Communication apparatus, communication terminal, and communication system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10244477-B2
Application number	US-201715661302-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2017
Priority date	Aug 1, 2016
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

A communication apparatus includes a wireless module configured to execute communication with a communication terminal; a host system including a communication controller configured to control the communication with the communication terminal executed by the wireless module; an updater configured to update information used for the communication, at predetermined updating timings; and an operation status controller configured to control an operation state. The communication apparatus further includes a sub-system configured to send, to the operation status controller, a report indicating that an updating time period has elapsed from the updating timing of the information. The operation status controller causes the host system to return to a regular mode, upon receiving the report indicating that the updating time period has elapsed while the host system is in an energy saving mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A communication apparatus comprising:
a wireless module configured to execute communication with a communication terminal;
a host system including:
a communication controller configured to control the communication with the communication terminal executed by the wireless module;
an updater configured to update information used for the communication, at predetermined updating timings; and
an operation status controller configured to control an operation state, the communication apparatus further including:

a sub-system configured to send, to the operation status controller, a report indicating that an updating time period has elapsed from the updating timing of the information, wherein
the operation status controller causes the host system to return to a regular mode, upon receiving the report indicating that the updating time period has elapsed while the host system is in an energy saving mode.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the operation status controller causes the host system to shift to the energy saving mode, upon detecting that a predetermined time period has elapsed from the updating timing of the information.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a timer configured to measure an elapsed time period from the updating timing of the information.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the sub-system receives the report indicating that the updating time period has elapsed, from the communication terminal.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless module, the sub-system, and the operation status controller operate in the regular mode, while the host system is in the energy saving mode.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the communication is wireless communication complying with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the information includes an Advertiser's Address of the BLE.

8. The communication terminal configured to execute the communication with the communication apparatus according to claim 1 , the communication terminal comprising:
a timer configured to measure an elapsed time period from the updating timing of the information, wherein
the communication terminal sends the report indicating that the updating time period has elapsed, to the communication apparatus.

9. The communication terminal according to claim 8 , wherein the communication terminal uses other information that is different from the information, to connect to the communication apparatus, upon detecting that the updating time period has elapsed.

10. A communication system comprising:
the communication apparatus according to claim 1 ; and
the communication terminal configured to execute the communication with the communication apparatus, the communication terminal including:
a timer configured to measure an elapsed time period from the updating timing of the information, wherein
the communication terminal sends the report indicating that the updating time period has elapsed, to the communication apparatus.

11. A communication system comprising:
a communication apparatus including:
a wireless module configured to execute communication with a communication terminal; and
a host system including:
a communication controller configured to control the communication with the communication terminal executed by the wireless module; and
an operation status controller configured to control an operation state of the host system, the communication system further comprising:

a server including:
an updater configured to update information used for the communication, at predetermined updating timings;

wherein the server further includes a communication interface configured to transmit the information updated by the updater to the wireless module; and
wherein the operation status controller is configured, in a case in which the wireless module has received the information when the operation state of the host system is an energy saving mode, to not return the operation state of the host system to a regular mode.

Assignees

• Ueda Shigeo
• Oe Takayasu
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ueda Shigeo
• Oe Takayasu

Classifications

• H04W48/14

  using user query {or user detection} · CPC title

• H04W8/005

  Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W76/25

  Maintenance of established connections · CPC title

• H04W52/0235 Primary

  where the received signal is a power saving command · CPC title