Method and apparatus for processing plural divided e-mails

• US 20030018731A1
• Filed: 07/30/2002
• Published: 01/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Higuchi, Takeshi, Yazaki, Hidetoshi, Watanabe, Yuko, Tsutsumi, Madoka
• Granted Patent: US 7,111,046 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/207
• 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 Divided Mail Table DMT, control unit 12a 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 Mail Memory MM.

Claims

1. An electronic mail system for electronic mail exchange between a first mail client capable of handling long electronic mails and a second mail client incapable of handling long electronic mails, said electronic mail system comprising a mail server for dividing a long electronic mail transmitted from said first mail client and addressed to said second mail client into plural mail sections in accordance with data volume of which said second mail client is capable and for transmitting said divided, plural electronic mail sections with an interrelation to said second mail client,

wherein, said second mail client comprises:

storage means for storing said transmitted plural mail sections with the interrelation;

determination means for determining whether to execute said processing on a single electronic mail section or to execute said processing on all of said plural mail sections stored with the interrelation in accordance with the instructed processing type, when a processing is instructed for said stored electronic mail sections; and

execution means for executing said processing in accordance with the outcome of a determination carried out by said determination means.

2. The electronic mail system according to claim 1, wherein said processing is at least one of deletion, return and transfer of the electronic mail.

3. The electronic mail system according to claim 1, wherein said determination means further comprises:

a processing table for registering information for each one of said processing types, indicating whether to execute said processing on said single mail section or whether to execute said processing on all of said plural mail sections stored with interrelation at the time of executing said processing on said stored electronic mail sections;

table change means for changing the registration contents of said processing table in accordance with an operation carried out by the user of said second mail client; and

means for performing said determination on the basis of said registration contents of said processing table.

4. The electronic mail system according to claim 1, wherein said mail server compiles plural mail sections for the return from said second mail client into one electronic mail and sends back the compiled electronic mail to the sender of said mail sections, in the instance that the return processing addressed to said first mail client is executed through said execution means on all of said plural mail sections stored with said interrelation.

5. The electronic mail system according to claim 1, wherein said mail server compiles for the transfer said plural mail sections from said second mail client into one electronic mail and transfers the compiled electronic mail to the addressee of said mail sections, in the instance that the transfer processing addressed to said first mail client is executed through said execution means on all of said plural mail sections stored with said interrelation.

6. The electronic mail system according to claim 1, wherein said second mail client is a portable phone served by a mobile communication network.

7. The electronic mail system according to claim 6, wherein said first mail client is a computer connected to the Internet, which is connected to said mobile communication network.

8. A mail server with an ability to relay an electronic mail between a first mail client capable of handling a long electronic mail and a second mail client incapable of handling said long electronic mail, for compiling received plural mail sections transmitted from said second mail client with an interrelation and addressed to said first mail client into one electronic mail and transmitting the compiled electronic mail to said first mail client.

9. A mail transmitter-receiver comprising:

storage means for storing plural mail sections with an interrelation, in the instance that a long electronic mail is transmitted after being divided into plural mail sections with said interrelation;

determination means for determining in accordance with an instructed processing type whether to execute said processing on a single mail section or to execute said processing on all of said plural mail sections, in the instance that an instruction is given to execute a processing on the mail sections stored in said storage means; and

executing means for executing said processing in accordance with the outcome of a determination carried out by said determination means.

10. The mail transmitter-receiver according to claim 9, wherein said processing is at least one of deletion, return and transfer.

11. The mail transmitter-receiver according to claim 9, wherein said determination means further comprises:

a deletion processing instruction to process collectively the interrelated plural mail sections;

a return processing instruction to process collectively said interrelated plural mail sections;

a transfer processing instruction for a terminal incapable of handling said long electronic mail to process separately said interrelated mail sections; and

a transfer processing instruction for a terminal capable of handling said long electronic mail to process collectively said interrelated mail sections.

12. The mail transmitter-receiver according to claim 9, wherein said determination means further comprises:

a processing table for registering information for each one of said processing types, indicating whether to execute said processing on said single mail section or whether to execute said processing on all of said plural mail sections stored with interrelation at the time of executing said processing on said stored electronic mail sections;

table change means for changing the registration contents of said processing table by user'"'"'s operation; and

determination means in accordance with the registration contents of said processing table.

14. The mail processing method according to claim 13, wherein said processing is at least one of deletion, return and transfer.

13. A mail processing method comprising:

a step for storing plural mail sections with an interrelation, when interrelated plural mail sections are received;

a step for determining in accordance with an instructed processing type whether to execute said processing on a single mail section or to execute said processing on all of said interrelated plural mail sections, when said processing is instructed on said stored mail sections;

a step for executing said processing in accordance with the outcome of a determination carried out by the determination step.

15. A mail processing method comprising:

a step for receiving interrelated plural mail sections transmitted from the second mail client incapable of handling a long electronic mail addressed to the first mail client capable of handling said long electronic mail;

a step for compiling said received plural mail sections into one electronic mail; and

a step for transmitting said compiled electronic mail to said first mail client.

16. A computer program product for causing a computer to execute:

a step for storing said plural mail sections with an interrelation, when interrelated plural mail sections are received;

a step for determining in accordance with an instructed processing type whether to execute a processing on a single mail section or to execute a processing on all of said interrelated plural mail sections; and

a step for executing said processing in accordance with the outcome of a determination carried out by said determination step.

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

a step for storing plural mail sections with an interrelation, when interrelated plural mail sections are received;

a step for determining whether to execute a processing on a single mail section or to execute a processing on all of said interrelated plural mail sections in accordance with an instructed processing type; and

a step for executing said processing in accordance with the outcome of a determination carried out by said determination step.

18. A computer program product for causing a computer to execute:

a step for receiving interrelated plural mail sections transmitted from a second mail client incapable of handling a long electronic mail to a first mail client capable of handling said long electronic mail;

a step for compiling the received plural mail sections into one electronic mail; and

a step for transmitting the compiled electronic mail to said first mail client.

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

a step for receiving interrelated plural mail sections transmitted from a second mail client incapable of handling a long electronic mail to a first mail client capable of handling said long electronic mail;

a step for compiling the received plural mail sections into one electronic mail; and

a step for transmitting, the compiled electronic mail to said first mail client.