Communication device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9698875-B2
Application number	US-201615132432-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2016
Priority date	Aug 3, 2012
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

A communication device may establish at least one type of connection among a first type of connection and a second type of connection which are according to a particular protocol defined in an NFC standard based on a current state of the communication device and a current state of an external device. The first type of connection may be a connection in which the communication device operates as a server and the external device operates as a client. The second type of connection may be a connection in which the communication device operates as a client and the external device operates as a server. The communication device may communicate the target data with the external device by using the established connection. The contents of the communication may be different in response to which type of connection is established.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A communication device configured to communicate target data with an external device according to an NFC (Near Field Communication) scheme complying with an NFC standard, the communication device comprising:
an NFC interface configured to operate in accordance with the NFC scheme;
a network interface which is different from the NFC interface, the network interface being configured to connect to a wireless network;
a processor; and
a memory storing computer executable instructions,
wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the communication device to:
send activation information to the external device via the NFC interface by using a second type of Simple NFC Data Exchange Format Exchange Protocol (SNEP) connection when only the second type of SNEP connection among a first type of SNEP connection and the second type of SNEP connection is established between the communication device and the external device, the first type of SNEP connection being a connection in which the communication device operates as a SNEP server and the external device operates as a SNEP client, the second type of SNEP connection being a connection in which the communication device operates as the SNEP client and the external device operates as the SNEP server, the activation information being for causing the external device to activate an application program to be used by the external device, wherein the application program is configured to send instruction data in order to cause the communication device to execute a specific function, and when the application program is activated by the external device, a state of the external device changes from a state in which the SNEP client is invalid to a state in which the SNEP client is valid;
after the state of the external device has been changed to the state in which the SNEP client is valid, receive request data from the external device via the NFC interface by using the first type of SNEP connection when both the first type of SNEP connection and the second type of SNEP connection are established between the communication device and the external device;
in response to receiving the request data, send connection information to the external device, which has the state in which the SNEP client is valid, via the NFC interface by using the second type of SNEP connection when both the first type of SNEP connection and the second type of SNEP connection are established between the communication device and the external device, the connection information including a wireless setting to be used by the external device to participate in the wireless network;
after the connection information has been sent to the external device, establish a connection via the network interface with the external device by using the connection information;
after the connection via the network interface with the external device has been established, receive, via the network interface by using the connection, the instruction data from the external device in which the application program is in active; and

execute the specific function when the instruction data is received.

2. The communication device as in claim 1 , further comprising:
a print executing unit,
wherein the instruction data is print data, and
wherein the specific function is a print function to be executed by the print executing unit using the print data.

3. The communication device as in claim 1 , wherein
the activation information includes information for causing the external device to install the application program in a case where the application program has not been installed in the external device.

4. The communication device as in claim 1 , wherein
the activation information is a uniform resource locator (URL) of the application program.

5. The communication device as in claim 1 , wherein:
the activation information is sent to the external device by using the second type of SNEP connection in accordance with a PUT command, and
the connection information is sent to the external device by using the second type of SNEP connection in accordance with a PUT command.

6. The communication device as in claim 1 , wherein
the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the communication device to:
after the activation information has been sent to the external device and the state of the external device has been changed to the state in which the SNEP client is valid, send the connection information to the external device via the NFC interface by using the first type of SNEP connection when only the first type of SNEP connection among the first type of SNEP connection and the second type of SNEP connection is established between the communication device and the external device.

7. The communication device as in claim 6 , wherein:
the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the communication device to:
after the activation information has been sent to the external device and the state of the external device has been changed to the state in which the SNEP client is valid, receive request data from the external device via the NFC interface by using the first type of SNEP connection when only the first type of SNEP connection among the first type of SNEP connection and the second type of SNEP connection is established between the communication device and the external device, and

in response to receiving the request data, the connection information is sent to the external device via the NFC interface by using the first type of SNEP connection.

8. The communication device as in claim 7 , wherein:
the request data is received from the external device by using the first type of SNEP connection in accordance with a PUT command, and
the connection information is sent to the external device by using the first type of SNEP connection in accordance with a GET command.

9. The communication device as in claim 1 , wherein
the communication device maintains a state in which both of the SNEP server and the SNEP client are valid while a power of the communication device is ON.

10. The communication device as in claim 1 , wherein:
only the second type of SNEP connection is established under a first circumstance where a state of the communication device is a state in which only the SNEP client among the SNEP server and the SNEP client is valid,
the computer executable instructions cause the communication device to further execute:
changing, after only the second type of SNEP connection has been established under the first circumstance, a state of the communication device from the state in which only the SNEP client among the SNEP server and the SNEP client is being valid to a state in which both of the SNEP server and the SNEP client are being valid, and

after the state of the communication device has been changed to the state in which both of the SNEP server and the SNEP client are being valid, both the first type of SNEP connection and the second type of SNEP connection are established.

11. A communication device configured to communicate target data with an external device according to an NFC (Near Field Communication) scheme complying with an NFC standard, the communication device comprising:
an NFC interface configured to operate in accordance with the NFC scheme;
a network interface which is different from the NFC interface, the network interface being configured to connect to a wireless network;
an activation module configured to send activation information to the external device via the NFC interface by using a second type of Simple NFC Data Exchange Format Exchange Protocol (SNEP) connection when o

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Asakura Hirotaka

Classifications

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• H04W76/14

  Direct-mode setup · CPC title

• H04W76/15

  Setup of multiple wireless link connections · CPC title

• H04W80/08

  Upper layer protocols {(network arrangements or communication protocols for networked applications H04L67/00)} · CPC title

• H04B5/20

  characterised by the transmission technique; characterised by the transmission medium · CPC title