Method and apparatus for automatic sending of E-mail and automatic sending control program supplying medium
First Claim
1. A method for automatically controlling a transmission, the method comprising the steps of:
- appending a plurality of agent parameters controlling the behavior of an agent delivering the transmission to a main mail text having an appended mail header, the agent parameters being responsive to a send command designating the transmission to a recipient;
modifying the agent parameters responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent; and
sending a preset illustrative sentence via the agent to a user of the agent based on the agent parameters.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for sending an E-mail, dispatching or delivering mail with an animated representation as if a pet were going in and out on a GUI picture simulating the inside of a room. In addition, the user can send an E-mail with a friendly feeling using an agent. By sending agent data which is updated responsive to experiences of an electronic pet as annexed papers to the E-mail, the animation appears as if an electronic pet were going in and out on a GUI picture simulating the inside of a room for dispatching or delivering a mail. The behavior of the animated pet is varied depending on the keeping environment. The electronic pet selects an illustrative sentence in keeping with the agent data from preset illustrative sentences for voluntary sending the sentence as an E-mail to a user who is a keeper or to a counterpart of past mailing of the user.
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Citations
100 Claims
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1. A method for automatically controlling a transmission, the method comprising the steps of:
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appending a plurality of agent parameters controlling the behavior of an agent delivering the transmission to a main mail text having an appended mail header, the agent parameters being responsive to a send command designating the transmission to a recipient;
modifying the agent parameters responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent; and
sending a preset illustrative sentence via the agent to a user of the agent based on the agent parameters. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A method for automatically controlling a transmission, the method comprising the steps of:
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appending a plurality of agent parameters controlling the behavior of an agent to a main mail text having an appended mail header, responsive to a send command designating the transmission for sending to a recipient;
modifying the agent parameters responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent; and
transmitting a preset illustrative sentence via the agent to the recipient based on the agent parameters. - View Dependent Claims (5)
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6. A method for automatically controlling a transmission, the method comprising the steps of:
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appending a plurality of agent parameters controlling the behavior of an agent delivering the transmission to a main mail text having an appended mail header, responsive to a send command designating the transmission for sending to a recipient;
modifying the agent parameters responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent;
randomly selecting via the agent at least one of the user and the recipient based on the agent parameters; and
sending a preset illustrative sentence via the agent to at least one of the user and to the recipient. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. An apparatus for automatically controlling a transmission, comprising:
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an agent manager for displaying an agent and for managing the behavior of the agent responsive to agent parameters which determine the behavior of the agent;
send command accepting means for accepting a send command designating a transmission; and
mail transmission means controlled by the agent manager upon acceptance by the send command accepting means of a send command which designates the transmission for appending the agent parameters to a main mail text having an appended mail header for transmitting to a recipient;
wherein the agent manager modifies the agent parameters responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent to voluntarily send to the user an illustrative sentence preset by the agent based on the agent parameters. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19)
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12. An apparatus for automatically controlling a transmission, comprising:
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an agent manager for displaying an agent and for managing the behavior of the agent responsive to agent parameters which determine the behavior of the agent;
sending command accepting means for accepting a send command designating the transmission; and
mail transmission means controlled by the agent manager upon acceptance by the send command accepting means of a send command which designates the transmission for appending the agent parameters to a main mail text having an appended mail header, for sending a transmission to a recipient;
wherein the agent manager modifies the agent parameters responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent to voluntarily send to the recipient an illustrative sentence preset by the agent based on the agent parameters.
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14. An apparatus for automatically controlling a transmission, comprising:
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an agent manager for displaying an agent and for managing the behavior of the agent responsive to agent parameters which determine the behavior of the agent;
send command accepting means for accepting a send command designating the transmission; and
mail transmission means controlled by the agent manager on acceptance by the send command accepting means of a send command which designates the transmission, the mail sending means appending the agent parameters to a main mail text having an appended mail header for sending a transmission to a recipient;
wherein the agent manager modifies the agent parameters responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent for voluntarily sending to at least one of the user and the recipient an illustrative sentence preset by the agent based on the agent parameters.
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17. An automatic transmission control program supply medium for supplying an automatic transmission control program that can be read and executed by a computer, wherein, responsive to a send command for designating a transmission, a plurality of agent parameters are appended to a main mail text having an appended mail header, wherein the behavior of the agent is managed by the agent parameters, the agent parameters are modified responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent, and wherein a control procedure is performed for automatic transmission by the agent of a preset illustrative sentence based on the agent parameters to a user.
- 20. An automatic transmission control program supply medium for supplying an automatic transmission control program that can be read and executed by a computer, wherein, responsive to a send command for designating the transmission, a plurality of agent parameters are appended to a main mail text having an appended mail header, wherein the behavior of the agent is managed by the agent parameters, the agent parameters are modified responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent, and wherein a control procedure is performed for automatic transmission by the agent of a preset illustrative sentence based on the agent parameters to at least one of a user and a recipient.
- 22. An automatic transmission control program supply medium for providing an automatic transmission control program that can be read and executed by a computer, wherein, responsive to a send command for designating the transmission, a plurality of agent parameters are appended to a main mail text having an appended mail header, wherein the behavior of the agent is managed by the agent parameters, the agent parameters are modified responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent, and wherein the agent randomly selects at least one of a user and a recipient based on the agent parameters for voluntarily sending a preset illustrative sentence to at least one of the user and the recipient.
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25. A method for controlling a virtual agent, the method comprising the steps of:
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generating a virtual agent having a plurality of agent parameters, the agent parameters configured to determine a behavior of the virtual agent;
displaying the virtual agent on a display unit;
interacting with the virtual agent on the display unit, including positioning at least a portion of a display of an input device over the virtual agent on the display unit, detecting an input signal from the input device, and modifying the agent parameters such that the displaying step displays the virtual agent in response to the input signal; and
updating the plurality of agent parameters based on the interacting step such that the behavior of the virtual agent is continuously modified.
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33. A method for automatically controlling a transmission, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving a send command designating the transmission to a recipient;
appending a plurality of agent parameters to a main mail text, the agent parameters controlling the behavior of an agent delivering the transmission;
transmitting the transmission to the recipient;
automatically returning an indication when the recipient has received the transmission; and
modifying the agent parameters based on the agent interacting with the recipient. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. An apparatus for controlling a virtual agent, the apparatus comprising:
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means for generating a virtual agent having a plurality of agent parameters, the agent parameters configured to determine a behavior of the virtual agent;
a display unit adapted to display the virtual agent;
means for interacting with the virtual agent on the display unit, the interacting means including means for positioning at least a portion of a display of an input device over the virtual agent on the display unit, means for detecting an input signal from the input device, and means for modifying the agent parameters such that the display unit displays the virtual agent in response to the input signal; and
means for updating the plurality of agent parameters using the interacting means such that the behavior of the virtual agent is continuously modified.
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43. An apparatus for automatically controlling a transmission, the apparatus comprising:
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means for receiving a send command designating the transmission to a recipient;
means for appending a plurality of agent parameters to a main mail text of the transmission, the agent parameters controlling the behavior of an agent delivering the transmission;
means for transmitting the transmission to the recipient;
means for automatically returning an indication when the recipient has received the transmission; and
means for modifying the agent parameters based on the agent interacting with the recipient.
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44. A computer readable medium for controlling a virtual agent, wherein the medium generates a virtual agent having a plurality of agent parameters, the agent parameters are configured to determine a behavior of the virtual agent;
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wherein the virtual agent is displayed on a display unit;
wherein the virtual agent interacts on the display unit including positioning at least a portion of a display of an input device over the virtual agent on the display unit, detecting an input signal from the input device, and modifying the agent parameters such that the display unit displays the agent in response to the input signal; and
wherein the plurality of agent parameters are updated based on the interaction such that the behavior of the virtual agent is continuously modified. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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45. A computer readable medium for automatic control of a transmission wherein the medium, on receiving a send command designating the transmission to a recipient, appends a plurality of agent parameters to a main mail text of the transmission, the agent parameters controlling the behavior of an agent delivering the transmission;
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wherein the transmission is transmitted to the recipient;
wherein an indicator that the recipient has received the transmission is automatically returned; and
wherein the agent parameters are modified based on the agent interacting with the recipient.
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46. A method for providing a virtual agent, the method comprising the steps of:
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storing a first agent parameter controlling a first agent kept by a first person on a first computer operated by the first person;
storing a first image data of the first agent on the first computer;
storing a second image data of a second agent being kept by a second person on the first computer;
displaying the first agent on a first screen connected to the first computer based on the first image data and the first agent parameter; and
sending the first agent parameter to the first computer through a communication network.
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52. A method for providing a virtual agent, the method comprising the steps of:
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storing a first agent parameter in a first storage device, the first agent parameter controlling a first virtual agent kept by a first person;
transferring the first agent parameter from the first storage device to a first memory device for controlling the first agent at a first computer operated by the first person; and
sending the first agent parameter from the first memory device to a second computer remote from both the first storage device and the first computer through a communication network. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73)
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58. A method for providing a virtual agent, the method comprising the steps of:
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sending a first agent parameter at a first computer operated by a first person to a second computer remote from the first computer through a communication network, wherein the second computer is operated by a second person and the first agent parameter controls a first agent kept by the first person;
receiving the first agent parameter sent from the second computer at the first computer;
receiving a second agent parameter sent from the second computer at the first computer, the second agent parameter controlling a second virtual agent kept by the second person; and
sending the received second agent parameter to the second computer using the first computer.
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68. A method for providing a virtual agent, the method comprising the steps of:
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detecting one or more events corresponding to a first virtual agent, wherein the behavior of the first virtual agent is determined by a plurality of first agent parameters; and
updating the plurality of first agent parameters based on a current first agent parameter with each detected event such that the behavior of the first virtual agent is continuously modified with each detected event, wherein the events include an interaction between the first virtual agent and a second virtual agent controlled by a second agent parameter and an interaction between the first virtual agent and at least one of an operation and an input by an operator.
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74. A method for providing an agent, the method comprising the steps of:
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randomly generating an agent parameter which is configured to determine a behavior of an agent; and
storing the agent in a memory device. - View Dependent Claims (75, 76, 77, 78, 79)
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80. A method for providing an agent, the method comprising the steps of:
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storing a first agent software;
storing an agent parameter controlling a behavior of an agent;
executing the first agent software using the agent parameter to control the behavior of the agent; and
sending the agent parameter to a remote computer storing a second agent software which is substantially the same as the first agent software so that the second agent software can be executed using the agent parameter to control the behavior of the agent. - View Dependent Claims (81)
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82. A method for controlling a virtual agent, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing a virtual agent having a plurality of agent parameters, the agent parameters configured to determine the behavior of the virtual agent;
sending the agent parameters to a recipient through a network;
setting a state of the virtual agent to an absent state corresponding to the sending step; and
selectively displaying the virtual agent on the display unit according to the state, wherein the virtual agent is displayed on a display unit when the state represents other than the absent state. - View Dependent Claims (83, 84, 85, 86)
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87. An apparatus for providing a virtual agent, the apparatus comprising:
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means for storing a first agent parameter controlling a first agent kept by a first person on a first computer kept by the first person;
means for storing a first image data of the first agent on the first computer;
means for storing a second image data of a second agent kept by a second person on the first computer;
a display unit connected to the first computer adapted to display the first agent on a first screen based on the first image data and the first agent parameter; and
means for sending the first agent parameter to the first computer through a communication network.
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88. An apparatus for providing a virtual agent, the apparatus comprising:
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means for storing a first agent parameter in a first storage device, the first agent parameter controlling a first virtual agent kept by a first person;
means for transferring the first agent parameter from the first storage device to a first memory for controlling the first agent at a first computer operated by the first person; and
means for sending the first agent parameter from the first memory to a second computer remote from both the first storage device and the first computer through a communication network.
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89. An apparatus for providing a virtual agent, the apparatus comprising:
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means for sending a first agent parameter at a first computer operated by a first person to a second computer remote from the first computer through a communication network, wherein the second computer is operated by a second person and the first agent parameter controls a first agent kept by the first person;
means for receiving the first agent parameter sent from the second computer using the first computer;
means for receiving a second agent parameter sent from second computer at the first computer, the second agent parameter controlling a second virtual agent kept by the second person; and
means for sending the received second agent parameter to the second computer using the first computer.
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90. An apparatus for providing a virtual agent, the apparatus comprising:
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means for detecting one or more events corresponding to a first virtual agent, wherein the behavior of the first virtual agent is determined by a plurality of first agent parameters;
means for updating the plurality of first agent parameters based on a current first agent parameter with each detected event such that the behavior of the first virtual agent is continuously modified with each detected event; and
means for interacting the first virtual agent with a second virtual agent controlled by a second agent parameter and the first virtual agent with at least one of an operation and an input by an operator.
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91. An apparatus for providing an agent, the apparatus comprising:
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means for randomly generating an agent parameter which is configured to determine a behavior of an agent; and
means for storing the agent in a memory device.
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92. An apparatus for providing an agent, the apparatus comprising:
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means for storing a first agent software;
means for storing an agent parameter con trolling a behavior of an agent;
means for executing the first agent software using the agent parameter to control the behavior of the agent; and
means for sending the agent parameter to a remote computer storing a second agent software which is substantially the same as the first agent software so that the second software can be executed using the agent parameter to control the behavior of the agent.
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93. An apparatus for controlling a virtual agent, the apparatus comprising:
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means for providing a virtual agent having a plurality of agent parameters, the agent parameters configured to determine the behavior of the virtual agent;
means for sending the agent parameters to a recipient through a network;
means for setting a state of the virtual agent to an absent state corresponding to the sending means sending the agent parameters; and
means for selectively displaying the virtual agent on the display unit according to the state connected to a display unit wherein the virtual agent is displayed when the state is other than the absent state.
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94. A computer readable medium for providing a virtual agent, wherein the medium stores a first agent parameter controlling a first agent kept by a first person a first computer operated by the first person;
- stores a first image data of the first agent on the first computer;
stores a second image data of a second agent being kept by second person on the first computer;
displays the first agent on a first screen connected to the first computer based on the first image data and the first agent parameter; and
wherein the first agent parameter is sent to the first computer through a communication network.
- stores a first image data of the first agent on the first computer;
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95. A computer readable medium for of providing a virtual agent, wherein a first agent parameter is stored in a first storage device, the first agent parameter controlling a first virtual agent kept by a first person;
- wherein the first agent parameter is transferred from the first storage device to a first memory for controlling the first agent at a first computer operated by the first person; and
wherein the first agent parameter is sent from the first memory to a second computer remote from both the first storage and the first computer through a communication network.
- wherein the first agent parameter is transferred from the first storage device to a first memory for controlling the first agent at a first computer operated by the first person; and
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96. A computer readable medium for providing a virtual agent, wherein a first agent parameter at first computer operated by a first person is sent to a second computer remote from the first computer through a communication network, wherein the second computer is operated by a second person and the first agent parameter controls a first agent kept by the first person;
- wherein the first agent parameter sent from the second computer is received using the first computer;
wherein a second agent parameter sent from second computer is received using the first computer, the second agent parameter controlling a second virtual agent kept by the second person; and
wherein the received second agent parameter is sent to the second computer using the first computer.
- wherein the first agent parameter sent from the second computer is received using the first computer;
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97. A computer readable medium for providing a virtual agent, wherein the medium detects one or more events corresponding to a first virtual agent and the behavior of the first virtual agent is determined by a plurality of first agent parameters;
- the plurality of first agent parameters are updated based on a current first agent parameter with each detected event such that the behavior of the first virtual agent is continuously modified with each detected event; and
wherein the events include an interaction between the first virtual agent and a second virtual agent controlled by a second agent parameter and an interaction between the first virtual agent and at least one of an operation and an input by an operator.
- the plurality of first agent parameters are updated based on a current first agent parameter with each detected event such that the behavior of the first virtual agent is continuously modified with each detected event; and
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98. A computer readable medium for providing an agent, wherein an agent parameter which is configured to determine a behavior of agent is randomly generated;
- and wherein the agent is stored in a memory device.
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99. A computer readable medium for providing an agent, wherein the medium stores a first agent software;
- wherein an agent parameter controlling a behavior of an agent is stored;
wherein the first agent software is executed using the agent parameter to control the behavior of the agent; and
wherein the agent parameter is sent to a remote computer storing a second agent software which is substantially the same as the first agent software so that the second software can be executed using the agent parameter to control the behavior of the agent.
- wherein an agent parameter controlling a behavior of an agent is stored;
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100. A computer readable medium for controlling a virtual agent, wherein the medium provides a virtual agent having a plurality of agent parameters, the agent parameters configured to determine the behavior of the virtual agent;
- wherein the agent parameters are sent to a recipient through a network;
wherein a state of the virtual agent is set to an absent state corresponding to sending the agent parameters to the recipient; and
wherein the virtual agent is selectively displayed on the display unit according to the state, wherein the virtual agent is displayed on a display unit when the state represents other than the absent state.
- wherein the agent parameters are sent to a recipient through a network;
Specification