Communication system using electronic mail

• US 5,905,495 A
• Filed: 02/12/1997
• Issued: 05/18/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Tanaka, Noriyuki, Takahara, Keiko, Yumoto, Kazuma, Iwami, Naoko, Hoshi, Tohru, Koyama, Toshiaki, Matsui, Susumu
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao H.
• Application Number:
  US08/799,766
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 345/335, 345/329, 345/346, 345/347, 345/348, 345/356, 345/331, 395/439, 395/200.36
• US Class Current: 726/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A communication system which can communicate with a party user even when an originator user of a communication terminal does not know the terminal address of a communication terminal of the party user with whom the originator user wants to communicate. When its own user A does not know the terminal address of a communication terminal of a user B, a communication terminal of the user A sends an outgoing file having its own terminal address stored therein as an electronic mail directed to the user B. When receiving the outgoing file as the electronic mail, the communication terminal of the user B displays an icon on its display unit to prompt the user B to enter an instruction of performing reply communication. In response to it, when the user B clicks a mouse on the icon, the communication terminal of the user B can perform the reply communication to the communication terminal corresponding to terminal address stored in the outgoing file.

Claims

1. A communication system including a plurality of communication terminals and a mail server for storing therein electronic mails transferred between said plurality of communication terminals, each of said plurality of communication terminals comprising:

electronic mail means for transmitting electronic mail directed to a user of an unknown communication terminal address to said mail server and for receiving self-addressed electronic mail from said mail server;

outgoing file preparation means for preparing an outgoing file including a terminal address uniquely allocated to the respective communication terminal;

outgoing file transmission means for transmitting the outgoing file prepared by said outgoing file preparation means to said electronic mail means as the electronic mail directed to a party user at the unknown communication terminal address with whom communication is desired;

reply communication acceptance/non-acceptance means for accepting an instruction of whether the respective communication terminal replies to the communication terminal corresponding to the terminal address included in the outgoing file when the electronic mail received by said electronic mail means is the outgoing file;

reply communication means for replying to the communication terminal corresponding to the terminal address included in the outgoing file received by said electronic mail means as the electronic mail when said reply communication acceptance/non-acceptance means accepts an instruction for replying,

wherein said outgoing file preparation means prepares the outgoing file which further includes certification information for certifying the user of the respective communication terminal, and

said reply communication means, when replying to the communication terminal corresponding to the terminal address included in the outgoing file received as the electronic mail by said electronic mail means, sends the certification information included in the outgoing file to the destination communication terminal;

selective response means for accepting the incoming signal from the other communication terminal and the certification information at the same time when said certification information is the correct certification information;

certification information memory means for storing therein the certification information for certifying the user of the respective communication terminal,

wherein said outgoing file preparation means prepares the outgoing file which further includes the certification information stored in said certification information memory means,

said selective response means judges that the received certification information is the correct certification information when the certification information received from the other communication terminal at the same time as the incoming signal coincides with the certification information stored in said certification information memory means, and

said certification information memory means stores therein the certification information accepted by said certification information acceptance means; and

certification information acceptance means for accepting an input of the certification information for certifying the user of the respective communication terminal,

wherein said outgoing file preparation means prepares the outgoing file which further includes the certification information accepted by said certification information acceptance means,

said certification information acceptance means accepts the input of the certification information for certifying its own user when receiving the incoming signal from the other communication terminal at the same time as the certification information,

said selective response means judges that the received certification information is the correct certification information when the certification information received from the other communication terminal at the same time as the incoming signal coincides with the certification information accepted by said certification information acceptance means,

said certification information is the user ID of the user of the respective communication terminal utilized as the address of the self-addressed electronic mail, and

said reply communication acceptance/non-acceptance means causes the user ID contained in the outgoing file received as the electronic mail by said electronic mail means to appear on a display screen and also causes an icon to appear on the display screen to prompt the user of the respective communication terminal to enter an instruction for replying to the communication terminal of the user corresponding to the user ID.

2. A communication system as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of communication terminals further comprises user ID memory means for storing therein user IDs corresponding to a plurality of users,

said reply communication acceptance/non-acceptance means performs no operation when the user ID included in the outgoing file received as the electronic mail by said electronic mail means is stored in said user ID memory means, and

said reply communication means replies to the communication terminal corresponding to the terminal address included in the outgoing file when the user ID included in the outgoing file received as electronic mail by said electronic mail means is stored in said user ID memory means.

3. A communication system including a plurality of communication terminals and a mail server for storing therein electronic mails transferred between said plurality of communication terminals, each of said plurality of communication terminals comprising:

electronic mail means for transmitting electronic mail directed to a user of an unknown communication terminal address to said mail server and for receiving self-addressed electronic mail from said mail server;

outgoing file preparation means for preparing an outgoing file including a terminal address uniquely allocated to the respective communication terminal;

outgoing file transmission means for transmitting the outgoing file prepared by said outgoing file preparation means to said electronic mail means as the electronic mail directed to a party user at the unknown communication terminal address with whom communication is desired;

reply communication acceptance/non-acceptance means for accepting an instruction of whether the respective communication terminal replies to the communication terminal corresponding to the terminal address included in the outgoing file when the electronic mail received by said electronic mail means is the outgoing file;

reply communication means for replying to the communication terminal corresponding to the terminal address included in the outgoing file received by said electronic mail means as the electronic mail when said reply communication acceptance/non-acceptance means accepts an instruction for replying,

wherein said outgoing file preparation means prepares the outgoing file which further includes certification information for certifying the user of the respective communication terminal, and

said reply communication means, when replying to the communication terminal corresponding to the terminal address included in the outgoing file received as the electronic mail by said electronic mail means, sends the certification information included in the outgoing file to the destination communication terminal;

selective response means for accepting the incoming signal from the other communication terminal and the certification information at the same time when said certification information is the correct certification information;

certification information memory means for storing therein the certification information for certifying the user of the respective communication terminal,

wherein said outgoing file preparation means prepares the outgoing file which further includes the certification information stored in said certification information memory means,

said selective response means judges that the received certification information is the correct certification information when the certification information received from the other communication terminal at the same time as the incoming signal coincides with the certification information stored in said certification information memory means, and

said certification information memory means stores therein the certification information accepted by said certification information acceptance means; and

certification information acceptance means for accepting an input of the certification information for certifying the user of the respective communication terminal,

wherein said outgoing file preparation means prepares the outgoing file which further includes the certification information accepted by said certification information acceptance means,

said certification information acceptance means accepts the input of the certification information for certifying its own user when receiving the incoming signal from the other communication terminal at the same time as the certification information,

said selective response means judges that the received certification information is the correct certification information when the certification information received from the other communication terminal at the same time as the incoming signal coincides with the certification information accepted by said certification information acceptance means, and

said reply communication acceptance/non-acceptance means causes the terminal address included in the outgoing file received as electronic mail by said electronic mail means to appear on the display screen and also causes an icon to appear on the display screen to prompt the user of the respective communication terminal to enter an instruction for replying to the communication terminal corresponding to the terminal address.

4. A communication system as set forth in claim 3, wherein each of said plurality of communication terminals further comprises user information memory means for storing therein user information on each of a plurality of user IDS associated with user information including user names, and

said reply communication acceptance/non-acceptance means causes the user information to appear on the display screen when the user information corresponding to the user ID displayed on the display screen is stored in said user information memory means.