Method and system for automatically transferring electronic mail over a communication network

• US 7,603,416 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2001
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Asahi Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kasajima, Yasushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dalencourt; Yves
• Application Number:
  US09/863,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20020178224A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,065 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/218, 709/238, 709/202
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and system for timely transferring electronic mail message over a communication network such as the Internet to a communication terminal to be transferred in accordance with a transfer trigger condition attached to the electronic mail message in advance, the trigger condition being specified by event information such as the movement and the operation of household appliance, living facility or positional information of specific terminal unit or other signals detected on the communication network. According to the present method, an electronic mail message is first sent to a communication server apparatus equipped on a communication network together with the transfer trigger condition, and after registering of the mail message, the communication server apparatus watches the transfer trigger condition and transfers the corresponding mail message of which transfer trigger condition meets a predetermined condition to a communication terminal unit to be transferred when the transfer trigger condition meets the predetermined condition.

Claims

1. A method for automatically transferring an electronic mail over a communication network, executed by an automatic transfer and intermediary communication server apparatus,

wherein said automatic transfer and intermediary communication server apparatus is a home server equipped on an indoor information network connected to said communication network for observing an electronic apparatus connected to said indoor information network,

wherein said method comprises the steps of:

sending from a communication terminal unit to said automatic transfer and intermediary communication server apparatus an electronic mail in which a transfer trigger condition is written together with an address of a destination terminal communication unit to be transferred according to predetermined rules,

said transfer trigger condition including event information about operation and change of said electronic apparatus, and about arrival at a specified place of a mobile electronic apparatus, positional information of which is obtained from a predetermined server apparatus over said communication network,

receiving, registering, and storing at said automatic transfer and intermediary communication server apparatus said electronic mail sent from said communication terminal unit and allocating an individual identification code to said registered electronic mail, and thereafter sending said transfer trigger condition together with said allocated identification code to said electronic apparatus and/or said predetermined server apparatus,

watching at said electronic apparatus said event information and sending an automatic transfer command together with the corresponding allocated identification code to said automatic transfer and intermediary communication server apparatus when said transfer trigger condition has been met due to the operation and the change of said electronic apparatus,

watching at said predetermined server apparatus said event information and sending an automatic transfer command together with the corresponding allocated identification code to said automatic transfer and intermediary communication server apparatus when said transfer trigger condition has met due to arrival at the specified place of said mobile electronic apparatus, and

transferring from said automatic transfer and intermediary communication server apparatus to said destination communication unit the corresponding electronic mail when receiving said automatic transfer command together with said corresponding allocated identification code from said electronic apparatus or said predetermined server apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said transfer trigger condition further includes an expiry date of automatic transferring for said registered electronic mail.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said electronic mail of which expiry date for automatic transferring has expired is transferred to a destination communication terminal unit with the address to be transferred or is erased, when the corresponding expiry date set in said transfer trigger condition expires.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication server apparatus or said automatic transfer and intermediary communication server apparatus sends a transfer completion notice to the communication terminal unit of the sender after completing transfer of the corresponding electronic mail according to said transfer trigger condition.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication server apparatus or said automatic transfer and intermediary communication server apparatus sends a transfer failure notice to the communication terminal unit of the sender when having failed to transfer the corresponding electronic mail to said destination communication terminal unit according to said transfer trigger condition.

6. A system of automatically transferring electronic mail, comprising:

a communication terminal unit for sending an electronic mail in which a transfer trigger condition is written together with an address of a destination communication terminal unit to be transferred according to specific rules, and

an automatic transfer and intermediary communication server apparatus equipped on an indoor information network connected to said communication network,

wherein said transfer trigger condition includes event information about the operation and the change of said electronic apparatus, and about arrival at a specified place of a mobile electronic apparatus, positional information of which is obtained from a predetermined server apparatus over said communication network,

wherein said automatic transfer and intermediary communication server apparatus is a home server for observing an electronic apparatus connected to said indoor information network, and receives and registers said electronic mail, and allocates an individual identification code to said electronic mail as registered, and then sends said transfer trigger condition together with said allocated identification code to said electronic apparatus,

wherein said electronic apparatus watches said electronic apparatus and sends an automatic transfer command together with said allocated identification code to said automatic transfer and intermediary communication server apparatus when said transfer trigger condition has been met, due to the operation and the change of said electronic apparatus,

wherein said predetermined server apparatus watches said electronic apparatus and sends an automatic transfer command together with said allocated identification code to said automatic transfer and intermediary communication server apparatus when said transfer trigger condition has met due to arrival at a specified place of said mobile electronic apparatus, and

wherein said automatic transfer and intermediary communication server apparatus transfers to said destination communication unit the corresponding electronic mail when receiving said automatic transfer command together with said corresponding allocated identification code from said electronic apparatus and/or said predetermined communication server.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein a media file including at least either one of audio information, and image information is attached to said electronic mail and said destination communication terminal unit with the address to be transferred is either a TV set or telephone set connected to said indoor information network system, and

said communication server apparatus or said automatic transfer and intermediary communication server apparatus automatically opens said media file to output the contents of said media file into said communication terminal unit with the address to be transferred, on transferring said electronic mail when said transfer trigger condition is met.

8. A communication server apparatus for information service equipped on a communication network,

wherein said communication server apparatus for information service is a home server equipped on an indoor information network connected to said communication network for observing household appliances or facility connected to said indoor network, and comprises;

means for receiving and registering an electronic mail in which a transfer trigger condition is written together with an address of said destination communication terminal unit to be transferred according to predetermined rules,

said transfer trigger condition including event information about operation and change of said household appliances or facility, and about arrival at a specified place of a mobile electronic apparatus, positional information of which is obtained from a predetermined communication server over said communication network,

means for watching said electronic apparatus and said mobile electronic apparatus after registration of said electronic mail and for transferring corresponding electronic mail whose transfer trigger condition meets to said destination communication terminal unit, when said transfer trigger condition has met due to the operation and the change of said household appliances or facility, or arrival at a specified place of said mobile electronic apparatus, and

means for enabling a communication terminal unit to download a specific template in which said transfer trigger condition is rewritable together with said address of said destination communication terminal unit to be transferred, when said communication terminal unit accesses to said communication server apparatus for information service.