Mail program, e-mail device, and method for managing e-mail messages

• US 20050198166A1
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawaji, Akira
• Application Number:
  US10/986,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20050198166A1
• 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

To manage data received through e-mail and data received through means other than e-mail correctively by managing message body and attached files received through e-mail as separate files manageable by the OS. When an e-mail message is received, a command to convert and store the message body and its attached files into separate files is given (S27), and storage information of the files is added into an index table (S31). The message body of each e-mail message is stored in a storage folder as a file and an index showing the relation between files is created.

Claims

1. An e-mail program for extracting and storing a header information and a message body from a received e-mail message, comprising the steps of:

a file creating and storing step of converting the extracted message body into a message body file and storing the file,

an index adding step of adding a mail ID and the header information of the e-mail message and the file specifying information of the message body file into an index table, and

a file specifying and reading step of specifying, in response to a command to acquire an e-mail data set listed in the index table, a path and file name of the corresponding message body file with reference to the index table and reading the specifying file.

2. An e-mail program for extracting and storing a header information and a message body from a received e-mail message, comprising the steps of:

a file creating and storing step of converting the extracted message body into a message body file and storing the file, and

an index adding step of adding a mail ID and header information of the e-mail message and a file specifying information of the message body file into an index table.

3. The e-mail program as set forth in claim 2, wherein, when the e-mail message has one attached file or attached files, the program extracts the attached file or all of the attached files and stores the attached file or all of the attached files separate from the message body file in the file creating and storing step, and adds the file specifying information of the attached file or files into the index table in the index adding step.

4. The e-mail program as set forth in claim 3, wherein the message body file and the attached file or files are stored in the same folder.

5. The e-mail program as set forth in claim 2, wherein the attached file or files attached to the message body file is stored in a subfolder created in the folder in which the message body file is stored.

6. The e-mail program as set forth in claim 2, wherein, when the e-mail message has one attached file or attached files, the program extracts the attached file and stores the attached file or the attached files separate from the message body file in the file creating and storing step, and adds the file specifying information of the attached file or attached files embodied link tag into the message body file in the index adding step.

7. An e-mail message storing program for giving commands to an OS extracting and storing the header information and message body from a received e-mail message, comprising the steps of:

giving the OS a file creating and storing command to convert and store the extracted message body into a message body file, and

giving the OS an index adding command to add the mail ID and header information of the e-mail message and the file specifying information of the message body file into an index table.

8. An e-mail program for extracting and storing a header information, a message body and one attached file or all of attached files from a received e-mail message, comprising the steps of:

a step of converting the extracted message body into a e-mail message and storing the message body file,

a step of extracting the attached file or all of the attached files from the e-mail message and storing the attached file or attached files separate from the message body file,

a step of adding a mail ID and header information of the e-mail message and a file specifying information of the message body file into an index table, and

a step of linking the message body file and the attached file so that an OS is able to read out the message body file and the attached file or all of the attached files.

9. The e-mail program as set forth in claim 8, wherein, the program adds the file specifying information of the attached file embodied link tag into the message body file in the linking step.

10. The e-mail program as set forth in claim 8, wherein, the program adds the file specifying information of the attached file into the index table in the linking step.

11. An e-mail program recording an index table in which a1) a header information of each received e-mail message, a2) a path and file name of a message body file containing the message body of the e-mail message, and a3) a path and file name of an attached file or path and file names of all of attached files attached to the message body are recorded in association with one another in a storage area, giving OS a command to read out the header information of each received e-mail message, the path and file name of a message body file containing the message body of the e-mail message, and the path and file names of one attached file or all of attached files attached to the message body are recorded in association with one another reference with the index table, and

giving the OS a command, in response to a command to move a file stored in the storage area to a different folder, to move the file and to change the path name of the file in the index table to a name corresponding to the destination of the file.

12. An e-mail program,

giving the OS a command to read out an index table in which a header information of each received e-mail message, a path and file name of a message body file containing a message body of the e-mail message, and a path and file name of an attached file or path and file names of all of attached files attached to the message body are recorded in association with one another,

specifying, in response to a command to acquire an e-mail data set listed in the index table, the path and file name of the corresponding message body file and the path and file names of its attached file or all of the attached files with reference to the index table, and

giving the OS a command to read out the specified file.

13. An e-mail program,

recording an index table in which a1) a header information of each received e-mail message, a2) a path and file name of a message body file containing the message body of the e-mail message, and a3) a path and file name of an attached file or path and file names of all of attached files attached to the message body are recorded in association with one another in a storage area,

in response to a command to display the list of stored e-mail messages,

specifying the path and file names of the message body files of the mail massages and the attached file or all of attached files listed in the index table with reference to the index table,

acquiring the names of files stored in the folders in which the e-mail message body files and the attached file and their attached files listed in the index table are stored, and

indicating, when there are files other than the message body files and their attached files in the folders, the presence of the message body files and the attached file or all of the attached files, and the other files in a distinguishable manner.

14. An e-mail program,

A) reading out an index table in which a header information of each received e-mail message, a path and file name of a message body file containing the message body of the e-mail message, and the path and file name of the attached file or the path and file names of all of the attached files attached to the message body are recorded in association with one another, and,

B) in response to a command to display a list of stored e-mail messages,

b1) specifying the path and file names of the mail massages and the attached file or all of the attached files listed in the index table with reference to the index table,

b2) acquiring the names of files stored in the folders in which the e-mail message body files and the attached file or all of the attached files listed in the index table are stored, and

b3) indicating, when there are files other than the message body files and the attached file or all of attached files in the folders, the message body files and the attached file or all of the attached files in association with each other.

15. An e-mail device for extracting and storing a header information and a message body from a received e-mail message, comprising:

means for converting the extracted message body into a message body file and storing the file in a file storing section, and

means for adding the mail ID and header information of the e-mail message and the file specifying information of its message body file into an index table.

16. An e-mail message moving device, comprising:

A) a reading section for reading out an index table in which a1) a header information of each received e-mail message, a2) a path and file name of a message body file containing a message body of the e-mail message, and a3) a path and file name of an attached file or path and file names of all of attached files attached to the message body are recorded in association with one another from a storage area, and

B) a changing section for giving the OS a command, in response to a command to move a file stored in the storage area to a different folder, to move the file and to change the path name of the file in the index table to a name corresponding to the destination of the file.

17. An e-mail message reading device, comprising:

a reading section for reading out an index table in which

     1) a header information of each received e-mail message,

     2) a path and file name of a message body file containing the message body of the e-mail message, and

     3) a path and file name of attached file or path and file names of attached files attached to the message body are recorded in association with one another, and

a reading section for specifying, in response to a command to acquire an e-mail data set listed in the index table,

     1) the path and file name of the corresponding message body file and

     2) the path and file names of its attached files with reference to the index table and reading out the specified file.

18. An e-mail message storing method for extracting a header information and message body from a received e-mail message and storing them, comprising the steps of:

converting and storing a extracted message body into a message body file, and

adding a mail ID and header information of the e-mail message and a file specifying information of its message body file into an index table.

19. An e-mail message moving method, comprising the steps of:

A) reading out an index table in which a1) a header information of each received e-mail message, a2) a path and file name of a message body file containing the message body of the e-mail message, and a3) a path and file name of one attached file or path and file names of attached files attached to the message body are recorded in association with one another from a storage area, and

B) giving the OS a command, in response to a command to move a file stored in the storage area to a different folder, to move the file and change the path name of the file in the index table to a name corresponding to the destination of the file.

20. An e-mail message reading method, comprising the steps of:

reading out an index table in which

     1) a header information of each received e-mail message,

     2) a path and file name of a message body file containing the message body of the e-mail message, and

     3) a path and file name of an attached file or path and file names of attached files attached to the message body are recorded in association with one another, and

specifying, in response to a command to acquire an e-mail data set listed in the index table,

     1) the path and file name of the message body file and

     2) the path and file name of the attached file or the path and file names of its attached files with reference to the index table and reading out the specified file.