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

• US 20030154256A1
• Filed: 02/06/2003
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Koji, Shimada, Naoki, Hadano, Masahiro, Onsen, Takahiro
• Application Number:
  US10/359,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20030154256A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An e-mail processing system of an embodiment of the present invention determines whether a received piece of e-mail is a piece of e-mail sent from a WWW browser, forwards the received piece of e-mail to a second mail server when the received piece of e-mail is determined not to be a piece of e-mail sent from a WWW browser, and controls the received piece of e-mail not to be forwarded to a second mail server when the received piece of e-mail is determined to be a piece of e-mail sent from the WWW browser.

For example, this e-mail processing system can prevent a piece of e-mail with identical contents from being redundantly stored in a WWW mail server in the case that the system is set to forward a piece of e-mail received at a mail server used from a PC to a WWW mail server used from a WWW browser of a cellular phone.

Claims

1. An e-mail processing system for forwarding a piece of e-mail received at a first mail server to a predetermined e-mail address managed by a second mail server, which is accessible from a WWW browser, wherein the first mail server comprises:

a receiving means for receiving a piece-of e-mail;

a determination means for determining whether said received piece of e-mail is a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser; and

a forward means for forwarding said received piece of e-mail to said second mail server when said determination means determines said received piece of e-mail is not a piece of e-mail sent from the WWW browser, and for controlling said received piece of e-mail not to be forwarded to said second mail server when said determination means determines said received piece of e-mail is a piece of e-mail sent from the WWW browser.

2. The e-mail processing system according to claim 1, wherein said determination means determines whether said received piece of e-mail is a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser by using header information on said received piece of e-mail.

3. The e-mail processing system according to claim 2, wherein said determination means determines whether said received piece of e-mail is a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser by referring to From field and Bcc field contained in header information on said received piece of e-mail.

4. The e-mail processing system according to claim 1, wherein an e-mail address used at said first mail server is set in From field of a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser in said second mail server.

5. The e-mail processing system according to claim 2, wherein said determination means determines whether said received piece of mail is a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser according to whether an identifier, which indicates said received piece of e-mail is a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser, is contained in header information of said received piece of e-mail.

6. The e-mail processing system according to claim 1, wherein said first mail server is a mail server used from a personal computer and said second mail server is a mail server used from a WWW browser of a mobile information terminal.

7. An e-mail processing system for forwarding a piece of e-mail received at a first mail server to a predetermined e-mail address managed by a second mail server, which is accessible from a WWW browser, wherein said second mail server comprises:

a determination means for determining whether a piece of e-mail forwarded from said first mail server is a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser; and

a control means for storing the forwarded piece of e-mail into a user'"'"'s e-mail storage area, which is a destination of the piece of e-mail when said determination means determines said forwarded piece of e-mail is not a piece of e-mail sent from the WWW browser, and for controlling said forwarded piece of e-mail to be deleted when said determination means determines said forwarded piece of e-mail is a piece of e-mail sent from the WWW server.

8. An e-mail processing method for controlling a first mail server, which forwards a piece of e-mail received at said first mail server to a predetermined mail address managed by a second mail server, which is accessible from a WWW browser, comprising:

a receiving step for receiving a piece of e-mail;

a determination step for determining whether said received piece of e-mail is a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser; and

a forward step for forwarding said received piece of e-mail to said second mail server when said received piece of e-mail is determined not to be a piece of e-mail sent from the WWW browser at said determination step, and for controlling said received piece of e-mail not to be forwarded to said second mail server when said received piece of e-mail is determined to be a piece of e-mail sent from the WWW browser at said determination step.

9. The e-mail processing method according to claim 8, wherein said received piece of e-mail is determined whether it is a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser by using header information of said received piece of e-mail in said determination step.

10. The e-mail processing method according to claim 9, wherein said received piece of e-mail is determined whether it is a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser by referring to From field and Bcc field contained in header information of said received e-mail at said determination step.

11. The e-mail processing method according to claim 8, wherein an e-mail address used at said first mail server is set in From field of a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser in said second mail server.

12. The e-mail processing method according to claim 9, wherein said received piece of e-mail is determined whether it is a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser according to whether an identifier, which indicates said received piece of e-mail is a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser, is contained in header information of said received piece of e-mail at said determination step.

13. The e-mail processing method according to claim 8, wherein said first mail server is a mail server used from a personal computer and said second mail server is a mail server used from a WWW browser of a mobile information terminal.

14. An e-mail processing method for controlling a second mail server, where a piece of e-mail received at a first mail server is forwarded to a predetermined e-mail address managed by the second mail server, which is accessible from the WWW browser, comprising:

a determination step for determining whether a piece of e-mail forwarded from said first mail server is a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser; and

a controlling step for storing said forwarded piece of e-mail into a user'"'"'s e-mail storage area, which is a destination of said forwarded piece of e-mail when said forwarded piece of e-mail is determined not to be a piece of e-mail sent from the WWW browser at said determination step, and for controlling said forwarded piece of e-mail to be deleted when said forwarded piece of e-mail is determined to be a piece of e-mail sent from the WWW browser at said determination step.

15. A computer executable computer program for controlling a first mail server, which forwards a piece of e-mail received at the first mail server to a predetermined mail address managed by a second mail server, which is accessible from a WWW browser, the program comprises a program code for causing a computer to perform

a receiving step for receiving a piece of e-mail;

a determination step for determining whether said received piece of e-mail is a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser; and

a forward step for forwarding said received piece of e-mail to said second mail server when said received piece of e-mail is determined not to be a piece of e-mail sent from the WWW browser at said determination step, and for controlling said received piece of e-mail not to be forwarded to said second mail server when said received piece of e-mail is determined to be a piece of e-mail sent from the WWW browser at said determination step.

16. The computer program according to claim 15, wherein said received piece of e-mail is determined whether it is a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser by using header information of said received piece of e-mail at said determination step.

17. The computer program according to claim 16, wherein said received piece of e-mail is determined whether it is a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser by referring to From field and Bcc field contained in header information of said received piece of e-mail at said determination step.

18. The computer program according to claim 15, wherein an e-mail address used at said first mail server is set in From field of a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser in said second mail server.

19. The computer program according to claim 16, wherein said received piece of e-mail is determined whether it is a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser according to whether an identifier, which indicates said received piece of e-mail is a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser, is contained in header information of said received piece of e-mail at said determination step.

20. The computer program according to claim 15, wherein said first mail server is a mail server used from a personal computer and said second mail server is a mail server used from a WWW browser of a mobile information terminal.

21. A computer executable computer program for controlling a second mail server, where a piece of e-mail received at a first mail server is forwarded to a predetermined e-mail address managed by the second mail server, which is accessible from the WWW browser, the program comprises a program code for causing a computer to execute

a determination step for determining whether a piece of e-mail forwarded from said first mail server is a piece of e-mail sent from said WWW browser;

and

a controlling step for storing said forwarded piece of e-mail into a user'"'"'s e-mail storage area, which is a destination of said forwarded piece of e-mail when said forwarded piece of e-mail is determined not to be a piece of e-mail sent from the WWW browser at said determination step, and for controlling said forwarded piece of e-mail to be deleted when said forwarded piece of e-mail is determined to be a piece of e-mail sent from the WWW browser at said determination step.