JP5632735B2 - COMMUNICATION DEVICE, COMMUNICATION DEVICE CONTROL METHOD, AND PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device capable of establishing a wireless link on a one-to-one basis by being close to each other so that the distance to a communication partner device is within a predetermined range, and a method for controlling the communication device And program.

  In recent years, mobile phones equipped with a near field data communication function using infrared rays called IrDA (Infrared Data Association) have appeared, and various services using IrDA have begun to be developed. By using IrDA, data such as image data and addresses can be transmitted and received between two mobile phones (Patent Document 1).

A general data communication method in a cellular phone equipped with IrDA will be described. First, the user A on the data transmission side operates the mobile phone a to select data to be transmitted, and starts a transmission application. Then, when the user B on the receiving side operates the mobile phone b to start the receiving application, data is transmitted from the mobile phone a to the mobile phone b.
Recently, non-contact communication (proximity wireless communication) such as NFC (Near Field Communication) and TransferJet (registered trademark) has appeared. In these non-contact communications, the communication distance is very short, and the wireless link is connected when the devices that communicate with each other are within a few centimeters (for example, within 10 cm for NFC and within 3 cm for TransferJet). To be controlled. TransferJet assumes that devices perform data communication on a one-to-one basis, and currently, a white paper describing use cases and the like is disclosed (Non-Patent Document 1). Non-Patent Document 1 discloses that TransferJet allows users to share data by bringing their devices close to each other.

JP 2007-221355 A

http: // www. transferjet. org / tj / transferjet_whitepaper. pdf

  In the case of the above-described data communication method based on IrDA, it is necessary for the user of the mobile phone to determine an application to be executed on both sides by verbal exchange, and to start the corresponding application. Therefore, when an application that is not supported by each of the mobile phones a and b is activated, the application that the user A and the user B activate must be confirmed and the above-described operation must be performed again.

  Further, as a method for executing a service by an application in TransferJet, a method in which data communication is performed by a user performing an operation such as selecting an application on one device and then approaching the other device is conceivable. This is because, in non-contact communication, the radio link is disconnected if the distance between the devices is out of the communication range even a little, so that it is difficult to perform operations such as selection of transmission data while maintaining the connection of the radio link. However, Non-Patent Document 1 describes how to perform control for implementing a user-desired service when an application that is not compatible with the other device is approached in a selected state. Is not disclosed.

  The present invention adaptively applies even when communication with another communication apparatus is started in a state where an application that is not compatible with the other communication apparatus is selected when communication is performed between the communication apparatus and the other communication apparatus. Provide communication technology that can be switched.

A communication apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is a communication apparatus that communicates with another communication apparatus,
A designation unit that allows a user to designate an application to be used for communication with the other communication device before starting communication with the other communication device;
An acquisition unit that acquires information on an application that can be used by the other communication device from the other communication device;
Execution means for executing another application of the same service type as the designated application when it is determined that the application designated by the designation means cannot be used based on the application information obtained by the obtaining means; It is characterized by having.

  According to the present invention, when communication is performed between a communication device and another communication device, even when communication with another communication device is started in a state where an application that is not compatible with the other communication device is selected You can switch between applications.

1 is a system configuration diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram which shows the function structure of the own apparatus and communication partner apparatus which function as a communication apparatus. The figure which illustrates the list memorized by the service classification management table. The figure which illustrates the list memorized by the setting information management table. The figure explaining the flow of the communication processing concerning embodiment of this invention. The figure explaining the flow of the selection process of an application. The figure explaining the flow of an application switching process. The figure explaining the flow of a user confirmation process. (A) The figure which illustrates service information, (b) The figure which shows the example of a display for user confirmation. (A) The figure which illustrates the result of the conversion process of setting information, (b) The figure which illustrates service information. The figure which illustrates the list memorized by the setting information management table. The figure explaining the flow of an application switching process. The figure explaining the flow of a user confirmation process. (A) The figure which illustrates the list of a setting information management table, (b) The figure which illustrates the display screen which prompts a user for the additional input of setting information.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of this embodiment. Reference numeral 101 denotes a digital camera, and 102 denotes a printer. Reference numeral 103 denotes an operation unit of the digital camera 101, and reference numeral 104 denotes an operation unit of the printer 102. An operator of the digital camera 101 and the printer 102 can select an application to be executed by operating the operation units 103 and 104. Reference numeral 105 denotes a display unit of the digital camera 101, and reference numeral 106 denotes a display unit of the printer 102. The digital camera 101 has a computer (CPU) that controls the digital camera 101 and a memory that stores a program executed by the computer. The printer 102 includes a computer (CPU) that controls the printer and a memory that stores a program executed by the computer.

  The close proximity wireless communication 107 performs peer-to-peer communication via the close proximity wireless communication 107 by bringing the digital camera 101 and the printer 102 close to each other. The proximity wireless communication 107 includes non-contact IC card wireless communication using electromagnetic induction, NFC (Near Field Communication), communication using an induction electric field, and the like. The close proximity wireless communication 107 can perform communication when the distance between each other is within several centimeters.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the own apparatus (digital camera 101) and the communication partner apparatus (printer 102) that function as communication apparatuses. Each configuration in FIG. 2 is realized by a computer (CPU) of the digital camera 101 and the printer 102 executing a program.

  The communication unit 201 of the own device performs close proximity wireless communication 107 with the communication partner device. The communication middleware unit 202 provides a control function of the communication unit 201 and a function for selecting an application to be executed. Reference numeral 203 denotes an application that exists in the device, and the application software 204a and 204b provide services such as image transfer and image printing. The communication control unit 205 controls the close proximity wireless communication 107. The communication detection unit 206 controls and detects connection and disconnection of the proximity wireless communication 107. The communication detection unit 206 detects a connection when another device capable of communicating with the close proximity wireless communication 107 approaches the close proximity wireless communication range. Conversely, disconnection is detected when moving away from the close proximity wireless communication range.

  The operation detection unit 207 detects information selected and operated by the operation units 103 and 104. The display control unit 208 performs control for displaying on the display units 105 and 106. The service type management table 209 stores and manages a list in which applications held by the own device are classified for each type of service (function) provided by the application (for each service category). In addition, the service type management table 209 previously stores and stores priorities for the respective applications held by the own device. For example, a list as shown in FIG. 3 is stored.

  The setting information management table 210 stores and manages a list of setting information items as setting items that can be set for each application. The setting information management table 210 also stores information on conversion rules for converting the setting information into a format that can be read by each application. Information on conversion rules for converting the designated setting information into data in a format that can be interpreted by the application switched by the application selection unit 213 is stored. For example, the description of the conversion rule for an application that reads an XML file and obtains various setting information holds a list in which each setting information describes information about the tag name and the path to the tag. Specifically, a list as shown in FIG. 4 is stored.

  The user instruction content acquisition unit 211 acquires the instruction content from the user detected by the operation detection unit 207, and recognizes the instructed application and the content of the setting information (setting information item). The service information generation unit 212 generates a message for notifying the communication partner device of a list of applications held by the own device, the application instructed by the user, and the content of the setting information (setting information item). The application selection unit 213 selects an application to be executed with the communication partner apparatus.

  The application confirmation unit 214 confirms with the user whether the application selected by the application selection unit 213 may be executed. The setting information conversion unit 215 converts the setting information acquired by the user instruction content acquisition unit 211 into a format that can be read by the application selected by the application selection unit 213. The application management unit 216 starts and stops the application selected by the application selection unit 213. The result notification information generation unit 217 generates a message for notifying the communication partner apparatus of the application selected by the application selection unit. The timer unit 218 measures time.

  Hereinafter, the flow of communication processing according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the operation flowcharts of FIGS. In the following description, the digital camera 101 is focused on as one communication device, and the digital camera 101 is defined as the own device, and the printer 102 is defined as the other device as the other communication device. The same operation is possible regardless of the device.

  In the initial state, the device itself and the communication partner device are disposed at a sufficiently long distance that short-range wireless communication is not possible using the proximity wireless communication interface. The own apparatus designates an application to be executed by the user's operation via the operation unit 103 functioning as a user interface and the content of the setting information (item of setting information), and the operation detecting unit 207 detects the content. When an application is specified by an operation via the user interface, the content of the setting information (setting information item) stored in the setting information management table 210 is specified for the application. In this state, when the user approaches the distance between the user apparatus and the communication partner apparatus so as to be within a predetermined communication range, the communication control unit 205 executes a wireless connection process with the communication partner apparatus (S502). It is assumed that the identification information (device ID) of each device is exchanged during the wireless connection process. The user instruction content acquisition unit 211 acquires (specifies acquisition) specified contents of the application and setting information detected in advance by the operation detection unit 207 before starting the wireless connection process (S503).

  Based on the acquired instruction content, the service information generation unit 212 determines whether an instruction for an application or setting information has been given by the user (S504). When there is an instruction from the user (Yes in S504), the service information generation unit 212 refers to the setting information management table 210 and acquires a list of applications held by the own device. Furthermore, the service information generation unit 212 generates, as service information, the instruction content (application information and setting information) acquired by the user instruction content acquisition unit 211 added to the application list. Then, the communication control unit 205 transmits service information to the communication partner apparatus (S505). For example, the service information generated at this time is a list as shown in FIG. The communication control unit 205 transmits service information to the communication partner apparatus (S505). The communication control unit 205 receives a list of applications (list acquisition) held by the communication partner device as service information from the communication partner device (S506). Then, the application selection unit 213 starts an application selection process to be executed (S507, S601). A detailed flow of the application selection process will be described with reference to FIG.

(Application selection process)
In the application selection process, first, it is determined whether or not the service information received from the communication partner apparatus includes the instruction content of the application or setting information (S602). When the instruction content is not included in the service information of the communication partner device (No in S602), it is determined whether or not the application instructed (pre-selected) by the own device can be used by the communication partner device. That is, it is determined whether or not the application instructed (pre-selected) by the own device is included in the application list of the communication partner device (S603).

  If the communication partner apparatus has an application designated by the own apparatus (Yes in S603), the process proceeds to S604. Then, the application selection unit 213 selects the application instructed (pre-selected) by the own device as an executable application (S604), and ends the application selection process (S614).

  If the communication partner device does not have an application designated (pre-selected) by the own device (No in S603), it is determined that the pre-selected application cannot be used by the communication partner device, and the process proceeds to S605. The application selection unit 213 determines whether both the own device and the communication partner device hold a common (identical) application that belongs to the service category having the same function as the application designated by the own device (S605). The application selection unit 213 refers to the service type management table 209 and the list acquired from the communication partner device, and is held in common between the own device and the communication partner device and belongs to the same service type as the designated application. Determine if there is an application. If the determination result shows that the application of the same service category is held (Yes in S605), the switching process of the application of the same service category is started (S606), and the selection process of the application is ended (S614). Details of the application switching process (S606) will be described later.

  If an application of the same service category is not held (No in S605), the application selection process is terminated (S614) without selecting an application (S607).

  On the other hand, when the instruction content is included in the service information of the communication partner device (Yes in S602), the service category of the application instructed by the own device and the communication partner device is determined with reference to the service type management table (209). It is determined whether they match (S608). If the service categories do not match (No in S608), it is determined that the user's instruction content of the device or the communication partner device is incomplete and the application selection process is terminated without selecting an application (S607) (S614). ).

  If the service categories match (Yes in S608), the two apparatus IDs acquired during the wireless connection process (S502) are compared (S609). When the device ID of the own device is larger than the device ID of the communication partner device (Yes in S609), it is determined whether or not the applications designated by the own device and the communication partner device match (S610). If the applications designated by both devices match (Yes in S610), the application designated by the own apparatus is selected as an application to be executed (S611), and the application selection process is terminated (S614).

  If the applications instructed by both do not match (No in S610), it is determined whether a common application belonging to the same service category as the application instructed by both is held (S612). When the application of the same service category is held (Yes in S612), the application switching process is started (S613), and the application selection process is ended (S614). When the application of the same service category is not held (No in S612), the application selection process is terminated (S614) without selecting the application (S607).

  On the other hand, when the device ID of the own device is smaller than the device ID of the communication partner device (No in S609), the application selection process is terminated and the application selection result is received from the communication partner device (S514). ) (S615).

(Application switching process)
Next, application switching processing (S606, S613) by the application selection unit 213 will be described with reference to FIG. When the application switching process is started (S701), the service type management table 209 is referred to and an application belonging to a service category having the same function as the designated application is acquired.

  Further, from among them, with reference to the setting information management table 210, an application that can set the largest number of designated setting information items is searched for as an application for switching (S702). As a result of the search, if only one application satisfying the above condition is selected (No in S703), the application is selected as an application to be executed (S705).

  When there are a plurality of applications satisfying the above conditions (Yes in S703), the service type management table 209 is referenced to search for the application with the highest priority from the plurality of applications satisfying the above conditions (S704). . As a result of searching for an application that can specify the most setting information items, the application with the highest priority is selected from a plurality of applications that satisfy the above conditions (S705), and the process is terminated (S706). .

  When the application switching process is completed (S606, S613, S706), the result notification information generation unit 217 generates an application selection result as result notification information, and the communication control unit 205 transmits the result to the communication partner device (S508).

(User confirmation)
Next, when the application selection unit 213 switches to an application belonging to the same service type, the application confirmation unit 214 starts processing for confirming an application search result with the user (S509, S801). A specific processing flow of this processing (search result confirmation processing) will be described with reference to FIG. In the search result confirmation process, the application confirmation unit 214 confirms with the application selection unit 213 whether or not an application to be executed has been retrieved (S802). If an application to be executed is searched (Yes in S802), the process proceeds to S803. In order to confirm to the user that the retrieved application is to be executed using the designated setting information, the display control unit 208 displays a confirmation display on the display units 105 and 106 (S803). For example, a display for user confirmation as shown in FIG.

  Note that setting information other than the setting information designated in advance is automatically set to default values. Further, the timer unit 218 that measures time starts to count time (S804). Time measurement is started by a display for user confirmation, and whether or not a cancel operation for canceling the wireless connection by the communication detection unit 206 or canceling the wireless connection by the operation detection unit 207 is performed within a certain time from the start of the time measurement. Monitor (S805, S806). When the disconnection or cancellation operation of the wireless connection has not been detected for a certain time or longer from the start of timing (No in S805 and Yes in S806), the confirmation process by the user is terminated (S807).

  When the wireless connection disconnection or cancel operation is detected (Yes in S805), the display control unit 208 displays a display for confirming to the user that the execution of the application has been canceled on the display units 105 and 106 (S808). The process ends (S809).

  Even when the application to be executed is not selected (No in S802), the same processing as when a disconnection or cancellation operation of a wireless connection is detected is performed (S808), and the entire processing is terminated (S809).

  When the processing to confirm with the user is completed (S509, S807), the setting information conversion unit 215 performs setting information conversion processing (S510). Here, the setting information is converted in accordance with the conversion rule of each setting information in the setting information management table 210.

  For example, when the setting information conversion process is performed based on the DPOF conversion rule of FIG. 4, an XML file as shown in FIG. 10A is generated. Note that, in a format other than the XML file, information necessary and sufficient for converting the setting information may be described, and the setting information conversion process may be performed.

  When the setting information conversion process is completed (S510), the application management unit 216 executes the application selected by the application selection unit 213 using the converted setting information (S511). When the application process is completed, the process ends (S518).

  On the other hand, the process when there is no instruction from the user (No in S504) will be described below. The service information generation unit 212 generates service information describing a list of applications held from the setting information management table 210 and transmits the service information to the communication partner apparatus (S512). For example, the service information generated at this time is a list as shown in FIG. When the service information is transmitted, the service information is received from the communication partner apparatus (S513), and the application selection result by the communication partner apparatus is received (S514).

  When an application selection result is received from the communication partner apparatus (S514), the application confirmation unit 214 performs processing for confirming the application selection result with the user (S515, S801). Then, the application confirmation unit 214 sequentially performs setting information conversion processing (S516) and application execution processing (S517). Since the processing from the processing to confirm with the user (S515) to the application execution processing (S517) is the same as the processing contents of the above steps (S509, S510, S511), the description is omitted. When the application process is completed, the process ends (S518).

  According to this embodiment, even when the instructed application is not provided in either the own device or the communication partner device, the equivalent service provided in both devices is switched to an available application and executed. it can.

  Alternatively, even when a different application instruction operation is performed in both apparatuses, the application can be automatically switched to an application that performs an equivalent service. Therefore, it is possible to reliably execute the process intended by the user without making the user aware of the application provided to each other.

(Embodiment 2)
The system configuration diagram of this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. 1 and is the same as the contents described in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted. A block diagram showing configurations of the digital camera 101 and the printer 102 is the same as that in FIG. 2, and only the difference from the contents described in the first embodiment will be described below.

  The setting information management table 210 stores, for each application, items of setting information for controlling execution of the application as a list. In the setting information management table 210, the conversion rule for converting the setting information into a format that can be read by each application and the importance of the contents of the setting information (items of setting information) regarding each application held by the own device Is stored. For example, a list as shown in FIG. 11 is held.

  Hereinafter, the flow of communication processing according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the operation flowcharts of FIGS. In the following description, attention is given to the digital camera 101 as one communication device, and the digital camera 101 is defined as the own device and the printer 102 is defined as the other device as the other communication device. The same operation is possible regardless of whether the device is an opposing device.

  5, 6, and 8 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and only differences from the contents described in the first embodiment will be described below. Here, with reference to FIG. 12, an application switching process (S606, S613, S1201) by the application selection unit 213 will be described.

  When the application switching process is started (S1201), the setting information management table 210 is referred to, and the setting information item of the application belonging to the same service category as the specified application is compared with the specified setting information item.

  When applications belonging to the same service category have the same setting information item as the specified setting information item, the importance of the specified setting information item is added, and the added value (addition result) The application with the maximum is searched (S1202). For example, it is assumed that “image file (importance 4)”, “number of printed sheets (importance 2)”, and “error processing content (importance 3)” are specified by the user in the setting information of the DPOF application.

  The total value of importance of the PictBridge application is 7, the total value of importance of the DLNA 2 Box Print application is 4, and the total value of importance of the print application A is 4, and the PictBridge application having the maximum total value is searched. As a result of the search, if there is only one application that satisfies the above conditions (No in S1203), the application is selected as an application to be executed (S1205).

  When there are a plurality of applications that satisfy the above conditions (Yes in S1203), the service type management table 209 is searched for the application with the highest priority from the applications (S1204) and selected as an application to be executed (S1205). ). When an application to be executed is selected (S1205), the application switching process is terminated (S1206).

  According to the present embodiment, when a user performs an operation for instructing an application and setting information on one or both devices, the setting information having a high degree of importance in the instructed setting information is switched to an available application and executed. it can.

(Embodiment 3)
The system configuration diagram of this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. 1 and is the same as the contents described in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted. A block diagram showing configurations of the digital camera 101 and the printer 102 is the same as that in FIG. 2, and only the difference from the contents described in the first embodiment will be described below. The setting information management table 210 stores setting information items and conversion rules that can be set for each application as a list. There are two types of application setting information acquisition patterns: a type in which setting information is acquired by reading an XML file and a type in which setting information is interactively input by a user using a user interface. Since the conversion rule of the type for obtaining the setting information from the XML file has been described in the first embodiment, the description here is omitted.

  A description of a conversion rule for an interactive application that prompts the user to input setting information and obtains the setting information by the user's input operation holds a list that describes information about the input information item and the display state. . The input information item indicates an input information item corresponding to setting information to be handed over to the application among the input information obtained by the operation detection unit 207 by the user's operation. That is, the application can acquire the setting information by acquiring the input information related to the input information item described in the list of the setting information management table 210. The display state indicates the state of the display units 105 and 106 when the application instructs the display units 105 and 106 to display the prompt for the user to input setting information. When the display units 105 and 106 are in the display state described in the list of the setting information management table 210, the application is in a state where input information related to the setting information can be acquired from the operation detection unit 207. Specifically, a list as shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the operation flowcharts of FIGS. In the following description, attention is given to the digital camera 101 as one communication device, and the digital camera 101 is defined as the own device and the printer 102 is defined as the other device as the other communication device. The same operation is possible regardless of whether the device is an opposing device.

  5, 6, and 7 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and only differences from the contents described in the first embodiment will be described below. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 13, a process of confirming the application selection result by the application confirming unit 214 with the user will be described (S509, S1301).

  In the confirmation process of the selection result, the application confirmation unit 214 confirms whether or not an application to be executed is selected with respect to the application selection unit 213 (S1302). When the application to be executed is selected (S1302: Yes), it is confirmed whether the application to be executed matches the application designated in advance (S1303). If the designated application is selected (Yes in S1303), the selection result confirmation process is terminated (S1312).

  When an application different from the designated application is selected (No in S1303), the display control unit 208 displays a display for confirming to the user that the selected application is to be executed using the designated setting information. 105 and 106 are displayed (S1304). Note that setting information other than the setting information designated in advance is automatically set to default values. For example, a display for user confirmation as shown in FIG.

  Further, the timer unit 218 starts measuring time (S1305). It is monitored whether or not a wireless connection is disconnected by the communication detection unit 206 or a cancel operation is performed by the operation detection unit 207 within a predetermined time from the start of timing (S1306, S1307). When the disconnection or cancellation operation of the wireless connection is not detected for a certain time or longer from the start of timing (No in S1306 and Yes in S1307), the selection result confirmation process is terminated (S1312).

  When the disconnection or cancel operation of the wireless connection is detected (Yes in S1306), a display for prompting the user to additionally input the setting information of the application switched by the display control unit is performed on the display unit (S1308). For example, a display for additional input as shown in FIG.

  When the additional input of the setting information by the user's operation is completed with respect to the display of the additional input (Yes in S1310), the selection result confirmation process is ended, and the entire process is started again (S1313, S501). When the cancel button is selected for the display of the additional input (S1309), the entire process is terminated (S1314).

  On the other hand, when the application to be executed is not selected (No in S1302), the display control unit 208 displays on the display units 105 and 106 that the application cannot be executed (S1311), and the entire process is terminated (S1314). .

  Next, a description will be given of setting information conversion processing when an application to be acquired is selected by interactively inputting setting information using the user interface (S510, S516). For example, in PictBridge described in the list of the setting information management table, setting information that can be set offline is limited, and there is setting information that is input after connecting to a communication partner apparatus and exchanging necessary information. Therefore, the setting information conversion unit needs to deliver the setting information to the application as the process proceeds after the application is started. For the application as described above, the setting information conversion unit is notified of the contents of the display state according to the change in the display state from the display control unit during execution of the application. When the notified display state matches the display state described in the list of the setting information management table, the input information of the setting information corresponding to the display state is notified to the application.

  According to the present embodiment, when the designated application is executed, the application is started immediately, so that the waiting time until the application is executed can be reduced.

  Alternatively, even when switching to a different application from the designated application, the user can additionally input necessary setting information, and the application can be executed as intended by the user. Alternatively, even when switching to an application that obtains setting information interactively and executing it, the application can be executed using setting information instructed in advance.

(Other examples)
The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

Claims (13)

A communication device that communicates with other communication devices,
A designation unit that allows a user to designate an application to be used for communication with the other communication device before starting communication with the other communication device;
An acquisition unit that acquires information on an application that can be used by the other communication device from the other communication device;
Execution means for executing another application of the same service type as the designated application when it is determined that the application designated by the designation means cannot be used based on the application information obtained by the obtaining means; ,
A communication apparatus comprising: A management means for managing a list in which each of the plurality of applications executable by the communication device is associated with a service type;
2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the execution unit executes another application of a service type common to the designated application based on the list managed by the management unit. Based on the application information acquired by the acquisition means, further comprising a determination means for determining whether the application specified by the specification means can be used;
The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the execution unit executes another application of a service type common to the designated application according to a determination result by the determination unit. A search means for searching for another application of the same service type as the application specified by the specifying means;
The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the execution unit executes the other application searched by the search unit. For each of a plurality of applications that can be executed by the communication device, further includes a storage unit that stores setting items used in the application,
5. The communication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the search unit searches for the other application based on a setting item and a service type of the designated application. For each of a plurality of applications that can be executed by the communication device, the storage device further includes a storage unit that stores a setting item used in the application and the importance of the setting item.
5. The communication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the search unit searches for the other application based on an importance level and a service type of a setting item used in the designated application. For each of a plurality of applications that can be executed by the communication device, the storage device further includes a storage unit that stores a setting item used in the application and the importance of the setting item.
The search means searches for another application having the maximum added value of the importance of the common setting item among a plurality of other applications having the same service type as the specified application. Item 5. The communication device according to Item 4. For each of a plurality of applications that can be executed by the communication device, the storage device further includes storage means for storing importance.
5. The communication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the search unit searches for another application having the highest importance among a plurality of other applications having a service type common to the designated application. Setting means for setting setting items used in the specified application;
9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a conversion unit that converts the setting item set by the setting unit into a format corresponding to a setting item used in the other application. Communication equipment.   10. The notification means for notifying a user that an application has been switched when the execution means executes another application of the same service type as the specified application. The communication device according to any one of the above.   When the communication with the other communication device is disconnected within a predetermined time after the communication with the other communication device is started, or the user is instructed to disconnect the communication with the other communication device. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the execution unit does not execute the other application. A communication device control method for communicating with another communication device,
The designation step of causing the user to designate an application used for communication with the other communication device before the communication device designation means starts communication with the other communication device;
An acquisition step in which the acquisition unit of the communication device acquires information on an application that can be used by the other communication device from the other communication device;
If the execution unit of the communication device determines that the application specified by the specifying unit cannot be used based on the application information acquired in the acquiring step, the service type common to the specified application is used. An execution process for executing the application of
A method for controlling a communication apparatus, comprising:   The program for functioning a computer as each means of the communication apparatus of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 11.

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