System for tracking information copied from a web page and sent via electronic mail

• US 6,138,149 A
• Filed: 06/02/1998
• Issued: 10/24/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ohmura, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Farahi, Farzaneh
• Application Number:
  US09/088,826
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 395/600, 395/200, 707/10, 707/513, 705/26, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

The electronic mail editing section 26 has a function of editing an electronic mail and inserts a stored index sticker into the text of the electronic mail. The edited electronic mail after insertion of the index sticker is sent to the electronic mail transmitting section 27 by an electronic mail transmitting command, and then transmitted to other information processing apparatus 10b serving as a client computer. The transfer information notifying section 28 sends out transfer information via the internet 7 to the WWW server 8i upon sending the electronic mail by the electronic mail transmitting section 27. The transfer information comprises prescribed information permitting confirmation by the WWW server 8i of the transfer of the information. As a result, the WWW server 8i can know at least that the information processing apparatus 10a has transferred the information to the other information processing apparatus 10b.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus capable of being connected to a communication network, comprising:

electronic mail editing means which adds information associated with an information providing apparatus connected to said communication network and address information of the information providing apparatus to an electronic mail;

electronic mail transmitting means which transmits said electronic mail added with said information and the address information to at least one other information processing apparatus connected via said communication network; and

distribution information notifying means which transmits, to the information providing apparatus, transfer information showing transfer of said information in response to transmission of said electronic mail.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transfer information contains at least a number of destinations of said electronic mail.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transfer information contains at least address information of the information processing apparatus.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transfer information contains at least address information of said at least one other information processing apparatus.

5. An information providing apparatus for providing information to a communication network, comprising:

distribution information receiving means which receives, from an information processing apparatus via said communication network, transfer information showing that information provided by the information providing apparatus and address information of the information providing apparatus have been added to an electronic mail and transferred to at least one other information processing apparatus; and

distribution information storing means for storing distribution information showing a status of transfer for each piece of said information based on the received transfer information.

6. An information providing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

said transfer information contains at least a number of destinations of said electronic mail; and

said distribution information contains data of a number of transmissions determined by adding said number of destinations for each piece of said information.

7. An information providing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

said transfer information contains at least address information of the information processing apparatus; and

said distribution information contains sender information stored for each piece of said information.

8. An information providing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

said transfer information has at least address information of the at least one other information processing apparatus; and

said distribution information contains destination data stored for each piece of said information.

9. An information providing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

said distribution information storing means stores a time when said information has been transferred.

10. An information processing system comprising an information processing apparatus and an information providing apparatus, wherein:

said information processing apparatus comprises;

electronic mail editing means which adds information associated with an information providing apparatus connected to a communication network and address information of the information providing apparatus to an electronic mail;

electronic mail transmitting means which transmits said electronic mail added with said information and address information to at least one other information processing apparatus connected via said communication network; and

distribution information notifying means which transmits, to the information providing apparatus, transfer information showing that said information has been transferred in response to transmission of said electronic mail; and

wherein;

said information providing apparatus comprises;

distribution information receiving means which receives, from said information processing apparatus, transfer information showing that said information has been transferred via said communication network; and

distribution information storing means which stores distribution information showing a status of transfer for each piece of said information based on the received transfer information.

11. A method of processing information for transmitting an electronic mail, comprising:

a step of adding information associated with an information providing apparatus connected to a communication network and address information of the information providing apparatus to an electronic mail;

a step of transmitting, from an information processing apparatus, said electronic mail added with said information and the address information of the information providing apparatus to at least one other information processing apparatus connected via said communication network; and

a step of transmitting, to the information providing apparatus, transfer information showing that said information has been transferred in response to transmission of said electronic mail.

12. A method of providing information from an information providing apparatus a communication network, comprising:

a step of receiving, at said information providing apparatus from an information processing apparatus via said communication network, transfer information showing that an electronic mail added with information associated with the information providing apparatus and address information of the information providing apparatus has been transferred to at least one other information processing apparatus; and

a step of storing distribution information showing a status of transfer for each piece of said information based on the received transfer information.

13. A method of providing information via a communication network, comprising:

a step of adding information associated with an information providing apparatus connected to a communication network and address information of the information providing apparatus to an electronic mail;

a step of transmitting, from an information processing apparatus, said electronic mail added with said information and the address information of the information providing apparatus to at least one other information processing apparatus connected via said communication network;

a step of transmitting, to the information providing apparatus, transfer information showing that said information has been transferred in response to transmission of said electronic mail;

a step of receiving said transfer information; and

a step of storing distribution information showing a status of transfer for each piece of said information based on the received transfer information.

14. A providing medium having a program readable by a computer recorded therein, which causes an information processing apparatus to execute a processing comprising:

a step of adding information associated with an information providing apparatus connected to a communication network and address information of the information providing apparatus to an electronic mail;

a step of transmitting, from the information processing apparatus, the electronic mail added with said information and the address information of the information providing apparatus to at least one other information processing apparatus connected via said communication network; and

a step of transmitting, to the information providing apparatus, transfer information showing that said information has been transferred in response to transmission of said electronic mail.

15. A providing medium having a program readable by a computer recorded therein, which causes an information providing apparatus providing information via a communication network to execute a processing comprising:

a step of receiving, from an information processing apparatus via said communication network, transfer information showing that information associate with said information providing apparatus and address information of the information providing apparatus have been added to an electronic mail and transferred to at least one other information processing apparatus; and

a step of storing distribution information showing a status of transfer for each piece of said information based on the received transfer information.