Patent ID: 8954746
Filing Date: 2015-02-10
Classification: H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. A communication apparatus comprising: a communication unit configured to communicate with another communication apparatus via a wireless network; a sharing unit configured to execute a communication-parameter-setting-processing operation to share a communication parameter used in the wireless network; a storage unit configured to store at least one of (i) a first encryption key for encrypting the communication parameter shared in the communication-parameter-setting-processing operation and (ii) a second encryption key for encrypting communication based on the communication parameter shared by said sharing unit; an encryption unit configured to encrypt data using the first encryption key or the second encryption key stored in said storage unit; a transmitting unit configured to transmit the data encrypted by said encryption unit to an external apparatus via another network different from the wireless network, so that the other communication apparatus can acquire the data encrypted by the encryption unit from the external apparatus; and a first determination unit configured to determine whether or not said communication apparatus is connected to the other communication apparatus via the wireless network configured using the communication parameter shared by said sharing unit, wherein said encryption unit is further configured to switch between whether or not to encrypt the data according to a result of a determination made by said first determination unit, and wherein said transmitting unit is further configured to transmit the data to the other communication apparatus via the wireless network, without encrypting the data using said encryption unit, in a case where said first determination unit has determined that said communication apparatus is connected to the other communication apparatus via the wireless network, and to transmit the data encrypted by said encryption unit to the external apparatus, in a case where the first determination unit has determined that said communication apparatus is not connected to the other communication apparatus via the wireless network.