IP Library Granted Patent US 12,335,723
Granted Patent B2
US 12,335,723 · App. 18/154,439 · Granted Jun 17, 2025

Terminal device and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing computer readable instructions for terminal device

Inventor: Syun Takeuchi (Ichinomiya, JP)
Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
H04W12/06H04L9/30H04W76/10
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,335,723
App. No.
18/154,439
Granted
Jun 17, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A terminal device may determine whether the terminal device has been established a wireless connection with an access point. In a case where it is determined that the terminal device has been established the wireless connection with the access point, the terminal device may send first connection information to the communication device, the first connection information being for establishing a wireless connection between the communication device and the access point. In a case where it is determined that the terminal device has not been established the wireless connection with the access point, the terminal device may communicate second connection information with the communication device, the second connection information being for establishing a wireless connection between the terminal device and the communication device not via the access point.

Claims (41)

1. A terminal device comprising:

a wireless interface configured to execute wireless communication according to Wi-Fi standard; and

a controller configured to:

obtain a public key of a communication device;

determine whether there is a current wireless connection between the terminal device and an access point via the wireless interface;

in a case where it is determined that there is no current wireless connection between the terminal device and the access point via the wireless interface and in a case where a state of the wireless interface is a first state in which the wireless interface is unable to execute the wireless communication via the wireless interface,

execute a process for shifting the state of the wireless interface from the first state to a second state in which the wireless interface is able to execute wireless communication via the wireless interface;

send an authentication request in which the public key is used to the communication device via the wireless interface after the state of the wireless interface has been shifted to the second state;

receive an authentication response from the communication device via the wireless interface;

communicate connection information with the communication device via the wireless interface after the authentication response has been received from the communication device, the connection information being for establishing a wireless connection between the terminal device and the communication device not via the access point; and

establish the wireless connection between the terminal device and the communication device by using the connection information via the wireless interface after the connection information has been communicated with the communication device.

2. The terminal device as in claim 1 , wherein

the public key is obtained by executing Bootstrapping according to a Device Provisioning Protocol (DPP) of the Wi-Fi standard,

the authentication request is a DPP Authentication Request,

the authentication response is a DPP Authentication Response, and

the connection information is a Configuration Object for establishing the wireless connection between the terminal device and the communication device not via the access point.

3. The terminal device as in claim 2 , wherein

the terminal device operates as a Configurator according to the DPP after the authentication response has been received from the communication device, and

the controller sends the connection information that is the Configuration Object to the communication device.

4. The terminal device as in claim 1 , wherein

the controller sends the connection information that includes a Service Set Identifier (SSID) and a password of a wireless network in which the terminal device operates as a parent station to the communication device,

the controller establishes the wireless connection between the terminal device and the communication device by using the connection information via the wireless interface after the connection information has been sent to the communication device, and

in a case where the wireless connection between the terminal device and the communication device is established, the communication device operates as a child station in the wireless network.

5. The terminal device as in claim 1 ,

wherein the first state is a state in which power is not supplied to the wireless interface; and

the second state is a state in which power is supplied to the wireless interface.

6. The terminal device as in claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine whether the state of the wireless interface is the first state in which the wireless interface is unable to execute the wireless communication via the wireless interface in a case where it is determined that there is no current wireless connection between the terminal device and the access point via the wireless interface.

7. The terminal device as in claim 1 , further comprising a memory configured to store an indication whether there is a current wireless connection between the terminal device and the access point via the wireless interface and wherein the controller is configured to determine whether there is a current wireless connection based on the indication which is stored in the memory.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing computer readable instructions for a terminal device, wherein

the terminal device comprises:

a wireless interface configured to execute wireless communication according to Wi-Fi standard, and

a processor,

the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the terminal device to:

obtain a public key of a communication device;

determine whether there is a current wireless connection between the terminal device and an access point via the wireless interface;

in a case where it is determined that there is no current wireless connection between the terminal device and the access point via the wireless interface and in a case where a state of the wireless interface is a first state in which the wireless interface is unable to execute the wireless communication via the wireless interface,

execute a process for shifting the state of the wireless interface from the first state to a second state in which the wireless interface is able to execute the wireless communication via the wireless interface;

send an authentication request in which the public key is used to the communication device via the wireless interface after the state of the wireless interface has been shifted to the second state;

receive an authentication response from the communication device via the wireless interface;

communicate connection information with the communication device via the wireless interface after the authentication response has been received from the communication device, the connection information being for establishing a wireless connection between the terminal device and the communication device not via the access point; and

establish the wireless connection between the terminal device and the communication device by using the connection information via the wireless interface after the connection information has been communicated with the communication device.

Priority Claims (1)
JP 2019-140732 · Jul 31, 2019 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation 16939202 · Jul 27, 2020
Related Publication 20230156467A1 · May 18, 2023
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