Computer program for terminal device, and terminal device

Abstract

To disclose technology for realizing a terminal device capable of properly establishing a wireless connection with a communication device. [Solution] When the terminal device receives identification information from the communication device, it searches for devices in its vicinity. If the communication device identified by the identification information is not found through the search, it displays a first operation screen prompting the user to perform a first operation on the communication device to change its state from a first state to a second state. The first state is when the communication device does not perform communication according to a predetermined method, and the second state is when the communication device performs communication according to a predetermined method. If the communication device is not found through the search and the first operation is performed on the communication device by the user, the terminal device establishes a wireless connection with the communication device according to a predetermined method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present specification discloses a technique for establishing a wireless connection between a terminal device and a communication apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a system including a printer and a mobile terminal. The printer includes an NFC interface that functions as an IC tag conforming to the Near Field Communication (NFC) standard. When an NFC connection with the printer is established, the mobile terminal uses the NFC connection to receive, from the printer, information for establishing a Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark, WFD) connection. The mobile terminal establishes the WFD connection with the printer using the information.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-71634

Summary of Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present specification discloses a technique for realizing a terminal device capable of appropriately establishing a wireless connection with a communication apparatus.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0005] This specification discloses a computer program for a terminal device. The terminal device may include a first wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to a first communication standard, a second wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to a second communication standard different from the first communication standard, a display unit, and a computer. The computer program controls the computer by including the following units: a receiving unit that receives identification information from a communication device via the first wireless interface to identify the communication device; a first search unit that, when the identification information is received from the communication device, performs a search process via the second wireless interface to search for devices present around the terminal device; and a first display control unit that, when the communication device identified by the identification information is not found by the search process, displays a first operation screen on the display unit prompting the user to perform a first operation on the communication device to change the state of the communication device from a first state to a second state, wherein the first state is when the communication device is in the second communication standard The first display control unit may function as follows: a state in which communication according to a predetermined method is not performed, and the second state is a state in which the communication device performs communication according to the predetermined method; a first establishment unit which, when the communication device is not found by the search process and the first operation is performed on the communication device by the user, performs a first establishment process to establish a wireless connection with the communication device according to the predetermined method via the second wireless interface; and a second establishment unit which, when the communication device is found by the search process and the first operation is not performed on the communication device, performs a second establishment process to establish a wireless connection with the communication device according to the predetermined method via the second wireless interface.

[0006] According to the above configuration, the terminal device displays a first operation screen when the communication device is not found through the search process. This allows the user to be prompted to perform a first operation to change the state of the communication device from the first state to the second state. Consequently, when the first operation is performed on the communication device, the terminal device can appropriately establish a wireless connection with the communication device according to a predetermined method.

[0007] The computer-readable recording medium for storing the above-mentioned computer program, the terminal device itself, and the method of execution by the terminal device are all novel and useful. Furthermore, a communication system comprising a terminal device and a communication device is also novel and useful. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This shows the configuration of the communication system. [Figure 2] This shows a sequence diagram of the processing of a multi-function machine. [Figure 3] This shows a flowchart of the application processing on the terminal device. [Figure 4] The flowchart for the first connection process is shown below. [Figure 5] The flowchart for the second connection process is shown below. [Figure 6] This shows the various screens displayed on the terminal device. [Figure 7] The sequence diagram for Case A is shown. [Figure 8] The sequence diagram following Figure 7 is shown. [Figure 9] The sequence diagram for Case B is shown. [Figure 10] Figure 8 shows a sequence diagram continuing from Case A1. [Figure 11] Figure 8 shows a sequence diagram continuing from Case A2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] (Configuration of communication system 2: Figure 1) As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 2 comprises a terminal device 10, a server 70, and a multifunction device 100. In this embodiment, a wireless connection in accordance with the Wi-Fi standard is established between the terminal device 10 and the multifunction device 100.

[0010] (Configuration of terminal device 10) The terminal device 10 is a portable terminal device such as a smartphone, PDA, or tablet PC. The terminal device 10 comprises an operation unit 12, a display unit 14, a Near Field Communication (NFC) interface 20, a Wi-Fi interface 22, a cellular interface 24, and a control unit 30. Each of the units 12 to 30 is connected to a bus line.

[0011] The operation unit 12 is an interface for inputting various information into the terminal device 10, and includes, for example, buttons and a touchscreen. The display unit 14 is a display for displaying various information.

[0012] The NFC interface 20 is a wireless interface for performing wireless communication in accordance with the NFC standard (hereinafter referred to as "NFC communication"). The NFC standard is a wireless communication standard based on international standards such as ISO / IEC 21481 or 18092. The NFC interface 20 is connected to the control unit 30 via a bus line and can supply information to the control unit 30 and receive information from the control unit 30. In other words, the NFC interface 20 is capable of communicating with the control unit 30. The NFC interface 20 can receive power from a power supply (not shown) of the terminal device 10.

[0013] The Wi-Fi interface 22 is a wireless interface for performing wireless communication in accordance with the Wi-Fi standard (hereinafter referred to as "Wi-Fi communication"). The Wi-Fi standard is a wireless communication standard for performing wireless communication in accordance with, for example, the 802.11 standard of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) and equivalent standards (e.g., 802.11a, 11b, 11g, 11n, etc.). The Wi-Fi interface 22 also supports the Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark, WFD) method developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Details of the WFD method are described in the "Wi-Fi Direct Specification Version 1.9" standard document created by the Wi-Fi Alliance.

[0014] Here are some differences between NFC and Wi-Fi communication. The communication speed of Wi-Fi (for example, a maximum speed of 600 Mbps) is greater than the communication speed of NFC (for example, a maximum speed of 424 kbps). The carrier frequency in Wi-Fi communication (i.e., the 2.4 GHz band or the 5.0 GHz band) is different from the carrier frequency in NFC communication (i.e., 13.56 MHz). The maximum distance at which Wi-Fi communication is possible (e.g., 100 m) is greater than the maximum distance at which NFC communication is possible (e.g., about 10 cm).

[0015] The cellular interface 24 is a wireless interface for performing cellular communication such as 4G and 5G. In this embodiment, the terminal device 10 communicates with the server 70 via the cellular interface 24. In a modified example, the terminal device 10 may communicate with the server 70 via the Wi-Fi interface 22 and an access point.

[0016] The control unit 30 includes a CPU 32 and a memory 34. The CPU 32 executes various processes in accordance with programs 36 and 40 stored in the memory 34. The memory 34 is configured by, for example, a Read Only Memory (ROM) and a Random Access Memory (RAM). The memory 34 stores an OS program 36 and an MFP application 40. Hereinafter, the OS program 36 and the MFP application 40 are referred to as "OS 36" and "app 40", respectively.

[0017] The OS 36 is a program for controlling basic operations of the terminal device 10, and is, for example, iOS (registered trademark), Android (registered trademark), or the like. The app 40 is downloaded to the terminal device 10 from a server on the Internet provided by the vendor of the MFP 100, and is installed in the terminal device 10. The app 40 is a program for establishing a wireless connection with the multi-function device 100 in accordance with the WFD scheme, and causing the multi-function device 100 to execute printing or scanning.

[0018] (Configuration of Server 70) The server 70 is installed on the Internet by the vendor of the multi-function device 100. For each of a plurality of types of terminal devices, the server 70 stores information indicating whether the terminal device has a Persistent function, in association with the manufacturer name and model name of the terminal device. The Persistent function is a function of registering, in the memory of the terminal device, establishment information for re-establishing a Wi-Fi connection after the Wi-Fi connection is disconnected, when the Wi-Fi connection is established between the terminal device and an external device. The external device described above is a device operating as a master station of a wireless network, and is an access point, a Group Owner (G / O) of the WFD scheme, or the like. The establishment information described above includes a Service Set Identifier (SSID) that identifies the wireless network, a MAC address (i.e., BSSID) that identifies the master station of the wireless network, and a password used for authentication in the wireless network.

[0019] (Configuration of the multi-function machine 100) The multifunction device 100 is a peripheral device capable of performing printing and scanning functions, such as a peripheral device for terminal device 10. Hereafter, the multifunction device will be referred to as "MFP (abbreviation for Multi-Function Peripheral)". The MFP 100 comprises an operation unit 112, a display unit 114, a print execution unit 116, a scan execution unit 118, an NFC independent interface 120, a Wi-Fi interface 122, and a control unit 130.

[0020] The operation unit 112 is an interface for inputting various information into the terminal device 10 and includes buttons, a touchscreen, etc. The display unit 114 is a display for displaying various information. The printing execution unit 116 is equipped with a printing mechanism such as an inkjet or laser printer. The scanning execution unit 118 is equipped with a reading mechanism such as a CCD or CIS printer.

[0021] The NFC independent interface 120 is a wireless interface for performing NFC communication. The NFC independent interface 120 is a so-called sticker-type, label-type, etc. interface. The NFC independent interface 120 is not connected to the MFP 100's bus lines. Therefore, the NFC independent interface 120 cannot supply information to the control unit 130 or receive information from the control unit 130. In other words, the NFC independent interface 120 is incapable of communicating with the control unit 130. Generally speaking, the NFC independent interface 120 is independent of the control unit 130. The NFC independent interface 120 cannot receive power from the MFP 100's power supply and performs communication with its communication partner by electromagnetic induction.

[0022] The Wi-Fi interface 122 is the same as the Wi-Fi interface 22 of the terminal device 10 and supports the WFD method. The Wi-Fi interface 122 has the MAC address "aaa". The MFP 100 can operate as a WFD G / O and form a wireless network. In this case, the MFP 100 can establish a wireless connection (hereinafter referred to as "WFD connection") with the terminal device 10 in accordance with the WFD method and allow the terminal device 10 to participate in the wireless network as a slave station. Each time the MFP 100 transitions from a state where it is not operating as a G / O to a state where it is not operating as a G / O, it forms a wireless network identified by a different SSID.

[0023] The control unit 130 comprises a CPU 132 and a memory 134. The CPU 132 performs various processes according to a program 136 stored in the memory 134. The memory 134 is composed of, for example, ROM and RAM.

[0024] (Processing of MFP100: Figure 2) Referring to Figure 2, the process executed by the CPU 132 of the MFP100 will be explained. The process shown in Figure 2 starts when the power of the MFP100 is turned ON.

[0025] In S10, CPU132 first sets the WFD setting of MFP100 to "OFF". The WFD setting indicates either "ON", which means that MFP100 operates as a G / O using the WFD method, or "OFF", which means that MFP100 does not operate as a G / O.

[0026] In S12, the CPU 132 displays the home screen SC0 on the display unit 114. The home screen SC0 includes various buttons, such as a copy button, a scan button, and a WFD setting button.

[0027] In S20 and S40, the CPU 132 monitors whether any button on the home screen SC0 is selected by the user. If the CPU 132 determines that the WFD settings button has been selected (YES in S20), it proceeds to S22. If it determines that the copy button or scan button has been selected (YES in S40), it proceeds to S42.

[0028] In S22, the CPU 132 displays the setting change screen SC1 on the display unit 114. The setting change screen SC1 includes a message indicating the current WFD setting (in the example in Figure 2, "OFF"), a message asking whether or not to change the WFD setting, a YES button, and a NO button.

[0029] In S24, CPU132 determines whether the YES button in the settings change screen SC1 has been selected by the user. If CPU132 determines that the YES button has been selected (YES in S24), it proceeds to S26; if it determines that the NO button has been selected (NO in S24), it returns to S12.

[0030] In S26, CPU132 changes the WFD setting. If the current WFD setting is "OFF", CPU132 changes the WFD setting from "OFF" to "ON" in S26. In this case, CPU132 changes the state of MFP100 from a state in which it does not operate as a G / O in the WFD method (hereinafter referred to as "non-G / O state") to a state in which it operates as a G / O (hereinafter referred to as "G / O state"). The non-G / O state is a state in which MFP100 does not perform communication according to the WFD method, and the G / O state is a state in which MFP100 performs communication according to the WFD method. In other words, the non-G / O state is a state in which the WFD method function in MFP100 is disabled, and the G / O state is a state in which the WFD method function in MFP100 is enabled. When the process in S26 is executed, a wireless network is formed in which MFP100 operates as a G / O (i.e., master station). CPU132 maintains the MFP100 in the G / O state unless the WFD setting is changed from "ON" to "OFF" by the user. In other words, CPU132 permanently maintains the MFP100 in the G / O state.

[0031] In S26, when CPU132 changes the WFD setting from "OFF" to "ON", it also changes the state of MFP100 from a state where Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) is not activated (hereinafter referred to as "non-WPS state") to a state where WPS is activated (hereinafter referred to as "WPS state"). The non-WPS state is a state in which MFP100 does not perform communication according to WPS, and the WPS state is a state in which MFP100 performs communication according to WPS. When the process in S26 is executed, MFP100 can perform communication according to WPS and establish a WFD connection with an external device. In this communication, MFP100 sends the password for the wireless network in which MFP100 acts as G / O to the external device. After that, MFP100 receives a signal from the external device using the password and establishes a WFD connection with the external device. In other words, the MFP100 can establish a WFD connection with an external device without requiring the user to enter a password by performing communication in accordance with WPS. The CPU132 maintains the MFP100 in the WPS state until a predetermined time (e.g., 70 seconds) has elapsed since it was changed from the non-WPS state to the WPS state. In other words, after the predetermined time has elapsed, the CPU132 returns the MFP100 from the WPS state back to the non-WPS state. After the CPU132 finishes S26, it returns to S12.

[0032] After the WFD setting is changed to "ON" in S26, S26 may be executed again via S12 to S24. In this case, in the re-executed S26, CPU132 changes the WFD setting from "ON" to "OFF". That is, CPU132 changes the state of MFP100 from G / O state to non-G / O state. As a result, the wireless network in which MFP100 operates as a G / O disappears.

[0033] In S42, the CPU 132 executes processing according to the selected button. If the copy button is selected by the user, the CPU 132 instructs the scan execution unit 118 to scan the document and the print execution unit 116 to print according to the scanned data. If the scan button is selected by the user, the CPU 132 instructs the scan execution unit 118 to scan the document. When S42 finishes, the process returns to S12.

[0034] (Application processing on terminal device 10: Figure 3) Next, referring to Figure 3, we will explain the process realized by the CPU 32 of the terminal device 10 executing the application 40. When the operation to launch the application 40 is performed, the process shown in Figure 3 begins. In the following, when describing the process that the CPU 32 of the terminal device 10 executes according to the OS 36, we will not describe it with the CPU 32 as the main subject, but rather with the OS 36 as the main subject. Similarly, when describing the process that the CPU 32 executes according to the application 40, we will describe it with the application 40 as the main subject. In the following, it is possible that the OS 36 executes a process in response to the application 40 supplying an execution instruction to the OS 36. In this case, the process can be said to be a process that the application 40 executes via the OS 36. In other words, the application 40 causes the CPU 32 to function as a processing execution unit that executes a process by supplying an execution instruction to the OS 36.

[0035] In S110, application 40 displays the home screen SC10 on the display unit 14. The home screen SC10 includes a print icon and a scan icon.

[0036] In S120 and S130, app 40 monitors whether the user selects the print icon or the scan icon on the home screen SC10. App 40 determines YES in S120 if the print icon is selected, and determines YES in S130 if the scan icon is selected.

[0037] In S122, the application 40 displays the image selection screen SC12 on the display unit 14. The image selection screen SC12 is a screen for selecting a file that represents the image to be printed. The image selection screen SC12 includes, for example, the filenames of various files stored in memory 34 (for example, "aaa.jpeg").

[0038] In S124, app 40 monitors whether a file (i.e., an image) is selected by the user within the image selection screen SC12. If a file is selected, app 40 determines YES in S124.

[0039] In S126, the application 40 displays the preview screen SC14 on the display unit 14. The preview screen SC14 includes an image represented by the file selected in S124, i.e., a print preview image. The preview screen SC14 also includes a message prompting the user to bring the terminal device 10 closer to the MFP (e.g., 100) in order to have the MFP perform printing. After finishing S126, the application 40 executes S140.

[0040] In S132, the application 40 displays the scan screen SC20 on the display unit 14. The scan screen SC20 includes a message prompting the user to bring the terminal device 10 closer to the MFP (e.g., 100) in order to have the MFP perform a scan. After completing S132, the application 40 executes S140.

[0041] In S140, app 40 monitors whether an NFC link is established with the MFP (e.g., 100). When the terminal device 10 is brought close to the MFP in response to a message on screen SC14 or SC20 displayed in S126 or S132, an NFC link is established between the NFC interface 20 and the MFP's NFC interface (e.g., the NFC independent interface 120 of MFP 100). In this case, app 40 receives an establishment notification from the NFC interface 20 indicating that the NFC link has been established, and determines YES in S140. Hereinafter, the MFP to which the NFC link is established will be referred to as the "target MFP". The establishment notification includes information received from the target MFP using the above NFC link. That is, app 40 receives this information from the target MFP via the NFC interface 20. This information includes the MAC address of the target MFP and the model name of the target MFP. For example, if the target MFP is MFP100, the information includes the MAC address "aaa" of the MFP100 and the model name "M1" of the MFP100. This information is pre-stored in the NFC independent interface 120 from the time of shipment of the MFP100. In the following, the MAC address and model name received by S140 will be referred to as "target MAC address" and "target model name," respectively.

[0042] In S150, app 40 supplies a search command to OS 36. The search command is a command that instructs OS 36 to search for a base station of the wireless network present around terminal device 10. Here, "around terminal device 10" refers to the range in which the Wi-Fi interface 22 can perform Wi-Fi communication. When OS 36 receives the search command from app 40, it sends a broadcast Probe request via the Wi-Fi interface 22. OS 36 receives a Probe response from the base station via the Wi-Fi interface 22. The base station is, for example, an access point or a G / O in the WFD method. Therefore, for example, if MFP 100 is operating as a G / O, OS 36 receives a Probe response from MFP 100. The Probe response includes the SSID of the wireless network formed by the base station that sent the Probe response, and the MAC address of the base station. OS 36 supplies app 40 with search results that include the information (i.e., SSID and MAC address) in each Probe response received by the above search.

[0043] In S152, app 40 determines whether the search results obtained from OS36 include the target MAC address. If the search results do not include the target MAC address, app 40 determines NO in S152, and if the search results include the target MAC address, app 40 determines YES in S152. In this way, app 40 can appropriately determine whether the target MFP can be found by searching by determining whether the search results include the target MAC address, that is, whether a Probe response containing the target MAC address is received. In the following, when the search results include the target MAC address, that is, when a Probe response containing the target MAC address is received, the SSID included in that Probe response will be referred to as the "target SSID".

[0044] In S160, application 40 performs a first connection process (see Figure 4) to establish a WFD connection with the target MFP. When S160 is completed, the process shown in Figure 3 is completed.

[0045] In S170, application 40 performs a second connection process (see Figure 5) to establish a WFD connection with the target MFP. When S170 is completed, the process shown in Figure 3 is completed.

[0046] (First connection process: Figure 4) Next, referring to Figure 4, the first connection process at S160 in Figure 3 will be explained. At S210, application 40 determines whether the target model name is "M1" or "M2". If the target model name is "M1", application 40 determines YES at S210, and if the target model name is "M2", it determines NO at S210.

[0047] In S212, the application 40 displays the operation screen SC30 corresponding to the model name "M1" on the display unit 14. As shown in Figure 6, the operation screen SC30 includes a message 300 prompting the user to select the WFD setting on the home screen of the target MFP having the model name "M1" and change the WFD setting of the target MFP from "OFF" to "ON". In other words, the message 300 prompts the user to select the YES button on the setting change screen SC1 displayed in S22 of Figure 2.

[0048] For example, an MFP equipped with an NFC interface that is not independent of the control unit can adopt the following configuration. That is, when an NFC link with the terminal device 10 is established, the control unit of the MFP can obtain an establishment notification from the NFC interface indicating that the NFC link has been established. In this case, the control unit of the MFP automatically transitions the MFP from a non-G / O state to a G / O state. When an MFP adopts such a configuration, the terminal device 10 can establish an NFC link with the MFP (YES in S140 of Figure 3), perform a search (S150), and find the MFP (YES in S152). In this case, the terminal device 10 can establish a WFD connection with the MFP. In contrast, the control unit 130 of an MFP 100 that does not have an NFC interface that is not independent of the control unit 130, but has an independent NFC interface 120, cannot obtain an establishment notification from the independent NFC interface 120 even when an NFC link with the terminal device 10 is established. Therefore, even if an NFC link is established with the terminal device 10, the MFP100 cannot automatically transition from a non-G / O state to a G / O state. Consequently, the user must perform an operation on the MFP100 to change the WFD setting of the MFP100 from "OFF" to "ON". In this embodiment, an operation screen SC30 including message 300 is displayed, so the user can properly perform the operation to change the WFD setting of the MFP100 to "ON".

[0049] The operation screen SC30 further includes a message 302 indicating that the user should select the OK button after changing the WFD setting of the target MFP to "ON", and an OK button. When application 40 finishes S212, it executes S220.

[0050] In S214, the application 40 displays an operation screen SC32 on the display unit 14 that corresponds to a model name "M2" which is different from the model name "M1". As shown in Figure 6, the operation screen SC32 includes a message 310 prompting the user to press a physical button on the front of the target MFP having the model name "M2" to change the WFD setting of the target MFP from "OFF" to "ON". Thus, the WFD setting of the target MFP having the model name "M2" is changed by a different method than that of the MFP having the model name "M1". Therefore, the application 40 displays an operation screen SC30 or SC32 that shows the method corresponding to the model name. This allows the user to change the WFD setting of the target MFP using the method corresponding to the model name. The operation screen SC32 further includes a message 312 indicating that the user should select the OK button after changing the WFD setting of the target MFP to "ON", and an OK button. When the application 40 finishes S214, it executes S220.

[0051] S220 is the same as S150 in Figure 3. S222 is the same as S152. The process of S220 is repeatedly executed until YES is determined in S222. When application 40 determines YES in S222, it executes S230. In this way, application 40 performs a re-search for the base station of the wireless network surrounding the terminal device 10 (S220, S222). Then, when an operation corresponding to the operation screen SC30 or SC32 is performed on the target MFP, and the target MFP is found through the re-search (YES in S222), that is, when it is confirmed that the target MFP is operating as a G / O, application 40 executes a process to establish a WFD connection with the target MFP. In this way, application 40 can properly establish a WFD connection with the target MFP.

[0052] In S230, application 40 monitors whether the user selects the OK button on the operation screen SC30 or SC32. If application 40 determines that the OK button has been selected (YES in S230), it executes S232. In this way, when the OK button is selected, application 40 executes the process to establish a WFD connection with the target MFP. For this purpose, application 40 can establish a WFD connection with the target MFP in response to instructions from the user.

[0053] In S232, application 40 supplies OS36 with a connection instruction that includes the target MAC address. The connection instruction is a command that instructs OS36 to establish a WFD connection with the target MFP having the target MAC address, i.e., the target MFP acting as the master station (i.e., G / O) of the wireless network identified by the target SSID. As a result, OS36 attempts to establish a WFD connection with the target MFP acting as the G / O via the Wi-Fi interface 22.

[0054] In S240, app 40 determines whether the OK button on the operation screen SC30 or SC32 was selected before a predetermined time elapsed after a YES determination was made in S222, that is, before a predetermined time elapsed after the target MFP was found by re-searching. In this embodiment, the predetermined time used in S240 is the same as the time the target MFP maintains the WPS state after the WPS setting of the target MFP is changed from "OFF" to "ON" (for example, 70 seconds, which is the time MFP100 maintains the WPS state). In a modified example, the predetermined time may be longer or shorter than the time the target MFP maintains the WPS state. If app 40 determines that the OK button was selected before the predetermined time elapsed (YES in S240), it executes S242, and if it determines that the OK button was selected after the predetermined time elapsed (NO in S240), it executes S244.

[0055] In S242, the application 40 displays the execution screen SC40 on the display unit 14. As shown in Figure 6, the execution screen SC40 includes a message 320 indicating that the process for establishing a WFD connection with the target MFP is being executed. This allows the user to know that the process is being executed. The execution screen SC40 does not include a message prompting the user to select the connect button displayed on the target MFP (see message 330 described later). After completing S242, the application 40 proceeds to S250.

[0056] In S244, the application 40 displays the WPS screen SC42 on the display unit 14. As shown in Figure 6, the WPS screen SC42 includes a message 330 prompting the user to select the connect button displayed on the target MFP. The connect button is used to change the target MFP from a non-WPS state to a WPS state.

[0057] As described above, in S26 of Figure 2, even if the MFP100 changes from a non-WPS state to a WPS state, the MFP100 will revert from the WPS state to a non-WPS state after a predetermined time (e.g., 70 seconds) has elapsed. Therefore, for example, if the OK button in the operation screen SC30 is selected after the predetermined time has elapsed since the MFP100 was found by re-searching (i.e., since YES was determined in S222), the MFP100 has returned to a non-WPS state. In this case, even if the process to establish a WFD connection with the MFP100 is executed in S232, the WFD connection with the MFP100 will not be established, and the connect button will be displayed on the MFP100. Therefore, in this embodiment, if NO is selected in S240, the application 40 displays the WPS screen SC42 on the display unit 14. This allows the user to select the connect button displayed on the MFP100 in response to the message 330 in the WPS screen SC42, and return the MFP100 to the WPS state. As a result, terminal device 10 can properly establish a WFD connection with MFP100 by performing communication in accordance with WPS. After completing S244, application 40 executes S250.

[0058] In S250, application 40 monitors whether a WFD connection is established with the target MFP. When application 40 receives a connection notification from OS36 indicating that a WFD connection has been established, it determines YES in S250.

[0059] In S252, application 40 uses the WFD connection established in S250 to send a print command or a scan command to the target MFP via the Wi-Fi interface 22. If application 40 has gone through S126 in Figure 3, it sends a print command to the target MFP containing print data representing the image selected in S124. The target MFP then prints the image. On the other hand, if application 40 has gone through S132 in Figure 3, it sends a scan command to the target MFP. The target MFP then scans the document and generates scan data. This scan data may be sent from the target MFP to the terminal device 10 using the WFD connection, stored in the target MFP's memory, or stored in external memory connected to the target MFP.

[0060] Although not shown in the diagram, when S252 is completed, the WFD connection between the terminal device 10 and the target MFP is disconnected. The terminal device 10 may perform the process to disconnect the WFD connection, or the target MFP may perform the process to disconnect the WFD connection.

[0061] In S260, application 40 determines whether terminal device 10 has the Persistent function. Specifically, application 40 sends an inquiry command to server 70, for example via cellular interface 24, including the manufacturer name and model name of terminal device 10. In a modified example, application 40 may communicate with server 70 via Wi-Fi interface 22 and access point. Then, application 40 receives a response command from server 70 that includes function information indicating whether terminal device 10 has the Persistent function, and stores this function information in memory 34. If the function information in memory 34 indicates that terminal device 10 has the Persistent function, application 40 determines YES in S260. On the other hand, if the function information in memory 34 indicates that terminal device 10 does not have the Persistent function, application 40 determines NO in S260, skips S262, and terminates the process shown in Figure 4. In this way, the application 40 can use the functional information in the memory 34 to appropriately determine whether or not the terminal device 10 has the Persistent function.

[0062] In particular, application 40 communicates with server 70 and receives functional information from server 70. For this reason, application 40 does not need to have functional information indicating whether each of the various types of terminal devices has the Persistent function. Therefore, the program size of application 40 is kept from increasing. In a modified example, application 40 may have functional information for various types of terminal devices. That is, memory 34 may store functional information for various types of terminal devices when application 40 is downloaded. Then, in S260, application 40 may use this functional information in memory 34 to determine whether terminal device 10 has the Persistent function.

[0063] In S262, application 40 stores connection history information, which associates the target MAC address and the target SSID, in memory 34. When a WFD connection is established, OS 36 refers to the information in OS 36 to determine whether the terminal device 10 has the Persistent function. If the terminal device 10 has the Persistent function, OS 36 registers Persistent information in memory 34, which associates the target SSID, the target MAC address (i.e., BSSID), and the password for establishing a WFD connection with the target MFP. Application 40 can access the connection history information in memory 34, but it cannot access the Persistent information in memory 34. When application 40 finishes S262, it terminates the process shown in Figure 4.

[0064] On the other hand, if the terminal device 10 does not have the Persistent function (NO in S260), the application 40 does not store connection history information, including the target MAC address, in the memory 34. This suppresses the amount of information stored in the memory 34 from becoming too large. Furthermore, as will be described in more detail later, the application 40 can display an appropriate screen on the display unit 14 depending on whether connection history information, including the target MAC address, is stored (see S322 and S332 in Figure 5).

[0065] (Second connection process: Figure 5) Next, referring to Figure 5, the second connection process in S170 of Figure 3 will be explained. In S310, application 40 determines whether connection history information including the target MAC address is stored in memory 34. If application 40 determines that the target MAC address is stored (YES in S310), it executes S312; if it determines that the target MAC address is not stored (NO in S310), it executes S330.

[0066] In S312, app 40 determines whether connection history information, including the target SSID associated with the target MAC address, is stored in memory 34. If app 40 determines that the target SSID is stored (YES in S312), it executes S320; otherwise, it executes S330.

[0067] In S320, application 40 supplies a connection instruction to OS36 that includes the target MAC address. OS36 then attempts to establish a WFD connection with the target MFP, which acts as a G / O, via the Wi-Fi interface 22. If S312 determines YES, i.e., if connection history information including the target MAC address and target SSID is stored, the terminal device 10 has already stored Persistent information including the password associated with the target MAC address and target SSID. Therefore, OS36 can establish a WFD connection with the target MFP using the password included in the Persistent information without performing communication according to WPS. Consequently, in the next process S322, the screen for performing communication according to WPS (i.e., the WPS screen SC42) is not displayed.

[0068] In S322, application 40 displays the execution screen SC40 (see Figure 6) on the display unit 14. The execution screen SC40 includes message 320. This allows the user to know that the process of establishing a WFD connection with the target MFP is being executed. The execution screen SC40 does not include a message prompting the user to select the connect button displayed on the target MFP (i.e., see message 330 on the WPS screen SC42). This is because OS36 does not need to perform communication according to WPS. After finishing S322, application 40 executes S340.

[0069] In S330, application 40 supplies connection instructions including the target MAC address to OS36. This causes OS36 to attempt to establish a WFD connection with the target MFP, which acts as a G / O, via the Wi-Fi interface 22. In particular, the fact that connection history information including the target MAC address is not stored (NO in S310) indicates that terminal device 10 does not have the Persistent function. Therefore, OS36 needs to perform communication according to WPS to receive the password from the target MFP. Alternatively, if connection history information including the target MAC address is stored (YES in S310) and connection history information including the target SSID is not stored (NO in S312), it means that terminal device 10 has the Persistent function, but the target MFP is forming a wireless network identified by a different SSID than the wireless network identified by the target SSID. In this case, the passwords for the former wireless network and the latter wireless network are likely to be different. Therefore, OS36 needs to perform communication according to WPS to receive the password from the target MFP. Accordingly, in the next process S332, a screen will be displayed to perform communication according to WPS.

[0070] In S332, application 40 displays the WPS screen SC42 (see Figure 6) on the display unit 14. The WPS screen SC42 includes message 330. Therefore, the user can select the connect button in response to message 330 to put the target MFP into the WPS state. This allows OS 36 to perform WPS-compliant communication with the target MFP and properly establish a WFD connection with the target MFP. After completing S322, application 40 executes S340.

[0071] S340 is the same as S250 in Figure 4. S342 is the same as S252. When S342 is completed, the WFD connection between the terminal device 10 and the target MFP is disconnected. When S342 is completed, the process in Figure 5 is completed.

[0072] (Specific cases: Figures 7-11) Next, we will explain specific cases that are realized by the processes shown in Figures 2 to 5, referring to Figures 7 to 11. In Figures 7 to 11, NFC communication is indicated by a thick dashed arrow, Wi-Fi communication by a thin dashed arrow, and cellular communication by a thick solid arrow.

[0073] (Case A: Figure 7) In the initial state shown in Figure 7, the WFD setting of MFP100 is "OFF," and MFP100 is in a non-G / O state.

[0074] At T10, when an operation to launch application 40 is performed on the terminal device 10, application 40 is launched at T12 (trigger in Figure 3). At T14, application 40 displays the home screen SC10 (S110), and at T20, it detects the operation to select the print icon (YES at S120). At T22, application 40 displays the image selection screen SC12 (S122), and at T24, it detects the operation to select the image to be printed (YES at S124). In this case, at T26, application 40 displays the preview screen SC14 (S126).

[0075] When terminal device 10 is brought close to MFP100, an NFC link is established between terminal device 10 and MFP100 at T30, and application 40 receives the MAC address "aaa" and model name "M1" from MFP100 (YES at S140). In this case, application 40 supplies a search command to OS36 at T40 (YES at S150). As a result, OS36 sends a broadcast Probe request at T42. At this point, since MFP100 is not yet operating as a G / O, OS36 cannot receive a Probe response from MFP100. Therefore, at T44, OS36 supplies application 40 with search results that do not include the MAC address "aaa" of MFP100.

[0076] When application 40 obtains search results from OS36 at T44, it determines that the search results do not contain the MAC address "aaa" of MFP100 (NO in S152), and displays the operation screen SC30 at T50 (YES in S210, YES in S210 and S212 in Figure 4). This prompts the user to perform an operation on MFP100.

[0077] The user performs an operation on the MFP100 at T60 in response to message 300 on the operation screen SC30. Specifically, the MFP100 displays the home screen SC0 (S12 in Figure 2), detects the selection of the WFD setting button (S20), and displays the setting change screen SC1 (S22). Then, the MFP100 detects the selection of the YES button on the setting change screen SC1 (S24), and at T62, changes the WFD setting from "OFF" to "ON" (S26). In other words, the MFP100 transitions from a non-G / O state to a G / O state, and from a non-WPS state to a WPS state.

[0078] App 40 displays the operation screen SC30 at T50, and then at T70, it again supplies a search command to OS36 (S220). As a result, OS36 sends a broadcast Probe request at T72 and receives a Probe response from MFP100 at T74. The Probe response includes the MAC address "aaa" and the SSID "xxx". Then, at T76, OS36 supplies the search results containing the MAC address "aaa" and SSID "xxx" to App 40. As a result, App 40 determines that the search results include the MAC address "aaa" of MFP100 (YES at S222).

[0079] In case A, application 40 detects the selection of the OK button on the operation screen SC30 at T80 (YES in S230). In this case, in case A, application 40 supplies a connection instruction to OS36 that includes the MAC address "aaa" at T82 (S232). In case A, application 40 detects the selection of the OK button within a predetermined time (YES in S240) and displays the execution screen SC40 at T84 (S242).

[0080] (Continuation of Figure 7: Figure 8) When OS36 receives a connection instruction from application 40 at T82 in Figure 7, it performs communication with MFP100 according to WPS at T100 in Figure 8. During this process, OS36 receives a password from MFP100. Then, at T110, OS36 establishes a WFD connection with MFP100. In this case, at T112, OS36 sends a connection notification to application 40.

[0081] When application 40 receives a connection notification from OS36 at T112 (YES at S250), it sends a print command to MFP100 at T120 (S252).

[0082] When MFP100 receives a print command from terminal device 10 at T120, it executes printing according to the print command at T122. Subsequently, at T130, the WFD connection between terminal device 10 and MFP100 is disconnected. In this case, MFP100 maintains the G / O state. However, MFP100 transitions from the WPS state to the non-WPS state.

[0083] Next, at T150, application 40 uses cellular communication to send an inquiry command to server 70 including the manufacturer name and model name of terminal device 10 (S260). The following will explain two cases: Case A1, in which processing from T152 onwards is executed after T150, and Case A2, in which processing from T154 onwards is executed after T150.

[0084] In case A1, app 40 receives a response command from server 70 at T152 that includes functional information indicating that terminal device 10 has the Persistent function (YES at S260). In this case, app 40 stores connection history information including MAC address "aaa" and SSID "xxx" at T160 (S262).

[0085] On the other hand, in case A2, app 40 receives a response command from server 70 at T154 that includes functional information indicating that terminal device 10 does not have the Persistent function (NO at S260). In this case, app 40 does not store connection history information including MAC address "aaa" and SSID "xxx".

[0086] (Case B: Figure 9) Next, we will explain Case B with reference to Figure 9. In Case B, the timing at which the OK button on the operation screen SC30 is selected is later than the timing at which the OK button is selected in Case A. In the initial state shown in Figure 9, the WFD setting of MFP100 is "OFF", and MFP100 is in a non-G / O state.

[0087] The same process as T10 to T26 in Figure 7 is executed. T230 to T276 are the same as T30 to T76 in Figure 7. In case B, at T262, even after 70 seconds have passed since MFP100 entered the WPS state, the OK button on the operation screen SC30 is not selected. As a result, MFP100 returns from the WPS state to the non-WPS state without performing communication according to WPS.

[0088] Subsequently, at T280, app 40 detects the selection of the OK button on the operation screen SC30 (YES in S230). In this case, at T282, app 40 supplies a connection instruction to OS36 that includes the MAC address "aaa" (S232). Also, after a predetermined time has elapsed, app 40 detects the selection of the OK button (NO in S240) and at T284, displays the WPS screen SC42 (S244).

[0089] When OS36 receives a connection instruction from application 40 at T282, it sends a connection request to MFP100 at T284 that includes the MAC address "aaa" from the connection instruction as the destination MAC address.

[0090] At T284, MFP100 receives a connection request from terminal device 10. However, since MFP100 is in a non-WPS state, it cannot perform communication according to WPS. In this case, at T292, MFP100 displays a connect button. At T294, the user selects the connect button displayed on MFP100 in response to message 330 in the WPS screen SC42 displayed at T284. The operation of selecting the connect button here corresponds to a button operation according to the WPS Push Button Configuration (PBC) method. As a result, at T296, MFP100 transitions back from a non-WPS state to a WPS state. The subsequent processing is the same as the processing in Figure 8.

[0091] (Continuation of Case A1 in Figure 8: Figure 10) Next, referring to Figure 10, we will explain the continuation of the process in case A1 (see Figure 8), where the terminal device 10 has a persistent function. Figure 10 shows the situation where the MFP 100 performs printing again after it has performed printing at T122 in Figure 8.

[0092] The same processing as T10 to T26 in Figure 7 is performed. T330 to T342 are the same as T30 to T42 in Figure 7. Since MFP100 maintains its operation as a G / O (see T130 in Figure 8), OS36 receives a Probe response from MFP100 at T344. Therefore, at T346, OS36 supplies the search results containing the MAC address "aaa" to application 40.

[0093] When application 40 obtains the search results from OS36 at T346, it determines that the search results include the MAC address "aaa" of MFP100 (YES in S152), and further determines that connection history information including the MAC address "aaa" and SSID "xxx" has already been stored (see Case A1 in Figure 8) (S170, YES in S310 and S312 in Figure 5). In this case, application 40 supplies a connection instruction including the MAC address "aaa" to OS36 at T350 (S320). Application 40 then displays the execution screen SC40 at T352 (S322).

[0094] When OS36 receives a connection instruction from app 40 containing the MAC address "aaa" on T350, it determines that it has stored Persistent information containing the MAC address "aaa". In this case, OS36 obtains the SSID "xxx" and password associated with MAC address "aaa" from the Persistent information, and uses this information to establish a WFD connection with MFP100 on T360. Then, OS36 sends a connection notification to app 40 on T362. T370 is the same as T120 in Figure 8. T380 is the same as T122.

[0095] (Continuation of Case A2 in Figure 8: Figure 11) Next, referring to Figure 11, we will explain the continuation of the processing in case A2 (see Figure 8), where the terminal device 10 does not have the Persistent function. The same processing as T10 to T26 in Figure 7 is executed. T430 to T446 are the same as T330 to T346 in Figure 10.

[0096] When application 40 obtains the search results from OS36 at T446, it determines that the search results include the MAC address "aaa" of MFP100 (YES in S152), and further determines that connection history information including the MAC address "aaa" is not already stored (see Case A2 in Figure 8) (S170, NO in S310 in Figure 5). In this case, application 40 supplies a connection instruction including the MAC address "aaa" to OS36 at T450 (S330). Application 40 then displays the WPS screen SC42 at T452 (S332).

[0097] When OS36 receives a connection instruction from application 40 on T450, T460 sends a connection request to MFP100 that includes the MAC address "aaa" from the connection instruction as the destination MAC address.

[0098] When MFP100 receives a connection request from terminal device 10 in T460, it displays a connect button in T462. The user selects the connect button displayed on MFP100 in T464, in response to message 330 in the WPS screen SC42 displayed in T452. As a result, MFP100 transitions from a non-WPS state to a WPS state in T466.

[0099] Subsequently, OS36 performs communication with MFP100 in accordance with WPS at T470, and establishes a WFD connection with MFP100 at T480. T482 to T500 are the same as T362 to T380 in Figure 10.

[0100] (Effects of this embodiment) According to this embodiment, the terminal device 10 displays the operation screen SC30 when the MFP100 is not found through the search (T50 in Figure 7). This allows the user to be prompted to perform an operation to change the state of the MFP100 from a non-WFD state to a WFD state. Consequently, when this operation is performed on the MFP100 (T60), the terminal device 10 can properly establish a WFD connection with the MFP100 (T110 in Figure 8).

[0101] (Correspondence) MFP100 and NFC independent interface 120 are examples of "communication device" and "specific wireless interface," respectively. NFC standard and Wi-Fi standard are examples of "first communication standard" and "second communication standard," respectively. WFD method is an example of "predetermined method." MAC address "aaa" is an example of "identification information." Operation screens SC30 and SC32 are examples of "multiple first operation screens," with operation screen SC30 being an example of "first operation screen." The OK button on operation screen SC30 is an example of a "selection area." WPS screen SC42 is an example of a "second operation screen." Persistent function and Persistent information are examples of "registration function" and "establishment information," respectively.

[0102] S140 in Figure 3 is an example of a process executed by the "receiving unit". S150 is an example of a "first search process" executed by the "search unit". S152 is an example of a process executed by the "determination unit". S212 or S214 in Figure 4 is an example of a process executed by the "first display control unit". S220 is an example of a process executed by the "second search unit". S232 is an example of a "first establishment process" executed by the "first establishment unit". S242 and S244 are examples of processes executed by the "fifth display control unit" and the "fourth display control unit", respectively. S320 or S330 in Figure 5 is an example of a "second establishment process" executed by the "second establishment unit". S322 is an example of a process executed by the "second display control unit". S332 is an example of a process executed by the "third display control unit".

[0103] The specific examples of the technology disclosed herein have been described in detail above, but these are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes to the specific examples described above. The following are some examples of modifications.

[0104] (Modification 1) In various MFP models equipped with an independent NFC interface, if the operation to change the WFD setting to "ON" is common, the independent NFC interface of each MFP model does not need to transmit the model name to the terminal device 10. In this case, the application 40 does not need to perform the decision in S210 of Figure 4, but can simply display an operation screen common to each MFP model. Generally speaking, the "receiving unit" does not need to receive the model name. Also, the "first display control unit" may display only one type of first operation screen on the display unit.

[0105] (Modified Version 2) The process in S322 of Figure 5 may be omitted. In this modified version, the "second display control unit" can be omitted.

[0106] (Modification 3) The processes S310, S312, S322, S330, and S332 in Figure 5 may be omitted. In this modification, the "third display control unit" can be omitted.

[0107] (Modification 4) The process in S260 of Figure 4 may be omitted. Generally speaking, the "memory control unit" may store the identification information in memory as connection history information, regardless of whether the terminal device has a registration function or not. In another modification, the processes in S260 and S262 may be omitted. In this modification, the "memory control unit" can be omitted.

[0108] (Modification 5) The processes S220 and S222 in Figure 4 may be omitted. In this modification, the "second search unit" can be omitted.

[0109] (Modification 6) Operation screen SC30 or SC32 does not have to include an OK button. In this case, the process at S230 in Figure 4 may be omitted. Generally speaking, the "first operation screen" does not have to include a selection screen.

[0110] (Modification 7) The processes S240 and S244 in Figure 4 may be omitted. In this modification, the "fourth display control unit" can be omitted.

[0111] (Modification 8) The processes S240 and S242 in Figure 4 may be omitted. In this modification, the "fifth display control unit" can be omitted.

[0112] (Modification 9) The MFP100 may have an NFC interface that is not independent of the control unit 130 instead of the NFC independent interface 120 which is independent of the control unit 130. In this case, the control unit 130 can receive an establishment notification from the NFC interface indicating that an NFC link has been established. However, even if the control unit 130 receives an establishment notification from the NFC interface, it does not automatically change the WFD setting from "OFF" to "ON". The technology of the above embodiment is also applicable to the MFP100 having the configuration of this modified example. Generally speaking, a "communication device" only needs to have a wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to a first communication standard, and such wireless interface may or may not be independent of the control unit.

[0113] (Modification 10) The "identification information" is not limited to the MAC address "aaa" of the MFP100, but may be other information that identifies the MFP100 (e.g., device name, serial number, etc.). Also, the "identification information" may be a combination of two or more pieces of information (e.g., MAC address and device name).

[0114] (Modification 11) The "first communication standard" is not limited to the NFC standard, but may be the TransferJet standard, for example. The "second communication standard" is not limited to the Wi-Fi standard, but may be the Bluetooth® standard, for example.

[0115] (Variation 12) The "prescribed method" is not limited to the WFD method, but may also be the SoftAP method.

[0116] (Modification 13) The "communication device" is not limited to the MFP100, but may be other devices such as a printer, scanner, terminal device, PC, or server.

[0117] (Modification 14) In the above embodiment, each process in Figures 2 to 5 and Figures 7 to 11 is performed by software (e.g., application 40), but at least one of these processes may be implemented by hardware such as a logic circuit.

[0118] The technical elements described herein or in the drawings demonstrate technical usefulness individually or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Furthermore, the technologies illustrated herein or in the drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving even one of these objectives constitutes technical usefulness in itself.

[0119] Even if, in the claims of this patent application, each claim depends on only some of the claims, it is not limited to the claim being dependent only on those specific claims. To the extent that it is not technically contradictory, each claim may be dependent on other claims that were not dependent at the time of application. That is, the technologies of each claim can be combined in various ways as follows: (Item 1) A computer program for a terminal device, The aforementioned terminal device is A first wireless interface for performing wireless communication in accordance with a first communication standard, A second wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to a second communication standard different from the first communication standard, Display unit and Equipped with a computer, The aforementioned computer program comprises the following components of the computer, namely: A receiving unit that receives identification information for identifying the communication device from the communication device via the first wireless interface, When the identification information is received from the communication device, a first search unit performs a search process via the second wireless interface to search for devices present around the terminal device, A first display control unit that, when the communication device identified by the identification information is not found by the search process, causes the display unit to display a first operation screen prompting the user to perform a first operation on the communication device to change the state of the communication device from a first state to a second state, wherein the first state is a state in which the communication device does not perform communication in accordance with a predetermined method of the second communication standard, and the second state is a state in which the communication device performs communication in accordance with the predetermined method, If the communication device is not found by the search process and the first operation is performed on the communication device by the user, the first establishment unit performs a first establishment process to establish a wireless connection with the communication device in accordance with the predetermined method via the second wireless interface, If the communication device is found by the search process, even if the first operation is not performed on the communication device, the second establishment unit performs a second establishment process to establish a wireless connection with the communication device in accordance with the predetermined method via the second wireless interface, A computer program that functions as such. (Item 2) The receiving unit further receives the model name of the communication device from the communication device via the first wireless interface, The computer program described in item 1, wherein the first display control unit causes the display unit to display the first operation screen corresponding to a received model name from among a plurality of first operation screens corresponding to a plurality of model names. (Item 3) The aforementioned computer program further uses the computer, The computer program according to item 1 or 2, which functions as a second display control unit that, when the communication device is found by the search process, causes the display unit to display an execution screen indicating that it is performing a process to establish a wireless connection with the communication device in accordance with the predetermined method. (Item 4) The second display control unit causes the execution screen to be displayed on the display unit when the communication device is found by the search process and connection history information including the identification information is stored in the memory of the terminal device. The connection history information is information indicating devices with which the terminal device has previously established a wireless connection in accordance with the predetermined method. The aforementioned computer program further uses the computer, A computer program according to item 3, which causes the display unit to display a second operation screen prompting the user to perform a second operation on the communication device to change the state of the communication device from a third state to a fourth state, when the communication device is found by the search process and connection history information including the identification information is not stored in the memory, wherein the third state is a state in which the communication device does not perform communication in accordance with Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), and the fourth state is a state in which the communication device performs communication in accordance with WPS. (Item 5) The aforementioned computer program further uses the computer, A storage control unit that stores the connection history information, including the identification information, in the memory when the wireless connection according to the predetermined method is established with the communication device and the terminal device has a registration function, and which functions as a storage control unit that does not store the connection history information, including the identification information, when the wireless connection according to the predetermined method is established with the communication device and the terminal device does not have a registration function. The computer program described in item 4, wherein the registration function is a function that registers establishment information in the memory for re-establishing a wireless connection after the wireless connection has been disconnected when a wireless connection in accordance with the second communication standard is established between the terminal device and the external device. (Item 6) The memory is capable of storing functional information indicating whether or not the terminal device has the registration function. The computer program according to item 5, wherein the memory control unit causes the connection history information, including the identification information, to be stored in the memory when the wireless connection according to the predetermined method is established with the communication device and the function information in the memory indicates that the terminal device has the registration function. (Item 7) The aforementioned computer program further uses the computer, When the first operation screen is displayed on the display unit, the second search unit functions to perform a re-search process via the second wireless interface to re-search for devices present around the terminal device. The first establishment unit is a computer program according to any one of items 1 to 6, which executes the first establishment process when the communication device is found by the re-search process as a result of the first operation being performed on the communication device by the user. (Item 8) The first operation screen includes a selection area to be selected by the user after the first operation has been performed on the communication device. The first establishment unit is a computer program according to any one of items 1 to 7, which executes the first establishment process when the selection area is selected by the user. (Item 9) The aforementioned computer program further uses the computer, When the first operation screen is displayed on the display unit, a second search unit performs a re-search process via the second wireless interface to re-search for devices present around the terminal device, A fourth display control unit that, when the selection area is selected by the user after a predetermined time has elapsed since the communication device was found by the re-search process, displays a second operation screen on the display unit prompting the user to perform a second operation on the communication device to change the state of the communication device from a third state to a fourth state, wherein the third state is a state in which the communication device does not perform communication in accordance with Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), and the fourth state is a state in which the communication device performs communication in accordance with WPS, A computer program as described in item 8, which functions as such. (Item 10) The aforementioned computer program further uses the computer, The computer program according to item 9, which functions as a fifth display control unit to display on the display unit an execution screen indicating that it is performing a process to establish a wireless connection with the communication device in accordance with the predetermined method, when the selection area is selected by the user before the predetermined time has elapsed since the communication device was found by the re-search process. (Item 11) The aforementioned communication device is Control unit and A computer program according to any one of items 1 to 10, comprising: a specific wireless interface for performing wireless communication in accordance with the first communication standard, the specific wireless interface being independent of the control unit. (Item 12) The identification information is the MAC address of the communication device, The aforementioned search is Transmitting a broadcast search signal via the second wireless interface, The terminal device includes receiving a response signal containing the MAC address of a device from a device located around the terminal device via the second wireless interface, The aforementioned computer program further uses the computer, A computer program according to any one of items 1 to 11, which functions as a determination unit that determines whether or not the communication device can be found by the search process by determining whether or not the response signal including the MAC address of the communication device is received. (Item 13) The first communication standard mentioned above is the Near Field Communication (NFC) standard. The second communication standard is the Wi-Fi standard, a computer program as described in any one of items 1 to 12. (Item 14) The computer program described in item 13, wherein the predetermined method is the Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0120] 2: Communication system, 10: Terminal device, 12: Operation unit, 14: Display unit, 20: NFC interface, 22: Wi-Fi interface, 30: Control unit, 32: CPU, 34: Memory, 36: OS program, 40: MFP application, 70: Server, 100: Multifunction printer (MFP), 112: Operation unit, 114: Display unit, 116: Print execution unit, 118: Scan execution unit, 120: NFC independent interface, 122: Wi-Fi interface, 130: Control unit, 132: CPU, 134: Memory, 136: Program

Claims

1. A computer program for a terminal device, The aforementioned terminal device is A first wireless interface for performing wireless communication in accordance with a first communication standard, A second wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to a second communication standard different from the first communication standard, Display unit and Equipped with a computer, The aforementioned computer program comprises the following components of the computer, namely: A receiving unit that receives identification information for identifying the communication device from the communication device via the first wireless interface, When the identification information is received from the communication device, a first search unit performs a search process via the second wireless interface to search for devices present around the terminal device, A first display control unit that, when the communication device identified by the identification information is not found by the search process, causes the display unit to display a first operation screen prompting the user to perform a first operation on the communication device to change the state of the communication device from a first state to a second state, wherein the first state is a state in which the communication device does not perform communication in accordance with a predetermined method of the second communication standard, and the second state is a state in which the communication device performs communication in accordance with the predetermined method, If the communication device is not found by the search process and the first operation is performed on the communication device by the user, the first establishment unit performs a first establishment process to establish a wireless connection with the communication device in accordance with the predetermined method via the second wireless interface, If the communication device is found by the search process, even if the first operation is not performed on the communication device, the second establishment unit performs a second establishment process to establish a wireless connection with the communication device in accordance with the predetermined method via the second wireless interface, A computer program that functions as such.

2. The receiving unit further receives the model name of the communication device from the communication device via the first wireless interface, The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the first display control unit causes the display unit to display the first operation screen corresponding to a received model name from among a plurality of first operation screens corresponding to a plurality of model names.

3. The aforementioned computer program further uses the computer, The computer program according to claim 1, which functions as a second display control unit that, when the communication device is found by the search process, causes the display unit to display an execution screen indicating that it is performing a process to establish a wireless connection with the communication device in accordance with the predetermined method.

4. The second display control unit causes the execution screen to be displayed on the display unit when the communication device is found by the search process and connection history information including the identification information is stored in the memory of the terminal device. The connection history information is information indicating devices with which the terminal device has previously established a wireless connection in accordance with the predetermined method. The aforementioned computer program further uses the computer, A computer program according to claim 3, which causes the display unit to display a second operation screen prompting the user to perform a second operation on the communication device to change the state of the communication device from a third state to a fourth state, when the communication device is found by the search process and the connection history information including the identification information is not stored in the memory, wherein the third state is a state in which the communication device does not perform communication in accordance with Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), and the fourth state is a state in which the communication device performs communication in accordance with WPS.

5. The aforementioned computer program further uses the computer, A storage control unit that stores the connection history information, including the identification information, in the memory when the wireless connection according to the predetermined method is established with the communication device and the terminal device has a registration function, and which functions as a storage control unit that does not store the connection history information, including the identification information, when the wireless connection according to the predetermined method is established with the communication device and the terminal device does not have a registration function. The computer program according to claim 4, wherein the registration function is a function that registers establishment information in the memory for re-establishing a wireless connection after the wireless connection has been disconnected when a wireless connection in accordance with the second communication standard is established between the terminal device and the external device.

6. The memory is capable of storing functional information indicating whether or not the terminal device has the registration function. The computer program according to claim 5, wherein the memory control unit stores the connection history information, including the identification information, in the memory when the wireless connection according to the predetermined method is established with the communication device and the function information in the memory indicates that the terminal device has the registration function.

7. The aforementioned computer program further uses the computer, When the first operation screen is displayed on the display unit, the second search unit functions to perform a re-search process via the second wireless interface to re-search for devices present around the terminal device. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the first establishment unit executes the first establishment process when the communication device is found by the re-search process as a result of the first operation being performed on the communication device by the user.

8. The first operation screen includes a selection area to be selected by the user after the first operation has been performed on the communication device. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the first establishment unit executes the first establishment process when the selection region is selected by the user.

9. The aforementioned computer program further uses the computer, When the first operation screen is displayed on the display unit, a second search unit performs a re-search process via the second wireless interface to re-search for devices present around the terminal device, A fourth display control unit that, when the selection area is selected by the user after a predetermined time has elapsed since the communication device was found by the re-search process, displays a second operation screen on the display unit prompting the user to perform a second operation on the communication device to change the state of the communication device from a third state to a fourth state, wherein the third state is a state in which the communication device does not perform communication in accordance with Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), and the fourth state is a state in which the communication device performs communication in accordance with WPS, A computer program according to claim 8, which functions as such.

10. The aforementioned computer program further uses the computer, The computer program according to claim 9, which functions as a fifth display control unit to display on the display unit an execution screen indicating that it is executing a process to establish a wireless connection with the communication device in accordance with the predetermined method, when the selection area is selected by the user before the predetermined time has elapsed since the communication device was found by the re-search process.

11. The aforementioned communication device is Control unit and The computer program according to claim 1, comprising a specific wireless interface for performing wireless communication in accordance with the first communication standard, the specific wireless interface being independent of the control unit.

12. The identification information is the MAC address of the communication device, The aforementioned search is Transmitting a broadcast search signal via the second wireless interface, The terminal device includes receiving a response signal containing the MAC address of a device from a device located around the terminal device via the second wireless interface, The aforementioned computer program further uses the computer, The computer program according to claim 1, which functions as a determination unit that determines whether or not the communication device can be found by the search process by determining whether or not the response signal including the MAC address of the communication device is received.

13. The first communication standard is the Near Field Communication (NFC) standard, The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the second communication standard is the Wi-Fi standard.

14. The computer program according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined method is the Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) method.

15. A terminal device, A first wireless interface for performing wireless communication in accordance with a first communication standard, A second wireless interface for performing wireless communication according to a second communication standard different from the first communication standard, Display unit and A receiving unit that receives identification information for identifying the communication device from the communication device via the first wireless interface, When the identification information is received from the communication device, a first search unit performs a search process via the second wireless interface to search for devices present around the terminal device, A first display control unit that, when the communication device identified by the identification information is not found by the search process, causes the display unit to display a first operation screen prompting the user to perform a first operation on the communication device to change the state of the communication device from a first state to a second state, wherein the first state is a state in which the communication device does not perform communication in accordance with a predetermined method of the second communication standard, and the second state is a state in which the communication device performs communication in accordance with the predetermined method, If the communication device is not found by the search process and the first operation is performed on the communication device by the user, the first establishment unit performs a first establishment process to establish a wireless connection with the communication device in accordance with the predetermined method via the second wireless interface, If the communication device is found by the search process, even if the first operation is not performed on the communication device, the second establishment unit performs a second establishment process to establish a wireless connection with the communication device in accordance with the predetermined method via the second wireless interface, A terminal device equipped with the following features.

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