Information processing apparatus, information processing system, and information processing method configured to construct a server in the mobile terminal through which an output device communicates with the mobile terminal using a communication information

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10983739-B2
Application number	US-201615771522-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2016
Priority date	Nov 26, 2015
Publication date	Apr 20, 2021
Grant date	Apr 20, 2021

Abstract

An information processing apparatus coupled to a device via at least one of a plurality of networks includes a memory having computer readable instructions and at least one processor configured to execute the computer readable instructions to transmit to the device first communication information for performing communication between the device and the information processing apparatus, when a process is requested from the device; determine whether the communication is possible via a first network to which the device is coupled according to whether the communication is performed using the first communication information; connect to a second network using second communication information for connecting to the second network, when the communication is determined impossible via the first network; and determine whether the communication is possible via the second network according to whether the communication is performed using the first communication information via the second network.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mobile terminal coupled to an output device via at least one of a plurality of networks, the mobile terminal comprising:
at least one processor; and
a memory storing computer readable instructions that cause the at least one processor to:
transmit communication information to the output device communicating with the mobile terminal via a short-range wireless communication method;
construct a server in the mobile terminal through which the output device communicates with, the mobile terminal using the communication information;
determine whether the constructed server has received a communication request, responsive to the transmission of the communication information, from the output device via a first network, the first network being based on a communication method that is different from the short-range wireless communication method; and
transmit an output request to the output device via the constructed server, wherein
the output request is transmitted to the output device via the first network in a case where the at least one processor determines that the communication request is received via the first network, and
the output request is transmitted to the output device via a second network in a case where the at least one processor determines that the communication request is not received via the first network, the second network being a network different from the first network, and being based on the communication method different from the short-range wireless communication method.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
receive a request from another mobile terminal via the constructed server, the constructed server being configured to provide a service; and
determine whether communication with the output device via the first network or the second network is established, based on whether communication between the output device and the constructed server is established.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 2 ,
wherein when the output device communicates with the constructed server, the constructed server is configured to acquire address information that uniquely identifies the output device on the first network or the second network, and
wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the at least one processor to request the process from the output device that is uniquely identified by the acquired address information via the first network or the second network.

4. The mobile terminal according to claim 2 ,
wherein the constructed server is configured to return an indication that communication is successful in response to a first communication from the output device to the constructed server after the server is constructed, and return an indication that communication is not successful in response to a second or later communication from the output device to the constructed server.

5. The mobile terminal according to claim 2 , wherein the computer readable instructions further causes the at least one processor to:
acquire a port number, and transmit the communication information including the port number to the output device; and
prepare the constructed server, a port of which the output device specifies by the port number.

6. The mobile terminal according to claim 5 , wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
determine whether the port number has been already used in the mobile terminal, and
display on a display device, an indication that communication with the output device is impossible in a case where the port number has been used in the mobile terminal.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
construct the server that authenticates the output device with a password transmitted from the output device; and
transmit the communication information including the password, wherein
in a case where the password transmitted by the at least one processor is determined to coincide with the password transmitted from the output device, it is determined that the mobile terminal can communicate with the output device via the first network or the second network, and
in a case where the password transmitted by the processor is determined not to coincide with the password transmitted from the output device, it is determined that communication between the mobile terminal and the output device has not been established via the first network or the second network.

8. The mobile terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
display an indication of requesting an operation of switching to the second network on a display device, before connecting to the second network, when the output device is not able to establish communication with the mobile terminal via the first network.

9. The mobile terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
cause the output device to end the communication with the mobile terminal using the communication information in a case where the processor determines that the output device is able to establish communication with the mobile terminal via the first network or the second network.

10. The mobile terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
acquire communication determination information, the communication determination information indicating whether the processor is to determine whether the output device communicates with the mobile terminal via the first network, wherein
the processor connects to the second network and transmits the communication information to the output device via the second network in a case where the communication determination information indicates that the processor is not to determine whether the output device communicates with the mobile terminal via the first network.

11. The mobile terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
when priority is attached to a plurality of pieces of communication information for the output device communicating with the mobile terminal, connect to different networks based on the respective pieces of communication information in a descending order of the priority, and
determine whether the mobile terminal can communicate with the output device via the first network or the second network according to whether the output device communicates with the mobile terminal using the communication information via the first network or the second network.

12. An information processing system including a mobile terminal that includes at least one processor, and one or more output devices, each coupled to the mobile terminal via at least one of a plurality of networks, the information processing system comprising:
a memory storing computer readable instructions that cause the at least one processor to:
transmit communication information to the output device communicating with the mobile terminal via a short-range wireless communication method;
construct a server in the mobile terminal through which the output device communicates with the mobile terminal using the communication information;
determine whether the constructed server has received a communication request, responsive to the transmission of the communication information, from the output device via a first network, the first network, being based

Assignees

• Hayashi Yasuhiro
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hayashi Yasuhiro

Classifications

• H04N1/33361

  according to characteristics or the state of the communication line (H04N1/33353 and H04N2201/33371 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04N1/00315

  with a radio transmission apparatus (with a cordless telephone H04N1/00305; systems or arrangements for the transmission of a picture signal specially adapted for transmission via radio H04N1/00103; H04N1/00307 takes precedence; radio transmission systems H04B7/00; wireless communication networks H04W) · CPC title

• H04N1/33323

  transmission mode only, e.g. speed · CPC title

• H04N1/32767

  in response to a user operation, e.g. actuating a switch (H04N1/32769 and H04N1/32771 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04N1/00472

  using a pop-up window · CPC title