System for automatically sending mail message by storing rule according to the language specification of the message including processing condition and processing content

• US 5,634,005 A
• Filed: 06/04/1996
• Issued: 05/27/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuo, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEKY, MOUSTAFA M
• Application Number:
  US08/658,015
• Time in Patent Office: 357 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.01, 395/200.02, 395/200.16, 395/200.18, 395/600, 370/17, 370/60, 370/94.1
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

An automatic sending-message processing device is applied to a computer network which is connected to a plurality of computer systems via communication media and capable of effecting message switching among the plurality of computer systems by use of an electronic mail system. The processing device includes a memory for storing a rule in which a processing condition for processing mail message data and a content of a process obtained when the processing condition is satisfied, which are described according to the language specification of the mail message. The processing device further includes a control information analyzer for analyzing control information of the mail message data, an interpreter for collating the analyzed control information with the processing condition to interpret a process to be executed, a processor for executing a process on the mail message data corresponding to the process interpreted by the interpreting means, and electronic mail sender for sending a mail message consisting of the processed mail message data as electronic mail to other computer system users.

Claims

1. An automatic sending-message processing device applied to a computer network which is connected to a plurality of computer systems via communication media and capable of effecting message switching among said plurality of computer systems by use of an electronic mail system, comprising:

inputting means for permitting a user to input control information for mail message data to be sent;

rule storing means for storing a rule according to the language specification of a mail message and including a processing condition and a processing content identifying a process to be performed on the mail message data when the processing condition is satisfied;

rule creating means for permitting the user to create the rule stored in said rule storing means;

control information analyzing means for analyzing the control information of the mail message data;

interpreting means for collating the analyzed control information with the processing condition to interpret a process to be executed; and

processing means for executing a process corresponding to the process interpreted by said interpreting means on the mail message data to be sent.

2. An automatic sending-message processing device according to claim 1, wherein said rule storing means includes means for storing a condition section for describing identification information indicating the processing condition, and a processing section for describing the content of the process obtained when the processing condition is satisfied.

3. An automatic sending-message processing device according to claim 2, wherein said processing section further contains at least one pair of said condition section and said processing section.

4. An automatic sending-message processing device according to claim 2, wherein said rule storing means includes means for storing a conditional expression obtained by combining a plurality of processing conditions by use of a logical expression.

5. An automatic sending-message processing device according to claim 1, wherein said processing means includes means for separating the control information and mail message data from each other.

6. An automatic sending-message processing device according to claim 5, wherein said processing means further includes means for combining the control information and the processed mail message data.

7. An automatic sending-message processing device according to claim 1, further comprising sending means for sending the mail message data processed by said processing means after attaching the control information to the mail message data.

8. An automatic sending-message processing device according to claim 1, wherein said control information analyzing means includes means for extracting a character string containing at least addressee information, addresser information, subject information and transmission date information.

9. An automatic sending-message processing device according to claim 8, wherein said control information analyzing means includes means for setting the extracted character string as a variable.

10. An automatic sending-message processing device applied to a computer network which is connected to a plurality of computer systems via communication media and capable of effecting message switching among said plurality of computer systems by use of an electronic mail system, comprising:

input means for permitting a user to input mail message data and control information for the mail message data;

a rule file containing a set of multiple "condition section-processing section" sentences based on the language specification of the mail message, the condition section having identification information indicating a processing condition for the mail message data and the processing section having a process which is effected when the condition of the condition section is satisfied;

rule creating means for permitting the user to create a rule stored in said rule file;

control information analyzing means for analyzing the control information to obtain subject information indicating at least the content of the process corresponding to the mail message data;

processing means for executing a process set in the processing section of said rule file;

rule analyzing means for retrieving said rule file after analyzing the control information by means of said control information analyzing means, and executing the process set in the processing section on the mail message data by activating said processing means when the subject information coincides with the identification information; and

sending means for sending the control information and the processed mail message data.

11. An automatic sending-message processing device according to claim 10, wherein said rule file includes means for storing a conditional expression derived by combining a plurality of processing conditions by use of a logical expression.

12. An automatic sending-message processing device according to claim 10, wherein said control information analyzing means includes means for extracting addressee information, addresser information, and transmission date information.

13. An automatic sending-message processing device according to claim 12, wherein said control information analyzing means includes means for setting the subject information, the addressee information, the addresser information, and transmission date information as a variable.

14. An automatic sending-message processing method applied to a computer network which is connected to a plurality of computer systems via communication media and capable of effecting message switching among said plurality of computer systems by use of an electronic mail system, comprising:

a first step of creating and storing by a user a rule according to a language specification of a mail message and including a processing condition for processing mail message data and a content of a process which is executed when the processing condition is satisfied;

a second step of inputting mail message data and control information by the user for the mail message data;

a third step of analyzing the control information of the mail message data;

a fourth step of collating the analyzed control information with the processing condition;

a fifth step of subjecting the mail message data to a preset process based on the collation; and

a sixth step of sending the processed mail message data after attaching the control information to the mail message data.

15. An automatic sending-message processing method according to claim 14, wherein said first step includes a step of preparing a conditional expression obtained by combining a plurality of processing conditions by use of a logical expression as a processing condition for processing mail message data.

16. An automatic sending-message processing method according to claim 14, wherein said third step includes a step of extracting a character string containing at least addressee information, addresser information, subject information and transmission date information.

17. An automatic sending-message processing method according to claim 16, wherein said third step includes a step of setting the extracted character string as a variable.

18. An automatic sending-message processing method according to claim 14, wherein said fifth step includes a step of separating the control information and mail message data from each other.

19. An automatic sending-message processing method according to claim 18, wherein said fifth step further includes a step of combining the control information and the processed mail message data.