System, method, program and storage medium for processing electronic mail

• US 20030151623A1
• Filed: 02/11/2003
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Koji, Shimada, Naoki, Hadano, Masahiro, Onsen, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,383,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

In an e-mail processing system with a predetermined limit on the number of destination addresses of a piece of e-mail to be sent, the present invention determines whether the number of destination addresses of a piece of e-mail being viewed to be returned to everyone exceeds the predetermined limit when directed to be returned to everyone for the e-mail being viewed, and generates a piece of return mail creation screen with predetermined addresses in the e-mail being viewed being set as destinations of the piece of return mail when the predetermined limit is determined to be exceeded and generates a piece of return mail creation screen with everyone'"'"'s address for the piece of e-mail being viewed being set as a destination of the piece of return mail when the predetermined limit is determined not to be exceeded. This configuration improves viewability and operability, for example, when a user directs to create a “Return to Everyone” mail. This configuration can increase the number of users to be provided with the service.

Claims

1. An e-mail processing system with a predetermined limit on the number of destination addresses of a piece of e-mail to be sent, comprising:

a determination means for determining whether the number of destination addresses of a piece of e-mail being viewed to be returned to everyone exceeds said predetermined limit when directed to be returned to everyone for said piece of e-mail being viewed; and

a generation means for generating a piece of return mail creation screen with predetermined addresses in said piece of e-mail being viewed being set as destinations of the piece of return mail when said predetermined limit is determined to be exceeded, and for generating a piece of return mail creation screen with an everyone'"'"'s address for said piece of e-mail being viewed being set as a destination of the piece of return mail when said predetermined limit is determined not to be exceeded.

2. The e-mail processing system according to claim 1, wherein said piece of return mail creation screen generated by said generation means further comprising a message indicating that everyone'"'"'s address is not set as a destination of a piece of return mail, when said predetermined limit is determined to be exceeded.

3. The e-mail processing system according to claim 1, wherein said piece of return mail creation screen generated by said generation means further sets a body of said piece of e-mail being viewed to a body of said piece of return mail as a quote.

4. The e-mail processing system according to claim 1, wherein said piece of e-mail processing system is a WWW mail system, further comprising

a sending means for sending a piece of return mail creation screen generated by said generation means to be displayed by a WWW browser.

5. The e-mail processing system according to claim 4, wherein said WWW browser is a WWW browser of a mobile terminal.

6. The e-mail processing system according to claim 1, wherein predetermined addresses set as destinations of said piece of return mail when said predetermined limit is determined to be exceeded in said generation means is either an address in From field or an address in Reply-to field of said piece of e-mail being viewed.

7. The e-mail processing system according to claim 1, wherein addresses set as destinations of said return mail when said predetermined limit is determined not to be exceeded in said generation means is set not to include redundant addresses.

8. An e-mail processing method for processing a piece of e-mail in an e-mail system with a predetermined limit on the number of destination addresses of a piece of e-mail to be sent, comprising the steps of:

determining whether the number of destination addresses of a piece of e-mail being viewed to be returned to everyone exceeds said predetermined limit when directed to be returned to everyone for said piece of e-mail being viewed; and

generating a piece of return mail creation screen with predetermined addresses in said piece of e-mail being viewed being set as destinations of the piece of return mail when said predetermined limit is determined to be exceeded, and for generating a piece of return mail creation screen with everyone'"'"'s address of said piece of e-mail being viewed being set as a destination of the piece of return mail when said predetermined limit is determined not to be exceeded.

9. The e-mail processing method according to claim 8, wherein said piece of return mail creation screen generated in said generating step further comprises a message indicating that everyone'"'"'s address is not set as a destination of a piece of return mail, when said predetermined limit is determined to be exceeded.

10. The e-mail processing method according to claim 8, wherein said return mail creation screen generated in said generating step further sets a body of said piece of e-mail being viewed to a body of said piece of return mail as a quote.

11. The e-mail processing method according to claim 8, wherein said piece of e-mail processing method is a processing method for a WWW mail, further comprising

a sending step for sending a piece of return mail creation screen generated in said generating step to be displayed by a WWW browser.

12. The e-mail processing method according to claim 11, wherein said WWW browser is a WWW browser of a mobile terminal.

13. The e-mail processing method according to claim 8, wherein predetermined addresses set as destinations of said piece of return mail when said predetermined limit is determined to be exceeded in said generating step is either an address in From field or an address of Reply-to field of said piece of e-mail being viewed.

14. The e-mail processing method according to claim 8, wherein addresses set as destinations of said piece of return mail when said predetermined limit is determined not to be exceeded in said generating step is set not to include redundant addresses.

15. A computer executable program for processing a piece of e-mail in an e-mail system with a predetermined limit on the number of destination addresses of a piece of e-mail to be sent, wherein said program comprises a program code to cause a computer to execute the steps of:

determining whether the number of destination addresses of a piece of e-mail being viewed to be returned to everyone exceeds said predetermined limit when directed to be returned to everyone for the piece of e-mail being viewed; and

generating step of generating a piece of return mail creation screen with predetermined addresses in said piece of e-mail being viewed being set as destinations of the piece of return mail when said predetermined limit is determined to be exceeded and for generating a piece of return mail creation screen with an everyone'"'"'s address for said piece of e-mail being viewed being set as a destination of the piece of return mail when the predetermined limit is determined not to be exceeded.

16. The computer program according to claim 15, wherein said piece of return mail creation screen generated in said generating step further comprises a message indicating that everyone'"'"'s address is not set as a destination of a piece of return mail, when said predetermined limit is determined to be exceeded.

17. The computer program according to claim 15, wherein said piece of return mail creation screen generated in said generating step further sets a body of said piece of e-mail being viewed to a body of said piece of return mail as a quote.

18. The computer program according to claim 15, wherein said computer program is a program for processing a WWW mail, further comprising a program code to cause a computer to execute a sending step for sending a piece of return mail creation screen generated in said generating step to be displayed by a WWW browser.

19. The computer program according to claim 18, wherein said WWW browser is a WWW browser of a mobile terminal.

20. The computer program according to claim 15, wherein predetermined addresses set as destinations of said piece of return mail when said predetermined limit is determined to be exceeded in said generating step is either an address in From field or an address of Reply-to field of said piece of e-mail being viewed.

21. The computer program according to claim 15, wherein addresses set as destinations of said piece of return mail when said predetermined limit is determined not to be exceeded in said generating step is set not to include redundant addresses.