Patent ID: 8587839
Filing Date: 2013-11-19
Classification: H04N,H04W

Abstract:
1. An image transmission system comprising: an image processing device having an image input portion configured to input an image, an image output portion configured to output an image, and a first wireless LAN communication portion configured to effect wireless communication through its wireless LAN function; and a communicating device having an image transmission/reception portion configured to transmit and receive an image to and from an external device through its facsimile communication function, and a second wireless LAN communication portion configured to effect wireless communication through its wireless LAN function, wherein the image input through the image input portion is transmitted from the first wireless LAN communication portion of the image processing device to the communicating device and is then transmitted from the image transmission/reception portion to the external device, and wherein an image transmitted from the external device is received by the image transmission/reception portion of the communicating device, transmitted from the second wireless LAN communication portion to the image processing device, and output by the image output portion, each of the image processing device and the communicating device including: a first communication-setting-information memory portion for storing first communication setting information which is set by a user of the image transmission system and which is necessary for establishing first wireless connection between the image processing device and communicating device through the wireless LAN function in an infrastructure mode in which the image processing device and communicating device are communicable with each other through an access point; a second communication-setting-information memory portion for storing second communication setting information which has been set without an operation by the user and cannot be changed by the user and which is necessary to establish second wireless connection between the image processing device and communicating device through the wireless LAN function in an ad hoc mode in which the image processing device and communicating device are communicable directly with each other; a first wireless connecting portion configured to establish the first wireless connection in the infrastructure mode on the basis of the first communication setting information; a second wireless connecting portion configured to establish the second wireless connection in the ad hoc mode on the basis of the second communication setting information; and a communication control portion configured to command the first wireless connecting portion to try to establish the first wireless connection, to place the image processing device and communicating device in a state for wireless communication in the infrastructure mode after the first wireless connection is established, to command the second wireless connecting portion to try to establish the second wireless connection if the first wireless connection cannot be maintained, and to switch a communication mode of the image transmission system from the infrastructure mode to the ad hoc mode after the second wireless connection is established, wherein the communication control portion includes a transmission/reception requirement determining portion configured to determine, when the ad hoc mode has been kept, whether one of the image processing device and communicating device is required to transmit an image to the other or to receive an image from the other in the state for wireless communication in the ad hoc mode, the communication control portion commanding the first wireless connecting portion to try to establish the first wireless connection, if the transmission/reception requirement determining portion determines that the one of the image processing device and communicating device is not required to transmit the image to the other or to receive the image from the other.