Method and apparatus for processing plural divided e-mails

• US 7,111,046 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2001
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Yuko, Higuchi, Takeshi, Yazaki, Hidetoshi, Tsutsumi, Madoka
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Application Number:
  US10/182,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20030018731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,751 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 455/517, 715/752
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

In accordance with the registration contents of the divided mail table, the control unit determines whether to handle each mail section as one electronic mail or to handle all the interrelated mail sections as one compiled electronic mail and executes a processing in accordance with the determination, when the mail sections are deleted, returned or transferred, after the mail sections are received by a portable phone and stored in the mail memory.

Claims

1. A mail processing method comprising:

storing plural mail sections as interrelated plural mail sections when the plural mail sections are received with an interrelation;

determining, when instructing a transfer of the interrelated plural mail section to a mail client that is incapable of handling long electronic mails, to execute the transfer on a single mail section among the interrelated plural mail sections, and when instructing a transfer of the interrelated plural mail sections to a mail client that is capable of handling long electronic mails, to execute the transfer on all of the interrelated plural mail sections; and

executing the instructed transfer following an outcome of a determination carried out in the determination step.

2. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute:

changing information in a processing table containing information for each one of types of processing indicating whether to execute a processing of the each one of types on a single mail section among interrelated plural mail sections or on all of the interrelated plural mail sections;

storing plural mail sections as interrelated plural mail sections when the plural mail sections are received with an interrelation;

determining, when a processing is instructed on the interrelated plural mail sections, whether to execute the processing on a single mail section among the interrelated plural mail sections or on all of the interrelated plural mail sections, based on information in the processing table for a type of the instructed processing contained; and

executing the instructed processing following an outcome of a determination carried out in the determination step.

3. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute:

storing plural mail sections as interrelated plural mail sections when the plural mail sections are received with an interrelation;

determining, when instructing a transfer of the interrelated plural mail sections to a mail client that is incapable of handling long electronic mails, to execute the transfer on a single mail section among the interrelated plural mail sections, and when instructing a transfer of the interrelated plural mail sections to a mail client that is capable of handling long electronic mails, to execute the transfer on all of the interrelated plural mail sections; and

executing the instructed transfer following an outcome of a determination carried out in the determination step.

4. A mail transmitter-receiver comprising:

storage means for storing interrelated plural mail sections, when a long electronic mail is transmitted after being divided into plural mail sections with an interrelation, and for storing a processing table containing information for each one of types of processing indicating whether to execute a processing of the each one of types on a single mail section among the interrelated plural mail sections or on all of the interrelated plural mail sections;

table change means for changing information in the processing table in accordance with an operation carried out by a user of the mail transmitter-receiver;

determination means for determining, when a processing is instructed for the interrelated plural mail sections, whether to execute the processing on a single mail section among the interrelated plural mail sections or on all of the interrelated plural mail sections, based on information in the processing table for a type of the instructed processing contained; and

execution means for executing the instructed processing following an outcome of a determination carried out by the determination means.

5. The mail transmitter-receiver according to claim 4, wherein the types of processing comprises at least one of deletion, return, and transfer of an electronic mail.

6. A mail transmitter-receiver comprising:

storage means for storing interrelated plural mail sections, when a long electronic mail is transmitted after being divided into plural mail sections with an interrelation;

determination means for determining, when a transfer for the interrelated plural mail sections is instructed to a third mail client incapable of handling long electronic mails, to execute the transfer on a single mail section among the interrelated plural mail sections, and when a transfer for the interrelated plural mail sections is instructed to a third mail client capable of handling long electronic mails, to execute the transfer on all of the interrelated plural mail sections; and

execution means for executing the instructed processing of transfer following an outcome of a determination carried out by the determination means.

7. The mail transmitter-receiver according to claim 6, wherein the determination means determines whether the third mail client is incapable or capable of handling long electronic mails based on format of an address of the mail client.

8. The mail transmitter-receiver according to claim 6, wherein

the storage means stores a processing table containing information for each one of types of processing indicating whether to execute a processing of the each one of types on a single mail section among the interrelated plural mail sections or on all of the interrelated plural mail sections,

the mail transmitter-receiver further comprises table change means for changing information in the processing table in accordance with an operation carried out by a user of the mail transmitter-receiver;

and

the determination means performs the determination when information in the processing table indicates to execute a processing of transfer on all of the interrelated plural mail sections.

9. A mail processing method comprising:

changing information in a processing table containing information for each one of types of processing indicating whether to execute a processing of the each one of types on a single mail section among interrelated plural mail sections or on all of the interrelated plural mail sections;

storing plural mail sections as interrelated plural mail sections when the plural mail sections are received with an interrelation;

determining, when a processing is instructed on the interrelated plural mail sections, whether to execute the processing on a single mail section among the interrelated plural mail sections or on all of the interrelated plural mail sections, based on information in the processing table for a type of the instructed processing contained; and

executing the instructed processing following an outcome of a determination carried out in the determination step.

10. The mail processing method according to claim 9, wherein the types of processing comprise at least one of deletion, return, and transfer of an electronic mail.

11. An electronic mail system for exchanging electronic mails among mail clients including a first mail client capable of handling long electronic mails and a second mail client incapable of handling long electronic mails, comprising:

a mail server for dividing a long electronic mail transmitted from the first mail client and addressed to the second mail client into plural mail sections in accordance with data volume of which the second mail client is capable of handling, and for transmitting the plural mail sections, as interrelated plural mail sections, to the second mail client,

wherein the second mail client comprises;

storage means for storing the interrelated plural mail sections received from the mail server, and for storing a processing table containing information for each one of types of processing indicating whether to execute a processing of the each one of types on a single mail section among the interrelated plural mail sections or on all of the interrelated plural mail sections;

table change means for changing information in the processing table in accordance with an operation carried out by a user of the second mail client;

determination means for determining, when a processing is instructed for the interrelated plural mail sections, whether to execute the processing on a single mail section among the interrelated plural mail sections or on all of the interrelated plural mail sections, based on information in the processing table for a type of the instructed processing contained; and

execution means for executing the instructed processing following an outcome of a determination carried out by the determination means.

12. The electronic mail system according to claim 11, wherein the types of processing comprise at least one of deletion, return, and transfer of the electronic mail.

13. The electronic mail system according to claim 11, wherein

when the second mail client is instructed to return all of the interrelated plural mail sections, the execution means of the second mail client generates plural mail sections composing a return electronic mail addressed to the first mail client, and transmits the generated plural mail sections to the mail server, and

when the mail server receives the plural mail sections of the return electronic mail from the second mail client, the mail server compiles the received plural mail sections into the return electronic mail, and transmits the compiled return electronic mail to the first mail client.

17. The electronic mail system according to any one of claims 11 and 14, wherein

when the second mail client is instructed to transfer all of the interrelated plural mail sections to a third mail client capable of handling long electronic mails, the execution means of the second mail client addresses each of the interrelated plural mail sections to the third mail client and transmits each of the interrelated plural mail sections to the mail server, and

when the mail server receives the interrelated plural mail sections from the second mail client, the mail server compiles the received plural mail sections into an electronic mail and transmits the compiled electronic mail to the third mail client.

18. The electronic mail system according to any one of claims 11 and 14, wherein the second mail client is a portable phone served by a mobile communication network.

19. The electronic mail system according to claim 18, wherein the first mail client is a computer connected to the Internet, which is connected to the mobile communication network.

14. An electronic mail system for exchanging electronic mails among mail clients including a first mail client capable of handling long electronic mails and a second mail client incapable of handling long electronic mails, comprising:

a mail server for dividing a long electronic mail transmitted from the first mail client and addressed to the second mail client into plural mail sections in accordance with data volume of which the second mail client is capable of handling, and for transmitting the plural mail sections, as interrelated plural mail sections, to the second mail client,

wherein the second mail client comprises;

storage means for storing the interrelated plural mail sections received from the mail server,

determination means for determining, when a processing of transfer to a third mail client incapable of handling long electronic mails is instructed for the interrelated plural mail sections, to execute the processing of transfer on a single mail section among the interrelated plural mail sections, and when a processing of transfer to a third mail client capable of handling long electronic mails is instructed for the interrelated plural mail sections, to execute the processing of transfer on all of the interrelated plural mail sections; and

execution means for executing the instructed processing of transfer following an outcome of a determination carried out by the determination means.

15. The electronic mail system according to claim 14, wherein the determination means of the second mail client determines whether the third mail client is incapable or capable of handling long electronic mails based on format of an address of the mail client.

16. The electronic mail system according to claim 14, wherein

the storage means of the second mail client stores a processing table containing information for each one of types of processing indicating whether to execute a processing of the each one of types on a single mail section among the interrelated plural mail sections or on all of the interrelated plural mail sections,

the second mail client further comprises table change means for changing information in the processing table in accordance with an operation carried out by a user of the second mail client;

and

the determination means of the second mail client performs the determination when information in the processing table indicates to execute a processing of transfer on all of the interrelated plural mail sections.