Mail processing server, mail processing method, and mail processing program

• US 20070198640A1
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dwango Co., Ltd. (Kadokawa Dwango Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Dwango Co., Ltd. (Kadokawa Dwango Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakano, Makoto, Kawakami, Nobuo
• Application Number:
  US11/239,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20070198640A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

It is intended to provide a mail service capable of maintaining user'"'"'s anonymousness and preserving convenience of mail function. This invention enables connecting a forwarding mail address to be used for receiving mails with at least a mail address of a user and a forwarding criteria in generating the forwarding mail address; storing the user'"'"'s mail address and the forwarding criteria as forwarding mail address information; confirming, in the case of receiving a mail sent to the forwarding mail address, the user'"'"'s mail address to which the mail is to be forwarded and the forwarding criteria by referring to the forwarding mail address information to judge whether or not it is possible to forward the mail to the user'"'"'s mail address; and forwarding the mail to the user'"'"'s mail address in the case where it is judged that the mail can be forwarded.

Claims

1. A mail processing server forwarding a received mail to a mail address of a user, comprising:

a forwarding mail address generation unit for connecting a forwarding mail address to be used for receiving mails with at least the user'"'"'s mail address and a forwarding criteria in generating the forwarding mail address;

a forwarding mail address information storage for storing, as forwarding mail address information, the forwarding mail address generated by said forwarding mail address generation unit after connecting the forwarding mail address with at least said user'"'"'s mail address and said forwarding criteria;

a received mail storage for receiving and storing mails sent to the forwarding mail address generated by said forwarding mail address generation unit;

a judgment unit for reading the mail stored in said received mail storage, referring to the forwarding mail address information stored in said forwarding mail address information storage, confirming the user'"'"'s mail address to which the mail is to be forwarded and the forwarding criteria, and judging whether or not it is possible to forward the mail to the mail address stored in said forwarding mail address information; and

a mail forwarding unit for forwarding, in the case where the judgment unit judges that the forwarding is possible, the mail stored by said received mail storage to the user'"'"'s mail address stored in said forwarding mail address information.

2. The mail processing server according to claim 1, wherein said forwarding mail address generation unit sets the forwarding criteria upon reception of a forwarding criteria setting request from the user.

3. The mail processing server according to claim 1, wherein said forwarding criteria is a time period during which it is possible to forward the user'"'"'s mail address the mail sent to the forwarding mail address.

4. The mail processing server according to claim 1, wherein said forwarding criteria is information for specifying a sender who can send a mail to the forwarding mail address.

5. The mail processing server according to claim 1, wherein said forwarding criteria is a frequency of the mail forward to the forwarding mail address.

6. The mail processing server according to claim 1, wherein said mail forwarding unit (forwards) the mail stored by said received mail storage after replacing a sender'"'"'s mail address into a forwarding mail address created by the sender.

7. A mail processing method to be used in a server forwarding a received mail to a user'"'"'s mail address, comprising:

connecting a forwarding mail address to be used for receiving mails with at least the user'"'"'s mail address and a forwarding criteria in generating the forwarding mail address;

storing the forwarding mail address generated as forwarding mail address information in a database connected to said server after connecting the forwarding mail address with at least said user'"'"'s mail address and said forwarding criteria;

receiving mails sent to said forwarding mail address and storing the mails in a memory provided in said server;

reading the mail stored in said memory, referring to the forwarding mail address information stored in said database, confirming the user'"'"'s mail address to which the mail is to be forwarded and the forwarding criteria, and judging whether or not it is possible to forward the mail to the mail address stored in said forwarding mail address information; and

forwarding the mail stored in said memory to the user'"'"'s mail address stored in said database in the case where it is judged that the mail forward is possible.

8. The mail processing method according to claim 7, wherein the forwarding criteria is set upon reception of a forwarding criteria setting request from the user.

9. The mail processing method according to claim 7, wherein said forwarding criteria is a time period during which it is possible to forward to the user'"'"'s mail address the mail sent to the forwarding mail address.

10. The mail processing method according to claim 7, wherein said forwarding criteria is information for specifying a sender who can send a mail to the forwarding mail address.

11. The mail processing method according to claim 7, wherein said forwarding criteria is a frequency of the mail forward to the forwarding mail address.

12. The mail processing method according to claim 7, wherein the mail stored by said received mail storage is forwarded after a sender'"'"'s mail address of the mail is replaced by a forwarding mail address created by the sender.

13. A mail processing program to be used in a server forwarding a received mail to a user'"'"'s mail address, comprising:

connecting a forwarding mail address to be used for receiving mails with at least the user'"'"'s mail address and a forwarding criteria in generating the forwarding mail address;

storing the forwarding mail address generated as forwarding mail address information in a database connected to said server after connecting the forwarding mail address with at least said user'"'"'s mail address and said forwarding criteria;

receiving mails sent to said forwarding mail address and storing the mails in a memory provided in said server;

reading the mail stored in said memory, referring to the forwarding mail address information stored in said database, confirming the user'"'"'s mail address to which the mail is to be forwarded and the forwarding criteria, and judging whether or not it is possible to forward the mail to the mail address stored in said forwarding mail address information; and

forwarding the mail stored in said database to the user'"'"'s mail address stored in said memory in the case where it is judged that the mail forward is possible.

14. The mail processing program according to claim 13, wherein the forwarding criteria is set upon reception of a forwarding criteria setting request from the user.

15. The mail processing program according to claim 13, wherein said forwarding criteria is a time period during which it is possible to forward to the user'"'"'s mail address the mail sent to the forwarding mail address.

16. The mail processing program according to claim 13, wherein said forwarding criteria is information for specifying a sender who can send a mail to the forwarding mail address.

17. The mail processing program according to claim 13, wherein said forwarding criteria is a frequency of the mail forward to the forwarding mail address.

18. The mail processing program according to claim 13, wherein the mail stored by said received mail storage is forwarded after a sender'"'"'s mail address of the mail is replaced by a forwarding mail address created by the sender.