Communication system having common e-mail address for plurality of devices
First Claim
1. An electronic device comprising:
- a first determination system that, upon receiving an e-mail message thatincludes e-mail addresses and contents other than the e-mail addresses, determines whether an e-mail address of the e-mail message transmitted to a mail server coincides with a predetermined common e-mail address, the predetermined common e-mail address being commonly assigned to and shared by a plurality of the electronic devices;
a second determination system that determines whether the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address is directed to the electronic device to which said second determination system belongs in accordance with the contents of the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address; and
a processing system that executes a procedure corresponding to the e-mail message when said second determination system determines that the e-mail message is directed to the electronic device to which said second determination system belongs,wherein the plurality of electronic devices are part of a communication system having the mail server and the plurality of electronic devices connected with a network,wherein the e-mail message has attached data to be processed, and [wherein processing of the attached data including printing of the attached data,wherein each of said plurality of electronic devices has a data type obtaining system that obtains a data type of the attached data from the contents of the e-mail message, and wherein said second determination system determines whether the e-mail message is directed to the electronic device to which said second determination system belongs based on whether the attached data can be processed by said electronic device.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a communication system, a mail server and a plurality of electronic devices, which are connected with a network, are provided. A predetermined e-mail address is assigned to the plurality of electronic devices. Each of the plurality of electronic devices includes a first determination system that determines whether an e-mail address of an e-mail message transmitted to the mail server coincides with the predetermined e-mail address, a second determination system that determines, whether the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined e-mail address is directed to the electronic device to which the second determination system belongs in accordance with contents of the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined e-mail address, and a processing system that executes a procedure corresponding to the e-mail message when the second determination system determines that the e-mail message is directed to the electronic device to which the second determination system belongs.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An electronic device comprising:
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a first determination system that, upon receiving an e-mail message that includes e-mail addresses and contents other than the e-mail addresses, determines whether an e-mail address of the e-mail message transmitted to a mail server coincides with a predetermined common e-mail address, the predetermined common e-mail address being commonly assigned to and shared by a plurality of the electronic devices; a second determination system that determines whether the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address is directed to the electronic device to which said second determination system belongs in accordance with the contents of the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address; and a processing system that executes a procedure corresponding to the e-mail message when said second determination system determines that the e-mail message is directed to the electronic device to which said second determination system belongs, wherein the plurality of electronic devices are part of a communication system having the mail server and the plurality of electronic devices connected with a network, wherein the e-mail message has attached data to be processed, and [wherein processing of the attached data including printing of the attached data, wherein each of said plurality of electronic devices has a data type obtaining system that obtains a data type of the attached data from the contents of the e-mail message, and wherein said second determination system determines whether the e-mail message is directed to the electronic device to which said second determination system belongs based on whether the attached data can be processed by said electronic device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 18, 19, 20)
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5. An electronic device comprising:
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a first determination system that, upon receiving an e-mail message that includes e-mail addresses and contents other than the e-mail addresses, determines whether an e-mail address of the e-mail message transmitted to a mail server coincides with a predetermined common e-mail address, the predetermined common e-mail address being commonly assigned to and shared by a plurality of the electronic devices; a second determination system that determines whether the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address is directed to the electronic device to which said second determination system belongs in accordance with the contents of the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address; and a processing system that executes a procedure corresponding to the e-mail message when said second determination system determines that the e-mail message is directed to the electronic device to which said second determination system belongs, wherein the plurality of electronic devices are part of a communication system having the mail server and the plurality of electronic devices connected with a network, wherein the procedure executed by said processing system includes creation and transmission of a replying e-mail message replying to the e-mail message, wherein the e-mail message contains a request for a status of the electronic device, and wherein the replying e-mail message contains a status of the electronic device to which the processing system belongs, wherein the e-mail message has attached data to be processed, wherein each of said plurality of electronic devices has a data type obtaining system that obtains a data type of the attached data from the contents of the e-mail message; and wherein said second determination system determines whether the e-mail message is directed to the electronic device to which said second determination system belongs based on whether the attached data can be processed by said electronic device.
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6. An electronic device comprising:
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a first determination system that, upon receiving an e-mail message that includes e-mail addresses and contents other than the e-mail addresses, determines whether an e-mail address of the e-mail message transmitted to a mail server coincides with a predetermined common e-mail address, the predetermined common e-mail address being commonly assigned to and shared by the electronic device and at least one terminal device; a second determination system that determines whether the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address is directed to one of the electronic device and said at least one terminal device in accordance with the contents of the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address; and a processing system that executes a procedure corresponding to the e-mail message when said second determination system determines that the e-mail message is directed to one of said electronic device and said at least one terminal device, wherein the electronic device is part of a communication system having the mail server, the electronic device and the at least one terminal device, and the at least one terminal device is managed by said electronic device, wherein the procedure executed by said processing system includes creation and transmission of a replying e-mail message replying to the e-mail message, wherein the e-mail message contains a request for the status of a designated device, and wherein a replying e-mail message contains the status of the designated device, wherein the e-mail message has attached data to be processed, wherein each of said electronic device and said at least one terminal device has a data type obtaining system that obtains a data type of the attached data from the contents of the e-mail message, and wherein said second determination system determines whether the e-mail message is directed to the electronic device or said at least one terminal device based on whether the attached data can be processed by said electronic device or the at least one terminal device. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An electronic device comprising:
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a first determination system that, upon receiving an e-mail message that includes e-mail addresses and contents other than the e-mail addresses, determines whether an e-mail address of the e-mail message transmitted to a mail server coincides with a predetermined common e-mail address, the predetermined common e-mail address being commonly assigned to and shared by a plurality of electronic devices; a second determination system that determines whether the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address is directed to said electronic device in accordance with the contents of the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address; and a processing system that executes a procedure corresponding to the e-mail message when said second determination system determines that the e-mail message is directed to said electronic device, wherein the electronic device is part of a communication system having a mail server and a plurality of electronic devices that are connected with a network, and the electronic device is one of the plurality of electronic devices, wherein the e-mail message has attached data to be processed, and wherein processing of the attached data including printing of the attached data, wherein each of said plurality of electronic devices has a data type obtaining system that obtains a data type of the attached data from the contents of the e-mail message, and wherein said second determination system determines whether the e-mail message is directed to the electronic device based on whether the attached data can be processed by said electronic device.
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12. A computer for a communication system, said computer comprising:
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an e-mail creating system that creates an e-mail message that includes e-mail addresses and contents other than the e-mail addresses, the e-mail message being addressed to a common e-mail addressed which is commonly used by a plurality of electronic devices, the predetermined common e-mail address being commonly assigned to and shared by the plurality of electronic devices; an electronic device selecting system that enables an operator of said computer to select at least one of said plurality of electronic devices, information indicative of the selected one of said plurality of electronic devices being inserted in the e-mail message; and an information designating system that enables the operator to designate information to be obtained from the selected at least one of the plurality of electronic devices, information indicative of the designated information being inserted in the e-mail message, the communication system being configured such that only the designated at least one of the plurality of electronic device processes the contents of the e-mail message, the e-mail message being transmitted to a mail server, wherein the mail server and the plurality of electronic devices are connected with a network and said computer is connected with the mail server, wherein the e-mail message has attached data to be processed, wherein each of said plurality of electronic devices has a data type obtaining system that obtains a data type of the attached data from the contents of the e-mail message, and wherein the e-mail message is determined to be directed to the one of the plurality of electronic devices based on whether the attached data can be processed by the one of the plurality of electronic devices. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A computer readable non-transitory storage medium having embedded thereon a computer program product, the computer program product comprising the instructions of:
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determining, upon receiving an e-mail message that includes e-mail addresses and contents other than the e-mail addresses, whether an e-mail address of the e-mail message transmitted to a mail server coincides with a predetermined common e-mail address, the predetermined common e-mail address being commonly assigned to and shared by a plurality of electronic devices; determining whether the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address is directed to the electronic device of the plurality of electronic devices in accordance with the contents of the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address; and executing a procedure corresponding to the e-mail message when it is determined that the e-mail message is directed to the electronic device, wherein the computer program product controls a computer to function as the electronic device which is part of a communication system having a mail server and the plurality of electronic devices which are connected with a network, and the electronic device is one of the plurality of electronic devices, wherein the e-mail message has attached data to be processed, wherein each of said plurality of electronic devices has a data type obtaining system that obtains a data type of the attached data from the contents of the e-mail message, and wherein the e-mail message is determined to be directed to the electronic device based on whether the attached data can be processed by said electronic device.
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17. A computer readable non-transitory storage medium having embedded thereon a computer program product, the computer program product comprising the instructions of:
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determining, upon receiving an e-mail message that includes e-mail addresses and contents other than the e-mail addresses, whether an e-mail address of the e-mail message transmitted to a mail server coincides with a predetermined common e-mail address, the predetermined common e-mail address being commonly assigned to and shared by an electronic device and at least one terminal device; determining whether the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address is directed to one of the electronic device and the at least one terminal device in accordance with the contents of the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address; and executing a procedure corresponding to the e-mail message when it is determined that the e-mail message is directed to one of the electronic device and the at least one terminal device, wherein the computer program controls a computer to function as the electronic device for a communication system having the mail server, the electronic device and the at least one terminal device, and the at least one terminal device is managed by the electronic device, wherein the e-mail message has attached data to be processed, and [wherein processing of the attached data including printing of the attached data, wherein each of said electronic device and said at least one terminal device has a data type obtaining system that obtains a data type of the attached data from the contents of the e-mail message, and wherein the e-mail message is determined to be directed to the electronic device or said at least one terminal device based on whether the attached data can be processed by said electronic device or the at least one terminal device.
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Specification