Automatic e-mail transmitting method and mobile terminal apparatus and radio mobile terminal apparatus for the same

• US 6,980,798 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2001
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kido, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Foster, Roland G.
• Application Number:
  US10/011,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20020077081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 4554121-415, 455/466, 455556-557, 709/200, 709/204, 709/206
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

In an e-mail transmitting method, a radio mobile terminal apparatus and a mobile terminal apparatus are connected to establish a communication channel. Transmission scheduled e-mails produced in the mobile terminal apparatus are automatically transmitted from the mobile terminal apparatus to the radio mobile terminal apparatus through the communication channel once the establishment of the communication channel is detected. The transmission scheduled e-mails received from the mobile terminal apparatus are automatically transmitted from the radio mobile terminal apparatus to a mail server through a base station using it'"'"'s radio communication function.

Claims

1. An e-mail transmitting method comprising the steps of:

(a) operatively connecting a radio mobile terminal apparatus and a mobile terminal apparatus to establish a communication channel therebetween, said radio mobile terminal apparatus having a radio communication function;

(b) detecting the establishment of said communication channel between said mobile terminal apparatus and said radio mobile terminal apparatus;

(c) automatically transmitting transmission scheduled e-mails produced in said mobile terminal apparatus, from said mobile terminal apparatus to said radio mobile terminal apparatus through said communication channel in response to the detection of the establishment of said communication channel, wherein said step of automatically transmitting transmission scheduled e-mails produced in said mobile terminal apparatus includes the steps of

transmitting a request signal from said mobile terminal apparatus to said radio mobile terminal appartus in response to the detection of the establishment of said communication channel;

transmitting an acceptance reply from said radio mobile terminal apparatus to said mobile terminal apparatus in response to reception of the request; and

automatically transmitting said transmission scheduled e-mails from said mobile terminal apparatus to said radio mobile terminal apparatus; and

(d) automatically transmitting said transmission scheduled e-mails received from said mobile terminal apparatus, from said radio mobile terminal apparatus to a mail server through a base station using said radio communication function.

2. The e-mail transmitting method according to claim 1, wherein said (a) connecting step comprises the step of:

operatively connecting said radio mobile terminal apparatus and said mobile terminal apparatus by connectors directly or through a cable or with no contact.

3. The e-mail transmitting method according to claim 1, wherein said communication channel is one of a radio channel, an infrared ray channel, a visible light beam channel, a supersonic wave channel.

4. The e-mail transmitting method according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting an acceptance reply from said radio mobile terminal apparatus to said mobile terminal apparatus in response to reception of the request comprises the steps of:

checking whether said radio mobile terminal apparatus is in a service area of said base station; and

transmitting the acceptance reply from said radio mobile terminal apparatus to said mobile terminal apparatus in response to reception of the request, when it is determined that said radio mobile terminal apparatus is in a service area of said base station.

5. The e-mail transmitting method according to claim 4, wherein said transmitting an acceptance reply from said radio mobile terminal apparatus to said mobile terminal apparatus in response to reception of the request further comprises the steps of:

transmitting a refusal replay from said radio mobile terminal apparatus to said mobile terminal apparatus in response to the reception of the request, when it is determined that said radio mobile terminal apparatus is not in a service area of said base station; and

stopping the transmission of said transmission scheduled e-mails from said mobile terminal apparatus to said radio mobile terminal apparatus.

6. The e-mail transmitting method according to claim 1, wherein said (d) automatically transmitting said received transmission scheduled e-mails further comprises the step of:

storing said received transmission scheduled e-mails in said radio mobile terminal apparatus.

7. A mobile terminal apparatus comprising:

a coupling device which operatively connects said mobile terminal apparatus with a radio mobile terminal apparatus such that a communication channel is established between said radio mobile terminal and said mobile terminal apparatus;

a detecting unit which detects the establishment of said communication channel between said radio mobile terminal apparatus and said mobile terminal apparatus;

a first communication section which communicates with said mobile terminal apparatus through said communication channel;

a memory which stores e-mails;

a key operation section which inputs characters; and

a control unit which produces each of e-mails based on characters and storing the produced e-mails in said memory as transmission scheduled e-mails, and automatically reads out said transmission scheduled e-mails from said memory to transmit to said radio mobile terminal apparatus when the establishment of said communication channel is detected by said detecting unit, and a reply to a request is returned from said radio mobile terminal apparatus, said request having been transmitted from said mobile terminal apparatus to said radio mobile terminal apparatus, and wherein said control unit stops the transmission of said transmission scheduled e-mails when the reply is not returned from said radio mobile terminal apparatus.

8. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said communication channel is one of a radio channel, an infrared ray channel, a visible light beam channel, a supersonic wave channel.