Communication device, control method, and control program

Abstract

To prevent the unintended termination of an advertisement display.SOLUTION: A communication system 10 includes a wireless access point 11 and a communication terminal 12. The wireless access point 11 relays communication between the communication terminal 12 and a network 2. Until a predetermined condition is met after causing the connected communication terminal 12 to display a specific page, the wireless access point 11 performs inhibition control to inhibit communication between the communication terminal 12 and a communication confirmation server 15 used by the communication terminal 12 to confirm communication with the network 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device, a control method, and a control program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a service called a public wireless LAN is known in which a wireless LAN is configured by a wireless LAN router outdoors or in commercial facilities or the like so that communication terminals such as personal computers and smartphones can be connected to a network such as the Internet.

[0003] Some wireless LAN routers used in public wireless LANs redirect a communication terminal to an advertisement server different from the destination device specified in a web request and cause the communication terminal to execute an advertisement display when receiving a web request from the communication terminal. Patent Document 1 describes that in a relay device that relays packets from a communication terminal, redirect communication is executed when an authentication service is not provided to the communication terminal, and packet relay is executed when the authentication service is provided to the communication terminal.

[0004] In addition, a technique is known in which when a communication terminal connects to a public wireless LAN, a captive portal browser is automatically launched, and an authentication page or an advertisement page is displayed on the captive portal browser.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, among the operating systems installed on communication terminals, there are some that, after displaying an advertisement page or the like using a captive portal browser, send a communication confirmation packet to a specific communication confirmation server, and when receiving a response packet from the communication confirmation server, close the captive portal browser. For this reason, when authentication is completed and the communication terminal communicates with the network, there is a problem that even if the user of the communication terminal does not intend to, the advertisement display ends instantaneously.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to suppress the termination of unintended advertisement display.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0008] The communication device of the present invention is a communication device that relays communication between a communication terminal and a network, and after causing the connected communication terminal to display a specific page, inhibits communication between the communication destination used by the communication terminal for communication confirmation with the network and the communication terminal until a predetermined condition is satisfied, and includes a control unit.

[0009] The control method of the present invention is such that a communication device that relays communication between a communication terminal and a network inhibits communication between the communication destination used by the communication terminal for communication confirmation with the network and the communication terminal until a predetermined condition is satisfied, after causing the connected communication terminal to display a specific page.

[0010] The control program of the present invention is for causing a processor of a communication device that relays communication between a communication terminal and a network to execute a process of inhibiting communication between the communication destination used by the communication terminal for communication confirmation with the network and the communication terminal until a predetermined condition is satisfied, after causing the connected communication terminal to display a specific page.

Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a communication device, a control method, and a control program capable of suppressing the end of an unintended advertisement display.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

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Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] (Embodiment) <Communication System 10 According to an Embodiment of the Present Invention> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a communication system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The communication system 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes, for example, a wireless access point 11 and a communication terminal 12. The wireless access point 11 is an example of the communication device of the present invention.

[0015] The wireless access point 11 is a base station that forms a wireless LAN. The wireless LAN formed by the wireless access point 11 is a public wireless LAN that can be used by users outside the home or on a trip. The wireless access point 11 may be a so-called wireless LAN router that has a router function in addition to the function of an access point of the wireless LAN. The wireless access point 11 is directly or connected to the network 2 via a LAN or the like.

[0016] The network 2 is a WAN (Wide Area Network) such as the Internet, for example.

[0017] The communication terminal 12 is a communication device having a function of performing wireless communication with the wireless access point 11 by wirelessly connecting to the wireless LAN formed by the wireless access point 11. Further, the communication terminal 12 is connected to the network 2 via the wireless LAN (that is, the wireless access point 11). In the example shown in FIG. 1, the communication terminal 12 is a smartphone.

[0018] In addition, the communication terminal 12 has a specific OS (Operating System). The specific OS is an OS that, when connected to a public wireless LAN, displays an advertisement page or the like by a captive portal browser, transmits a packet for communication confirmation to a specific communication confirmation server, and closes the captive portal browser when receiving a response packet from the communication confirmation server. An example of such an OS is Android (registered trademark).

[0019] The authentication server 13 is a server that authenticates communication terminals such as the communication terminal 12 for connecting to the network 2 via the wireless access point 11. The authentication server 13 is connected to the network 2, and the communication terminal 12 communicates with the authentication server 13 via the wireless access point 11 and the network 2.

[0020] The advertisement server 14 is a server that provides advertisement content to be displayed on communication terminals such as the communication terminal 12 that is connected to the network 2 via the wireless access point 11. The advertisement server 14 is connected to the network 2, and the communication terminal 12 communicates with the advertisement server 14 via the wireless access point 11 and the network 2.

[0021] The connectivity confirmation server 15 is a server used by communication terminals having a specific OS such as the communication terminal 12 to confirm connectivity to the network 2. The connectivity confirmation server 15 is connected to the network 2, and the communication terminal 12 communicates with the connectivity confirmation server 15 via the wireless access point 11 and the network 2.

[0022] Each of the authentication server 13, the advertisement server 14, and the connectivity confirmation server 15 may be a virtual server (cloud server) realized in a cloud computing service, or may be a physical server realized as one device.

[0023] <Example of the hardware configuration of the wireless access point 11> FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the wireless access point 11. The wireless access point 11 shown in FIG. 1 includes, for example, a processor 21, a memory 22, a wireless communication interface 23, and a wired communication interface 24. These components of the wireless access point 11 are connected to each other by, for example, a bus 29.

[0024] The processor 21 is a circuit that performs signal processing, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls the entire wireless access point 11. Note that the processor 21 may be implemented by other digital circuits such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Further, the processor 21 may be implemented by combining a plurality of digital circuits.

[0025] The memory 22 includes, for example, a main memory and an auxiliary memory. The main memory is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory). The main memory is used as a work area for the processor 21.

[0026] The auxiliary memory is, for example, a non-volatile memory such as a magnetic disk or a flash memory. Various programs for operating the wireless access point 11 are stored in the auxiliary memory. The programs stored in the auxiliary memory are loaded into the main memory and executed by the processor 21.

[0027] Further, the auxiliary memory may include a portable memory that can be removed from the wireless access point 11. Examples of the portable memory include memory cards such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) flash drive and an SD (Secure Digital) memory card, and an external hard disk drive.

[0028] The wireless communication interface 23 is a communication interface that performs wireless communication with the outside of the wireless access point 11 (for example, the communication terminal 12). The wireless communication interface 23 is controlled by the processor 21.

[0029] The wired communication interface 24 is a communication interface that performs wired communication with the outside of the wireless access point 11 (for example, the network 2). The wired communication interface 24 is controlled by the processor 21.

[0030] <Example of the hardware configuration of communication terminal 12> FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of communication terminal 12. The communication terminal 12 shown in FIG. 1 includes, for example, a processor 31, a memory 32, a wireless communication interface 33, and a user interface 34. The components of these communication terminals 12 are connected to each other by, for example, a bus 39.

[0031] The processor 31, the memory 32, and the wireless communication interface 33 have the same configurations as the processor 21, the memory 22, and the wireless communication interface 23 shown in FIG. 2, respectively.

[0032] The user interface 34 includes an input device that receives operation inputs from the user and an output device that outputs information to the user. The input device can be realized by, for example, a key (e.g., a keyboard) or a remote control. The output device can be realized by, for example, a display or a speaker. Also, both the input device and the output device may be realized by a touch panel or the like. The user interface 34 is controlled by the processor 31.

[0033] <Processing by wireless access point 11> FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing by wireless access point 11. The wireless access point 11 executes the processing shown in FIG. 4, for example, for each communication terminal wirelessly connected to the wireless access point 11. Here, the communication terminal 12 wirelessly connected to the wireless access point 11 will be described.

[0034] First, the wireless access point 11 determines whether it has received a packet from the communication terminal 12 (step S41), and waits until it receives a packet from the communication terminal 12 (loop for step S41: No). When it receives a packet from the communication terminal 12 (step S41: Yes), the wireless access point 11 determines whether the communication terminal 12 has been authenticated for connection to the network 2 via the wireless access point 11 (step S42).

[0035] In step S42, if the communication terminal 12 has not been authenticated (step S42: No), the wireless access point 11 determines whether the packet received from the communication terminal 12 is a packet to the authentication server 13 (step S43).

[0036] In step S43, if it is not a packet to the authentication server 13 (step S43: No), the wireless access point 11 sends a redirect response to the authentication server 13 to the communication terminal 12 (step S44), and returns to step S41. If it is a packet to the authentication server 13 (step S43: Yes), the wireless access point 11 forwards the packet received from the communication terminal 12 to the authentication server 13 (step S45), and returns to step S41.

[0037] In step S42, if the communication terminal 12 has been authenticated (step S42: Yes), the wireless access point 11 determines whether the packet received from the communication terminal 12 is a packet for connection confirmation to a connection confirmation server for a specific OS (for example, the connection confirmation server 15) (step S46).

[0038] For example, the wireless access point 11 acquires a list of URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) of a connectivity confirmation server used by a communication terminal (e.g., communication terminal 12) of a specific OS (e.g., Android) for connectivity confirmation. This list may be stored in the memory of the wireless access point 11, or may be received by the wireless access point 11 from another server via a network 2 or the like. Then, the wireless access point 11 makes the determination in step S46 by determining whether the URL specified as the destination of the received packet is included in the acquired list.

[0039] In step S46, if it is not a packet for connectivity confirmation to the connectivity confirmation server for a specific OS (step S46: No), the wireless access point 11 transfers the packet received from the communication terminal 12 toward the destination of the packet (step S47), and returns to step S41.

[0040] In step S46, if it is a packet for connectivity confirmation to the connectivity confirmation server for a specific OS (step S46: Yes), the wireless access point 11 determines whether a predetermined condition for ending the advertisement display for the communication terminal 12 is satisfied (step S48). The predetermined condition for ending the advertisement display is, for example, that the display time of the advertisement is equal to or longer than a predetermined time.

[0041] In step S48, if the predetermined condition is not satisfied (step S48: No), the wireless access point 11 performs a redirect response to the advertisement server 14 for the communication terminal 12 (step S49), and returns to step S41.

[0042] In step S48, if the predetermined condition is satisfied (step S48: Yes), the wireless access point 11 proceeds to step S47 and transfers the packet for connectivity confirmation received from the communication terminal 12 toward the connectivity confirmation server 15 which is the destination of the packet.

[0043] In addition to the process shown in FIG. 4, the wireless access point 11 performs a process of transferring packets addressed to the communication terminal 12 received from devices other than the communication terminal 12 (for example, the authentication server 13, the advertisement server 14, and the connectivity confirmation server 15) to the communication terminal 12.

[0044] <Processing by the communication terminal 12 having a specific operating system> FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the communication terminal 12 having a specific operating system. The communication terminal 12 executes the processing shown in FIG. 5, for example, while being wirelessly connected to the wireless access point 11. The processing shown in FIG. 5 is executed by a specific OS that the communication terminal 12 has.

[0045] First, the communication terminal 12 transmits a connectivity confirmation packet addressed to the connectivity confirmation server 15 to the wireless access point 11 (step S51). Next, the communication terminal 12 determines whether it has received a packet from the wireless access point 11 (step S52), and waits until it receives a packet from the wireless access point 11 (loop in step S52: No).

[0046] In step S52, when the communication terminal 12 receives a packet from the wireless access point 11 (step S52: Yes), the communication terminal 12 determines whether the packet received from the wireless access point 11 is a redirect response to the authentication server 13 or the advertisement server 14 (step S53).

[0047] In step S53, when the received packet is a redirect response (step S53: Yes), the communication terminal 12 displays the redirected web page by the captive portal browser (CPB) (step S54), and returns to step S51.

[0048] In step S54, if the communication terminal 12 has not launched the captive portal browser, it launches the captive portal browser, and the launched captive portal browser sends a request to the redirect destination (authentication server 13 or advertisement server 14) indicated by the redirect response, and displays the web page (authentication page or advertisement page) received in response to the sent request. On the other hand, if the communication terminal 12 has already launched the captive portal browser, it maintains the display content of the captive portal browser.

[0049] The display of the web page by the captive portal browser is performed by, for example, a display or a touch panel included in the user interface 34 shown in FIG. 3. Web pages such as authentication pages and advertisement pages are represented by a markup language such as HTML (HyperText Markup Language).

[0050] In step S53, if the received packet is not a redirect response (step S53: No), the communication terminal 12 determines whether the received packet is a response packet from the connectivity confirmation server 15 (step S55).

[0051] In step S55, if the received packet is a response packet from the connectivity confirmation server 15 (step S55: Yes), the communication terminal 12 closes the launched captive portal browser (step S56) and ends the series of processes during the wireless connection. Note that closing the captive portal browser means stopping the display by the captive portal browser in the user interface 34, and it is not necessarily required to end the processing of the captive portal browser.

[0052] Note that in step S55, if the received packet is not a response packet from the connectivity confirmation server 15 (step S55: No), the communication terminal 12 executes processing according to the received packet (step S57) and returns to step S52.

[0053] After the communication terminal 12 closes the captive portal browser in step S56, it is in a state of being connected to the network 2 via the wireless access point 11 and can perform various types of communication via the network 2.

[0054] <Operations of Wireless Access Point 11 and Communication Terminal 12> FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operations of the wireless access point 11 and the communication terminal 12.

[0055] First, a wireless connection is established between the wireless access point 11 and the communication terminal 12 (step S601). This wireless connection is performed, for example, based on a request from the communication terminal 12 to the wireless access point 11. In step S601, an authentication process for the communication terminal 12 to wirelessly connect to the wireless access point 11 may be performed.

[0056] Next, the communication terminal 12 transmits a connectivity check packet addressed to the connectivity check server 15 to the wireless access point 11 (step S602). Next, since the wireless access point 11 does not satisfy a predetermined condition described later for ending the advertisement display regarding the communication terminal 12, in response to the connectivity check packet received in step S602, the wireless access point 11 performs a redirect response to the authentication page of the authentication server 13 for the communication terminal 12 (step S603).

[0057] Next, in response to the redirect response performed in step S603, the communication terminal 12 transmits a request for the authentication page addressed to the authentication server 13 to the wireless access point 11 (step S604). Since this request for the authentication page is not a connectivity check packet for a specific OS's connectivity check server (for example, the connectivity check server 15), it is transferred to the authentication server 13 by the wireless access point 11.

[0058] Next, in response to the request received by the authentication server 13 in step S604, the authentication server 13 transmits an authentication page as a captive portal to the communication terminal 12 (step S605). The communication terminal 12 receives this authentication page via the wireless access point 11.

[0059] Next, since the authentication page received by the communication terminal 12 in step S605 is a captive portal, the communication terminal 12 activates a captive portal browser (CPB) and displays the received authentication page using the captive portal browser (step S606). As a result, the authentication page is displayed on the user interface 34 of the communication terminal 12.

[0060] Next, authentication processing is performed between the communication terminal 12 and the authentication server 13 (step S607). The authentication processing is performed, for example, by transmitting the user name, password, etc. entered by the user of the communication terminal 12 to the authentication server 13 from the communication terminal 12 for the authentication page displayed in step S606. When the authentication by the authentication processing in step S607 is successful, the communication terminal 12 displays an authentication completion page using the captive portal browser (step S609). This authentication completion page includes a link to the advertisement page of the advertisement server 14 as an advertisement.

[0061] Next, since the communication terminal 12 has not received the response packet from the connectivity confirmation server 15 for the connectivity confirmation packet transmitted in step S601, the communication terminal 12 transmits the connectivity confirmation packet addressed to the connectivity confirmation server 15 to the wireless access point 11 again (step S609).

[0062] Next, since the predetermined conditions for ending the advertisement display regarding the communication terminal 12 are not satisfied by the wireless access point 11 and the authentication process between the wireless access point 11 and the authentication server 13 has ended, in response to the connectivity confirmation packet received in step S609, a redirection response to the advertisement page of the advertisement server 14 is sent to the communication terminal 12 (step S610). On the other hand, since the captive portal browser has been started by the communication terminal 12 in step S606, the display content (authentication completion page including a link to the advertisement page) by the captive portal browser is maintained. In the example of FIG. 6, it is assumed that the predetermined condition for ending the advertisement display regarding the communication terminal 12 is that the display time of the advertisement by the communication terminal 12 has reached a predetermined time or more. The display time of the advertisement is the display time of the advertisement page or a page including a link to the advertisement page (for example, the above-mentioned authentication completion page). For example, the wireless access point 11 calculates the display time of the advertisement based on the elapsed time since the display of the authentication completion page including a link to the advertisement page in step S608. Further, the wireless access point 11 may receive a notification from the communication terminal 12 indicating that the authentication completion page including a link to the advertisement page has been displayed in step S608, and calculate the display time of the advertisement based on the elapsed time since receiving this notification.

[0063] Steps S609 and S610 are repeated until the display time of the advertisement reaches a predetermined time or more. That is, the communication terminal 12 repeatedly transmits the connectivity confirmation packet and receives the redirection response to the advertisement page thereby performed, but maintains the display content (authentication completion page) of the captive portal browser. However, during this period, if the user performs an instruction operation on the link to the advertisement page of the authentication completion page displayed by the captive portal browser, the communication terminal 12 transmits a request for the advertisement page addressed to the advertisement server 14 to the wireless access point 11 and receives the advertisement page from the advertisement server 14. Since this request for the advertisement page or the like is not a connectivity confirmation packet to a connectivity confirmation server for a specific OS, it is transferred by the wireless access point 11.

[0064] In this case, the communication terminal 12 is in a state where the advertisement page received from the advertisement server 14 is displayed by the captive portal browser. Even in this state, the communication terminal 12 repeatedly transmits the connectivity check packet and receives the redirect response to the advertisement page thereby performed, but maintains the display content (advertisement page) of the captive portal browser.

[0065] When the display time of the advertisement reaches a predetermined time or more, the wireless access point 11 transfers the connectivity check packet received from the communication terminal 12 to the connectivity check server 15 which is its destination (step S611).

[0066] Next, the connectivity check server 15 transmits a response packet for the connectivity check packet received in step S611 to the communication terminal 12 (step S612). The communication terminal 12 receives this response packet via the wireless access point 11.

[0067] Next, since the communication terminal 12 has received the response packet from the connectivity check server 15, it determines that the communication with the network 2 has been established and closes the captive portal browser (step S613). Thereby, the display of the advertisement (the authentication completion page including the link to the advertisement page or the advertisement page) by the captive portal browser using the user interface 34 of the communication terminal 12 ends.

[0068] <Advertisement display by communication terminal 12> FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of advertisement display by the communication terminal 12. The touch panel 34a is the touch panel included in the user interface 34 of the communication terminal 12 shown in FIG. 3, for example. By step S608 shown in FIG. 6, for example, the communication terminal 12 causes the captive portal browser to display the authentication completion page 70 on the touch panel 34a. The authentication completion page 70 is, for example, the content transmitted as HTML data from the authentication server 13.

[0069] The authentication completion page 70 includes a message "Authentication completed" indicating that the authentication process in step S607 has been completed, and an advertisement link 71. The advertisement link 71 is an area where a link to the advertisement page of the advertisement server 14 is set. In the advertisement link 71, there is a " <pr>It contains a string "」. The advertisement link 71 may be a string with a link set, or it may be an image with a link set.

[0070] <Advertisement display by communication terminal 12> FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of advertisement display by communication terminal 12. When an instruction operation (for example, a touch operation) of the advertisement link 71 on the authentication completion page 70 shown in FIG. 7 is performed, the communication terminal 12 receives an advertisement page 80 from, for example, the advertisement server 14, and causes the touch panel 34a to display the advertisement page 80 by the captive portal browser.

[0071] The advertisement page 80 is, for example, advertisement content transmitted as HTML data from the advertisement server 14. On the advertisement page 80, there is a " indicating that the advertisement page 80 is advertisement content. <pr>It includes a string such as "」" and countdown information 81 indicating the remaining time until the display of the advertisement content ends.

[0072] The countdown information 81 indicates the remaining time, for example, among the above-mentioned predetermined time. In the example of FIG. 8, the countdown information 81 indicates that there are 3 seconds remaining until the display of the advertisement page 80. While the remaining time indicated by the countdown information 81 is greater than 0, a redirect response to the advertisement server 14 is made for the communication confirmation packet transmitted by the communication terminal 12, and the display of the advertisement page 80 is continued (repetition of steps S609 and S610 shown in FIG. 6).

[0073] When the remaining time indicated by the countdown information 81 becomes 0, that is, when the display time of the advertisement becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined time, the communication terminal 12 receives a response packet from the communication confirmation server 15 for the communication confirmation packet transmitted, and closes the captive portal browser (steps S613 to S613 shown in FIG. 6). Thereby, the display of the advertisement page 80 by the touch panel 34a ends.

[0074] As described above, the wireless access point 11 inhibits the communication between the communication terminal 12 and the communication destination (for example, the communication confirmation server 15) used by the communication terminal 12 for network 2 communication confirmation until a predetermined condition for ending the display of the specific page is satisfied while the specific page (for example, an authentication page or an advertisement page by the captive portal) is being displayed on the communication terminal 12 connected to the wireless access point 11 by redirect. The predetermined condition for ending the display is, for example, as described above, that the display time of the specific page by the communication terminal 12 has become equal to or greater than the predetermined time.

[0075] As an inhibition control for inhibiting communication between a communication destination (for example, the connectivity confirmation server 15) and the communication terminal 12, the wireless access point 11 performs control not to forward a connectivity confirmation packet for the communication destination received from the communication terminal 12 to the communication destination. Specifically, as described above, when the wireless access point 11 receives a connectivity confirmation packet from the communication terminal 12, the wireless access point 11 performs a redirection response to cause the communication terminal 12 to display a web page provided by a server device different from the communication destination (for example, an authentication page of the authentication server 13 or an advertisement page of the advertisement server 14). However, the control not to forward the connectivity confirmation packet to the communication destination is not limited to this, and may be control to discard the connectivity confirmation packet.

[0076] Alternatively, as an inhibition control for inhibiting communication between a communication destination (for example, the connectivity confirmation server 15) and the communication terminal 12, the wireless access point 11 may forward the connectivity confirmation packet transmitted by the communication terminal 12 to the communication destination, but perform control not to forward the response packet transmitted from the communication destination in response to the connectivity confirmation packet to the communication terminal 12.

[0077] By the above inhibition control, even when the communication terminal 12 transmits a connectivity confirmation packet for the connectivity confirmation destination while displaying a specific page such as an advertisement page and performs an operation of closing the specific page when receiving a response packet from the communication destination, the specific page can be prevented from closing until a predetermined condition is satisfied. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the termination of an unintended advertisement display, such as the advertisement display terminating instantaneously even though the user of the communication terminal 12 does not intend it when authentication is completed and the communication terminal 12 becomes connected to the network 2.

[0078] On the other hand, the wireless access point 11 does not perform the above inhibition control for a communication terminal having an OS other than a specific OS, thereby suppressing the communication terminal from performing an unintended operation by the above inhibition control.

[0079] Note that, as in the process shown in FIG. 4, the wireless access point 11 may relay communication between the communication terminal 12 and a communication destination other than the connection confirmation server 15 while performing inhibition control to inhibit communication between the communication terminal 12 and the connection confirmation server 15. For example, an email application installed on the communication terminal 12 can receive notifications from an email server even while an advertisement is being displayed on the captive portal browser due to the inhibition control. Alternatively, even while an advertisement is being displayed on the captive portal browser due to the inhibition control, the user can launch a normal web browser other than the captive portal browser and display an arbitrary web page.

[0080] (Another example of the predetermined condition for ending the display) Although the case where the predetermined condition for ending the display is that the display time of a specific page by the communication terminal 12 has reached a predetermined time or more has been described, it is not limited to this. For example, the predetermined condition for ending the display may be that the communication terminal 12 has received a specific operation from the user.

[0081] FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing another example of the operations of the wireless access point 11 and the communication terminal 12. Steps S901 to S910 shown in FIG. 9 are the same as steps S601 to S610 shown in FIG. 6.

[0082] In the example of FIG. 9, assume that the predetermined condition for ending the advertisement display regarding the communication terminal 12 is that the communication terminal 12 has received a specific operation from the user. For example, the wireless access point 11 recognizes that the communication terminal 12 has received a specific operation from the user based on a notification from the communication terminal 12. Examples of the specific operation will be described later (see, for example, FIG. 10).

[0083] In the example of FIG. 9, steps S909 and S910 are repeated until the communication terminal 12 receives a specific operation from the user. The repetition of this process is the same as the repetition of steps S609 and S610.

[0084] When the communication terminal 12 receives a specific operation from the user, the wireless access point 11 proceeds to step S911. Steps S911 to S913 shown in FIG. 9 are the same as steps S611 to S613 shown in FIG. 6.

[0085] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of advertisement display by the communication terminal 12. For example, in step S912 shown in FIG. 9, the communication terminal 12 causes the captive portal browser to display the advertisement page 80 shown in FIG. 10 on the touch panel 34a.

[0086] The advertisement page 80 shown in FIG. 10 includes a display end button 101 instead of the countdown information 81 of the advertisement page 80 shown in FIG. 8. The display end button 101 is a button with the character string "Close" attached thereto and is a button for ending the display of the advertisement page 80. The specific operation as a predetermined condition for ending the display may be an instruction operation (for example, a touch operation) of this display end button 101.

[0087] For example, until the user performs a touch operation on the display end button 101, a redirect response to the advertisement server 14 is made for the communication confirmation packet transmitted by the communication terminal 12, and the display of the advertisement page 80 is continued (repetition of steps S909 and S910 shown in FIG. 9).

[0088] When the user performs a touch operation on the display end button 101, the communication terminal 12 transmits a notification to the wireless access point 11 indicating that the touch operation on the display end button 101 has been performed, and the wireless access point 11 determines that a predetermined condition has been satisfied based on the notification. As a result, the communication terminal 12 receives a response packet from the communication confirmation server 15 for the transmitted communication confirmation packet, and closes the captive portal browser (steps S911 to S913 shown in FIG. 9). Thereby, the display of the advertisement page 80 on the touch panel 34a ends.

[0089] The specific operation as a predetermined condition for indicating the end is not limited to the instruction operation of the display end button 101. For example, when the advertisement page 80 is scrollable advertisement content by a user operation, the specific operation as a predetermined condition for indicating the end may be a user operation of scrolling to the bottom of the advertisement page 80. In addition, the specific operation as a predetermined condition for indicating the end can be any operation.

[0090] Also, on the authentication completion page 70 shown in FIG. 7, a display end button similar to the display end button 101 may be provided. In this case, the specific operation as a predetermined condition for indicating the end may be an instruction operation (for example, a touch operation) of the display end button on this authentication completion page 70.

[0091] (Another example of the predetermined condition for indicating the end) The predetermined condition for indicating the end may be that the display time of a specific page by the communication terminal 12 is equal to or more than a predetermined time, and the communication terminal 12 has received a specific operation from the user. For example, the communication terminal 12 first displays an advertisement page 80 including countdown information 81 shown in FIG. 8, and when the remaining time indicated by the countdown information 81 becomes 0, it displays the display end button 101 shown in FIG. 10 on the advertisement page 80.

[0092] Then, when the user performs a touch operation on the display end button 101, the communication terminal 12 transmits a notification indicating that the touch operation on the display end button 101 has been performed to the wireless access point 11. Thereby, the communication terminal 12 receives a response packet from the connectivity confirmation server 15 for the transmitted connectivity confirmation packet, and closes the captive portal browser.

[0093] Thus, the predetermined condition for indicating the end may include a plurality of conditions.

[0094] (Another example of a method for performing inhibition control on a communication terminal having a specific OS) As a method for the wireless access point 11 to perform the above inhibition control on a communication terminal (e.g., communication terminal 12) having a specific OS, a method has been described in which a communication terminal having a specific OS acquires a list of destinations used for communication confirmation with the network 2, and performs inhibition control when the destination of the received communication confirmation packet is included in the list (see, for example, FIG. 4), but the method is not limited to this.

[0095] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing another example of the processing by the wireless access point 11. The wireless access point 11 may execute the processing shown in FIG. 11 instead of the processing shown in FIG. 4 for each communication terminal wirelessly connected to the wireless access point 11. Here, the communication terminal 12 wirelessly connected to the wireless access point 11 will be described.

[0096] Steps S111 to S115 in FIG. 11 are the same as steps S41 to S45 in FIG. 4. In step S112, when the communication terminal 12 is authenticated (step S112: Yes), the wireless access point 11 determines whether the OS of the communication terminal 12 that is the source of the packet is a specific OS (e.g., Android) (step S116). For example, the wireless access point 11 makes the determination in step S116 based on the header information (excluding the destination) of the packet received from the communication terminal 12. Alternatively, the wireless access point 11 may inquire about the OS of the communication terminal 12 by communicating with the communication terminal 12, and make the determination in step S116 based on the response from the communication terminal 12.

[0097] In step S116, when the OS of the communication terminal 12 that is the source of the packet is a specific OS (step S116: Yes), the wireless access point 11 transfers the packet received from the communication terminal 12 to the destination of the packet (step S117), and returns to step S111. When the OS of the communication terminal 12 that is the source of the packet is not a specific OS (step S116: No), the process proceeds to step S118. Steps S118 and S119 are the same as steps S48 and S49 shown in FIG. 4.

[0098] In this way, the wireless access point 11 may determine whether the OS of the communication terminal 12 is a specific OS by communicating with the communication terminal 12 or the like, and perform the above inhibition control when the OS of the communication terminal 12 is the specific OS. Note that in step S116, even when the OS of the communication terminal 12 is the specific OS, if the received packet is not a packet for communication confirmation, the communication terminal 12 may shift to step S117 and transfer the packet.

[0099] (Modification example of communication terminal 12) Although the case where the communication terminal 12 is a smartphone has been described, the communication terminal 12 is not limited to a smartphone and can be various communication devices that connect to the network 2 via the wireless access point 11. For example, the communication terminal 12 may be an information terminal such as a tablet terminal, a personal computer, or a wearable terminal.

[0100] (Modification example of communication device) Although the wireless access point 11 has been described as an example of the communication device, the communication device is not limited to a wireless access point and can be various communication devices (for example, a wireless LAN repeater or a slave unit, a relay device, a firewall device, a hub / wired device) that relay communication between the communication terminal 12 and the network 2.

[0101] <Another example of communication system 10>[ FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another example of the communication system 10. In the communication system 10 shown in FIG. 12, the wireless access point 11 is connected to the network 2 via the relay device 16. The communication device of the present invention can also be applied to the relay device 16 shown in FIG. 12.

[0102] The relay device 16 is a relay device that relays communication by, for example, wired communication. The relay device 16 can be various relay devices such as a router, a firewall device, and a switching hub. The hardware configuration of the relay device 16 is the same as that of the wireless access point 11 shown in FIG. 2. However, the relay device 16 may not be provided with the wireless communication interface 23.

[0103] (Regarding the program) The programs stored in the ROM of the memory 22 of the wireless access point 11 and the programs stored in the ROM of the memory 32 of the communication terminal 12 are stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Such a "computer-readable storage medium" is, for example, an optical medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-ROM), a magnetic storage medium such as a USB memory or a memory card, etc. Also, such programs can be provided by downloading via a network.

[0104] As described above, the following matters are disclosed in this specification.

[0105] The disclosed communication device is a communication device that relays communication between a communication terminal and a network, and after causing the connected communication terminal to display a specific page, performs inhibition control to inhibit communication between the communication destination used by the communication terminal for communication confirmation with the network and the communication terminal until a predetermined condition is satisfied, and includes a control unit.

[0106] In the disclosed communication device, the control unit acquires a list of communication destinations used by a communication terminal having a specific operating system for communication confirmation with the network, and performs the inhibition control based on the acquired list.

[0107] In the disclosed communication device, the control unit determines whether the operating system of the communication terminal is a specific operating system, and performs the inhibition control when the operating system of the communication terminal is the specific operating system.

[0108] In the disclosed communication device, as the inhibition control, the control unit performs control not to forward the connection confirmation packet for the communication destination received from the communication terminal to the communication destination.

[0109] In the disclosed communication device, as the inhibition control, when the control unit receives a connection confirmation packet for the communication destination from the communication terminal, the control unit performs control to cause the communication terminal to display a page provided by a server device different from the communication destination.

[0110] In the disclosed communication device, as the inhibition control, the control unit performs control not to forward the response packet received from the communication destination in response to the connection confirmation packet for the communication destination transmitted by the communication terminal to the communication terminal.

[0111] In the disclosed communication device, the predetermined condition includes that the display time of the specific page by the communication terminal is equal to or longer than a predetermined time.

[0112] In the disclosed communication device, the predetermined condition includes that the communication terminal has received a specific operation from the user.

[0113] In the disclosed communication device, in a state where the control unit is performing the inhibition control, the control unit relays communication between the communication terminal and a communication destination other than the communication destination.

[0114] After the communication terminal displays the specific page, in the disclosed communication device, when the communication terminal transmits a connection confirmation packet for the communication destination and receives a response packet from the communication destination, the communication terminal performs an operation of closing the specific page.

[0115] The disclosed communication device is such that the operation is an operation executed by a communication terminal having a specific operating system.

[0116] The disclosed control method is such that a communication device that relays communication between a communication terminal and a network performs inhibition control to inhibit communication between the communication destination used by the communication terminal for communication confirmation with the network and the communication terminal until a predetermined condition is satisfied, after causing the connected communication terminal to display a specific page.

[0117] The disclosed control program is for causing a processor of a communication device that relays communication between a communication terminal and a network to execute a process of performing inhibition control to inhibit communication between the communication destination used by the communication terminal for communication confirmation with the network and the communication terminal until a predetermined condition is satisfied, after causing the connected communication terminal to display a specific page.

Explanation of Signs

[0118] 2 Network 10 Communication system 11 Wireless access point 12 Communication terminal 13 Authentication server 14 Advertising server 15 Communication confirmation server 21, 31 Processor 22, 32 Memory 23, 33 Wireless communication interface 24 Wired communication interface 29, 39 Bus 34 User interface 34a Touch panel 70 Authentication completion page 71 Advertising link 80 Advertising page 81 Countdown information 101 Display end button< / pr> < / pr>

Claims

1. A communication device that relays communication between a communication terminal and a network, after causing the connected communication terminal to display a specific page, determines whether the operating system of the communication terminal is a specific operating system, and when the operating system of the communication terminal is the specific operating system, inhibits communication between the communication destination used by the communication terminal for communication confirmation with the network and the communication terminal until a predetermined condition is satisfied. The communication device is provided with a control unit for performing control. A communication device comprising a control unit.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires a list of communication destinations used by a communication terminal having a specific operating system for communication confirmation with the network, and determines whether the operating system of the communication terminal is the specific operating system based on the acquired list. A communication device.

3. The communication device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit performs control not to transfer a communication confirmation packet for the communication destination received from the communication terminal to the communication destination as the inhibition control. A communication device.

4. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit, as the inhibition control, performs control to cause the communication terminal to display a page provided by a server device different from the communication destination when receiving a communication confirmation packet for the communication destination from the communication terminal. A communication device.

5. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit, as the inhibition control, performs control not to transfer a response packet received from the communication destination in response to a communication confirmation packet for the communication destination transmitted by the communication terminal to the communication terminal. A communication device.

6. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the predetermined condition includes that the display time of the specific page by the communication terminal is equal to or longer than a predetermined time. A communication device.

7. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the predetermined condition includes that the communication terminal has received a specific operation from a user. A communication device.

8. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control unit relays communication between a communication destination other than the communication destination and the communication terminal while performing the inhibition control. A communication device.

9. A communication device according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein after the communication terminal displays the specific page, it transmits a packet for communication confirmation to the communication destination, and when it receives a response packet from the communication destination, it performs an operation of closing the specific page. Communication device.

10. A communication device according to Claim 9, wherein the operation is an operation executed by a communication terminal having a specific operating system. Communication device.

11. A communication device that relays communication between a communication terminal and a network, after causing the connected communication terminal to display a specific page, determines whether the operating system of the communication terminal is a specific operating system, and when the operating system of the communication terminal is the specific operating system, performs inhibition control to inhibit communication between the communication terminal and the communication destination used by the communication terminal for communication confirmation with the network until a predetermined condition is satisfied. Control method.

12. A control program for causing a processor of a communication device that relays communication between a communication terminal and a network to after causing the connected communication terminal to display a specific page, determine whether the operating system of the communication terminal is a specific operating system, and when the operating system of the communication terminal is the specific operating system, perform inhibition control to inhibit communication between the communication terminal and the communication destination used by the communication terminal for communication confirmation with the network until a predetermined condition is satisfied. Execute the process.

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