining whether the environment allows guidance to automatic wireless setting processing.

[0074] On the other hand, if it is determined in S510 that the printer 103 does not support wireless P2P connections using IPv6, i.e., does not support automatic wireless setting processing using IPv6, the process proceeds to S512. In S512, the CPU 201 stores information indicating that the environment does not allow guidance to automatic wireless setting processing in the RAM 206, etc. Then, in S513, the CPU 201 ends the determination process for determining whether the environment allows guidance to automatic wireless setting processing.

[0075] If the PC 101 is equipped with multiple wireless LANIFs 211, the PC 101 executes the process of this flowchart for all of the wireless LANIFs. In this case, it is not necessary for one wireless LANIF to satisfy the guidance enabling condition. In other words, the PC 101 determines that the first wireless LANIF having a communication protocol that enables wireless P2P connection with the printer 103 is not connected to the AP 102 (No in S503). Even in this case, if the PC 101 has at least one second wireless LANIF that can acquire connection information for the AP 102 (Yes in S503 and S506, or Yes in S503 and S507), it determines that the environment allows guidance to the automatic wireless setting process.

[0076] In this way, the process in Figure 5 determines, based on the acquired information, whether the current communication system environment is one in which the user can be guided to the printer's automatic wireless setting process, and the determination result can be saved.

[0077] According to the above embodiment, in the setup process performed by the PC 101, a search process for determining a printer to be set up can be performed to present a printer with a wireless setting mode with a high priority to the user as soon as it is found. If multiple printers with a wireless setting mode are found, the results are narrowed down to the printers with the wireless setting mode that were found and presented to the user for selection. This allows the user to proceed with the setup process without waiting for the search results of connected printers with a lower priority.

[0078] Furthermore, if a connected printer with a lower priority is found before a printer in wireless setting mode, the connected printer with the lower priority is not presented to the user until the search process for the printer in wireless setting mode is completed, i.e., until task t1 is completed. This prevents user confusion, such as the user unintentionally selecting a connected printer with a lower priority. Furthermore, after a printer in wireless setting mode is not found and the search process for the printer in wireless setting mode is completed, if a connected printer has been found at that time, the search process for the connected printer continues while presenting the found connected printer to the user. This allows the user to select a printer from the found connected printers without waiting for the search process for the connected printer to complete. As a result of the above processing, the user's waiting time during the printer search result processing of the setup process is shortened, improving user convenience.

[0079] The various controls described above as being performed by CPU 201 may be performed by a single piece of hardware, or the entire device may be controlled by multiple pieces of hardware (e.g., multiple processors or circuits) sharing the processing.

[0080] Furthermore, although the present invention has been described in detail based on preferred embodiments thereof, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms within the scope of the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. Furthermore, each of the above-described embodiments merely represents one embodiment of the present invention, and each embodiment can be combined as appropriate.

[0081] In the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described as being applied to the setup of a printer using an application program, but this is not limited to this example and can be applied to any setup using an information processing device of a wirelessly connected communication device. In other words, the present invention can be applied to the setup of devices with communication functions, such as portable image viewers, printers with displays, digital photo frames, music players, game consoles, and e-book readers, using personal computers, PDAs, and mobile phone terminals.

[0082] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by executing the following process. That is, software (programs) that realize the functions of the above-described embodiments are supplied to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and the computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or device reads and executes the program code. In this case, the program and the storage media storing the program constitute the present invention.

[0083] Summary of embodiments The above embodiments can be summarized as follows: (Item 1) An electronic device capable of communicating with an external device, a search means for searching for external devices using a plurality of methods including a first method and a second method; When a search is started by the search means, a search in progress screen is displayed. in a situation where there is a first external device discoverable by the first method and a second external device discoverable by the second method, when the first external device is found by a search by the first method and a predetermined condition regarding a first access point to which the electronic device can be connected is satisfied, control is performed so that a first screen for connecting to the first external device is displayed before a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of a search by the search means, without the second external device being a candidate for a connection destination; a display control means for controlling, in a situation where there is no external device discoverable by the first method and there is the second external device discoverable by the second method, to display a second screen indicating that a search is in progress, even if the second external device is found by the search by the second method, unless a user operation is performed, until at least the predetermined time has elapsed; An electronic device comprising: (Item 2) The electronic device according to item 1, The predetermined condition is that connection information for connecting to the first access point is stored in a storage means that can be read by the electronic device. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 3) The electronic device according to item 2, The connection information includes an SSID and a passkey. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 4) The electronic device according to any one of items 1 to 3, The predetermined condition includes that the first access point is not set to encryption. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 5) The electronic device according to any one of items 1 to 4, The predetermined condition includes that a communication protocol for communication between the first access point and the external device is valid. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 6) Item 5. The electronic device according to any one of items 1 to 5, In a first case where the first external device is found in a situation where the first external device is discoverable by the first method and the second external device is discoverable by the second method and the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the display control means controls the display control means to display the second external device as a candidate for connection based on the fact that the second external device has been found, without displaying the first screen for connecting to the first external device before the predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the search by the search means. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 7) Item 6. The electronic device according to item 6, In the first case, the display control means controls so that the second screen indicating that a search is in progress is displayed at least until the predetermined time has elapsed unless there is a user operation. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 8) The electronic device according to any one of items 1 to 7, The first access point is a wireless access point to which the electronic device is connected, and if the electronic device is not connected to a wireless access point, the predetermined condition is not satisfied. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 9) The electronic device according to any one of items 1 to 8, When the predetermined condition is satisfied and the first screen is displayed to connect the first access point and the first external device, a direct connection is established between the electronic device and the first access point without going through an access point, and connection information for connecting to the first access point via the direct connection, the connection information including an SSID and a passkey, is transmitted from the electronic device to the first external device, thereby controlling the first external device to be able to connect to the first access point. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 10) The electronic device according to any one of items 1 to 9, the first screen includes a list of the first external devices found if multiple first external devices are found; In response to a selection of the first external device from the list, control is performed to connect the selected first external device to the first access point. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 11) The electronic device according to any one of items 1 to 10, The first screen includes a confirmation screen for connecting the first external device to the first access point when one of the first external devices is found. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 12) Item 11: An electronic device according to any one of items 1 to 11, The predetermined time is the time from when the search means starts to when it finishes searching for the second external device in the second method. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 13) The electronic device according to any one of items 1 to 12, the first method is a method of searching for a beacon transmitted by an access point included in the first external device, The second method is a method of searching for the second external device connected to the electronic device wirelessly or by wire. An electronic device characterized by: (Item 14) The electronic device according to any one of items 1 to 13, The first external device and the second external device are printers. An electronic device characterized by:

[0084] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An electronic device capable of communicating with an external device, a search means for searching for external devices using a plurality of methods including a first method and a second method; When a search is started by the search means, a search in progress screen is displayed. in a situation where there is a first external device discoverable by the first method and a second external device discoverable by the second method, when the first external device is found by a search by the first method and a predetermined condition regarding a first access point to which the electronic device can be connected is satisfied, control is performed so that a first screen for connecting to the first external device is displayed before a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of a search by the search means, without the second external device being a candidate for a connection destination; a display control means for controlling, in a situation where there is no external device discoverable by the first method but there is the second external device discoverable by the second method, to display a second screen indicating that a search is in progress, unless a user operation is performed, until at least the predetermined time has elapsed, even if the second external device is found by the search by the second method; An electronic device comprising:

2. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, The predetermined condition is that connection information for connecting to the first access point is stored in a storage means that can be read by the electronic device. An electronic device characterized by:

3. 3. The electronic device according to claim 2, The connection information includes an SSID and a passkey. An electronic device characterized by:

4. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, The predetermined condition includes that the first access point is not set to be encrypted. An electronic device characterized by:

5. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, The predetermined condition includes that a communication protocol for communication between the first access point and the external device is valid. An electronic device characterized by:

6. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, In a first case where the first external device is found in a situation where the first external device can be found by the first method and the second external device can be found by the second method, but the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the display control means controls the display control means to display the second external device as a candidate for connection based on the fact that the second external device has been found, without displaying the first screen for connecting to the first external device before the predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the search by the search means. An electronic device characterized by:

7. 7. The electronic device according to claim 6, In the first case, the display control means controls so that the second screen indicating that a search is in progress is displayed at least until the predetermined time has elapsed unless there is a user operation. An electronic device characterized by:

8. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, The first access point is a wireless access point to which the electronic device is connected, and if the electronic device is not connected to a wireless access point, the predetermined condition is not satisfied. An electronic device characterized by:

9. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, When the predetermined condition is satisfied and the first screen is displayed to connect the first access point and the first external device, a direct connection is established between the electronic device and the first access point without going through an access point, and connection information for connecting to the first access point via the direct connection, the connection information including an SSID and a passkey, is transmitted from the electronic device to the first external device, thereby controlling the first external device to be able to connect to the first access point. An electronic device characterized by:

10. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, the first screen includes a list of the first external devices found if multiple first external devices are found; In response to a selection of the first external device from the list, control is performed to connect the selected first external device to the first access point. An electronic device characterized by:

11. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, The first screen includes a confirmation screen for connecting the first external device to the first access point when one of the first external devices is found. An electronic device characterized by:

12. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, The predetermined time is the time from when the search means starts to when it finishes searching for the second external device in the second method. An electronic device characterized by:

13. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, the first method is a method of searching for a beacon transmitted by an access point included in the first external device, The second method is a method of searching for the second external device connected to the electronic device wirelessly or by wire. An electronic device characterized by:

14. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, The first external device and the second external device are printers. An electronic device characterized by:

15. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

17. A display control method for an electronic device capable of communicating with an external device, the electronic device having a search means and a display control means, the search means searches for external devices using a plurality of methods including a first method and a second method; the display control means controls so that a search in progress screen is displayed when a search by the search means is started, the display control means controls, in a situation where there is a first external device discoverable by the first method and a second external device discoverable by the second method, when the first external device is found by the search by the first method and a predetermined condition regarding a first access point to which the electronic device can be connected is satisfied, so that a first screen for connecting to the first external device is displayed before a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the search by the search means, without setting the second external device as a candidate for connection; In a situation where there is no external device discoverable by the first method and there is the second external device discoverable by the second method, the display control means controls so as to display a second screen indicating that a search is in progress, unless a user operation is performed, at least until the predetermined time has elapsed, even if the second external device is found by the search by the second method. A display control method comprising:

Images