Information processor, information processing method, and information processing program

• US 20030177191A1
• Filed: 02/25/2003
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawashima, Takashi, Kobayashi, Takuya, Wada, Hiromi, Mizuyama, Masashige, Fukushima, Hideaki, Kato, Atsunobu
• Application Number:
  US10/372,228
• Publication Number:
  US 20030177191A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

An information processor that can exchange information in real time between particular users by using an email system, and that can display a mail message received from a non-particular user even when the information is being exchanged. The information processor 1 includes a mail message sending section 101 for sending the mail message, a mail message receiving section 102 for receiving the mail message, a display section 104 for displaying the mail message, and a control section 105 for controlling switching between a particular mail message display mode and a non-particular mail message display mode. When returning to the particular mail message display mode after switching to the non-particular mail message display mode from the particular mail message display mode, the control section 105 causes the display section 104 to redisplay the contents displayed at the time of switching.

Claims

1. An information processor that sends and receives an email message between other communications terminals via a network and displays the sent and received email message, comprising:

particular mail message display means for displaying, in chronological order of sending and receiving, at least one email message sent and received between previously designated particular users;

non-particular mail message display means for displaying the sent and received email message; and

display mode control means for controlling switching between a display by the particular mail message display means and a display by the non-particular mail message display means, wherein

when returning to the display by the particular mail message display means after the display has been switched to the display by the non-particular mail message display means from the display by the particular mail message display means, the display mode control means at least causes the particular mail message display means to redisplay contents displayed at a time of switching to the display by the non-particular mail message display means from the display by the particular mail message display means.

2. The information processor according to claim 1, further comprising history storing means for storing a send/receive history of the at least one email message sent and received between the particular users, wherein

when the display is switched to the display by the non-particular mail message display means from the display by the particular mail message display means, the display mode control means stores the most current send/receive history stored in the history storing means, and causes the particular mail message display means to redisplay the contents displayed at the time of switching to the display by the non-particular mail message display means from the display by the particular mail message display means based on the stored most current send/receive history in order to return to the display by the particular mail message display means.

3. The information processor according to claim 1, wherein

when returning to the display by the particular mail message display means, the display mode control means causes the particular mail message display means to display, in chronological order of sending and receiving, any email message, if any, sent and received between the particular users during a lapse of time necessary for displaying the display by the non-particular mail message display means.

4. The information processor according to claim 3, further comprising history storing means for storing a send/receive history of the at least one email message sent and received between the particular users, wherein

when returning to the display by the particular mail message display means, the display mode control means causes the particular mail message display means to display, based on a last send/receive history stored in the history storing means, the at least one email message sent and received between the particular users during the lapse of time necessary for displaying the display by the non-particular mail message display means in chronological order of sending and receiving.

5. The information processor according to claim 1, further comprising mail message composing means for composing the email message to be sent to either a particular user or a non-particular user during the display by the particular mail message display means.

6. The information processor according to claim 5, wherein

the mail message composing means composes the email message in accordance with pre-registered auto text.

7. The information processor according to claim 5, wherein

the mail message composing means composes the email message by assuming that all of the at least one particular user is designated as a destination.

8. The information processor according to claim 5, wherein

when the email message to be sent to the non-particular user is composed, the mail message composing means composes the email message including contents of the at least one message that has been displayed by the particular mail message display means.

9. The information processor according to claim 1, further comprising mail message organizing means for performing bulk deleting of the at least one email message used for the display by the particular mail message display means.

10. The information processor according to claim 9, wherein

when the display by the particular mail message display means is ended, the mail message organizing means automatically performs bulk deleting of the at least one email message used in the display by the particular mail message display means.

11. The information processor according to claim 1, further comprising user registration means for registering and/or deleting the at least one particular user when the display is being performed by the particular mail message display means.

12. The information processor according to claim 1, wherein

when the at least one email message is received from the at least one particular user during the display, the particular mail message display means newly displays the at least one email message in chronological order of sending and receiving.

13. The information processor according to claim 1, wherein

when the email message is received from a non-particular user during the display, the particular mail message display means displays on a screen a notification of the received email message.

14. The information processor according to claim 1, wherein

when the at least one email message is received from the at least one particular user, the display mode control means automatically switches the display to that of the display by the particular mail message display means.

15. The information processor according to claim 1, further comprising history storing means for storing, on a group basis, a send/receive history of the at least one email message sent and received between the particular users, wherein

the particular mail message display means refers to the history storing means in accordance with an instruction from a user, and redisplays the at least one email message of a designated group for displaying in chronological order of sending and receiving.

16. An information processing method for displaying an email message sent and received by a communications device, wherein

the communications device comprises as a display mode:

a particular mail message display mode of displaying, in chronological order of sending and receiving, at least one email message sent and received between previously designated particular users; and

a non-particular mail message display mode of displaying the sent and received email message, and the method comprises;

a step in which the communications device switches a display to that of a display in the non-particular mail message display mode from a display in the particular mail message display mode; and

a step in which the communications device returns to the display in the particular mail message display mode after switching, wherein

in the step of returning to the display in the particular mail message display mode, at least contents displayed at a time of switching to the display in the non-particular mail message display mode from the display in the particular mail message display mode are redisplayed by the communications device.

17. The information processing method according to claim 16, further comprising a step in which the communications device stores a send/receive history of the at least one email message sent and received between the particular users, wherein

in the step of switching to the display in the non-particular mail message display mode from the display in the particular mail message display mode, a most current send/receive history is stored by the communications device, and

in the step of returning to the display in the particular mail message display mode, the contents displayed at the time of switching to the display in the non-particular mail message display mode from the display in the particular mail message display mode are redisplayed by the communications device based on the most current send/receive history stored by the communications device.

18. The information processing method according to claim 16, further comprising a step in which the communications device stores a send/receive history of the at least one email message sent and received between the particular users, wherein

in the step of returning to the display in the particular mail message display mode, the at least one email message sent and received, between the particular users, during a lapse of time necessary for displaying the display in the non-particular mail message mode, is displayed, by the communications device based on the send/receive history that has been stored by a time of switching to the display in the particular mail message display mode from the display in the non-particular mail message display mode in chronological order of sending and receiving.

19. The information processing method according to claim 16, further comprising a step in which the communications device deletes the at least one email message used for the display in the particular mail message display mode when the display in the particular mail message display mode is ended.

20. An information processing program for causing a computer to display an email message sent and received via a network, and

the computer comprises as a display mode:

a particular mail message display mode of displaying, in chronological order of sending and receiving, at least one email message sent and received between previously designated particular users; and

a non-particular mail message display mode of displaying the sent and received email message, and the program comprises;

a step of causing the computer to switch the display mode to the non-particular mail message display mode from the particular mail message display mode; and

a step of causing the computer to return to the particular mail message display mode after switching, wherein

in the step of causing the computer to return to the particular mail message display mode, the computer is caused to redisplay at least contents displayed at a time of switching to the display in the non-particular mail message display mode from the display in the particular mail message display mode.

21. The information processing program according to claim 20, further comprising a step of causing the computer to store a send/receive history of the at least one email message sent and received between the particular users, wherein

in the step of causing the computer to switch the display mode, the computer is caused to store a most current send/receive history, and

in the step of causing the computer to return to the particular mail message display mode, the computer is caused to redisplay, based on the most current send/receive history stored by the computer, the contents displayed at the time of switching to the display in the non-particular mail message display mode from the display in the particular mail message display mode.

22. The information processing program according to claim 20, further comprising a step of causing the computer to store a send/receive history of the at least one email message sent and received between the particular users, wherein

in the step of causing the computer to return to the particular mail message display mode, the computer is caused to display, based on the send/receive history that has been stored by a time of switching to the display in the particular mail message display mode from the display in the non-particular mail message display mode, the at least one email message sent and received between the particular users during the lapse of time necessary for displaying the display in the non-particular mail message mode in chronological order of sending and receiving.

23. The information processing program according to claim 20, further comprising a step of causing the computer to delete the at least one email message used for the display in the particular mail message display mode when the display in the particular mail message display mode is ended.