Patent ID: 8194625

Claim:
A wireless LAN (Local Area Network) device that connects with multiple clients to construct a wireless LAN, said wireless LAN device comprising: a communication reception module that receives a request for communication transmitted from any one of the multiple clients of the wireless LAN to another client in the wireless LAN or to another network, the wireless LAN device operating as an access point to provide wireless LAN access service in a local area such that each wireless client in the wireless LAN communicates via the communication reception module; and a memory device, comprising: a registration module that registers a specified client among the multiple clients of the wireless LAN as a registered specific client; a decision module that causes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to determine whether or not the request for communication is directed to the registered specified client; and a restriction module that causes the CPU to restrict communication between clients within the wireless LAN via the communication reception module based on a protocol used for the communication, the restriction module permitting the communication from one of the multiple clients of the wireless LAN to the registered specified client for the protocol used for the communication being a specific protocol and rejecting the communication from the same one of the multiple clients of the wireless LAN to the registered specified client for other protocols so as to limit the communication within the wireless LAN when said decision module determines that the request for communication is directed to the registered specified client, and so as not to restrict the communication when said decision module determines that the request for communication is not directed to the registered specified client; wherein the wireless LAN device utilizes at least MAC (Media Access Control) addresses to determine communication privileges in the wireless LAN with a client within the wireless LAN not having a stored MAC address having a lowest level of communication privileges and a client within the wireless LAN having a stored MAC address having a higher level of communication privileges; wherein a client within the wireless LAN that is not the registered specific client is restricted from communicating with at least a management server in the wireless LAN but is permitted communication with at least other clients within the wireless LAN that are not the registered specific client.