Automatic e-mail transmitting method and mobile terminal apparatus and radio mobile terminal apparatus for the same

• US 20020077081A1
• Filed: 12/11/2001
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kido, Toru
• Granted Patent: US 6,980,798 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

In an e-mail transmitting method, a radio mobile terminal apparatus and a mobile terminal apparatus are connected to establish a communication channel therebetween. The radio mobile terminal apparatus has a radio communication function. The establishment of the communication channel between the mobile terminal apparatus and the radio mobile terminal apparatus is detected. Transmission scheduled e-mails produced in the mobile terminal apparatus are automatically transmitted from the mobile terminal apparatus to the radio mobile terminal apparatus through the communication channel in response to the detection of the establishment of the communication channel. The transmission scheduled e-mails received from the mobile terminal apparatus are automatically transmitted from the radio mobile terminal apparatus to a mail server through a base station using the radio communication function.

Claims

1. An e-mail transmitting method comprising the steps of:

(a) operatively connecting a radio mobile terminal apparatus and a mobile terminal apparatus to establish a communication channel therebetween, said radio mobile terminal apparatus having a radio communication function;

(b) detecting the establishment of said communication channel between said mobile terminal apparatus and said radio mobile terminal apparatus;

(c) automatically transmitting transmission scheduled e-mails produced in said mobile terminal apparatus, from said mobile terminal apparatus to said radio mobile terminal apparatus through said communication channel in response to the detection of the establishment of said communication channel; and

(d) automatically transmitting said transmission scheduled e-mails received from said mobile terminal apparatus, from said radio mobile terminal apparatus to a mail server through a base station using said radio communication function.

2. The e-mail transmitting method according to claim 1, wherein said (a) connecting step comprises the step of:

operatively connecting said radio mobile terminal apparatus and said mobile terminal apparatus by connectors directly or through a cable or with no contact.

3. The e-mail transmitting method according to claim 1, wherein said communication channel is one of a radio channel, an infrared ray channel, a visible light beam channel, a supersonic wave channel.

4. The e-mail transmitting method according to claim 1, wherein said (c) automatically transmitting step comprises the steps of:

(e) transmitting a request signal from said mobile terminal apparatus to said radio mobile terminal apparatus in response to the detection of the establishment of said communication channel;

(f) transmitting an acceptance reply from said radio mobile terminal apparatus to said mobile terminal apparatus in response to reception of the request; and

(g) automatically transmitting said transmission scheduled e-mails from said mobile terminal apparatus to said radio mobile terminal apparatus.

5. The e-mail transmitting method according to claim 4, wherein said (f) transmitting step comprises the steps of:

checking whether said radio mobile terminal apparatus is in a service area of said base station; and

transmitting the acceptance reply from said radio mobile terminal apparatus to said mobile terminal apparatus in response to reception of the request, when it is determined that said radio mobile terminal apparatus is in a service area of said base station.

6. The e-mail transmitting method according to claim 5, wherein said (f) transmitting step further comprises the steps of:

transmitting a refusal replay from said radio mobile terminal apparatus to said mobile terminal apparatus in response to the reception of the request, when it is determined that said radio mobile terminal apparatus is not in a service area of said base station; and

stopping the transmission of said transmission scheduled e-mails from said mobile terminal apparatus to said radio mobile terminal apparatus.

7. The e-mail transmitting method according to claim 1, wherein said (d) automatically transmitting said received transmission scheduled e-mails further comprises the step of:

storing said received transmission scheduled e-mails in said radio mobile terminal apparatus.

8. A radio mobile terminal apparatus comprising:

a coupling device which operatively connects said radio mobile terminal apparatus with an external apparatus such that a communication channel is established between said radio mobile terminal apparatus and said external apparatus;

a detecting unit which detects the establishment of said communication channel between said radio mobile terminal apparatus and said external apparatus;

a first communication section which communicates with said external apparatus through said communication channel;

a second communication section having an antenna and communicating with a mail server through the antenna and a base station;

a memory which stores e-mails;

a control unit which receives scheduled e-mails from the external apparatus by said first communication section to store in said memory when said detecting unit detects the establishment of said communication channel by said coupling device, and transmits said stored e-mails to said mail server by said second communication section when the reception of said transmission scheduled e-mails are completed.

9. The radio mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

an area determining section which determines whether said radio mobile terminal apparatus is in a service area of said base station, and

wherein said control unit controls said first communication section to receive said transmission scheduled e-mails from said external apparatus, when it is determined by said area determining unit that said radio mobile terminal apparatus is in the service area of said base station.

10. The radio mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said control unit controls said first communication section to refuse the reception of said transmission scheduled e-mails from said external apparatus when it is determined by said area determining section that said radio mobile terminal apparatus is not in the service area of said base station.

11. The radio mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said communication channel is one of a radio channel, an infrared ray channel, a visible light beam channel, a supersonic wave channel.

13. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said control unit stops the transmission of said transmission scheduled e-mails when the reply is not returned from said radio mobile terminal apparatus.

14. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said communication channel is one of a radio channel, an infrared ray channel, a visible light beam channel, a supersonic wave channel.

12. A mobile terminal apparatus comprising:

a coupling device which operatively connects said mobile terminal apparatus with a radio mobile terminal apparatus such that a communication channel is established between said radio mobile terminal and said external apparatus;

a detecting unit which detects the establishment of said communication channel between said radio mobile terminal apparatus and said external apparatus;

a first communication section which communicates with said external apparatus through said communication channel;

a memory which stores e-mails;

a key operation section which inputs characters; and

a control unit which produces each of e-mails based on characters and storing the produced e-mails in said memory as transmission scheduled e-mails, and automatically reads out said transmission scheduled e-mails from said memory to transmit to said radio mobile terminal apparatus when the establishment of said communication channel is detected by said detecting unit, and a reply to a request is returned from said radio mobile terminal apparatus, said request having been transmitted from said mobile terminal apparatus to said radio mobile terminal apparatus.