Electronic mail transmission/reception system and electronic mail transmission/reception program

• US 20020138584A1
• Filed: 03/11/2002
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Fujimoto, Hiroyuki, Sawai, Kazumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,013,429 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

In order to enable communication in which information is exchanged with friends and acquaintances, and a plurality of messages can be listed as on a bulletin board without being aware of electronic mail functions, an electronic mail transmission/reception system comprises a communication mean to transmit and receive electronic mail; a display mean to display transmitted and received electronic mail on a display screen; a message input mean to input messages to the display screen; a message storage mean to store input messages; and a control mean to cause the above display means to display input messages in a message-board format. The control mean divides the above display screen into a plurality of message display regions, and associates each message with a message display region for display.

Claims

1. An electronic mail transmission/reception system, comprising:

a communication mean, to transmit and receive electronic mail;

a display mean, to display transmitted and received electronic mail on a display screen;

a message input mean, to input messages to said display screen;

a message storage mean, to store said input messages; and

,

a control mean, to cause said display means to display said input messages in a message-board format; and

wherein

said control mean divides said display screen into a plurality of message display regions, and associates each message with a message display region for display.

2. The electronic mail transmission/reception system according to claim 1, wherein each of said message display regions has an other-party specification region to specify the other party to which to transmit messages, and comprises a specification mean to specify another party from one or a plurality of other parties set in said other-party specification region;

and, said control mean performs control to transmit a message displayed in said message display region to the other party specified by said specification mean.

3. The electronic mail transmission/reception system according to claim 1, wherein display position information, indicating in which message display region a message has been displayed, is attached to transmitted electronic mail, and said control mean displays a received message in the message display region in question, based on said display position information attached to the received message.

4. The electronic mail transmission/reception system according to claim 1, wherein, when a message arrives from another party, said control mean displays the received message in said message display region, and performs control to change the displayed state of the message display region.

5. The electronic mail transmission/reception system according to claim 2, wherein time information, to perform message transmission at a time set in advance, is attached to transmitted and received electronic mail, and based on said time information, said control means transmits the message displayed in said message display region to the other party specified by said specification mean when said set time arrives.

6. Computer-readable recording media on which is recorded a program, which causes a computer to execute:

a procedure to transmit and receive electronic mail;

a procedure to display transmitted and received electronic mail on a display screen;

a procedure to input messages to said display screen;

a procedure to store said input messages; and

,

a procedure to cause said display screen to display said input messages in message-board format, to divide said display screen into a plurality of message display regions, and to associate each message with a message display region for display.

7. A program, which causes a computer to execute:

a procedure to transmit and receive electronic mail;

a procedure to display transmitted and received electronic mail on a display screen;

a procedure to input messages to said display screen;

a procedure to store said input messages; and

,

a procedure to cause said display screen to display said input messages in message-board format, to divide said display screen into a plurality of message display regions, and to associate each message with a message display region for display.

8. The program according to claim 7, further comprising a procedure to transmit messages displayed in said plurality of message regions in electronic-mail format.

9. An electronic mail transmission/reception system, having:

a communication mean, to transmit and receive data, including electronic mail;

a display mean, having a display screen;

a message input mean, to input messages displayed on said display screen;

a storage mean, to associate and store the data of said transmitted or received electronic mail and the data of said input messages;

a display region division mean, to divide said display screen into a plurality of message display regions; and

,

a control mean, which causes the data of said electronic mail and the data of said messages, associated and stored in said storage mean, to be displayed in said message display regions, and causes said communication mean to perform transmission and reception according to prescribed user operations.

10. The electronic mail transmission/reception system according to claim 9, further comprising an other-party setting mean to set the other party corresponding to said divided message display regions;

and wherein said electronic mail data and said message data are associated with a preset other party by said other-party setting mean.

11. The electronic mail transmission/reception system according to claim 9, wherein, when a received message is displayed in said message display region based on display position information attached to the received message, if said message display region in which the message is to be displayed is already in use, said control mean switches the display screen, giving priority to the display position of said message display region, and displays said received message in said message display region.

12. The electronic mail transmission/reception system according to claims 9, wherein said prescribed user operation is an operation to start electronic mail processing.

13. The electronic mail transmission/reception system according to claims 10, wherein said messages input into each of said message display regions are displayed in association with other parties set by said other-party setting mean.

14. The electronic mail transmission/reception system according to claims 9, wherein said storage means comprises a storage region, which stores said message display regions at the time the previous electronic mail session is ended, in association with the data content displayed in the message region.

15. The electronic mail transmission/reception system according to claim 14, further comprising an other-party setting content saving mean which saves the other party corresponding to said message display regions when the previous electronic mail session is ended, and wherein, when starting electronic mail processing, a message which had been stored in said storage region, and which was displayed in a message display region based on the other party of said message display region used at the time of ending of the previous session, is again displayed.

16. The electronic mail transmission/reception system according to claims 9, further having an electronic mail server on the network, which has a management mean for the unified management of information as to in which of said message display region said transmitted electronic mail has been displayed.

17. Computer-readable recording media on which is recorded a program, which causes a computer to execute:

a procedure to transmit and receive data, including electronic mail;

a procedure to input messages;

a storage procedure, to associate and store data of said transmitted and received electronic mail with data of said messages;

a procedure to divide said display screen into a plurality of message display regions; and

,

a procedure to cause the display of said electronic mail data and said message data, associated and stored in said storage means, in said message display regions, and to cause said communication means to perform transmission and reception according to prescribed user operations.

18. A program, which causes a computer to execute:

a procedure to transmit and receive data, including electronic mail;

a procedure to input messages;

a storage procedure, to associate and store data of said transmitted and received electronic mail with data of said messages;

a procedure to divide said display screen into a plurality of message display regions; and

,

a procedure to cause the display of said electronic mail data and said message data, associated and stored in said storage means, in said message display regions, and to cause said communication means to perform transmission and reception according to prescribed user operations.

19. An electronic mail transmission/reception system, comprising:

a message input mean, to input messages;

a display mean, having a display screen to display said input messages;

a control mean, to divide said display screen into a plurality of message display regions, and to associate said messages with said message display regions; and

,

a communication means, to transmit and receive messages displayed said display screen in electronic-mail format.

20. An electronic mail transmission/reception system, comprising:

a display mean, having a display screen;

a control mean, to divide said display screen into a plurality of data display regions;

a message input mean, capable of input of messages related to said plurality of message display regions; and

,

a communication mean, to transmit and receive messages displayed in said display regions in electronic-mail format.