Method and apparatus for sending E-mail, method and apparatus for receiving E-mail, and programs therefor

• US 20040063447A1
• Filed: 09/25/2003
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yokouchi, Kouji
• Granted Patent: US 7,519,355 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

A recipient can receive an E-mail message at a reception location specified by a sender. Reception location information specifying the reception location is sent from a sender mobile phone together with the E-mail message. A mail server stores the E-mail message and monitors a position of a recipient mobile phone. The mail serverjudges whether or not the recipient mobile phone has been moved to the reception location specified in the reception location information, and sends the E-mail message to the recipient mobile phone in the case where a result of the judgment becomes affirmative.

Claims

1. An E-mail sending method for sending an E-mail message from a sender terminal to a recipient mobile terminal as a destination of the E-mail message, the method comprising the steps of:

storing the E-mail message sent with a reception location being specified by the sender terminal;

making a judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location; and

sending the E-mail message to the recipient mobile terminal in the case where a result of the judgment is affirmative.

2. The E-mail sending method according to claim 1, wherein, in the case where the E-mail message sent from the sender terminal designates reception time,

the step of making a judgment is the step of making a judgment as to whether or not the reception time has come, in addition to the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location, and wherein

the step of sending the E-mail message is the step of sending the E-mail message to the recipient mobile terminal in the case where a result of the judgment as to whether or not the reception time has come becomes affirmative and the result of the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location is also affirmative.

3. The E-mail sending method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of sending the E-mail message to the recipient mobile terminal in the case where the result of the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location is negative after a predetermined time has elapsed since starting of the judgment as to whether or not the reception time has come.

4. The E-mail sending method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of sending the E-mail message to the recipient mobile terminal in the case where the result of the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location is negative after a predetermined time has elapsed since transmission of the E-mail message by the sender terminal.

5. The E-mail sending method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of sending an E-mail message to the sender terminal for notifying that the E-mail message has been sent.

6. The E-mail sending method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of sending an E-mail message to the sender terminal for notifying that the E-mail message has been sent.

7. An E-mail reception method for receiving an E-mail message by using a recipient mobile terminal as a destination of the E-mail message, the E-mail message being sent from a sender terminal and stored in a mail server, the method comprising the steps of:

making a judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is in a reception location in the case where the E-mail message was sent in a state where the reception location was specified by the sender terminal; and

instructing the mail server to cause the recipient mobile terminal to receive the E-mail message in the case where a result of the judgment is affirmative.

8. The E-mail reception method according to claim 7, wherein, in the case where the E-mail message sent from the sender terminal designates reception time,

the step of making a judgment is the step of making a judgment as to whether or not the reception time has come, in addition to the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location, and wherein

the step of instructing the mail server is the step of instructing the mail server to cause the recipient mobile terminal to receive the E-mail message, in the case where a result of the judgment as to whether or not the reception time has come becomes affirmative and the result of the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location is also affirmative.

9. The E-mail reception method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of:

instructing the mail server to cause the recipient mobile terminal to receive the E-mail message, in the case where the result of the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location is negative after a predetermined time has elapsed since starting of the judgment as to whether or not the reception time has come.

10. The E-mail reception method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of instructing the mail server to cause the recipient mobile terminal to receive the E-mail message, in the case where the result of the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location is negative after a predetermined time has elapsed since the sender terminal sent the E-mail message.

11. An E-mail sending apparatus for sending an E-mail message sent from a sender terminal to a recipient mobile terminal as a destination of the E-mail message, the apparatus comprising:

mail storage means for storing the E-mail message sent with a reception location being specified by the sender terminal;

position judgment means for making a judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location; and

transmission control means for sending the E-mail message to the recipient mobile terminal only in the case where a result of the judgment is affirmative.

12. The E-mail sending apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, in the case where the E-mail message sent from the sender terminal designates reception time,

the judgment means makes a judgment as to whether or not the reception time has come, in addition to the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location and

the transmission control means sends the E-mail message to the recipient mobile terminal in the case where a result of the judgment about the reception time becomes affirmative and the result of the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location is also affirmative.

13. The E-mail sending apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the transmission control means sends the E-mail message to the recipient mobile terminal in the case where the result of the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location is negative after a predetermined time has elapsed since starting of the judgment as to whether or not the reception time has come.

14. The E-mail sending apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the transmission control means sends the E-mail message to the recipient mobile terminal in the case where the result of the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location is negative after a predetermined time has elapsed since the sender terminal sent the E-mail message.

15. The E-mail sending apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the transmission control means sends an E-mail message to to notify the sender terminal that the E-mail message has been sent.

16. The E-mail sending apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the transmission control means sends an E-mail message to to notify the sender terminal that the E-mail message has been sent.

17. An E-mail reception apparatus for receiving an E-mail message by using a recipient mobile terminal as a destination of the E-mail message, the E-mail message being sent from a sender terminal and stored in a mail server, the E-mail reception apparatus comprising:

position judgment means for making a judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is in a reception location in the case where the E-mail message was sent in a state where the reception location was specified by the sender terminal; and

transmission control means for instructing the mail server to cause the recipient mobile terminal to receive the E-mail message in the case where a result of the judgment is affirmative.

18. The E-mail reception apparatus according to claim 17, wherein, in the case where the E-mail message sent from the sender terminal designates reception time, the position judgment means makes a judgment as to whether or not the reception time has come, in addition to the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location, and

the transmission control means instructs the mail server to cause the recipient mobile terminal to receive the E-mail message in the case where a result of the judgment as to whether or not the reception time has come becomes affirmative and the result of the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location is also affirmative.

19. The E-mail reception apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the position judgment means instructs the mail server to cause the recipient mobile terminal to receive the E-mail message, in the case where the result of the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location is negative after a predetermined time has elapsed since starting of the judgment as to whether or not the reception time has come.

20. The E-mail reception apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the position judgment means instructs the mail server to cause the recipient mobile terminal to receive the E-mail message, in the case where the result of the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location is negative after a predetermined time has elapsed since the sender terminal sent the E-mail message.

21. A program for causing a computer to execute an E-mail sending method for sending an E-mail message from a sender terminal to a recipient mobile terminal as a destination of the E-mail message, the program comprising the steps of:

storing the E-mail message sent with a reception location being specified by the sender terminal;

making a judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location; and

sending the E-mail message to the recipient mobile terminal in the case where a result of the judgment is affirmative.

22. The program according to claim 21, wherein, in the case where the E-mail message sent from the sender terminal designates reception time,

the step of making a judgment is the step of making a judgment as to whether or not the reception time has come, in addition to the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location, and wherein

the step of sending the E-mail message is the step of sending the E-mail message to the recipient mobile terminal in the case where a result of the judgment as to whether or not the reception time has come becomes affirmative and the result of the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location is also affirmative.

23. The program according to claim 22, further comprising the step of sending the E-mail message to the recipient mobile terminal in the case where the result of the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location is negative after a predetermined time has elapsed since starting of the judgment as to whether or not the reception time has come.

24. The program according to claim 21, further comprising the step of sending the E-mail message to the recipient mobile terminal in the case where the result of the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location is negative after a predetermined time has elapsed since transmission of the E-mail message by the sender terminal.

25. The program according to claim 23, further comprising the step of sending an E-mail message to the sender terminal for notifying that the E-mail message has been sent.

26. The program according to claim 24, further comprising the step of sending an E-mail message to the sender terminal for notifying that the E-mail message has been sent.

27. A program for causing a computer to execute an E-mail reception method for receiving an E-mail message by using a recipient mobile terminal as a destination of the E-mail message, the E-mail message being sent from a sender terminal and stored in a mail server, the program comprising the steps of:

making a judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is in a reception location in the case where the E-mail message was sent in a state where the reception location was specified by the sender terminal; and

instructing the mail server to cause the recipient mobile terminal to receive the E-mail message in the case where a result of the judgment is affirmative.

28. The program according to claim 27, wherein, in the case where the E-mail message sent from the sender terminal designates reception time,

the step of making a judgment is the step of making a judgment as to whether or not the reception time has come, in addition to the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location, and wherein

the step of instructing the mail server is the step of instructing the mail server to cause the recipient mobile terminal to receive the E-mail message, in the case where a result of the judgment as to whether or not the reception time has come becomes affirmative and the result of the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location is also affirmative.

29. The program according to claim 28, further comprising the step of:

instructing the mail server to cause the recipient mobile terminal to receive the E-mail message, in the case where the result of the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location is negative after a predetermined time has elapsed since starting of the judgment as to whether or not the reception time has come.

30. The program according to claim 27, further comprising the step of instructing the mail server to cause the recipient mobile terminal to receive the E-mail message, in the case where the result of the judgment as to whether or not the recipient mobile terminal is at the reception location is negative after a predetermined time has elapsed since the sender terminal sent the E-mail message.