Application program, information processing device, and control method for information processing device

Abstract

To improve the convenience of information processing equipment when connecting communication devices with other devices. [Solution] An application program that causes the computer of an information processing device to function as a first receiving means for receiving a connection setting instruction for setting up a connection to a communication device, and a first transmitting means for transmitting a first search instruction to the communication device to cause the communication device to execute a search process for searching a first network formed by a predetermined access point to which at least the information processing device was connected at the time the connection setting instruction was received, wherein the application program is controlled so that the first search instruction is not transmitted to the communication device based on the fact that the communication device does not support a predetermined authentication method used in the first network, and is controlled so that the first search instruction is transmitted to the communication device based on the fact that the communication device supports the predetermined authentication method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an application program, an information processing apparatus, and a control method for an information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] A technique in which an information processing apparatus such as a smartphone connects a communication apparatus such as a printer to another apparatus is known. Patent Document 1 describes that the information processing apparatus transmits information to the communication apparatus to set a connection mode for determining a connection form between the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus in the communication apparatus.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, as the technology in which an information processing apparatus connects a communication apparatus to another apparatus becomes widespread, it is desired to improve the convenience when the information processing apparatus connects the communication apparatus to another apparatus.

[0005] An exemplary object of the present invention is to improve the convenience when an information processing apparatus connects a communication apparatus to another apparatus.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to the present invention, an application program is provided in which the computer of an information processing device functions as a first receiving means for receiving a connection setting instruction for setting up a connection to a communication device, and a first transmitting means for transmitting a first search instruction to the communication device to cause the communication device to execute a search process for searching a first network formed by a predetermined access point to which at least the information processing device was connected at the time the connection setting instruction was received, and the first search instruction is controlled not to be transmitted to the communication device based on the fact that the communication device does not support a predetermined authentication method used in the first network, and the first search instruction is controlled to be transmitted to the communication device based on the fact that the communication device supports the predetermined authentication method. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the convenience of connecting an information processing device to a communication device with other devices can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication system configuration. [Figure 2] This is a diagram illustrating an example hardware configuration. [Figure 3] This flowchart shows an example of a process performed by a terminal device. [Figure 4] This flowchart shows an example of a process performed by a terminal device. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows an example of a process performed by a terminal device. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows an example of the process performed by a communication device. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows an example of the process performed by a communication device. [Figure 8] This flowchart shows an example of the process performed by a communication device. [Figure 9]A diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the terminal device's display unit. [Figure 10] This flowchart shows an example of a process performed by a terminal device. [Figure 11] This flowchart shows an example of the process performed by a communication device. [Figure 12] This flowchart shows an example of a process performed by a terminal device. [Figure 13] This flowchart shows an example of a process performed by a terminal device. [Figure 14] This flowchart shows an example of the process performed by a communication device. [Figure 15] This flowchart shows an example of the process performed by a communication device. [Figure 16] This flowchart shows an example of a process performed by a terminal device. [Figure 17] This flowchart shows an example of a process performed by a terminal device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims. While the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any way. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, identical or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0010] <First Embodiment> The system configuration in the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The communication system of this embodiment includes an information processing device and a communication device. As the information processing device, a smartphone is exemplified in this embodiment, but it is not limited thereto, and various devices such as terminal devices, notebook PCs, tablet terminals, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), digital cameras, etc. can be applied. Also, as the communication device, a printer is exemplified in this embodiment, but it is not limited thereto, and various devices can be applied as long as they can perform wireless communication with the information processing device. For example, if it is a printer, it can be applied to inkjet printers, full-color laser beam printers, monochrome printers, etc. Also, it can be applied not only to printers but also to copiers, facsimile devices, terminal devices, smartphones, notebook PCs, tablet terminals, PDAs, digital cameras, music playback devices, TVs, smart speakers, etc. In addition, it can also be applied to multifunction devices having a plurality of functions such as a copying function, a FAX function, a printing function, etc. In this embodiment, the communication device is assumed to be a multifunction printer having a printing function, a scanner function, etc. as an example.

[0011] The terminal device 101 is the information processing device of this embodiment. The communication device 151 is the communication device of this embodiment. The access point 131 is an external device existing outside the terminal device 101 and outside the communication device 151. In the following description, the access point is referred to as AP. AP131 refers to a device operating as an AP, and specifically, for example, a device such as a wireless LAN router. Note that AP131 is not limited to a wireless LAN router and may be a device capable of relaying wireless communication. For example, AP131 may be a device having an AP function that operates as an AP but does not have a router function. The LAN (Local Area Network) formed by AP131 includes AP131, the communication device 151, and the terminal device 101. On the other hand, the WAN (Wide Area Network) includes AP131 and the external server 171.

[0012] The external server 171 is a server that can provide services to the devices connected to the AP 131 via the Internet. The modem 180 is a device that mutually converts analog signals received via the Internet into digital signals. Depending on the type of signal, for example, when receiving a signal via a fiber optic connection, an Optical Network Unit is used.

[0013] The router 181 is an external device existing outside the terminal device 101 and outside the communication device 151. The router 181 has a function of relaying a plurality of terminal devices 101 on the network, assigns an IP address (Internet Protocol Address) to the terminal devices 101 connected to the network, and performs packet exchanges between each network. The network hub 182 is an external device for connecting a plurality of terminal devices 101 to the Internet, that is, for connecting a plurality of terminal devices 101 to the router 181.

[0014] In this embodiment, when the infrastructure connection described later is established, the terminal device 101 can communicate with the communication device 151 via the AP 131. Furthermore, when the direct connection described later is established, the terminal device 101 can communicate directly with the communication device 151 without going through the AP 131. Hereinafter, the connection with the AP corresponds to the connection with the network formed by the AP. Note that the AP may be able to form a plurality of networks simultaneously. In that case, the connection with the AP may be a connection with any one of the plurality of networks formed by the AP.

[0015] In this embodiment, the connection 141 between the terminal device 101 and AP131, and the connection 142 between the communication device 151 and AP131, are connections based on the IEEE 802.11 series standard. Specifically, the communication method based on the IEEE 802.11 series standard is Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered trademark). The connection 143 between the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 is either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy (BLE). Note that the communication method used for each connection is not limited to this form, and may be, for example, Bluetooth Classic, Wi-Fi Aware, Near Field Communication (NFC), etc. AP131 and the external server 171 can communicate via the internet, and when AP131 is connected to the internet, devices connected to AP131 (terminal device 101 and communication device 151) can also use the internet. Note that the connection 141 between terminal device 101 and AP131, and the connection 142 between communication device 151 and AP131 may be a wired LAN connection.

[0016] Next, the configuration of the terminal device 101 of this embodiment and the communication device 151 capable of communicating with the terminal device 101 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram in Figure 2. In addition, the following configuration is described as an example in this embodiment, but this embodiment is applicable to devices that can communicate with the communication device 151 and does not particularly limit the functions as shown in this figure.

[0017] The terminal device 101 includes an input interface 102, a CPU 103, a ROM 104, a RAM 105, an external storage device 106, an output interface 107, a display unit 108, a wireless communication unit 109, a short-range wireless communication unit 110, a camera 111, a wired communication unit 112, etc. The CPU 103, ROM 104, RAM 105, etc. form the computer of the terminal device 101. The terminal device 101 is envisioned as a device like a smartphone, but is not limited to a smartphone.

[0018] The input interface 102 is an interface for receiving data input and operation instructions from the user, and is composed of a physical keyboard, buttons, touch panel, etc. Alternatively, the output interface 107 (described later) and the input interface 102 may have the same configuration, allowing for screen output and acceptance of user operations to be performed using the same configuration.

[0019] The CPU 103 is the system control unit and controls the entire terminal device 101.

[0020] ROM 104 stores fixed data such as control programs executed by CPU 103, data tables, and operating system (OS) programs. In this embodiment, each control program stored in ROM 104 performs software execution control such as scheduling, task switching, and interrupt handling under the management of the embedded OS stored in ROM 104. In this embodiment, ROM 104 stores a setup application program (hereinafter referred to as the setup app). The setup app is installed on the terminal device 101 from an external source, for example, by a store application program. The setup app is an application provided by the vendor of the communication device 151. Details of the setup app will be described later.

[0021] RAM 105 consists of SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) and other components that require a backup power supply. Since RAM 105's data is held by a primary battery (not shown) for data backup, important data such as program control variables can be stored without being lost. RAM 105 also includes a memory area for storing configuration information and management data for the terminal device 101. Furthermore, RAM 105 is used as both the main memory and work memory for the CPU 103.

[0022] The external storage device 106 contains various programs, such as a print information generation program that generates print information that can be interpreted by the communication device 151, and an information transmission and reception control program that transmits and receives information with the communication device 151 connected via the wireless communication unit 109. The external storage device 106 also stores various information used by these programs, as well as image data obtained from other information processing devices and the Internet.

[0023] The output interface 107 is an interface that controls the display unit 108 to display data and notify the status of the terminal device 101.

[0024] The display unit 108 consists of LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and LCDs (liquid crystal displays), and displays data and notifies the status of the terminal device 101. Alternatively, a soft keyboard with keys such as numerical input keys, mode setting keys, select keys, cancel keys, and power keys may be installed on the display unit 108 to accept user input via the display unit 108.

[0025] The wireless communication unit 109 is configured to wirelessly connect to devices such as the communication device 151 and AP131 to perform data communication. For example, the wireless communication unit 109 may communicate directly with the communication device 151 wirelessly, or it may communicate via AP131 located outside the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151. In this embodiment, the wireless communication method used by the wireless communication unit 109 is Wi-Fi, which is a communication method based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, but Bluetooth Classic or the like may also be used. In this embodiment, the wireless LAN is defined as a Wi-Fi network. AP131 can be, for example, a wireless LAN router or other device. In this embodiment, the method in which the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 are connected directly without going through an external AP is called the direct connection method. The method in which the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 are connected via an external AP is called the infrastructure connection method.

[0026] The short-range wireless communication unit 110 is configured to perform data communication with devices such as the communication device 151 using a short-range wireless communication method, and communicates using a different communication method than the wireless communication unit 109. The short-range wireless communication unit 110 can connect to the short-range wireless communication unit 157 within the communication device 151. Examples of communication methods for the short-range wireless communication unit 110 include BLE, Bluetooth Classic, Wi-Fi Aware, and NFC.

[0027] The imaging device 111 is a device that converts images captured by the image sensor into digital data. The digital data is first stored in the RAM 105. Then, a program executed by the CPU 103 converts it into a predetermined image format and saves it as image data to the external storage device 106.

[0028] The wired communication unit 112 is configured to connect via a wire to devices such as the communication device 151 and AP131 to perform data communication. For example, the wired communication unit 112 communicates via a wired LAN. In this embodiment, the wired LAN communicates according to the Ethernet standard. However, it is not limited to this configuration, and the wired communication unit 112 may communicate via, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable.

[0029] The communication device 151 includes a ROM 152, RAM 153, CPU 154, print engine 155, wireless communication unit 156, short-range wireless communication unit 157, input interface 158, output interface 159, function control unit 160, display unit 161, wired communication unit 162, etc. The computer of the communication device 151 is formed by the ROM 152, RAM 153, CPU 154, etc.

[0030] The wireless communication unit 156 is configured to wirelessly connect to devices such as the terminal device 101 and AP131 to perform data communication. In this embodiment, Wi-Fi is used as the wireless communication method for the wireless communication unit 156, but Bluetooth Classic or the like may also be used. The wireless communication unit 156 has AP156-a as an AP inside the communication device 151 for connecting to devices such as the terminal device 101. This AP can be connected to the wireless communication unit 109 of the terminal device 101. The wireless communication unit 156 may communicate directly with the terminal device 101 via AP156-a, or it may communicate with the terminal device 101 via AP131. Furthermore, AP156-a may be hardware that functions as an AP, or the wireless communication unit 156 may operate as AP156-a through software that functions as an AP. In addition, the AP inside the communication device 151 may consist of multiple APs with different SSIDs and passwords. In this embodiment, the AP inside the communication device 151 includes at least the connection setting AP described later.

[0031] RAM153 consists of DRAM and other components that require a backup power supply. Since RAM153 retains data through a data backup power supply (not shown), it can store important data such as program control variables without losing them. RAM153 is also used as the main memory and work memory of the CPU154, storing a receive buffer for temporarily saving print information received from terminal devices such as the terminal device 101, as well as various other information.

[0032] ROM 152 stores fixed data such as control programs, data tables, and OS programs executed by the CPU 154. In this embodiment, each control program stored in ROM 152 performs software execution control such as scheduling, task switching, and interrupt handling under the management of the embedded OS stored in ROM 152. ROM 152 also includes a memory area for storing data that needs to be retained even when power is not supplied, such as configuration information and management data for the communication device 151.

[0033] The CPU 154 is the system control unit and controls the entire communication device 151.

[0034] Based on the information stored in the print engine 155 and RAM 153, and print jobs received from terminal devices 101, etc., an image is formed on a recording medium such as paper using a recording material such as ink, and the print result is output. At this time, since the amount of data transmitted from terminal devices 101, etc. is large and high-speed communication is required, the print jobs are received via the wireless communication unit 156, which can communicate at a higher speed than the short-range wireless communication unit 157.

[0035] The short-range wireless communication unit 157 is configured to communicate with devices such as the terminal device 101 using a short-range wireless communication method. Examples of communication methods for the short-range wireless communication unit 157 include BLE, Bluetooth Classic, and Wi-Fi Aware.

[0036] The input interface 158 is an interface for receiving data input and operation instructions from the user, and consists of a physical keyboard, buttons, touch panel, etc. Alternatively, the output interface 159 (described later) and the input interface 158 may have the same configuration, allowing for screen output and acceptance of user operations using the same configuration. The output interface 159 is an interface that controls the display unit 161 for displaying data and notifying the status of the communication device 151.

[0037] The function control unit 160 manages the operation of the functions of the communication device 151, determining whether or not to operate them simultaneously.

[0038] The display unit 161 consists of LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and LCDs (liquid crystal displays), and displays data and notifies the status of the communication device 151. Alternatively, a soft keyboard with keys such as numerical input keys, mode setting keys, confirm keys, cancel keys, and power keys may be installed on the display unit 161 to accept user input via the display unit 161.

[0039] The wired communication unit 162 is configured to connect via a wire to devices such as the terminal device 101 or AP131 and perform data communication. For example, the wired communication unit 162 communicates via a wired LAN. However, it is not limited to this configuration; for example, it may communicate via a USB cable.

[0040] <About the direct connection method> Direct connection refers to a configuration in which devices connect wirelessly directly (i.e., peer-to-peer) without the need for external devices such as AP131. Direct connection is also called peer-to-peer connection (P2P connection). The communication device 151 can operate in a mode for communication via direct connection (direct connection mode) as one of its connection modes. In Wi-Fi communication, there are multiple modes for communication via direct connection, such as software AP mode and Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) mode.

[0041] The mode in which a direct connection is performed using WFD is called WFD mode. WFD is a standard developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance and is included in the IEEE 802.11 series of communication standards. In WFD mode, after the device to be communicated with is discovered using a device discovery command, the roles of the P2P group owner (GO) and the P2P client are determined, and then the remaining wireless connection processing is performed. The group owner corresponds to the Wi-Fi base station (access point), and the client corresponds to the Wi-Fi slave station (slave device). This role determination corresponds to GO Negotiation in P2P, for example. In WFD mode, before the role determination is performed, the communication device 151 is neither a base station nor a slave station. Specifically, first, one device issues a device discovery command to the other device to search for a device to connect to in WFD mode. Once the other device to be communicated with is discovered, the two devices confirm information about the services and functions that can be supplied by each other. This confirmation of device supply information is optional and not mandatory. This equipment supply information confirmation phase corresponds, for example, to P2P Provision Discovery. Next, by confirming this equipment supply information with each other, it is determined which will be the P2P client and which will be the P2P group owner. Once the client and group owner are determined, they exchange parameters for communication using WFD. Based on the exchanged parameters, the remaining wireless connection processing and IP connection processing are carried out between the P2P client and group owner. In WFD mode, the communication device 151 may always operate as GO without performing the GO Negotiation described above. In other words, the communication device 151 may operate in WFD mode, which is Autonomous GO mode. Furthermore, the state in which the communication device 151 is operating in WFD mode means, for example, a state in which the WFD connection has not been established but the communication device 151 is operating as GO, or a state in which the WFD connection has been established and the communication device 151 is operating as GO.

[0042] In software AP mode, one device (e.g., terminal device 101) acts as the client, requesting various services between the communicating devices (e.g., terminal device 101 and communication device 151). The other device implements the functions of an AP in Wi-Fi through software configuration. The software AP corresponds to the Wi-Fi base station, and the client corresponds to the Wi-Fi slave station. In software AP mode, the client searches for a device that will become a software AP using a device discovery command. Once a software AP is found, the remaining wireless connection processing (such as establishing a wireless connection) takes place between the client and the software AP, followed by IP connection processing (such as assigning an IP address). The commands and parameters sent and received when establishing a wireless connection between the client and the software AP should be those specified in the Wi-Fi standard, and their explanation is omitted here.

[0043] In this embodiment, when the communication device 151 establishes and maintains a direct connection, it operates as a master station within the network to which it belongs. A master station is a device that constructs a wireless network and provides slave stations with parameters used to connect to the wireless network. Parameters used to connect to the wireless network include, for example, parameters related to the channel used by the master station. By receiving these parameters, the slave station connects to the wireless network constructed by the master station using the channel used by the master station. In direct connection mode, since the communication device 151 operates as a master station, it is possible for the communication device 151 to determine which frequency band and which channel to use for communication in direct connection mode. In this embodiment, the communication device 151 is capable of using channels corresponding to the 2.4 GHz frequency band and channels corresponding to the 5 GHz frequency band for communication in direct connection mode. However, in this embodiment, the communication device 151 does not use channels corresponding to the DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) band within the 5 GHz frequency band for communication in direct connection mode. In other words, the communication device 151 shall use only channels corresponding to frequency bands other than the DFS band within the 5GHz frequency band for communication in direct connection mode. If radar waves in the frequency band corresponding to a channel are detected while a channel corresponding to the DFS band is being used, the currently used channel must be changed. The frequency band in which such channel changes may occur due to the detection of radar waves is called the DFS band. However, if, for example, a wireless chip that supports the DFS function is being used, channels corresponding to the DFS band within the 5GHz frequency band may be available for communication in direct connection mode. The channel determined to be used for direct connection mode is used for communication via direct connection. Furthermore, this channel is also used for transmitting beacon signals as a master station and for transmitting responses to received commands.In other words, the channel is used not only for communication processing in direct connection mode when a direct connection is established, but also for communication processing in direct connection mode when a direct connection is not established.

[0044] Furthermore, the direct connection mode may be configured to allow the user to set whether to use a channel corresponding to the 2.4GHz frequency band or a channel corresponding to the 5GHz frequency band. Alternatively, the direct connection mode may be configured to allow the user to specify a channel number, thereby allowing the user to set which channel to use. In addition, the channel used for the direct connection mode may be pre-configured in the communication device 151 rather than being arbitrarily set by the user.

[0045] Although the above description explains that the communication device 151 can use the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands, it is not limited to this configuration. Other frequency bands may also be usable, and in the processing where the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands are used in this embodiment, other frequency bands may also be used. For example, since the IEEE 802.11ad standard allows the use of the 60GHz frequency band, 60GHz may be used as one of the other frequency bands mentioned above.

[0046] <Regarding infrastructure connection methods> Infrastructure connection is a connection configuration in which communication devices (e.g., terminal device 101 and communication device 151) are connected to an AP (e.g., AP131) that manages the network, allowing the devices to communicate with each other via the AP. The communication device 151 can also operate in an infrastructure connection mode (infrastructure connection mode) as one of its connection modes.

[0047] In infrastructure connectivity, each device searches for an access point (AP) using an AP discovery command. Once an AP is found, the remaining wireless connection processing (establishing the wireless connection, etc.) takes place between the device and the AP, followed by IP connection processing (assigning an IP address, etc.). The commands and parameters sent and received when establishing a wireless connection between the device and the AP should be those specified in the Wi-Fi standard, and will not be explained here.

[0048] In this embodiment, when the communication device 151 operates via an infrastructure connection, the AP 131 operates as the master station and the communication device 151 operates as the slave device. That is, in this embodiment, the infrastructure connection refers to the connection between the communication device 151 operating as a slave device and the device operating as the master station. If the communication device 151 has established an infrastructure connection and the terminal device 101 has also established an infrastructure connection with the AP 131, then communication between the communication device 151 and the terminal device 101 is possible via the AP 131. The channel used for communication in the infrastructure connection is determined by the AP 131, so the communication device 151 performs communication in the infrastructure connection using the channel determined by the AP 131. In this embodiment, the communication device 151 is capable of using channels corresponding to the 2.4 GHz frequency band and channels corresponding to the 5 GHz frequency band for communication in the infrastructure connection. The communication device 151 can also use channels corresponding to the DFS band within the 5 GHz frequency band for communication in the infrastructure connection. Furthermore, in order for terminal device 101 to communicate with communication device 151 via AP131, it needs to recognize that communication device 151 belongs to the network formed by AP131, to which terminal device 101 belongs.

[0049] <Regarding simultaneous operation> The communication device 151 of this embodiment is capable of simultaneously (in parallel) performing both infrastructure mode operation and direct connection mode operation. Therefore, the communication device 151 can simultaneously (in parallel) maintain a connection for communication in infrastructure mode and a connection for communication in direct connection mode. In other words, the communication device 151 can simultaneously establish a Wi-Fi connection in which it acts as a slave device and a Wi-Fi connection in which it acts as a master device. Hereafter, the simultaneous (in parallel) establishment of infrastructure connection and direct connection, and the operation that enables communication simultaneously (in parallel) via infrastructure connection and direct connection, is referred to as simultaneous operation. In other words, simultaneous operation is the operation in which the communication device 151 performs both the operation as a master device (Group Owner or AP) and the operation as a slave device in parallel.

[0050] Communication in infrastructure mode and communication in direct connection mode are performed using specific frequency bands (specific channels). Therefore, in both infrastructure mode and direct connection mode, the channel to be used for communication and connection between each device must be determined before communication begins. In a configuration where multiple channels are assigned to a single wireless IC chip for simultaneous communication, the configuration of each communicating device and the processing performed by each device become complex. Therefore, for example, when communication devices 151 are operating simultaneously, it is desirable that a common channel be used for communication in each mode. That is, it is desirable that communication devices 151 use only one channel even when operating simultaneously. For this reason, in this embodiment, the wireless communication unit 156 has only one wireless IC chip that realizes communication on a predetermined channel, and communication devices 151 do not communicate using multiple channels simultaneously.

[0051] <About connection settings mode> The communication device 151 can operate in connection setting mode. The trigger for the communication device 151 to start operating in connection setting mode may be, for example, the user pressing a button for connection setting mode, or the communication device 151 being started (powered on) for the first time after arrival. The button for connection setting mode may be a hard button on the communication device 151, or a soft button displayed on the display unit 161 by the communication device 151.

[0052] When the communication device 151 starts operating in connection setting mode, it enables both Wi-Fi communication and BLE communication. Specifically, as part of the Wi-Fi communication activation process, the communication device 151 activates an internal AP (connection setting AP) dedicated to connection setting mode. This allows the communication device 151 to establish a direct Wi-Fi connection with the terminal device 101. Connection information (SSID and password) for connecting to the connection setting AP is pre-stored in the setup application installed on the terminal device 101, and the terminal device 101 is assumed to be aware of this connection information in advance. It is also possible that the connection setting AP does not have an encryption method set and does not require a password to connect to it. Therefore, unlike the connection information of the AP enabled in direct connection mode, the connection information for connecting to the connection setting AP cannot be arbitrarily changed by the user. In connection setting mode, the communication device 151 may connect to the terminal device 101 using WFD instead of normal Wi-Fi. In other words, the communication device 151 may operate as a Group Owner and receive configuration commands from the terminal device 101 via WFD communication.

[0053] Furthermore, when communication is performed via a wireless connection between the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 operating in connection setting mode, the terminal device 101 may use either IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) or IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) as the protocol used for communication. For example, if IPv6 is configured on the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 can only use communication using IPv4, it may be the case that such communication cannot be performed. In other words, a predetermined process may be performed to determine whether the communication device 151 can use the protocol used by the terminal device 101 for communication before the communication is started. Note that when the terminal device 101 is configured to use IPv4 as the protocol used for communication, it means that communication by the wireless communication unit 109 using IPv4 is enabled on the terminal device 101. Similarly, when the terminal device 101 is configured to use IPv6 as the protocol used for communication, it means that communication by the wireless communication unit 109 using IPv6 is enabled on the terminal device 101.

[0054] <About connection setup process> In this embodiment, the terminal device 101 performs the settings (connection settings) for operating the communication device 151 in infrastructure connection mode using wireless communication with the communication device 151. The connection setting process in this embodiment is performed by wireless communication and is therefore also called cableless setup (CLS). The connection setting process may be referred to as the first setup, as will be described later. The connection setting process may also be performed by wired communication. The communication device 151 performs the wireless connection process while operating in connection setting mode, which is a mode for performing wireless connection processing. The terminal device 101 performs the connection setting process when the setup application is running. The setup application is an application program that configures the AP to which the communication device 151 is connected and also causes the communication device 151 to print image data, document data, etc. from within the terminal device 101.

[0055] The setup application may have functions other than those for executing connection setup processing, which is the process of setting the AP to which the communication device 151 is connected by sending a setting command to the communication device 151, and for instructing the communication device 151 to print. For example, if the communication device 151 has a scanning function, the setup application may also have functions for scanning documents placed in the communication device 151, functions for configuring other settings of the communication device 151, and functions for checking the status of the communication device 151. Furthermore, the setup application has a function for executing connection setup processing, but does not have to have other functions such as a function for instructing the communication device 151 to print. Specifically, the function for instructing the communication device 151 to print is a function that sends a print job to the communication device 151 to instruct it to print. Specifically, the function for scanning documents placed in the communication device 151 is a function that sends a scan job to the communication device 151 to instruct it to scan. Furthermore, the function for checking the status of the communication device 151 specifically refers to the function of acquiring and displaying information indicating the status of the communication device 151 from the communication device 151. The setup application is assumed to be an application program.

[0056] Furthermore, in the following, the processing performed by the setup application is actually realized by the CPU 103 reading the setup application stored in ROM 104 into RAM 105 and executing it. When terminal device 101 connects AP 131 and communication device 151 and operates communication device 151 in infrastructure connection mode, it wirelessly transmits an infrastructure setting command to communication device 151 to operate communication device 151 in infrastructure connection mode. The infrastructure setting command includes, for example, information about AP 131. This information about AP 131 includes, for example, the SSID (Service Set Identifier) ​​of AP 131, the password for connecting to AP 131, and information about the frequency band used by AP 131. After the connection setting process establishes a Wi-Fi infrastructure connection between terminal device 101 and communication device 151, communication becomes possible between terminal device 101 and communication device 151 via the established connection. Specifically, for example, terminal device 101 can send print jobs to communication device 151 to perform printing, or scan jobs to perform scanning, via the established connection. Furthermore, once the infrastructure connection is established, communication device 151 can communicate with the internet via AP 131. As an example, communication device 151 can receive device update notifications from a specific server, download print data, or upload information about itself.

[0057] <About Wireless Profiles> A wireless profile is information stored and managed by the operating system of terminal device 101, and includes connection information for APs that terminal device 101 has previously connected to. For example, wireless profiles are used in a reconnection function, which is a function that automatically re-establishes the connection between terminal device 101 and the AP when the connection is lost.

[0058] <Regarding the processing performed by terminal device 101 and communication device 151> In this embodiment, the setup application can perform network setup of the communication device 151 (hereinafter referred to as "first setup") via a wireless connection between the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 operating in connection setting mode. In other words, the first setup is a setup method that connects the communication device 151 and the AP by transmitting configuration information from the terminal device 101 to the communication device 151 via wireless communication using the setup application. Specifically, based on receiving a connection setting instruction (user instruction) to connect the communication device 151 to the AP, the setup application causes the terminal device 101 to operate as follows: After connecting with the communication device 151 in connection setting mode, the terminal device 101 obtains a list of APs that the communication device 151 can connect to from the communication device 151. If AP 131, which was connected to the terminal device 101 before connecting to the communication device 151, is included in that list, it transmits the configuration information of AP 131 to the communication device 151. Then, the communication device 151 connects to AP 131 using the configuration information of AP 131 received from the terminal device 101. The configuration information includes the password for connecting to AP131.

[0059] Furthermore, when the terminal device 101 obtains a list of APs from the communication device 151, the terminal device 101 may specify the information of AP 131 (SSID and channel) to the communication device 151. For example, some APs may be configured to disable the beacon signal used to announce their SSID. Hereafter, this configuration of disabling the beacon signal will be referred to as the SSID stealth setting. Even if an AP is configured for SSID stealth, by the terminal device 101 specifying the information of AP 131 to the communication device 151, the communication device 151 can find the target SSID by searching for that SSID. Additionally, by the terminal device 101 specifying the channel of AP 131, the communication device 151 can search only the target channel, thus reducing the search time for AP 131.

[0060] Furthermore, during the first setup, a wireless profile corresponding to a predetermined AP that the communication device 151 will connect to may already be stored in the terminal device 101 before the setup application receives the predetermined operation (connection setting instruction) for the first setup from the user. In such cases, the setup application can perform the first setup without receiving a password from the user.

[0061] Furthermore, the communication device 151 can connect to the AP using methods other than the first setup. The second and third setups, which are methods other than the first setup, are network setups that are performed without transmitting configuration information from the terminal device 101 to the communication device 151 via wireless communication using a setup application. Specifically, for example, the second setup is a network setup using push-button WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup). The second setup may also be a network setup using PIN code WPS. In addition, the second setup may be a network setup other than WPS, such as AOSS or Rakuraku Wireless Start. Furthermore, the second setup may be a network setup that is performed by establishing a connection between the communication device 151 and the AP selected by the user through an operation on the communication device 151 via wireless LAN. Furthermore, the third setup, which is a method other than the first setup, is a network setup that is performed by establishing a connection between the AP and the communication device 151 via wired LAN. The third setup may also be a network setup performed by establishing a connection between the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 via USB.

[0062] In the first setup, as described above, terminal device 101 connects to communication device 151 in connection setting mode and then obtains a list of APs that can be connected to from communication device 151. Specifically, terminal device 101 instructs communication device 151 to search for APs around it and obtains a list of APs from communication device 151 in response. Here, for example, consider a case where terminal device 101, after connecting to communication device 151 in connection setting mode, instructs communication device 151 to search for APs around it, specifying AP 131, to which terminal device 101 was previously connected. In such a case, if terminal device 101 obtains a list of APs including AP 131 from communication device 151, it is presumed that communication device 151 can connect to AP 131. Therefore, by sending the configuration information for AP 131 from terminal device 101 to communication device 151, communication device 151 can be connected to AP 131.

[0063] However, there are cases where the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method used by AP131. The authentication method used by AP131 is, in other words, the authentication method used for authentication between AP131 and other devices. In such cases, as described above, for example, even if AP131 is specified, the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method of AP131, and is therefore expected to send a list of APs that do not include AP131 to the terminal device 101. That is, even if the terminal device 101 instructs the communication device 151 to search for APs by specifying AP131, to which the terminal device 101 was connected, it will not be able to obtain a list of APs that include AP131 from the communication device 151. Furthermore, for example, even if the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method of AP131, it is expected that it will send a list of APs that include AP131 to the terminal device 101. In this configuration, for example, even if the terminal device 101 sends the configuration information for AP131, it is expected that the connection to AP131 will fail because the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method of AP131.

[0064] Thus, if the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method used by AP131, even if the terminal device 101 specifies AP131 and instructs the communication device 151 to search for AP131, the communication device 151 cannot connect to AP131. Therefore, if the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method used by AP131, there is no need to instruct the communication device 151 to search for AP131. However, if such a search is performed, the first setup process will take longer.

[0065] Therefore, in this embodiment, the setup application causes the CPU 103 of the terminal device 101 to operate as follows. The CPU 103 receives a connection setting instruction to configure the connection settings of the communication device 151. At the moment the CPU 103 receives the connection setting instruction, it sends an AP search instruction to the communication device 151 to perform an AP search process to search for the network formed by AP 131 to which the terminal device 101 was connected. Here, the CPU 103 controls the communication device 151 not to send the AP search instruction based on the fact that the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method used in the network of AP 131. On the other hand, the CPU 103 controls the communication device 151 to send the AP search instruction based on the fact that the communication device 151 supports the authentication method used in the network of AP 131.

[0066] Thus, in this embodiment, the CPU 103 controls whether or not to send a search instruction for AP131 depending on whether the communication device 151 supports the authentication method used in the AP131 network. With this operation, if the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method used by AP131, AP131 will not be searched for, thus shortening the first setup time. In other words, the convenience of the terminal device 101 connecting the communication device 151 to other devices can be improved.

[0067] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the overall first setup process of the communication device 151 executed by the terminal device 101. This flowchart is realized by the CPU 103 reading a program stored in the ROM 104 into the RAM 105 and executing it. In this embodiment, the terminal device 101 executes the process using a setup application. This flowchart is also initiated based on the above connection setting instruction being given by the user on the screen displayed by the setup application. For example, the CPU 103 starts the first setup process when it receives a startup instruction for the setup application (user operation) as a connection setting instruction, for example, via the display unit 108.

[0068] In S301, the CPU 103 searches for APs (Access Points) in the vicinity of the terminal device 101. The CPU 103 then identifies a communication device 151 that operates in connection setting mode (connection setting AP). Specifically, the CPU 103 searches for beacons emitted by a communication device 151 operating in connection setting mode, and for beacons that contain an SSID corresponding to connection setting mode. If an SSID corresponding to connection setting mode is found in the search results, the CPU 103 identifies the communication device 151 corresponding to that SSID as the device to be set up in the first setup (hereinafter referred to as the target device). If multiple communication devices 151 are found, the first communication device 151 found may be identified as the target device, or the communication device 151 selected by the user from among the multiple communication devices 151 found may be identified as the target device. Furthermore, in the following steps, the communication device 151 identified as the target device will be processed for the first setup.

[0069] In addition, in S301, the CPU 103 searches for APs (Access Points) present around the terminal device 101. The CPU 103 then stores the information of the discovered APs (such as SSIDs) as an AP information list in memory such as RAM 105.

[0070] In S302, the CPU 103 identifies the SSID of AP131 to which terminal device 101 is connected, and the authentication method used by AP131 to which terminal device 101 is connected. The CPU 103 also obtains the password corresponding to the SSID of AP131 to which terminal device 101 is connected from the wireless profile.

[0071] In S303, the CPU 103 disconnects the Wi-Fi communication connection between the terminal device 101 and the AP 131 to which the wireless communication unit 109 is connected. Subsequently, the CPU 103 sets the destination of the wireless communication unit 109 of the terminal device 101 to the communication device 151, which is operating in connection setting mode. As a result of the process in S303, a connection is established between the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151.

[0072] In S304, CPU 103 executes the connection setup process. Specifically, in S304, CPU 103 performs the first setup to connect the communication device 151 to AP 131. Details of the connection setup process will be described later using Figure 4.

[0073] In S305, CPU 103 uses the SSID, authentication method information, and password of AP131 obtained in S302 to reconnect to AP131. The process in S305 establishes a connection between terminal device 101 and communication device 151.

[0074] In S306, the CPU 103 searches for the communication device 151 on the network to which the terminal device 101 belongs (the network formed by AP 131). If the connection setup process is executed and the communication device 151 and the terminal device 101 are connected to the same AP 131, the communication device 151 will be found through this search.

[0075] In S307, the CPU 103 determines whether or not it found the communication device 151 through the search in S306. If the CPU 103 determines it is YES, it proceeds to S308; otherwise, it proceeds to S309. Specifically, the CPU 103 identifies whether the communication device 151, which was the destination for the configuration information sent in the first setup process, is included in the one or more devices found through the search in S306. The CPU 103 then determines it is YES in this determination if it is determined that the communication device 151 is included. In other words, if no devices are found through the search in S314, or if the communication device 151, which was the destination for the configuration information sent in the first setup process, is not included in the one or more devices found, the determination in this determination is NO.

[0076] In S308, the CPU 103 displays a success screen on the display unit 108, which corresponds to the discovery of the communication device 151 through the search in S306. Here, for example, the success screen 920 shown in Figure 9(b) is displayed on the display unit 108. For example, the success screen 920 includes a message indicating that the communication device 151 has been discovered and a message indicating that the connection with the communication device 151 has been successful. If the exit button 921 included in the success screen 920 is pressed, the process in this flowchart ends.

[0077] Furthermore, if the CPU 103 finds the communication device 151 through the search in S306, it may obtain capability information regarding the capabilities of the communication device 151 from the communication device 151. This capability information may then be used in the print setting process for configuring print jobs to be sent to the communication device 151, and in the scan setting process for configuring scan jobs to be sent to the communication device 151. Capability information may include, for example, information indicating which paper types can be printed or information indicating whether scanning is possible.

[0078] Furthermore, if the CPU 103 finds the communication device 151 in the search in S306, it may, for example, execute a process to install a printer driver corresponding to the communication device 151. Specifically, for example, it may install an installer for installing a printer driver corresponding to the communication device 151, or install the printer driver using the installer.

[0079] In S309, the CPU 103 displays a failure screen on the display unit 108, which corresponds to the fact that the communication device 151 could not be found during the search in S306. For example, the failure screen 930 shown in Figure 9(c) is displayed on the display unit 108. For example, the failure screen 930 includes a message indicating that the communication device 151 could not be found, or a message indicating that the connection with the communication device 151 failed. If the exit button 931 included in the failure screen 930 is pressed, the process in this flowchart ends.

[0080] In this embodiment, in S303, when the CPU 103 establishes a connection between the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151, the connection between the terminal device 101 and the AP 131 is disconnected, but this is not limited to this. For example, in S303, the CPU 103 may establish a connection between the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 without disconnecting the connection between the terminal device 101 and the AP 131. That is, the CPU 103 may establish a connection between the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 using a communication method different from Wi-Fi communication while maintaining Wi-Fi communication between the terminal device 101 and the AP 131. Specifically, the CPU 103 may establish a connection between the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 using short-range wireless communication via the short-range wireless communication unit 110. In this configuration, it is possible to establish a connection between the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 while maintaining Wi-Fi communication between the terminal device 101 and the AP 131. Furthermore, in S303, for example, if the connection between terminal device 101 and AP131 is not disconnected, the CPU 103 skips the processing in S305.

[0081] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the connection setup process performed by the terminal device 101. This flowchart is implemented by the CPU 103 reading a program stored in the ROM 104 into the RAM 105 and executing it. In this embodiment, the terminal device 101 performs the process using a setup application. This flowchart corresponds to S304.

[0082] In S401, the CPU 103 specifies the AP's SSID and channel and executes an AP search instruction process to cause the communication device 151 to search for the AP. In this embodiment, as will be described later, in the AP search instruction process, the CPU 103 first issues a connection reservation instruction to the communication device 151, specifying the SSID and channel of AP 131. In this embodiment, the communication device 151 does not perform a search for AP 131 corresponding to the specified SSID, nor does it connect to the network formed by AP 131 corresponding to the specified SSID, simply by receiving the connection reservation instruction. After receiving the connection reservation instruction, the communication device 151 searches for AP 131 based on the fact that a search instruction described later has been made. Then, based on the fact that it has received a wireless connection instruction described later, the communication device 151 performs a connection to the network formed by AP 131 corresponding to the specified SSID. Furthermore, when the communication device 151 receives a connection reservation instruction, it performs processing based on the fact that it has received the connection reservation instruction and transmits the result of that processing to the terminal device 101 as the result of the connection reservation instruction. Therefore, after a connection reservation instruction is made, the CPU 103 receives the result of the connection reservation instruction from the communication device 151 and determines whether the communication device 151 supports the authentication method of AP 131. If the communication device 151 supports the authentication method of AP 131, the CPU 103 instructs the communication device 151 to search for AP 131. The CPU 103 then obtains the search results for AP 131 from the communication device 151. The search results are a list of APs discovered by the communication device 151. The AP list is a list of information about APs discovered by the communication device 151. The AP list includes AP information such as the SSID, channel, and authentication method of the APs discovered by the communication device 151. If there are multiple APs with the same SSID on the same channel, the AP list (hereinafter referred to as the AP information list) contains information about multiple APs. This process also executes the process of specifying the AP to which the communication device 151 will connect. Details of S401 will be described later using Figure 5.

[0083] In S402, the CPU 103 determines whether the AP information list contains information about AP131 as a result of the AP search instruction processing in S401. If the CPU 103 determines that the information about AP131 is included, it proceeds to S406. On the other hand, if the CPU 103 determines that the information about AP131 is not included, it proceeds to S403. In other words, in S402, the CPU 103 determines whether the communication device 151 has found AP131, to which terminal device 101 was connected, at the time the first setup process started.

[0084] In S403, CPU 103 issues an AP search instruction to communication device 151 without specifying AP 131. Specifically, CPU 103 sends an AP search instruction to communication device 151, without specifying the SSID or channel of AP 131, to cause communication device 151 to perform a search process to find external access APs. As a result, communication device 151 obtains information on all APs on all channels discoverable from communication device 151.

[0085] Furthermore, due to the memory capacity of the communication device 151, the CPU 103 may set an upper limit on the number of AP information entries that the communication device 151 will detect and issue an AP search instruction. Alternatively, the communication device 151 may be configured to set an upper limit on the number of AP information entries that it will detect when executing the AP search process. In this case, for example, the communication device 151 will start acquiring AP information that it can detect and will stop acquiring AP information when it reaches the upper limit on the number of AP information entries.

[0086] In S404, the CPU 103 receives AP search results from the communication device 151. That is, the CPU 103 obtains information about the APs discovered by the communication device 151 from the communication device 151.

[0087] In S405, CPU103 determines whether there is an AP in the list of APs with the same SSID as AP131, to which terminal device 101 was connected. If CPU103 determines that there is an AP with the same SSID as AP131, it proceeds to S406. On the other hand, if CPU103 determines that there is no AP with the same SSID as AP131, it proceeds to S407.

[0088] In S406, the CPU 103 uses the password for AP131 obtained in S302 to issue a wireless connection instruction to the communication device 151 for wireless connection to AP131. In other words, the wireless connection instruction is an instruction to the communication device 151 to execute the wireless connection process described later for connecting to the network formed by AP131. That is, when the wireless connection instruction is issued, the communication device 151 connects to the network formed by AP131 corresponding to the information indicated by the connection reservation instruction, based on the SSID and channel indicated by the connection reservation instruction. In this embodiment, in S401, the CPU 103 has already sent the communication device 151 information indicating the SSID and authentication method of AP131 as connection information for the communication device 151 to connect to AP131. Therefore, the CPU 103 does not need to send the information indicating the SSID and authentication method of AP131 to the communication device 151 again. Thus, in S406, the CPU 103 sends the password for AP131 and the wireless connection instruction to the communication device 151. If S405 determines that there is an AP with the same SSID as AP131 in the AP list, it is possible that the APs are in a mesh environment with the same password set. Therefore, even if S405 determines YES, CPU103 sends the password for AP131 and a wireless connection instruction in S406. Through this process in S406, CPU103 can cause communication device 151 to establish a wireless connection to AP131 without requiring the user to enter the password for AP131. After the processing of S406 is completed, the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0089] In S407, the CPU 103 displays an input screen (reception screen) on the display unit 108 that can accept user input regarding AP information to be transmitted to the communication device 151. For example, a screen like the one shown in Figure 9(a) is displayed as the input screen 900 for accepting the user's selection of the AP to which the communication device 151 will connect. The input screen 900 includes an area 902 for accepting the user's selection of an AP, an area 903 for accepting the user's input of a password for connecting to the selected AP, an area 904 indicating the authentication method used by the selected AP, and a button 901 for identifying the AP corresponding to the entered information as the AP to be connected to the communication device 151. When area 902 is selected, the AP search results obtained in S404 are displayed as a list in a dropdown format. The CPU 103 does not need to accept input of the password used for connecting to the AP selected by the user if the terminal device 101's OS already holds the password as a wireless profile. Furthermore, if the AP selected by the user does not have an authentication method set and does not require a password to connect to that AP, the CPU 103 does not need to accept the user's input of a password. Also, instead of accepting the selection of an AP from the AP information list obtained by S404, the CPU 103 may accept the user's input of an arbitrary SSID and password, and then identify the AP corresponding to the input information to be connected to the communication device 151. When button 901 is selected, the CPU 103 saves the selected and entered information on the input screen 900 as configuration information for transmission. At this time, the CPU 103 may perform a process to verify whether the selected and entered information on the input screen 900 is correct. Specifically, the CPU 103 may verify whether the entered password matches the format of the authentication method used by the selected AP.

[0090] In S408, the CPU 103 sends configuration information for the AP identified as the AP to be connected to the communication device 151 to the communication device 151. The CPU 103 also sends a wireless connection instruction to the communication device 151 to initiate the connection process to connect to the network formed by the AP selected by the user via the input screen 900. The configuration information includes connection information (SSID and password) for connecting to the AP identified as the AP to be connected to the communication device 151. After the processing in S408 is completed, the processing in this flowchart ends.

[0091] In this embodiment, if the CPU 103 determines NO in S402, it proceeds to S403, but this is not limited to this. For example, if the CPU 103 determines NO in S402, it may proceed to S407. As will be described later, in this embodiment, if the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method of AP 131, if there is an AP with the same SSID as AP 131 in the AP information around the terminal device 101, it will use the information of that AP to execute a connection reservation instruction. This makes it possible to wirelessly connect the communication device 151 without issuing the AP search instruction in S403 that does not specify the SSID or channel of AP 131 to the communication device 151. Even in this form, the time required for the first setup process can be shortened, and user convenience can be improved.

[0092] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of an AP search instruction process in which the terminal device 101 specifies the AP's SSID and AP's channel, and instructs the communication device 151 to search for the AP. This flowchart is implemented by the CPU 103 reading a program stored in ROM 104 into RAM 105 and executing it. In this embodiment, the terminal device 101 executes the process using a setup application. This flowchart corresponds to S401.

[0093] In S501, the CPU 103 issues a connection reservation instruction to the communication device 151, specifying the SSID and authentication method of AP 131 to which the terminal device 101 was connected at the time the first setup process started. In other words, in S501, the CPU 103 transmits the SSID of AP 131, information indicating the authentication method, and a connection reservation instruction to the communication device 151. The connection reservation instruction is, in other words, a retention instruction to the communication device 151 to retain the AP information (SSID and information indicating the authentication method) if it supports the authentication method of the specified AP. By issuing this connection reservation instruction, the communication device 151 retains the information of the specified AP if it supports the authentication method of the specified AP. The AP 131 information (AP 131's SSID and information indicating the authentication method) is then used by the communication device 151 when the CPU 103 issues the wireless connection instruction in S406, as described above. When the CPU 103 issues the connection reservation instruction, the communication device 151 performs the connection reservation process described later. In other words, the connection reservation instruction can be described as an instruction to cause the communication device 151 to perform the connection reservation process. Details of the connection reservation process by the communication device 151 will be described later with reference to Figure 6.

[0094] In S502, the CPU 103 obtains the result of the connection reservation instruction from the communication device 151. Specifically, in S502, the CPU 103 receives the result of the connection reservation instruction from the communication device 151. In particular, as a result of the connection reservation instruction made in S501, the CPU 103 receives information indicating whether or not the communication device 151 supports the specified authentication method.

[0095] In S503, the CPU 103 determines whether the communication device 151 supports the authentication method specified by the CPU 103 in the connection reservation instruction. In other words, it determines whether the communication device 151 supports the authentication method used in the network formed by AP 131. If the CPU 103 determines that the communication device 151 supports the authentication method, it proceeds to S504. On the other hand, if the CPU 103 determines that the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method, it proceeds to S507. In this embodiment, if the result of the connection reservation instruction received from the communication device 151 in S502 is information indicating that the connection reservation has been completed, the CPU 103 determines that the communication device 151 supports the authentication method. On the other hand, if the result of the connection reservation instruction received from the communication device 151 in S502 is information indicating that the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method, the CPU 103 determines that the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method.

[0096] Here, let's explain an example of the S503 determination. As mentioned above, in S501, CPU 103 specified the authentication method for AP 131 when sending the connection reservation instruction. For example, if the authentication method for AP 131 specified in S501 is an authentication method compliant with WPA3 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 3) (hereinafter referred to as the WPA3 authentication method), S503 will determine NO. Authentication methods compliant with WPA3 include, for example, the WPA3-SAE (Simultaneous Authentication of Equals) method and the WPA3-EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) method. WPA3 is a relatively new Wi-Fi security protocol, and some communication devices 151 may not support the WPA3 authentication method. Therefore, even if CPU 103 specifies the WPA3 authentication method as the authentication method for AP 131 when issuing a connection reservation instruction, information indicating that WPA3 is not supported will be returned from the communication device 151. On the other hand, if, for example, the authentication method of AP131 specified in S501 is a WPA-compliant authentication method or a WPA2-compliant authentication method, S503 will determine YES. WPA and WPA2 are Wi-Fi security protocols that were introduced before WPA3. Therefore, the communication device 151 may support these authentication methods. In the following explanation, WPA-compliant authentication methods and WPA2-compliant authentication methods may be referred to as WPA authentication methods and WPA2 authentication methods. Examples of WPA authentication methods and WPA2 authentication methods include WPA PSK (Pre-Shared Key) and WPA2-PSK.

[0097] In this embodiment, the communication device 151 supports the WPA authentication method and the WPA2 authentication method, but does not support the WPA3 authentication method. This is just one example, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, the communication device 151 may support any of the WPA, WPA2, or WPA3 authentication methods.

[0098] In S504, the CPU 103 issues an AP search instruction to the communication device 151, specifying the SSID and channel of AP 131 and instructing it to search for APs in the vicinity of the communication device 151. In other words, the CPU 103 sends an AP search instruction to the communication device 151, instructing it to perform an AP search process to search for the network formed by AP 131. AP 131 is the AP specified in the connection reservation instruction in S501, and is the AP to which terminal device 101 was connected at least when the first setup process was started. This search instruction causes the communication device 151 to perform a search for surrounding APs, narrowing down the SSID and channel. By specifying the SSID, the communication device 151 can also search for APs that have SSID stealth settings enabled. Details of the AP search process by the communication device 151 will be described later using Figure 7. The CPU 103 sends the AP search instruction via the connection between terminal device 101 and communication device 151 established in S303.

[0099] Thus, in this embodiment, the CPU 103 controls the transmission of a search instruction for AP131 in S504 based on the fact that the communication device 151 supports the authentication method used in the AP131 network (YES in S503). On the other hand, the CPU 103 controls the transmission of a search instruction for AP131 in S507 based on the fact that the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method used in the AP131 network (NO in S503). As a result, if the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method of AP131, the AP search process for AP131 is not executed on the communication device 151, thus shortening the setup time.

[0100] In S505, the CPU 103 obtains an AP information list as a result of the AP search instruction around the communication device 151 executed in S504. That is, the CPU 103 receives the AP information list from the communication device 151. As mentioned above, the AP information list contains information about APs found around the communication device 151. Therefore, if AP 131 is found by the communication device 151 as a result of the AP search instruction in S504, the AP information list will contain information about AP 131. On the other hand, if AP 131 is not found by the communication device 131, the AP information list will not contain information about AP 131. In other words, S505 is the process of obtaining information from the communication device indicating whether or not the communication device 151 found the network of AP 131 after sending the AP search instruction to the communication device 151 in S504.

[0101] In S506, CPU103 determines whether or not AP131 information is present in the AP information list obtained in S505. If CPU103 determines that AP131 information is present, it terminates the processing of this flowchart. On the other hand, if CPU103 determines that AP131 information is not present, it proceeds to S507.

[0102] Thus, in this embodiment, the CPU 103 specifies AP 131 in S504 and issues an AP search instruction for AP 131. Then, the CPU 103 obtains information on surrounding APs from the communication device 151 and determines in S506 whether or not AP 131 was found. If the CPU 103 determines that no AP was found (NO in S506), it proceeds to S507. In this way, if the communication device 151 cannot find AP 131 for which a connection reservation instruction has been issued, it is possible to try issuing a connection reservation instruction to another AP, as will be described later.

[0103] In S507, the CPU 103 detects APs (Access Points) around the terminal device 101 that have the same SSID as AP 131, which was identified in S302. In other words, the CPU 103 performs processing to narrow down the APs around the terminal device 101 to those that have the same SSID as AP 131. As described above, when searching for APs (external APs) around the terminal device 101 in S301, the information (SSID, etc.) of the discovered APs is stored in memory such as RAM 105 as an AP information list. In S507, the CPU 103 retrieves the AP information list stored in memory in S301. Then, the CPU 103 retrieves the SSID of AP 131, which was identified in S302, from the AP information list. Alternatively, in S507, the CPU 103 may search for APs around the terminal device 101 and detect an AP with the same SSID as AP 131.

[0104] Furthermore, in S507, CPU 103 may omit APs that use the same authentication method as AP 131 for which a connection reservation instruction was already given in S501 if those APs are included in the AP information. Specifically, if the authentication method of AP 131 for which a connection reservation instruction was given in S501 is WPA3, CPU 103 may omit APs that use WPA3 authentication from the APs narrowed down in S507. This is because if AP 131 and AP use the same authentication method, even if a connection reservation instruction is given, information indicating that the authentication method is not supported will be returned from the communication device 151.

[0105] In S508, CPU103 determines, based on the results of S507, whether or not information for an AP with the same SSID as AP131 was found in the AP information list. In other words, it determines whether or not the AP information list contains an AP that forms a network with the same network name (SSID) as the network formed by AP131. If CPU103 determines that AP information was found, it proceeds to S509. On the other hand, if CPU103 determines that AP information was not found, the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0106] In S509, CPU 103 specifies the SSID of an AP that has the same SSID as AP 131 detected in S507, along with the authentication method, and issues a connection reservation instruction. In other words, in S509, CPU 103 transmits to communication device 151 the SSID of the AP narrowed down in S507, information indicating the authentication method, and a connection reservation instruction.

[0107] In S510, the CPU 103 obtains the result of the connection reservation instruction. Specifically, in S510, the CPU 103 receives the result of the connection reservation instruction from the communication device 151. In particular, as a result of the connection reservation instruction made in S510, the CPU 103 obtains information indicating whether or not the communication device 151 supports the authentication method specified by the CPU 103.

[0108] In S511, the CPU 103 determines whether the communication device 151 supports the authentication method specified by the CPU 103 in the connection reservation instruction. If the CPU 103 determines that the authentication method is supported, it proceeds to S512. On the other hand, if the CPU 103 determines that the authentication method is not supported, it proceeds to S515. Specifically, if the information received from the communication device 151 in S510 indicates that the authentication method is supported, the CPU 103 proceeds to S512; otherwise, it proceeds to S515.

[0109] In S512, the CPU 103 issues an AP search instruction to the communication device 151, specifying the SSID and channel of AP 131, and instructing it to search for APs in the vicinity of the communication device 151. In other words, the CPU 103 sends an AP search instruction to the communication device 151, causing it to perform an AP search process to find APs with the same SSID as the network formed by AP 131. This instruction causes the communication device 151 to perform a search for nearby APs, narrowing down the SSID and channel. By specifying the SSID, the communication device 151 can also search for APs that have SSID stealth settings enabled. Details of the AP search process by the communication device 151 will be described later with reference to Figure 7.

[0110] In S513, the CPU 103 obtains an AP information list as a result of the AP search instruction executed in S512 for the area around the communication device 151. In other words, the CPU 103 receives the AP information list from the communication device 151.

[0111] In S514, CPU103 determines whether there is an AP with the same SSID as AP131 in the AP information list obtained in S513. If CPU103 determines that an AP exists, it terminates the processing of this flowchart. On the other hand, if it determines that there is no AP, it proceeds to S515.

[0112] In S515, CPU103 determines whether there is any AP information in the AP information list narrowed down in S507 that has not yet received a connection reservation instruction. If CPU103 determines that AP information exists, it proceeds to S509. On the other hand, if CPU103 determines that there is no AP information, it terminates the processing of this flowchart.

[0113] In this embodiment, if the CPU 103 determines in S503 that the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method (determined as NO in S503), it proceeds to S504, but this is not limited to this. For example, if the CPU 103 determines NO in S503, it may terminate this flowchart. If the flowchart is terminated after determining NO in S503, the CPU 103 determines that no AP information was received in S402 as described above.

[0114] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the CPU 103 proceeds to S506 after S505, but this is not limited to this. For example, the CPU 103 may terminate this flowchart without executing the process in S506 after S505.

[0115] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the CPU 103 proceeds to S512 if it determines in S511 that the authentication method is supported (determined as YES in S511), but it is not limited to this. The CPU 103 may also proceed to S504 if it determines as YES in S511. If the CPU 103 determines as YES in S511, in S504 it specifies the SSID and channel of the AP when the connection reservation instruction was given in S509.

[0116] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the connection reservation process performed by the communication device 151. This flowchart is implemented when the CPU 154 reads a program stored in the ROM 152 into the RAM 153 and executes it. This flowchart is initiated when the communication device 151 receives a connection reservation instruction from the terminal device 101, which includes the SSID and information indicating the authentication method.

[0117] In S601, the CPU 154 determines whether the communication device 151 supports the authentication method received from the terminal device 101. For example, if the authentication method specified by the terminal device 101 is the WPA3 authentication method, the CPU 154 determines whether the communication device 151 supports the WPA3 authentication method. If the CPU 154 determines that the communication device 151 supports the specified authentication method, the process proceeds to S602. On the other hand, if the CPU 154 determines that the communication device 151 does not support the specified authentication method, the process proceeds to S604.

[0118] In S602, CPU 154 stores AP information (such as the AP's SSID, information indicating the AP's authentication method, and the password corresponding to the SSID) in RAM 153.

[0119] In S603, the CPU 154 sends information to the terminal device 101 indicating that the communication device 151 supports the authentication method specified by the terminal device 101, and that the saving of AP information is complete. After the processing in S603 is completed, the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0120] In S604, CPU 154 sends information indicating that the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method specified by terminal device 101. After the processing of S604 is completed, the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0121] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the AP search process performed by the communication device 151. This flowchart is implemented when the CPU 154 reads a program stored in the ROM 152 into the RAM 153 and executes it. This flowchart is initiated when the communication device 151 receives an AP search instruction from the terminal device 101 that includes the SSID and channel. This flowchart is also initiated when the communication device 151 receives an AP search instruction that does not specify the SSID or channel.

[0122] In S701, the CPU 154 determines whether the instruction received from the terminal device 101 is an AP search instruction that includes the SSID and channel. If the CPU 154 determines that it is an AP search instruction that includes the SSID and channel, it proceeds to S702. On the other hand, if the CPU 154 determines that it is an AP search instruction that does not include the SSID and channel, it proceeds to S703.

[0123] In S702, CPU 154 specifies the SSID and channel and searches for APs around communication device 151. Specifically, CPU 154 specifies the SSID and channel and searches for beacons transmitted by APs around communication device 151.

[0124] In S703, CPU 154 searches for APs (Access Points) around communication device 151. Specifically, CPU 154 searches for beacons transmitted by APs around communication device 151 without specifying an SSID.

[0125] In S704, CPU 154 lists information about APs around communication device 151 that were found in either process S702 or S703. In other words, in S704, CPU 103 creates an AP information list for the APs found around communication device 151.

[0126] In S705, the CPU 154 determines whether or not it has received a request from the terminal device 101 to obtain the AP information list created in S704. If the CPU 154 determines that it has received the request, it proceeds to S706. On the other hand, if the CPU 154 determines that it has not received a request to obtain the AP information list, it repeats the process in S705.

[0127] In S706, CPU 154 sends the AP information list created in S704 to terminal device 101. After processing in S706 is complete, the processing in this flowchart is finished.

[0128] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the wireless connection process performed by the communication device 151. This flowchart is implemented when the CPU 154 reads a program stored in the ROM 152 into the RAM 153 and executes it. This flowchart is initiated when the communication device 151 receives a wireless connection instruction from the terminal device 101, which includes the SSID, authentication method information, and SSID password.

[0129] In S801, the CPU 154 determines whether the instruction received from the terminal device 101 is a wireless connection instruction that includes information indicating the SSID and authentication method. If the CPU 154 determines that it is a wireless connection instruction that includes information indicating the SSID and authentication method, it proceeds to S802. On the other hand, if the CPU 154 determines that it is a wireless connection instruction that does not include information indicating the SSID and authentication method, it proceeds to S803.

[0130] In S802, CPU 154 uses the SSID, authentication method information, and password received from terminal device 101 to establish a wireless connection to the designated AP. After S802 completes its processing, the processing in this flowchart ends.

[0131] In S803, CPU 154 uses the password received from terminal device 101, the SSID stored in RAM 153 by S602, and the authentication method to establish a wireless connection to the AP. After S803 finishes processing, the processing in this flowchart ends.

[0132] According to this implementation, the setup application causes the CPU 103 of the terminal device 101 to operate as follows: In the first setup process, if the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method of the specified AP 131, the CPU 103 does not issue an AP search instruction to the communication device 151 specifying the SSID and channel. This operation eliminates the need for a search process in the first setup process to search for APs that the communication device 151 does not support. As a result, the setup time of the communication device 151 can be shortened.

[0133] <Second Embodiment> In this embodiment, the CPU 103 specifies the SSID and authentication method of AP 131, and when issuing a connection reservation instruction to the communication device 151, it also specifies the password corresponding to the SSID. As a result, if the communication device 151 supports the authentication method of AP 131, the CPU 103 can perform a search for surrounding APs and, upon detecting an AP with the SSID and authentication method specified in the connection reservation instruction, execute a wireless connection instruction. Therefore, setup time can be shortened and user convenience can be improved.

[0134] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the first setup process of the communication device 151 executed by the terminal device 101 in this embodiment. This flowchart is realized by the CPU 103 reading a program stored in the ROM 104 into the RAM 105 and executing it. In this embodiment, the terminal device 101 executes the process using a setup application. This flowchart corresponds to S304.

[0135] In S1201, the CPU 103 specifies the AP's SSID and channel and executes an AP search instruction process to cause the communication device 151 to search for the AP. In this embodiment, as will be described later, in the AP search instruction process, the CPU 103 first issues a connection reservation instruction to the communication device 151, specifying the AP 131's SSID, channel, and password. The CPU 103 then determines whether the communication device 151 supports the authentication method of AP 131. The CPU 103 then receives the result of the connection reservation instruction from the communication device 151 and determines whether the communication device 151 supports the authentication method of AP 131. If the communication device 151 supports the authentication method of AP 131, the CPU 103 issues a search instruction to the communication device 151 for AP 131. Details of S1201 will be described later with reference to Figure 13.

[0136] In S1202, the CPU 103 determines whether the AP information list contains information for AP131 as a result of the AP search instruction processing in S401. If it determines that the information for AP131 is included, the process of this flowchart ends. If it determines that the information for AP131 is not included, the process proceeds to S1203. In the connection setting process of the first embodiment, the CPU 103 issued a wireless connection instruction to the communication device 151 along with the password for AP131 in S406. In this embodiment, as described above, the CPU 103 has already sent the password for AP131 along with the connection reservation instruction in the AP search instruction processing in S1201. Therefore, in this embodiment, if the answer in S1202 is NO, this flowchart ends.

[0137] Since sections S1203 to S1208 are the same as those described in sections S403 to S408 in Figure 4, these explanations will be omitted.

[0138] Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the AP search instruction process executed by the terminal device 101 in this embodiment. This flowchart is realized when the CPU 103 reads a program stored in the ROM 104 into the RAM 105 and executes it. In this embodiment, the terminal device 101 executes the process using a setup application. This flowchart corresponds to S1201.

[0139] In S1301, the CPU 103 specifies the SSID, authentication method, and password of AP131 and executes a connection reservation instruction to the communication device 151. That is, in S501, the CPU 103 transmits the SSID of AP131, information indicating the authentication method, the password, and the connection reservation instruction to the communication device 151. The CPU 103 uses the information obtained in S302 for each of these pieces of information. In the first embodiment, in the AP search instruction process, the CPU 103 specified the SSID and authentication method of AP131 in S510. In this embodiment, in the connection reservation instruction in S1301, the CPU 103 also specifies the password for AP131.

[0140] Since the explanation for S1302 is the same as that for S502 in Figure 5, the explanation will be omitted.

[0141] In S1303, CPU 103 determines whether the communication device 151 supports the authentication method specified by CPU 103 in the connection reservation instruction. If CPU 103 determines that the communication device 151 supports the authentication method, the process proceeds to S1304. On the other hand, if CPU 103 determines that the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method, this flowchart terminates.

[0142] Since sections S1304 to S1305 are the same as those described in sections S504 to S505 in Figure 5, these explanations will be omitted.

[0143] Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the AP search process performed by the communication device 151 in this embodiment. This flowchart is implemented when the CPU 154 reads a program stored in the ROM 152 into the RAM 153 and executes it. This flowchart is initiated when the communication device 151 receives an AP search instruction from the terminal device 101 that includes the SSID and channel. This flowchart is also initiated when the communication device 151 receives an AP search instruction that does not specify the SSID or channel.

[0144] Since the explanations for S1401 to S1406 are the same as those for S701 to S706 in Figure 7, their explanations will be omitted.

[0145] In S1407, the CPU 154 determines whether the AP information list sent to the terminal device 101 contains information for AP131, which was specified by the terminal device 101. If the CPU 154 determines that the AP information list contains information for AP131, it proceeds to S1408. On the other hand, if the CPU 154 determines that the AP information list does not contain information for AP131, it terminates the processing of this flowchart.

[0146] In S1408, CPU 154 executes the wireless connection process using the SSID, authentication method, and password of AP131 specified by terminal device 101. Details of S1408 will be described later with reference to Figure 15. After the completion of S1408, the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0147] Figure 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the wireless connection process of the communication device 151 in this embodiment. This flowchart is realized when the CPU 154 reads the program stored in the ROM 152 into the RAM 153 and executes it. This flowchart corresponds to S1408.

[0148] Since the explanations for S1501 to S1502 are the same as those for S801 to S802 in Figure 8, their explanations will be omitted.

[0149] In S1503, CPU154 uses the AP131's SSID, authentication method information, and password stored in RAM153 to establish a wireless connection. After S1503 is complete, the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0150] As described above, according to this embodiment, the setup application causes the CPU 103 of the terminal device 101 to operate as follows. In the AP search instruction process, the CPU 103 issues a connection reservation instruction by specifying the SSID, authentication method, and password corresponding to the SSID of AP 131. When the communication device 151 receives a search instruction for AP 131 from the terminal device 101 and the specified authentication method of AP 131 is supported, it searches for AP 131. If the communication device 151 finds AP 131, it sends an AP information list containing the information of AP 131 to the communication device 151. Subsequently, the communication device 151 uses the password for AP 131 received from the terminal device 101 along with the connection reservation instruction to establish a wireless connection to AP 131. In this way, by the CPU 103 sending the password for AP 131 to the communication device 151 in advance along with the connection reservation instruction, the process of issuing a wireless connection instruction can be omitted if the communication device 151 supports the authentication method of AP 131. Therefore, the setup time can be further reduced.

[0151] <Third Embodiment> In this embodiment, the CPU 103 acquires capability information from the communication device 151. Capability information is various setting information of the communication device 151, including, for example, information on the authentication method of the communication device 151. Using the acquired capability information, the CPU 103 determines whether the communication device 151 supports the authentication method of the AP 131 to which the terminal device 101 is connected. By using the capability information of the communication device 151 in this way, it is possible to determine the authentication method supported by the communication device 151 even if, for example, the communication device 151 does not support connection reservation processing. Furthermore, even if it is not possible to acquire the authentication method of the AP 131 to which the terminal device 101 was connected at the time the first setup process is started, it is still possible to determine the authentication method supported by the communication device 151.

[0152] Figure 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the first setup process of the communication device 151 executed by the terminal device 101 in this embodiment. This flowchart is realized by the CPU 103 reading a program stored in the ROM 104 into the RAM 105 and executing it. In this embodiment, the terminal device 101 executes the process using a setup application. This flowchart corresponds to S304.

[0153] In S1601, the CPU 103 executes an AP search instruction process to cause the communication device 151 to search for an AP. In the embodiment described above, in the AP search instruction process, the CPU 103 first issued a connection reservation instruction to the communication device 151, specifying AP 131. Then, based on the result of the connection reservation instruction, the CPU 103 determined whether the communication device 151 supports the authentication method of AP 131. In this embodiment, as will be described later, in the AP search instruction process, the CPU 103 obtains capability information of the communication device 151. Then, based on the capability information, the CPU 103 determines whether the communication device 151 supports the authentication method of AP 131. Details of S1601 will be described later with reference to Figure 17.

[0154] In S1602, the CPU 103 determines whether the AP information list contains information for AP131, based on the AP search instruction processing in S1601. If the CPU 103 determines that the information for AP131 is included, it proceeds to S1606. On the other hand, if the CPU 103 determines that the information for AP131 is not included, it proceeds to S1603.

[0155] Since steps S1603 to S1604 are the same as those in steps S403 to S404, their explanation will be omitted.

[0156] In S1605, CPU103 determines whether there is an AP in the list of APs with the same SSID as AP131, to which terminal device 101 was connected. If CPU103 determines that there is an AP with the same SSID as AP131, it proceeds to S1606. On the other hand, if CPU103 determines that there is no AP with the same SSID as AP131, it proceeds to S1607.

[0157] In S1606, the CPU 103 issues a wireless connection instruction to the communication device 151, including the SSID of the AP 131 to which the terminal device 101 is connected, information indicating the authentication method, and a password. In this embodiment, since no connection reservation process is performed, this information is transmitted together with the wireless setting instruction. Note that although the SSID and information indicating the authentication method are transmitted at the time of the wireless connection instruction, it is also possible to reserve the connection with only the SSID. Alternatively, in S1606, the password corresponding to the SSID and the wireless setting instruction are given, and the authentication method to be connected to may be determined by the communication device 151 from the AP information obtained when acquiring surrounding AP information.

[0158] Since steps S1607 to S1608 are the same as those in steps S407 to S408, their explanation will be omitted.

[0159] Figure 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the surrounding AP search instruction process that the terminal device 101 executes in this embodiment, specifying AP information for the communication device 151. This flowchart is realized by the CPU 103 reading a program stored in the ROM 104 into the RAM 105 and executing it. In this embodiment, the terminal device 101 executes the process using a setup application. This flowchart corresponds to S1601.

[0160] In S1701, the CPU 103 sends a request to the communication device 151 to obtain capability information of the communication device 151. The capability information obtained by the CPU 103 in S1701 includes information indicating the corresponding authentication method of the communication device 151, as described above.

[0161] In S1702, the CPU 103 receives capability information from the communication device 151 and acquires the capability information of the communication device 151. Also in S1702, the CPU 103 extracts information indicating the authentication method supported by the communication device 151 from the acquired capability information.

[0162] In S1703, the CPU 103 determines whether the communication device 151 supports the authentication method of AP 131. If the CPU 103 determines that the communication device 151 supports the method, it proceeds to S1704. On the other hand, if the CPU 103 determines that the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method, it terminates the process shown in Figure 17. In this embodiment, the CPU 103 makes this determination based on the information indicating the authentication method supported by the communication device 151, which is included in the capability information received from the communication device 151 in S1702.

[0163] In S1704, the CPU 103 specifies the SSID and channel of AP 131 and issues an AP search instruction to the communication device 151 to search for APs in the vicinity of the communication device 151. In other words, the CPU 103 sends an AP search instruction to the communication device 151 to search for AP 131, which was the AP to which the terminal device 101 was connected at the time the first setup process was started.

[0164] In S1705, the CPU 103 obtains the AP information list as a result of the AP search instruction around the communication device 151 executed in S1704. That is, the CPU 103 receives the AP information list from the communication device 151.

[0165] As described above, according to this embodiment, the setup application causes the CPU 103 of the terminal device 101 to operate as follows: The CPU 103 acquires capability information from the communication device 151. Based on the capability information, the CPU 103 determines whether the communication device 151 supports the authentication method of the AP 131 to which the terminal device 101 is connected. If the CPU 103 determines that the communication device 151 supports the authentication method of the AP 131, it issues a search instruction to the communication device 151 for the AP 131. On the other hand, if the CPU 103 determines that the communication method 151 does not support the authentication method of the AP 131, it does not issue a search instruction to the communication device 151 for the AP 131. In other words, in this embodiment, the CPU 103 controls whether or not to send a search instruction for the AP 131 based on the capability information acquired from the communication device 151. This makes it possible to determine whether the communication device 151 supports the AP131's authentication method, even if the communication device 151 does not support connection reservation processing or if information indicating the authentication method being used by the terminal device 101 cannot be obtained. This configuration allows for confirmation of whether the communication device 151 supports the AP131's authentication method, regardless of the environment of the terminal device 101 or the communication device 151, thereby improving user convenience.

[0166] <Fourth Embodiment> In this embodiment, the CPU 103 specifies the SSID and channel of AP131 to the communication device 151 and issues a search command for AP131. If the communication device 151 supports the authentication method of AP131, it stores the information such as the SSID of AP131 specified by the terminal device 101. With this configuration, the terminal device 101 can send only an AP search command to the communication device 151 and have the information stored in the communication device 151 in advance without sending a connection reservation command. Therefore, setup time can be shortened and user convenience can be improved.

[0167] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the surrounding AP search instruction process that the terminal device 101 executes in this embodiment, specifying AP information for the communication device 151. This flowchart is realized by the CPU 103 reading a program stored in the ROM 104 into the RAM 105 and executing it. In this embodiment, the terminal device 101 executes the process using a setup application. This flowchart corresponds to S401.

[0168] In S1001, the CPU 103 issues a search command to the communication device 151, specifying the SSID, channel, and authentication method of AP131 to which the terminal device 101 was connected at the time the first setup process was started. In the first and second embodiments, in the AP search command process, the CPU 103 first specified AP131 and issued a connection reservation command. In this embodiment, in S1001, the CPU 103 transmits information indicating the SSID, channel, and authentication method of AP131, along with a search command for AP131, to the communication device 151.

[0169] In S1002, the CPU 103 obtains the result of the AP 131 search instruction. That is, the CPU 103 receives the result of the AP 131 search instruction. As will be described later, if the communication device 151 supports the authentication method of AP 131 specified in S1001, the AP information list is included as the result of the AP 131 search instruction. On the other hand, if the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method specified in S1001, the AP search instruction result includes information that the communication device 151 does not support the authentication method. After the processing of S1002 is completed, the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0170] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating the AP search process of the communication device 151 in this embodiment. This flowchart is implemented when the CPU 154 reads a program stored in the ROM 152 into the RAM 153 and executes it. This flowchart is initiated when the communication device 151 receives an AP search instruction from the terminal device 101 that includes the SSID, channel, and authentication method. Alternatively, it is initiated when the communication device 151 receives an AP search instruction that does not specify the SSID, channel, or authentication method.

[0171] In S1101, the CPU 154 determines whether the instruction received from the terminal device 101 is an AP search instruction that includes AP information (information indicating SSID, channel, and authentication method). In other words, it determines whether the terminal device 101 has specified an AP. If the CPU 154 determines that it is a search instruction that includes AP information, it proceeds to S1102. If the CPU 154 determines that it is an AP search instruction that does not include AP information, it proceeds to S1105.

[0172] In S1102, the CPU 154 determines whether the authentication method specified by the terminal device 101 is compatible with the communication device 151. If the CPU 154 determines that it is compatible, it proceeds to S1103. On the other hand, if the CPU 154 determines that it is not compatible, it terminates the processing of this flowchart.

[0173] In S1103, the CPU 154 stores the AP information (AP SSID, channel, and AP authentication method information) specified by the terminal device 101 in the RAM 153. In the first and second embodiments, the CPU 154 received a connection reservation instruction from the terminal device 101 and stored the specified AP information if the communication device 151 supported the AP authentication method specified in the connection reservation instruction. In this embodiment, when the CPU 154 receives an AP search instruction, it stores the AP information to be searched if it supports the authentication method of the AP to be searched.

[0174] Since S1104 to S1108 are the same as the explanations in S702 to S706 in Figure 7, these explanations will be omitted.

[0175] According to this embodiment, the setup application causes the CPU 101 of the terminal device 101 to operate as follows. In the AP search instruction processing, the CPU 103 specifies AP 131 and sends a search instruction for AP 131 to the communication device 151. In this embodiment, the communication device 151 receives an AP search instruction from the terminal device 101 specifying the SSID, channel, and authentication method of AP 131. If the communication device 151 supports the specified authentication method of AP 131, it saves information such as the SSID of AP 131. With this configuration, the CPU 103 can perform connection setting processing by sending only an AP search instruction specifying AP 131, without sending a connection reservation instruction to the communication device during the AP search instruction processing. In other words, the setup time can be shortened, and user convenience can be further improved.

[0176] <Other Embodiments> It goes without saying that the object of the present invention can also be achieved by supplying a recording medium containing program code for software that realizes the functions of the embodiments described above to a system or device, and by having the computer (or CPU or MPU) of that system or device read and execute the program code stored on the recording medium. In this case, the program code read from the storage medium itself realizes the functions of the embodiments described above, and the storage medium containing that program code constitutes the present invention.

[0177] For storing program code, storage media such as flexible disks, hard disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, ROMs, and DVDs can be used.

[0178] Furthermore, it goes without saying that the functions of the aforementioned embodiments are realized not only by the execution of program code read by the computer, but also in cases where the operating system running on the computer performs some or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program code, and the functions of the aforementioned embodiments are realized through that processing.

[0179] Furthermore, it goes without saying that this also includes cases where, after the program code read from the storage medium is written to the memory of a function expansion board inserted into a computer or a function expansion unit connected to a computer, the CPU or other components of the function expansion board or function expansion unit perform some or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program code, and the functions of the aforementioned embodiments are realized through that processing.

[0180] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0181] This embodiment discloses the inventions of the following items: (Item 1) An application program, The computer of the information processing device, A first receiving means for receiving connection setting instructions for configuring the connection settings of a communication device. The first transmission means functions as a means that, at the time of receiving the connection setting instruction, transmits a first search instruction to the communication device, causing the communication device to perform a search process to search for the first network formed by a predetermined access point to which at least the information processing device was connected. The first search instruction is controlled not to be transmitted to the communication device based on the fact that the communication device does not support a predetermined authentication method used in the first network, and the first search instruction is controlled to be transmitted to the communication device based on the fact that the communication device supports the predetermined authentication method. An application program characterized by the following features. (Item 2) When the aforementioned connection setting instruction is received, a second transmission means transmits information indicating the predetermined authentication method to the communication device. After the information indicating the predetermined authentication method has been transmitted, the computer is further configured to function as a first receiving means that receives from the communication device information indicating whether or not the communication device supports the predetermined authentication method. Whether or not the first search instruction is transmitted is controlled based on information received by the first receiving means indicating whether or not the communication device supports the predetermined authentication method. An application program as described in item 1, characterized by the features described herein. (Item 3) The second transmission means is, The system transmits information indicating the predetermined authentication method, a reservation instruction to reserve a connection to the first network, and a password for connecting to the first network. The computer further functions as a third transmission means, which, if the first network is discovered by the communication device as a result of the first transmission means transmitting the first search instruction to the communication device, transmits a first connection instruction to the communication device to cause the communication device to perform connection processing for connecting to the first network. An application program as described in item 2, characterized by the features described herein. (Item 4) After transmitting the first search instruction to the communication device, a first acquisition means obtains from the communication device information indicating whether or not the first network has been found. If the information acquired by the first acquisition means is information indicating that the first network has been discovered, the computer further functions as a third transmission means that transmits a first connection instruction to the communication device to cause the communication device to perform a connection process for connecting to the first network. An application program as described in item 1, characterized by the features described herein. (Item 5) The first connection instruction is, The password for connecting to the first network, An application program as described in item 4, characterized by the features described herein. (Item 6) When the aforementioned connection setting instruction is received, the computer is further made to function as a second acquisition means for acquiring capability information of the communication device. Based on the capability information acquired by the second acquisition means, whether or not the first search instruction is transmitted is controlled. An application program as described in item 1, characterized by the features described herein. (Item 7) The aforementioned capability information is, The communication device includes information indicating the corresponding authentication method, An application program as described in item 6, characterized by the features described herein. (Item 8) A third acquisition means that obtains a list of external access points searched by the information processing device based on the fact that the communication device does not support the predetermined authentication method, Based on the fact that the list obtained by the third acquisition means includes an access point forming a second network which has the same SSID as the first network, a fourth transmission means transmits information indicating the authentication method used in the second network to the communication device. A second receiving means transmits information indicating the authentication method used in the second network, and then receives information from the communication device indicating whether or not it supports the said authentication method. The computer further functions as a fifth transmitting means that transmits a second search instruction to the communication device to cause the communication device to perform a search process to search the second network, based on the information received by the second receiving means being information indicating that the communication device is compatible with the authentication method used in the second network. An application program according to any one of items 1 to 7, characterized by the above. (Item 9) A third acquisition means obtains a list of external access points searched by the information processing device, based on the result that the first network was not found by the communication device as a result of the first search instruction being transmitted to the communication device by the first transmission means. Based on the fact that the list obtained by the third acquisition means includes an access point forming a second network which has the same SSID as the first network, a fourth transmission means transmits information indicating the authentication method used in the second network to the communication device. A second receiving means transmits information indicating the authentication method used in the second network, and then receives information from the communication device indicating whether or not it supports the said authentication method. The computer further functions as a fifth transmitting means that transmits a second search instruction to the communication device to cause the communication device to perform a search process to search the second network, based on the information received by the second receiving means being information indicating that the communication device is compatible with the authentication method used in the second network. An application program according to any one of items 1 to 7, characterized by the above. (Item 10) A sixth transmission means transmits to the communication device a third search instruction to cause the communication device to perform a search process to search for an access point outside the communication device, based on the fact that the communication device does not support the authentication method used in the first network. After transmitting the third search instruction to the communication device by the sixth transmission means, the third receiving means receives the result of the search process from the communication device. Based on the fact that the results of the search process received by the third receiving means do not include the predetermined access point, a second receiving means accepts a user selection of the access point to which the communication device should be connected from the results of the search process. A seventh transmission means transmits a second connection instruction to the communication device, causing the communication device to perform connection processing for connecting to the network formed by the access point selected by the second reception means. To further enable the aforementioned computer, An application program according to any one of items 1 to 7, characterized by the above. (Item 11) The computer further functions as a first establishment means for establishing a connection between the information processing device and the communication device operating in a predetermined mode for performing the connection settings. The first transmission means is, The first search instruction is transmitted via the connection between the information processing device and the communication device operating in the predetermined mode, which is established by the first establishment means. An application program according to any one of items 1 to 10, characterized by the above. (Item 12) The first establishing means is, The connection between the information processing device and the predetermined access point is disconnected, and a connection is established between the information processing device and the communication device operating in the predetermined mode. An application program as described in item 11, characterized by the features described herein. (Item 13) A third transmission means transmits a first connection instruction to the communication device, based on the fact that the first network has been discovered by the communication device as a result of the first transmission means transmitting the first search instruction to the communication device, causing the communication device to perform a connection process to connect to the first network. After the first connection instruction is transmitted to the communication device, the computer is further made to function as a second establishment means for establishing a connection between the information processing device and the predetermined access point. An application program as described in item 12, characterized by the features described herein. (Item 14) The first establishing means is, Without disconnecting the connection between the information processing device and the predetermined access point via the first Wi-Fi communication method, a connection is established between the information processing device and the communication device operating in the predetermined mode using a second communication method different from the first communication method. An application program as described in item 11, characterized by the features described herein. (Item 15) If the authentication method used in the first network is an authentication method compliant with Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3), and the communication device does not support the authentication method used in the first network, If the authentication method used in the first network is either WPA or WPA2, the communication device corresponds to the authentication method used in the first network. An application program according to any one of items 1 to 14, characterized by the features described herein. (Item 16) An information processing device, A first receiving means for receiving connection setting instructions for configuring the connection settings of a communication device, The system includes a first transmission means that, at the time of receiving the connection setting instruction, transmits a first search instruction to the communication device, causing the communication device to perform a search process to search for a first network formed by a predetermined access point to which at least the information processing device was connected, The first search instruction is controlled not to be transmitted to the communication device based on the fact that the communication device does not support a predetermined authentication method used in the first network, and the first search instruction is controlled to be transmitted to the communication device based on the fact that the communication device supports the predetermined authentication method. An information processing device characterized by the following: (Item 17) A method for controlling an information processing device, A first reception process that receives connection setting instructions for configuring the connection settings of a communication device, The first transmission step includes sending a first search instruction to the communication device at the time the connection setting instruction is received, causing the communication device to perform a search process to search for a first network formed by a predetermined access point to which at least the information processing device was connected, The first search instruction is controlled not to be transmitted to the communication device based on the fact that the communication device does not support a predetermined authentication method used in the first network, and the first search instruction is controlled to be transmitted to the communication device based on the fact that the communication device supports the predetermined authentication method. A control method for an information processing device characterized by the following features.

[0182] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0183] 101 Terminal device: 103 CPU: 104 ROM: 105 RAM: 131 Access point: 151 Communication device:

Claims

1. An application program, The computer of the information processing device, A first receiving means for receiving connection setting instructions for configuring the connection settings of a communication device. The first transmission means functions as a means that, at the time of receiving the connection setting instruction, transmits a first search instruction to the communication device, causing the communication device to execute a search process to search for the first network formed by a predetermined access point to which at least the information processing device was connected. The first search instruction is controlled not to be transmitted to the communication device based on the fact that the communication device does not support a predetermined authentication method used in the first network, and the first search instruction is controlled to be transmitted to the communication device based on the fact that the communication device supports the predetermined authentication method. An application program characterized by the following features.

2. A second transmission means that, upon receiving the aforementioned connection setting instruction, transmits information indicating the predetermined authentication method to the communication device. After the information indicating the predetermined authentication method has been transmitted, the computer is further configured to function as a first receiving means that receives from the communication device information indicating whether or not the communication device supports the predetermined authentication method. Whether or not the first search instruction is transmitted is controlled based on information received by the first receiving means indicating whether or not the communication device supports the predetermined authentication method. The application program according to feature 1.

3. The second transmission means is, The system transmits information indicating the predetermined authentication method, a reservation instruction to reserve a connection to the first network, and a password for connecting to the first network. The computer further functions as a third transmission means, which, if the first network is discovered by the communication device as a result of the first transmission means transmitting the first search instruction to the communication device, transmits a first connection instruction to the communication device to cause the communication device to perform connection processing for connecting to the first network. The application program according to feature 2.

4. After transmitting the first search instruction to the communication device, a first acquisition means obtains from the communication device information indicating whether or not the first network has been found. If the information acquired by the first acquisition means is information indicating that the first network has been discovered, the computer is further made to function as a third transmission means that transmits a first connection instruction to the communication device to cause the communication device to perform a connection process for connecting to the first network. The application program according to feature 1.

5. The first connection instruction is, The password for connecting to the first network, The application program according to feature 4.

6. When the aforementioned connection setting instruction is received, the computer is further configured to function as a second acquisition means for acquiring capability information of the communication device. Based on the capability information acquired by the second acquisition means, whether or not the first search instruction is transmitted is controlled. The application program according to feature 1.

7. The aforementioned capability information is, The communication device includes information indicating the corresponding authentication method, The application program according to feature 6.

8. A third acquisition means that obtains a list of external access points searched by the information processing device based on the fact that the communication device does not support the predetermined authentication method, Based on the fact that the list obtained by the third acquisition means includes an access point forming a second network which has the same SSID as the first network, a fourth transmission means transmits information indicating the authentication method used in the second network to the communication device. A second receiving means transmits information indicating the authentication method used in the second network, and then receives information from the communication device indicating whether or not it supports the said authentication method. The computer further functions as a fifth transmitting means that transmits a second search instruction to the communication device to cause the communication device to perform a search process to search the second network, based on the information received by the second receiving means being information indicating that the communication device is compatible with the authentication method used in the second network. The application program according to feature 1.

9. Based on the result that the first network was not found by the communication device as a result of the first transmission means transmitting the first search instruction to the communication device, a third acquisition means obtains a list of external access points searched by the information processing device. Based on the fact that the list obtained by the third acquisition means includes an access point forming a second network which has the same SSID as the first network, a fourth transmission means transmits information indicating the authentication method used in the second network to the communication device. A second receiving means transmits information indicating the authentication method used in the second network, and then receives information from the communication device indicating whether or not it supports the said authentication method. The computer further functions as a fifth transmitting means that transmits a second search instruction to the communication device to cause the communication device to perform a search process to search the second network, based on the information received by the second receiving means being information indicating that the communication device is compatible with the authentication method used in the second network. The application program according to feature 1.

10. A sixth transmission means transmits to the communication device a third search instruction to cause the communication device to perform a search process to search for an access point outside the communication device, based on the fact that the communication device does not support the authentication method used in the first network. After transmitting the third search instruction to the communication device by the sixth transmission means, the third receiving means receives the result of the search process from the communication device. Based on the fact that the results of the search process received by the third receiving means do not include the predetermined access point, a second receiving means accepts a user selection of the access point to which the communication device should be connected from the results of the search process. A seventh transmission means transmits a second connection instruction to the communication device, causing the communication device to perform connection processing for connecting to the network formed by the access point selected by the second reception means. To further enable the aforementioned computer, The application program according to feature 1.

11. The computer is further configured to function as a first establishing means for establishing a connection between the information processing device and the communication device operating in a predetermined mode for performing the connection settings. The first transmission means is, The first search instruction is transmitted via the connection between the information processing device and the communication device operating in the predetermined mode, which is established by the first establishment means. The application program according to feature 1.

12. The first establishing means is, The connection between the information processing device and the predetermined access point is disconnected, and a connection is established between the information processing device and the communication device operating in the predetermined mode. The application program according to feature 11.

13. A third transmission means transmits to the communication device a first connection instruction to cause the communication device to perform a connection process to connect to the first network, based on the result that the first network has been discovered by the communication device as a result of the first transmission means transmitting the first search instruction to the communication device. After the first connection instruction is transmitted to the communication device, the computer is further made to function as a second establishment means for establishing a connection between the information processing device and the predetermined access point. The application program according to feature 12.

14. The first establishing means is, Without disconnecting the connection between the information processing device and the predetermined access point via the first Wi-Fi communication method, a connection is established between the information processing device and the communication device operating in the predetermined mode using a second communication method different from the first communication method. The application program according to feature 11.

15. If the authentication method used in the first network is an authentication method compliant with Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3), and the communication device does not support the authentication method used in the first network, If the authentication method used in the first network is either WPA or WPA2, the communication device corresponds to the authentication method used in the first network. The application program according to feature 1.

16. An information processing device, A first receiving means for receiving connection setting instructions for configuring the connection settings of a communication device, The system includes a first transmission means that, at the time of receiving the connection setting instruction, transmits a first search instruction to the communication device, causing the communication device to perform a search process to search for a first network formed by a predetermined access point to which at least the information processing device was connected, The first search instruction is controlled not to be transmitted to the communication device based on the fact that the communication device does not support a predetermined authentication method used in the first network, and the first search instruction is controlled to be transmitted to the communication device based on the fact that the communication device supports the predetermined authentication method. An information processing device characterized by the following:

17. A method for controlling an information processing device, A first reception process that receives connection setting instructions for configuring the connection settings of a communication device, The first transmission step includes sending a first search instruction to the communication device at the time the connection setting instruction is received, causing the communication device to perform a search process to search for a first network formed by a predetermined access point to which at least the information processing device was connected, The first search instruction is controlled not to be transmitted to the communication device based on the fact that the communication device does not support a predetermined authentication method used in the first network, and the first search instruction is controlled to be transmitted to the communication device based on the fact that the communication device supports the predetermined authentication method. A control method for an information processing device characterized by the following features.

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