Recording medium, and apparatus and method for transmitting e-mail

• US 20040167969A1
• Filed: 08/27/2003
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Maruyama, Kimie Mishima, Yamada, Masami, Tamai, Yoshiyuki, Tokimoto, Yoshiki
• Granted Patent: US 7,877,446 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/207
• 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 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression

Abstract

In a recording medium, a program for making a computer execute processing is stored. The processing includes detecting a recipient'"'"'s domain name of an e-mail to be transmitted with data attached to the e-mail from a recipient'"'"'s address of the e-mail, deciding a format of the data depending on the detected recipient'"'"'s domain name, formatting the data into the decided format, and transmitting the data formatted into the decided format to the recipient'"'"'s address as an attachment of the e-mail.

Claims

1. A recording medium in which a program for making a computer execute processing is stored, the processing, comprising:

detecting a recipient'"'"'s domain name of an e-mail to be sent with data attached to the e-mail from a recipient'"'"'s address of the e-mail;

deciding a format of the data to be attached to the e-mail depending on the detected recipient'"'"'s domain name;

formatting the data into the decided format; and

transmitting the data formatted into the decided format to the recipient'"'"'s address as an attachment of the e-mail.

5. The recording medium as recited in claim 1, wherein, in cases where the data is transmitted simultaneously to a plurality of recipients, the program stored in the recording medium makes the computer decide the format of the data every recipient and format the data into respective decided formats.

9. The recording medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the program stored in the recording medium makes the computer discriminate whether the recipient belongs to the same organization of a sender based on the detected recipient'"'"'s domain name and decide a format of the data to be attached to the e-mail based on the discriminated result.

10. The recording medium as recited in claim 9, wherein, in cases where it is discriminated that the recipient belongs to an organization different from an organization of the sender, the program stored in the recording medium makes the computer format the data into a format which is more difficult to edit the data than a format which is used to transmit the data to the same organization.

2. A recording medium in which a program for making a computer execute processing, the processing, comprising:

detecting a recipient'"'"'s domain name of an e-mail to be transmitted with data attached to the e-mail from a recipient'"'"'s address of the e-mail;

detecting a recipient'"'"'s server based on the detected recipient'"'"'s domain name;

detecting a response time of the detected recipient'"'"'s server;

deciding a format of the data to be attached to the e-mail depending on the detected response time;

formatting the data into the decided format; and

transmitting the data formatted into the decided format to the recipient'"'"'s address as an attachment of the e-mail.

6. The recording medium as recited in claim 2, wherein, in cases where the data is transmitted simultaneously to a plurality of recipients, the program stored in the recording medium makes the computer decide the format of the data every recipient and format the data into respective decided formats.

11. The recording medium as recited in claim 2, wherein the response time is detected by executing a connection status searching command against the detected server.

3. A recording medium in which a program for making a computer execute processing, the processing, comprising:

receiving a transmission instruction of an e-mail to be transmitted with data attached to the e-mail;

detecting a recipient'"'"'s domain name of the e-mail from a recipient'"'"'s address of the e-mail based on the received transmission instruction;

detecting a recipient'"'"'s server based on the detected recipient'"'"'s domain name;

searching a route to the detected server;

discriminating whether a relay server having a prescribed property exists on the detected route;

deciding a format of the data to be attached to the e-mail depending on the discriminated result;

formatting the data into the decided format; and

transmitting the data formatted into the decided format to the recipient'"'"'s address as an attachment of the e-mail.

7. The recording medium as recited in claim 3, wherein, in cases where the data is transmitted simultaneously to a plurality of recipients, the program stored in the recording medium makes the computer decide the format of the data every recipient and format the data into respective decided formats.

12. The recording medium as recited in claim 3, wherein the route to the server is searched by executing a route searching command against the server.

4. A recording medium in which a program for making a computer execute processing, the processing, comprising:

discriminating whether a receiving apparatus of a recipient of an e-mail to be transmitted with data as an attachment is an internet facsimile apparatus and a transmission of the e-mail is confidential;

deciding a format of the data to be attached to the e-mail depending on the discriminated result;

formatting the data into the decided format; and

transmitting the data formatted into the decided format to an address of the recipient as an attachment of the e-mail.

8. The recording medium as recited in claim 4, wherein, in cases where the data is transmitted simultaneously to a plurality of recipients, the program stored in the recording medium makes the computer decide the format of the data every recipient and format the data into respective decided formats.

13. An e-mail transmission apparatus, comprising:

a domain name detecting unit to detect a recipient'"'"'s domain name of an e-mail to be transmitted with data attached to the e-mail from a recipient'"'"'s address of the e-mail;

a format deciding unit to decide a format of the data depending on the detected recipient'"'"'s domain name and to format the data into the decided format; and

a transmission processing unit to transmit the data formatted into the format decided by the format deciding unit to the recipient'"'"'s address as an attachment of the e-mail.

17. The e-mail transmission apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein, in cases where the data is transmitted simultaneously to a plurality of recipients, the format of the data is decided every recipient and the data is formatted into respective decided formats.

18. The e-mail transmission apparatus as recited in claim 13, further comprising an original document reading apparatus to obtain image data by reading an original document, wherein the image data read by the original document reading apparatus is transmitted as attached data of the e-mail.

14. An e-mail transmission apparatus, comprising:

a domain name detecting unit to detect a recipient'"'"'s domain name of an e-mail to be transmitted together with data attached to the e-mail from a recipient'"'"'s address of the e-mail;

a server detecting unit to detect a recipient'"'"'s server based on the detected recipient'"'"'s domain name;

a response time detecting unit to detect a response time of the recipient'"'"'s server detected by the server detecting unit;

a format deciding unit to decide a format of the data to be attached to the e-mail depending on the detected response time and format the data into the decided format; and

a transmission processing unit to transmit the data formatted into the format decided by the format deciding unit to the recipient'"'"'s address as an attachment of the e-mail.

19. The e-mail transmission apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the response time is detected by executing a connection status searching command against the detected server.

15. An e-mail transmission apparatus, comprising:

a domain name detecting unit to detect a recipient'"'"'s domain name of an e-mail to be transmitted together with data attached to the e-mail from a recipient'"'"'s address of the e-mail;

a server detecting unit to detect a recipient'"'"'s server based on the detected recipient'"'"'s domain name;

a route detecting unit to detect a route to the recipient'"'"'s server and discriminate whether a relay server having a prescribed property exists on the detected route;

a format deciding unit to decide a format of the data to be attached to the e-mail depending on the discriminated result and format the data into the decided format; and

a transmission processing unit to transmit the data formatted into the decided format decided by the format deciding unit to the recipient'"'"'s address as an attachment of the e-mail.

20. The e-mail transmission apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the route to the server is searched by executing a route searching command against the server.

16. An e-mail transmission apparatus, comprising:

a discrimination unit to discriminate whether a receiving apparatus of a recipient of an e-mail to be transmitted together with data an attachment is an internet facsimile apparatus and a transmission of the e-mail is confidential;

a format deciding unit to decide a format of the data to be attached to the e-mail depending on the discriminated result and format the data into the decided format; and

a transmission unit to transmit the data formatted into the decided format decided by the format deciding unit to a recipient'"'"'s address as an attachment of the e-mail.

21. An e-mail transmitting method, comprising:

detecting a recipient'"'"'s domain name of an e-mail to be transmitted with data attached to the e-mail from a recipient'"'"'s address of the e-mail;

deciding a format of the data depending on the detected recipient'"'"'s domain name;

formatting the data into the decided format; and

transmitting the data formatted into the decided format to the recipient'"'"'s address as an attachment of the e-mail.

22. An e-mail transmitting method, comprising:

detecting a recipient'"'"'s domain name of an e-mail to be transmitted together with data attached to the e-mail from a recipient'"'"'s address of the e-mail;

detecting a recipient'"'"'s server based on the detected recipient'"'"'s domain name;

detecting a response time by executing a connection status searching command against the detected recipient'"'"'s server;

deciding a format of the data to be attached to the e-mail depending on the detected response time;

formatting the data into the decided format; and

transmitting the data formatted into the decided format to the recipient'"'"'s address as an attachment of the e-mail.

23. An e-mail transmitting method, comprising:

detecting a recipient'"'"'s domain name of an e-mail to be transmitted with data attached to the e-mail from a recipient'"'"'s address of the e-mail;

detecting a recipient'"'"'s server based on the detected recipient'"'"'s domain name;

searching a route to the recipient'"'"'s server by executing a route searching command against the detected recipient'"'"'s server;

discriminating whether a relay server having a prescribed property exists on the searched route;

deciding a format of the data to be attached to the e-mail depending on the discriminated result;

formatting the data into the decided format; and

transmitting the data formatted into the decided format to the recipient'"'"'s address as an attachment of the e-mail.

24. An e-mail transmitting method, comprising:

discriminating whether a receiving apparatus of a recipient of an e-mail to be transmitted with data as an attachment is an internet facsimile apparatus and a transmission of the e-mail is confidential;

deciding a format of the data to be attached to the e-mail depending on the discriminated result;

formatting the data into the decided format; and

transmitting the data formatted into the decided format to an address of the recipient as an attachment of the e-mail.