METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING ELECTRONIC MAIL

• US 20030088704A1
• Filed: 04/29/1999
• Published: 05/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: MAENPAA, JARI, MERTAMA, MARKUS, HYTTINEN, TEUVO
• Granted Patent: US 6,629,130 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

A method and apparatus implementing the method for implementing electronic mail services. A message is produced by a terminal (10) comprising information about at least one processing directed to the content of an electronic mail message, carried out by an electronic mail server (11); said second message is transmitted to the server (11), said processing is carried out by the server (11) in response to said second message; and the processed message or its part is transmitted from the server (11) to a terminal (19). Enables the creation of services directed to the processing of the content of new electronic mail messages.

Claims

1. A method for processing an electronic mail message, the method comprising:

forming, in an electronic mail server, a first message comprising information about the structural parts of said electronic mail message and attributes relating to the content of said structural parts;

transmitting said first message from the electronic mail server to a terminal;

generating in the terminal, a second message comprising information about at least one processing in the server, directed to the content of the electronic mail message;

transmitting said second message to the server;

implementing said processing in the server in response to said second message; and

transmitting the processed message or its part from the electronic mail server to the terminal.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic mail message processed in the server is given a tag identifying the message in the server, said tag being different from the tag of an unprocessed electronic mail message, and storing said electronic mail message in a database of the server.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said message contains a command initiating processing in the server.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said first message comprises information about one or more alternative activities to be directed by the server to the content of the electronic mail message, and the second message comprises information about the selected activity.

5. A method according to any one of the claims 1-4, wherein said processing is a file format conversion.

6. A method according to any one of the claims 1-4, wherein said processing is translating a text from one language into another.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first message comprises information about the MIME structure of the electronic mail message.

8. A terminal for utilising electronic mail services implemented through a telecommunications network, the terminal comprising means for receiving a first message from a server, the first message comprising information about the structural parts of said electronic mail message and the attributes relating to the content of said structural parts, wherein the terminal comprises

means for forming a second message, the second message comprising information about at least one processing in the server, directed to the content of the electronic mail message, and

means for transmitting the second message or its part to the server.

9. An electronic mail server comprising

a database for storing electronic mail message,

means for forming a first message, the first message comprising information about the structural parts of an electronic mail message located in the database of the electronic mail server and the attributes relating to the content of said structural parts, and

means for transmitting said first message from the electronic mail server to a terminal,

wherein the electronic mail server comprises

means for receiving a second message transmitted by the terminal, the second message comprising information about at least one processing in the server, directed to the content of the electronic mail message;

means for carrying out said processing in response to the reception of said second message, and

means for transmitting the processed message or its part from the electronic mail server to a terminal.

10. An electronic mail server according to claim 9, wherein the electronic mail server comprises means for providing the processed electronic mail message with a tag identifying an electronic mail message different from the unprocessed electronic mail message at said server, and means for storing the electronic mail message in the server'"'"'s database.

11. A data transmission system implementing digital electronic mail services, the system comprising

one or more terminals, electronic mail servers, databases in connection with the electronic mail servers, and data transmission networks, an electronic mail server comprising means for forming a first message, the message comprising information about the structural parts of the electronic mail message, located in the database of the electronic mail server, and the attributes relating to the content of said structural parts, and means for transmitting the first message to a terminal;

wherein

the terminal comprises means for forming a second message, the second message comprising information about at least one processing directed to the content of the electronic mail message, carried out in the server, and means for transmitting the second message to the server;

the electronic mail server comprises means for receiving said second message, means for carrying out said processing in response to said second message, and means for transmitting the processed message or its part from the electronic mail server to the terminal.