Communication terminal, server unit, mail incoming notification method and system, and mail sending and receiving method

• US 20040059787A1
• Filed: 09/25/2002
• Published: 03/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Morozumi, Masahide, Ishii, Hidenori, Kawaguchi, Sachiko, Uranaka, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,308,478 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages

Abstract

An attempt is made to make an incoming notification for a reply to sending mail, an incoming notification related to the sending mail, and an incoming notification from an Internet service provider to a user. Accordingly, when the mail is sent from a communication terminal, if an incoming notification condition related to the mail is added and the mail is sent to a server unit, the server unit detects and registers the information as the incoming notification condition and sends the mail to the Internet. Further, when the mail that matches the incoming notification condition was received, the incoming notification is made to the communication terminal and the condition is changed. Consequently, the incoming notification condition can dynamically be set and changed at mail sending and receiving. That is, the incoming notification condition related to the sending mail can be registered in the server unit at mail sending. When the mail that matches the incoming notification condition was received, the mail is posted to the user as the incoming notification and the incoming notification condition can be changed.

Claims

1. A communication terminal, comprising:

an input means to which data is input;

a mail receiving means that receives mail;

a condition addition means that sets an incoming notification condition related to the mail at mail sending; and

a sending means that sends the mail.

8. The communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

a condition reference means that refers to the incoming notification condition stored in the condition management database; and

a condition change means that changes the incoming notification condition.

2. A server unit that sends and receives, stores, and manages mail, comprising:

a condition management database that stores and manages an incoming notification condition used for deciding whether an incoming notification is made when said server unit received the mail;

a condition detection means that detects the incoming notification condition from the mail and stores it in said condition management database when the mail was sent;

a decision means that acquires the incoming notification condition from said condition management database and checks whether the incoming notification is to be made when the mail was received;

an incoming notification means that makes the incoming notification for the communication terminal that a destination address of receiving mail indicates when the incoming notification is made as a result; and

a distribution means that distributes the receiving mail when the distribution of receiving mail was requested from the communication terminal.

4. The server unit according to claim 2, further comprising:

a timer management means that, after the incoming notification condition is registered in the condition management database, monitors time from the registration of the condition; and

a deletion means that, when a fixed time elapses in the incoming notification condition, deletes the condition.

6. The server unit according to claim 2, further comprising a condition management means that manages the incoming notification condition so that the maximum number of registered conditions cannot be exceeded when the incoming notification condition is newly registered in the condition management database and performs processing that prevents it when said maximum number of registered conditions is exceeded.

9. The server unit according to claim 2, further comprising a condition operation means that operates the incoming notification condition stored in the condition management database according to a request from the communication terminal.

13. The server unit according to claim 2, wherein the server unit comprises a means for posting contents that said server unit ought to post to the user regardless of mail receiving.

14. The server unit according to claim 9, wherein the server unit comprises a means for posting contents that said server unit ought to post to the user regardless of mail receiving.

15. The server unit according to claim 13, wherein the contents that the server unit ought to post to the user is a user mailbox exceeded a threshold.

16. The server unit according to claim 14, wherein the contents that the server unit ought to post to the user is the user mailbox exceeded the threshold.

17. The server unit according to claim 13, wherein the server unit posts the contents to be posted to the user together with the incoming notification.

18. The server unit according to claim 14, wherein the server unit posts the contents to be posted to the user together with the incoming notification.

3. An incoming notification system constituted of a server unit, comprising:

a communication terminal including,

an input means to which data is input,

a mail receiving means that receives mail,

a condition addition means that sets an incoming notification condition related to the mail at mail sending, and

a sending means that sends the mail; and

a server unit having a mail sending and receiving function, including,

a condition management database that stores and manages the incoming notification condition used for deciding whether an incoming notification is made when the mail was received,

a condition detection means that detects the incoming notification condition from the mail and stores it in said condition management database when the mail was sent,

a decision means that acquires the incoming notification condition from said condition management database and checks whether the incoming notification is to be made when the mail was received,

an incoming notification means that makes the incoming notification to the communication terminal that a destination address of receiving mail when the incoming notification is made as a result, and

a distribution means that distributes the receiving mail when the distribution of the receiving mail was requested from the communication terminal.

5. The mail incoming notification system according to claim 3, wherein the server unit comprises the timer management means that, after the incoming notification condition is registered in the condition management database, monitors the time from the registration of the condition and the deletion means that, when the fixed time elapses in the incoming notification condition, deletes the condition.

7. The mail incoming notification system according to claim 3, wherein the server unit manages the incoming notification condition so that the maximum number of registered conditions cannot be exceeded when the incoming notification condition is newly registered in the condition management database and performs the processing that prevents it when said maximum number of registered conditions is exceeded.

11. The mail incoming notification system according to claim 3, wherein the incoming notification condition registered in the condition management database from the communication terminal at mail sending is a reply that corresponds to said sending mail.

19. The mail incoming notification system according to claim 3, wherein the server unit comprises a means for posting the contents that said server unit ought to post to the user regardless of mail receiving.

21. The server unit according to claim 19, wherein the contents that the server unit ought to post to the user is the user mailbox exceeded the threshold.

23. The server unit according to claim 19, wherein the sever unit posts the contents to be posted to the user together with the incoming notification.

10. A mail incoming notification system, comprising:

a communication terminal including,

an input means to which data is input,

a mail receiving means that receives mail,

a condition addition means that sets an incoming notification condition related to the mail at mail sending, and

a sending means that sends the mail; and

a server unit having a mail sending and receiving function, including,

a condition management database that stores and manages the incoming notification condition used for deciding whether an incoming notification is made when the mail was received,

a condition detection means that detects the incoming notification condition from the mail and stores it in said condition management database when the mail was sent,

a decision means that acquires the incoming notification condition from said condition management database and checks whether the incoming notification is to be made when the mail was received,

an incoming notification means that makes the incoming notification for the communication terminal that a destination address of receiving mail indicates when the incoming notification is made as a result, and

a distribution means that distributes the receiving mail when the distribution of the receiving mail was requested from the communication terminal;

wherein said communication terminal comprises a condition reference means that refers to an incoming notification condition stored in said condition management database and a condition change means that changes said incoming notification condition, and

said server unit comprises a condition operation means that operates an incoming notification condition stored in said condition management database according to a request from the communication terminal.

12. The mail incoming notification system according to claim 10, wherein the incoming notification condition registered in the condition management database from the communication terminal at mail sending is a reply that corresponds to said sending mail.

20. The mail incoming notification system according to claim 10, wherein the server unit comprises a means for posting the contents that said server unit ought to post to the user regardless of mail receiving.

22. The server unit according to claim 20, wherein the contents that the server unit ought to post to the user is the mailbox exceeded the threshold.

24. The server unit according to claim 20, wherein the server unit posts the contents to be posted to the user together with the incoming notification.

25. A mail sending method, comprising the steps of:

creating sending mail and inputting a sending request for the mail using an input means;

setting an incoming notification condition related to the mail by using at mail sending; and

sending the mail.

26. A mail incoming notification method, comprising the steps of:

providing a condition management database that stores and manages an incoming notification condition used for deciding whether an incoming notification is made in a server unit that stores and manages receiving mail when the mail was received,

detecting the incoming notification condition from the mail and storing it in said condition management database when the mail was sent;

acquiring the incoming notification condition from said condition management database and checking whether the incoming notification is to be made when the mail was received;

making the incoming notification to a communication terminal that a destination address of receiving mail indicates when the incoming notification is made as a result of said check; and

distributing the receiving mail when the distribution of the receiving mail is requested from the communication terminal.

27. A mail sending and receiving method with an incoming notification, comprising the steps of:

at the communication terminal side,

creating sending mail and inputting a sending request for the mail using an input means;

setting an incoming notification condition related to the mail at mail sending; and

sending the mail, while

at the server side that stores and manages receiving mail,

providing a condition management database that stores and manages an incoming notification condition used for deciding whether an incoming notification is made when the mail was received;

detecting the incoming notification and storing it in said condition management database when the mail was sent;

acquiring the incoming notification condition from said condition management database and checking whether the incoming notification is to be made when the mail was received;

making the incoming notification to the communication terminal that a destination address of the receiving mail when the incoming notification is made as a result of said check; and

distributing the receiving mail when the distribution of the receiving mail was requested from the communication terminal.