INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD THEREOF

• US 20070192424A1
• Filed: 02/06/2007
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Minato, Junichi
• Application Number:
  US11/671,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20070192424A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00212 Attaching image data to computer messages, e.g. to e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00411 the display also being used for user input, e.g. touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32042 with reading of job-marks on a page
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32085 Automation of other tasks, e.g. repetitive execution or sequencing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0098 User intervention not otherwise provided for, e.g. placing documents, responding to an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3208 of an e-mail or network address

Abstract

An information processing apparatus is disclosed. The information processing apparatus includes a received mail information obtaining unit for obtaining received mail information including a mail account and a mail server address from an image code, a reply destination address obtaining unit for obtaining a reply destination address from the received mail, a transmitter address obtaining unit for making the mail account a transmitter address, a reply mail information code generating unit for generating a reply mail information code in which reply mail information including the reply destination address and so on is converted into an image code, an invoice image generating unit for generating an invoice image including the reply destination address or the transmitter address, and a reply mail text message description image forming unit for forming a reply mail text message description image including the reply mail information code, the invoice image, and a reply mail text message writing field.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus which forms an image including a reply mail text message writing field to which a reply mail text message is written for transmitting a reply mail in response to a received mail based on received mail information written as an image code, comprising:

a received mail information obtaining unit for obtaining the received mail information including a mail account and a mail server address from the image code;

a reply destination address obtaining unit for obtaining a reply destination address for the received mail from the received mail information;

a transmitter address obtaining unit for obtaining a transmitter address of the received mail which address is a mail address of the mail account;

a reply mail information code generating unit for generating a reply mail information code in which reply mail information including the reply destination address, the transmitter address, and the mail server address is converted into an image code;

an invoice image generating unit for generating an invoice image including the reply destination address or the transmitter address; and

a reply mail text message description image forming unit for forming a reply mail text message description image including the reply mail information code, the invoice image, and the reply mail text message writing field.

2. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a received mail text message selecting unit for selecting a part of the text message of the received mail which part is referred to in the text message of the reply mail; and

a received mail text message image generating unit for generating a received mail text message image in which text data of the part to be referred to selected by the received mail text message selecting unit are converted into an image;

wherein

the reply mail text message description image forming unit forms a reply mail text message description image including the received mail text message image formed by the received mail text message image generating unit.

3. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a reply destination address selecting unit for selecting the reply destination address;

wherein

when the number of destination addresses of the received mail is plural, the reply destination address obtaining unit obtains plural destination addresses as reply destination address candidates; and

the reply destination address selecting unit selects one or more reply destination addresses from the reply destination address candidates.

4. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

when the number of destination addresses of the received mail is plural,

a reply destination address candidate generating unit for generating plural destination addresses as reply destination address candidates;

a reply destination address candidate code generating unit for generating a reply destination address candidate code in which text data of the reply destination address candidates generated by the reply destination address candidate generating unit are converted into an image code; and

a reply destination address selection image forming unit for forming a reply destination address selection image, in which the reply destination address candidate code generated by the reply destination address candidate code generating unit, text data of the reply destination address candidates, and a reply mail transmitting field in which transmission of the reply mail is determined correspond to each reply destination address candidate.

5. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

an identification information inputting unit for inputting identification information for the mail account or the mail server address, or inputting identification information of a user.

6. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a received mail selecting unit for selecting one or more received mails for which a reply mail is to be transmitted from the plural received mails based on urgency information including in the received mails.

7. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

when plural received mails are selected by the received mail selecting unit,

a reply mail title candidate generating unit for generating reply mail title candidates from plural titles of the received mails; and

a reply mail title selecting unit for selecting one title from the plural mail title candidates generated by the reply mail title candidate generating.

8. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a reply mail text message extracting unit for extracting the text message or an image of the reply mail from the reply mail text message description image in which the text message is written;

a reply mail information extracting unit for extracting reply mail information including in the reply mail text message description image as the image code; and

a reply mail generating unit for generating the reply mail from the reply mail information.

10. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a received mail information inputting unit for inputting the received mail information;

a received mail information code generating unit for generating a received mail information code by converting the received mail information input by the received mail information inputting unit into an image code; and

a received mail information code outputting unit for forming the received mail information code on a recording medium.

9. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 47 further comprising:

a reply destination address extracting unit for extracting a reply destination address from the reply destination address selection image in which a selected reply destination address is written.

11. An information processing method which forms an image including a reply mail text message writing field to which a reply mail text message is written for transmitting a reply mail in response to a received mail based on received mail information written as an image code, comprising the steps of:

obtaining the received mail information including a mail account and a mail server address from the image code;

obtaining a reply destination address for the received mail from the received mail information;

obtaining a transmitter address of the received mail which address is a mail address of the mail account;

generating a reply mail information code in which reply mail information including the reply destination address, the transmitter address, and the mail server address is converted into an image code;

generating an invoice image including the reply destination address or the transmitter address; and

forming a reply mail text message description image including the reply mail information code, the invoice image, and the reply mail text message writing field.

12. The information processing method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

selecting a part of the text message of the received mail which part is referred to in the text message of the reply mail;

generating a received mail text message image in which text data of the selected part to be referred to are converted into an image; and

forming a reply mail text message description image including the received mail text message image.

13. The information processing method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the step of:

when the number of destination addresses of the received mail is plural,

obtaining plural destination addresses as reply destination address candidates; and

selecting one or more reply destination addresses from the reply destination address candidates.

14. The information processing method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

when the number of destination addresses of the received mail is plural,

generating plural destination addresses as reply destination address candidates;

generating a reply destination address candidate code in which text data of the reply destination address candidates are converted into an image code; and

forming a reply destination address selection image, in which the reply destination address candidate code, text data of the reply destination address candidates, and a reply mail transmitting field in which transmission of the reply mail is determined correspond to each reply destination address candidate.

15. The information processing method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the step of:

inputting identification information for the mail account or the mail server address, or inputting identification information of a user.

16. The information processing method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the step of:

selecting one or more received mails for which a reply mail is to be transmitted from the plural received mails based on urgency information including in the received mails.

17. The information processing method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

when plural received mails are selected,

generating reply mail title candidates from plural titles of the received mails; and

selecting one title from the plural mail title candidates.

18. The information processing method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the step of:

extracting the text message or an image of the reply mail from the reply mail text message description image in which the text message is written;

extracting reply mail information including in the reply mail text message description image as the image code; and

generating the reply mail from the reply mail information.

19. The information processing method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the step of:

extracting a reply destination address from the reply destination address selection image in which a selected reply destination address is written.

20. The information processing method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

inputting the received mail information;

generating a received mail information code by converting the received mail information into an image code; and

forming the received mail information code on a recording medium.