Information providing system and apparatus and methods therefor

• US 20020052922A1
• Filed: 07/19/2001
• Published: 05/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Inoue, Atsushi, Satomi, Hiroshi, Ito, Kosuke, Matsuura, Kenichiro, Igeta, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,346,659 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

A net database retains, for each user, information about a portable terminal and user information including designation of a destination of electronic mail. A determination module determines whether the contents of electronic mail received by a mail server are displayable at the portable terminal of a destination user. If it is determined that the contents are displayable, the electronic mail is sent to the portable terminal of the destination user. If it is determined that the contents are not displayable, the determination module determines the destination of the electronic mail in accordance with the user information. A conversion module converts the electronic mail data into a form outputtable at the destination. The converted data is provided to the destination apparatus, and a notification representing this is notified to the portable terminal.

Claims

1. An information providing apparatus comprising:

reception means for receiving transmission information to a user;

determination means for determining whether contents of the transmission information received by said reception means are displayable at a portable terminal owned by the user;

sending means for sending the transmission information to the portable terminal when said determination means determines that the contents are displayable;

decision means for deciding on the basis of user information of the user a destination of the transmission information received by said reception means when said determination means determines that the contents are not displayable;

designation means for designating conversion such that data contained in the transmission information matches a format of the destination; and

providing means for providing to the destination data format-converted on the basis of designation of said designation means.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the apparatus further comprises division means for dividing the data contained in the transmission information, depending on types of data,

said designation means designates conversion such that each data divided by said division means is suitable for the format of the destination, and

said providing means integrates the respective data format-converted on the basis of the designation of said designation means and providing the resultant data to the destination.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transmission information is electronic mail, and the data divided in accordance with the types are attached files contained in the electronic mail.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the apparatus further comprises user information retaining means for retaining user information containing information about the portable terminal and user information containing designation of the destination of the transmission information,

said determination means determines on the basis of the information about the portable terminal registered in the user information whether the contents of the transmission information received by said reception means are displayable at the portable terminal owned by the destination user, and

said decision means decides the destination of the transmission information as a destination designated by the user information when said determination means determines that the contents are not displayable.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising setting means for setting the user information.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising notification means for notifying the portable terminal of the destination user of a notification representing that data is transferred by said providing means.

7. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said designation means selects a conversion module for each data obtained by said division means, on the basis of a format of each data and a data format of the destination, and makes the selected conversion module convert the data.

8. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said providing means integrates the respective converted data in accordance with a data order of the transmission information.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when the destination is a World Wide Web information providing apparatus, said conversion module converts image data contained in the transmission information into JPEG data and converts wordprocessor document data into HTML data.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when the destination is a portable terminal, said conversion module converts image data contained in the transmission information into a format displayable at the portable terminal and converts wordprocessor document data into text string data representing a abstract of the document.

11. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when the destination is a portable terminal and the number of characters of a mail text contained in the transmission information exceeds the number of displayable characters of the portable terminal, said conversion module converts the mail text into data having the number of displayable characters.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said conversion module cuts a character string so that the number of characters of the mail text is not more than the number of displayable characters of the portable terminal.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said conversion module prepares abstract from the mail text such that the number of characters of the mail text is not more than the number of displayable characters of the portable terminal.

14. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when the destination is a facsimile machine, said conversion module converts mail text data, image data, and wordprocessor document data contained in the transmission information into facsimile data by CCITT FAX encoding.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the apparatus further comprises cover page generation means for generating cover page data representing an address of a data destination, and

said providing means attaches the cover page data to the facsimile data obtained by said conversion module to obtain the output data.

16. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising charging means for, when said conversion module executes conversion which accrues charge, executing charge processing.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising inhibiting means for, when a user sets to inhibit charge, inhibiting conversion which accrues charge.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the destination is an apparatus for providing World Wide Web information, said providing means retains the output data accessible by a URL.

19. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the destination is a portable terminal, said providing means retains the output data accessible by the portable terminal.

20. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the destination is a facsimile machine, said providing means transmits the output data to the facsimile machine.

21. An information providing system comprising:

transmission means for transmitting desired information as transmission information;

determination means for determining whether contents of the transmission information are displayable at a portable terminal owned by a destination user;

sending means for sending the transmission information to the portable terminal when said determination means determines that the contents are displayable;

decision means for deciding a destination of the transmission information when said determination means determines that the contents are not displayable;

conversion means for converting data contained in the transmission information into a format suitable for the destination; and

providing means for providing to the destination data format-converted by said conversion means.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein

the system further comprises division means for dividing the data contained in the transmission information, depending on types of data,

said designation means designates conversion such that each data divided by said division means is suitable for the format of the destination, and

said providing means integrates the respective data format-converted on the basis of the designation of said designation means and providing the resultant data to the destination.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the transmission information is electronic mail, and the data divided in accordance with the types are attached files contained in the electronic mail.

24. The system according to claim 21, wherein

the system further comprises user information retaining means for retaining user information containing information about the portable terminal and user information containing designation of the destination of the transmission information,

said determination means determines on the basis of the information about portable terminal registered in the user information whether the contents of the transmission information received by said reception means are displayable at the portable terminal owned by the destination user, and

said decision means decides the destination of the transmission information as a destination designated by the user information when said determination means determines that the contents are not displayable.

25. The system according to claim 21, further comprising notification means for notifying the portable terminal of the destination user of a notification representing that data is transferred by said providing means.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein

the method further comprises the division step of dividing the data contained in the transmission information, depending on types of data,

in the designation step, conversion is designated such that each data divided in the division step is suitable for the format of the destination, and

in the providing step, the respective data format-converted are integrated on the basis of the designation in the designation step and the resultant data is provided to the destination.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the transmission information is electronic mail, and the data divided in accordance with the types are attached files contained in the electronic mail.

29. The method according to claim 26, wherein

the method further comprises the user information retaining step of retaining user information containing information about the portable terminal and user information containing designation of the destination of the transmission information,

it is determined in the determination step on the basis of the information about portable terminal registered in the user information whether the contents of the transmission information received in the reception step are displayable at the portable terminal owned by the destination user, and

in the decision step, the destination of the transmission information is decided as a destination designated by the user information when it is determined in the determination step that the contents are not displayable.

30. The method according to claim 29 further comprising the setting step of setting the user information.

31. The method according to claim 26, further comprising the notification step of notifying the portable terminal of the destination user of a notification representing that data is transferred in the providing step.

32. The method according to claim 27, wherein in the designation step, a conversion module for each data obtained in the division step is selected on the basis of a format of each data and a data format of the destination, and the selected conversion module is made to convert the data.

33. The method according to claim 27, wherein in the providing step, the respective converted data are integrated in accordance with a data order of the transmission information.

34. The method according to claim 32, wherein when the destination is a World Wide Web information providing apparatus, in the conversion step, image data contained in the transmission information is converted into JPEG data and wordprocessor document data is converted into HTML data.

35. The method according to claim 32, wherein when the destination is a portable terminal, in the conversion step, image data contained in the transmission information is converted into a format displayable at the portable terminal and wordprocessor document data is converted into text string data representing abstract of the document.

36. The method according to claim 32, wherein when the destination is a portable terminal and the number of characters of a mail text contained in the transmission information exceeds the number of displayable characters of the portable terminal, in conversion step, the mail text is converted into data having the number of displayable characters.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein in the conversion step, a character string is cut so that the number of characters of the mail text is not more than the number of displayable characters of the portable terminal.

38. The method according to claim 36, wherein in the conversion step, abstract from the mail text is prepared such that the number of characters of the mail text is not more than the number of displayable characters of the portable terminal.

39. The method according to claim 32, wherein when the destination is a facsimile machine, in the conversion step, mail text data, image data, and wordprocessor document data contained in the transmission information are converted into facsimile data by CCITT FAX encoding.

40. The method according to claim 39, wherein

the method further comprises the cover page generation step of generating cover page data representing an address of a data destination, and

in the providing step, the cover page data is attached to the facsimile data obtained in the conversion step to obtain the output data.

41. The method according to claim 32, further comprising the charging step of, when conversion which accrues charge is executed in the conversion step, executing charge processing.

42. The method according to claim 41, further comprising the inhibiting step of, when a user sets to inhibit charge, inhibiting conversion which accrues charge.

43. The method according to claim 26, wherein when the destination is an apparatus for providing World Wide Web information, in the providing step, the output data accessible by a URL is retained.

44. The method according to claim 26, wherein when the destination is a portable terminal, in the providing step, the output data accessible by the portable terminal is retained.

45. The method according to claim 26, wherein when the destination is a facsimile machine, in the providing step, the output data is transmitted to the facsimile machine.

47. The method according to claim 46, wherein

the method further comprises the division step of dividing the data contained in the transmission information, depending on types of data,

in the designation step, conversion is designated such that each data divided in the division step is suitable for the format of the destination, and

in the providing step, the respective data format-converted on the basis of the designation in the designation step are integrated and the resultant data is provided to the destination.

48. The method according to claim 47, wherein the transmission information is electronic mail, and the data divided in accordance with the types are attached files contained in the electronic mail.

49. The method according to claim 46, wherein

the method further comprises the user information retaining step of retaining user information containing information about the portable terminal and user information containing designation of the destination of the transmission information,

it is determined in the determination step on the basis of the information about portable terminal registered in the user information whether the contents of the transmission information received in the reception step are displayable at the portable terminal owned by the destination user, and

in the decision step, the destination of the transmission information is decided as a destination designated by the user information when it is determined in the determination step that the contents are displayable.

50. The method according to claim 46, further comprising the notification step of notifying the portable terminal of the destination user of a notification representing that data is transferred in the providing step.

26. An information providing method comprising:

the reception step of receiving transmission information to a user;

the determination step of determining whether contents of the transmission information received in the reception step are displayable at a portable terminal owned by the user;

the sending step of sending the transmission information to the portable terminal when it is determined in the determination step that the contents are displayable;

the decision step of deciding on the basis of user information of the user a destination of the transmission information received in the reception step when it is determined in the determination step that the contents are not displayable;

the designation step of designating conversion such that data contained in the transmission information matches a format of the destination; and

the providing step of providing to the destination data format-converted on the basis of designation in the designation step.

46. An information providing method comprising:

the transmission step of transmitting desired information as transmission information;

the determination step of determining whether contents of the transmission information are displayable at portable terminal owned by a destination user;

the sending step of sending the transmission information to the portable terminal when it is determined in the determination step that the contents are displayable;

the decision step of deciding a destination of the transmission information when it is determined in the determination step that the contents are not displayable;

the conversion step of converting data contained in the transmission information into a format suitable for the destination; and

the providing step of providing to the destination data format-converted in the conversion step.

51. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a control program for causing a computer to execute an information providing method comprising:

the reception step of receiving transmission information to a user;

the determination step of determining whether contents of the transmission information received in the reception step are displayable at a portable terminal owned by the user;

the sending step of sending the transmission information to the portable terminal when it is determined in the determination step that the contents are displayable;

the decision step of deciding on the basis of user information of the user a destination of the transmission information received in the reception step when it is determined in the determination step that the contents are not displayable;

the designation step of designating conversion such that data contained in the transmission information matches a format of the destination; and

the providing step of providing to the destination data format-converted on the basis of designation in the designation step.

52. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a control program for causing a computer to execute an information providing method comprising:

the transmission step of transmitting desired information as transmission information;

the determination step of determining whether contents of the transmission information are displayable at portable terminal owned by a destination user;

the sending step of sending the transmission information to the portable terminal when it is determined in the determination step that the contents are displayable;

the decision step of deciding a destination of the transmission information when it is determined in the determination step that the contents are not displayable;

the conversion step of converting data contained in the transmission information into a format suitable for the destination; and

the providing step of providing to the destination data format-converted in the conversion step.