E-MAIL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, MAIL SERVER, FORWARDING METHOD AND MEDIUM

• US 20110202619A1
• Filed: 04/26/2011
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: NAKAO, HISAYASU
• Granted Patent: US 8,108,479 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

The invention provides a technique of automatically checking the validation of a destination address to which electronic mail is to be transferred. If the destination address is validated, the transfer of the mail to the address is permitted, so that no mail is transferred to the wrong address. An electronic mail management device (1, 2) for managing the destination addresses to which electronic mail is to be transferred comprises: means for receiving a request to set a destination address corresponding to a receiving mail address, and means for checking the validity of the destination address.

Claims

1-104. -104. (canceled)

105. A mail server cooperating with an E-mail management system which accepts a request for setting a forward destination address corresponding to a receipt address of an E-mail, said mail server comprising:

a confirming unit executing a confirmation of a validity of the forward destination address; and

a forward destination registering unit registering the forward destination address corresponding to the receipt address of the E-mail,

wherein said forward destination registering unit registers the forward destination address with its validity confirmed.

106. A mail server according to claim 105, further comprising a receiving unit receiving a response to a test mail sent to the forward destination,

wherein said confirming unit confirms the validity of the forward destination address by the response.

107. A mail server according to claim 105, wherein said confirming unit confirms whether the response is transmitted from the receipt address or not.

108. A mail server according to claim 105, wherein said confirming unit confirms whether the response contains a predetermined data string or not.

109. An E-mail forward destination management method of managing a forward destination of an E-mail in cooperation with an E-mail management system which accepts a request for setting a forward destination address corresponding to a receipt address of the E-mail, said method comprising:

confirming a validity of the forward destination address;

registering the forward destination address; and

forwarding, when the forward destination address corresponding to an address of the E-mail received is registered, the E-mail to this forward destination address.

110. An E-mail forward destination management method according to claim 109, further comprising receiving a response to a test mail sent to the forward destination,

wherein said confirming includes confirming a validity of the forward destination address by the response.

111. An E-mail forward destination management method according to claim 109, wherein said confirming includes confirming whether the response is transmitted from the receipt address or not.

112. An E-mail forward destination management method according to claim 109, wherein said confirming includes confirming whether or the response contains a predetermined data string or not.

113. A readable-by-computer recording medium recorded with a program making a computer manage a forward destination of an E-mail in cooperation with an E-mail management system which accepts a request for setting a forward destination address corresponding to a receipt address of the E-mail, said program comprising:

confirming a validity of the forward destination address;

registering the forward destination address; and

forwarding, when the forward destination address corresponding to an address of the E-mail received is registered, the E-mail to this forward destination address.

114. A readable-by-computer recording medium recorded with a program according to claim 113, further comprising receiving a response to a test mail sent to the forward destination,

wherein said confirming includes confirming a validity of the forward destination address by the response.

115. A readable-by-computer recording medium recorded with a program according to claim 113, wherein said confirming includes confirming whether the response is transmitted from the receipt address or not.

116. A readable-by-computer recording medium recorded with a program according to claim 113, wherein said confirming includes confirming whether the response contains a predetermined data string or not.

117. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and encoding a program making a computer manage a forward destination of an E-mail in cooperation with an E-mail management system which accepts a request for setting a forward destination address corresponding to a receipt address of the E-mail, said program comprising:

confirming a validity of the forward destination address;

registering the forward destination address; and

forwarding, when the forward destination address corresponding to an address of the E-mail received is registered, the E-mail to this forward destination address.

118. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and encoding a program according to claim 117, further comprising receiving a response to a test mail sent to the forward destination,

wherein said confirming includes confirming a validity of the forward destination address by the response.

119. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and encoding a program according to claim 117, wherein said confirming includes confirming whether the response is transmitted from the receipt address or not.

120. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and encoding a program according to claim 117, wherein said confirming includes confirming whether the response contains a predetermined data string or not.