Electronic mail communication apparatus and recording medium

• US 6,760,753 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2000
• Issued: 07/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ohgushi, Nobuo, Bandoh, Chikayasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US09/538,739
• Time in Patent Office: 1,559 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/224, 713/502
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail

Abstract

Analysis information and event information to be executed when received E-mail corresponds to the analysis information are stored correspondingly. When the E-mail corresponding with the analysis information is received, the corresponding event is driven. Alternatively, the information specifying execution timing is added to the event information and, thereby, when the E-mail corresponding to the analysis information is received, the corresponding event information is defined as a monitoring object. When the execution timing specified in the execution timing information occurs, the event is driven.

Claims

1. An E-mail communication method, comprising:

transmitting an E-mail;

automatically determining whether a reply to the E-mail has been received; and

automatically transmitting a reply demand after a predetermined time limit has expired if no reply to the E-mail is received,

wherein a transmission address of the E-mail is used as a transmission address of the reply demand if the transmission address of the reply demand is not previously stored.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein if the reply is received, a thank-you E-mail is transmitted to the transmission address of the E-mail.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a transmission address of the reply demand is previously stored in a mailing list used to generate the E-mail.

4. An E-mail communication apparatus comprising:

E-mail receiver connected to a communication line receiving E-mail from the communication line;

a storage device storing analysis information, which is information for analyzing a content of the received E-mail, and event information, corresponding to the analysis information, to be driven when the received E-mail corresponds to the analysis information;

an E-mail analyzer analyzing the content of E-mail received by said E-mail receiver based on the analysis information stored in said storage device;

an event driver reading from said storage device, when an E-mail received by said E-mail analyzer corresponds to the analysis information, the event information corresponding to the analysis information, and driving the event based on the event information; and

an E-mail transmitter connected to the communication line to transmit E-mail using the communication line, wherein the event stored in said storage device which includes an E-mail transmission event including information designating a transmission destination address and a file name containing text of the E-mail and said E-mail transmitter reads, as the text of E-mail, the file corresponding to the file name during execution of the E-mail transmission event transmitting the E-mail to the transmission destination address.

5. An E-mail communication apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the E-mail transmission event information includes a file name for an attached file and said E-mail transmitter transmits the E-mail by attaching thereto a file corresponding to the attached file name.

6. An E-mail communication apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said E-mail transmitter returns the E-mail using an address of a source of the transmission as the transmission destination address if the transmission destination address is not stored in said storage device.

7. A computer readable recording medium storing a computer program to be read and executed by a computer which is connected to a communication line and includes an E-mail receiver receiving E-mail, comprising:

storing, respectively, analysis information, which is information for analyzing contents of the received E-mail, and event information to be driven when the received E-mail corresponds with the analysis information;

analyzing contents of the E-mail received by the E-mail receiver based on the stored analysis information;

reading the event information corresponding to the stored analysis information when the E-mail received corresponds to the analysis information, and driving an event based on the event information; and

transmitting E-mail using the communication line, wherein the stored event information comprises an E-mail transmission event with information designating a transmission destination address and a file name containing text of the E-mail, and said transmitting E-mail comprises reading, as the text of the E-mail, a file corresponding to the file name during execution of the E-mail transmission event that transmitts the E-mail to the transmission destination address.

8. An E-mail communication apparatus 4, comprising:

an E-mail receiver connected to a communication line receiving E-mail from the communication line;

a storage device storing analysis information, which is information for analyzing a content of the received E-mail, and event information, corresponding to the analysis information, to be driven when the received E-mail corresponds to the analysis information;

an E-mail analyzer analyzing the content of E-mail received by said E-mail receiver based on the analysis information stored in said storage device; and

an event driver reading from said storage device, when an E-mail received by said E-mail analyzer corresponds to the analysis information, the event information corresponding to the analysis information, and driving the event based on the event information,

wherein an event stored in said event information storage device includes a program execution event and the event information of the program execution event includes information designating a program execution path and when the program execution event is executed, the execution path of the program is used to drive the program.

9. An E-mail communication apparatus as claimed in claim 8, further comprising an event information monitor, wherein the event information includes timing information for driving the event and said event information monitor sets, when the E-mail received by said E-mail analyzer corresponds to the stored analysis information, the event information as a monitoring object and instructs said event driver to drive the event based on the event information when the execution timing occurs.

10. An E-mail communication apparatus comprising:

an E-mail receiver connected to a communication line receiving E-mail from the communication line;

a storage device storing analysis information, which is information for analyzing a content of the received E-mail, and event information, corresponding to the analysis information, to be driven when the received E-mail corresponds to the analysis information;

an E-mail analyzer analyzing the content of E-mail received by said E-mail receiver based on the analysis information stored in said storage device;

an event driver reading from said storage device, when an E-mail received by said E-mail analyzer corresponds to the analysis information, the event information corresponding to the analysis information, and driving the event based on the event information;

an event information monitor, wherein the event information includes timing information for driving the event and said event information monitor sets, when the E-mail received by said E-mail analyzer corresponds to the stored analysis information, the event information as a monitoring object and instructs said event driver to drive the event based on the event information when the execution timing occurs; and

a transmission destination address information storage device storing, in correspondence, an event group ID, which sets a relationship between a plurality of events, the transmission destination address, reply date and time information, which indicates a date and time when a reply to the E-mail was received, and reply limit information, which indicates a time limit for receiving the reply, wherein a process is provided for

inputting the reply limit information and respectively storing the reply limit information, transmission destination address and event group ID in said transmission destination address information storage device for storing, in said storage device, the analysis information conditioned upon whether the event group ID is added to the received E-mail and the event information which is driven when an E-mail corresponding to the analysis condition is received, and

registering the event information for transmitting a reply demand E-mail according to the predetermined execution timing to the storage device as the monitoring object of said event information monitor when the reply to the E-mail has not yet been received, wherein

when it is detected that the event group ID is included by analyzing the E-mail with said E-mail analyzer when said E-mail receiver has received the E-mail, the process for setting the event drive process by the event driver and/or the event information as the monitoring object of said event information monitor is executed based on the corresponding event information and the information indicating that the reply has already been transmitted is stored, respectively, for the transmission destination address information, including the event group ID and transmission destination address, which are identical to that of the received E-mail stored in said transmission destination address information storage device, and

when the execution timing of the event for transmitting the reply demand E-mail with said event information monitor is detected, said E-mail transmitter searches said transmission destination address information storage device to read the transmission destination address information in which said event group ID is added but reply-transmitted information has not yet been stored is read, the transmission destination address of the reply demand E-mail is set based on said transmission destination address information and said reply demand E-mail is transmitted based on the event information for the preset transmission destination address.

11. An E-mail communication apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the transmission destination address of the E-mail stored in said transmission destination address information storage device is set as the transmission destination address of the reply demand E-mail.

12. An E-mail communication apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the address for transmitting the reply demand E-mail is stored in said transmission destination address information storage device and said the reply demand E-mail transmission address is set as the transmission destination address of the reply demand E-mail.

13. An E-mail communication apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein when a mailing list is used for the transmission destination address at the time the E-mail is transmitted, the transmission destination information is generated for each address stored in the mailing list and then the transmission destination information is stored in said transmission destination address information storage device.