E-mail preparation device, terminal device, information forwarding system, and program recording medium

• US 7,010,533 B1
• Filed: 02/14/2000
• Issued: 03/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kutsumi, Hiroshi, Araki, Shouichi, Miura, Kouji, Imanaka, Takeshi, Tada, Chikako, Ano, Tadashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US09/913,614
• Time in Patent Office: 2,213 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/3, 707/4, 707/5, 707/10, 707/102, 707/1, 709/200, 709/201, 709/206, 709/207
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

An information forwarding system and method including an information input device for inputting search conditions to a remote data base. The remote data base includes a search device for searching the data base based on the search conditions so as to gain search results. The information forwarding system includes an information display for displaying the search results; a selector for selecting one, or more, search results from among the search results; and an output device for sending the designated contents selected by the selector to a separate supply device so as to designate the operation of the separate supply device.

Claims

1. A computer terminal device having a portable body, being operable to access an external database through the use of an external search unit and being operable to output content to an external supply device, the terminal device comprising:

an information input unit operable to input search conditions;

an information display unit operable to display search results which are provided by the external search unit in response to a search of the external database performed using the search conditions input by the information input unit;

a selecting unit operable to select at least one search result from among the search results displayed by the information display unit; and

an information output terminal operable to record and hold designated content corresponding to the at least one search result selected by the selecting unit, and directly send the designated content to the external supply device so as to designate the operation of the external supply device.

2. A computer terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising one of an intranet connection, an internet connection, a wireless connection, an infrared ray connection, a radio wave connection, a public telephone network connection and a removable medium for use to perform communication between said computer terminal device and the external search unit.

3. A computer terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising one of a connection cable, an intranet connection, an internet connection, a wireless connection, an infrared ray connection, a radio wave connection, a public telephone network connection and a removable medium for use to perform communication between said computer terminal device and the external supply device.

4. A computer terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the search is a search based on a feeling or sensibility word, which is an adjective, and feeling or sensibility information, which shows the degree of the feeling or sensibility, while attribution values for carrying out a search based on the feeling or sensibility information are stored in the external data base.

5. A computer terminal device according to any claim 1, wherein the external supply device carries out an operation of supplying a tangible entity.

6. A computer-readable program recording medium storing a program for allowing a computer to implement all of, or a part of, the functions of each component of a computer terminal device according to claim 1.

7. A computer information forwarding system including a first device operable to access a database of a second device though the use of a search unit of the second device and being operable to output content to a third device, said computer information forwarding system comprising:

the first, second and third devices, each of the first, second, and third devices being separate from the other devices;

the first device including;

an information input unit operable to input search conditions by a user;

an information display unit operable to display search results;

a selecting unit operable to select at least one search result provided the second device; and

an information output terminal operable to record and hold designated content corresponding to the at least one search result selected by the selecting unit, and directly send the designated content to the third device;

the second device including;

the database which contains data; and

the search unit operable to search the database using the search conditions provided by the first device; and

the third device including;

a receiving unit operable to receive, directly from the second device, the designated contents held by the first device.

8. A computer information forwarding system according to claim 7, wherein said third device carries out an operation of supplying tangible entity.

9. A computer-readable program recording medium storing a program for allowing a computer to implement all of, or part of, the functions of each component of a computer information forwarding system according to claim 7.

10. A computer information forwarding system according to claim 7, wherein said first device is a terminal device, said second device is a management device, and said third device is a supply device.

11. A computer information forwarding system according to claim 7, further comprising one of an intranet connection, an internet connection, a wireless connection, an infrared ray connection, a radio wave connection, a public telephone network connection and a removable medium for use to perform communication between said first device and said second device.

12. A computer information forwarding system according to claim 7, further comprising one of a connection cable, an intranet connection, an internet connection, a wireless connection, an infrared ray connection, a radio wave connection, a public telephone network connection and a removable medium for use to perform communication between said first device and said third device.

13. A computer information forwarding system according to claim 7, wherein:

said first device has a loading unit operable to load a freely attachable and detachable recording medium;

said first device stores the designated contents in the recording medium; and

the designated contents recorded in said recording medium are read out by said third device, when the recording medium is loaded into said third device, so that the designated contents to be supplied are supplied from said third device.

14. A computer information forwarding system according to claim 7, wherein said information output terminal transmits the designated contents to said third device and said third device supplies the designated contents to be supplied when said first device closely approaches said third device.

15. A computer information forwarding system according to claim 7, wherein:

said first device is freely attachable to and detachable from said third device; and

the designated contents recorded in said first device are read out by said third device, when said first device is mounted in said third device, so that the designated contents to be supplied are supplied from said third device.

16. A computer information forwarding system according to claim 7, wherein said search unit carries out a search based on a feeling or sensibility word, which is an adjective, as well as feeling or sensibility information, which shows the degree of the feeling or sensibility while attribution values for carrying out a search based on the feeling or sensibility information are stored in said data base.