Programs, information processing devices, and communication systems

Abstract

To provide technology in which a user can easily perform communication between a communication device and an information processing device.SOLUTION: An information processing device requests setting which enables communication with a prescribed communication mode in a prescribed state to a communication device by the prescribed communication mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a program for setting a communication device, an information processing device, and a communication system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been a technique for automatically changing the operating state of a device when a predetermined condition is satisfied in the device. Patent Document 1 describes an automatic power-on function that automatically turns on the power of a printer when the printer in the power-off state receives print target data.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when the automatic power-on function as described in Patent Document 1 is invalid in the device, even if the user desires to communicate between the device and the information processing device, desired communication may not be possible when the power of the device is off. In this case, a user operation such as turning on the power may be required, and it is conceivable that desired communication cannot be easily performed.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technique that enables a user to easily communicate between a communication device and an information processing device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The communication device of the present invention for solving the above problems is A communication device capable of operating in any of the following states, including a predetermined power state and a power state that is less power-efficient than the predetermined power state, comprising: a first communication means for performing Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication with an external information processing device; a second communication means for performing Wi-Fi communication with the information processing device; a setting means for disabling or enabling a predetermined function that automatically switches the communication device to the predetermined power state when the first condition is met while the communication device is operating in a power state that is less power-efficient than the predetermined power state; a printing means for performing printing based on a print job received via Wi-Fi communication with the information processing device; a switching means for switching the communication device to a power state that is less power-efficient than the predetermined power state when the second condition is met while the communication device is operating in the predetermined power state; and the predetermined function in the communication device The communication device is characterized in that, when it is in an effective state, it is controlled to enable communication with the information processing device even when the communication device is in a power supply state that is less power-efficient than the predetermined power supply state, and when the predetermined function is disabled in the communication device, it is controlled to enable communication with the information processing device when the communication device is in a power supply state that is less power-efficient than the predetermined power supply state, and it is characterized in that it is controlled by a control means that enables communication with the information processing device when the communication device is in a power supply state that is less power-efficient than the predetermined power supply state, and it is transmitted by a transmission means that transmits predetermined information to the information processing device corresponding to whether or not the predetermined function is enabled in the communication device, and when the predetermined information is transmitted to the information processing device, a display based on the content of the predetermined information is executed in the information processing device.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, a user can easily perform communication between a communication device and an information processing device under predetermined conditions. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the information processing device and communication device in this embodiment. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates the process of broadcasting advertisement information and receiving connection request information. [Figure 3] This is a diagram to explain advertising in BLE. [Figure 4] This figure shows the screen related to the pairing process. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates the flow for enabling the automatic power-on setting of a communication device. [Figure 6] This diagram illustrates the flow of establishing a network connection via BLE communication and obtaining printer capability information. [Figure 7] This figure shows the screen displayed during the automatic power-on setting process. [Figure 8] This diagram shows the screen displayed during photo printing. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below illustratively with reference to the drawings. However, it should be understood that the present invention also includes modifications and improvements made to the embodiments described below, based on the ordinary knowledge of those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0010] (First Embodiment) This section describes the information processing device and communication device included in the communication system of this embodiment. While a smartphone is used as an example of the information processing device in this embodiment, it is not limited to this, and various devices such as mobile terminals, notebook PCs, tablet terminals, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), and digital cameras can be used. Similarly, while a printer is used as an example of the communication device in this embodiment, it is not limited to this, and various devices capable of wireless communication with the information processing device can be used. For example, if it is a printer, it can be an inkjet printer, a full-color laser beam printer, a monochrome printer, etc. Furthermore, it 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, etc. It can also be applied to multifunction devices equipped with multiple functions such as copying, faxing, and printing.

[0011] First, the configuration of the information processing device of this embodiment and the communication device capable of communicating with the information processing device of this embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram in Figure 1. In addition, the following configuration is described as an example in this embodiment, but this embodiment is applicable to devices that can communicate with a communication device and does not particularly limit the functions as shown in this figure.

[0012] The information processing device 101 is an information processing device of this embodiment. The information processing 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 wireless communication unit 110, and the like.

[0013] The input interface 102 is an interface for receiving data input and operation instructions from the user, and is composed of a physical keyboard, buttons, touch panel, etc. Alternatively, the output interface 107 (described later) and the input interface 102 may have the same configuration, allowing for screen output and acceptance of user operations to be performed using the same configuration.

[0014] The CPU 103 is a system control unit that controls the entire information processing apparatus 101.

[0015] The ROM 104 stores fixed data such as control programs executed by the CPU 103, data tables, and embedded operating system (hereinafter referred to as OS) programs. In the present 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 composed of an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or the like that requires a backup power supply. Since the data in the RAM 105 is retained by a primary battery for data backup (not shown), important data such as program control variables can be stored without being volatile. Also, a memory area for storing the setting information of the information processing apparatus 101, the management data of the information processing apparatus 101, etc. is also provided in the RAM 105. Further, the RAM 105 is also used as the main memory and work memory of the CPU 103.

[0017] The external storage device 106 stores applications that provide a printing execution function, printing information generation programs that generate printing information interpretable by the communication device 151, and the like. Also, the external storage device 106 stores various programs such as information transmission / reception control programs for transmitting and receiving information to and from the communication device 151 connected via the communication unit 109, and various information used by these programs.

[0018] The output interface 107 is an interface that controls the display unit's 108 display of data and notification of the state of the information processing apparatus 101.

[0019] The display unit 108 is composed of an LED (light-emitting diode), an LCD (liquid crystal display), etc., and performs data display and notification of the state of the information processing apparatus 101. Note that, by installing a soft keyboard having keys such as numeric input keys, mode setting keys, enter keys, cancel keys, power keys, etc. on the display unit 108, input from the user may be received via the display unit 108.

[0020] The communication unit 109 is a configuration for connecting to a device such as a communication apparatus 151 and performing data communication. For example, the communication unit 109 can be connected to an access point (not shown in the figure) in the communication apparatus 151. By connecting the communication unit 109 and the access point in the communication apparatus 151, the information processing apparatus 101 and the communication apparatus 151 can communicate with each other. Note that the communication unit 109 may communicate directly with the communication apparatus 151 by wireless communication, or may communicate via an external access point (access point 131) existing outside the information processing apparatus 101 or the communication apparatus 151. Examples of the wireless communication method include Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc. Examples of the access point 131 include devices such as a wireless LAN router. In the present embodiment, a method in which the information processing apparatus 101 and the communication apparatus 151 are directly connected without passing through an external access point is called a direct connection method. Also, a method in which the information processing apparatus 101 and the communication apparatus 151 are connected via an external access point is called an infrastructure connection method.

[0021] The short-range wireless communication unit 110 is a configuration for wirelessly connecting to a device such as a communication apparatus 151 at a short range and performing data communication, and communicates by a communication method different from that of the communication unit 109. The short-range wireless communication unit 110 can be connected to the short-range wireless communication unit 157 in the communication apparatus 151. In the present embodiment, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is used as a predetermined communication method of the short-range wireless communication unit 110.

[0022] The communication device 151 is the communication device of this embodiment. The communication device 151 includes a ROM 152, RAM 153, CPU 154, print engine 155, communication unit 156, short-range wireless communication unit 157, etc.

[0023] The communication unit 156 has an access point within the communication device 151 for connecting to devices such as the information processing device 101. This access point can be connected to the communication unit 109 of the information processing device 101. The communication unit 156 may communicate directly with the information processing device 101 via wireless communication, or it may communicate via the access point 131. Examples of communication methods include Wi-Fi (trademark registered) and Bluetooth (registered trademark). The communication unit 156 may also have hardware that functions as an access point, or it may operate as an access point through software that enables it to function as an access point.

[0024] The short-range wireless communication unit 157 is configured to wirelessly connect to devices such as the information processing device 101 at short range. In this embodiment, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is used as the communication method for the short-range wireless communication unit 157.

[0025] RAM 153 is composed of SRAM and other components that require a backup power supply. Since RAM 153's data is maintained by a primary battery (not shown) for data backup, important data such as program control variables can be stored without being lost. RAM 153 also includes a memory area for storing setting information and management data for the communication device 151. Furthermore, RAM 153 is used as the main memory and work memory for the CPU 154, storing a receive buffer for temporarily saving print information received from the information processing device 101, and various other information.

[0026] ROM152 stores fixed data such as control programs, data tables, and OS programs executed by the CPU154. In this embodiment, each control program stored in ROM152 performs software execution control such as scheduling, task switching, and interrupt handling under the management of the embedded OS also stored in ROM152.

[0027] The CPU 154 is the system control unit and controls the entire communication device 151.

[0028] Based on the information stored in the print engine 155 and RAM 153, and the print jobs received from the information processing device 101, etc., an image is formed on a recording medium such as paper using a recording material such as ink, and the print result is output. At this time, the print jobs transmitted from the information processing device 101, etc., have a large amount of data and require high-speed communication, so they are received via the communication unit 156, which can communicate at a higher speed than the short-range wireless communication unit 157.

[0029] The communication device 151 is also equipped with a power key (not shown), which the user can press to switch the state of the communication device 151 between power-off and power-on states. The communication device 151 also has an automatic power-off function and an automatic power-on function, which will be described later, and the user can individually enable or disable each of these functions. When the automatic power-off function is enabled, the communication device 151 will automatically power off when predetermined conditions are met, such as when the communication device 151 is not used for a predetermined period of time, even if the power key is not pressed. On the other hand, when the automatic power-on function is enabled, the communication device 151 will automatically power on when predetermined conditions are met, such as when the communication device 151 receives data, even if the power key is not pressed.

[0030] Furthermore, the communication device 151 may be equipped with an optional memory such as an external HDD or SD card, and the information stored in the communication device 151 may be stored in that memory. In addition, the communication device of this embodiment has a connection mode set by a connection setting process, and communicates with the information processing device according to the connection configuration based on the set connection mode. When the communication device of this embodiment communicates via infrastructure connection, the connection mode is set to infrastructure connection mode, and when it communicates via direct connection, the connection mode is set to direct connection mode.

[0031] Here, the division of processing between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 is shown as an example, but the division of processing is not limited to this configuration; other configurations are also acceptable.

[0032] In this embodiment, the information processing device 101 is assumed to store a predetermined application in a ROM 104 or an external storage device 106. The predetermined application is, for example, an application program for sending a print job to the communication device 151 to print image data or document data stored in the information processing device 101. An application having such a function will be referred to as a print application from now on. Note that, for example, a print application may have functions other than printing. For example, if the communication device 151 has a scanning function, the print application may have a function to scan a document set in the communication device 151, a function to configure other settings of the communication device 151, a function to check the status of the communication device 151, etc. In other words, the print application may have a function to send scan jobs and setting jobs to the communication device 151 in addition to print jobs. Furthermore, the print application can acquire capability information of the communication device 151 via the communication unit 109 of the information processing device 101 and the communication unit 109 of the communication device 151. Capability information refers to the capabilities of the communication device 151. For example, if the communication device 151 has a printing function, this would include the paper size and type to be printed. The print application displays the acquired capability information on the display unit 108 of the information processing device 101, and the user can select the paper size and type to be used for printing from this capability information. The print application generates a print job using the paper size and type selected by the user. The capability information may also include communication device-specific information, such as the MAC address of the communication device 151. The print application can also register multiple communication devices 151 for use. In this case, multiple pieces of capability information can be stored for each communication device 151 in the ROM 104 or external storage device 106 of the information processing device 101 (referred to as registered devices). The user can also select any one from the list of registered devices via the application's UI (referred to as selected devices). When printing is performed, it is done to the selected device. If the communication device is a printer, the registered device and selected device are called the registered printer and selected printer, respectively, but the communication device is not limited to a printer.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the short-range wireless communication unit 110 and the short-range wireless communication unit 157 are described as communicating by BLE. In this embodiment, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 of the communication device 151 functions as an advertiser (or slave) that broadcasts the advertisement information described later. The short-range wireless communication unit 110 functions as a scanner (or master) that receives the advertisement information. Furthermore, the communication unit 109 and the communication unit 156 are described as communicating by wireless LAN (Wi-Fi). Now, the processing of transmitting advertisement information and receiving BLE connection requests in the BLE standard will be described.

[0034] In this embodiment, as described above, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 of the communication device 151 operates as a slave device, and therefore the short-range wireless communication unit 157 performs the above processing. The short-range wireless communication unit 157 divides the 2.4GHz frequency band into 40 channels (0 to 39ch) for communication. The short-range wireless communication unit 157 uses channels 37 to 39 for transmitting advertisement information and receiving BLE connection requests, and channels 0 to 36 for data communication after BLE connection.

[0035] In Figure 2, the vertical axis represents the power consumption of the short-range wireless communication unit 157, and the horizontal axis represents time. It shows the power consumption for each process when transmitting advertisement information using one channel. Tx205 represents the total power consumption during the transmission process, which is the process of broadcasting advertisement information, and Rx206 represents the total power consumption during the reception process, which is the process of enabling the receiver for receiving BLE connection requests. Transmission power 202 represents the instantaneous power consumption due to the transmission process. Similarly, reception power 203 represents the instantaneous power consumption due to the reception process. Microcontroller operating power 201 represents the instantaneous power consumption when the microcontroller in the short-range wireless communication unit 157 is operating. The reason the microcontroller is operating before, during, and after Tx205 and Rx206 is that it needs to be started up beforehand in order to execute and stop the transmission and reception processes. Furthermore, if advertisement information is transmitted on multiple channels, the power consumption will increase by the number of channels on which the advertisement information is transmitted. Furthermore, when the microcontroller is not operating and the short-range wireless communication unit 157 is in a power-saving state, the sleep power 204 becomes the instantaneous power consumption of the short-range wireless communication unit 157. In this way, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 performs transmission processing using a predetermined channel and then performs reception processing using the same channel for a certain period of time, waiting for a BLE connection request to be sent from the information processing device 101.

[0036] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 repeats the transmission and reception of advertisement information three times for each channel, then stops the operation of the microcontroller and enters a power-saving state for a certain period of time. Hereinafter, the combination of the transmission and reception of advertisement information on a predetermined channel will be referred to as "advertising." The time interval at which advertisement information is transmitted on a predetermined channel will be referred to as the "advertising interval." Note that the number of advertisements repeated from the first advertisement until entering the power-saving state can be arbitrarily changed as long as it is three times or less.

[0037] When power is supplied, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 performs an initialization process and enters an advertising state. When the short-range wireless communication unit 157 enters an advertising state, it broadcasts advertised information to the surrounding area. Advertised information is a signal that includes basic header information (such as identification information to identify the device transmitting the advertised information). For example, if the communication device 151 is a printer, the advertised information includes the printer's IP address, the port used for printing, information indicating a specific printing service, and information regarding the power consumption of the advertised information.

[0038] When the short-range wireless communication unit 110 of the information processing device 101 receives the above advertisement information, it sends a scan request to the short-range wireless communication unit 157. In response to this scan request, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 of the communication device 151 transmits the identification information (UUID) of the communication device 151 and information about the functions and hardware of the communication device 151 as a scan response. After the information processing device 101 receives this scan response, the pairing and GATT communication described later are initiated.

[0039] In this embodiment, authentication is performed between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151, and a pairing process is performed to enable data reading and writing between the devices using GATT (Generic Attribute Profile) communication. GATT is a profile in the BLE standard that governs the reading and writing (transmission and reception) of information. GATT communication is a type of communication in which the information processing device 101 acts as the GATT client and the communication device 151 acts as the GATT server, and information is read and written from the information processing device 101 to the communication device 151 using a GATT-based profile. When pairing has not been performed between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151, the communication device 151 is configured not to allow reading and writing of information via GATT communication. This prevents the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 from communicating without being paired, thus preventing, for example, the unintentional acquisition of information held by the communication device 151 by the information processing device 101 without being paired. In this embodiment, there are GATT communications that are permitted when pairing has not been performed and GATT communications that are not permitted when pairing has not been performed. By allowing less confidential information to be transmitted via GATT communication, which is permitted when devices are not paired, the convenience of communication can be improved. On the other hand, by allowing highly confidential information to be transmitted only via GATT communication, which is not permitted when devices are not paired, the security of communication can be improved.

[0040] The details of the pairing process will now be explained. First, when the aforementioned printing application is launched and the information processing device 101 receives a command from the user to execute the pairing process via the printing application, it starts searching for advertisement information containing specific device information. Specific device information refers to, for example, the UUID or MAC address of the device (such as a printer) that corresponds to the printing application. When the information processing device 101 receives advertisement information containing specific device information, it displays a list of the source devices of the advertisement information containing that information on the display unit and accepts the user's selection of the device to be paired. Here, we will explain assuming that the communication device 151 has been selected.

[0041] When the information processing device 101 receives a selection of a device to be paired, it sends a pairing request to the communication device 151 via communication using the security manager protocol. Communication between devices will be conducted via the security manager protocol until pairing is complete. When the communication device 151 receives the pairing request, it displays a PIN code display screen 200, as shown in Figure 4(a), on its display unit. The PIN code display screen 200 displays the PIN code 201 and a Cancel button 202 for canceling the pairing process. When the information processing device 101 sends the pairing request, it displays a PIN code input screen 210, as shown in Figure 4(b), on its display unit 108. The PIN code input screen 210 includes a PIN code input area 211 for receiving the PIN code 201 from the user and an OK button 213 for sending the entered PIN code 201 to the communication device 151. It also includes a Cancel button 212 for canceling the pairing process. When the OK button 213 is pressed with the PIN code 201 entered in the PIN code input area 211, the information processing device 101 transmits information including the entered PIN code 201 to the communication device 151. The communication device 151 determines whether the PIN code 201 contained in the received information matches the PIN code 201 displayed on the PIN code display screen 200. If it determines that they match, it grants the information processing device 101 permission to pair. Specifically, the communication device 151 exchanges a link key, created using a predetermined method based on the PIN code 201, with the information processing device 101 using the BLE standard's SMP (Security Manager Protocol). The exchanged link keys are stored in the memory area of ​​the information processing device 101 (ROM 104, etc.) and the memory area of ​​the communication device 151 (ROM 152, etc.). This completes the pairing, and the devices are then permitted to perform BLE communication. After pairing is complete, the information processing device 101 hides the PIN code display screen 200 and displays the original screen again.

[0042] After pairing is complete, when the information processing device 101 sends a GATT communication request to the communication device 151, it notifies the communication device 151 of the link key stored in the memory during the pairing process. When the communication device 151 receives a GATT communication request, it compares the link key stored in the memory during the pairing process with the notified link key to confirm whether the device sending the GATT communication request is a paired device. If the communication device 151 confirms that it is a paired device, it starts reading and writing information via GATT communication with the information processing device 101. As a result, once the pairing process with the communication device 151 is completed, the link key that was successfully authenticated is stored in both the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151. In subsequent pairings, pairing is performed using this stored link key, so GATT communication with the communication device 151 can be performed without the user entering a PIN code. In the above description, the user is instructed to enter the PIN code 201 displayed on the PIN code input screen 210 into the PIN code input area 211, but the system is not limited to this configuration. For example, the PIN code may be fixed information (which the user cannot arbitrarily change) and stored in the information processing device 101 along with the installation of the printing application, so that the PIN code is notified to the communication device 151 without user input. Furthermore, the timing at which the pairing process begins is not limited to the above configuration; for example, it may begin when the user instructs printing via the printing application, or before the BLE connection is established during the connection setup process.

[0043] Furthermore, the PIN code input screen 210 displayed by the information processing device 101 does not necessarily have to be displayed by the printing application. For example, the information processing device 101 may have a configuration application (hereinafter referred to as the configuration application). The configuration application is an application program for configuring functions executed by the OS. The configuration application is an application program that is installed together with the OS during a series of processes in which the OS is installed on the information processing device 101, or that is pre-installed on the information processing device 101 along with the OS when the information processing device 101 is delivered. When pairing with the communication device 151, the information processing device 101 may launch the configuration application, move the printing application to the background, and accept input from the user for pairing on the Bluetooth settings screen displayed by the configuration application.

[0044] The information processing device 101 receives advertisement information from the short-range wireless communication unit 157, sends a BLE connection request to the communication device 151, and establishes a BLE connection with the communication device 151. A BLE connection is the establishment of a state where short-range wireless communication processing can be performed between each device using a GATT profile.

[0045] Furthermore, power is supplied to the short-range wireless communication unit 157 when the power supply of the communication device 151 is turned on, enabling the short-range wireless communication unit 110 to communicate with the short-range wireless communication unit 157. In other words, in this embodiment, the short-range wireless communication unit 110 and the short-range wireless communication unit 157 are in a state where they can communicate using BLE. Also, even when the power supply of the communication device 151 is turned off, as long as the power supply to the short-range wireless communication unit 157 is maintained, the short-range wireless communication unit 110 and the short-range wireless communication unit 157 are in a state where they can establish a BLE connection. One example of a method to enable a BLE connection even when the power supply of the communication device 151 is turned off is to enable the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151. The automatic power-on setting is a setting related to the automatic power-on function described above, and when this setting is enabled, power is supplied to the short-range wireless communication unit 157, the communication unit 156, the ROM 152, etc., even when the power supply of the communication device 151 is turned off.

[0046] By enabling this automatic power-on setting, the near-field wireless communication unit 157 enters an advertising state, allowing the near-field wireless communication unit 110 and the near-field wireless communication unit 157 to establish a BLE connection even when the communication device 151 is powered off. On the other hand, if the automatic power-on setting is disabled, the near-field wireless communication unit 110 and the near-field wireless communication unit 157 cannot establish a BLE connection when the communication device 151 is powered off. In other words, whether or not BLE communication is possible when the communication device 151 is powered off depends on the automatic power-on setting. Therefore, for example, if a user of the information processing device 101 wishes to establish a BLE connection when the communication device 151 is powered off, they will need to approach the communication device 151, press the power key, and perform other operations to power on the communication device 151.

[0047] The automatic power-on setting can also be enabled or disabled by the user through the control panel of the communication device 151. However, even in this case, the user of the information processing device 101 must approach the communication device 151 and operate the control panel to change the automatic power-on setting.

[0048] Therefore, in this embodiment, the information processing device 101 automatically enables the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 via BLE communication. As a result, unless an operation such as disabling the automatic power-on setting is performed, the automatic power-on setting will be enabled the next time BLE communication is performed. In that case, even if the power of the communication device 151 is off, the short-range wireless communication unit 157 will enter an advertising state and can transition to the power-on state through subsequent GATT communication. Therefore, the user of the information processing device 101 can easily establish a BLE connection between the communication device 151 and the information processing device 101 without having to operate the operation panel of the communication device 151 when the communication device 151 is powered off. The processing in this embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0049] The process performed by the information processing device 101 in this embodiment will be explained using the flowchart shown in Figure 5. In this embodiment, after pairing is complete, the information processing device 101 performs a process to enable the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151. The process shown in Figure 5 is realized by the CPU 103 executing programs such as the printing application and OS stored in the ROM 104 in the RAM 105, which serves as work memory.

[0050] In S501, the information processing device 101 performs BLE connection processing to perform GATT communication between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151. In S502, the information processing device 101 obtains the automatic power-on setting from the communication device 151 via the GATT communication established between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 through the BLE connection processing performed in S501. The information processing device 101 then stores the obtained automatic power-on setting in the RAM 105. In S503, the information processing device 101 determines whether the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 obtained in S502 is valid or invalid.

[0051] If it is determined in S503 that the automatic power-on setting is disabled, in S504 the information processing device 101 sends a request to the communication device 151 via GATT communication to enable the automatic power-on setting. The transmission process in S503 writes the request to the short-range wireless communication unit 157 of the communication device 151.

[0052] Furthermore, if it is determined in S503 that the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 is already enabled, the information processing device 101 disconnects the BLE connection in S511 and terminates the automatic power-on setting activation process shown in Figure 5. Alternatively, even if the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 is already enabled, a request to activate the automatic power-on setting may be sent in S504.

[0053] In S504, the communication device 151 receives the request and updates the automatic power-on setting stored in RAM 153 to enable it. Meanwhile, after writing the automatic power-on setting in S504, the information processing device 101 performs a verification process to confirm via GATT communication that the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 has been successfully updated. If it is not confirmed that the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 has been enabled after a certain period of time has elapsed since the write in S504, the process of writing the setting again is executed. These processes will be explained using steps from S505 onwards.

[0054] In S505, the information processing unit 101 initializes the timeout flag and starts the timer count before the above confirmation process. The timeout flag is a value stored in RAM 105 that indicates when a certain period of time has elapsed (timed out). The timeout flag is updated (set) to a value indicating that a timeout has occurred only when a timeout occurs. The CPU 103 performs this timer count.

[0055] If a request is successfully sent to the communication device 151, the automatic power-on setting is updated in the communication device 151 within a certain period of time. However, if the automatic power-on setting is not updated after a certain period of time, it is possible that the request was not successfully sent. Therefore, a timeout period is set in the information processing device 101, and if a timeout occurs, the information processing device 101 sends another request to re-enable the automatic power-on setting. This ensures that the automatic power-on setting is reliably enabled in the communication device 151.

[0056] In S506, after the timer starts in S505, the information processing device 101 sets a timeout flag via interrupt processing once a certain period of time has elapsed.

[0057] In S507, the information processing device 101 determines whether the timeout flag has been set. If the result of the determination in S507 is that the timeout flag has not been set, the information processing device 101 executes the process in S508. If the timeout flag has been set, the information processing device 101 executes the process in S503 again.

[0058] In S508, after the timer count begins, the information processing device 101 obtains the setting value of the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 via GATT communication between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151. In S509, the information processing device 101 determines whether the automatic power-on setting is enabled or disabled in the communication device 151 based on the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 obtained in S508. The method for obtaining the automatic power-on setting in S508 and the method for determining in S509 are the same as the methods for obtaining and determining in S502 and S503, respectively.

[0059] If the automatic power-on setting is determined to be invalid in S509, the information processing device 101 waits in S510 until a predetermined time has elapsed. The predetermined time for which the information processing device 101 waits in S509 is shorter than the time for which the timeout flag is set in S506. Therefore, even if the automatic power-on setting is determined to be invalid in S509, the information processing device 101 can execute the processes in S508 and S509 multiple times until the timeout flag is set thereafter.

[0060] If the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 has been enabled by the activation request in S504, then S509 is determined to be Yes. In this case, the information processing device 101 disconnects the BLE connection in S511 and terminates the automatic power-on setting activation process shown in Figure 5. In other words, if the information processing device 101 confirms that the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 has been enabled during the confirmation process after sending the activation request, it terminates the process shown in Figure 5.

[0061] In this embodiment, the information processing device 101 determines whether to send another request to activate the automatic power-on setting by determining whether the confirmation process for checking the change in the automatic power-on setting has timed out. However, the determination method is not limited to this, and instead of determining by timeout, the determination may be made by, for example, the number of times the automatic power-on setting acquisition process (S508) has been performed. Specifically, if the automatic power-on setting has not been effectively updated even after performing the automatic power-on setting acquisition process (S508) an arbitrary number of times, S504 may be executed again and a request to activate the automatic power-on setting may be sent.

[0062] As described above, according to this embodiment, the information processing device 101 can enable the automatic power-on setting of the communication device 151 by sending a request to the communication device 151 via GATT communication. This allows the user of the information processing device 101 to enable the automatic power-on setting without having to approach the communication device 151 and operate it using its control panel.

[0063] Once this activation is performed, even if the power supply to the communication device 151 is turned off when BLE communication is performed again after the process shown in Figure 5, power supply to the short-range wireless communication unit 157 can be maintained, and the short-range wireless communication unit 157 is in an advertising state. When the short-range wireless communication unit 157 is in an advertising state, a BLE connection state can be established between the short-range wireless communication unit 110 and the short-range wireless communication unit 157, and GATT communication becomes possible. With GATT communication possible, the information processing device 101 can send arbitrary requests to the communication device 151. Using this function, the short-range wireless communication unit 110 can send a request to the short-range wireless communication unit 157 to turn on the power of the communication device 151. Upon receiving this request, the communication device 151 can switch its power to the ON state.

[0064] In this way, the power of the communication device 151 can be switched on via GATT communication. This improves usability because the power of the communication device 151 can be turned on without the user having to operate the communication device 151, and the functions of the communication device 151 can be used.

[0065] The process shown in Figure 5 may be executed each time a BLE communication is established with the communication device 151, or it may be executed only during the initial BLE connection with the communication device 151. In other words, the activation of automatic power-on may be requested only on the condition that it is the initial BLE connection with the communication device 151. In this case, even if a BLE connection has already been established between the information processing device 101 and other communication devices, the process shown in Figure 5 will be executed during the initial BLE connection with the communication device 151.

[0066] One way to determine whether it is the first BLE connection is, for example, by the pairing method. Specifically, the determination is made based on information related to the communication device 151. For example, if pairing is performed by entering a PIN code as explained using Figure 4, it is determined to be the first connection. On the other hand, if a link key corresponding to a link key stored in the communication device 151 is pre-stored in the information processing device 101, and pairing is performed using that link key, it is determined to be the second or subsequent connection. As another method of determination, the identification information of the communication device making the BLE connection may be used. Specifically, when a BLE connection is made, the information processing device 101 obtains and stores identification information such as the MAC address, serial number, and name from the communication partner device via GATT communication. Then, if the above identification information is not stored for the communication device that the user has instructed to make a BLE connection, it can be determined that it is the first BLE connection.

[0067] Furthermore, the process of activating the automatic power-on setting via BLE communication shown in Figure 5 may be performed based on the user's instructions in the printing application before the BLE connection is established. For example, if the user has instructed a predetermined function using BLE communication before the BLE connection is established, the information processing device 101 will perform the above activation process. However, if a function other than the predetermined function is instructed and the BLE connection is established, the above activation process does not need to be performed. The above predetermined function can be any function, such as a handover function. The process shown in Figure 5 may be performed every time such a predetermined function is instructed and a BLE connection is established, or the process may be performed only when a BLE connection is established for the first time after a specific printer and predetermined function have been instructed.

[0068] Furthermore, when the information processing device 101 receives an advertisement, it presents the printer that sent the advertisement to the user as a connection candidate. The user then instructs the information processing device 101 to establish a BLE connection with that printer. If the information processing device 101 receives multiple advertisements, it presents multiple printers to the user, and the user selects the printer to establish a BLE connection with. The advertisement includes some or all of the device identification information, manufacturer information indicating the device's manufacturer, and device model information. The information processing device 101 may, based on this information in the advertisement, present only printers or only printers of a specific model to the user as BLE connection candidates via a printing application.

[0069] As described above, by performing the automatic power-on setting activation process only during the initial BLE connection, if the initial setting of the communication device 151 is "Automatic power-on setting: Disabled," for example, that setting can be automatically enabled. Furthermore, if the user intentionally disables the automatic power-on setting afterward, the automatic power-on setting will not be automatically enabled for subsequent BLE connections, thus maintaining the user's intended setting.

[0070] Furthermore, in order to notify the user that the automatic power-on setting will be automatically enabled, the information processing device 101 may display the screen shown in Figure 7(a) on the display unit 108. The timing of this display can vary; for example, it may be displayed when pairing is completed and GATT communication starts in the BLE connection of S501. Alternatively, it may be displayed before pairing is completed. In either case, the screen shown in Figure 7(a) may be displayed before or after the screen notifying of the completion of pairing shown in Figure 7(b).

[0071] Furthermore, in the screen shown in Figure 7(a), the user may be able to refuse the automatic activation of the automatic power-on setting. In this case, the processes from S502 onwards in Figure 5 will not be executed.

[0072] Figure 6 shows a flowchart illustrating the process of establishing a network connection using BLE communication and acquiring printer capability information. In the process shown in Figure 6, a BLE connection is established between the information processing device 101 and the printer. However, the process shown in Figure 5 has already been executed in the preceding BLE connection (for example, in the initial BLE connection). Therefore, the automatic power-on setting is enabled on the printer, and BLE communication is possible even when the printer is powered off. Furthermore, prior to the process shown in Figure 6, the user instructs the printer application to acquire capability information.

[0073] This section explains the process using a handover as an example. Handover is a technique in which each communicating device first exchanges connection information for high-speed communication using a short-range communication method, and then switches to the high-speed communication method to send and receive data. In this embodiment, BLE is used as the short-range communication method, and Wi-Fi is used as the high-speed communication method. The communication speed of GATT communication (bidirectional communication made possible by establishing a BLE connection between devices) is slower than that of Wi-Fi communication. Therefore, by using GATT communication for authentication between devices and exchange of connection information for Wi-Fi communication, and then transferring large amounts of data (jobs in this case) using the faster Wi-Fi communication, efficient data transfer can be achieved. The communication method used in handover is not limited to the above configuration, and various communication methods may be used as the short-range communication method and the high-speed communication method. For example, a configuration in which connection information for Wi-Fi communication is exchanged using NFC communication or Wi-Fi Aware communication, and then data is exchanged using Wi-Fi communication, is also possible. The process shown in Figure 6 is achieved by the CPU 103 executing programs such as the printing application and OS stored in the ROM 104 in the RAM 105, which serves as work memory. The communication device 151 is assumed to be a printer that prints images onto a printing medium. Furthermore, this printer is assumed to be capable of scanning documents.

[0074] In S601, the information processing device 101 performs BLE connection processing to communicate with the printer via GATT. This connection processing is the same as the connection processing described above and includes pairing.

[0075] In S602, the information processing device 101 communicates with the BLE-connected printer via GATT and obtains (receives) printer information from the printer. The printer information includes status information indicating the printer's current power status and four types of connection information related to the printer's network settings. This connection information is used for the Wi-Fi connection between the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151. Specifically, it includes (1) the printer's MAC address, (2) the printer's SSID and password in AP mode, (3) the printer's current network enabled status, and (4) the printer's status information. AP mode is a mode in which, even without an access point, the printer itself has access point functionality, and the host terminal establishes a wireless LAN connection with the host terminal as if it were connected to an access point. This AP mode enables a peer-to-peer (P2P) connection between the two, allowing the information processing device 101 to instruct the printer to print and scan. The network enabled status is information indicating the available communication methods among wireless LAN communication, wired LAN communication, AP mode communication, and Wi-Fi Direct communication implemented by the printer's communication unit. Printer status information indicates whether the printer is in an error state, such as having no ink, or whether a job is running, such as printing. The state in which the printer cannot acquire capabilities, such as an error state, is collectively referred to as the busy state.

[0076] In S603, the information processing device 101 checks the current power status of the printer based on the printer information acquired in S602. If the printer is powered off, the process in S604 is executed; if the printer is powered on, the process in S604 is skipped.

[0077] In S604, the information processing device 101 sends an automatic power-on request to the printer via GATT communication. This step switches the printer's power on, allowing subsequent steps to change network settings and acquire capability information. The information processing device 101 may also acquire (receive) printer information after processing in S604 using the same process as in S602. For example, if the printer updates connection information, etc., when it switches from a power-off state to a power-on state, the latest information can be obtained by reacquiring printer information after S604. Alternatively, the information processing device 101 may acquire information regarding the power status in S602 and acquire other information such as WiFi connection information after S604.

[0078] In S605, the information processing device 101 checks whether the MAC address of the printer information (1) obtained in S602 is included in the capabilities of the registered printer. The capabilities of printers registered by the application (printing application) are stored in advance in the ROM 104 of the information processing device 101. In S605, it is determined whether the MAC address obtained in S602 is included in the capabilities stored in advance. If the MAC address is included in the capabilities, the printer communicating via BLE has already had its capability information obtained as a registered printer by the application. Therefore, the processing in steps S609 and later is skipped, and the processing can be shortened. If the BLE-connected printer is a registered printer, the process proceeds to S606.

[0079] In S606, the information processing device 101 checks whether the BLE-connected printer is the selected printer among the registered printers in the print application. If it is not the selected printer, the process proceeds to S607. The selected printer can be chosen by the user from the registered printers on the selection screen provided by the print application as the printer to be used.

[0080] In S607, the information processing device 101 sets the registered printer, which is connected via BLE, as the selected printer. Since it is expected that the user will use the printer from which capability information is acquired in the future, the registered printer is automatically set as the selected printer. As a result, the selected printer is changed automatically without the user having to perform an operation to change the selected printer. In S608, the information processing device 101 disconnects the BLE connection with the printer.

[0081] In S609, the information processing device 101 checks if the printer is busy based on the printer information acquired in S601. The printing application cannot acquire capabilities from a busy printer. Therefore, if the printer is busy, in S610 the information processing device 101 presents the user with an error indicating that the capability acquisition process cannot be continued, and that the busy state needs to be resolved.

[0082] In S611, the information processing device 101 broadcasts within the network via Wi-Fi and detects a printer whose MAC address matches the one obtained in S602 (1). If the printer is detected, the information processing device 101 disconnects the BLE connection in S619 and obtains the printer's capability information from the printer via Wi-Fi in S620. If the information processing device 101 detects the printer in S611, it means that the printer and the information processing device 101 are already connected to the same network, so communication can be performed without executing the handover process from S612 onwards. Therefore, the processes from S612 onwards are skipped, and the time until capability acquisition is completed can be shortened.

[0083] If the printer cannot be detected in S611, in S612 the information processing device 101 checks if its Wi-Fi setting is disabled. If the setting is disabled, in S613 the information processing device 101 enables its own Wi-Fi setting. The information processing device 101 also saves information indicating that the Wi-Fi setting has been enabled to the memory of the information processing device 101, such as the ROM 104, via the printing application. Once this information is saved, in S622 (described later), the information processing device can disable its own Wi-Fi setting again. Depending on the OS configuration of the information processing device 101, enabling the Wi-Fi setting may cause it to automatically reconnect to the most recently connected and available wireless LAN router. After saving the above information, the information processing device 101 executes the process of S611 again. If the printer can be connected in S611, it means that when S611 was first executed, communication could not be achieved because the Wi-Fi setting of the information processing device 101 was disabled.

[0084] If the Wi-Fi setting of the information processing device 101 is determined to be enabled in S612, the information processing device 101 checks in S614 whether the printer is in AP mode based on the current network enabled status of the printer obtained in S602 (3). If the printer is in AP mode, the information processing device 101 instructs the printer via GATT communication to maintain the current network state, as instructed by the printing application, in S615. The printer is prohibited from changing its network until it is instructed by the printing application to cancel the network maintenance. This prevents the printer from changing its network while the printing application is in the process of connecting the information processing device to AP mode.

[0085] If the printer is determined not to be in AP mode in S614, the information processing device 101 instructs the printer to switch to AP mode via GATT communication using the print application in S616. When the printer detects the instruction to switch to AP mode, it performs the process of switching to AP mode (referred to as forced AP mode). The printer maintains forced AP mode until the print application instructs it to end forced AP mode. This prevents the printer's network from being changed while the print application is in the process of connecting the information processing device to forced AP mode. When forced AP mode is activated, the information processing device 101 stores information indicating that the printer's network state has been changed to forced AP mode in memory such as ROM 104. With this information stored, the information processing device 101 can instruct the printer to end forced AP mode via Wi-Fi communication in S622, as described later.

[0086] In S617, the information processing device 101 uses the SSID and password of the printer in AP mode, obtained in S602, to establish a connection with the printer in AP mode and establish a P2P state via Wi-Fi connection. In S618, if the Wi-Fi settings of the information processing device 101 are changed in S617 and connected to AP mode, the information processing device 101 saves the state before the change in memory such as ROM 104. For example, if it was connected to a different wireless LAN router than the AP mode, the SSID of that wireless LAN router is saved up to the point before this process is executed. This saving allows the Wi-Fi settings of the information processing device to be reconnected to that wireless LAN router in S622, which will be described later.

[0087] In S619, the information processing device 101 disconnects the BLE connection with the printer because it will no longer perform BLE communication. In S620, the information processing device 101 obtains the printer's capability information via Wi-Fi communication. The obtained capability information is stored in the memory of the information processing device 101, such as the ROM 104, and the printer is set as the selected printer.

[0088] In S621, the information processing device 101 checks whether the various information to be saved in S613, S616, and S618 is stored in the memory of the information processing device 101, such as the ROM 104. If any of the information is saved, in S622 the information processing device 101 and the printer are restored to their original network states. If information indicating that Wi-Fi settings have been enabled is saved in S613, in S622 the information processing device 101 disables its own Wi-Fi settings. If information indicating that the printer's network state has been changed to forced AP mode is saved in S616, the information processing device 101 performs a process to disable the printer's forced AP mode. Specifically, the information processing device 101 instructs the printer to terminate the forced AP mode via Wi-Fi communication. If an SSID is saved in S618, the information processing device 101 connects to that SSID via Wi-Fi communication. This allows the information processing device 101 to reconnect to the wireless LAN router it was previously connected to in S617.

[0089] In S623, the information processing device 101 determines whether the selected printer has been changed in S607 or S620. If the selected printer has been changed, the information processing device 101 is considered to have been connected to that printer for the first time, and in S624, the information processing device 101 displays the screen for photo printing shown in Figure 8. The display in S624 guides the user through the UI operations for photo printing using the printer.

[0090] As explained above, the process shown in Figure 6 allows the information processing device 101 and the printer to establish a connection via BLE communication with fewer network changes. Therefore, the user can more easily obtain the printer's capability information. At this time, because the automatic power-on setting is enabled by the process shown in Figure 5, the communication device 151 (printer) can perform BLE communication even when it is powered off. Therefore, the printer can be powered on via BLE communication and the printer's capability information can be obtained without the user having to perform operations such as approaching the printer and pressing the power key.

[0091] Furthermore, according to the process shown in Figure 6, even when forced AP mode is executed in the communication device 151, the forced AP mode is automatically terminated after capability information is acquired. For example, the information processing device 101 and the communication device 151 may have been connected to the internet via Wi-Fi before the forced AP mode was activated. In this case, the automatic termination process of the forced AP mode described above prevents the state in which the internet connection is disconnected by the forced AP mode from unnecessarily continuing even after capability information has been acquired.

[0092] Furthermore, while the example shown in Figure 6 describes the case where capability information is obtained via Wi-Fi, it can also be applied to other processes. For example, in S620, the information processing device 101 can also cause the printer to perform a print operation via Wi-Fi.

[0093] In this embodiment, a printer was used as an example of the communication device 151, but the processing of this embodiment can also be applied to a digital camera with Wi-Fi and P2P connectivity. Specifically, when the information processing device is used as a remote control for a digital camera, it becomes possible to perform operations such as taking a picture of the connected digital camera from the information processing device. Alternatively, the information processing device may be used as a remote control for devices such as network audio players or video recorders. In this way, even when this embodiment is applied to devices other than printers, BLE connection with the information processing device can be easily established. Furthermore, the automatic termination process of the forced AP mode prevents the internet connection of each device from being unnecessarily disconnected for an extended period.

[0094] Furthermore, while the embodiment presents an example of AP mode as a P2P connection between an information processing device and a communication device, other P2P connection methods such as Bluetooth connection or Wi-Fi Direct connection may also be used. If these connection methods cause one or both terminals or devices to lose their internet connection, the automatic termination process of forced AP mode can prevent the disconnection of each device from continuing unnecessarily.

[0095] Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, the states of the communication device 151 were given as an example of a power-off state and a power-on state, and the setting of the communication device 151 was given as an example of an automatic power-on setting. However, the embodiments are not limited to these, and the states of the communication device 151 may be a power-saving mode and a normal mode, and the setting of the communication device 151 may be an automatic return setting from power-saving mode to normal mode.

[0096] Furthermore, the functions of this embodiment can also be realized by the following configuration. That is, the functions can also be realized by supplying program code for processing according to this embodiment to a system or device, and having the computer (or CPU or MPU) of that system or device execute the program code. In this case, the program code read from the storage medium itself realizes the functions of the embodiment described above, and the storage medium that stores the program code also realizes the functions of this embodiment.

[0097] Furthermore, the program code for realizing the functions of this embodiment may be executed on a single computer (CPU, MPU), or it may be executed by multiple computers working together. In addition, the program code may be executed by a computer, or hardware such as circuits may be provided to realize the functions of the program code. Alternatively, part of the program code may be realized by hardware, and the remaining part may be executed by a computer. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0098] 103 CPU 104 ROM 105 RAM

Claims

1. A communication device that can operate in any of the following states, including a predetermined power state and a power state that is more power-efficient than the predetermined power state, A first communication means that performs Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication with an external information processing device of the aforementioned communication device, A second communication means for performing Wi-Fi communication with the aforementioned information processing device, Setting means for disabling or enabling a predetermined function that automatically brings the communication device to the predetermined power state when the first condition is met while the communication device is operating in a power state that is less power-efficient than the predetermined power state, A printing means that performs printing based on a print job received via Wi-Fi communication with the aforementioned information processing device, A switching means that switches the communication device to a power supply state that is more power-efficient than the predetermined power supply state when the second condition is met while the communication device is operating in the predetermined power supply state, Control means that, when the predetermined function is enabled in the communication device, controls the communication device so that it can communicate with the information processing device even when the communication device is in a power state that is less power-efficient than the predetermined power state, and when the predetermined function is disabled in the communication device, controls the communication device so that it cannot communicate with the information processing device when the communication device is in a power state that is less power-efficient than the predetermined power state. A transmission means for transmitting predetermined information corresponding to whether the predetermined function is enabled in the communication device to the information processing device, It has, When the predetermined information is transmitted to the information processing device, the information processing device will perform a display based on the content of the predetermined information. A communication device characterized by the following features.

2. The communication device according to Claim 1, wherein the printing means forms an image on a recording medium using ink as the printing.

3. If a predetermined communication is performed between the information processing device and the communication device while the predetermined function is disabled in the communication device, the predetermined function is enabled in the communication device based on the fact that the predetermined communication has been performed. The communication device according to feature 2.

4. The communication device according to claim 3, characterized in that the predetermined communication is performed based on the predetermined information corresponding to the predetermined function being enabled in the communication device.

5. The communication device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the predetermined communication is communication after pairing has been performed between the information processing device and the communication device.

6. The communication device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the predetermined communication is a communication performed by the initial connection between the information processing device and the communication device.

7. The communication device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that the predetermined communication is BLE communication between the information processing device and the communication device.

8. The communication device according to any one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that the predetermined communication is communication performed by a predetermined application program of the information processing device.

9. The communication device according to claim 8, characterized in that the predetermined application program is a program having at least one of the functions of sending a print job to the communication device and sending a scan job to the communication device.

10. The communication device according to any one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that it transmits status information relating to the power state of the communication device to the information processing device.

11. If the status information indicates that the communication device is in a power state that is less power-efficient than the predetermined power state, an instruction to return the communication device to the predetermined power state is received from the information processing device. The communication device according to claim 10, characterized in that the communication device enters the predetermined power state based on the receipt of the aforementioned instruction.

12. The communication device according to any one of claims 2 to 11, characterized in that a power state that is more power-efficient than the predetermined power state is a state in which the power of the communication device is turned off, and the predetermined power state is a state in which the power of the communication device is turned on.

13. The communication device according to any one of claims 2 to 12, further comprising a second communication means for communicating connection information for establishing a connection using a communication method other than BLE.

14. The communication device according to claim 13, further comprising a capability information transmission step of transmitting capability information of the communication device via a connection by the aforementioned other communication method.

15. The communication device according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the other communication method is Wi-Fi.

16. The communication device according to any one of claims 2 to 15, characterized in that when the predetermined function is enabled in the communication device, the communication device is controlled to enable BLE communication with the information processing device even when the power supply is less power-efficient than the predetermined power supply state, and when the predetermined function is disabled in the communication device, the communication device is controlled to prevent BLE communication with the information processing device when the power supply is less power-efficient than the predetermined power supply state.

17. The communication device according to any one of claims 2 to 16, characterized in that when the predetermined function is enabled in the communication device, power is supplied to the wireless communication unit for performing BLE communication even when the communication device is in a power state that is less power-efficient than the predetermined power state.

18. The communication device according to any one of claims 2 to 17, characterized in that when the predetermined function is enabled in the communication device, the communication device is controlled to broadcast information by BLE even when the power supply is in a power supply state that is less power-efficient than the predetermined power supply state.

19. The communication device according to any one of claims 2 to 18, characterized in that the first condition includes the communication device receiving data.

20. The communication device according to any one of claims 2 to 19, characterized in that the second condition includes at least one of the following: the communication device is not used for a predetermined period of time, and the power key provided on the communication device is pressed.

21. The communication device according to any one of claims 2 to 20, characterized in that if the predetermined function for setting the predetermined power state is disabled, the predetermined function is enabled based on a predetermined user operation on the communication device.

22. The communication device according to any one of claims 2 to 21, characterized in that, if the content of the predetermined information transmitted to the information processing device corresponds to the predetermined function being disabled in the communication device, the information processing device displays a screen indicating that the predetermined function is enabled in the communication device as a display based on the content of the predetermined information.

23. The communication device according to any one of claims 2 to 22, characterized in that, if the content of the predetermined information transmitted to the information processing device corresponds to the predetermined function being disabled in the communication device, the information processing device displays a screen that allows the user to select whether or not to enable the predetermined function in the communication device, as a display based on the content of the predetermined information.

24. A control method for a communication device that can operate in any of the following states, including a predetermined power state and a power state that is more power-efficient than the predetermined power state, A first communication step in which the communication device performs Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication with an external information processing device, A second communication step involves performing Wi-Fi communication with the aforementioned information processing device, A setting step of disabling or enabling a predetermined function that automatically brings the communication device to the predetermined power state when the first condition is met while the communication device is operating in a power state that is less power-efficient than the predetermined power state, A printing step that performs printing based on a print job received via Wi-Fi communication with the information processing device, A switching step in which, when the communication device is operating in the predetermined power state and a second condition is met, the communication device is switched to a power state that is more power-efficient than the predetermined power state, A control step that, when the predetermined function is enabled in the communication device, controls the communication device so that it can communicate with the information processing device even when the power supply is less power-efficient than the predetermined power supply state, and when the predetermined function is disabled in the communication device, controls the communication device so that it cannot communicate with the information processing device when the power supply is less power-efficient than the predetermined power supply state. A transmission step of transmitting predetermined information corresponding to whether the predetermined function is enabled in the communication device to the information processing device, It has, When the predetermined information is transmitted to the information processing device, the information processing device will perform a display based on the content of the predetermined information. A control method characterized by the following:

25. A computer in a communication device that can operate in any of the following states, including a predetermined power state and a power state that is more power-efficient than the predetermined power state: A first communication means that performs Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication with an external information processing device of the aforementioned communication device, A second communication means for performing Wi-Fi communication with the aforementioned information processing device, Setting means for disabling or enabling a predetermined function that automatically brings the communication device to the predetermined power state when the first condition is met while the communication device is operating in a power state that is less power-efficient than the predetermined power state, A printing means that performs printing based on a print job received via Wi-Fi communication with the aforementioned information processing device, A switching means that switches the communication device to a power supply state that is more power-efficient than the predetermined power supply state when the second condition is met while the communication device is operating in the predetermined power supply state, Control means that, when the predetermined function is enabled in the communication device, controls the communication device so that it can communicate with the information processing device even when the communication device is in a power state that is less power-efficient than the predetermined power state, and when the predetermined function is disabled in the communication device, controls the communication device so that it cannot communicate with the information processing device when the communication device is in a power state that is less power-efficient than the predetermined power state. A transmission means for transmitting predetermined information corresponding to whether the predetermined function is enabled in the communication device to the information processing device, To operate as, When the predetermined information is transmitted to the information processing device, the information processing device will perform a display based on the content of the predetermined information. A program characterized by the following features.

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