System for task tracking and controlling electronic mail
First Claim
1. An office information system having a plurality of work stations connected via a network over which a user of each work station sends and receives electronic mail, each of said work stations comprising:
- definition means operable as a sending work station for defining control information specifying (a) a mail route, (b) at least one authorized user in each receiving work station, and (c) alternative actions for said electronic mail that are individually-determined and authorized to be conducted by each different authorized user in each receiving work station;
sending means for attaching said control information to said electronic mail and for sending the information-attached electronic mail via said mail route specified in said control information;
memory means for storing information of an operation log containing an action for the mail conducted by the authorized user of each receiving work station; and
control means for referring to both the defined control information received from a sending work station and said log information from its own memory means, and for thereby guiding the authorized user of said receiving work station as to a subsequent specific action to be conducted with respect to the received electronic mail by the authorized user.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An office information system has a plurality of work stations connected via a network to mutually exchange electronic mail, each work station including a control information definition unit for defining control information representing what kind of processing can be performed on mails after reception, a processing log memory unit for storing log information of operations which have been performed on received mail, a control unit for guiding a receiver by referring to both the control information and log information, a task tracking instruction unit for inquiring into the processing status of mail, and a task tracking unit for reporting the status in response to such a tracking instruction. The system stores and interprets control information relating to the flow of an OA object on the network, which has been conventionally involved in the memory of an office worker, and guides the office worker to work to be done by the office worker. As a result, the chance that the OA object will stagnate at a certain location is reduced, and the circulation of OA objects on the network is improved.
89 Citations
15 Claims
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1. An office information system having a plurality of work stations connected via a network over which a user of each work station sends and receives electronic mail, each of said work stations comprising:
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definition means operable as a sending work station for defining control information specifying (a) a mail route, (b) at least one authorized user in each receiving work station, and (c) alternative actions for said electronic mail that are individually-determined and authorized to be conducted by each different authorized user in each receiving work station; sending means for attaching said control information to said electronic mail and for sending the information-attached electronic mail via said mail route specified in said control information; memory means for storing information of an operation log containing an action for the mail conducted by the authorized user of each receiving work station; and control means for referring to both the defined control information received from a sending work station and said log information from its own memory means, and for thereby guiding the authorized user of said receiving work station as to a subsequent specific action to be conducted with respect to the received electronic mail by the authorized user. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An office information system having a plurality of work stations connected via a network over which each work station sends and receives electronic mail, each of said work stations comprising:
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means operable as a sending work station for defining and holding control information specifying (a) a mail route, (b) at least one authorized user in each receiving work station, and (c) alternative actions for said electronic mail that are individually-determined and authorized to be conducted by each different authorized user in each receiving work station; means for storing information of an operation log containing an action for the mail conducted by the authorized user of each receiving work station; task tracking instruction means for issuing an instruction to inquire into a routed electronic mail status of another work station; and task tracking means, responsive to reception of a task tracking instruction from an authorized user of a sending work station, for reporting own electronic mail status. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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11. In an office information system having a plurality of work stations connected via a network over which a user of each work station sends and receives electronic mail, a method executed in work stations in the office information system for processing electronic mail, comprising the steps of:
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defining and holding control information relating to (a) a mail route, (b) at least one authorized user in each receiving work station, and (c) alternative actions for said electronic mail that are individually-determined and authorized to be conducted by each different authorized user in each receiving work station; and attaching said control information to said electronic mail and sending the information-attached electronic mail via said mail route specified in said control information; storing log information of operations containing an action for the mail conducted by the authorized user of each receiving work station; and guiding an authorized user of the receiving work station as to a subsequent specific action to be conducted with respect to the received electronic mail by the authorized user based on both the defined control information received from a sending work station and said log information. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. An office information system having a plurality of work stations connected via a network over which a user of each work station sends and receives electronic mail, each of said work stations comprising:
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means for defining and storing control information specifying alternative actions for said electronic mail that are individually-determined and related to a schedule as to from whom, when, and what kind of electronic mail is expected to be received by a receiving work station; and control means for automatically prompting, based on said control information, a scheduled sending work station to send electronic mail which has not been received yet, and for informing a scheduled receiving work station that electronic mail has not arrived yet. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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Specification