JP4630671B2 - Information processing apparatus, communication setting method thereof, and control program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that when resetting is tried to perform by a printer in which a filtering has been already set in a network installing, it is necessary either to release the filtering in advance or to initialize the printer for the installing, and when the filtering is restored after the installing, it is necessary to input again. <P>SOLUTION: In order to obtain convenience of the installing, when the filtering is set, the filtering is released temporarily, and it is returned to the original state after the installing is finished. In addition, when a host PC for the installing is not an object for the filtering, the installing is made simpler by adding automatically to the filtering. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&amp;NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and a communication setting method thereof communicates with devices such as printers, as well as a control program for realizing the communication setting method.

  In recent years, devices having a wireless interface, such as printers and printer adapters, have been widely used because a network configuration that has been conventionally performed by a wire can be built wirelessly and wiring is not required. As an example, there is the 802.11b standard standardized by IEEE, and as a wireless device corresponding to this standard, for example, there are an access point and a router for a wireless LAN (Wireless Lacal Area Network).

  As a device having such a wireless interface, a printer that can be connected to a wireless LAN does not require wiring or the like and can be shared by a plurality of computers (hereinafter referred to as host PCs). However, it is possible to meet needs such as printing from a plurality of host PCs using a single printer (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

  However, since the connection form is wireless, there is a possibility that anyone can connect within the reach of wireless, and security measures against information leakage and hacking are important. As a countermeasure, there is a method of limiting host PCs that can transmit data to a printer that can be connected to a wireless LAN. As a typical example of this method, there is a method using a MAC address (a unique address individually assigned to a network device) and trying to restrict host PCs that permit communication with the MAC address.

Such restriction is called filtering, and filtering based on the MAC address is called MAC address filtering (for example, Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4). Filtering rejects communications from other parties that are not allowed to communicate, so security can be maintained, and it is not a method of performing complicated encryption, so it is relatively easy to implement. It has the following advantages.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 07-013891 JP 2003-050677 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-027324 JP 2004-173148 A

  However, the above conventional technique has the following problems when attempting to use again in a new environment by resetting the wireless LAN of a printer for which filtering has already been set. That is, since a printer for which filtering has already been set is allowed to communicate only with a communication partner registered by filtering, when searching for a printer from the host PC via the network in order to reset the wireless LAN, the printer There is a fear that the host PC may become the filtering target device and the wireless LAN cannot be reset without communication being permitted.

  In order to solve this problem, it is possible to cancel the filtering once or initialize the printer and reset the wireless LAN, but to maintain security, reset the filtering again after resetting the wireless LAN. It is necessary to reduce the convenience of the user.

In view of the above-described conventional problems, the present invention can easily realize network installation without performing filtering cancellation or resetting by a user even when performing network installation on a device that has already been set up for filtering. and to provide an information processing apparatus and a communication setting method thereof, and control program.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a information processing apparatus capable of filtering settings for communicating with one of the valid and invalid of over the air interface between the device, the device via a wired interface a first communication setting means for performing a first communication configuration to enable control of, after execution of the first communication setting by the first communication setting means, over the non-linear interface a second communication setting means for performing the second communication setting for enabling the communication with the device, even after execution of the first communication setting by the first communication setting means, wherein before performing the second communication configuration according to the second communication setting unit, a filtering release means for temporarily releasing the setting of the filtering, according to the second communication setting means Serial after execution of the second communication configuration, is characterized in that a filtering resetting means for resetting the settings of the filtering.
The present invention also relates to a communication setting method of an information processing apparatus capable of setting filtering for enabling or disabling communication with a device via a wireless interface, the device via a wired interface. A first communication setting step for executing a first communication setting for enabling control of the device, and after execution of the first communication setting by the first communication setting step, the device via a wireless interface A second communication setting step for executing a second communication setting for enabling communication with the second communication setting step, and after the execution of the first communication setting by the first communication setting step. Before performing the second communication setting by the communication setting step, the filtering cancellation step for temporarily releasing the filtering setting, and the second communication setting step by the second After execution of the second communication settings, and having a filtering resetting step of resetting the settings of the filtering.
The control program of the present invention is a control program for realizing the communication setting method by a computer .

  According to the present invention, when performing communication setting via a network on a device for which filtering has already been set, it becomes possible to easily realize the communication setting without the user performing cancellation or resetting of filtering. .

The information processing apparatus and a communication setting method thereof of the present invention, as well as the embodiment of the control program will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The notebook PC 11 in the figure is configured to use a USB cable 15 as a wired local interface and to be able to mount, for example, a PCMCIA card type wireless LAN card 14 as a wireless interface. Similar to the PC 11, the printer 12 includes both a wired local interface and a wireless interface. The wired local interface is realized by connecting the PC 11 and the printer 12 with the USB cable 15. The wireless interface is realized by mounting a PCMCIA card type wireless LAN card 14, for example.

  The access point 13 has a function of acting as an intermediary between wireless devices at the access point of the wireless interface, and is configured to be able to mount a wireless LAN card 14 of, for example, a PCMCIA card type. Note that when using each device with a built-in wireless LAN module, it is not necessary to install a PCMCIA card type wireless LAN card 14.

  It is also possible to transmit print data between the PC 11 and the printer 12 using the USB cable 15, and it is also possible to transmit print data to the printer 12 via the access point 13 using the wireless LAN interface. It has become. Although only one PC 11 is shown in the figure, a plurality of PCs can be connected to one access point, and one printer can be shared by a plurality of PCs for printing.

  The wireless LAN has a mode that can be connected to a plurality of wireless LAN devices via an access point, and is called an infrastructure mode. In the infrastructure mode, a LAN can be configured from a plurality of wireless LAN devices via an access point by setting the same ID as the ID (SSID) set for the access point in the wireless LAN device.

  When using a printer as a wireless LAN device, it is necessary to make settings so that the printer can connect to an access point. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the setting between the PC 11 and the access point 13 has already been made and communication with the access point is possible in the infrastructure mode. It is assumed that no ID is set in the infrastructure mode as an initial state.

  Some operating system (OS) is operating on the PC 11, and printing software (printer driver) needs to be installed in the PC 11 in order to perform printing in the OS environment. Further, when printing using a wireless LAN, the wireless LAN in the printer 12 is set so that the printer 12 can be connected to the access point 13, and the PC 11 can print on the wireless LAN. The software to be installed is installed on the PC 11. It is necessary to set software suitable for the printer 12 that enables printing via a wireless LAN.

<Installing the printer driver>
In order to enable printing by connecting a printer such as the printer 12 to a host PC such as the PC 11, a print command from the print application is understood on the OS of the host PC, and a print control command and printing based on the print command are performed. Software for transferring data to the printer and controlling the printer is required. The software for controlling the printer is the printer driver described above.

  All hardware connected to the host PC is controlled by a mechanism that receives a control command from an application via a device driver, as represented by a printer driver. The device driver occupies a specific memory area as a kind of resident program while the device is connected to the host PC.

  Recent OSs represented by Windows (registered trademark) have a plug-and-play function that automatically incorporates an appropriate device driver corresponding to a device when the device is connected to a host PC. In plug and play processing when a device is first connected to the host PC, if there is no optimal device driver included in the OS, a floppy (registered trademark) disk or CD- It is necessary to incorporate a device driver attached to a medium such as a ROM into the OS. This device driver installation operation is referred to as driver installation operation.

  FIG. 2 is a screen display diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed in the printer driver installation process using the USB according to the present embodiment. This screen example is displayed on the screen of the PC 11 when the printer driver is installed in the PC 11 for printing with the printer 12 of FIG.

  A screen 61 is displayed as the first screen. This screen 61 is a printer driver / installation process start screen, and is displayed when the user starts the installation software. On the screen 61, there are selection icons 62 and 63 for selecting "execute" and "cancel", respectively, which can be selected with a mouse or the like. When “execute” 62 is selected, installation is started and the next screen 64 is displayed. If “Cancel” 63 is selected, the printer driver is not installed and the process ends.

  On the screen 64, an instruction to connect the USB interface is displayed to the user, and the user connects the USB cable 15 to the USB interface of the printer 12 according to the instruction. When the printer 12 is not turned on, the user turns on the printer 12. Also on the screen 64, installation can be canceled by “cancel” 65.

  When the USB cable 15 is connected and the printer 12 is turned on, installation of the printer driver and internal settings of the printer 12 are completed by plug and play.

  When the installation is successful, a screen 66 is displayed and the installation is completed. By selecting “OK” 67, the software is terminated. If installation of the printer driver fails for some reason, a screen 68 is displayed to inform the user that the installation has failed. As with the screen 66, the software ends with “OK” 69.

  As described above, the printer driver installation using the USB is completed by operating in accordance with the instructions of the screen 61 → the screen 64 → the screen 66, and the print data is transmitted from the PC 11 to the printer 12 via the USB cable 15. Is possible.

<Overview of Wireless Network Installation According to this Embodiment>
I. When there are a plurality of access points and printers FIGS. 3A to 3C and FIGS. 4D and 4E are examples of screens displayed in the wireless network installation process using USB according to this embodiment. FIG. This screen example is displayed on the screen of the PC 11 when the wireless LAN is subsequently set after the installation of the printer driver described in FIG.

  When “OK” 67 is selected on the screen 66 in FIG. 3A, the wireless LAN setting is not performed, but when “Network installation” 70 is selected, the wireless network installation process starts. First, an operation screen 84 (FIG. 3B) for selecting an access point to connect to the access point is displayed.

  This screen 84 displays an access point search command from the PC 11 via the USB cable 15 in order to display a list of access points to which the printer 12 can be connected using the wireless LAN card 14 attached to the printer 12. The access point information obtained as a result is acquired via the USB cable 15, and a list is displayed on the screen based on the acquired content. When the printer 12 receives an access point search command from the PC 11 via the USB cable 15, the printer 12 searches for an access point using the wireless LAN card 14.

  A display area 85 in the screen 84 displays a list of access points discovered from the printer 12 side by the access point search. In this example, three access points A, B, and C are found from the printer 12 side. It is shown that. The access point can be selected by moving the highlighted line in the screen 85 so that a desired access point can be selected from a plurality of access points.

  Selecting “Return” 87 in the screen 84 returns to the previous screen 66 and selecting “Next” 88 advances to the next screen with the access point selected in the area 85 being designated. “Cancel” 89 cancels the installation. When the user selects an access point on the screen 84, the access point to be used is set by the printer 12, and the printer 12 can be recognized from the access point 13. The PC 11 searches for a printer via a wireless LAN in order to check whether the printer 12 is correctly connected.

  The next screen 810 (FIG. 3C) is a screen that displays a list of printers discovered via the access point. The printer list is acquired and displayed by the PC 11 sending a printer search command via the access point 13 using the wireless LAN interface, and the printer receiving the printer search command returns its response. Done. That is, this search command is broadcasted to all devices on the network, and a device that can receive the search command and understand this command (in this case, a specific printer or printer adapter) sends the command to the host PC. Returns predetermined information corresponding to the command. This information includes the name, ID, address, etc. of the printer, and the printer to be connected is specified based on these information.

  On the screen 810, a list of discovered printers is displayed in the display area 811. In this example, three printers are discovered. Similar to the selection of the access point, the printer indicated by highlight in the area 811 is selected. Selecting “Return” 812 on the screen 810 returns to the previous screen 84, and selecting “Cancel” 814 stops the installation.

  Also, by selecting “Next” 813 on the screen 810, the printer selected in the display area 811 is determined as the connection partner, and the screen 815 (FIG. 4D) for inputting the port name is displayed next. Is displayed. An input area 816 in the screen 815 is an area for entering a port name to be input. When a plurality of printers connected to one PC have the same function (for example, wireless LAN), the port name is used to distinguish these printers, and WLAN01 is set as an initial value, for example.

  “WLAN” is an identification name for indicating a printer of a wireless LAN, “01” represents a final number registered in the system, and is sequentially numbered to distinguish a plurality of printers having the same function. Add. In the printer driver, the printer is specified by this port name.

  When “Return” 817 is selected on the screen 815, the screen returns to the previous screen 810, and by selecting “Next” 818, the name input in the input area 816 is determined as the port name. In addition, installation is canceled by selecting “Cancel” 819. When “Next” 818 is selected on the screen 815, a screen 820 (FIG. 4E) indicating the completion of network installation is displayed.

  The screen 820 has two radio buttons 821 and 822, and the user selects the radio button 821 when creating only a wireless LAN printer icon, and selects a wireless LAN printer icon and a USB printer icon. When creating both icons, the radio button 822 is selected. When the user selects “OK” 823, if the radio button 821 is selected, a printer icon as shown in FIG. 5 is created. When the radio button 822 is selected, a printer icon as shown in FIG. 6 is created. This printer icon is used by the user to confirm or distinguish a registered printer, or to identify a printer that can be currently prepared, and this icon is selected for printing from an application.

  For example, when the icon “BJOOXXUSB001” is selected in FIG. 6, the print data is transmitted via the USB cable 15. On the other hand, when the “BJXXX (copy 2) WLAN01” icon is selected, the print data is transmitted via the wireless LAN.

  When only the wireless LAN port setup is selected according to the user's selection by the radio button on the network installation completion screen in the above method, only the printer icon representing the wireless LAN port instance is set up with the wireless LAN port and the USB port setup. If selected, two printer icons representing both instances of the wireless LAN port and the USB port are created.

II. FIG. 7 is a screen display diagram illustrating another screen example displayed in the wireless network installation process using the USB interface according to the present embodiment. This screen example has been described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 when only one access point and one printer are found by the access point search and printer search during the wireless network installation process using the USB interface described above. Instead of the screen example, it is displayed on the screen of the PC 11.

  In the display screen of this example, the screens 84, 810, and 815 are not displayed in the display screen described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, and only the screen 66 and the screen 94 corresponding to the screen 820 are displayed. When the port name may be automatically created in an environment with one access point and only one printer, the user selects the “network installation” 70 on the screen 66 shown in FIG. The installation of the wireless network is completed simply by giving two instructions “OK” 97 in 94.

III. Commands In this embodiment, three commands are prepared as USB commands sent to the printer via the USB cable 15. Other USB commands include a command for sending print data, a command for setting various printers, and the like, but only an install command directly related to the present invention is listed. One is a command for searching for an access point, and the second is an information acquisition command, which is used to acquire information about a wireless LAN set in the printer from the printer. The third is an information setting command for setting information related to the wireless LAN (for example, access point address, mode, channel, etc.).

  In this embodiment, as a network command transmitted to the printer via the wireless LAN, a broadcast printer search command received by all printers and a specific printer as a command used for installation among the network commands. Two commands, a printer search command for specifying an address to be received, are prepared. Other network commands include a command for sending print data, a command for setting various printers, and the like, but only installation commands directly related to the present invention are listed. By using this command, it is possible to determine whether a printer on the network has been found correctly and whether it has been set correctly, that is, to confirm connection with the printer via the wireless LAN. These commands are transferred and returned via a general protocol such as TCP / IP or UDP on the network.

<Setting of filtering according to this embodiment>
The printer 12 according to the present embodiment can be set for filtering so as to restrict communication from a specific host PC. In this embodiment, two types of filter conditions are provided for filtering. One is MAC address filtering, which uses a MAC address unique to a network device as a filtering condition. The other is IP address filtering, which uses a network address assigned to a network device as a filtering condition. In either case, communication from the host PC that matches the address specified based on the MAC address or IP address assigned to the host PC is permitted. By providing such filtering, it is possible to block communication from the host PC unexpectedly, and it is possible to maintain security.

  FIG. 8 is a screen display diagram showing a MAC address filter setting screen.

  Reference numeral 20-1 in the figure denotes an operation screen of setting utility software that operates on the host PC in order to set MAC address filtering and IP address filtering in the printer 12. It can be displayed by selecting the “tab 20-2”. Then, the button 20-3 can be used to switch whether the MAC address is set or the IP address is set. In the case of MAC address filtering, the MAC address already set in the area 20-4 is set. A list of comments is displayed.

  Since the comment is difficult to identify which host PC is the MAC address alone (it is just a string of numbers), the host PC is given a nickname and is easily understood by the user. A list of MAC addresses is displayed in the area 20-5, and a list of comments corresponding to the registered MAC addresses is displayed in the area 20-6.

  A new address can be added by pressing an “add” button 20-7, and the input screen shown in FIG. 9 is displayed. Deletion of a MAC address once registered can be performed by pressing a “delete” button 20-8. After adding or deleting, in order to set the contents in the printer, it is executed by pressing an “OK” button 20-9. When not performing the setting, the “CANCEL” button 20-10 is pressed.

  FIG. 9 is a screen display diagram showing an input screen for adding a MAC address.

  This input screen 21-1 is displayed by pressing the “add” button 20-7 in FIG. In the input area 21-2, six MAC addresses can be input in units of two digits. In the input area 21-3, a comment can be input and registered with free characters. The example of FIG. 9 shows an example in which the comment “My personal computer” is attached to the MAC address “33-44-55-66-77-88”. By pressing 21-4 “OK”, the MAC address and comment entered on the input screen of FIG. 9 are saved and displayed in the display area 20-4 of FIG.

  By repeating these additional processes, it is possible to register a host PC that permits communication.

  FIG. 10 is a screen display diagram showing an IP address filter setting screen.

  This setting screen is displayed by selecting the “access restriction” tab 20-2 and selecting an IP address with the button 20-3.

  In the case of IP address filtering, a list of already set IP addresses and comments is displayed on the area 22-4. A list of IP addresses is displayed in the area 22-5, and a list of comments corresponding to the registered IP addresses is displayed in the area 22-6. Unlike the MAC address, the IP address is configured so that a plurality of addresses can be specified. The IP address is assigned to the device in the same way as the MAC address, but is generally not predetermined for the device, and is set in the device, or the device is a server (such as a DHCP server). It is common to obtain from. For this reason, it is also possible to place a restriction on a group of a certain address. In this embodiment, the address is determined using the start address and the end address of the IP address, and the address included between the start address and the end address is the address to be filtered.

  A new address can be added by pressing an “add” button 22-7, and the input screen shown in FIG. 11 is displayed. To delete an IP address once registered, it is possible to press a “delete” button 22-8. After adding or deleting, in order to set the contents in the printer, it is executed by pressing an “OK” button 20-9. When the setting is not performed, the “CANCEL” button 22-10 is pressed.

  FIG. 11 is a screen display diagram showing an input screen for adding an IP address.

  This input screen 23-1 is displayed by pressing the “Add” button 22-7 in FIG. 10.

  In the input area 23-2, four start IP addresses can be input in units of three digits, and in the input area 23-3, four end IP addresses can be input in units of three digits. it can. Furthermore, it is possible to input a comment in the input area 23-4 and register it with free characters. The example of FIG. 11 shows an example in which a comment “My personal computer” is attached to the IP address “111.11.11.11.113”. When one address is designated, it can be performed by making the start address and the end address the same. By pressing an “OK” button 23-5, the IP address and the comment input in FIG. 11 are saved and displayed in the display area 22-4 in FIG.

  By repeating these additional processes, it is possible to register a host PC that permits communication.

<MAC address / IP address table>
FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram showing the contents of a table for holding MAC address data, and FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing the contents of a table for holding IP address data. Each of these tables is stored in a ROM memory in the printer 12. Then, the printer 12 receives the table operation data from the host PC. The CPU in the printer 12 controls processing for reading or changing the contents (such as various flags described later) stored in the table in the printer 12 in accordance with the received table operation data.

  In FIG. 12, a MAC address filter flag 24-1 is a flag indicating whether or not the MAC address filter is valid. When it is “0”, it indicates that the MAC address filter is invalid and “1”. It shows that it is effective. The MAC address filter number 24-2 indicates the number of registered addresses indicating how many addresses are registered in the table. In this embodiment, 10 sets can be registered as one set of MAC address 24-3 and one comment 24-4.

  In FIG. 13, an IP address filter flag 25-1 is a flag indicating whether or not the IP address filter is valid. When it is “0”, it indicates that the IP address filter is invalid and “1”. It shows that it is effective. The IP address filter number 25-2 indicates the number of registrations indicating how many addresses are registered in the table. The start IP address 25-3, the end IP address 25-4, and the comment 25-5 can be registered as one set, and in this embodiment, 10 sets can be registered.

  When the MAC address is specified and input in FIGS. 8 and 9, it is registered in the MAC address table shown in FIG. 12, the MAC address filter flag is set to “1”, and the registered number is the MAC address. Set to the number of filter addresses. The IP address is the same as the MAC address.

<Filter addition processing>
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing details of the MAC address filter addition processing. The IP address filter addition process is the same flow.

  First, based on the information in the table read from the printer 12 by the host PC via the network, it is determined in step S260 whether an address can be added. Since up to 10 registrations are possible in the table shown in FIG. 12, it is checked whether the MAC address filter number 24-2 in FIG. 12 is “10”. If it is “10”, it is impossible to add, so the process proceeds to step S261, and a message indicating that the addition is impossible is displayed to the user on the display etc. of the host PC.

  If it is determined in step S260 that the addition is possible, the process proceeds to step S262, and the additional screen shown in FIG. 9 is displayed. In step S263, additional input is performed. In subsequent step S264, a value is added to the MAC address filter table shown in FIG. At this time, 1 is added to the number of MAC address filters. In processing to be described later, the table is transferred from the host PC to the printer 12. Then, the printer 12 performs a process of adding a value to the MAC address filter table shown in FIG.

  In the next step S265, based on the table read from the printer 12, it is checked whether the MAC address filter flag 24-1 is on. If it is on, the process proceeds to step S267. If it is not on, the process proceeds to step S266, and the MAC address filter flag is turned on. In step S267, the table added in step S264 is transferred to the printer 12 via the network, and is set and stored in the printer 12.

<Filter deletion process>
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing details of the MAC address filter deletion process. The IP address filter deletion process is the same flow.

  First, in step S270, it is determined whether the address can be deleted. In the table shown in FIG. 12, it is checked whether the MAC address filter number 24-2 is “0”. If it is “0”, since deletion is impossible, the process proceeds to step S271, a message indicating that deletion is impossible is shown to the user, and the process ends.

  If it is determined in step S270 that deletion is possible, the process proceeds to step S272, and the value in the MAC address filter table 24-3 shown in FIG. 12 is deleted. At this time, 1 is subtracted from the MAC address filter number 24-2. In step S273, it is checked whether the MAC address filter number 24-2 is “0”. If it is “0”, the process proceeds to step S275. If it is not “0”, the process proceeds to step S274, and the MAC address filter flag is turned off. In step S275, the table deleted in step S272 is transferred to the printer 12 via the network, and the printer 12 sets and stores the transferred table.

  As described above, by the processes in FIGS. 14 and 15, addresses to be subjected to MAC address filtering and IP address filtering can be added / deleted, and addresses to be filtered can be set in the printer 12.

<Packet acquisition processing>
FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing packet acquisition processing when the printer 12 receives a packet via the network.

  The printer 12 receives print data and commands from the network as a packet, processes the print data in the packet, and performs printing. The packet is received by the physical layer, recognized as a protocol by the upper layer, reconstructed, and further sent to the upper application layer.

  The filtering process according to the present embodiment is performed while a packet received at the physical layer is passed to an upper layer, and a packet that does not meet the conditions (host not registered in the filtering table described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13). Packets from the PC) are not sent to the upper layer, and packets that meet the conditions are sent to the upper layer as they are.

  The packet acquisition process shown in FIG. 16 is a process for acquiring a packet in a layer located above the physical layer, and performs a process of setting only packets that meet the filtering condition and discarding packets that do not meet the condition.

  First, a packet is acquired in step S280 of FIG. Packets are acquired by reading out the hardware constituting the physical layer. In the next step S281, it is determined whether or not the received packet meets the filtering condition. The processing in step S281 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In the subsequent step S282, the return value as the determination result in step S281 is checked. If it is determined in step S281 that the packet is not valid, the process proceeds to step S284, where the packet is discarded, and as a return, the called destination is notified that there is no packet. If it is determined in step S282 that the packet is valid, the process proceeds to step S283, where the packet is set, and the called destination is notified that there is a packet.

  Packets that do not meet the conditions can be discarded without passing to the upper layer by such packet acquisition processing.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing details of the filter-out process (step S281) of FIG.

  This filter-out process is a process for determining whether a packet is valid or invalid according to the setting status of MAC address filtering and IP address filtering.

  First, in step S290, it is checked whether MAC address filtering is enabled. This is determined based on whether or not the MAC address filter flag 24-1 in FIG. 12 is on. If not, that is, if the MAC address filter is not valid, the process proceeds to step S295, and the MAC address check is not performed. .

  If the MAC address filter flag 24-1 is on in step S290, the process proceeds to step S291, and information regarding the MAC address is extracted from the packet acquired in step S280 of FIG. Since the packet generally includes the MAC address of the transmission source of the packet, this information is used.

  In the next step S292, it is searched whether or not the MAC address extracted in step S291 is included in the MAC address 24-3 registered in the table of FIG. If a matching address is included (step S293), it can be confirmed that the MAC address is a valid packet, so the process proceeds to step S295 to determine the IP address. If the MAC address matching the table is not included in step S293, it is determined that the transmitted packet is an invalid packet with respect to the MAC address, and the process proceeds to step S294. In step S294, the packet received as a result of the determination is an invalid packet as a return value, and the process ends.

  If it is determined that the MAC address filtering is not on, or the MAC address filtering is on and the packet is valid, the process proceeds to the IP address filter determination process after step S295.

  First, in step S295, it is checked whether IP address filtering is enabled. This is determined based on whether or not the IP address filter flag 25-1 in FIG. 13 is ON. If it is not ON, that is, if the IP address filter is not valid, the process proceeds to step S299 and no check regarding the IP address is performed. .

  If the IP address filter flag 25-1 is ON in step S295, the process proceeds to step S296, and information regarding the IP address is extracted from the packet acquired in step S280 of FIG. Since the packet generally includes the IP address of the transmission source of the packet, this information is used.

  In the next step S297, it is searched whether or not the IP address extracted in step S296 is included in the IP address 25-3 registered in the table of FIG. If a matching address is included (step S298), since it is confirmed that the IP address is a valid packet, the process proceeds to step S299. If the IP address matching the table is not included in step S298, it is determined that the transmitted packet is an invalid packet with respect to the IP address, and the process proceeds to step S294.

  In step S299, the received packet is a valid packet as a return value, and the process ends.

  By such processing of FIG. 17, when filtering is turned on for the MAC address and the IP address, it is determined whether or not the transmitted packet is valid from each registered table. The result is returned.

<Wireless network installation of this embodiment considering filtering>
Next, as a process that characterizes the present embodiment, a wireless network installation process in consideration of the filtering set as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 18, 19, and 20. FIG.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for installing a wireless network in consideration of filtering according to the first embodiment.

  First, in step S300, it is determined whether or not “network installation” 70 is selected on the screen of FIG. If it is selected, the process proceeds to step S301 to perform filtering cancellation processing. The filtering cancellation processing is performed by temporarily turning off the MAC address filter flag 24-1 in FIG. 12 and the IP address filter flag 25-1 in FIG. When the flag is turned off, the filter-out process described with reference to FIG. 17 is not performed, and all transmitted packets can be processed as valid packets. Since filtering is canceled as the first process of network installation, installation can be performed without being affected by filtering only at the time of installation.

  Next, an access point search command is transmitted to the printer 12 via the USB cable 15 (step S302). The printer 12 searches for an access point, and returns information on the found access point to the PC 11 via the USB cable 15.

  Here, three commands are prepared as USB commands for wireless network installation that the PC 11 transmits to the printer 12 via the USB cable 15. By sending an access point search command among them to the printer 12, the printer 12 uses the wireless LAN module such as the wireless LAN card 14 to make settings for searching for an access point in the wireless LAN module.

  The wireless LAN module for which the access point search is set transmits an access point search signal. Upon receiving this signal, the access point returns its access point information (ID, radio wave status, address, channel, etc.) to the other party that sent the search signal. The wireless LAN module receives the information sent back from the access point, and the printer 12 returns the received information to the PC 11. At this time, the printer 12 returns information of all the found access points to the PC 11.

  In the next step S303, the number of access points found from the access point information returned from the printer 12 is checked. If one or more access points are found, the process advances to step S304 to display the access point list screen 84 (FIG. 3B) and allow the user to select an access point. If only one access point is found, step S304 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S305.

  In step S305, the access point used for the wireless LAN is set. This is performed by sending an information setting command for designating the access point selected by the user or the only found access point to the printer 12 via the USB cable 15 based on the information of the access point found in step S302. . The printer 12 can be connected to a specific access point by setting information necessary for using the access point, such as an address of the access point and an encryption key, using an information setting command.

  In the subsequent step S306, a printer search is performed using a network command. Two network installation commands, a printer search command (broadcast) and a printer search command (address designation), are prepared as network commands. Both are commands for printer search, the printer search command (broadcast) does not specify a partner, and the printer search command (address specification) specifies a specific partner.

  Here, the PC 11 transmits a broadcast printer search command. This is transmitted on the wireless LAN, and the printer that has received this command from the wireless LAN returns printer information (ID, name, address, model name, etc.) via the wireless LAN to the PC 11 that sent the command. Thereby, the connection confirmation between the PC 11 and the printer can be performed via the wireless LAN. Since this command is transmitted by broadcast, all printers that can understand this command may send a reply to the PC 11 that transmitted the command. The PC 11 needs to select the model that it is trying to install from the information sent back from the printer.

  The PC 11 checks whether there is one connectable printer from the information sent back from the printer (step S307). If two or more connectable printers are found, the process advances to step S308 to display the printer list on the screen 810 (FIG. 3C) and allow the user to select a printer. If one printer is found, step S308 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S309.

  In step S309, it is checked whether or not the display of the port name is necessary. If necessary, the process proceeds to step S310 to display the port name input screen 815 (FIG. 4D) for the user to input. If it is not necessary to input a port name, step S310 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S311. Whether or not to allow the user to input a port name is determined by whether or not the installation software is configured according to the necessity, and can be omitted when a relatively simple installation with a small number of screens is realized.

  In step S311, the PC 11 performs setting of network information and registration of a port instance for the wireless LAN in the PC 11, thereby enabling the print data to be transmitted to the printer 12 via the wireless LAN interface. The network information indicates information necessary for printing such as a printer address and name. In step S312, filtering resetting processing is performed. Details of the processing for resetting the filtering setting temporarily turned off for network installation in step S301 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Since the original filtering setting has been restored in step S312, the network installation completion screen 820 shown in FIG. 4E is displayed in the next step S313.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing details of the filtering resetting process (step S312) of FIG.

  First, it is checked whether or not MAC address filtering has been set before executing network installation (step S400). If MAC address filtering is not set in advance, the process proceeds to IP address processing step S406. If MAC address filtering is set in step S400, the MAC address of the host PC that is about to perform network installation is acquired (step S401).

  In step S402, it is searched whether the MAC address of the host PC acquired in step S401 is included in the MAC address filtering table 24-3 in FIG. If there is no host PC MAC address in the table (step S403), the process proceeds to step S404 to add the host PC MAC address to the printer. If the host PC address has already been registered in the table (step S403), step S404 is skipped and no addition is performed. In step S405, the MAC address filter flag 24-1 in FIG. 12 is turned on. Thereby, if the MAC address filtering is originally on, it is turned on again, and if the MAC address of the host PC is not included in the table, addition is performed.

  Next, the same processing is performed after step S406 regarding the IP address filter. First, it is checked whether IP address filtering has been set (step S406). If IP address filtering has not been set in advance, the process ends. If IP address filtering is set in step S406, the IP address of the host PC that is going to perform network installation is acquired (step S407), and then in step S408, the IP of the host PC acquired in step S407 is acquired. It is searched whether the address is included in the IP address filtering table 25-3 of FIG.

  If there is no host PC IP address in the table (step S409), the process proceeds to step S410 to add the host PC IP address to the table in the printer 12. If the host PC address has already been registered in the table (step S409), step S410 is skipped and the printer 12 is not made to add. In step S411, the IP address filter flag 25-1 is turned on. Thus, if the IP address filtering is originally on, it is turned on again. If the IP address of the host PC is not included in the table, the addition is performed by the printer 12.

  FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing details of the address addition processing (steps S404 and S410) in FIG. 19, and shows a specific example of processing for adding a MAC address or an IP address according to the present embodiment.

  First, in step S420, it is checked whether or not the table is full. This is determined based on whether the MAC address filter number 24-2 in FIG. 12 or the IP address filter number 25-2 in FIG. 13 has reached the maximum registrable number. If the table is not full, it can be added and the process proceeds to step S423. If the table is full, the process proceeds to step S421, where one address is deleted from the table, and the number of address filters is decremented (-1) (step S422). In step S423, an address is added, and in step S424, the number of address filters is incremented (+1), and the process ends and returns.

  18 to 20, when filtering is already set when installing a wireless network, it is possible to automatically cancel filtering once and return to the original filtering after the installation is completed. It becomes. Filtering is reset without changing the operation from the conventional network installation. In addition, the information of the host PC executing the wireless network installation is automatically added to the filtering table in the printer 12.

<Advantages of this embodiment>
This embodiment has the following advantages.

  (1) When performing a wireless LAN setting (wireless network installation) using a printer for which filtering has already been set, the filtering is automatically temporarily canceled before the execution to set the wireless LAN. Since the filtering is automatically reset after executing the above, the wireless LAN setting can be realized more easily, and it is not necessary to change the operation with or without filtering. Thereby, user operation can be unified. Furthermore, since the filtering is automatically restored, it is possible to avoid a risk that the security level is lowered by setting the wireless LAN.

  (2) When performing a wireless network installation using a printer for which filtering is already set, if the host PC to be installed is not registered for filtering, the information of that host PC is automatically Therefore, it is not necessary for the user to set filtering again, and the installed host PC can start using the printer immediately while maintaining security.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, the filtering configuration is described so as to validate the packet from the host PC that matches the one registered in the table. However, the filtering from the host PC that matches the one registered in the table has been described. A filtering configuration that invalidates the packet is also conceivable. That is, in such a configuration, it is possible to register a host PC that refuses communication by repeatedly performing the MAC address and IP address addition processing of FIGS. 9 and 11 described above.

  Hereinafter, as a second embodiment, a wireless network installation process considering such a filtering configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 21 and FIG. Since the main flow of this process is the same as that described in FIG. 18 of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing details of the filtering resetting process according to the second embodiment. Step S312 in the wireless network installation procedure in consideration of filtering described with reference to FIG. 18 of the first embodiment. This process is used in place of the flowchart of FIG.

  First, it is checked whether or not MAC address filtering has been set before executing wireless network installation (step S500). If MAC address filtering is not set in advance, the process proceeds to step S506 and subsequent steps, which are IP address processing.

  If MAC address filtering has been set in step S500, the MAC address of the host PC that is about to perform network installation is acquired (step S501). In the next step S502, it is searched whether or not the MAC address of the host acquired in step S501 is included in the MAC address filtering table 24-3 of FIG. If there is a host MAC address in the table (step S503), the process proceeds to step S504 to delete the host MAC address registered in the table. If the host address is not registered in the table (step S503), step S504 is skipped and no deletion is performed. In step S505, the MAC address filter flag 24-1 in FIG. 12 is turned on.

  Thereby, if the MAC address filtering is originally on, it is turned on again, and if the MAC address of the host PC is included in the table, the deletion is performed.

  Next, the same processing is performed for the IP address filter. First, it is checked whether IP address filtering has been set (step S506). If IP address filtering is not set in advance, the process ends and returns. If IP address filtering is set in step S506, the IP address of the host PC that is going to perform network installation is acquired (step S507).

  In the subsequent step S508, it is searched whether or not the IP address of the host acquired in step S507 is included in the IP address filtering table 25-3 of FIG. If there is a host IP address in the table (step S509), the process proceeds to step S510, and the host PC IP address is deleted from the table. If the host address is not registered in the table (step S509), step S510 is skipped and no deletion is performed. In step S511, the IP address filter flag 25-1 shown in FIG. 13 is turned on.

  As a result, if IP address filtering is originally on, it is turned on again, and if the IP address of the host PC is included in the table, deletion is performed.

  FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing details of the address deletion processing (steps S504 and S510) in FIG. 21, and shows a specific example of processing for deleting a MAC address or IP address according to the present embodiment.

  First, in step S521, one address is deleted from the table (24-3 in FIG. 12 or 25-3 in FIG. 13), and in the next step S522, the number of address filters (24-2 in FIG. 12 or 25 in FIG. 13). -2) is decremented (-1), and the process ends and returns.

  As described above, when filtering is already set during the installation of the wireless network by the processes of FIGS. 18, 21, and 22, it is possible to automatically cancel the filtering once and return to the filtering after the installation is completed. It becomes. Filtering is reset without changing the operation from the conventional network installation. In addition, the information of the host PC performing the wireless network installation is automatically deleted from the filtering table.

<Advantages of this embodiment>
This embodiment has the following advantages.

  (1) As in the first embodiment, the wireless LAN setting can be realized more easily, and there is no need to change the operation with or without filtering. Furthermore, since the filtering is automatically restored, it is possible to avoid a risk that the security level is lowered due to the setting of the wireless LAN.

  (2) When the host PC to be installed is registered for filtering in a filtering configuration in which the address registered in the table is invalid (communication from the address registered in the table cannot be performed) Since the information of the host PC is automatically deleted from the filtering, the installed host PC can start using the printer immediately while maintaining security.

  The above-described control method can be realized by storing and operating the program according to the flowcharts of FIGS. 16 to 22 described above in a storage device in the host PC such as the PC 11.

<Modification>
(1) In the first embodiment, a filtering configuration that validates a packet from the host PC that matches the one registered in the table will be described. In the second embodiment, the packet is registered in the table. Although the filtering configuration that invalidates the packet from the host PC that matches the above-described configuration has been described, a filtering configuration that combines these configurations is also possible. For example, it may be envisaged that a certain range of IP addresses is permitted so that only devices with a specific MAC address can be used. In this case, valid IP addresses are registered, invalid IP addresses are registered, and valid and invalid IP addresses coexist in a table in which they are registered. The case where valid ones are registered is the same as in the first embodiment, and the case where invalid ones are registered is the same as in the second embodiment.

  (2) In each of the above embodiments, the MAC address and the IP address included in the packet are used as the information to be filtered. However, the information is not limited to this as long as the information identifies the transmission source of the packet. That is, in the present embodiment, the TCP / IP protocol is used as the communication protocol, but in some other protocols, information in place of the IP address or the MAC address is used. Such information can also be used as information for filtering. Also, in the TCP / IP protocol layer, the IP address and MAC address are information for identifying the transmission source, and communication is performed in the layer below TCP / IP (physical layer) or the layer above TCP / IP (application layer) as a whole. Is established. For example, the application layer may have information for identifying in actually transmitted data, and filtering based on such identification information is also possible.

  (3) In each of the above embodiments, the filtering process is configured to be executed in the packet acquisition process. However, the configuration is not limited as long as the configuration is performed in a place where packets can be restricted. . That is, in the TCP / IP protocol, the IP layer can filter the packet taken from the physical layer as in the above embodiments, and can analyze the packet passed from the IP layer in the TCP layer, for example. Can also be filtered. Also, the application layer above the TCP layer can be filtered when configured to transmit information on IP addresses and MAC addresses.

  Note that an object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium recording a program code of software that implements the functions of the embodiment to a system or apparatus, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus as the storage medium. This can also be achieved by reading and executing the stored program code.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the program code and the storage medium storing the program code constitute the present invention.

  Examples of the storage medium for supplying the program code include a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a CD-RW, a DVD-ROM, a DVD-RAM, and a DVD. -RW, DVD + RW, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, etc. can be used. Alternatively, the program code may be downloaded via a network.

  Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an OS (operating system) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. A case where part or all of the actual processing is performed and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing is also included.

  Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion is performed based on the instruction of the program code. This includes the case where the CPU or the like provided in the board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but the OS running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code is actually used. Needless to say, the present invention also includes a case in which the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by performing part or all of the processing and the processing.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the information processing system which concerns on embodiment. FIG. 6 is a screen display diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed in a printer driver installation process using USB according to the embodiment. It is a screen display figure which shows the example of a screen displayed by the wireless network installation process using USB based on embodiment. FIG. 4 is a continuation of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a printer list screen when only wireless LAN port setup is selected. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a printer list screen when selecting a USB port setup together with a wireless LAN port. FIG. 10 is a screen display diagram illustrating another screen example displayed in a wireless network installation process using a USB interface. It is a screen display figure which shows the setting screen of a MAC address filter. It is a screen display figure which shows the input screen in the case of adding a MAC address. It is a screen display figure which shows the setting screen of IP address filter. It is a screen display figure which shows the input screen in the case of adding an IP address. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the content of the table for hold | maintaining the data of a MAC address. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the content of the table for hold | maintaining the data of an IP address. It is the flowchart which showed the detail of the addition process of a MAC address filter. It is the flowchart which showed the detail of the deletion process of a MAC address filter. 7 is a flowchart illustrating packet acquisition processing when a printer receives a packet via a network. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the filter out process (step S281) of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the radio | wireless network installation which considered filtering based on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the filtering reset process (step S312) of FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing details of address addition processing (steps S404 and S410) of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the filtering reset process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the address deletion process (step S504, S510) of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

11 Notebook PC
12 Printer 13 Access point 14 Wireless LAN card 15 USB cable

Claims (7)

In information processing apparatus capable of filtering settings for communicating with one of the valid and invalid of over the air interface between the device,
First communication setting means for executing a first communication setting for enabling control of the device via a wired interface;
After execution of the first communication setting by the first communication setting means, a second communication for performing the second communication setting for enabling the communication between the devices over non-linear interface Setting means;
The filtering setting is temporarily canceled after the first communication setting by the first communication setting unit and before the second communication setting by the second communication setting unit is executed. Filtering cancellation means;
An information processing apparatus comprising: a filtering resetting unit that resets a filtering setting after executing the second communication setting by the second communication setting unit. It said filtering resetting means is set so that communication via the wireless interface is enabled between said first communication setting means and the second communication setting unit line dividing device settings using said device The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a setting unit that performs the setting . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first communication setting by the first communication setting means is a device driver installation process via a wired interface with the device . A communication setting method for an information processing apparatus capable of setting filtering to enable or disable communication with a device via a wireless interface,
A first communication setting step for executing a first communication setting for enabling control of the device via a wired interface;
A second communication setting step for executing a second communication setting for enabling communication with the device via a wireless interface after execution of the first communication setting by the first communication setting step; ,
After the execution of the first communication setting by the first communication setting step and before executing the second communication setting by the second communication setting step, the filtering setting is temporarily canceled. A de-filtering step;
And a filtering resetting step of resetting a filtering setting after the execution of the second communication setting in the second communication setting step. The filtering resetting step is set so that the device that is set using the first communication setting step and the second communication setting step is enabled to communicate with the device via a wireless interface. The communication setting method for an information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a setting step for performing information processing . 6. The information processing apparatus communication according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the first communication setting in the first communication setting step is a device driver installation process via a wired interface with the device. Setting method . The control program for implement | achieving the communication setting method of any one of Claim 4 thru | or 6 with a computer .

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