Communication device and communication method

Abstract

To prevent the leakage of dedicated apparatuses names set in communication apparatuses.SOLUTION: A display unit (16) of a master apparatus (1) displays a dedicated apparatus name of a slave apparatus (2) as one of BT pairing candidates when the dedicated apparatus name of the slave apparatus (2) is registered. The display unit (16) displays a normal apparatus name of the slave apparatus (2) as one of the BT pairing candidates when the dedicated apparatus name of the slave apparatus (2) is not registered.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device and a communication method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, various electronic devices equipped with Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication (hereinafter, BT communication) functions have been widely used. Multiple electronic devices compatible with BT communication can transmit and receive various data to each other by directly communicating with each other via BT without going through a router or the like. BT communication is used for convenient purposes such as connecting wireless earphones and a smartphone to each other via Bluetooth, transmitting music data from the smartphone to the wireless earphones via BT communication, and playing the music on the wireless earphones.

[0003] In recent years, electronic devices equipped with a so-called NFC (Near Field Communication) communication function other than BT communication have also become known. NFC communication is a type of short-range wireless communication that enables short-range wireless communication using a communication protocol different from BT communication. NFC communication is often used for contactless data communication for electronic payment, for example.

[0004] Conventionally, electronic devices equipped with both BT communication function and NFC communication function have also been proposed. As an example, Patent Document 1 discloses a communication device that communicates with another communication device, the communication device comprising: a first communication means for communicating with the other communication device using a first communication protocol; an acquisition means for acquiring information on a communication protocol available to the other communication device through communication using the first communication protocol; an exchange means for exchanging communication information required for communication using a second communication protocol included in the communication protocol available to the other communication device through communication using the first communication protocol with the other communication device; a switching means for switching communication with the other communication device from communication using the first communication protocol to communication using the second communication protocol; and a second communication means for communicating with the other communication device using the second communication protocol based on the communication information exchanged by the exchange means. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-364145 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In order to perform BT pairing in the communication device of Patent Document 1, the master device must select a slave device to be connected to the master device. If there are multiple slave devices around the master device that can be connected to the master device, a list of the names of the connectable slave devices is displayed on the screen of the master device. The user of the master device selects the slave device that he or she wants to connect to the master device from the list.

[0007] Generally, a normal device name is set in advance for a slave device. However, since the normal device name is difficult for a user to understand, a user of the slave device can set a unique dedicated device name for his / her own slave device in addition to the normal device name. When a dedicated device name is set for a slave device, the master device displays the dedicated device name of the slave device as the name of a connectable slave device. Here, if a user of a slave device sets a dedicated device name including personal information such as the user's personal name as the dedicated device name of the slave device, such a dedicated device name will be unintentionally displayed on a master device held by another person around the user. As a result, there is a risk that the user's personal information will be unintentionally leaked to another person.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to prevent the leakage of dedicated device names set in communication devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to include a first receiving unit that receives a dedicated device name of the first communication device set in the first communication device capable of short-range wireless communication and other wireless communication different from the short-range wireless communication from the first communication device via the short-range wireless communication; a registration unit that registers the received dedicated device name; a second receiving unit that receives a normal device name of the first communication device from the first communication device via the other wireless communication; and a display unit that, if the dedicated device name of the first communication device is registered, displays the dedicated device name of the first communication device as a communication partner with which the other wireless communication is possible, and, if the dedicated device name of the first communication device is not registered, displays the normal device name of the first communication device as a communication partner with which the other wireless communication is possible. Effect of the Invention

[0010] Advantageous Effects of Invention According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the leakage of a dedicated device name set in a communication device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing configurations of a master device and two slave devices according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of a series of processes executed by the master device when registering a dedicated device name of a slave device in the master device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of a series of processes when a master device according to the first embodiment of the present invention performs BT pairing with a slave device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of each slave device as a BT pairing candidate displayed in a list on a screen of a master device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of slave devices as BT pairing candidates displayed in a list on the screen of the master device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configurations of a master device and two slave devices according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of a series of processes executed by a master device when a dedicated device name of a slave device according to a second embodiment of the present invention is registered in the master device. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing configurations of a master device and a slave device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of a series of processes executed by a master device when a dedicated device name of a slave device according to a third embodiment of the present invention is registered in the master device. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the configurations of a master device and two slave devices according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of a series of processes when a slave device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention performs BT pairing with a master device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] [Embodiment 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configurations of a master device 1, a slave device 2, and a slave device 3 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The master device 1 is realized as, for example, a personal computer, and the slave devices 2 and 3 are realized as, for example, smartphones. The master device 1 and the slave device 2 are electronic devices (communication devices) with wireless communication functions owned by a user called "Yamazaki". The slave device 3 is an electronic device (communication device) with wireless communication functions owned by a user called "Suzuki". In other words, the master device 1 and the slave device 2 are electronic devices owned by the same first user, and the slave device 3 is an electronic device owned by a second user different from the first user.

[0013] Master device 1, slave device 2, and slave device 3 are all electronic devices capable of BT communication. Master device 1 is an electronic device that operates as the master side in BT communication, and slave device 2 and slave device 3 are electronic devices that operate as the slave side in BT communication. Master device 1 can perform BT communication with slave device 2 and slave device 3. Master device 1, slave device 2, and slave device 3 are all electronic devices capable of NFC communication (near field communication).

[0014] The master device 1 includes an NFC communication unit 11 (first receiving unit, transmitting unit, registering unit), a BT communication unit 12 (second receiving unit), a storage unit 13, an input unit 14, a determination unit 15, and a display unit 16. The NFC communication unit 11 executes communication according to the NFC communication protocol with other electronic devices having an NFC communication function. The BT communication unit 12 executes communication according to the BT communication protocol with other electronic devices having a BT communication function. The storage unit 13 stores various information required for the operation of the master device 1. In the example of FIG. 1, the storage unit 13 stores "Device A", which is the normal device name of the master device 1. The input unit 14 accepts user operation input to the master device 1. The function of the determination unit 15 will be described later. The display unit 16 displays various information.

[0015] The slave device 2 (first communication device) includes an NFC communication unit 21, a BT communication unit 22, a storage unit 23, an input unit 24, a dedicated device name setting unit 25, and a display unit 26. The NFC communication unit 21 executes communication according to the NFC communication protocol with other electronic devices having an NFC communication function. The BT communication unit 22 executes communication according to the BT communication protocol with other electronic devices having a BT communication function. The storage unit 23 stores various information required for the operation of the slave device 2. In the example of FIG. 1, the storage unit 23 stores "Device X" which is the normal device name of the slave device 2 and "Yamazaki Device" which is the dedicated device name of the slave device 2. The input unit 24 accepts user operation input to the slave device 2. The dedicated device name setting unit 25 sets the dedicated device name of the slave device 2 to the slave device 2. The display unit 26 displays various information.

[0016] The slave device 3 includes an NFC communication unit 31, a BT communication unit 32, a storage unit 33, an input unit 34, a dedicated device name setting unit 35, and a display unit 36. The NFC communication unit 31 executes communication according to the NFC communication protocol with other electronic devices having an NFC communication function. The BT communication unit 32 executes communication according to the BT communication protocol with other electronic devices having a BT communication function. The storage unit 33 stores various information required for the operation of the slave device 3. In the example of FIG. 1, the storage unit 33 stores "Device Y" which is the normal device name of the slave device 3, and "Suzuki Device" which is the dedicated device name of the slave device 3. The input unit 34 accepts user operation input to the slave device 3. The dedicated device name setting unit 35 sets the dedicated device name of the slave device 3 to the slave device 3. The display unit 36 ​​displays various information.

[0017] Each of the master device 1, slave device 2, and slave device 3 has a BD (Bluetooth Device) address for identifying a BT communication partner as communication information necessary for BT communication. Specifically, the storage unit 13 of the master device 1 stores a unique BD address for identifying the master device 1. The storage unit 23 of the slave device 2 stores a BD address for identifying the slave device 2. The storage unit 33 of the slave device 3 stores a BD address for identifying the slave device 3.

[0018] The user of the slave device 2 (Mr. Yamazaki) registers the dedicated device name of the slave device 2 in the slave device 2 in order to distinguish the slave device 2 from other electronic devices. In this example, the dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device", which includes "Yamazaki", which is personal information of the user of the slave device 2, is set in the slave device 2. The setting procedure is as follows. The display unit 26 of the slave device 2 displays a message prompting the input of a dedicated device name. The user who sees this message inputs "Yamazaki Device" as the dedicated device name to be set in the slave device 2. The input unit 24 accepts this input and notifies the display unit 26 of the input "Yamazaki Device". The display unit 26 displays the notified "Yamazaki Device". When the user confirms that the input "Yamazaki Device" is correctly displayed, the user inputs an operation to the slave device 2 to confirm the setting of this dedicated device name. The input unit 24 accepts this operation input and notifies the dedicated device name setting unit 25 of "Yamazaki Device". The dedicated device name setting unit 25 stores the notified “Yamazaki Device” in the memory unit 23 , thereby setting “Yamazaki Device” as the dedicated device name of the slave device 2 .

[0019] The user of the slave device 3 (Mr. Suzuki) registers a dedicated device name of the slave device 3 in the slave device 3 in order to distinguish the slave device 3 from other electronic devices. In this example, it is assumed that the dedicated device name "Suzuki Device", which includes "Suzuki" that is personal information of the user of the slave device 3, is set in the slave device 3. The setting procedure is as follows. The display unit 36 ​​of the slave device 3 displays a message prompting the input of a dedicated device name. The user who sees this message inputs "Suzuki Device" to the slave device 3 as the dedicated device name to be set. The input unit 34 accepts this input and notifies the display unit 36 ​​of the input "Suzuki Device". The display unit 36 ​​displays the notified "Suzuki Device". When the user confirms that the input "Suzuki Device" is correctly displayed, the user inputs an operation to the slave device 3 to confirm the setting of this dedicated device name. The input unit 34 accepts this operation input and notifies the dedicated device name setting unit 35 of "Suzuki Device". The dedicated device name setting unit 35 stores the notified “Suzuki Device” in the storage unit 33 , thereby setting “Suzuki Device” in the slave device 3 as the dedicated device name of the slave device 3 .

[0020] (Dedicated device name registration process) FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a flow of a series of processes executed by the master device 1 when registering the dedicated device name of the slave device 2 in the master device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In order to register the dedicated device name of the slave device 2 in the master device 1, the users of the master device 1 and the slave device 2 turn on the NFC communication functions of the master device 1 and the slave device 2 and bring them close to each other. As a result, the NFC communication unit 11 of the master device 1 detects the slave device 2 by NFC communication. Next, the display unit 16 displays a message inquiring whether or not to permit NFC communication with the slave device 2. The user of the master device 1 inputs an operation to permit NFC communication with the slave device 2 to the master device 1. Meanwhile, the NFC communication unit 21 of the slave device 2 detects the master device 1 by NFC communication. The display unit 26 displays a message inquiring whether or not to permit NFC communication with the master device 1. The user of the slave device 2 (the same person as the user of the master device 1) inputs an operation to permit NFC communication with the master device 1 to the slave device 2. When these operation inputs are detected by the input unit 14 and the input unit 24, execution of NFC communication between the master device 1 and the slave device 2 is permitted in both the master device 1 and the slave device 2. Then, the NFC communication unit 11 starts NFC communication with the slave device 2 by establishing an NFC connection with the slave device 2 (step S1). Then, the NFC communication unit 11 of the master device 1 requests the slave device 2 to transmit the BD address and dedicated device name of the slave device 2 by NFC communication (step S2).

[0021] When the NFC communication unit 21 of the slave device 2 receives this request, it reads out the BD address and the dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device" of the slave device 2 from the storage unit 23 and transmits them to the master device 1 by NFC communication. The NFC communication unit 11 of the master device 1 determines whether or not the BD address and the dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device" of the slave device 2 transmitted from the slave device 2 have been received from the slave device 2 by NFC communication (step S3). If the NFC communication unit 11 determines that they have not been received (NO in step S3), it requests the slave device 2 again to transmit the BD address and the dedicated device name of the slave device 2 by NFC communication. In this way, the NFC communication unit 11 repeatedly requests the slave device 2 to transmit the BD address and the dedicated device name of the slave device 2 until it receives them from the slave device 2.

[0022] When the NFC communication unit 11 receives the BD address and dedicated device name of the slave device 2 (first communication device) from the slave device 2 (YES in step S3), it notifies the determination unit 15 of the received BD address and dedicated device name. The determination unit 15 determines whether or not the notified BD address and dedicated device name of the slave device 2 have already been registered in the master device 1 (step S4). If the BD address and dedicated device name of the slave device 2 are stored in the storage unit 13, the dedicated device name setting unit 25 determines that they have already been registered in the master device 1. On the other hand, if the BD address and dedicated device name of the slave device 2 are not stored in the storage unit 13, it determines that they have not already been registered in the master device 1.

[0023] If the determination unit 15 determines that the BD address and dedicated device name of the slave device 2 have already been registered in the master device 1 (YES in step S4), it does not re-register the BD address and dedicated device name of the slave device 2 in the master device 1. After this, the series of processes shown in Fig. 2 ends. On the other hand, if the determination unit 15 determines that the BD address and dedicated device name of the slave device 2 have not already been registered in the master device 1 (NO in step S4), it registers the BD address and dedicated device name of the slave device 2 in the master device 1 by storing them in the storage unit 13 in association with each other (step S5). After this, the series of processes shown in Fig. 2 ends.

[0024] In this manner, the BD address and dedicated device name of the slave device 2 are registered in the master device 1. As a result, the master device 1 can know the dedicated device name of the slave device 2, “Yamazaki Device”, before communicating with the slave device 2 via BT.

[0025] Now, assume that the user of the slave device 3 (Mr. Suzuki) brings the slave device 3, whose NFC communication function is turned on, close to the master device 1, whose NFC communication function is turned on. As a result, the NFC communication unit 31 of the slave device 3 detects the master device 1 through NFC communication. Next, the display unit 36 ​​displays a message inquiring whether or not to permit NFC communication with the master device 1. The user of the slave device 3 inputs an operation to permit NFC communication with the master device 1 into the slave device 3.

[0026] Meanwhile, NFC communication unit 11 of master device 1 detects slave device 3 through NFC communication. Next, display unit 16 displays a message inquiring whether or not to permit NFC communication with slave device 3. The user of master device 1 (Mr. Yamazaki) does not own slave device 3, so he inputs an operation to not permit NFC communication with slave device 3 into master device 1.

[0027] In the slave device 3, the operation input permitting the NFC communication is detected by the input unit 34, and the execution of the NFC communication is permitted, so that the NFC communication unit 31 tries to start the NFC communication with the master device 1. On the other hand, in the master device 1, the operation input not permitting the NFC communication is detected by the input unit 14, and the execution of the NFC communication is not permitted, so that the NFC communication unit 11 does not start the NFC communication with the slave device 3. In other words, the master device 1 rejects the NFC communication with the slave device 3, and therefore the NFC communication is not performed between the master device 1 and the slave device 3. As a result, the NFC communication unit 11 does not receive the BD address and the dedicated device name "Suzuki Device" of the slave device 3 from the slave device 3. As a result, the master device 1 does not know the dedicated device name "Suzuki Device" of the slave device 3 before the BT communication with the slave device 3.

[0028] (BT pairing process) FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a series of processing steps when the master device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention performs BT pairing with a certain slave device. The user (Mr. Yamazaki) of the master device 1 and the slave device 2 turns on the BT communication function of the master device 1 and the slave device 2. At this time, it is assumed that the user (Mr. Suzuki) of the slave device 3 has previously turned on the BT communication function of the slave device 3. The BT communication unit 12 of the master device 1 searches for slave devices capable of BT communication (step S11). It is assumed here that the slave device 2 and the slave device 3 (multiple different slave devices) are found. The BT communication unit 12 receives the BD address and normal device name of the slave device from each of the discovered slave devices (step S12). Here, the BT communication unit 12 receives the BD address and normal device name "Device X" of the slave device 2 from the slave device 2. Furthermore, it receives the BD address and normal device name "Device Y" of the slave device 3 from the slave device 3. The BT communication unit 12 notifies the determination unit 15 of each received BD address and each normal device name.

[0029] The determination unit 15 determines whether or not the dedicated device name of each slave device corresponding to each notified BD address has already been registered in the master device 1 (step S13). At that time, if the notified BD address and the dedicated device name associated with that BD address are stored in the storage unit 13, the determination unit 15 determines that the dedicated device name of the slave device has already been registered in the master device 1. On the other hand, if the notified BD address and the dedicated device name associated with that BD address are not stored in the storage unit 13, the determination unit 15 determines that the dedicated device name of the slave device has not already been registered in the master device 1.

[0030] If it is determined that the dedicated device name of the slave device has been registered in the master device 1 (YES in step S13), the display unit 16 displays the dedicated device name of the slave device as a communication partner capable of BT communication, i.e., as one of the BT pairing candidates (step S14). On the other hand, if it is determined that the dedicated device name of the slave device has not been registered in the master device 1 (NO in step S13), the display unit 16 displays the normal device name of the slave device as a communication partner capable of BT communication, i.e., as one of the BT pairing candidates (step S15).

[0031] As described above, the storage unit 13 stores the BD address and the dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device" of the slave device 2 in a mutually associated state. Therefore, the determination unit 15 determines that the dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device" of the slave device 2 has been registered in the master device 1. As a result, the display unit 16 displays the dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device" of the slave device 2 as one of the BT pairing candidates. On the other hand, the storage unit 13 does not store the BD address and the dedicated device name "Suzuki Device" of the slave device 3. Therefore, the determination unit 15 determines that the dedicated device name "Suzuki Device" of the slave device 3 has not been registered in the master device 1. As a result, the display unit 16 displays the normal device name "Device Y" of the slave device 3 as one of the BT pairing candidates.

[0032] The user of the master device 1 inputs an operation to the master device 1 to select one of the device names displayed as BT pairing candidates. The input unit 14 accepts the user's input of the device name selection (step S16). The input unit 14 notifies the BT communication unit 12 of the selected device name. The BT communication unit 12 establishes BT pairing with the slave device corresponding to the notified device name (S17). For example, if the user selects "Yamazaki Device", the BT communication unit 12 establishes BT pairing with the slave device 2 corresponding to "Yamazaki Device" (step S17).

[0033] (Screen display example) FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of each slave device of the BT pairing candidate displayed in a list on the screen of the master device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the example of this figure, an example of a screen displayed by the display unit 16 when the master device 1 performs BT pairing with any of the slave device 2, the slave device 3, and another slave device not shown in the figure is shown. Furthermore, it is assumed that the other slave devices have a dedicated device name set as the "Tanaka device" including the personal name of the user (Mr. Tanaka) who owns the other slave device. It is also assumed that the master device 1 has not acquired the dedicated device name "Tanaka device" set for the other slave devices in advance. In the example of FIG. 4, the display unit 16 displays, from the top of the screen, the normal device name "Device Y" of the slave device 3, the dedicated device name "Yamazaki device" of the slave device 2, and the normal device name "Device Z" of the other slave device not shown in the figure as a list of BT pairing candidates.

[0034] The user of master device 1 (Mr. Yamazaki) visually checks the screen in Figure 4 to confirm that the dedicated device name of his / her own slave device 2 that he / she wishes to BT pair with master device 1, "Yamazaki Device," is displayed.

[0035] (Major effects) As shown on the screen of FIG. 4, for the slave device 2 that has provided the master device 1 with the dedicated device name "Yamazaki device" in advance by NFC communication, the display unit 16 displays the dedicated device name "Yamazaki device" of the slave device 2 as one of the candidates for BT pairing. On the other hand, for the slave device 3 that has not provided the master device 1 with the dedicated device name "Suzuki device" in advance by NFC communication, the display unit 16 displays the normal device name "Device Y" of the slave device 3 as one of the candidates for BT pairing. For the other slave devices, the display unit 1 displays the normal device name "Device Z" of the other slave device as one of the candidates for BT pairing, instead of the dedicated device name "Tanaka device" of the other slave device. Therefore, the user of the master device 1 can easily find and select his / her own slave device 2 from the multiple slave devices displayed by visually recognizing "Yamazaki device" on the screen. As a result, the user can reliably pair his / her own slave device 2 with the master device 1.

[0036] Furthermore, for example, suppose that a user of another master device (Mr. Suzuki) brings another master device with its NFC communication function turned on close to a slave device 2 with its NFC communication function turned on. As a result, the NFC communication unit 21 of the slave device 2 detects the other master device by NFC communication. Next, the display unit 26 displays a message inquiring whether or not to permit NFC communication with the other master device. The user of the slave device 2 (Mr. Yamazaki) inputs an operation to the slave device 2 not to permit NFC communication with the other master device because the other master device is not a device owned by the user. As a result, NFC communication is not performed between the slave device 2 and the other master device, and the other master device does not receive the dedicated device name of the slave device 2, "Yamazaki device", from the slave device 2 by NFC communication. As a result, even if the other master device finds a slave device 2 capable of BT communication, it displays the normal device name of the slave device 2, "Device X", as one of the BT pairing candidates, instead of the dedicated device name of the slave device 2, "Yamazaki device". This makes it possible to prevent the "Yamazaki device" including personal information of the user (Mr. Yamazaki) of slave device 2 from being leaked to the user (Mr. Suzuki) of another master device.

[0037] (Modification) FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of each slave device of BT pairing candidates displayed in a list on the screen of the master device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the example of this figure, another example of a screen displayed by the display unit 16 when the master device 1 performs BT pairing with any of the slave device 2, the slave device 3, and other slave devices not shown in the figure is shown. As shown in FIG. 5, the display unit 16 displays the dedicated device name "Yamazaki device" of the slave device 2 (one first communication device) with priority over the normal device name "Device Y" of the slave device 3 (the other first communication device) and the normal device name "Device Z" of the other slave devices (the other first communication devices). Specifically, the dedicated device name "Yamazaki device" of the slave device 2 is displayed above the normal device name "Device Y" of the slave device 3 and the normal device name "Device Z" of the other slave devices. This allows the user of the master device 1 to find the dedicated device name "Yamazaki device" displayed with priority on the screen without hesitation. Therefore, the slave device 2 can be BT paired with the master device 1 smoothly.

[0038] [Embodiment 2] 6 is a block diagram showing the configurations of a master device 1A, a slave device 2A, and a slave device 3A according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The master device 1A is realized, for example, as a personal computer, and the slave device 2A and the slave device 3A are realized, for example, as wireless headphones, wireless earphones, a wireless mouse, or a wireless keyboard. The master device 1A and the slave device 2A are electronic devices owned by a user called "Yamazaki". The slave device 3A is an electronic device owned by a user called "Suzuki". In other words, the master device 1A and the slave device 2A are electronic devices owned by the same first user, and the slave device 3A is an electronic device owned by a second user different from the first user.

[0039] The master device 1A includes the same components as the master device 1 according to the first embodiment. The master device 1A further includes a dedicated device name setting unit 17 (first setting unit, registration unit). The slave device 2A (second communication device) includes an NFC communication unit 21, a BT communication unit 22, and a storage unit 23. That is, unlike the slave device 2 according to the first embodiment, the slave device 2A does not include the input unit 24, the dedicated device name setting unit 25, and the display unit 26. The slave device 3A includes an NFC communication unit 31, a BT communication unit 32, and a storage unit 33. That is, unlike the slave device 3 according to the first embodiment, the slave device 3A does not include the input unit 34, the dedicated device name setting unit 35, and the display unit 36.

[0040] The master device 1A, the slave device 2A, and the slave device 3A are all electronic devices capable of BT communication. The master device 1A, the slave device 2A, and the slave device 3A are also all electronic devices capable of NFC communication.

[0041] Since the slave device 2A does not have a dedicated device name setting unit 25, the user of the slave device 2A cannot set the dedicated device name of the slave device 2A, "Yamazaki Device", to the slave device 2A. Therefore, the memory unit 23 of the slave device 2A stores the normal device name of the slave device 2A, "Device X", but does not store the dedicated device name of the slave device 2A, "Yamazaki Device". In other words, the slave device 2A is an electronic device capable of NFC communication, but in which a dedicated device name is not set. Similarly, since the slave device 3A does not have a dedicated device name setting unit 35, the user of the slave device 3A (Mr. Suzuki) cannot set the dedicated device name of the slave device 3A, "Suzuki Device", to the slave device 3A. In other words, the slave device 3A is an electronic device capable of NFC communication, but in which a dedicated device name is not set.

[0042] (Dedicated device name registration process) 7 is a flow chart showing the flow of a series of processes executed by the master device 1A when registering the dedicated device name of the slave device 2A in the master device 1A according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As described above, the storage unit 23 of the slave device 2A does not store the dedicated device name of the slave device 2A, so the master device 1A cannot receive the dedicated device name of the slave device 2A from the slave device 2A by NFC communication. Therefore, in this embodiment, the dedicated device name setting unit 17 of the master device 1A sets the dedicated device name of the slave device 2A instead of the slave device 2A and registers it in the master device 1A.

[0043] In order to register the dedicated device name of the slave device 2A in the master device 1A, the users of the master device 1A and the slave device 2A turn on the NFC communication functions of the master device 1A and the slave device 2A and bring them close to each other. This causes the NFC communication unit 11 of the master device 1A to detect the slave device 2A through NFC communication. Next, the display unit 16 displays a message inquiring whether or not to permit NFC communication with the slave device 2A. The user of the master device 1A inputs an operation to permit NFC communication with the slave device 2A into the master device 1A. When the input unit 14 detects this operation input, the NFC communication unit 11 starts NFC communication with the slave device 2A by establishing an NFC connection with the slave device 2A (step S21).

[0044] The NFC communication unit 11 of the master device 1A requests the slave device 2A to transmit the BD address of the slave device 2A by NFC communication (step S22). When the NFC communication unit 21 of the slave device 2A receives this request, it reads the BD address of the slave device 2A from the storage unit 23 and transmits it to the master device 1A by NFC communication. The NFC communication unit 11 of the master device 1A determines whether or not the BD address of the slave device 2A transmitted from the slave device 2A has been received by NFC communication (step S23). When the NFC communication unit 11 determines that the BD address has not been received (NO in step S23), it again requests the slave device 2A to transmit the BD address of the slave device 2A by NFC communication. In this way, the NFC communication unit 11 repeatedly requests the slave device 2A to transmit the BD address until the BD address of the slave device 2A is received from the slave device 2A.

[0045] When the NFC communication unit 11 receives the BD address of the slave device 2A from the slave device 2A (YES in step S23), it notifies the determination unit 15 of the received BD address. The determination unit 15 determines whether or not the notified BD address of the slave device 2A and the dedicated device name of the slave device 2A corresponding to the BD address have been registered in the master device 1A (step S24). When the BD address and dedicated device name of the slave device 2A are stored in the storage unit 13, the dedicated device name setting unit 25 determines that they have been registered in the master device 1A. On the other hand, when the BD address and dedicated device name of the slave device 2A are not stored in the storage unit 13, it determines that they have not been registered in the master device 1A.

[0046] If the determination unit 15 determines that the BD address and dedicated device name of the slave device 2A have already been registered in the master device 1A (YES in step S24), it does not re-register the BD address and dedicated device name of the slave device 2A in the master device 1A. After this, the series of processes shown in Fig. 7 ends. On the other hand, if the determination unit 15 determines that the BD address and dedicated device name of the slave device 2A have not already been registered in the master device 1A (NO in step S24), it notifies the dedicated device name setting unit 17 to that effect. Upon receiving this notification, the dedicated device name setting unit 17 sets the dedicated device name of the slave device 2A (step S25).

[0047] The procedure is as follows. The display unit 16 of the master device 1A displays a message prompting the user to input a dedicated device name for the slave device 2A. The user who sees this message inputs "Yamazaki Device" to the master device 1A as the dedicated device name that he / she wishes to set. The input unit 14 accepts this input and notifies the display unit 16 of the input "Yamazaki Device". The display unit 16 displays the notified "Yamazaki Device". When the user confirms that the input "Yamazaki Device" is correctly displayed, the user inputs an operation to the master device 1A to confirm the setting of this dedicated device name. The input unit 14 accepts this input and notifies the dedicated device name setting unit 17 of "Yamazaki Device". The dedicated device name setting unit 17 sets the notified "Yamazaki Device" as the dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device" of the slave device 2A. Furthermore, the dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device" of the slave device 2A is registered in the master device 1A by associating the dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device" with the BD address of the slave device 2A and storing the association in the storage unit 13. After this, the series of processes shown in FIG. 7 ends.

[0048] In this manner, the BD address and the dedicated device name of the slave device 2A are registered in the master device 1A. Meanwhile, the dedicated device name of the slave device 3A, "Suzuki Device", is not stored in the memory unit 33 of the slave device 3A. Therefore, even if the user of the slave device 3A (Mr. Yamazaki) brings the slave device 3A, whose NFC communication function is turned on, close to the master device 1A, whose NFC communication function is turned on, the NFC communication unit 11 does not receive the dedicated device name of the slave device 3A, "Suzuki Device", from the slave device 3A. As a result, the master device 1A does not know the dedicated device name of the slave device 3A, "Suzuki Device", before the BT communication. Moreover, since the user of the master device 1A (Mr. Yamazaki) does not know the dedicated device name of the slave device 3A, "Suzuki Device", in advance, he cannot set the dedicated device name of the slave device 3A, "Suzuki Device", in the master device 1A.

[0049] The flow of the BT pairing process in this embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. When displaying a list of BT pairing candidates, if the dedicated device name of the slave device 2A, "Yamazaki Device", is stored in the master device 1A, the display unit 16 of the master device 1A displays the dedicated device name of the slave device 2A, "Yamazaki Device". On the other hand, if the dedicated device name of the slave device 3A is not registered in the master device 1A, the display unit 16 of the master device 1A displays the normal device name of the slave device 3A, "Device Y".

[0050] As described above, according to this embodiment, the master device 1A can set the dedicated device name "Yamazaki" of the slave device 2A, which cannot set its own dedicated device name, instead of the slave device 2A. Therefore, even for the slave device 2A, which cannot set its own dedicated device name, the dedicated device name "Yamazaki" can be displayed during BT pairing, so that the user of the slave device 2A can easily select the slave device 2A as the BT pairing destination.

[0051] Furthermore, since the dedicated device name "Yamazaki" is not stored in the memory unit 33 of the slave device 2A, even if another master device capable of NFC communication communicates with the slave device 2A via NFC, the other master device will not receive the dedicated device name "Yamazaki" of the slave device 2A from the slave device 2A. This makes it possible to prevent the dedicated device name "Yamazaki" of the slave device 2A from being leaked to users of the other master devices.

[0052] [Embodiment 3] 8 is a block diagram showing the configurations of a master device 1B and a slave device 2B according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The master device 1B is realized as, for example, a personal computer, and the slave device 2B is realized as, for example, a wireless headphone, a wireless earphone, a wireless mouse, or a wireless keyboard. The master device 1B and the slave device 2B are electronic devices owned by a user named "Yamazaki." In other words, the master device 1B and the slave device 2B are electronic devices owned by the same first user.

[0053] The master device 1B includes the same components as the master device 1 according to embodiment 1. The master device 1B further includes a dedicated device name setting unit 17 (second setting unit, registration unit). The slave device 2B (third communication device) includes a BT communication unit 22 and a storage unit 23. That is, unlike the slave device 2 according to embodiment 1, the slave device 2B does not include the NFC communication unit 21, the input unit 24, the dedicated device name setting unit 25, and the display unit 26.

[0054] Both the master device 1B and the slave device 2B are electronic devices capable of BT communication. The master device 1B is also an electronic device capable of NFC communication. The slave device 2B is also a device incapable of NFC communication because it does not have an NFC communication unit 21. Since the slave device 2B does not have a dedicated device name setting unit 25, the user of the slave device 2B cannot set the dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device" of the slave device 2B to the slave device 2B. Therefore, the memory unit 23 of the slave device 2B stores the normal device name "Device X" of the slave device 2B, but does not store the dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device" of the slave device 2B. In other words, the slave device 2B is an electronic device incapable of NFC communication and in which a dedicated device name is not set.

[0055] (BT pairing and dedicated device name registration process) FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing a series of processing steps when the master device 1B according to the third embodiment of the present invention performs BT pairing with a certain slave device. As described above, the master device 1B cannot perform NFC communication with the slave device 2B because the slave device 2B does not have an NFC communication function. In addition, the master device 1B cannot receive the dedicated device name of the slave device 2B from the slave device 2B because the storage unit 23 of the slave device 2B does not store the dedicated device name of the slave device 2B. Therefore, in this embodiment, the dedicated device name setting unit 17 of the master device 1B sets the dedicated device name of the slave device 2B and registers it in the master device 1B when the master device 1B and the slave device 2B perform BT pairing for the first time.

[0056] The user of the master device 1B and the slave device 2B (Mr. Yamazaki) turns on the BT communication functions of the master device 1B and the slave device 2B. The BT communication unit 12 of the master device 1B searches for slave devices capable of BT communication (step S31). Here, it is assumed that the slave device 2B has been discovered. The BT communication unit 12 receives the BD address and normal device name "device X" of the slave device 2B from the discovered slave device 2B (step S32). The BT communication unit 12 notifies the determination unit 15 of the received BD address and normal device name "device X".

[0057] The determination unit 15 determines whether or not the dedicated device name of the slave device 2B corresponding to the notified BD address has already been registered in the master device 1 (step S33). At that time, if the notified BD address and the dedicated device name associated with the BD address are stored in the storage unit 13, the determination unit 15 determines that the dedicated device name of the slave device 2B has already been registered in the master device 1B. On the other hand, if the notified BD address and the dedicated device name associated with the BD address are not stored in the storage unit 13, the determination unit 15 determines that the dedicated device name of the slave device 2B has not already been registered in the master device 1B.

[0058] If it is determined that the dedicated device name of the slave device 2B has been registered in the master device 1B (YES in step S33), the display unit 16 displays the dedicated device name of the slave device 2B as a communication partner capable of BT communication, i.e., as one of the BT pairing candidates (step S34). On the other hand, if it is determined that the dedicated device name of the slave device 2B has not been registered in the master device 1B (NO in step S33), the display unit 16 displays the normal device name of the slave device 2B, "Device X", as a communication partner capable of BT communication, i.e., as one of the BT pairing candidates (step S35).

[0059] When the master device 1B and the slave device 2B perform BT pairing for the first time, the dedicated device name of the slave device 2B is not registered in the master device 1B. Therefore, the display unit 26 of the slave device 2B displays the normal device name of the slave device 2B, "Device X", as one of the candidates for BT pairing. If the normal device name of the slave device 2B, "Device X", is displayed when the master device 1B and the slave device 2B perform BT pairing for the first time, the dedicated device name setting unit 17 sets the dedicated device name of the slave device 2B (step S36).

[0060] The procedure is as follows. The display unit 16 of the master device 1B displays a message prompting the user to input a dedicated device name for the slave device 2B. The user, viewing this message, inputs "Yamazaki Device" to the master device 1B as the dedicated device name he / she wishes to set. The input unit 14 accepts this input and notifies the display unit 16 of the input "Yamazaki Device". The display unit 16 displays the notified "Yamazaki Device". When the user confirms that the input "Yamazaki Device" has been correctly displayed, the user inputs an operation to the master device 1B to confirm the setting of this dedicated device name. The input unit 14 accepts this input and notifies the dedicated device name setting unit 17 of "Yamazaki Device". The dedicated device name setting unit 17 sets the notified "Yamazaki Device" as the dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device" of the slave device 2B. Furthermore, the dedicated device name "Yamazaki" of the slave device 2B is registered in the master device 1B by associating the dedicated device name "Yamazaki" with the BD address of the slave device 2B and storing it in the storage unit 13. The display unit 16 displays the registered dedicated device name "Yamazaki" as one of the BT pairing candidates in place of the already displayed normal device name "Device X" of the slave device 2B.

[0061] The user of the master device 1B inputs an operation to the master device 1B to select one of the device names displayed as BT pairing candidates. The input unit 14 accepts the user's input of the device name selection (step S37). The input unit 14 notifies the BT communication unit 12 of the selected device name. The BT communication unit 12 establishes BT pairing with the slave device corresponding to the notified device name (step S38). For example, if the user selects "Yamazaki Device", the BT communication unit 12 establishes BT pairing between the master device 1B and the slave device 2B corresponding to "Yamazaki Device".

[0062] In this embodiment, when the master device 1B and the slave device 2B perform BT pairing for the first time, the dedicated device name setting unit 17 registers the dedicated device name "Yamazaki" of the slave device 2B in the master device 1B. After this, when the master device 1B and the slave device 2B perform BT pairing again, since the dedicated device name "Yamazaki" of the slave device 2B is registered in the master device 1B, the display unit 16 displays the dedicated device name "Yamazaki" of the slave device 2B as one of the BT pairing candidates. In this way, even for the slave device 2B that cannot set its own dedicated device name, the dedicated device name "Yamazaki" can be displayed at the time of the second or subsequent BT pairing, so that the user of the master device 1B can easily select the slave device 2B as the BT pairing destination.

[0063] In addition, in this embodiment, when the BT communication function of the slave device 2B is on, another user turns on the BT communication function of the other master device in order to BT pair the slave device with another master device owned by the user. At that time, the other master device will find the slave device 2B by searching for a slave device capable of BT communication. Then, the other master device receives the BD address and the normal device name "Device X" of the slave device 2B from the slave device 2B. However, since the storage unit 23 of the slave device 2B does not store the dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device" of the slave device 2B, the other master device will not receive the dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device" from the slave device 2B. Therefore, the display unit of the other master device displays the normal device name "Device X" of the slave device 2B as one of the BT pairing candidates. In this way, in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent "Yamazaki Device" including personal information of the user (Mr. Yamazaki) of the slave device 2B from being leaked to other users.

[0064] [Embodiment 4] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configurations of a master device 1C, a slave device 2C, and a slave device 3C according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The master device 1C is realized, for example, as a personal computer, and the slave devices 2C and 3C are realized, for example, as smartphones. The master device 1C and the slave device 2C are electronic devices owned by a user called "Yamazaki". The slave device 3C is an electronic device owned by a user called "Suzuki". In other words, the master device 1C and the slave device 2C are electronic devices owned by the same first user, and the slave device 3C is an electronic device owned by a second user different from the first user.

[0065] The configuration of the master device 1C is the same as that of the master device 1B according to the third embodiment. However, in this embodiment, a dedicated device name setting unit 17 (third setting unit, registration unit) sets the dedicated device name of the master device 1C to the master device 1C. The slave device 2C (first communication device) includes each member included in the slave device 2 according to the first embodiment. The slave device 2C further includes a determination unit 27. The configuration of the slave device 3C is the same as that of the slave device 3 according to the first embodiment.

[0066] The master device 1C, the slave device 2C, and the slave device 3C are all electronic devices capable of BT communication. The master device 1C, the slave device 2C, and the slave device 3C are also all electronic devices capable of NFC communication.

[0067] In this embodiment, the user (Mr. Yamazaki) of the master device 1C and the slave device 2C sets the dedicated device name "Yamazaki PC" of the master device 1C to the master device 1C, and registers the dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device" of the slave device 2C to the slave device 2C. The method of setting the dedicated device name "Yamazaki PC" in the master device 1C is basically the same as the method of setting the dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device" in the slave device 2, so detailed description thereof will be omitted. In short, the dedicated device name setting unit 17 sets the dedicated device name "Yamazaki PC" received from the user by the input unit 14 of the master device 1C as the dedicated device name "Yamazaki PC" of the master device 1C. Furthermore, the dedicated device name "Yamazaki PC" of the master device 1C is registered in the master device 1C by associating the dedicated device name "Yamazaki PC" with the BD address of the master device 1C and storing it in the storage unit 13.

[0068] In this embodiment, the master device 1C and the slave device 2C transmit and receive their own BD addresses and dedicated device names to each other through NFC communication. Specifically, as in the first embodiment, the NFC communication unit 21 of the slave device 2C transmits the BD address and dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device" of the slave device 2C to the master device 1C through NFC communication. As a result, the NFC communication unit 11 of the master device 1C receives the BD address and dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device" transmitted from the slave device 2C through the NFC communication unit 11. The NFC communication unit 11 stores the received BD address and dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device" in the storage unit 13, thereby registering the dedicated device name "Yamazaki Device" of the slave device 2C in the master device 1C.

[0069] In this embodiment, the NFC communication unit 11 of the master device 1C further transmits the BD address and dedicated device name "Yamazaki PC" of the master device 1C to the slave device 2C by NFC communication. As a result, the NFC communication unit 21 of the slave device 2C receives the BD address and dedicated device name "Yamazaki PC" transmitted from the master device 1C by NFC communication. The NFC communication unit 21 stores the received BD address and dedicated device name "Yamazaki PC" in the memory unit 23, thereby registering the dedicated device name "Yamazaki PC" of the master device 1C in the slave device 2C.

[0070] In this embodiment, the user (Mr. Yamazaki) of the master device 1C and the slave device 2C can select the slave device 2C, which is the BT pairing destination of the master device 1C, on the master device 1C, in the same manner as in embodiment 1. At that time, the display unit 16 of the master device 1C displays the dedicated device name of the slave device 2C, "Yamazaki Device", as one of the BT pairing candidates, since the dedicated device name of the slave device 2C is registered in the master device 1C.

[0071] In this embodiment, the user (Mr. Yamazaki) of the master device 1C and the slave device 2C can also select the master device 1C, which is the BT pairing destination of the slave device 2C, in the slave device 2C. The flow of the process executed by the slave device 2C at that time will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0072] (BT pairing process) FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing a series of processing steps when the slave device 2C performs BT pairing with a certain master device. The user (Mr. Yamazaki) of the master device 1C and the slave device 2C turns on the BT communication functions of the master device 1C and the slave device 2C. This causes the BT communication unit 22 of the slave device 2C to search for a master device capable of BT communication (step S41). Here, it is assumed that the master device 1C has been found. The BT communication unit 22 receives the BD address and normal device name of the master device 1C from the searched master device 1C (step S42). The BT communication unit 22 notifies the determination unit 27 of the received BD address and normal device name.

[0073] The determination unit 27 determines whether or not the dedicated device name of the master device 1C corresponding to the notified BD address has been registered in the slave device 2C (step S43). At that time, if the notified BD address and the dedicated device name associated with the BD address are stored in the storage unit 23, the determination unit 27 determines that the dedicated device name of the master device 1C has been registered in the slave device 2C. On the other hand, if the notified BD address and the dedicated device name associated with the BD address are not stored in the storage unit 23, the determination unit 27 determines that the dedicated device name of the master device 1C has not been registered in the slave device 2C.

[0074] If the determination unit 27 determines that the dedicated device name of the master device 1C has been registered in the slave device 2C (YES in step S43), the display unit 26 displays the dedicated device name of the master device 1C (step S44). On the other hand, if the determination unit 27 determines that the dedicated device name of the master device 1C has not been registered in the slave device 2C (NO in step S43), the display unit 26 displays the normal device name of the master device 1C (step S45).

[0075] As described above, the memory unit 23 stores the BD address of the master device 1C and the dedicated device name "Yamazaki PC" in a mutually associated state. Therefore, the determination unit 27 determines that the dedicated device name "Yamazaki PC" of the master device 1C has been registered in the slave device 2C. As a result, the display unit 26 displays the dedicated device name "Yamazaki PC" of the master device 1C as one of the BT pairing candidates.

[0076] The user of the slave device 2C inputs an operation to the slave device 2C to select one of the device names displayed as BT pairing candidates. The input unit 24 accepts the user's selection input of the device name (step S46). The input unit 24 notifies the BT communication unit 22 of the selected device name. The BT communication unit 22 establishes BT pairing with the master device 1C corresponding to the notified device name (step S47). For example, if the user selects "Yamazaki PC", the BT communication unit 22 establishes BT pairing with the master device 1C by BT communication with the BT communication unit 12 of the master device 1C corresponding to "Yamazaki PC". After this, the process shown in FIG. 11 ends.

[0077] (Major effects) As described above, in this embodiment, the master device 1C and the slave device 2C transmit and receive their own BD addresses and dedicated device names to each other by NFC communication. Therefore, the users of the master device 1C and the slave device 2C can easily select their own slave device 2C as the BT pairing partner of the master device 1C by visually recognizing "Yamazaki Device" on the screen of the master device 1C. Alternatively, they can easily select their own master device 1C as the BT pairing partner of the slave device 2C by visually recognizing "Yamazaki PC" on the screen of the slave device 2C.

[0078] In this embodiment, for the same reason as in the first embodiment, it is possible to prevent the dedicated device name of the slave device 2C, "Yamazaki Device", from being leaked to other users. Furthermore, for example, assume that the user of the slave device 3C (Mr. Suzuki) brings the slave device 3C, whose NFC communication function is turned on, close to the master device 1C, whose NFC communication function is turned on. As a result, the NFC communication unit 11 of the master device 1C detects the slave device 3C by NFC communication. Next, the display unit 16 displays a message inquiring whether or not to permit NFC communication with the slave device 3C. The user of the master device 1C (Mr. Yamazaki) inputs an operation to the master device 1C not to permit NFC communication with the slave device 3C, since the slave device 3C is not a device owned by the user. As a result, NFC communication is not performed between the master device 1C and the slave device 3C, and the slave device 3C does not receive the dedicated device name of the master device 1C, "Yamazaki PC", from the master device 1C by NFC communication. As a result, even if the slave device 3C finds the master device 1C capable of BT communication, it will display the master device 1C's general device name "Device A" as one of the BT pairing candidates, rather than the master device 1C's dedicated device name "Yamazaki PC". This makes it possible to prevent "Yamazaki PC", which contains personal information of the master device 1C user (Yamazaki), from being leaked to the slave device 3C user (Suzuki).

[0079] [Modifications common to all embodiments] The above-mentioned NFC communication is merely one example of short-distance wireless communication that can be performed by the master device 1 and the slave device 2. The master device 1 may receive the BD address and the dedicated device name of the slave device 2 from the slave device 2 by other short-distance wireless communication (e.g., RFID communication) other than NFC communication. The above-mentioned BT communication is merely one example of other wireless communication different from short-distance wireless communication. The master device 1 may wirelessly communicate with the slave device 2 by other wireless communication (e.g., WiFi (registered trademark) communication) other than BT communication.

[0080] 〔summary〕 A communication device according to a first aspect of the present invention is configured to include a first receiving unit that receives a dedicated device name of the first communication device set in the first communication device capable of short-range wireless communication and other wireless communication different from the short-range wireless communication from the first communication device via the short-range wireless communication; a registration unit that registers the received dedicated device name; a second receiving unit that receives a normal device name of the first communication device from the first communication device via the other wireless communication; and a display unit that, if the dedicated device name of the first communication device is registered, displays the dedicated device name of the first communication device as a communication partner with which the other wireless communication is possible, and, if the dedicated device name of the first communication device is not registered, displays the normal device name of the first communication device as a communication partner with which the other wireless communication is possible.

[0081] A communication device according to aspect 2 of the present invention may be configured in such a way that, in aspect 1, the second receiving unit receives each normal device name of a plurality of different first communication devices, and the display unit, when a dedicated device name of one of the first communication devices is registered and a dedicated device name of the other of the first communication devices is not registered, displays the dedicated device name of one of the first communication devices in priority over the normal device name of the other of the first communication devices.

[0082] A communication device according to aspect 3 of the present invention may be configured in such a way that, in aspect 1 or 2, the communication device further includes a first setting unit that sets a dedicated device name of a second communication device that is capable of the short-range wireless communication and the other wireless communication and for which a dedicated device name has not been set, wherein the registration unit registers the dedicated device name of the second communication device, the second receiving unit receives a normal device name of the second communication device, and the display unit, if the dedicated device name of the second communication device is registered, displays the dedicated device name of the second communication device as a communication partner with which the other wireless communication is possible, and, if the dedicated device name of the second communication device is not registered, displays the normal device name of the second communication device as a communication partner with which the other wireless communication is possible.

[0083] A communication device according to aspect 4 of the present invention, in any of aspects 1 to 3, may further include a second setting unit that sets a dedicated device name of a third communication device with which the short-range wireless communication is not possible but the other wireless communication is possible, wherein the registration unit registers the dedicated device name of the third communication device, the second receiving unit receives a normal device name of the third communication device, and the display unit, if the dedicated device name of the third communication device is registered, displays the dedicated device name of the third communication device as a communication partner with which the other wireless communication is possible, and, if the dedicated device name of the third communication device is not registered, displays the normal device name of the third communication device as a communication partner with which the other wireless communication is possible.

[0084] A communication device according to aspect 5 of the present invention, in any of aspects 1 to 4, may be configured to include a third setting unit that sets a dedicated device name for the communication device, and a transmitting unit that transmits the set dedicated device name for the communication device to the first communication device via short-range wireless communication.

[0085] The communication device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, may be configured such that the short-range wireless communication is NFC communication, and the other wireless communication is BT communication.

[0086] A communication method according to aspect 7 of the present invention includes a first receiving step of receiving a dedicated device name of the first communication device, which is set in the first communication device capable of short-range wireless communication and other wireless communication different from the short-range wireless communication, from the first communication device via short-range wireless communication; a registration step of registering the received dedicated device name; a second receiving step of receiving a normal device name of the first communication device from the first communication device via the other wireless communication; and a display step of, if the dedicated device name of the first communication device is registered, displaying the dedicated device name of the first communication device as a communication partner with which the other wireless communication is possible, and, if the dedicated device name of the first communication device is not registered, displaying the normal device name of the first communication device as a communication partner with which the other wireless communication is possible.

[0087] [Software implementation example] The functions of the master device 1 (hereinafter referred to as the "device") can be realized by a program for causing a computer to function as the device, and a program for causing a computer to function as each control block of the device (in particular, the NFC communication unit 11, the BT communication unit 12, the determination unit 15, and the display unit 16 included in the master device 1).

[0088] In this case, the device includes a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., a memory) as hardware for executing the program. The control device and storage device execute the program to realize each function described in each embodiment.

[0089] The program may be non-transitory and may be recorded in one or more computer-readable recording media. The recording media may or may not be included in the device. In the latter case, the program may be provided to the device via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

[0090] In addition, some or all of the functions of each of the control blocks can be realized by a logic circuit. For example, an integrated circuit in which a logic circuit that functions as each of the control blocks is formed is also included in the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the functions of each of the control blocks can be realized by, for example, a quantum computer.

[0091] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. New technical features can also be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 1, 1A, 1B, 1C Master device 2, 2A, 2B, 2C, 3, 3A, 3C Slave Device 11, 21, 31 NFC communication unit 12, 22, 32 BT Communication Department 13, 23, 33 storage section 14, 24, 34 Input section 15, 27 Judgment section 16, 26, 36 display section 17, 25, 35 Dedicated device name setting section

Claims

1. a first receiving unit that receives, from a first communication device via short-range wireless communication, a dedicated device name of the first communication device that is set in the first communication device, the dedicated device name being capable of short-range wireless communication and wireless communication different from the short-range wireless communication; a registration unit that registers the received dedicated device name; a second receiving unit that receives a general device name of the first communication device from the first communication device through the other wireless communication; a display unit that, when a dedicated device name of the first communication device is registered, displays the dedicated device name of the first communication device as a communication partner with which the other wireless communication is possible, and, when a dedicated device name of the first communication device is not registered, displays a normal device name of the first communication device as a communication partner with which the other wireless communication is possible.

2. The second receiving unit receives normal device names of the first communication devices, The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when a dedicated device name of one of the first communication devices is registered and a dedicated device name of the other of the first communication devices is not registered, the display unit displays the dedicated device name of one of the first communication devices in priority to the normal device name of the other of the first communication devices.

3. the communication device further includes a first setting unit that sets a dedicated device name of a second communication device that is capable of the short-range wireless communication and the other wireless communication and has no dedicated device name set; The registration unit registers a dedicated device name of the second communication device, The second receiving unit receives a general device name of the second communication device, The communication device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, when a dedicated device name of the second communication device is registered, the display unit displays the dedicated device name of the second communication device as a communication partner with which the other wireless communication is possible, and, when a dedicated device name of the second communication device is not registered, displays a normal device name of the second communication device as a communication partner with which the other wireless communication is possible.

4. the communication device further includes a second setting unit configured to set a dedicated device name of a third communication device with which the short-range wireless communication is not possible and with which the other wireless communication is possible; The registration unit registers a dedicated device name of the third communication device, The second receiving unit receives a general device name of the third communication device, The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, when a dedicated device name of the third communication device is registered, the display unit displays the dedicated device name of the third communication device as a communication partner with which the other wireless communication is possible, and, when a dedicated device name of the third communication device is not registered, displays a normal device name of the third communication device as a communication partner with which the other wireless communication is possible.

5. The communication device includes: a third setting unit that sets a dedicated device name of the communication device; The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a transmitting unit that transmits the set dedicated device name of the communication device to the first communication device via the short-range wireless communication.

6. The short-range wireless communication is NFC communication, 6. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the other wireless communication is a Bluetooth communication.

7. a first receiving step of receiving, from a first communication device via short-range wireless communication, a dedicated device name of the first communication device that is set in the first communication device, the dedicated device name being capable of short-range wireless communication and wireless communication different from the short-range wireless communication; a registration step of registering the received dedicated device name; a second receiving step of receiving a general device name of the first communication device from the first communication device through the other wireless communication; a display step of, when a dedicated device name of the first communication device is registered, displaying the dedicated device name of the first communication device as a communication partner with which the other wireless communication is possible, and, when a dedicated device name of the first communication device is not registered, displaying a normal device name of the first communication device as a communication partner with which the other wireless communication is possible.

Images