Apparatus and method for providing contents

• US 20030140104A1
• Filed: 09/23/2002
• Published: 07/24/2003
• 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: Watanabe, Yuko, Higuchi, Takeshi, Yazaki, Hidetoshi, Tsutsumi, Madoka
• Granted Patent: US 7,979,055 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• 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

When a server receives an information designating image from a communication terminal connected to a server through a network, it sends a URL identifying the storage location of the image to the communication terminal. When the communication terminal receives the URL, it loads the URL into an email and transmits the email to another communication terminal. When the communication terminal that received this email finds out that the URL integrated in the email identifies the storage location of the image, it downloads the image from the server and displays it along with the email by using the URL.

Claims

1. A contents delivering method comprising:

a primary communication terminal for loading storage location information indicating a location of a content in a network on an email in response to a reception of a Web page containing the storage location information from the network, and transmitting the email to a secondary communication terminal;

a said secondary communication terminal for receiving said email and storing it in a storage unit, and obtaining said content from said network by using said storage location information contained within said email in response to an instruction indicating to open said email.

2. A communication terminal comprising:

a communication unit for performing data communication;

a storage unit for storing email received by said communication unit;

a controller for performing a process of obtaining a content from a network by using storage location information, when an instruction is made to open an email stored in said storage unit and said email contains storage location information identifying storage location of the content located in the network, through said communication unit.

3. A communication terminal as set forth in claim 2, wherein said controller obtains said content when said storage location information includes specific identification information.

4. A communication terminal as set forth in claim 2, further comprising plural replaying units for converting information included in contents into a recognizable signal, wherein said controller, when opening the email, identifies the type of the content of said email, on the basis of the identification information included in said storage location identification information and replays information included in the contents by a replaying unit appropriate to the type of the content.

5. A communication terminal as set forth in claim 4, wherein said communication terminal comprises a displaying unit as one of said replaying units, and said controller, when identification information showing that said content stores image data is included in said storage location information, displays said image data by said display along with the content of the email.

6. A communication terminal as set forth in claim 2, wherein said communication terminal comprises an audio replaying unit as one of said replaying units, and said controller, when identification information showing that said content is music data or sound data is included in said storage location information, displays the content of said email on the displaying unit and replays said music data or sound data as music by said audio replaying unit at the time of opening said email.

7. A communication terminal as set forth in claim 2, further comprising an operation unit, wherein said controller, on the basis of an operation to said operation unit, determines whether a content is to be obtained when said open instruction is given or when an instruction to obtain is given, and obtain a content in accordance with the determination.

8. A communication terminal as set forth in claim 2, further comprising a non-volatile memory and a replaying unit for replaying the content, wherein said controller provides said content to said replaying unit when it obtains said content from a network by using said storage location information, and stores said content provided to said replaying unit in said non-volatile memory when an instruction to store the content is given.

9. A communication terminal as set forth in claim 8, wherein said controller reads out said content from said non-volatile memory and provides said content to said replaying unit when a instruction to open said email has been made more than two times under a condition in which said content obtained by using storage location information in said email is stored in said non-volatile memory.

10. A communication terminal as set forth in claim 2, wherein said communication terminal is a mobile phone, and said network includes a mobile communication network.

11. A contents obtaining method comprising the steps of:

receiving an email by a communication unit;

storing said email received by said communication unit in a storage unit;

obtaining a content from a network, when an instruction is made to open an email stored in said storage unit under a condition in which said email includes a storage location information identifying a storage location of said content existing in said network, by said communication unit using said storage location information.

12. A program product having a computer to execute the steps of:

receiving an email by a communication unit;

storing said email received by said communication unit in a storage unit;

obtaining a content from a network, when an instruction is made to open an email stored in said storage unit under a condition in which said email includes a storage location information identifying a storage location of said content existing in said network, by said communication unit using said storage location information.

13. A computer readable storage medium storing a program product having a computer to execute the steps of:

receiving an email by a communication unit;

storing said email received by said communication unit in a storage unit;

obtaining a content from a network, when an instruction is made to open an email stored in said storage unit under a condition in which said email includes a storage location information identifying a storage location of said content existing in said network, by said communication unit using said storage location information.