Electronic mail apparatus and computer readable record medium having electronic mail program recorded thereon

• US 6,453,338 B1
• Filed: 06/15/1998
• Issued: 09/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Shiono, Taku
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLETT, STEPHAN F
• Application Number:
  US09/094,556
• Time in Patent Office: 1,555 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 709/246, 709/247, 707/532, 379/100.08, 379/93.24, 714/20, 714/21, 714/26, 714/30, 714/39, 714/42
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Previous to the sending of an electronic mail, an attached file verifying unit retrieves a mail text to retrieve the presence or absence of an attachment representation indicative of the existence of an attached file, and if the attached representation has been retrieved, it issues for display a warning message urging the sender to verify the forget-to-attach. Furthermore, the attached file verifying unit compares the estimated number of attached files based on a number of attached files representation in the mail text with the actual number of attached files existing in the electronic mail, and if the actual number of the attached files is less than the estimated number of the attached files, it issues a warning message indicative of a lack of the attached files. In addition, the attached file verifying unit compares a file name in the mail text with a file name in the attached file, and if the two are not coincident with each other, it issues a warning message indicative of attachment of an erroneous file.

Claims

1. An electronic message apparatus for creating and sending an electronic message, comprising:

a checker determining, before sending the electronic message, whether the electronic message has a representation that there should be one or more files attached to the electronic message, based upon said electronic message including a mail control statement including a boundary information define statement, and upon said electronic message including boundary information and mail text; and

a display controller displaying a warning message in a first window if the status of files actually attached to the electronic message contradicts the representation determined by the checker, wherein the electronic message apparatus checks contradiction between contents of the electronic message and the status of the files attached to the electronic message and displays in a second window a list of files from which a sender selects to attach to the electronic message if there is a contradiction and based upon selection of buttons by the sender.

2. The electronic message apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the representation relates to the presence of one or more attached files.

3. The electronic message apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the representation relates to the number of attached files.

4. The electronic message apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said warning message displayed by the display controller includes whether the number of actually attached files is greater than the number of files in the representation.

5. The electronic message apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the displayed warning message includes whether the number of actually attached files is fewer than the number of files in the representation.

6. The electronic message apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the representation relates to attached file names.

7. The electronic message apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the displayed warning message includes file names which are not actually attached to the electronic message, but are found in the electronic message by the checker.

8. The electronic message apparatus according to claim 1, further including a registration file to register representations that there should be attached files in the electronic message;

and the checker determines by using said registration file.

9. The electronic message apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the registration file includes at least one of words selected from the list:

attached, attachment, enclosed, and enclosure.

10. The electronic message apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the registration file is editable by a user.

11. The electronic message apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the representation includes at least one of words selected from the list:

attached, attachment, enclosed, and enclosure.

12. The electronic message apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the checker is activated when a user clicks an electronic message sending button.

13. The electronic message apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sender sends an electronic message with no files attached using the first window in accordance with the sender'"'"'s option.

14. An electronic message apparatus for creating and sending an electronic message, comprising:

checker means for checking whether the electronic message has a representation that there should be one or more attached files before sending the electronic message based upon said electronic message including a mail control statement including a boundary information define statement, and upon said electronic message including boundary information and mail text; and

display control means for displaying in a first window a warning message if the status of files actually attached to the electronic message contradicts the representation found by the checker means, wherein the electronic message apparatus checks contradiction between contents of the electronic message and the status of the files attached to the electronic message and displays in a second window a list of files from which a sender selects to attach to the electronic message if there is a contradiction and based upon selection of buttons by the sender.

15. A program product recorded on computer readable medium, said program product comprising:

a checker determining whether an electronic message has a representation that there should be one or more attached files before sending the electronic message based upon said electronic message including a mail control statement including a boundary information define statement, and upon said electronic message including boundary information and mail text; and

a display controller displaying a warning message in a first window if the status of files actually attached to the electronic message contradicts the representation found by the checker means, wherein the program product checks contradiction between contents of the electronic message and the status of the files attached to the electronic message and displays in a second window a list of files from which a sender selects to attach to the electronic message if there is a contradiction and based upon selection of buttons by the sender.

16. The program product according to claim 15, wherein the representation relates to the presence of files attached to the electronic message.

17. The program product according to claim 15, wherein the representation relates to the number of attached files.

18. The program product apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the displayed warning message includes whether the number of actually attached files is more than the number of files in the representation.

19. The program product according to claim 17, wherein the displayed warning message includes whether the number of actually attached files is fewer than the number of files in the representation.

20. The program product according to claim 17, wherein the representation relates to attached file names.

21. The program product according to claim 20, wherein the displayed warning message includes file names which have not yet been attached to the electronic message, but are found in the electronic message by the checker means.

22. The program product according to claim 15, further including a registration file to register representations that there should be one or more attached files in the electronic message;

and the checker means checks by using the registration file.

23. The program product according to claim 22, wherein the registration file includes at least one of words selected from the list:

attached, attachment, enclosed, and enclosure.

24. The program product according to claim 15, wherein the representation includes at least one of words selected from the list:

attached, attachment, enclosed, and enclosure.

25. The program product according to claim 15, wherein the registration file is editable by a user.

26. The program product according to claim 15, wherein the checker means is activated when the user clicks an electronic message sending button.

27. A program product recorded on computer readable medium, said program product comprising:

program code checking means for checking whether an electronic message has a representation that there should be one or more attached files before sending the electronic message based upon said electronic message including a mail control statement including a boundary information define statement, and upon said electronic message including boundary information and mail text;

program code display means for displaying a warning message in a first window if the status of files actually attached to the electronic message contradicts the representation found by the program code checking means, wherein the program product checks contradiction between contents of the electronic message and the status of the files attached to the electronic message and displays in a second window a list of files from which a sender selects to attach to the electronic message if there is a contradiction and based upon selection of buttons by the sender.

28. A method for processing an electronic message, comprising:

determining, before sending the electronic message, a representation indicative of whether one or more files should be attached to the electronic message based upon said electronic message including a mail control statement including a boundary information define statement, and upon said electronic message including boundary information and mail text;

verifying the status of any files actually attached to the electronic message; and

displaying a warning message in a first window if the determined representation is not consistent with the verified status, wherein the method checks contradiction between contents of the electronic message and the status of the files attached to the electronic message and displays in a second window a list of files from which a sender selects to attach to the electronic message if there is a contradiction and based upon selection of buttons by the sender.

29. A method for processing an electronic message, comprising:

determining, before sending the electronic message, a representation indicative of the number of files which should be attached to the electronic message based upon said electronic message including a mail control statement including a boundary information define statement, and upon said electronic message including boundary information and mail text;

verifying the number of files actually attached to the electronic message; and

displaying a warning message in a first window if the determined representation is not equal to the verified number, wherein the method checks contradiction between contents of the electronic message and the status of the files attached to the electronic message and displays in a second window a list of files from which a sender selects to attach to the electronic message if there is a contradiction and based upon selection of buttons by the sender.

30. A method for processing an electronic message, comprising:

determining, before sending the electronic message, a representation indicative of the files which should be attached to the electronic message based upon said electronic message including a mail control statement including a boundary information define statement, and upon said electronic message including boundary information and mail text;

verifying the files actually attached to the electronic message; and

displaying a warning message in a first window if the determined representation is not equal to the verified files, wherein the method checks contradiction between contents of the electronic message and the status of the files attached to the electronic message and displays in a second window a list of files from which a sender selects to attach to the electronic message if there is a contradiction and based upon selection of buttons by the sender.