Data converter and terminal contained in network

• US 6,453,340 B1
• Filed: 03/24/1999
• Issued: 09/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Emura, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Benson, Walter
• Application Number:
  US09/275,450
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/217, 709/225, 709/232, 709/250
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression

Abstract

When data which cannot be processed is attached to an E mail routed to a terminal, an alternate URL for specifying the attached data is issued. A browser portion accesses a Web server utilizing the alternate URL. A data converter acquires from a mail server an E mail specified by mail acquiring information constituting a part of the alternate URL. That is, the data converter receives the E mail routed to the terminal in place of the terminal. The data converter specifies the attached data which cannot be processed on the basis of an attaching number in the alternate URL, to convert the attached data into data in a format which can be processed by the terminal. The converted data is transmitted to the terminal through the Web server. The browser portion displays on a display portion the data having the format which can be processed and refers a user to the data. Even if a terminal on the transmission side attaches to the E mail data, generated by application software, which cannot be correctly displayed by a terminal on the receiving side, therefore, the terminal on the receiving side can receive from the data converter data in a format which can be displayed and display the received data.

Claims

1. A data converter contained in a network capable of transmitting and receiving an E mail between a terminal and a mail server wherein the E mail includes data having a format such that the data is undisplayable by the terminal, said data converter comprising:

a receiving portion for receiving mail acquiring information for receiving, from the mail server, the E mail containing the data having the format such that the data is undisplayable by the terminal;

an acquisition portion for acquiring the E mail from the mail server based on the mail acquiring information received by said receiving portion;

a conversion portion for converting the format of the data of the E mail acquired by said acquisition portion into another format such that the data is displayable by the terminal; and

a transmission portion for transmitting to the terminal the data converted by said conversion portion.

2. The data converter according to claim 1, wherein

said conversion portion further converts the format(s) of all data attached to the E mail acquired by said acquisition portion, and generates data representing an index which is related to the data converted by the conversion portion, and

said transmission portion transmits each of the data converted by the conversion portion and the generated data representing the index.

3. The data converter according to claim 1, wherein

said transmission portion transmits the data converted by said conversion portion as an E mail to said terminal.

4. The data converter according to claim 2, wherein

said transmission portion transmits the data converted by said conversion portion as an E mail to said terminal.

5. A terminal, together with a mail server and a data converter, contained in a network for acquiring an E mail from the mail server, wherein the E mail includes data having a format such that the data is undisplayable by said terminal, said terminal comprising:

a mail acquisition portion for acquiring the E mail from said mail server based on previously held mail acquiring information;

an issue portion for issuing an alternate URL (Uniform Resources Locator) including data specifying information for specifying the data included in the E mail and the mail acquiring information;

a transmission/instruction portion for transmitting the alternate URL issued by said issue portion and providing an instruction to said data converter to convert the data specified by the alternate URL, wherein said data converter is operable, based on the instruction, to convert the data specified by the alternate URL into another format such that the data is displayable by said terminal; and

a display portion for receiving the data converted by said data converter into the other format such that the data is displayable by said terminal and displaying the received data.

6. The terminal according to claim 5, wherein

said issue portion issues the alternate URL only to the data which can be converted by said data converter out of the data attached to the E mail acquired by said mail acquisition portion.

7. The terminal according to claim 6, further comprising

a delete portion for deleting the attached data specified by the alternate URL issued by said issue portion.

8. The terminal according to claim 7, wherein

said issue portion issues said alternate URL further including an address assigned to the E mail, and

said transmission/instruction portion transmits the alternate URL issued by said issue portion, converts the format of the data specified by the alternate URL into a predetermined data format, and instructs said data converter to transmit the E mail to which the converted data is attached.

9. The terminal according to claim 8, wherein said issue portion includes temporary mail acquiring information in the alternate URL.

10. The terminal according to claim 7, wherein said issue portion includes temporary mail acquiring information in the alternate URL.

11. The terminal according to claim 6, wherein

said issue portion issues said alternate URL further including an address assigned to the E mail, and

said transmission/instruction portion transmits the alternate URL issued by said issue portion, converts the format of the data specified by the alternate URL into a predetermined data format, and instructs said data converter to transmit the E mail to which the converted data is attached.

12. The terminal according to claim 11, wherein said issue portion includes temporary mail acquiring information in the alternate URL.

13. The terminal according to claim 6, wherein said issue portion includes temporary mail acquiring information in the alternate URL.

14. The terminal according to claim 5, further comprising

a delete portion for deleting the attached data specified by the alternate URL issued by said issue portion.

15. The terminal according to claim 14, wherein

said issue portion issues said alternate URL further including an address assigned to the E mail, and

said transmission/instruction portion transmits the alternate URL issued by said issue portion, converts the format of the data specified by the alternate URL into a predetermined data format, and instructs said data converter to transmit the E mail to which the converted data is attached.

16. The terminal according to claim 15, wherein said issue portion includes temporary mail acquiring information in the alternate URL.

17. The terminal according to claim 14, wherein said issue portion includes temporary mail acquiring information in the alternate URL.

18. The terminal according to claim 5, wherein

said issue portion issues said alternate URL further including an address assigned to the E mail, and

said transmission/instruction portion transmits the alternate URL issued by said issue portion, converts the format of the data specified by the alternate URL into a predetermined data format, and instructs said data converter to transmit the E mail to which the converted data is attached.

19. The terminal according to claim 18, wherein said issue portion includes temporary mail acquiring information in the alternate URL.

20. The terminal according to claim 5, wherein

said issue portion includes temporary mail acquiring information in the alternate URL.