Information processing device, control method, and program

Abstract

To provide a mechanism that improves convenience in establishing connection between an information processing device and a communication device.SOLUTION: An instruction to connect between a communication device that enables a predetermined access point having identification information containing both a specific character string and a character string other than the specific character string and an information processing device is given to an OS by notifying the OS of the specific character string.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, a control method, and a program for establishing a communication connection between devices. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a technique in which an information processing device such as a smartphone establishes a connection with a communication device such as a printer, and communicates information about an access point via the connection.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes that after establishing a connection with a communication device by using the SSID of the communication device, information about the access point is communicated and the connection mode of the communication device is set. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-127545 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Meanwhile, as technology for establishing a connection between an information processing device and a communication device and communicating information about access points via that connection becomes more widespread, there is a demand for improving the convenience of establishing a connection between an information processing device and a communication device.

[0006] The present invention aims to improve the convenience in establishing a connection between an information processing device and a communication device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, a program according to the present invention is a predetermined application program, which transmits only a specific character string, which is a character string specified by the predetermined application program, from among identification information of a predetermined access point enabled by a predetermined communication device to a computer of an information processing device having an operating system (OS) different from that of the predetermined application program. , the list of access points discovered by the search performed by the OS is not provided to the predetermined application program. The computer is further caused to execute a designation step of designating the specified communication device to the OS, wherein the specified communication device is included in a plurality of communication devices provided by a specified vendor, the specific string is a string commonly included in each of the identification information of a plurality of access points enabled by the plurality of communication devices provided by the specified vendor, and each of the identification information of the plurality of access points includes the specific string and a string other than the specific string, and when a connection is established between the specified communication device that has enabled the specified access point and the information processing device based on the specific string being designated to the OS, the computer is further caused to execute a transmission step of transmitting information regarding other access points that are different from the specified access point and that are external to the information processing device and the communication device via the connection between the specified communication device that has enabled the specified access point and the information processing device, using the specified application program. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the convenience in establishing a connection between an information processing device and a communication device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a system including an information processing device and a communication device. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the processes executed by each device in the connection setup process. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram showing processing executed by an application and an embedded OS. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a communication control process of a connection setting application. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram showing processing executed by an application and an embedded OS. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0011] [First embodiment] An information processing device and a communication device included in the communication system of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, a smartphone is used as an example of the information processing device, but this is not limited thereto. Various devices, such as a mobile terminal, a notebook PC, a tablet terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), and a digital camera, can be used. In this embodiment, a printer is used as an example of the communication device, but this is not limited thereto. Various devices capable of wireless communication with the information processing device can be used. For example, printers can be inkjet printers, full-color laser beam printers, monochrome printers, and the like. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to printers but also to copiers, facsimile machines, mobile terminals, smartphones, notebook PCs, tablet terminals, PDAs, digital cameras, music playback devices, televisions, smart speakers, and the like. It can also be applied to multifunction peripherals equipped with multiple functions, such as copying, faxing, and printing.

[0012] First, the configuration of a system including an information processing device of this embodiment and a communication device capable of communicating with the information processing device will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Furthermore, the following configuration will be described as an example in this embodiment, but this embodiment can be applied to any device capable of communicating with the communication device, and is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 1.

[0013] The terminal device 101 is an information processing device in this embodiment. The terminal device 101 includes an input interface 102, a CPU 103, a ROM 104, a RAM 105, an external storage device 106, an output interface 107, a display unit 108, a communication unit 109, a short-range communication unit 110, and an image capturing device 111. In this embodiment, the terminal device 101 will be described as a smartphone.

[0014] The input interface 102 is an interface for receiving data input and operation instructions from the user, and is composed of a physical keyboard, buttons, a touch panel, etc. Note that the output interface 107 described below and the input interface 102 may have the same configuration, and the screen output and the reception of operations from the user may be performed by the same configuration.

[0015] The CPU 103 is a system control unit and performs overall control of the terminal device 101. The ROM 104 stores fixed data such as control programs and data tables executed by the CPU 103, and embedded operating system (hereinafter, referred to as OS) programs. In this embodiment, each control program stored in the ROM 104 performs software execution control such as scheduling, task switching, and interrupt processing under the management of the embedded OS stored in the ROM 104.

[0016] The RAM 105 is configured with an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or the like that requires a backup power source. Since the RAM 105 holds data using a primary battery (not shown) for data backup, it can store important data such as program control variables without volatilizing it. The RAM 105 also has a memory area for storing setting information for the terminal device 101, management data for the terminal device 101, and the like. The RAM 105 is also used as the main memory and work memory for the CPU 103.

[0017] The external storage device 106 includes a connection setting application program (a connection setting app described below) that provides a connection setting function. The external storage device 106 also includes various programs such as a print information generation program that generates print information that can be interpreted by the communication device 151, and an information transmission / reception control program that transmits and receives information to and from the communication device 151 connected via the communication unit 109. The external storage device 106 also stores various information used by these programs, as well as image data acquired from other information processing devices or via the Internet.

[0018] The output interface 107 is an interface that controls the display unit 108 to display data and notify the status of the terminal device 101 .

[0019] The display unit 108 includes an LED (light emitting diode) and an LCD (liquid crystal panel), and displays data and notifies the status of the terminal device 101. Note that a soft keyboard having keys such as numeric input keys, a mode setting key, a decision key, a cancel key, and a power key may be provided on the display unit 108, so that input from the user can be received via the display unit 108.

[0020] The communication unit 109 connects to a device such as the communication device 151 and performs data communication. For example, the communication unit 109 may communicate directly with the communication device 151 via wireless communication, or may communicate via an external access point (access point 131 (hereinafter, AP131)) that exists outside the terminal device 101 or the communication device 151. An access point is a device that establishes a network and determines a communication channel to be used for communication within the established network. In this embodiment, Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered trademark) is used as the wireless communication method of the communication unit 109, but Bluetooth Classic (registered trademark) or the like may also be used. Furthermore, a device such as a wireless LAN router may be used as the AP 131, for example. In this embodiment, a method in which the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 are directly connected without going through an external access point is called a direct connection method. Furthermore, a method in which the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 are connected via an external access point is called an infrastructure connection method.

[0021] The short-range wireless communication unit 110 is configured to perform data communication by wirelessly connecting to a device such as the communication device 151 at a short distance, and performs communication using a communication method different from that of the communication unit 109. The short-range wireless communication unit 110 is connectable to a short-range wireless communication unit 157 in the communication device 151. Note that the communication method of the short-range wireless communication unit 110 may be Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Bluetooth Classic, Wi-Fi Aware, or the like.

[0022] The photographing device 111 is a device that converts an image photographed by a photographing element into digital data. The digital data is temporarily stored in the RAM 105. Thereafter, the digital data is converted into a predetermined image format by a program executed by the CPU 103, and is stored in the external storage device 106 as image data.

[0023] The communication device 151 in this embodiment includes a ROM 152, a RAM 153, a CPU 154, a print engine 155, a communication unit 156, a short-range wireless communication unit 157, an input interface 158, an output interface 159, a function control unit 160, and a display unit 161.

[0024] The communication unit 156 connects to devices such as the terminal device 101 and performs data communication. In the present embodiment, Wi-Fi is used as the wireless communication method of the communication unit 156, but Bluetooth Classic or the like may also be used. The communication unit 156 has an access point 156a as an access point within the communication device 151 for connecting to devices such as the terminal device 101. The access point 156a is connectable to the communication unit 109 of the terminal device 101. The communication unit 156 may communicate directly with the terminal device 101 via the access point 156a, or may communicate with the terminal device 101 via the AP 131. The access point 156a may be hardware that functions as an access point, or the communication unit 156 may operate as the access point 156a using software that functions as an access point. The access point within the communication device 151 may be configured as multiple access points with different identification information (for example, SSID (Service Set Identifier)) or passwords. In this embodiment, the access points within the communication device 151 include at least a connection setting AP, which will be described later.

[0025] The RAM 153 is composed of an SRAM or the like that requires a backup power source. Since the RAM 153 retains data by being supplied with a data backup power source (not shown), it can store important data such as program control variables without volatilizing them. The RAM 153 is also used as the main memory and work memory of the CPU 154. The RAM 153 can also temporarily store print information received from the terminal device 101 or the like as a receive buffer, and can also store various types of information.

[0026] ROM 152 stores fixed data such as control programs, data tables, and OS programs executed by CPU 154. In this embodiment, each control program stored in ROM 152 performs software execution control such as scheduling, task switching, and interrupt processing under the management of an embedded OS stored in ROM 152. ROM 152 also has a memory area for storing data that needs to be retained even when power is not supplied, such as setting information for communication device 151 and management data for communication device 151.

[0027] The CPU 154 is a system control unit that performs overall control of the communication device 151. Based on information stored in the print engine 155 and RAM 153 and print jobs received from the terminal device 101 or the like, an image is formed on a recording medium such as printing paper using a recording agent such as ink, and the print result is output. At this time, the print job sent from the terminal device 101 or the like has a large amount of transmission data and requires high-speed communication, so it may be received via the communication unit 156, which is capable of communication at a higher speed than the short-range wireless communication unit 157.

[0028] The short-range wireless communication unit 157 is configured to establish a short-range wireless connection with devices such as the terminal device 101. Note that the short-range communication unit 157 may use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Bluetooth Classic, Wi-Fi Aware, or the like as a communication method.

[0029] The input interface 158 is an interface for receiving data input and operation instructions from the user, and is composed of a physical keyboard, buttons, a touch panel, etc. Note that the output interface 159 described later and the input interface 158 may have the same configuration, and the output of the screen and the reception of operations from the user may be performed with the same configuration. The output interface 159 is an interface for controlling the display unit 161 to perform data display, status notification of the communication device 151, and information display. The function control unit 160 performs management related to the control of function operations such as whether to operate the functions of the communication device 151 simultaneously.

[0030] The display unit 161 is composed of an LED (light-emitting diode) and an LCD (liquid crystal panel), and displays data and notifies the status of the communication device 151. Note that a soft keyboard equipped with keys such as a numerical input key, a mode setting key, a determination key, a cancellation key, and a power key may be provided on the display unit 161 to receive input from the user via the display unit 161.

[0031] <Regarding Wi-Fi communication (P2P (Peer to Peer) mode)> In order to establish a P2P connection (hereinafter referred to as P2P connection) in Wi-Fi communication, the communication device 151 of this embodiment operates in the P2P mode (software AP mode or Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) mode). Note that in this embodiment, P2P connection refers to a form in which devices are directly wirelessly connected without going through an external device such as AP131. The communication device 151 operating in the P2P mode operates as a master device within the network to which the communication device 151 belongs. The P2P mode includes the WFD mode and the software AP mode described below.

[0032] WFD is a standard established by the WiFi Alliance. WFD enables the terminal device 101 and communication device 151, which are WFD-compatible devices, to connect wirelessly directly to each other without going through another access point. A device that is a WFD-compatible device and plays the role of an access point (parent station) is particularly called a Group Owner. A mode in which P2P connections are made using WFD is called a WFD mode.

[0033] Furthermore, the communication device 151 has a software access point (software AP) function for operating as an access point. The communication device 151 activates (starts) the software AP within the communication device 151, and the terminal device 101 connects to the software AP via normal Wi-Fi rather than WFD. This connection allows the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 to connect wirelessly directly to each other without going through another access point. A mode in which a P2P connection is performed by enabling and operating the software AP within the communication device 151 is called software AP mode. Note that when the software AP mode is stopped, the communication device 151 disables the software AP within the communication device 151, and becomes unable to establish a P2P connection with other devices using the software AP.

[0034] In the P2P mode, the communication device 151 operates as a parent device, and therefore can determine which communication channel to use for communication in the P2P mode. For example, when the communication device 151 operates in parallel in the infrastructure mode and the P2P mode, the communication device 151 controls the communication channel used for communication in the infrastructure mode to be used for communication in the P2P mode. Furthermore, the communication device 151 may, for example, preferentially select the communication channel used for connection with the AP 131 as the channel to use for communication in the P2P mode over other channels.

[0035] Also, the connection information (such as SSID and password) for connecting to the communication device 151 in P2P mode may be arbitrarily changed by a user operation or the like on the operation unit of the communication device 151.

[0036] <Regarding Wi-Fi communication (Infrastructure mode)> In order to establish an infrastructure - type connection (hereinafter referred to as infrastructure connection) in Wi-Fi communication, the communication device 151 of this embodiment operates in infrastructure mode. In this embodiment, the infrastructure connection means a form in which an external device that controls a network such as AP131 operates as a master device, and devices are wirelessly connected via the master device. The communication device 151 operating in infrastructure mode operates as a slave device within the network to which the communication device 151 belongs.

[0037] In infrastructure mode, the communication device 151 and the terminal device 101 are connected via AP131, and communication between the communication device 151 and the terminal device 101 via AP131 becomes possible. The channel used for communication in the infrastructure mode here is, for example, a channel in a frequency band other than 2.4 GHz (such as 5.0 GHz band).

[0038] Note that in order for the terminal device 101 to communicate with the communication device 151 via AP131, it is necessary for the terminal device 101 to recognize that the communication device 151 belongs to the network formed by AP131 and to which the terminal device 101 belongs. For this purpose, for example, the terminal device 101 transmits a search signal via AP131 on the network to which the terminal device 101 belongs and checks for communication (connection) with the communication device 151.

[0039] In this embodiment, a state in which the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 are simply connected to the same AP is considered to be an infrastructure connection state. That is, in the infrastructure connection state, the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 only need to be connected to the same AP, and they do not need to be aware that the other device belongs to the network to which they belong.

[0040] In this embodiment, a P2P connection for connection setup between the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 is used when communicating a setup command and acquiring information for P2P connection with the communication device 151 in the connection setup process. In this embodiment, a Wi-Fi connection (a connection made by the communication units 109 and 156) is used as the P2P connection for connection setup. However, a BLE connection (a connection made by the short-range wireless communication unit 110 and the short-range wireless communication unit 157) may also be used as the P2P connection for connection setup.

[0041] The following describes a connection setup process using a Wi-Fi connection. Note that a communication method other than Wi-Fi or BLE, such as Classic Bluetooth, may be used as the P2P connection for connection setup. After a Wi-Fi infrastructure connection or P2P connection is established between the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 through the connection setup process, communication between the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 becomes possible via the established network connection. For example, the terminal device 101 can transmit a print job to cause the communication device 151 to execute printing or a scan job to cause the communication device 151 to execute scanning to the communication device 151 via the established connection. Specifically, if the established connection is an infrastructure connection, the job is transmitted via an external access point. If the established connection is a P2P connection, the job is transmitted via an internal access point of the communication device 151.

[0042] <About connection setting mode> In this embodiment, communication device 151 is operable in a connection setting mode. The connection setting mode is a mode for performing its own connection setting by communicating a setting command with terminal device 101. In this embodiment, the setting commands include an infrastructure setting command and a P2P setting command. The infrastructure setting command is a command for causing communication device 151 to execute connection setting for establishing an infrastructure connection between communication device 151 and terminal device 101. On the other hand, the P2P setting command is a command for causing communication device 151 to execute connection setting for establishing a P2P connection between communication device 151 and terminal device 101. The trigger for communication device 151 to start operating in the connection setting mode may be, for example, a user pressing a connection setting mode button, or may be the first startup (power ON) of communication device 151 after delivery. The connection setting mode button may be a hard button provided on communication device 151, or may be a soft button displayed on display unit 161 by communication device 151.

[0043] When the communication device 151 starts operating in the connection setting mode, it enables both Wi-Fi communication and BLE communication. For example, as a process for enabling Wi-Fi communication, the communication device 151 enables an internal AP (connection setting AP) of the communication device 151 that is dedicated to the connection setting mode. This puts the communication device 151 in a state where it can establish a P2P connection via Wi-Fi with the terminal device 101. Connection information (SSID and password) for connecting to the connection setting AP is stored in advance in a connection setting app installed in the terminal device 101. Therefore, the terminal device 101 recognizes in advance the connection information for connecting to the connection setting AP. In this embodiment, unlike the connection information of the AP that is enabled in the P2P mode, the connection information for connecting to the connection setting AP cannot be arbitrarily changed by the user. When the terminal device 101 connects to the communication device 151 operating in the connection setting mode, it becomes possible to communicate setting commands with the communication device 151. In the connection setting mode, the communication device 151 may connect to the terminal device 101 not by normal Wi-Fi but by Wi-Fi Direct (WFD). That is, the communication device 151 may operate as a Group Owner and receive a setting command from the terminal device 101 by communication using WFD.

[0044] Furthermore, the communication device 151 starts transmitting advertising information as a process for enabling BLE communication. As a result, the communication device 151 enters a state in which it can establish a connection with the terminal device 101 via BLE. Note that in this embodiment, the communication device 151 enters a state in which it can receive a pairing request via BLE within a predetermined period after BLE communication is enabled. Then, when the communication device 151 receives a pairing request via BLE within the predetermined period, it performs pairing with the device that sent the pairing request and establishes a BLE connection. If the communication device 151 does not receive a pairing request via BLE within the predetermined period, it may disable BLE communication.

[0045] When the communication device 151 enables both Wi-Fi communication and BLE communication in the connection setting mode, it receives a setting command via these communications and executes processing according to the received setting command.

[0046] <Connection setting process using Wi-Fi> FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the processes executed by each device in the connection setting process using Wi-Fi. Each process in FIG. 2 is realized, for example, by the CPU reading a program stored in the memory into the RAM and executing it in each device.

[0047] In S201, the terminal device 101 and the AP 131 are connected by Wi-Fi. In S202, the communication device 151 starts operating in the connection setting mode. The connection setting mode is a mode for the communication device 151 to execute the connection setting process.

[0048] When the communication device 151 starts operating in the connection setting mode, it enables an internal AP (connection setting AP) of the communication device 151 dedicated to the connection setting mode. As a result, the communication device 151 becomes in a state where it can establish a P2P connection with the terminal device 101 via Wi-Fi. The connection information (SSID and password) for connecting to the connection setting AP is held in advance in the connection setting application installed in the terminal device 101, and the terminal device 101 recognizes in advance the connection information for connecting to the connection setting AP. In this embodiment, unlike the connection information of the AP enabled in the P2P mode, the connection information for connecting to the connection setting AP cannot be arbitrarily changed by the user.

[0049] Note that when the communication device 151 starts operating in the connection setting mode, it further enables the BLE function and starts transmitting advertisement information. As a result, the communication device 151 becomes in a state where it can establish a connection with the terminal device 101 via BLE.

[0050] In S203, the terminal device 101 receives an instruction (a predetermined operation) to execute a connection setting process from the user via a user interface screen displayed on the display unit 108 by the connection setting application. In S204, the terminal device 101 stores, in memory, information about the AP (e.g., AP 131) to which the terminal device 101 is connected when the instruction to execute the connection setting process is received. In the following description, the AP to which the terminal device 101 is connected when the instruction to execute the connection setting process is received is assumed to be AP 131. The information about AP 131 is, for example, connection information (SSID and password) for connecting to AP 131, and information about the frequency and channel used for connecting to AP 131.

[0051] In S205, the terminal device 101 disconnects the Wi-Fi connection with the AP 131. In S206, the terminal device 101 uses connection information for connecting to a connection setting AP that is recognized in advance to establish a Wi-Fi connection with the connection setting AP inside the communication device 151. As a result, the terminal device 101 temporarily establishes a P2P connection with the communication device 151 via Wi-Fi.

[0052] In S207, the terminal device 101 transmits a connection setup process start command to the communication device 151 via a Wi-Fi connection. Note that after the connection setup process start command is transmitted, an AP list, which will be described later, is received, and therefore in this embodiment, the connection setup process start command serves as a request command for the AP list.

[0053] In S208, the communication device 151 searches for access points to which the communication device 151 can connect via Wi-Fi. Then, the communication device 151 transmits the search result, a list of access points to which the communication device 151 can connect via Wi-Fi (AP list), to the terminal device 101 via a Wi-Fi connection. That is, the terminal device 101 acquires the AP list via a Wi-Fi connection. Note that the timing of the access point search is not limited to this timing, and may be, for example, immediately after starting operation in the connection setting mode.

[0054] In S209, the terminal device 101 transmits an infrastructure setting command to the communication device 151 via a Wi-Fi connection. The infrastructure setting command includes connection information for connecting to an access point to be connected to the communication device 151. For example, if the AP list includes AP 131 stored in memory in S204, the access point to be connected to the communication device 151 will be AP 131 stored in memory in S204. Also, for example, if the AP list does not include AP 131 stored in memory in S204, the access point to be connected to the communication device 151 will be an access point selected by the user from the AP list. Here, the description will be given assuming that the access point to be connected to the communication device 151 is AP 131 stored in memory in S204. Note that at this time, the terminal device 101 may accept input of additional connection information (such as a password) for connecting to AP 131 from the user and transmit the additional connection information together as an infrastructure setting command to the communication device 151.

[0055] In S210, the terminal device 101 disconnects the P2P connection via Wi-Fi with the communication device 151. In S211, the terminal device 101 reconnects to the AP 131 via Wi-Fi using the connection information for connecting to the AP 131 stored in the memory in S204.

[0056] In S212, the communication device 151 connects to the AP 131 via Wi-Fi using the connection information for connecting to the AP 131 received in S209 based on the infrastructure setting command received in S209. As a result, the communication device 151 starts operating in infrastructure mode, and an infrastructure connection is established between the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 via the AP 131.

[0057] Although the above describes a configuration in which an infrastructure setting command is transmitted in S209, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, a P2P setting command may be transmitted. In this case, upon receiving the P2P setting command, the communication device 151 transmits connection information to the terminal device 101 for connecting to the communication device 151 operating in P2P mode. The connection information includes, for example, the SSID of an access point that is enabled when the communication device 151 operates in P2P mode and a password for connecting to the access point. Note that the access point that is enabled when the communication device 151 operates in P2P mode is different from the access point that is enabled when the communication device 151 operates in the connection setting mode. In other words, the SSID of the access point that is enabled when the communication device 151 operates in P2P mode is different from the SSID of the access point that is enabled when the communication device 151 operates in the connection setting mode. The communication device 151 then starts operating in P2P mode and enables the access point. Then, the terminal device 101 uses the received connection information to connect to the communication device 151 operating in P2P mode.

[0058] <Process for searching for communication device 151 operating in connection setting mode> As described above, in this embodiment, the terminal device 101 connects to the communication device 151 operating in the connection setup mode. To do this, the terminal device 101 needs to search for the communication device 151 operating in the connection setup mode. Here, the process of searching for the communication device 151 operating in the connection setup mode (search process) will be described.

[0059] For example, some embedded OSs, such as iOS, do not provide applications on the terminal device 101 with a list of access points discovered by a search performed by the embedded OS. Therefore, in the past, in order to select a device to be the target of connection setup processing by a connection setup application, a setting application compatible with the embedded OS was launched separately. Then, the setting application prompted the user to select an access point of the device to be the target of connection setup processing, and the selected access point was connected to the terminal device 101. After that, the connection setup application was run again in the foreground, and the device having the access point to which the terminal device 101 is connected was selected as the target device for connection setup processing by the connection setup application. These methods have the problem of requiring the user to perform complicated operations.

[0060] To eliminate such cumbersome operations, the following configuration is conceivable. For example, each device that is the target of connection setup processing by a connection setup application may have an access point with the same SSID. The connection setup application stores the same SSID in advance and instructs the OS to establish a connection between the terminal device 101 and the access point with the same SSID.

[0061] However, in this configuration, each device that is the target of connection setup processing by the connection setup application must all have an access point with the same SSID, which poses a problem of reduced security regarding the connectivity of each device.

[0062] This embodiment describes a configuration that solves these problems. Specifically, in this embodiment, each device that is the target of a connection setup process by a connection setting application has an access point with an SSID that includes both a character string common to the devices and a character string specific to each device. The connection setting application pre-stores the character string common to the devices within the connection setting application. In other words, the connection setting application does not need to accept input of the common character string from the user. The connection setting application then instructs the OS to search for an access point with an SSID that includes at least the common character string. The connection setting application then instructs the OS to establish a connection between the discovered access point and the terminal device 101. This configuration suppresses a decrease in security related to the connectivity of each device that is the target of the connection setting process, while performing highly convenient connection setup that does not require the user to perform complicated operations.

[0063] 3 is a sequence diagram showing the processing executed by the connection setting application installed in the terminal device 101 and the embedded OS stored in the ROM 104 in the processing for searching for a communication device 151 operating in the connection setting mode. Note that this processing is executed while the connection setting application is operating in the foreground and a screen by the connection setting application is displayed on the display unit 108.

[0064] In S301, the embedded OS searches for access points to which the terminal device 101 can connect. Specifically, the embedded OS searches for access points that are present around the terminal device 101 and that are transmitting beacons including an SSID and the like by receiving the beacons. The embedded OS then stores a list of access points discovered by the search (AP list) in memory. The search for access points is performed by the embedded OS at any appropriate timing.

[0065] In S302, the connection setting application issues a connection instruction to the embedded OS to instruct it to connect to an access point. Two types of connection instructions can be issued to the embedded OS. The first connection instruction specifies a certain string and is an instruction to connect the terminal device 101 to an access point having an SSID that exactly matches the specified string. An SSID that exactly matches the specified string is, in other words, an SSID that includes only the specified string and no other strings. The second connection instruction specifies a certain string and is an instruction to connect the terminal device 101 to an access point having an SSID that includes at least the specified string. An SSID that includes at least the specified string is, for example, an SSID that includes both the specified string and a string other than the specified string. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the latter type of connection instruction is issued in S302. Furthermore, it is assumed that a specific string is specified in the connection instruction. In this embodiment, the specific string is a string included in the SSID of an internal access point enabled by the communication device 151 operating in connection setting mode. The SSID is a character string commonly included in the SSIDs of the access points of each device that is the target of the connection setup process by the connection setting application. In other words, the character strings included in the SSIDs of the access points of each device that is the target of the connection setup process by the connection setting application, other than the specific character string, are different for each device. Which communication device 151 activates which access point with which SSID while operating in the connection setup mode is determined, for example, by the vendor, model number, and type of device of the communication device 151. For example, all devices of a certain type (e.g., printers) provided by a vendor that provides the connection setting application activate access points with SSIDs that include a character string common to each device and a character string that is unique to each device while operating in the connection setup mode. In this case, the SSID may be specified not only by the initial character string but also by a method of specifying a portion of the SSID. For example, a subsequent character string, a character string including a wildcard, or a regular expression may be used.When the embedded OS receives the second connection instruction, it can also establish a connection between the terminal device 101 and an access point having an SSID that includes only the specified string and no other strings. In this embodiment, all devices that are the target of the connection setting process by the connection setting application are assumed to enable access points that have an SSID that includes both the specified string and other strings.

[0066] In S303, the embedded OS searches the AP list stored in memory for access points having an SSID that includes a specific string specified by the connection setup application. If an access point having an SSID that includes the specific string is found through this search, the embedded OS identifies the found access point as the access point to connect to and proceeds to S304. Note that the AP list may contain multiple access points having an SSID that includes the specific string specified by the connection setup application. In this case, for example, one access point determined based on a specific priority may be identified as the access point to connect to. In this case, the specific priority may be determined based on the order in which the access points were discovered, the strength of the radio wave, or the like. In this embodiment, if the AP list contains multiple access points having an SSID that includes the specific string specified by the connection setup application, the access point at the top of the list is identified. More specifically, the access point that was found first in the search by the embedded OS is identified. On the other hand, if this search does not find an access point with an SSID containing the specific string, the embedded OS notifies the connection setting application that an access point with an SSID containing the specific string was not found and terminates the process.

[0067] In S304, the embedded OS pops up a confirmation area on the notification screen displayed by the connection setting application to confirm permission to connect the terminal device 101 to the access point identified as the access point to which the terminal device 101 is to connect. For example, the confirmation area displays the SSID of the access point identified as the access point to which the terminal device 101 is to connect. If the user inputs an entry in the confirmation area indicating that the terminal device 101 may connect to the access point, the embedded OS proceeds to S305. On the other hand, if the user inputs an entry in the confirmation area indicating that the terminal device 101 does not need to connect to the access point, the embedded OS terminates the process without establishing a connection between the access point and the terminal device 101. In this case, the embedded OS notifies the connection setting application that the establishment of the connection between the access point and the terminal device 101 has failed. At this time, the embedded OS or the connection setting application may display an area for successfully establishing a connection between the access point and the terminal device 101. For example, this area is an area containing a message urging the user to move the terminal device 101 closer to an access point of the user's choice other than the access point having the SSID displayed on the confirmation screen. This is because an access point located closer to the terminal device 101 is more likely to be found quickly in a search by the embedded OS. Also, for example, this area is an area containing a message urging the user to disable the access point having the SSID displayed on the confirmation screen. Also, for example, this area is an area containing a message urging the user to connect the terminal device 101 to an access point of the user's choice other than the access point having the SSID displayed on the confirmation screen, using a setting app compatible with the embedded OS.

[0068] In S305, the embedded OS executes a process (connection process) to establish a connection between the terminal device 101 and the access point identified as the access point to be connected. The connection established by the connection process is, in other words, a connection between the terminal device 101 and the communication device 151 that has enabled the access point identified as the access point to be connected. In S306, the embedded OS transmits the execution result of the connection process of S305 to the connection app. This execution result may include not only a status such as success or failure, but also information such as the cause of failure in the case of failure. The connection app that receives the execution result displays a screen indicating the execution result as the connection app screen on the display unit 108. By performing the process of FIG. 3, a Wi-Fi connection is established between the terminal device 101 and the connection setting AP within the communication device 151, as described in S206.

[0069] <About the connection setting app> 4 is a flowchart showing the process executed by the connection setting application in the connection setting process using Wi-Fi. The process in FIG. 4 is realized, for example, by the CPU 103 of the terminal device 101 reading out the connection setting application from the ROM 104 and executing it.

[0070] In S401, the CPU 103 receives an instruction to execute connection setting processing from the user via a screen displayed by the connection setting application on the display unit 108. This processing corresponds to S203.

[0071] In S402, the CPU 103 uses the connection setting application to store information about the AP (e.g., AP 131) to which the terminal device 101 is connected when the execution instruction is received in memory. This process corresponds to S204. Note that if the terminal device 101 is not connected to an AP at this time, this process is omitted.

[0072] In S403, the CPU 103 specifies a specific character string to the embedded OS using the connection setting application. Then, the CPU 103 instructs the embedded OS to establish a Wi-Fi connection between the terminal device 101 and an access point having an SSID that includes at least the specific character string. This process corresponds to S302.

[0073] In S404, the CPU 103 determines whether the connection setting application has successfully established a Wi-Fi connection between the terminal device 101 and an access point having an SSID that satisfies the specified conditions. An SSID that satisfies the specified conditions is an SSID that includes a specific character string. This process is executed based on the execution result notified by the embedded OS. Furthermore, if the OS notifies that an access point having an SSID that includes the specific character string has not been found, it is determined that the establishment of the Wi-Fi connection has failed. If it is determined that the establishment of the Wi-Fi connection has not been successful, the process of FIG. 4 ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the establishment of the Wi-Fi connection has been successful, the process proceeds to S405.

[0074] In S405, the CPU 103 causes the connection setting application to send a connection setting process start command to the communication device 151 via the established Wi-Fi connection. This process corresponds to S207. As described above, the connection setting process start command serves as a request command for an AP list.

[0075] In S406, the CPU 103, using the connection setting application, acquires an AP list from the communication device 151 as a response to the command sent in S405. This process corresponds to S208. At this time, if the AP list cannot be received, an error message may be displayed on the display unit 108, and the process in FIG. 4 may be terminated.

[0076] In S407, the CPU 103 uses the connection setting application to send an infrastructure setting command to the communication device 151 via the Wi-Fi connection of the terminal device 101. This process corresponds to S209. As described above, the infrastructure setting command includes connection information for connecting to an access point to which the communication device 151 is to be connected.

[0077] In step S407, the CPU 103 may send a P2P setting command using the connection setting application. In this case, the CPU 103 receives connection information for connecting to the communication device 151 operating in P2P mode from the communication device 151 using the connection setting application, and uses the connection information to instruct the embedded OS to establish a new Wi-Fi connection between the terminal device 101 and an access point enabled by the communication device 151 operating in P2P mode. At this time, the connection setting application can completely identify the character string included in the SSID of the access point enabled by the communication device 151 operating in P2P mode using the connection information. Therefore, the connection setting application issues a first connection instruction to the OS by specifying the entire character string included in the SSID of the access point enabled by the communication device 151 operating in P2P mode. This disconnects the Wi-Fi connection between the access point enabled by the communication device 151 operating in connection setting mode and the terminal device 101. Then, a Wi-Fi connection is established between the terminal device 101 and the access point enabled by the communication device 151 operating in P2P mode.

[0078] Note that whether an infrastructure setting command or a P2P setting command is to be sent in S407 may be determined arbitrarily. For example, when an instruction to execute the connection setup process is received, the user may be prompted to select on a selection screen whether to establish an infrastructure connection or a P2P connection, and the setting command corresponding to the selected connection may be sent. Also, for example, if the terminal device 101 is connected to any access point when the instruction to execute the connection setup process is received, the infrastructure setting command may be sent. If the terminal device 101 is not connected to any access point when the instruction to execute the connection setup process is received, the P2P setting command may be sent.

[0079] As described above, in this embodiment, each device that is the target of the connection setup process by the connection setting application has an access point with an SSID that includes both a character string common to the devices and a character string specific to each device. The connection setting application does not acquire an AP list from the OS. That is, the connection setting application does not search the AP list for access points with SSIDs that include at least the common character string. Instead, the connection setting application instructs the OS to search the AP list acquired by the OS for access points with SSIDs that include at least the common character string. The connection setting application then instructs the OS to establish a connection between the terminal device 101 and an access point with an SSID that includes at least the common character string. This configuration allows a connection to be established between any access point and the terminal device 101 without the connection setting application acquiring an AP list. Furthermore, the connection setting application performs a highly convenient connection setup that does not require the user to perform complex operations while suppressing a decrease in security related to the connectivity of each device that is the target of the connection setup process.

[0080] [Second embodiment] The following describes the differences between this embodiment and the first embodiment. In this embodiment, if the OS does not find an access point having an SSID that includes a specific character string, the connection setup application polls the OS at regular intervals by again sending an access point search instruction and a connection instruction to the OS. With this configuration, for example, even if the start of operation in the connection setup mode by the communication device 151 is delayed and the OS does not find an access point having an SSID that includes a specific character string in the first search, it is possible to increase the likelihood that the connection setup process will be completed.

[0081] FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing a process of searching for a communication device 151 that operates in the connection setting mode.

[0082] In S501, the embedded OS searches for access points to which the terminal device 101 can connect. Then, the embedded OS stores in memory a list of access points (AP list) acquired by the search. This process is the same as S301.

[0083] In S502, the connection setting application instructs the embedded OS to specify a specific character string to connect the terminal device 101 to an access point having an SSID that includes the specific character string. This process is the same as S302.

[0084] In S503, the embedded OS searches the AP list stored in the memory for an access point having an SSID that includes the specific character string specified by the connection setting application. If the embedded OS finds an access point having an SSID that includes the specific character string through this search, it proceeds to S504, and if the embedded OS does not find an access point having an SSID that includes the specific character string through this search, it proceeds to S508.

[0085] In S504, which includes a specific character string, the embedded OS displays, via the display unit 108, an area for confirming whether or not it is OK to connect the terminal 101 device to the access point found from the list by the search in S503. This process is the same as S304.

[0086] In S505, the embedded OS executes a process (connection process) to establish a connection between the terminal device 101 and the access point found from the list by the search in S303. This process is the same as S305. In S506, the embedded OS transmits the execution result of the connection process of S505 to the connection app. The execution result at this time may include not only a status such as success or failure, but also information such as the cause of failure in the case of failure. The connection app, having received the execution result, displays a screen indicating the execution result as the connection app screen on the display unit 108. This process is the same as S306. Thereafter, as described in S206, a Wi-Fi connection is established between the terminal device 101 and the connection setting AP within the communication device 151.

[0087] Meanwhile, in S508, the embedded OS sends a notification to the connection setting application indicating that an error has occurred, indicating that the SSID was not found. The connection setting application, which has received the error notification from the embedded OS, goes into a sleep state for a certain period of time in S509. When the sleep state is released after the certain period of time has elapsed, the processing from S502 is repeated again. In S510, the embedded OS executes the same processing as S501 again. That is, the embedded OS searches for an access point to which the terminal device 151 can connect and stores the results in memory. This processing is executed while the connection setting application is in sleep mode.

[0088] Thus, according to this embodiment, if the OS does not find an access point with an SSID that includes a specific character string, the connection setup application polls at regular intervals, thereby increasing the likelihood of completing the connection setup process.

[0089] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program.The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0090] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 101 terminal device: 103, 154 CPU: 104, 152 ROM: 105, 152 RAM: 131 access point: 151 communication device

Claims

1. A predetermined application program, A computer of an information processing device having an operating system (OS) different from that of the predetermined application program, a designation step of designating, to the OS that does not provide to the predetermined application program a list of access points discovered by a search executed by the OS, only a specific character string that is a character string specified by the predetermined application program among identification information of a predetermined access point that is enabled by a predetermined communication device; Execute the predetermined communication device is included in a plurality of communication devices provided by a predetermined vendor, the specific character string is a character string that is commonly included in each of identification information of a plurality of access points that are provided by the predetermined vendor and that are activated by the plurality of communication devices, and each of the identification information of the plurality of access points includes the specific character string and a character string other than the specific character string; The computer further comprises: a transmission step of transmitting, by the predetermined application program, information regarding another access point that is different from the predetermined access point and that is external to both the information processing device and the communication device, via the connection between the predetermined communication device that has enabled the predetermined access point and the information processing device, when a connection is established between the predetermined communication device that has enabled the predetermined access point and the information processing device based on the specific character string being specified to the OS; A program characterized by executing the following.

2. The program described in claim 1, characterized in that the specified application program executes the specification to the OS without obtaining information from the OS regarding one or more access points to which the information processing device can connect that have been searched by the OS.

3. The OS searches for one or more access points to which the information processing device can be connected, When the designation is executed on the OS, the OS searches for an access point having identification information including the specific character string from one or more access points to which the information processing device can be connected that are discovered by the OS; The program described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when the specified access point is discovered as an access point having identification information including the specific string, a process for connecting the specified communication device that has enabled the specified access point to the information processing device is executed by the OS.

4. The program described in claim 3, characterized in that when one or more access points to which the information processing device can connect discovered by the OS include multiple access points having identification information including the specific string, the OS executes a process to connect the information processing device to a communication device that has enabled the access point that is first discovered in a search by the OS among the multiple access points having identification information including the specific string.

5. If the specified access point is found by the designation, information about the specified access point is displayed; When an input for permitting a connection between the predetermined communication device that has enabled the predetermined access point corresponding to the displayed information and the information processing device is received from a user, a process for connecting the predetermined communication device that has enabled the predetermined access point corresponding to the displayed information and the information processing device is executed by the OS; A program described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that if input to allow connection between the specified communication device that has enabled the specified access point corresponding to the displayed information and the information processing device is not accepted from the user, the OS does not execute processing to connect the specified communication device that has enabled the specified access point corresponding to the displayed information and the information processing device.

6. an acquisition step of acquiring information about one or more external access points to which the predetermined communication device can connect from the predetermined communication device via the connection between the predetermined communication device that has enabled the predetermined access point and the information processing device when a connection is established between the predetermined communication device that has enabled the predetermined access point and the information processing device based on the specific character string being specified to the OS; a display step of displaying, by the predetermined application program, a selection screen for allowing a user to select one of one or a plurality of external access points to which the predetermined communication device can be connected; Then run 6. The program according to claim 1, wherein the other access point is an access point selected by the user from one or more external access points to which the predetermined communication device can be connected.

7. the one or more external access points to which the predetermined communication device can connect are the one or more external access points searched for by the predetermined communication device; 7. The program according to claim 6.

8. After a predetermined operation is performed on the information processing device, the designation is executed on the OS; 6. The program according to claim 1, wherein the other access point is an external access point to which the information processing device was connected when the predetermined operation was performed on the information processing device.

9. a storing step of storing, by the predetermined application program, information about an external access point to which the information processing device was connected when the predetermined operation was performed on the information processing device; Then run After information regarding the external access point to which the information processing device was connected when the predetermined operation was performed on the information processing device is transmitted by the predetermined application program, a process is executed to establish a connection between the information processing device and the external access point to which the information processing device was connected when the predetermined operation was performed on the information processing device, using the information regarding the external access point to which the information processing device was connected when the predetermined operation was performed on the information processing device, which is saved by the predetermined application program.

9. The program according to claim 8.

10. after the information about the other access point is transmitted by the predetermined application program, a process for establishing a connection between the other access point and the information processing device is executed; 9. The program according to claim 1, wherein the program is a program for executing a program for executing a program.

11. a receiving step of receiving, from a user, an input of a password for connecting to the other access point; Then run the information about the other access points transmitted by the predetermined application program includes the input password; 11. The program according to claim 1, wherein the program is a program for executing a program.

12. a receiving step of receiving, when the specific character string is specified for the OS, a result of whether or not a connection has been established between the specific communication device that has enabled the specific access point and the information processing device, from the OS by the specific application program; 12. The program according to claim 1, further comprising:

13. a display control step of, when the result is received from the OS, displaying a screen based on the result by the predetermined application program; 13. The program according to claim 12, further comprising:

14. the identification information including the specific character string is identification information of the plurality of access points activated by the plurality of communication devices, and the identification information is determined based on at least one of model numbers of the plurality of communication devices, vendors of the plurality of communication devices, and types of the plurality of communication devices; 14. The program according to claim 1, wherein the program is a program for executing a program for executing a program.

15. a transmission step of transmitting a print job for causing the communication device to execute printing or a scan job for causing the communication device to execute scanning to the communication device via the other access point; 15. The program according to claim 1, further comprising:

16. The predetermined application program is capable of issuing to the OS a first instruction for connecting the information processing device to an access point having identification information that completely matches a character string that the predetermined application program specifies to the OS, and a second instruction for connecting the information processing device to an access point having identification information that includes at least the character string that the predetermined application program specifies to the OS, In the specifying step, only the specific character string is specified to the OS by the second instruction, the predetermined communication device is capable of further enabling another access point different from the predetermined access point; the predetermined application program further causes the computer of the information processing device to execute a second designation step of designating, to the OS, all character strings included in the identification information of the other access points in response to the first instruction; a connection between the predetermined communication device that has enabled the predetermined access point and the information processing device and a connection between the predetermined communication device that has enabled the other access point and the information processing device are Wi-Fi connections; 16. The program according to claim 1, wherein the program is a program for executing a program for executing a program.

17. The identification information of the predetermined access point is information that cannot be arbitrarily changed by a user.

17. The program according to claim 1, wherein the program is a program for executing a program for executing a program.

18. 1. A method for controlling an information processing device having a predetermined application program and an operating system (OS) different from that of the predetermined application program, comprising: a designation step of designating, to the OS that does not provide to the predetermined application program a list of access points discovered by a search executed by the OS, only a specific character string that is a character string specified by the predetermined application program among identification information of a predetermined access point that is enabled by a predetermined communication device; and the predetermined communication device is included in a plurality of communication devices provided by a predetermined vendor, the specific character string is a character string that is commonly included in each of identification information of a plurality of access points that are provided by the predetermined vendor and that are activated by the plurality of communication devices, and each of the identification information of the plurality of access points includes the specific character string and a character string other than the specific character string; The control method further comprises: a transmission step of transmitting, by the predetermined application program, information regarding another access point that is different from the predetermined access point and that is external to both the information processing device and the communication device, via the connection between the predetermined communication device that has enabled the predetermined access point and the information processing device, when a connection is established between the predetermined communication device that has enabled the predetermined access point and the information processing device based on the specific character string being specified to the OS; A control method comprising:

19. An information processing device having a predetermined application program and an operating system (OS) different from the predetermined application program, a designation means for designating, to the OS, only a specific character string that is a character string specified by the specific application program among identification information of a specific access point that is enabled by a specific communication device, and not providing a list of access points found by a search executed by the OS to the specific application program; and the predetermined communication device is included in a plurality of communication devices provided by a predetermined vendor, the specific character string is a character string that is commonly included in each of identification information of a plurality of access points that are provided by the predetermined vendor and that are activated by the plurality of communication devices, and each of the identification information of the plurality of access points includes the specific character string and a character string other than the specific character string; The information processing device further comprises: a transmitting means for transmitting, when a connection is established between the predetermined communication device that has enabled the predetermined access point and the information processing device based on the specific character string being specified to the OS, information regarding another access point that is different from the predetermined access point and that is external to both the information processing device and the communication device, via the connection between the predetermined communication device that has enabled the predetermined access point and the information processing device, by the predetermined application program; An information processing device comprising:

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