Electronic mail system and electronic mail access acknowledging method

• US 6,178,442 B1
• Filed: 06/04/1997
• Issued: 01/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Justsystems Corporation
• Original Assignee: Justsystems Corporation
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Nobuhide
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thompson, Marc D.
• Application Number:
  US08/868,723
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.3, 395/200.35, 395/200.36, 395/200.37, 395/200.54, 395/200.67, 395/200.68, 707/500, 707/526, 709/200, 709/205, 709/206, 709/207, 709/224, 709/223, 709/237, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting

Abstract

Identification information, access information indicating that a main body of a mail message has not been accessed nor read at a destination terminal, information about the sender, information about the receiver, time and date information, and subject information each collated to each other is stored and managed as a transmitted mail managing information in a mail box. When a mail message is transmitted, a transmitted mail message including a return mail program actuated to return a response, when the transmitted mail message is accessed and read at the destination terminal, an acknowledgement that the transmitted mail message has been accessed and read and identification information for the transmitted mail message as a returned mail to a server. When information as to whether the transmitted mail message has been accessed and read or not is obtained from the received return mail message, the identification information is extracted from the received return mail message and the access information for the transmitted mail message corresponding to the identification information is changed to information indicating that the transmitted mail message has been accessed and read.

Claims

1. An electronic mail server used in a distributed type of network with a plurality of networked electronic mail servers each having terminals connected thereto comprising:

a preparing means for preparing a transmitted mail message, when a submitted mail message is received from one of the terminals connected thereto, according to the submitted mail message and program information actuated to return, when the main body of the transmitted mail message is accessed and read at a destination terminal, an acknowledgement by mail of the access to the electronic mail server;

a return mail program generating means for generating the program information;

a transmitting means for transmitting the transmitted mail message prepared by said preparing means;

a judging means for judging whether or not a mail message received, after said transmitted mail message is transmitted by said transmitting means, is acknowledgement that the transmitted mail message has been accessed and read, which is returned from said destination terminal in response to actuation of said program information; and

a storing means for storing therein, when it is judged by the judging means that the mail message is the acknowledgement that the mail message has been accessed and read, a result of a transmission of the transmitted mail message prepared by said preparing means as information indicating that the transmitted mail message was accessed and read.

2. An electronic mail server according to claim 1;

wherein said preparing means has a generating means for generating said program information in response to a request of transmission from a terminal connected to said distributed type of network.

3. An electronic mail server used in a distributed type of network with a plurality of networked electronic mail servers each having terminals connected thereto comprising:

a setting means for setting identification information for identifying a submitted mail message as an object for transmission when the submitted mail message is received from one of the terminals connected thereto;

a preparing means for preparing a transmitted mail message according to said submitted mail message, the identification information set by said setting means, and program information actuated to return a mail message including access acknowledgement and said identification information to the electronic mail server when a main body of the transmitted mail message is accessed and read at a destination terminal;

a return mail program generating means for generating the program information based on said identification information;

a transmitting means for transmitting the transmitted mail message prepared by said preparing means;

a judging means for judging whether a mail message received after said transmitted mail message is transmitted by said transmitting means is an acknowledgement that the transmitted mail message has been accessed and read, which is returned in response to actuation of said program information from said destination terminal;

an extracting means for extracting said identification information set by said setting means from said received mail when it is judged by said judging means that the received mail is the acknowledgement that the transmitted mail message has been accessed and read; and

a storing means for storing therein a result of transmission of the transmitted mail message prepared by said preparing means and corresponding to the identification information extracted by said extracting means as information indicating that the transmitted mail message was accessed and read.

4. An electronic mail server according to claim 3;

wherein said preparing means has a generating means for generating said program information in response to a request of transmission from a terminal connected to said distributed type of network.

5. An electronic mail server used in a distributed type of network with a plurality of networked electronic mail servers each having terminals connected thereto comprising:

a setting means for setting identification information for identifying a submitted mail message as an object for transmission when the submitted mail message is received from one of the terminals connected thereto;

a storing/managing means for storing therein and managing the identification information set by said setting means in correspondence to said submitted mail message and access information indicating that a main body of the submitted mail message has not been accessed nor read at a destination terminal;

a preparing means for preparing a transmitted mail message according to said submitted mail message, the identification information set by said setting means, and program information actuated to return an acknowledgement mail message including an acknowledgment of access and said identification information to the electronic mail server when the main body of the transmitted mail message is accessed and read at the destination terminal;

a return mail program generating means for generating the program information based on said identification information;

a transmitting means for transmitting the transmitted mail message prepared by said preparing means;

a judging means for judging whether or not a mail message received after said transmitted mail message is transmitted by said transmitting means is an acknowledgement that the transmitted mail message has been accessed and read, which is returned in response to actuation of said program information from said destination terminal;

an extracting means for extracting the identification information set by said setting means from said received mail message when it is judged by said judging means that the received mail message is the acknowledgement that the transmitted mail message has been accessed and read; and

a changing means for changing access information concerning a mail message having the identification information extracted by said extracting means from among mail messages stored in and managed by said storing/managing means to an access state.

6. An electronic mail server according to claim 5 further comprising:

an inquiring request accepting means for accepting a request for inquiring the contents stored in and managed by said storing/managing means from a terminal connected to said distributed type of network,

a retrieving means for retrieving contents corresponding to said terminal in response to acceptance by said inquiring request accepting means;

a responding means for returning a result of retrieval by said retrieving means to said terminal through said distributed type of network.

7. An electronic mail server according to claim 5;

wherein said preparing means has a generating means for generating said program information in response to a request of transmission from a terminal connected to said distributed type of network.

8. An electronic mail system comprising a distributed type of network, a plurality of networked electronic mail servers connected to said distributed type of network, and a plurality of terminals connected to said plurality of electronic mail servers;

wherein each of said electronic mail servers has;

a preparing means for preparing a transmitted mail message, when a submitted mail message is received from one of the terminals connected thereto, according to the submitted mail message and program information actuated to return, when a main body of the transmitted mail message is accessed and read at a destination terminal, an acknowledgement by mail that the transmitted mail message has been accessed and read to the electronic mail server;

a return mail program generating means for generating the program information at the electronic mail server;

a transmitting means for transmitting the transmitted mail message prepared by said preparing means to the electronic mail server to which the destination terminal is connected among said plurality of electronic mail servers;

a judging means for judging whether or not a mail message received, after said transmitted mail message is transmitted by said transmitting means, is an acknowledgement that the transmitted mail message has been accessed and read, which is returned in response to actuation of the program information from said destination terminal; and

a storing means for storing a result of transmission of the transmitted mail message prepared by said preparing means as information that the transmitted mail message has been accessed and read when it is judged by said judging means that the transmitted mail message is an acknowledgement that the transmitted mail message has been accessed and read;

wherein each said terminal returns a response according to the program information actuated when the main body of said received mail message transmitted thereto is accessed and read when the transmitted mail message transmitted from said transmitting means is received from an electronic mail server, from among said plurality of network electronic mail servers, to which the destination terminal is connected.

9. An electronic mail system comprising a distributed type of network, a plurality of networked electronic mail servers connected to said distributed type of network, and a plurality of terminals connected to said plurality of networked electronic mail servers;

wherein said each electronic mail server comprises;

a setting means for setting, when a submitted mail is received from one of the terminals connected thereto, identification information for identifying the submitted mail message as an object for transmission;

a preparing means for preparing a transmitted mail message according to said submitted mail message, the identification information set by said setting means, and program information actuated to return a mail message including an acknowledgement that the transmitted mail message has been accessed and read and said identification information to a networked electronic mail server when a main body of the transmitted mail message is accessed and read at a destination terminal;

a return mail program generating means for generating the program information based on said identification information;

a transmitting means for transmitting the transmitted mail message prepared by said preparing means to an electronic mail server, from among said plurality of networked electronic mail servers, to which said destination terminal is connected;

a judging means for judging whether or not a mail message received after said transmitted mail message is transmitted by said transmitting means comprises information that the transmitted mail message has been accessed and read, said received mail message returned in response to actuation of said program information from said destination terminal;

an extracting means for extracting the identification information set by said setting means from said received mail message when it is judged by said judging means that the received mail is an acknowledgement that the transmitted mail message has been accessed and read; and

a storing means for storing a result of a transmission of the transmitted mail message prepared by said preparing means and corresponding to the identification information extracted by said extracting means as information that the transmitted mail message has been accessed and read;

wherein each said terminal returns a response according to the program information actuated when the main body of said transmitted mail message transmitted thereto is accessed and read when a transmitted mail message transmitted by said transmitting means is received from the electronic mail server, of said plurality of networked electronic mail servers, to which the terminal is connected.

10. An electronic mail system comprising a distributed type of network, a plurality of electronic mail servers connected to said distributed type of network, and a plurality of terminals connected to said plurality of electronic mail servers;

wherein said each electronic mail server comprises;

a setting means for setting, when a submitted mail message is received from one of the terminals connected thereto, identification information for identifying the submitted mail message as an object for transmission;

a storing/managing means for storing therein and managing the identification information set by said setting means in correspondence to said submitted mail message and access information indicating that a main body of the submitted mail message has not been accessed nor read at a destination terminal;

a preparing means for preparing a transmitted mail message according to said submitted mail message, the identification information set by said setting means, and program information actuated to return by mail an access acknowledgement and said identification information to the server when the main body of the transmitted mail message is accessed and read at a destination terminal;

a return mail program generating means for generating the program information based on said identification information;

a transmitting means for transmitting the transmitted mail message prepared by said preparing means to an electronic mail server, of said plurality of electronic mail servers, to which said destination terminal is connected;

a judging means for judging whether or not a mail message received after said transmitted mail message is transmitted by said transmitting means is an access acknowledgement returned in response to actuation of said program information from said destination terminal;

an extracting means for extracting identification information set by said setting means from said received mail message it is judged by said judging means that the received mail message is an acknowledgement that the transmitted mail message has been accessed and read; and

a changing means for changing access information for a mail message including the identification information extracted by said extracting means from among mail message stored in and managed by said storing/managing means to an accessed state;

wherein each said terminal returns a response according to the program information actuated when the main body of the transmitted mail message is accessed and read when said transmitted mail message transmitted from said transmitting means is received from the electronic mail server, of said a plurality of electronic mail servers, to which the terminal is connected.

11. An electronic mail access acknowledging method applied to an electronic mail system comprising a distributed type of network, a plurality of networked electronic mail servers connected to said distributed type of network, and a plurality of terminals connected to said plurality of networked electronic mail servers, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a submitted mail message at a transmitting electronic mail server of said plurality of networked electronic mail servers from one of the terminals connected thereto;

preparing a transmitted mail message, according to the submitted mail message as an object for transmission and to program information actuated to return, when a main body of the transmitted mail message is accessed and read at a destination terminal, an acknowledgement by mail of the access to the transmitting electronic mail server;

generating the program information at the electronic mail server;

a transmitting step of transmitting the transmitted mail message to a destination electronic mail server, of said plurality of networked electronic mail servers, to which the destination terminal is connected from said transmitting electronic mail server;

receiving a mail message returned according to the program information actuated when the main body of the transmitted mail message is accessed and read when said destination terminal receives the transmitted mail message from said destination electronic mail server; and

storing, as information that the transmitted mail message has already been accessed and read, a result of a transmission of the transmitted mail message according to an access acknowledgement in the returned mail message on said transmitting electronic mail server.

12. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a program causing a computer to execute an electronic mail access acknowledging method applied to an electronic mail system comprising a distributed type of network, a plurality of networked electronic mail servers connected to said distributed type of network, and a plurality of terminals connected to said plurality of networked electronic mail servers, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a submitted mail message at a transmitting electronic mail server of said plurality of networked electronic mail servers from one of the terminals connected thereto;

preparing a transmitted mail message, according to the submitted mail message as an object for transmission and to program information actuated to return, when a main body of the transmitted mail message is accessed and read at a destination terminal, an acknowledgement by mail of the access to the transmitting electronic mail server;

generating the program information at the electronic mail server;

a transmitting step of transmitting the transmitted mail message to a destination electronic mail server, of said plurality of networked electronic mail servers, to which the destination terminal is connected from said transmitting electronic mail server;

receiving a mail message returned according to the program information actuated when the main body of the transmitted mail message is accessed and read when said destination terminal receives the transmitted mail message from said destination electronic mail server; and

storing, as information that the transmitted mail message has already been accessed and read, a result of a transmission of the transmitted mail message according to an access acknowledgement in the returned mail message on said transmitting electronic mail server.

13. An electronic mail access acknowledging method applied to an electronic mail system comprising a distributed type of network, a plurality of networked electronic mail servers connected to said distributed type of network, and a plurality of terminals connected to said plurality of networked electronic mail servers, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a submitted mail message at a transmitting electronic mail server of said plurality of networked electronic mail servers from one of the terminals connected thereto;

setting identification information for identifying the submitted mail message as an object for transmission on said transmitting electronic mail server;

preparing a transmitted mail message, on said transmitting electronic mail server, according to said submitted mail message, the identification information, and program information actuated to return a mail message including an acknowledgement of the access and said identification information to the transmitting electronic mail server when the main body of the transmitted mail message is accessed and read at a destination terminal;

generating the program information at the electronic mail server based on the identification information;

transmitting the transmitted mail message to a destination electronic mail server, of said plurality of networked electronic mail servers, to which said destination terminal is connected from said transmitting electronic mail server;

receiving a returned mail message, when said destination terminal receives the transmitted mail message from said electronic mail server as a destination for transmission according to program information actuated when the mail body of the transmitted mail message is accessed and read;

extracting the identification information from the returned mail message according to an access acknowledgement in the returned mail on the transmitting electronic mail server; and

storing, as information that the transmitted mail message has already been accessed and read, a result of a transmission of the transmitted mail message in correspondence to the identification information on said transmitting electronic mail server.

14. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a program causing a computer to execute an electronic mail access acknowledging method applied to an electronic mail system comprising a distributed type of network, a plurality of networked electronic mail servers connected to said distributed type of network, and a plurality of terminals connected to said plurality of networked electronic mail servers, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a submitted mail message at a transmitting electronic mail server of said plurality of networked electronic mail servers from one of the terminals connected thereto;

setting identification information for identifying the submitted mail message as an object for transmission on said transmitting electronic mail server;

preparing a transmitted mail message, on said transmitting electronic mail server, according to said submitted mail message, the identification information, and program information actuated to return a mail message including an acknowledgement of the access and said identification information to the transmitting electronic mail server when the main body of the transmitted mail message is accessed and read at a destination terminal;

generating the program information at the electronic mail server based on the identification information;

transmitting the transmitted mail message to a destination electronic mail server, of said plurality of networked electronic mail servers, to which said destination terminal is connected from said transmitting electronic mail server;

receiving a returned mail message, when said destination terminal receives the transmitted mail message from said electronic mail server as a destination for transmission according to program information actuated when the mail body of the transmitted mail message is accessed and read;

extracting the identification information from the returned mail message according to an access acknowledgement in the returned mail on the transmitting electronic mail server; and

storing, as information that the transmitted mail message has already been accessed and read, a result of a transmission of the transmitted mail message in correspondence to the identification information on said transmitting electronic mail server.

15. An electronic mail access acknowledging method applied to an electronic mail system comprising a distributed type of network, a plurality of networked electronic mail servers connected to said distributed type of network, and a plurality of terminals connected to said plurality of networked electronic mail servers, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a submitted mail message at a transmitting electronic mail server of said plurality of networked electronic mail servers from one of the terminals connected thereto;

setting identification information for identifying said submitted mail as an object for transmission on said transmitting electronic mail server;

storing and managing the identification information in correspondence to said submitted mail message and access information indicating that a main body of said submitted mail message has not been accessed nor read at a destination terminal on a memory previously prepared on said transmitting electronic mail server;

preparing a transmitted mail message according to submitted said mail message, the identification information, and program information actuated to return a mail message including an access acknowledgement and said identification information to the transmitting electronic mail server when the main body of the transmitted mail message is accessed and read at said destination terminal;

generating the program information at the electronic mail server based on the identification information;

transmitting the transmitted mail message to a destination electronic mail server, of said plurality of networked electronic mail serves, to which the destination terminal is connected from said transmitting electronic mail server;

returning, when said destination terminal receives the transmitted mail message from said destination electronic mail server, said returned mail message according to the program information actuated when the main body of the transmitted mail message is accessed and read;

extracting the identification information from the returned mail message according to the access acknowledgement in the returned mail message on said transmitting electronic mail server; and

changing the access information for a mail message having therein the extracted identification information, of mail messages stored and managed on said memory, to the information indicating that the mail message has been accessed and read on said transmitting electronic mail server.

16. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a program causing a computer to execute an electronic mail access acknowledging method applied to an electronic mail system comprising a distributed type of network, a plurality of networked electronic mail servers connected to said distributed type of network, and a plurality of terminals connected to said plurality of networked electronic mail servers, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a submitted mail message at a transmitting electronic mail server of said plurality of networked electronic mail servers from one of the terminals connected thereto;

setting identification information for identifying said submitted mail as an object for transmission on said transmitting electronic mail server;

storing and managing the identification information in correspondence to said submitted mail message and access information indicating that a main body of said submitted mail message has not been accessed nor read at a destination terminal on a memory previously prepared on said transmitting electronic mail server;

preparing a transmitted mail message according to submitted said mail message, the identification information, and program information actuated to return a mail message including an access acknowledgement and said identification information to the transmitting electronic mail server when the main body of the transmitted mail message is accessed and read at said destination terminal;

generating the program information at the electronic mail server based on the identification information;

transmitting the transmitted mail message to a destination electronic mail server, of said plurality of networked electronic mail serves, to which the destination terminal is connected from said transmitting electronic mail server;

returning, when said destination terminal receives the transmitted mail message from said destination electronic mail server, said returned mail message according to the program information actuated when the main body of the transmitted mail message is accessed and read;

extracting the identification information from the returned mail message according to the access acknowledgement in the returned mail message on said transmitting electronic mail server; and

changing the access information for a mail message having therein the extracted identification information, of mail messages stored and managed on said memory, to the information indicating that the mail message has been accessed and read on said transmitting electronic mail server.