Granted Patent B2

US 12,407,663 · App. 17/328,160 · Granted Sep 2, 2025

Inventor: Hiroshi Shibata (Yatomi, JP)

Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA

H04L63/08H04L9/3006H04L9/3263H04W76/11

Abstract

Claims (98)

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

the first terminal device comprises one or more communication interfaces, a display, and a processor, and

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

send a search signal to a pre-established, wired communication network to which the first terminal device and a first communication device belong and by using a network layer and higher layers of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model via a first communication interface of the one or more communication interfaces; and

in a case where a response signal is received from each of a plurality of communication devices via the first communication interface, cause the display to display a device selection screen that includes two or more pieces of device information corresponding to two or more communication devices among the plurality of communication devices,

wherein the two or more communication devices are senders of the response signals including supported information,

the device selection screen does not include device information corresponding to a communication device that is a sender of the response signal that does not include the supported information, and

the supported information indicates that a communication device that is a sender of the response signal supports a predetermined wireless connection scheme for communicating an authentication request in which a public key is used,

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

by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer and higher layers of the OSI model, receive first address information which is a first IP address of the first communication device from the first communication device of the plurality of communication devices via the first communication interface;

receive a first public key of the first communication device from the first communication device via the first communication interface by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer and higher layers of the OSI model;

in a case where specific device information corresponding to the first communication device is selected from the two or more pieces of device information in the device selection screen, and the first address information and the first public key are received from the first communication device, send a first authentication request in which the first public key is used to the first communication device with the first address information as a destination via the first communication interface by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer and higher layers of the OSI model; and

in a case where a first authentication response is received from the first communication device via the first communication interface by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer and higher layers of the OSI model in response to the first authentication request being sent to the first communication device send first connection information to the first communication service with the first address information as a destination via the first communication interface by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layers and higher layers of the OSI model, wherein the first connection information is used by the first communication device to establish a first wireless connection between the first communication device and an external device.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as in claim 1 ,

wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor of the first terminal device, further cause the first terminal device to:

by using the pre-established, wired communication network to which a second communication device of the plurality of communication devices different from the first communication device further belongs, and by using the network layer and higher layers of the OSI model, receive second address information which is a second IP address of the second communication device from the second communication device via the first communication interface;

receive a second public key of the second communication device from the second communication device via the first communication interface by using the pre-establisher, wired communication network and by using the network layer and higher layers of the OSI model;

in a case where specific device information corresponding to the second communication device is selected from the two or more pieces of device information in the device selection screen, and the second address information and the second public key are received from the second communication device, send a second authentication request in which the second public key is used to the second communication device with the second address information as a destination via the first communication interface by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer and higher layers of the OSI model; and

in a case where a second authentication response is received from the second communication device via the first communication interface by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer and higher layers of the OSI model in response to the second authentication request being sent to the second communication device, send second connection information to the second communication device with the second address information as a destination via the first communication interface by using the pre-established, wired communication network, and by using the network layer and higher layers of the OSI model, wherein the second connection information is used by the second communication device to establish a second wireless connection between the second communication device and the external device.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as in claim 2 , wherein the first address information is received by receiving a first response signal including including the first address information from the first communication device via the first communication interface by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer and higher layers of the OSI model in response to the search signal being sent, and

the second address information is received by receiving a second response signal including the second address information from the second communication device via the first communication interface by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer and higher layers of the OSI model in response to the search signal being sent.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as in claim 2 , wherein

after the first wireless connection has been established between the first communication device and the external device, the second connection information is sent to the second communication device.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as in claim 1 , wherein

the device selection screen includes the two or more pieces of device information corresponding to two or more communication devices that are senders of the response signals that include the supported information but do not include established information,

the device selection screen does not include device information corresponding to a communication device that is a sender of the response signal that includes the established information, and

the established information indicates that a communication device that is a sender of the response signal has already established a wireless connection with the external device.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as in claim 1 , wherein

in a case where the response signal is received only from the first communication device in response to the search signal being sent, the device selection screen is not displayed, and

in the case where the response signal is received only from the first communication device, the first authentication request is sent to the first communication device without the specific device information being selected in the device selection screen.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as in claim 1 , wherein

the pre-established, wired communication network includes a wired communication pathway.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as in claim 7 , wherein

the first communication interface is a wired interface for wired communication.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as in claim 1 , wherein

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

receive specific information from a second terminal device different from the first terminal device via a third communication interface of the one or more communication interfaces, wherein the second terminal device has generated third connection information by using the specific information and has already sent the generated third connection information to the external device which is an access point, and the third connection information is used by the external device to establish the first wireless connection between the first communication device and the external device,

wherein the first connection information is generated by using the specific information and the first connection information generated is sent to the first communication device.

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

the first terminal device comprises one or more communication interfaces and a processor, and

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

send a search signal to a pre-established, wired communication network to which the first terminal device and a first communication device belong and by using a network layer and higher layers of Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model via a first communication interface of the one or more communication interfaces; and

in a case where a response signal is received from each of a plurality of communication devices via the first communication interface, cause the display to display a device selection screen that includes two or more pieces of device information corresponding to two or more communication devices among the plurality of communication devices,

wherein two or more communication devices are senders of the response signals including supported information,

the device selection screen does not include device information corresponding to a communication device that is a sender of the response signal that does not include the supported information, and

the supported information indicates that a communication device that is a sender of the response signal supports a predetermined wireless connection scheme for communicating an authentication request in which a public key is used,

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

by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer of the OSI model, receive first address information from the first communication device of the plurality of communication devices via the first communication interface;

in a case where the first address information is received from the first communication device, send a first sending request to the first communication device with the first address information as a destination via the first communication interface by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer of the OSI model, wherein the first sending request is a signal for requesting the first communication device to send a first public key of the first communication device;

in response to the first sending request being sent to the first communication device, receive the first public key from the first communication device via the first communication interface by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer of the OSI model;

in a case where specific device information corresponding to the first communication device is selected from the two or more pieces of device information in the device selection screen, and the first public key is received from the first communication device, send a first authentication request in which the first public key is used to the first communication device via a second communication interface of the one or more communication interfaces using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer of the OSI model; and

in a case where a first authentication response is received from the first communication device via the second communication interface in response to the first authentication request being sent to the first communication device, send first connection information to the first communication device via the second communication interface using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer of the OSI model, wherein the first connection information is used by the first communication device to establish a first wireless connection between the first communication device and an external device.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as in claim 10 , wherein

the second communication interface is the first communication interface.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as in claim 10 , wherein

the first address information is a first IP address of the first communication device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as in claim 10 , wherein

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

by using the pre-established, wired communication network to which a second communication device of the plurality of communication devices different from the first communication device further belong and by using the network layer of the OSI model, receive second address information of the second communication device from the second communication device via the first communication interface;

in a case where the second address information is received from the second communication device, send a second sending request to the second communication device with the second address information as a destination via the first communication interface by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer of the OSI model, wherein the second sending request is a signal for requesting the second communication device to send a second public key of the second communication device;

in response to the second sending request being sent to the second communication device, receive the second public key from the second communication device via the first communication interface by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer of the 081 model;

in a case where specific device information corresponding to the second communication device is selected from the two or more pieces of device information in the device selection screen, and the second public key is received from the second communication device, send a second authentication request in which the second public key is used to the second communication device via the second communication interface; and

in a case where a second authentication response is received from the second communication device via the second communication interface in response to the second authentication request being sent to the second communication device, send second connection information to the second communication device via the second communication interface, wherein the second connection information is used by the second communication device to establish a second wireless connection between the second communication device and the external device.

14. A communication device comprising:

one or more communication interfaces; and

a controller,

wherein the controller is configured to:

by using a pre-established, wired communication network to which the communication device and a terminal device belong, receive a search signal from the terminal device via a first communication interface of the one or more communication interfaces;

in a case where the search signal is received from the terminal device, send a response signal to the terminal device via the first communication interface, wherein the response signal includes address information which is an IP address of the communication device and supporting information which indicates that the communication device supports a predetermined wireless connection scheme for communicating an authentication request in which a public key is used, send the public key of the communication device to the terminal device via the first communication interface by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using a network layer and higher layers of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model;

in a case where the response signal including the address information and the supported information and the public key are sent to the terminal device, receive an authentication request in which the public key is used from the terminal device via the first communication interface by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer and higher layers of the OSI model, wherein the authentication request is sent with the address information as a destination;

in a case where the authentication request is received from the terminal device, send an authentication response to the terminal device via the first communication interface by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer and higher layers of the OSI model;

in a case where the authentication response is sent to the terminal device, receive connection information from the terminal device via the first communication interface by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer and higher layers of the OSI model, wherein the connection information is sent with the address information as a destination, and wherein the connection information is used by the communication device to establish a wireless connection between the communication device and an external device; and

in a case where the connection information is received from the terminal device, establish the wireless connection between the communication device and the external device by using the connection information via a third communication interface of the one or more communication interfaces.

15. The communication device as in claim 14 , wherein

the authentication request is received from the terminal device in a case where the response signal that does not include established information is sent to the terminal device,

the authentication request is not received in a case where the response signal that includes the established information is sent to the terminal device, and

the established information indicates that the communication device has already established a wireless connection with the external device.

16. The communication device as in claim 14 , wherein

the pre-established, wired communication network includes a wired communication pathway.

17. The communication device as in claim 16 , wherein

the first communication interface is a wired interface for wired communication, and

the third communication interface is a wireless interface for wireless communication according to a Wi-Fi standard.

18. A communication device comprising:

one or more communication interfaces; and

a controller,

wherein the controller is configured to:

by using a pre-established, wired communication network to which the communication device and a terminal device belong, receive a search signal from the terminal device via a first communication interface of the one or more communication interfaces;

in a case where the search signal is received from the terminal device, send a response signal to the terminal device via the first communication interface, wherein the response signal includes address information of the communication device and supported information which indicates that the communication device supports a predetermined wireless connection scheme for communicating an authentication request in which a public key is used;

in a case where the response signal including the address information and the supported information is sent to the terminal device, receive a sending request from the terminal device via the first communication interface by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using a network layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, wherein the sending request is sent with the address information as a destination, and wherein the sending request is a signal for requesting the communication device to send a public key of the communication device;

in response to the sending request being received from the terminal device, send the public key to the terminal device via the first communication interface by using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer of the OSI model;

in a case where the public key is sent to the terminal device, receive an authentication request in which the public key is used from the terminal device via a second communication interface of the one or more communication interfaces using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer of the OSI model;

in response to the authentication request being received from the terminal device, send an authentication response to the terminal device via the second communication interface using the pre-established, wired communication network and by using the network layer of the OSI model;

in a case where the authentication response is sent to the terminal device, receive connection information from the terminal device via the second communication interface using the pre-established, wired, communication network and by using the network layer of the OSI model, wherein the communication information is used by the communication device to establish a wireless connection between the communication device and an external device; and

in a case where the connection information is received from the terminal device, establish the wireless connection between the communication device and the external device by using the connection information via a third communication interface of the one or more communication interfaces.

19. The communication device as in claim 18 , wherein

the second communication interface is the first communication interface.

20. The communication device as in claim 18 , wherein

the address information is an IP address of the communication device.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (27)