Communication apparatus and communication layer role deciding method

Abstract

When setting a communication parameter, apparatuses decide on each other's roles for setting the communication parameter. When constructing a new network after the communication parameter is set, the roles of individual communication layers (e.g., a physical layer, IP layer, transport layer, and application layer) are decided on to correspond to the roles when the communication parameter is set.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A communication apparatus comprising:
 a decision unit adapted to decide on a role as a communication parameter provider or a communication parameter accepter in a wireless network parameter sharing process when sharing communication parameters for a network with another apparatus, wherein the communication parameters comprise at least one of a network identifier, encryption scheme, encryption key, authentication scheme, and authentication key; 
 a memory adapted to store information specifying roles of a plurality of communication layers corresponding to the role for when sharing the communication parameters; 
 a sharing unit adapted to perform the wireless network parameter sharing process with said the another apparatus in accordance with the role in the wireless network parameter sharing process decided on by the decision unit and share the communication parameters for the network; 
 a forming unit adapted to form the network with said the another apparatus based on the communication parameters shared at the sharing unit; 
 a setting unit adapted to set roles in a plurality of communication layers of the network corresponding to the role in the wireless network parameter sharing process decided on by said the decision unit based on the information stored in the memory, wherein the plurality of communication layers include at least one of a data link layer, an IP (Internet Protocol) layer, a transport layer, and an application layer, and wherein a role in the data link layer includes an authenicator and a supplicant. 
 
     
     
       2. A communication apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an execution unit adapted to execute a communication function based on the roles in the communication layers set by said the setting unit. 
 
     
     
       3. A communication apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said the decision unit decides on one of a communication parameter provider and a communication parameter acceptor as the role when setting the communication parameter. 
     
     
       4. A communication apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said the setting unit sets one of a role of forming a network and a role of joining a network formed by another apparatus, as a role of one communication layer. 
     
     
       5. A communication apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said the setting unit sets one of a server and a client as a role of one communication layer. 
     
     
       6. A communication apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said the setting unit sets, as a role of one communication layer, one of a side of requesting connection in the communication layer and a side of accepting a connection request. 
     
     
       7. A communication apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said the setting unit sets one of a side of requesting authentication and a side of performing authentication, as a role of one communication layer. 
     
     
       8. A communication apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said the setting unit sets one of a side having priority control and a side having no priority control, as a role of one communication layer. 
     
     
       9. A communication apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a determination unit adapted to determine a type of communication partner; and 
 a selection unit adapted to select a communication protocol in accordance with the determination by said the determination unit. 
 
     
     
       10. A communication apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a determination unit adapted to determine a type of communication partner, wherein
 saidthe setting unit sets the roles in saidthe plurality of communication layers in accordance with the role decided on by said the decision unit and the type of communication partner determined by said the determination unit. 
 
     
     
       11. A communication apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising an operation unit adapted to allow a user to instruct the decision unit to start to decide on a role when setting the communication parameter. 
     
     
       12. A communication layer role deciding method by a communication apparatus, comprising steps of:
 deciding on a role as a communication parameter provider or a communication parameter accepter in a wireless network parameter sharing process when sharing communication parameters for a network with another apparatus, wherein the communication parameters comprise at least one of a network identifier, encryption scheme, encryption key, authentication scheme, and authentication key; 
 storing in a memory information specifying roles of a plurality of communication layers corresponding to the role for when sharing the communication parameters; 
 performing the wireless network parameter sharing process with said the another apparatus in accordance with the role in the wireless network parameter sharing process decided on by the deciding step and sharing the communication parameters for the network; 
 forming the network with said the another apparatus based on the communication parameters shared at the sharing step by transmitting a beacon in a wireless network for which the shared communication parameters are used or by transmitting a probe reguest to the another communication apparatus and receiving a probe response from the another communication apparatus in a wireless network for which the shared communication parameters are used; 
 setting roles in a plurality of communication layers of the network corresponding to the role in the wireless network parameter sharing process decided on at said the deciding step in the wireless network parameter sharing process, wherein the plurality of communication layers include at least one of a data link layer, an IP (Internet Protocol) layer, a transport layer, and an application layer, and wherein a role in the data link layer includes an authenticator and a supplicant and a role in the IP layer includes a DHCP server and a DCHP client. 
 
     
     
       13. A communication layer role deciding method according to  claim 12 , wherein the step of deciding on a role when setting the communication parameter is performed based on an operation by a user at an operation unit. 
     
     
       14. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer-executable instructions for performing a communication layer role deciding method by a communication apparatus, the medium comprising:
 computer-executable instructions for deciding on a role as a communication parameter provider or a communication parameter accepter in a wireless network parameter sharing process when sharing communication parameters for a network with another apparatus, wherein the communication parameters comprise at least one of a network identifier, encryption scheme, encryption key, authentication scheme, and authentication key; 
 computer-executable instructions for storing in a memory information specifying roles of a plurality of communication layers corresponding to the role for when sharing the communication parameters; 
 computer-executable instructions for performing the wireless network parameter sharing process with said the another apparatus in accordance with the decided role in the wireless network parameter sharing process and sharing the communication parameters for the network; 
 computer-executable instructions for forming the network with said the another apparatus based on the shared communication parameters by transmitting a beacon in a wireless network for which the shared communication parameters are used or by transmitting a probe request to the another communication apparatus and receiving a probe response from the another communication apparatus in a wireless network for which the shared communication parameters are used; 
 computer-executable instructions for setting roles in a plurality of communication layers of the network corresponding to the decided role in the wireless network parameter sharing process based on the information stored in the memory, wherein the plurality of communication layers include at least one of a data link layer, an IP (Internet Protocol) layer, a transport layer, and an application layer, and wherein a role in the data link layer includes an authenticator and a supplicant and a role in the IP layer includes a DHCP server and a DHCP client. 
 
     
     
       15. A communication apparatus which is capable of communicating wirelessly with another communication apparatus by operating as either a first role of providing communication parameters or a second role of receiving communication parameters, wherein the communication parameters include at least one of a network identifier, an encryption scheme, an encryption key, an authentication scheme, or an authentication key, the communication apparatus comprising:
 a processor; and   a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied in the medium, that when executed by the processor of the communication apparatus controls the communication apparatus to perform operations comprising:   storing in a memory information specifying roles of the communication apparatus in each of a data link layer and an IP (Internet Protocol) layer corresponding to each of the first role and the second role;   sharing the communication parameters between the communication apparatus and the another communication apparatus by providing the communication parameters in a case that the communication apparatus operates as the first role, and by receiving the communication parameters in a case that the communication apparatus operates as the second role;   forming a wireless network with the another communication apparatus based on the shared communication parameters by transmitting a beacon in a wireless network for which the shared communication parameters are used or by transmitting a probe request to the another communication apparatus and receiving a probe response from the another communication apparatus in a wireless network for which the shared communication parameters are used; and   automatically setting, based on the information stored in the memory, roles of the communication apparatus in each of the data link layer and the IP layer of the formed wireless network corresponding to the role of the communication apparatus for when sharing the communication parameters, wherein the role in the data link layer includes an authenticator and a supplicant and the role in the IP layer includes a DHCP server and a DHCP client.    
     
     
       16. A communication apparatus according to claim 15, wherein information specifying a role of a physical layer corresponding to a role for when sharing the communication parameters is stored in the memory.  
     
     
       17. A communication apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the role in the IP layer includes a role for notifying an IP address and a role for acquiring an IP address and the role in the physical layer includes a role for creating a wireless network and a role for joining a wireless network.  
     
     
       18. A communication apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the communication apparatus and the another communication apparatus perform direct communication with each other in the formed wireless network. 
     
     
       19. A communication apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the formed wireless network is a network of a wireless LAN. 
     
     
       20. A communication apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the authenticator is a role which authenticates the supplicant and the supplicant is a role which requests the authenticator to authenticate. 
     
     
       21. A communication apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the authenticator and the supplicant are defined by IEEE802.11i. 
     
     
       22. A control method of a communication apparatus that is capable of communicating wirelessly with another communication apparatus by operating as either a first role of providing communication parameters or a second role of receiving communication parameters, wherein the communication parameters include at least one of a network identifier, an encryption scheme, an encryption key, an authentication scheme, or an authentication key, the method comprising:
 storing in a memory information specifying roles of the communication apparatus in each of a data link layer and an IP (Internet Protocol) layer corresponding to each of the first role and the second role;   sharing the communication parameters between the communication apparatus and the another communication apparatus by providing the communication parameters in a case that the communication apparatus operates as the first role, and by receiving the communication parameters in a case that the communication apparatus operates as the second role;   forming a wireless network with the another communication apparatus based on the shared communication parameters by transmitting a beacon in a wireless network for which the shared communication parameters are used or by transmitting a probe request to the another communication apparatus and receiving a probe response from the another communication apparatus in a wireless network for which the shared communication parameters are used; and   automatically setting, based on the information stored in the memory, roles of the communication apparatus in each of the data link layer and the IP layer of the formed wireless network corresponding to the role of the communication apparatus for when sharing the communication parameters, wherein the role in the data link layer includes an authenticator and a supplicant and the role in the IP layer includes a DHCP server and a DHCP client.   
     
     
       23. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer-executable instructions that cause a communication apparatus to perform a control method, wherein the communication apparatus is capable of communicating wirelessly with another communication apparatus by operating as either a first role of providing communication parameters or a second role of receiving communication parameters, wherein the communication parameters include at least one of a network identifier, an encryption scheme, an encryption key, an authentication scheme, or an authentication key, the control method comprising:
 storing in a memory information specifying roles of the communication apparatus in each of a data link layer and an IP (Internet Protocol) layer corresponding to each of the first role and the second role;   sharing the communication parameters between the communication apparatus and the another communication apparatus by providing the communication parameters in a case that the communication apparatus operates as the first role, and by receiving the communication parameters in a case that the communication apparatus operates as the second role;   forming a wireless network with the another communication apparatus based on the shared communication parameters by transmitting a beacon in a wireless network for which the shared communication parameters are used or by transmitting a probe request to the another communication apparatus and receiving a probe response from the another communication apparatus in a wireless network for which the shared communication parameters are used; and   automatically setting, based on the information stored in the memory, roles of the communication apparatus in each of the data link layer and the IP layer of the formed wireless network corresponding to the role of the communication apparatus for when sharing the communication parameters, wherein the role in the data link layer includes an authenticator and a supplicant and the role in the IP layer includes a DHCP server and a DHCP client.