Method of composing electronic mail in which mail expressions corresponding to a category attribute of an electronic mail ID of the destination are inserted into the outgoing electronic mail

• US 6,560,638 B1
• Filed: 11/04/1999
• Issued: 05/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Haneda, Isamu, Kaneda, Toshitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Assistant Examiner(s): Willett, Stephan
• Application Number:
  US09/434,006
• Time in Patent Office: 1,279 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/245, 709/246, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A method of composing an electronic mail so that an expression appropriate for a receiver of the electronic mail can be included in the contents of the outgoing electronic mail. The method includes the steps of setting an electronic mail ID of the of receiver in the outgoing electronic mail and inserting a mail expression corresponding to a category attribute of the electronic mail ID of the receiver into the body of the outgoing electronic mail.

Claims

1. A method of composing an electronic mail which is employed in an electronic mail composing device including:

a memory which stores an electronic mail ID of a destination, a category attribute of said electronic mail ID, mail expressions grouped according to said category attribute, and an incoming electronic mail;

an input/output unit which receives an operational instruction from a user; and

a central control unit which composes an outgoing electronic mail following the operational instruction of said input/output unit, the method of composing an electronic mail comprising the steps of;

setting by said central control unit an electronic mail ID of a destination in said outgoing electronic mail following the operational instruction of said input/output unit; and

inserting by said central control unit a mail expression corresponding to a category attribute of the electronic mail ID of said destination stored in said memory into a body of said outgoing electronic mail following the operational instruction of said input/output unit.

2. The method of composing an electronic mail according to claim 1, wherein

said step of setting the electronic mail ID of said destination includes the step of setting by said central control unit an electronic mail ID of a source of said incoming electronic mail stored in said memory in said outgoing electronic mail as the electronic mail ID of said destination following the operational instruction of said input/output unit, and

said step of inserting said mail expression into the body of said outgoing electronic mail includes the step of determining by said central control unit whether or not the electronic mail ID of said destination is registered in said memory to insert said mail expression corresponding to the category attribute of the electronic mail ID of said destination into the body of said outgoing electronic mail if said electronic mail ID of the destination is registered in said memory.

3. The method of composing an electric electronic mail according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

allowing a sender by said central control unit to select whether or not contents of said incoming electronic mail are quoted; and

quoting by said central control unit contents of said incoming electronic mail stored in said memory in contents of said outgoing electronic mail if said central control unit receives an operational instruction from said input/output unit to quote contents of said incoming electronic mail.

4. The method of composing an electric electronic mail according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

allowing a sender by said central control unit to select said category attribute of said electronic mail ID;

allowing the sender by central control unit to compose a mail expression according to said selected category attribute; and

storing by said central control unit said mail expression composed by the sender in said memory together with said category attribute.

5. The method of composing an electronic mail according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

allowing a sender by said central control unit to select said category attribute of said electronic mail ID;

allowing the sender by said control unit to compose a mail expression according to said selected category attribute; and

storing by said central unit said mail expression composed by the sender in said memory together with said category attribute.

6. The method of composing an electronic mail according to claim 1, wherein

said step of inserting said mail expression into the body of said outgoing electronic mail includes the steps of:

determining by said central control unit whether there is one type of mail expression or are a plurality of types of mail expressions corresponding to said category attribute stored in said memory; and

inserting by central control unit said mail expressions corresponding into the body of said outgoing electronic mail if there is one type of mail expression corresponding to said category attribute, and if there are a plurality of types of mail expressions corresponding to said category attribute, allowing the sender by said central control unit to select one of said plurality of types of mail expressions to insert by said central control unit said mail expression selected by the sender via input/output unit which is stored in said memory into the body of said outgoing electronic mail.

7. The method of composing an electronic mail according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

allowing a sender by said central control unit to select said category attribute of said electronic mail ID;

allowing the sender by said central control unit to compose a mail expression according to said selected category attribute; and

storing by said central control unit said mail expression composed by the sender in said memory together with said category attribute.

8. The method of composing an electronic mail according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

allowing a sender by said central control unit to select said category attribute of said electronic mail ID;

allowing the sender by said central control unit to compose a mail expression according to said selected category attribute; and

storing by said central control unit said mail expression composed by the sender in said memory together with said category attribute.

9. A computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded an electronic mail composing program in order to have a computer execute a method of composing an electronic mail,

said computer including a memory which stores an electronic mail ID of a destination, a category attribute of said electronic mail ID, mail expressions grouped according to said category attribute, and an incoming electronic mail, and

said method of composing an electronic mail including the steps of;

setting an electronic mail ID of a destination in an outgoing electronic mail; and

inserting a mail expression corresponding to the category attribute of the electronic mail ID of said destination which is stored in said memory into a body of said outgoing electronic mail.

10. The computer-readable recording medium acccording to claim 9, wherein

said step of setting the electronic mail ID of said destination includes the step of setting an electronic mail ID of a source of said incoming electronic mail stored in said memory in said outgoing electronic mail as the electronic mail ID of said destination, and

said step of inserting said mail expression into the body of said outgoing outgoing electronic mail includes the steps of determining whether or not the electronic mail ID of said destination is registered in said memory to insert, if the electronic mail ID of said destination is registered in said memory, said mail expression corresponding to the category attribute of the electronic mail ID of said destination into the body of said outgoing electronic mail.

11. The computer-readable recording according to claim 10, wherein

said method of composing an electronic mail further includes the steps of:

allowing a sender to select whether or not contents of said incoming electronic mail are quoted; and

quoting the contents of said incoming electronic mail stored in said memory in contents of said outgoing electronic mail if an operational instruction to quote contents of said incoming electronic mail is issued.

12. The computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein

said method of composing an electronic mail further includes the steps of:

allowing a sender to select said category attribute of said electronic mail ID;

allowing the sender to compose a mail expression according to said selected category attribute; and

storing said mail expression composed by the sender in said memory together with said category attribute.

13. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 10, wherein

said method of composing an electronic mail further includes the steps of:

allowing a sender to select said category attribute of said electronic mail ID;

allowing the sender to compose a mail expression according to said selected category attribute; and

storing said mail expression composed by the sender in said memory together with said category attribute.

14. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 9, wherein

said step of inserting said mail expression into the body of said outgoing electronic mail includes the steps of:

determining whether there is one type of mail expression or a plurality of types of mail expressions corresponding to said category attribute stored in said memory; and

inserting, if there is one type of mail expression corresponding to said category attribute, said mail expression into the body of said outgoing electronic mail, and allowing, if there are a plurality of types of mail expressions corresponding to said category attribute, a sender to select one of said plurality of types of mail expressions to insert the selected mail expression stored in said memory into the body of said outgoing electronic mail.

15. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 14, wherein

said method of composing an electronic mail further includes the steps of:

allowing a sender to select said category attribute of said electronic mail ID;

allowing the sender to compose a mail expression according to said selected category attribute; and

storing said mail expression composed by the user in said memory together with said category attribute.

16. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 9, wherein

said method of composing an electronic mail further includes the steps of:

allowing a sender to select said category attribute of said electronic mail ID;

allowing the sender to compose a mail expression according to said selected category attribute; and

storing said mail expression composed by the sender in said memory together