1. A management apparatus comprising:
a management unit configured to manage a connection parameter for connecting to a second wireless network, the connection parameter including an SSID (Service Set Identifier) of the second wireless network and an encryption key for performing encrypted communication in the second wireless network, wherein the second wireless network is created by a first communication apparatus differing from the management apparatus, and wherein the first communication apparatus is connected to as a station and then disconnected from a first wireless network that the management apparatus has created as an access point, and newly creates the second wireless network as an access point; and
a notification unit configured to, in response to receiving a request from a second communication apparatus connected to the first wireless network, notify the second communication apparatus of the connection parameter managed by said management unit to cause the second communication apparatus to disconnect from the first wireless network and then to connect to the second wireless network,
wherein the second communication apparatus is different from the management apparatus and the first communication apparatus,
wherein the management apparatus connects to the first wireless network but does not connect to the second wireless network, and
wherein at least one of the management unit and the notification unit is executed by a processor.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transition notification unit configured to notify the first communication apparatus of transition to the second wireless network.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein upon receiving, from the second communication apparatus which has transitioned to the second wireless network based on the notification by said transition notification unit, a return notification to request return to the first wireless network, said management unit updates the connection parameter associated with the second wireless network based on the return notification.
4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein after updating the connection parameter associated with the second wireless network, said management unit (i) determines, based on the updated connection parameter, whether the second wireless network has disappeared, and (ii) in a case where it is determined that the second wireless network has disappeared, deletes the connection parameter associated with the second wireless network.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the request from the second communication apparatus is one of a search request and a connection request.
6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in notification of the connection parameter, if said management unit manages a plurality of connection parameters associated with the second wireless network, said notification unit notifies the second communication apparatus of all the plurality of connection parameters.
7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the request from the second communication apparatus includes designation information representing a communication apparatus serving as a communication partner, and
wherein in notification of the connection parameter, if said management unit manages a plurality of connection parameters associated with the second wireless network, said notification unit selectively notifies the second communication apparatus of connection parameters based on the designation information.
8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in notification of the connection parameter, said notification unit selectively notifies the second communication apparatus of connection parameters associated with the second wireless network, which are managed by said management unit, based on one of a connection form and an encryption method of the second communication apparatus.
9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, the computer program causing a computer to function as a management apparatus comprising:
a management unit configured to manage a connection parameter for connecting to a second wireless network, the connection parameter including an SSID (Service Set Identifier) of the second wireless network and an encryption key for performing encrypted communication in the second wireless network, wherein the second wireless network is created by a first communication apparatus differing from the management apparatus, and wherein the first communication apparatus is connected to as station and then disconnected from a first wireless network that the management apparatus has created as an access point, and newly creates the second wireless network as an access point; and
a notification unit configured to, in response to receiving a request from a second communication apparatus connected to the first wireless network, notify the second communication apparatus of the connection parameter managed by said management unit to cause the second communication apparatus to disconnect from the first wireless network and then to connect to the second wireless network,
wherein the second communication apparatus is different from the management apparatus and the first communication apparatus, and
wherein the management apparatus connects to the first wireless network but does not connect to the second wireless network.
10. A management method of a management apparatus, the method comprising:
a management step of managing a connection parameter for connecting to a second wireless network, the connection parameter including an SSID (Service Set Identifier) of the second wireless network and an encryption key for performing encrypted communication in the second wireless network, wherein the second wireless network is created by a first communication apparatus differing from the management apparatus, and wherein the first communication apparatus is connected to as station and then disconnected from a first wireless network that the management apparatus has created as an access point, and newly creates the second wireless network as an access point; and
a notification step of, in response to receiving a request from a second communication apparatus connected to the first wireless network, notifying the second communication apparatus of the connection parameter managed in the management step to cause the second communication apparatus to disconnect from the first wireless network and then to connect to the second wireless network,
wherein the second communication apparatus is different from the management apparatus and the first communication apparatus, and
wherein the management apparatus connects to the first wireless network but does not connect to the second wireless network.
11. A communication system including a communication apparatus and a management apparatus, wherein said management apparatus comprises:
(a) a management unit configured to manage a connection parameter for connecting to a second wireless network, the connection parameter including an SSID (Service Set Identifier) of the second wireless network and an encryption key for performing encrypted communication in the second wireless network, wherein the second wireless network is created by a first communication apparatus differing from the management apparatus, and wherein a first communication apparatus is connected to as station and then disconnected from a first wireless network that the management apparatus has created as an access point, and newly creates the second wireless network as an access point; and
(b) a notification unit configured to, in response to receiving a request from a second communication apparatus connected to the first wireless network, notify the second communication apparatus of the connection parameter managed by said management unit to cause the second communication apparatus to disconnect from the first wireless network and then to connect to the second wireless network,
wherein said second communication apparatus comprises:
(a) a reception unit configured to receive the connection parameter notified by said notification unit; and
(b) a connection unit configured to connect to the second wireless network using the connection parameter associated with the second wireless network which is received by said reception unit,
wherein the second communication apparatus is different from the management apparatus and the first communication apparatus,
wherein the management apparatus connects to the first wireless network but does not connect to the second wireless network, and
wherein at least one of the management unit and the notification unit is executed by a processor.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A method for processing bills for a plurality of customers of a plurality of node systems within a larger system, each customer bill having a particular billing cycle, the method comprising the steps of:
monitoring a current time and date;
gathering all customer bill records to be processed;
distributing the customer bill records into node groups based upon the node system associated with the customer;
dividing the node groups into one or more sub-node groups, wherein the each customer bill record distributed into each sub-node group shares at least one common variable;
dividing the sub-node groups into processing groups, wherein the number of customer bill records distributed into each processing group is predetermined; and
processing the bills from each processing group.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein all of the customer bills are distributed into the sub-node groups based on a franchise tax area.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of processing a plurality of the processing groups in parallel on a plurality of processors.
4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the steps of monitoring the processors and upon completion of one of the processing groups on the processors initiating another processing group on that processor which just completed.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing step comprises multiple phases.
6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of indicating the initiation and completion of each of the phases of the processing step.
7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of determining a restarting point for processing upon a failure to complete processing.
8. The method of claim 5 wherein the processing phases comprise the steps of:
initiating the customer bill;
gathering product transactions for the customer bill;
gathering non-product transactions for the customer bill;
aging account information for the customer bill;
determining a collections status for the customer bill;
gathering messages for the customer bill; and
formatting the customer bill.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of gathering all customer bill records to be processed comprises gathering all customer bill records having a billing cycle begin date and time greater than the current time.
10. A computer system for processing bills for a plurality of customers of a plurality of node systems within a larger system, each customer bill having a particular billing cycle, comprising:
means for monitoring a current time and date;
means for generating a file containing customer bill records to be processed;
means for distributing the customer bills records into node groups based upon the node system associated with the customer;
means for dividing the node groups into one or more sub-node groups, wherein each customer bill distributed into each sub-node group shares at least one common variable,
means for dividing the sub-node groups into processing groups, wherein the number of customer bills records distributed into each processing group is predetermined, and
processor means for processing the customer bill records from at least one of the processing group files.
11. The computer system of claim 10 wherein all of the customer bills are distributed into the sub-node groups share a common franchise tax area.
12. The computer system of claim 10 wherein the processor means comprises a plurality of processors operating in parallel.
13. The computer system of claim 12 further comprising:
means for monitoring the processors to detect the completion of one of the processing group files on the processors; and
means for initiating another processing group file on the processor which just completed.
14. The computer system of claim 10 comprising means for reprocessing a customer bill record which was not completed prior to a failure.
15. A computer system for processing bills for a plurality of customers of a plurality of node systems within a larger system, each customer bill having a particular billing cycle, comprising:
memory means for storing a plurality of customer bill;
a bill production initiator means for waking up periodically and initiating a billing cycle for a plurality of the customer bill records stored in the memory means;
at least one bill production manager means for generating a plurality of processing group files containing at least one of the customer bills records stored in the memory means such each processing group file has an efficient size and contains customer bill records having at least one common variable; and
at least one bill production worker means for processing the customer bill records from at least one of the processing groups.
16. The computer system of claim 15 wherein the bill production initiator means further comprises:
means for monitoring a current time and date; and
means for initiating the billing cycle for customer bill records having a billing cycle begin date and time greater than the current time and date.
17. The computer system of claim 15 wherein the bill production manager means comprises means for distributing the customer bills records into processing group files based upon the node system associated with the customer.
18. The computer system of claim 17 wherein the bill production manager means further comprises means for distributing the customer bill records into processing group files based on a geographical location of the customer.
19. The computer system of claim 18 wherein the bill production manager means further comprises means for distributing a predetermined number of the customer bill records into each processing group file.
20. The computer system of claim 15 wherein the bill production manager means comprises means for distributing a predetermined number of the customer bill records into each processing group file.
21. The computer system of claim 20 wherein the predetermined number of customer bill records is determined to be equal to the number of customer bill records which may be processed in a predetermined amount of time.
22. The computer system of claim 21 wherein the predetermined amount of time is about one hour.
23. The computer system of claim 15 wherein the bill production manager means comprises means for distributing the customer bill records into processing group files based on a franchise tax area in which the customer is located.