Patent ID: 8572222

Claim:
A digital camera comprising: a microprocessor coupled to a memory unit; a search unit configured to search for a management apparatus in a first ad hoc wireless network, wherein the management apparatus decides a provider apparatus that provides communication parameters including a network identifier, an encryption method, an encryption key, an authentication method and an authentication key to configure a new ad hoc wireless network; a detection unit configured to detect one or more other communication apparatuses that are searching for the management apparatus in the first ad hoc network; a determination unit configured to determine the management apparatus in the first ad hoc wireless network from among the digital camera and the one or more other communication apparatuses that are searching for the management apparatus that are detected by the detection unit, if the detection unit has detected the one or more other communication apparatuses that are searching for the management apparatus and the search unit has not found the management apparatus; a collection unit configured to collect a device capability attribute value of each of the one or more other communication apparatuses that exists in the first ad hoc wireless network if the digital camera has been determined by the determination unit as the management apparatus; a selection unit configured to select the provider apparatus among the digital camera and the one or more other communication apparatuses, based on each device capability attribute value collected by the collection unit, if the digital camera has been determined by the determination unit as the management apparatus; a providing unit configured to provide the communication parameters to one or more receiver apparatuses that receive the communication parameters from the provider apparatus, if the selection unit selects the digital camera as the provider apparatus; and an acquisition unit configured to acquire the communication parameters from the provider apparatus, if the selection unit does not select the digital camera as the provider apparatus.