JP7146009B2 - Communication device and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to communication devices and programs.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, it has become possible to perform wireless communication between a printer and an external device such as a digital camera or a mobile phone so that the printer can receive and print an image from the external device. At this time, the printer and the external device initially identify the other party of communication by short-range wireless communication such as NFC (Near Field Communication). After that, it is also known that the printer receives an image file to be printed from an external device by means of faster wireless communication, which is different from short-range wireless communication.

In addition, the printer is equipped with a plurality of interfaces such as a wired LAN and a wireless LAN, and the user can use either interface for printing. Even if a conventional printer has a plurality of interfaces, it is common to use only one of the interfaces for communication.

Also, in recent years, a method has been proposed in which NFC is used to connect a terminal device and an external device to a common access point so that Internet connection is not disconnected (Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-182449 A

However, in Patent Document 1, it is good if both the terminal and the device are on the same network and can be connected, but if not, it is not possible to easily request processing (for example, printing) from the terminal. There's a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. is intended to provide a technology capable of transmitting

In order to solve this problem, for example, the communication device of the present invention has the following configuration. i.e.
A communication device capable of executing short-range wireless communication and LAN (Local Area Network) communication, which is a communication method different from the short-range wireless communication,
a first interface used to perform the LAN communication;
a second interface used to perform the LAN communication;
receiving means for receiving a selection instruction of an interface to be activated based on a user's operation on an operation screen provided by the communication device;
When the interface to be activated by the selection instruction is changed from the first interface to the second interface, the short-range wireless communication information communicated by the short-range wireless communication includes the address information of the second interface. changing means for changing first short-range wireless communication information that does not include the address information to second short-range wireless communication information that includes the address information.

Further, the program of the present invention is capable of executing short-range wireless communication and LAN (Local Area Network) communication, which is a communication method different from the short-range wireless communication. A program for execution by a processor of a communication device having an interface and a second interface used for performing the LAN communication,
to the processor;
a receiving step of receiving a selection instruction of an interface to be activated based on a user's operation on an operation screen provided by the communication device;
When the interface to be activated by the selection instruction is changed from the first interface to the second interface, the short-range wireless communication information communicated by the short-range wireless communication includes the address information of the second interface. and executing a changing step of changing the first short-range wireless communication information that does not include the address information to the second short-range wireless communication information that includes the address information.

According to the present invention, by a simple operation of bringing the terminal device close to the processing device, the network being used is specified from among the plurality of network connection means possessed by the processing device, and the processing request is sent from the terminal device to the processing device. will be able to send

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment; FIG. The figure showing the external appearance of a terminal device. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the appearance of a printing apparatus; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a terminal device; 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing apparatus; FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an NFC unit; Fig. 3 shows the NDEF data structure stored in the NFC unit; 4 is a flowchart showing processing of a terminal device; 4 is a flowchart showing processing of the printing device; 9 is a flowchart showing processing of a terminal device according to the second embodiment; 14 is a flowchart showing print prosecution processing in the fourth embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be exemplarily described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the relative arrangement of the components, the display screen, and the like described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to them, unless there is a specific description.

<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a network processing system according to an embodiment. This system is composed of a network 100 as a center, a portable terminal device 200 connectable to the network 100, and a printing device 300 as a processing device that receives a request from the terminal device 200 and performs processing. The terminal device 200, which also functions as a communication device, has at least two types of wireless communication units with different communication speeds (or communication ranges). The terminal device 200 may be of any type, such as a personal information terminal such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a smart phone, a mobile phone, a digital camera, etc., as long as it can handle files to be printed.

The printing device 300, which also functions as a communication device, has a reading function of optically reading a document placed on a platen and a printing function of printing using a print engine such as an inkjet printer. It may have a FAX function and a telephone function.

The network 100 and the printing device 300 are connected by a wired LAN or a wireless LAN. A network 100 and a terminal device 200 are connected by a wireless LAN. The terminal device 200 and the printing device 300 can perform communication by short-range wireless communication. Further, since both the terminal device 200 and the printing device 300 have a wireless LAN function, mutual authentication enables peer-to-peer (hereinafter referred to as P2P) communication.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the appearance of the terminal device 200. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, a smart phone is used as an example. A smart phone is a multifunctional mobile phone equipped with a camera, a web browser, an e-mail function, etc. in addition to the functions of a mobile phone.

An NFC (Near Field Communication) unit 201 is a unit that performs near field communication. Communication can actually be performed by bringing the NFC unit 201 closer to the NFC unit of the partner device (in the embodiment, the NFC unit of the printing apparatus 300) within a predetermined distance (about 10 cm).

A wireless LAN unit 202 is a unit for performing wireless LAN communication, which is faster than NFC communication, and is arranged in the terminal device 200 . The display unit 203 is, for example, a display having an LCD type display mechanism. The operation unit 204 has a touch panel type operation mechanism, and detects user's pressing information. A typical operation method is that the display unit 203 displays button icons and a software keyboard, and the user presses the operation unit 204 to issue a button-press event. A power key 205 is used to turn on and off the power.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the appearance of the printing apparatus 300. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, a multi-function printer (MFP) having a reading function (scanner) is taken as an example. In FIG. 3A, a document table 301 is a glass-like transparent table, and is used when a document is placed thereon and read by a scanner. A document cover 302 is a cover for preventing reading light from leaking to the outside when reading is performed by the scanner. A printing paper insertion port 303 is an insertion port into which various sizes of paper are set. The paper set in the printing paper insertion port 303 is conveyed to the printing unit one by one, printed, and discharged from the printing paper discharge port 304 .

3B is a top view of the document cover 302. FIG. An operation display unit 305 and an NFC unit 306 are arranged above the document lid 302 . The NFC unit 306 is a unit for performing short-range wireless communication, and is actually a place where the terminal device 200 is brought closer to the printing device 300 . A predetermined distance (approximately 10 cm) from the NFC unit 306 is the effective distance of contact. A wireless LAN antenna 307 has an embedded antenna for wireless LAN communication.

Note that near-field wireless communication means wireless communication in which the communication range is a relatively small predetermined range (for example, 1 meter to several centimeters), as typified by NFC.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the terminal device 200. As shown in FIG. The terminal device 200 has a main board 210 that controls the entire device, a wireless LAN unit 202 , an NFC unit 201 , a line connection unit 206 , a display section 203 and an operation section 204 . Here, the wireless LAN unit 202 , the NFC unit 201 , the line connection unit 206 and the priority LAN unit 309 all function as communication units of the terminal device 200 .

A microprocessor-type CPU 211 arranged on a main board 210 performs processing according to control programs stored in a ROM-type program memory 213 connected via an internal bus 212 and contents of a RAM-type data memory 214 . Run.

The CPU 211 controls the wireless LAN unit 202 via the wireless LAN control circuit 215 to communicate with other communication terminal devices via the wireless LAN 102 . By controlling the NFC unit 201 via the NFC control circuit 216, the CPU 211 can detect a connection with another NFC terminal via the NFC 101, and transmit/receive data with another NFC terminal. By controlling the line connection unit 206 via the line control circuit 217, the CPU 211 can connect to the mobile phone line network 105 and make calls and transmit and receive data.

The CPU 211 can receive instructions from the user via the operation unit 204 and display various menus and images on the display unit 203 by controlling the operation unit control circuit 218 . The CPU 211 can control the camera unit 219 to capture an image, and stores the captured image in the image memory 220 in the data memory 214 . In addition to the captured image, it is also possible to store in the image memory 220 an image acquired from the outside through the mobile phone network 105, the wireless LAN 102, or the NFC 101, or to send it to the outside.

The nonvolatile memory 221 is composed of a memory such as a flash memory, and stores data that should be saved even after the power is turned off. For example, it stores phone book data, various communication connection information, device information connected in the past, image data to be saved, and programs such as application software for realizing various functions of the terminal device 200 .

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the printing apparatus 300. As shown in FIG. The printing apparatus 300 has a main board 310 that controls the entire apparatus, a line connection unit 322 , a wireless LAN unit 308 , an NFC unit 306 , a wired LAN unit 309 , and an operation panel 305 . Here, the line connection unit 322 , wireless LAN unit 308 , NFC unit 306 and priority LAN unit 309 function as communication units of the printing apparatus 300 . Note that the wireless LAN is faster than the NFC unit, and the wired LAN allows even faster communication.

A microprocessor-type CPU 311 arranged on the main board 310 processes according to a control program stored in a ROM-type program memory 313 connected via an internal bus 312 and the contents of a RAM-type data memory 314. to run.

The CPU 311 controls the scanner unit 315 to read the document and stores it in the image memory 316 in the data memory 314 . The CPU 311 can also control the printing unit 317 to print the image in the image memory 316 in the data memory 314 on a recording medium.

The CPU 311 controls the wireless LAN unit 308 through the wireless LAN control circuit 318 to communicate with other communication terminal devices via the wireless LAN 102 . The CPU 311 also controls the priority LAN unit 309 through the wired LAN control circuit 329 to communicate with other communication terminal devices via the priority LAN 102 . Further, by controlling the NFC unit 306 via the NFC control circuit 319, the CPU 311 can detect a connection with another NFC terminal via the NFC 101, and transmit/receive data with another NFC terminal. can. By controlling the line connection unit 322 via the line control circuit 321, the CPU 311 can connect to the telephone line network 323 and perform FAX transmission/reception and data transmission/reception.

By controlling the operation unit control circuit 320, the CPU 311 can display the status of the printing apparatus 300 and the function selection menu on the operation panel 305, and can receive operations from the user. Therefore, the operation panel 305 includes various switches and buttons as well as a display with a touch panel.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing details of the NFC unit 600 used in the NFC unit 201 in the terminal device 200 or the NFC unit 306 in the printing device 300. As shown in FIG.

In near field communication (NFC communication) using the NFC unit 600, a device that outputs an RF (Radio Frequency) field during communication to start communication is called an initiator. A device that responds to a command issued by an initiator and communicates with the initiator is called a target. The communication modes of the NFC unit include a passive mode and an active mode.

In passive mode, the target responds to the initiator's commands by performing load modulation. Therefore, the target does not need to be supplied with power. On the other hand, in active mode, the target responds to the initiator's commands with an RF field emitted by the target itself. Therefore, it is necessary to supply power to the target. The active mode also has the feature that the communication speed can be made faster than the passive mode.

Returning to the description of FIG. An NFC controller section 601, an antenna section 602, an RF section 603, a transmission/reception control section 604, an NFC memory 605, a power supply 606, and a device connection section 607 exist in the NFC unit. The antenna unit 602 receives radio waves and carriers from other NFC devices and transmits radio waves and carriers to other NFC devices. The RF unit 603 has a function of modulating and demodulating an analog signal into a digital signal. The RF unit 603 has a synthesizer, identifies the frequencies of the bands and channels, and controls the bands and channels based on frequency allocation data.

Note that the NFC memory 605 is composed of a readable/writable nonvolatile memory. Even when power is not supplied from the power supply 606, data stored in the NFC memory 605 can be read and written as long as the induced electromotive force is generated in the passive mode. Data storage control including reading and writing of data to the NFC memory 605 is realized by the NFC controller unit 601 . A state in which no power is supplied from the power supply 606 refers to a state in which the battery of the terminal device 200 is exhausted and a state in which power is not supplied to the printing apparatus 300 .

The transmission/reception control unit 604 performs control related to transmission/reception such as assembly and disassembly of transmission/reception frames, addition and detection of preambles, and frame identification. The transmission/reception control unit 604 also controls the NFC memory 605 to read and write various data and programs. When operating in active mode, it receives power through power supply 606 . Then, it communicates with devices (the CPU 211 of the terminal device 200 and the CPU 311 of the printing device 300) through the device connection unit 607, and other NFC devices within a communicable range by carriers transmitted and received via the antenna unit 602. communicate with When operating in the passive mode, a carrier is received from another NFC device via the antenna unit 602, power is supplied from the other NFC device by electromagnetic induction, and carrier modulation allows communication between the NFC device and the other NFC device. to communicate and send and receive data. Hereinafter, the operation of bringing (the NFC unit 201 of) the terminal device 200 and (the NFC unit 306) of the printing device 300 close to each other is referred to as "NFC touch operation".

[First embodiment]
In the first embodiment, after the user operates the terminal device 200 to select an image to be printed, the selected image is displayed on the printing device 300 by performing an NFC touch operation on the printing device 300 that performs printing. I will explain the use case of printing with .

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing processing when printing an image designated by the terminal device 200 with the printing device 300 . In the present application, the flowcharts executed in the terminal device 200 are implemented by the CPU 211 of the terminal device 200 reading out and executing programs related to the flowcharts.

First, the user selects image data stored in the image memory 220 according to an operation from the operation unit 204 . Here, it does not matter whether the image data to be selected is singular or plural.

The user performs an operation (NFC touch operation) of bringing the terminal device 200 in the selected state closer to the NFC unit 306 of the printing device 300 to which the processing is requested. As a result, the terminal device 200 and the printing device 300 shift to the NFC communication mode. Note that the transition to the NFC communication mode may be realized, for example, by a user's setting on the operation panel of the printing apparatus 300, or may be automatically realized by an NFC touch operation.

In step S<b>802 , the terminal device 200 receives the NDEF message in the NFC memory 605 in the NFC unit 306 from the NFC unit 306 of the printing device 300 .

The NDEF data structure stored in the NFC unit will be described with reference to FIG. As NDEF data, RecordType indicating what the NDEF message is is stored in "Record1" of the first NDEF that constitutes the header portion. Specifically, "Hq (HandoverRequest)" indicating that the message is for a handover request, or "Hs (HandoverSelect)" indicating that it is a response message to the request, is entered in the Record Type. Note that the NDEF data is sometimes called near field communication information because it is transmitted to the communication partner device by near field communication.

"Record2" is composed of a RecordType including content indicating that this packet is A service setting information and a Payload portion including detailed network setting information. The network information stores parameters related to each communication method. Specifically, of the two network interface units (or network interface cards: NICs) of the printing apparatus 300, the first MAC address of the first unit and the second MAC address information of the second unit information is stored. For example, a wired LAN MAC address and a wireless LAN MAC address are stored in the network information. As a result, the terminal device 200 can acquire the MAC address information, which is the physical interface of the printing device 300, from the NDEF message. Although the number of network interface units included in the printing apparatus 300 is two in this application, the number may be one or more, and there is no particular limit to this number.

Further, the Payload section stores peer-to-peer connection information (hereinafter, “peer-to-peer” is simply abbreviated as P2P). Specifically, information such as SSID, encryption method, authentication method, and network key required for P2P connection such as WiFi Direct is stored.

In general, data communication cannot be performed unless the terminal device 200 and the printing device 300 are connected to the same access point. To avoid this, the terminal device 200 uses the P2P information acquired from the NDEF message of the printing device 300 to change the wireless network settings on the terminal device 200 side. By doing so, peer-to-peer communication is established between the terminal device 200 and the printing device 300, and data communication can be performed.

After receiving the NDEF message, the terminal device 200 determines in step S803 whether a mode transition command to wait for data reception from the terminal device 200 has been issued to the printing device 300 . Information as to whether or not it has been issued is stored in the data memory 214 of the terminal device 200 . If the mode change command has not been issued, it is checked (searched) whether the first MAC address of the NDEF message exists on the same network as the terminal device 200 in step S804. If the first MAC address exists on the same network, the terminal device 200 can recognize the IP address of the printing device 300 (step S805). For example, ICMP, Multicast DNS, etc. are used to recognize IP addresses. Then, in step S806, the terminal device 200 issues a mode transition command to wait for data reception to the printing device 300. FIG.

Also, if the first MAC address cannot be detected on the network, the terminal device 200 confirms whether the second MAC address exists on the same network as the terminal device 200 in step S810. If detection is not possible there, the terminal device 200 refers to the P2P information stored in the NDEF message acquired from the NFC unit 201 of the printing device 300 in step S811, and determines that the communication mode of the terminal device 200 is the wireless LAN setting for P2P information. Determine if they are the same. As an example of determination, the terminal device 200 compares the SSID of the access point provided in the printing device 300 with the SSID set in the terminal device 200 and determines whether they are the same.

If the communication mode of the terminal device 200 does not match the P2P information, the terminal device 200 changes the communication mode of the terminal device 200 to match the communication mode of the printing device 300 (step S812). For example, the terminal device 200 sets the SSID of the printing device 300 .

As described above, in a situation where the printing device 300 has a plurality of interfaces, if only one of the interface information is returned, the device may not be detected. For example, when the MAC address of the wireless LAN is stored in the NDEF message even though the wired LAN is enabled, the terminal device 200 searches for the MAC address of the wireless LAN on the network. As a result, even if the terminal device 200 and the printing device 300 are on the same network, the printing device 300 touched by NFC cannot be searched. However, the connection between the terminal device 200 and the printing device 300 can be appropriately established by performing the above process.

In step S806, the terminal device 200 issues to the printing device 300 a mode transition command to wait for data reception from the terminal device. After issuing the command, in step S807, the terminal device 200 converts the image data selected by the user into a format that can be printed by the printing device 300, and transmits the data to the printing device 300 via the wireless LAN unit 202 as print data. Note that even though the terminal device 200 transmits print data to the printing device 300 via the wireless LAN, the printing device 300 does not necessarily receive the print data from the terminal device 200 via the wireless LAN. This is because reception may occur via a wired LAN connected to an access point.

After the transmission of all print data is completed, in step S808, the terminal device 200 determines whether to continue transmitting print data. This determination may be based on a user's operation, or it may be determined that there is no operation for a certain period of time. When printing ends, the terminal device 200 issues a command to cancel the data reception waiting mode to the printing device 300 in step S809. As a result, the connection between the terminal device 200 and the printing device 300 is released.

Next, the processing when the printing device 300 prints the image received from the terminal device 200 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the present application, the flowcharts executed in the printing apparatus 300 are implemented by the CPU 311 of the printing apparatus 300 reading and executing programs related to the flowcharts.

First, the user performs an operation of bringing (the NFC unit 201 of) the terminal device 200 closer to (the NFC unit 306 of) the printing device 300 . As a result, NFC communication is started by both NFC units, and in step S902, the printing device 300 transfers the NDEF message stored in the NFC memory within the NFC unit 306 of the printing device to the terminal device 200. FIG.

When the NDEF message is transferred to the terminal device 200, in step S903, the printing device 300 determines whether it has already received a mode transition command from the terminal device 200 to wait for data reception.

If the mode transition command has not been received, the printing device 300 determines whether there is an IP protocol level request from the terminal device 200 in step S904. When there is an IP protocol level request, it can be determined that the terminal device 200 and the printing device 300 already exist on the same network. Waiting for reception.

After that, the printing device 300 receives a mode transition command from the terminal device 200 in step S905. If it is determined in step S904 that there is no IP protocol level communication, the printing device 300 stores (saves) the current communication mode of the printing device 300 in the data memory 314 in step S910. Then, the printing device 300 changes the communication mode of the printing device 300 to the P2P mode in step S911. After that, the terminal device 200 executes the process of S812, so that the printing device 300 and the terminal device 200 can be connected to the same network. For example, if the printing apparatus 300 is operating in a communication mode in which communication is performed using an external access point, the communication mode is changed from the communication mode in which communication is performed using the access point to the P2P mode in step S911.

After the network is established, in step S907, the printing device 300 receives print data from the terminal device 200 and prints. However, even if the network is established, if data is not sent from the terminal device 200 for a certain period of time in step S906, the print communication mode is restored in step S909.

After printing, in step S<b>908 , the printing apparatus 300 determines whether it has received a command from the terminal apparatus 200 to wait for mode release to wait for data reception. When the release command is received, if the communication mode for printing has been changed in step S909, the communication mode immediately before performing printing using NFC (that is, the communication mode stored in step S910) is restored.

An example of returning a specific communication mode is as follows. For example, if the wireless LAN of the printing apparatus 300 is disabled, the wireless LAN disabled state is stored in step S910, printing is executed in P2P mode, and after printing is completed, the wireless LAN state is disconnected and the process ends. That is, the communication mode of the printing device 300 is changed to the wireless LAN disabled state. If the wireless LAN of the printing apparatus 300 is valid and is on the same network as the terminal apparatus, the printing process is performed without changing the communication mode.

If either or both of the first and second interfaces of the printing device 300 are valid and they are not on the same network as the terminal device, the first and second interface states are stored in step S911. . Then, the printing is executed in the P2P mode, and after the printing is completed, the first and second interface states are returned to the original state, and the processing ends.

Thus, in this embodiment, the optimum communication method is automatically selected by the NFC touch operation of the terminal device 200 without the user switching the current communication mode. If a command to wait for mode cancellation is not sent from the terminal device 200 for a certain period of time in step S908, and if a command to wait for mode cancellation is not sent for a certain period of time by checking the passage of time in step S912, the communication mode is changed immediately before. communication mode.

A timer is used to measure a certain period of time, but the trigger for starting the timer may be after printing is finished, or even if the timer is started, the next print process is executed before the certain period of time elapses. may be executed to clear the timer. Alternatively, the communication mode may be ended by operating the main body on the operation panel 305 . By doing so, it is possible for the user to execute printing without being aware of the communication mode.

[Second embodiment]
Also in the second embodiment, a use case will be described in which the user operates the terminal device 200 to select an image to be printed, and then prints the image.

Note that the difference from the first embodiment is that the interface information acquired by the NFC touch operation includes information indicating a valid MAC address. Thereafter, the user performs the NFC touch operation of the terminal device 200 on the printing device 300 . Next, a use case will be described in which the terminal device 200 acquires currently valid interface information and uses the MAC address of the valid interface to print a selected image with the printing device 300 . For example, the terminal device 200 can acquire information indicating the MAC address currently valid in the printing device 300 by the NFC touch operation, out of the wired MAC address and the wireless MAC address.

First, the user selects image data according to an operation from the operation unit 204 . Here, multiple image data may be selected.

The user performs an NFC touch operation to bring (the NFC unit 201 of) the terminal device 200 closer to (the NFC unit 306 of) the printing device 300 .

As a result, the terminal device 200 receives the NDEF message in the NFC memory 605 in the NFC unit 306 of the printing device 300 in step S1002.

After receiving the NDEF message, the terminal device 200 determines in step S1003 whether a mode transition command to wait for data reception has been issued from the terminal device 200 to the printing device 300 . Information as to whether or not it has been issued is stored in the data memory 214 of the terminal device 200 . If the mode transition command has not been issued, in step S1004, the terminal device 200 acquires currently valid interface information acquired from the NDEF message. For example, S1004 can be realized by the terminal device 200 acquiring information indicating valid MAC address information among multiple MAC addresses included in the NDEF message. Incidentally, the valid state refers to a state in which the printing apparatus 300 establishes a network connection and can acquire an IP address.

In step S<b>1005 , the terminal device 200 confirms whether the MAC address of the valid interface described in the NDEF message exists on the same network as the terminal device 200 . If the MAC address exists on the same network in step S1006, the terminal device 200 can recognize the IP address of the printing device 300. FIG. If the IP address cannot be detected, the terminal device 200 performs steps S1011-1012. It should be noted that the processing of S1011-S1012 is the same as that of S811-S812, so detailed description thereof will be omitted. Further, since the processing of S1007-S1010 is the same as that of S806-S809, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

According to this embodiment, for example, when searching for devices by broadcasting using a plurality of MAC addresses, it is possible to prevent device searches using MAC addresses of disabled interfaces. Therefore, this embodiment can reduce the network communication load.

[Third embodiment]
In the above-described first embodiment, the form in which the MAC address of the first interface and the MAC address of the second interface stored in the NDEF message are referred to in order has been described. A priority may be given to the first interface and the second interface, and information for determining which one should be preferentially connected may be stored in the NDEF message. The terminal device 200 may detect whether the acquired MAC address exists on the same network based on the priority of the read NDEF message.

Further, in the embodiment, the processing device that communicates with the terminal device 200 is described as the printing device (MFP) 300, but the device is not particularly limited to the printing device as long as it responds to the processing request. For example, it may be a network scanner or a network storage.

[Fourth embodiment]
In the present embodiment, processing for rewriting NDEF information in accordance with a valid interface by the printing apparatus 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 11 .

The printing apparatus 300 determines whether or not an instruction to select an interface to be activated has been received from the user using the operation panel 305 (S1101). For example, the printing device 300 receives an instruction to enable either one of the wired LAN and the wireless LAN. A selection instruction for selecting an interface to be activated by the terminal device 200 that can communicate with the printing device 300 may be issued. Alternatively, an instruction for selecting an interface to be activated by an information processing apparatus that can communicate with the printing apparatus 300 may be issued.

If it is determined in S1101 that the instruction has been received, the printing apparatus 300 writes the MAC address corresponding to the interface enabled by the user's instruction in NDEF of the NFC memory 605 of the NFC unit 600 (S1102). In FIG. 7, of the two network interface units (or NICs) of the printing apparatus 300, the first MAC address of the first unit and the second MAC address of the second unit are stored in the network information. Described. However, in this embodiment, the printing device 300 writes only the MAC addresses corresponding to the enabled interfaces into the network information of FIG. For example, when the wired LAN is enabled by the above instruction, only the MAC address of the wired LAN is described in the network information of FIG. On the other hand, when the enabled interface is changed from the wired LAN to the wireless LAN, the printing apparatus 300 rewrites the network information in FIG. 7 from the wired LAN MAC address to the wireless LAN MAC address.

The printing apparatus 300 determines whether an NFC touch operation has been received (S1103). If it is determined here that the NFC touch operation has been received, the process proceeds to S902 and subsequent steps. On the other hand, if the NFC touch operation has not been received, the process returns to S1101. Note that the processing after S902 is the same as in FIG. 9, so detailed description is omitted.

With the above processing, the terminal device 200 can acquire the MAC address of the interface enabled in the printing device 300 , so that the terminal device 200 can be properly connected to the printing device 300 .

(Other examples)
In this application, NFC is used as an example of short-range wireless communication, but Bluetooth (registered trademark), for example, may be used as another communication method. In addition, although the printing device is used in the description in the present application, a digital camera, a music player, or the like may be used as a device other than the printing device.

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

100...Network, 200...Terminal device, 300...Printing device

Claims (19)

A communication device capable of executing short-range wireless communication and LAN (Local Area Network) communication, which is a communication method different from the short-range wireless communication,
a first interface used to perform the LAN communication;
a second interface used to perform the LAN communication;
receiving means for receiving a selection instruction of an interface to be activated based on a user's operation on an operation screen provided by the communication device;
When the interface to be activated by the selection instruction is changed from the first interface to the second interface, the short-range wireless communication information communicated by the short-range wireless communication includes the address information of the second interface. changing means for changing the first short-range wireless communication information without the address information to the second short-range wireless communication information including the address information;
A communication device comprising: A communication device capable of executing short-range wireless communication and LAN (Local Area Network) communication, which is a communication method different from the short-range wireless communication,
a first interface used to perform the LAN communication;
a second interface used to perform the LAN communication;
receiving means for receiving a selection instruction of an interface to be activated based on a user's operation on an operation screen provided by the communication device;
When the interface to be activated by the selection instruction is changed from the second interface to the first interface, the short-range wireless communication information communicated by the short-range wireless communication includes the address information of the second interface. changing means for changing the first short-range wireless communication information to second short-range wireless communication information that does not include at least part of the address information;
A communication device comprising: 2. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting means for transmitting said second short-range wireless communication information to a communication partner device through said short-range wireless communication. 4. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein said address information is a MAC address. 5. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the first interface is an interface for wired communication, and the second interface is an interface for wireless communication. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the short-range wireless communication is Near Field Communication (NFC) communication. 3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the near field communication is Bluetooth communication. 8. The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising print control means for executing print processing based on print data received via said first or second interface. 9. A communication apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said print control means executes print processing by an inkjet method. When the short-range wireless communication is performed between the communication device and the communication partner device, and the communication device is connected to the network to which the communication partner device is connected, the short-range wireless communication is performed. receiving print data from the communication partner device via the network;
When the short-range wireless communication is executed between the communication device and the communication partner device and the communication device is not connected to the network to which the communication partner device is connected, the communication device performs communication control processing. 10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 , further comprising receiving means for receiving print data from said communication partner device via a direct connection between said communication partner device and said communication device established by executing 1. The communication device according to claim 1. When the interface to be activated by the selection instruction is changed from the second interface to the first interface, the changing means changes the short-range wireless communication from a state in which the address information is included in the short-range wireless communication information. 2. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the information is changed to a state in which at least part of the address information is not included in the information. 3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the short-range wireless communication information is NDEF information. 13. The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12 , wherein said accepting means accepts an instruction to selectively select an interface to be activated from said first interface and said second interface. A first interface capable of executing short-range wireless communication and LAN (Local Area Network) communication, which is a communication method different from the short-range wireless communication, and used for performing the LAN communication, and the LAN communication. A program for execution by a processor of a communication device having a second interface used to perform
to the processor;
a receiving step of receiving a selection instruction of an interface to be activated based on a user's operation on an operation screen provided by the communication device;
When the interface to be activated by the selection instruction is changed from the first interface to the second interface, the short-range wireless communication information communicated by the short-range wireless communication includes the address information of the second interface. a program for executing a changing step of changing the first short-range wireless communication information that does not contain the address information to the second short-range wireless communication information that includes the address information. A communication device capable of performing short-range wireless communication and LAN (Local Area Network) communication, which is a communication method different from the short-range wireless communication, the first interface being used for performing the LAN communication; A program to be executed by a processor of a communication device having a second interface used for performing LAN communication,
to the processor;
a receiving step of receiving a selection instruction of an interface to be activated based on a user's operation on an operation screen provided by the communication device;
When the interface to be activated by the selection instruction is changed from the second interface to the first interface, the short-range wireless communication information communicated by the short-range wireless communication includes the address information of the second interface. a changing step of changing the first short-range wireless communication information to second short-range wireless communication information that does not include at least part of the address information;
program to run the 16. The program according to claim 14 , wherein said address information is a MAC address. 17. The program according to any one of claims 14 to 16 , wherein said first interface is an interface for wired communication, and said second interface is an interface for wireless communication. 18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17 , further causing the processor to execute a print control step of executing print processing based on print data received via the first or second interface. program. 19. The program according to claim 18 , wherein in said print control step, print processing is executed by an inkjet method.

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