Method and apparatus for automatic sending of E-mail and automatic sending control program supplying medium

• US 6,760,751 B1
• Filed: 12/17/1997
• Issued: 07/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: So-Net Entertainment Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hachiya, Kazuhiko, Otaki, Namie, Koki, Takashi, Kitamura, Michio
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, Jack B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, THONG H
• Application Number:
  US08/992,770
• Time in Patent Office: 2,393 Days
• Field of Search: 395/149, 395/600, 395/500, 395/326, 707/517, 707/512, 707/10, 707/103, 709/201, 709/200, 709/202, 709/204, 709/206, 709/214, 709/218, 709/219, 709/256, 345/329, 345/756, 379/100.68, 379/96, 379/67, 705/37.8, 705/402, 705/26, 370/392, 348/12, 235/375, 358/402, 358/400, 717/4
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

An E-mail can be sent easily with an animated representation as if a pet were going in and out on a GUI picture simulating the inside of a room for dispatching or delivering a mail. In addition, the user can send an E-mail with a friendly feeling for an agent. By sending agent data updated responsive to experiences of an electronic pet as annexed papers to the E-mail, the animation as if an electronic pet were going in and out on a GUI picture simulating the inside of a room for dispatching or delivering a mail is displayed. The behaviour of the pet displayed by animation is varied depending on the keeping environment. The electronic pet selects an illustrative sentence in keeping with the agent data from pre-set illustrative sentences for voluntarily sending the sentence as an E-mail to a user who is a keeper or to a counterpart of past mailing of the user.

Claims

1. A method for automatic control of the transmission of an E-mail,

wherein a plurality of agent parameters controlling the behavior of an agent delivering an E-mail are appended to the main mail text having an appended mail header, the agent parameters are responsive to a send command designating the transmission of the E-mail for transmission to a recipient;

wherein the agent parameters are modified responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent; and

further

wherein an E-mail of a pre-set illustrative sentence is sent by said agent to a user of the agent based on said agent parameters.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a control procedure is performed so that an illustrative sentence of an E-mail for transmission is randomly selected from a plurality of illustrative sentences classed and pre-set depending on the contents of experiences acquired by said agent so that the selected sentence is in a class consistent with the contents of experiences acquired by said agent, the selected sentence being voluntarily sent to the user of the agent.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein an effective period of said agent is set and an E-mail is voluntarily sent to the user of said agent upon expiration of said effective period.

4. A method for automatic control of the transmission of an E-mail,

wherein a plurality of agent parameters controlling the behaviour of an agent delivering an E-mail are appended to the main mail text having an appended mail header, responsive to a send command designating the transmission of the E-mail, for transmission to a recipient;

wherein the agent parameters are modified responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent; and

further

wherein an E-mail of a pre-set illustrative sentence is transmitted by said agent to the recipient based on said agent parameters.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein a control procedure is performed so that an illustrative sentence of an E-mail for transmission is randomly selected from a plurality of illustrative sentences classed and pre-set depending on the contents of experiences acquired by said agent so that the selected sentence is in a class consistent with the contents of experiences acquired by said agent, the selected sentence being voluntarily sent to said recipient.

6. A method for automatic control of the transmission of an E-mail,

wherein a plurality of agent parameters controlling the behaviour of an agent delivering an E-mail are appended to the main mail text having an appended mail header, responsive to a send command designating the transmission of the E-mail, for transmission to a recipient;

wherein the agent parameters are modified responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent; and

further

wherein the user or the recipient is randomly selected by the agent based on said agent parameters, and an E-mail of a pre-set illustrative sentence is sent by said agent to the user or to the recipient.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein an illustrative sentence of an E-mail for sending is randomly selected from a plurality of illustrative sentences classed and pre-set depending on the contents of experiences acquired by said agent so that the selected sentence is in a class consistent with the contents of experiences acquired by said agent, the selected sentence being voluntarily sent to the user or to the recipient.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein an effective period of said agent is set and an E-mail is voluntarily sent to the user or to the recipient upon expiration of said effective period.

9. An apparatus for automatic control of the transmission of an E-mail, comprising:

an agent manager for displaying an agent and for managing the behaviour of said agent responsive to agent parameters which determine the behaviour of said agent;

send command accepting means for accepting a send command designating a transmission of an E-mail; and

mail transmission means controlled by said agent manager upon acceptance by said send command accepting means of a send command which designates the transmission of an E-mail for appending the agent parameters to the main mail text having an appended mail header for transmitting an E-mail to a recipient;

wherein said agent manager modifies the agent parameters responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent to voluntarily send to the user an E-mail of an illustrative sentence pre-set by the agent based on the agent parameters.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said agent manager randomly selects an illustrative sentence of an E-mail for transmission from a plurality of illustrative sentences classed and pre-set depending on the contents of experiences acquired by said agent so that the selected sentence is in a class consistent with the contents of experiences acquired by said agent, said agent manager voluntarily transmitting the selected sentence to the user.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein an effective period of said agent is set and an E-mail is voluntarily transmitted to the user upon expiration of said effective period.

12. An apparatus for automatic control of the transmission of an E-mail, comprising:

an agent manager for displaying an agent and for managing the behaviour of said agent responsive to agent parameters which determine the behaviour of said agent;

sending command accepting means for accepting a send command designating the transmission of an E-mail; and

mail transmission means controlled by said agent manager upon acceptance by said send command accepting means of a send command which designates the transmission of an E-mail for appending the agent parameters to the main mail text having an appended mail header, for sending an E-mail to a recipient;

wherein said agent manager modifies the agent parameters responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent to voluntarily send to the recipient an E-mail of an illustrative sentence pre-set by the agent based on the agent parameters.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said agent manager randomly selects an illustrative sentence of an E-mail for transmission from a plurality of illustrative sentences classed and pre-set depending on the contents of experiences acquired by said agent so that the selected sentence is in a class consistent with the contents of experiences acquired by said agent, said agent manager voluntarily sending an E-mail to the recipient.

14. An apparatus for automatic control of the transmission of an E-mail, comprising:

an agent manager for displaying an agent and for managing the behaviour of said agent responsive to agent parameters which determine the behaviour of said agent;

send command accepting means for accepting a send command designating the transmission of an E-mail; and

mail transmission means controlled by said agent manager upon acceptance by said send command accepting means of a send command which designates the transmission of an E-mail, said mail sending means appending the agent parameters to the main mail text having an appended mail header, for sending an E-mail to a recipient;

wherein said agent manager modifies the agent parameters responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent for voluntarily sending to the user or recipient an E-mail of an illustrative sentence pre-set by the agent based on the agent parameters.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said agent manager randomly selects an illustrative sentence of an E-mail for sending from a plurality of illustrative sentences classed and pre-set depending on the contents of experiences acquired by said agent so that the selected sentence is in a class consistent with the contents of experiences acquired by said agent, said agent manager voluntarily sending an E-mail to the user or to the recipient.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein an effective period of said agent is set and an E-mail is voluntarily sent to the user upon expiration of said effective period.

17. An automatic E-mail transmission control program supply medium for supplying an automatic transmission control program that can be read and executed by a computers wherein, responsive to a send command for designating the transmission of an E-mail, a plurality of agent parameters are appended to the main mail text having an appended mail header, wherein the behaviour of said agent is managed by the agent parameters, the agent parameters modified responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agents, and wherein

a control procedure is performed for automatic transmission by the agent of an E-mail of a pre-set illustrative sentence based on said agent parameters to the user.

18. The medium of claim 17 wherein said control procedure is performed so that an illustrative sentence of an E-mail for transmission is randomly selected from a plurality of illustrative sentences classed and pre-set depending on the contents of experiences acquired by said agent so that the selected sentence is in a class consistent with the contents of experiences acquired by said agent, the selected sentence being voluntarily sent to the user.

19. The medium of claim 18 wherein said control procedure is performed so that an effective period of said agent is set and an E-mail is voluntarily sent to the user upon expiration of said effective period.

20. An automatic E-mail transmission control program supply medium for supplying an automatic transmission control program that can be read and executed by a computer, wherein, responsive to a send command for designating the transmission of an E-mail, a plurality of agent parameters are appended to the main mail text having an appended mail header, wherein the behaviour of said agent is managed by the agent parameters, the agent parameters are modified responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent, and wherein a control procedure is performed for automatic transmission by the agent of an E-mail of a pre-set illustrative sentence based on said agent parameters to the user or to a recipient.

21. The medium of claim 20 wherein said control procedure is performed so that an illustrative sentence of an E-mail for transmission is randomly selected from a plurality of illustrative sentences classed and pre-set depending on the contents of experiences acquired by said agent so that the selected sentence is in a class consistent with the contents of experiences acquired by said agent, the selected sentence being voluntarily sent to a recipient.

22. An automatic E-mail transmission control program supply medium for providing an automatic transmission control program that can be read and executed by a computer, wherein, responsive to a send command for designating the transmission of an E-mail, a plurality of agent parameters are appended to the main mail text having an appended mail header, wherein the behaviour of said agent is managed by the agent parameters, the agent parameters modified responsive to the contents of experiences reflecting the operating hysteresis for the agent, and wherein the agent randomly selects the user or a recipient based on the agent parameters for voluntarily sending an E-mail of a pre-set illustrative sentence to the user or to the recipient.

23. The medium of claim 22 wherein a control procedure is performed so that an illustrative sentence of an E-mail for transmission is randomly selected from a plurality of illustrative sentences classed and pre-set depending on the contents of experiences acquired by said agent so that the selected sentence is in a class consistent with the contents of experiences acquired by said agent, the selected sentence being voluntarily sent to the user or to the recipient.

24. The medium claim 23 wherein said control procedure is performed so that an effective period of said agent is set and an E-mail is voluntarily sent to the user upon expiration of said effective period.

25. A method of controlling a virtual agent, comprising the steps of:

generating a virtual agent adapted to deliver E-mails and having a plurality of agent parameters, said agent parameters configured to determine a behavior of said virtual agent;

displaying said virtual agent on a display unit;

interacting with said virtual agent on said display unit, including positioning at least a portion of a display of an input device over said virtual agent on said display unit, detecting an input signal from said input device, and modifying the agent parameters such that said displaying step displays said virtual agent in response to said input signal; and

updating said plurality of agent parameters based on said interacting step such that the behavior of said virtual agent is continuously modified.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said input signal includes one of petting said virtual agent and hitting said virtual agent.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein said virtual agent is capable of generating one or more messages based on the updated agent parameters responsive to a state of said virtual agent.

28. The method of claim 27 further including the step of automatically transmitting said one or more generated messages from said virtual agent to a corresponding user for display on said display unit.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein said one or more displayed messages indicates the state of said virtual agent.

30. The method of claim 25 wherein said step of displaying includes the step of animating said displayed virtual agent.

31. A method automatic control of the transmission of an E-mail, comprising the steps of:

receiving a send command designating the transmission of an e-mail to a recipient;

appending a plurality of agent parameters to a main mail text of said e-mail, said agent parameters controlling the behavior of an agent delivering said e-mail;

transmitting said e-mail to said recipient;

automatically returning an indication when said recipient has received said e-mail; and

modifying said agent parameters based on said agent interacting with said recipient.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein said agent parameters are continuously updated based on interaction of said agent such that the behavior of said agent is continuously modified.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein said transmitting step includes the step of transmitting said e-mail via a mail server, and further, wherein said e-mail includes an expiration period such that when said recipient does not receive said e-mail within said expiration period, automatically purging said e-mail at said mail server.

34. The method of claim 31 wherein said agent is a virtual pet, and further, wherein said virtual pet is animated.

35. The method of claim 31 wherein said agent is provided with a predetermined life span.

36. The method of claim 35 further including the step of generating a message when said life span expires.

37. The method of claim 35 further including the step of displaying said message when said life span expires.

38. The method of claim 31 further including the step of displaying one or more predetermined messages selected by said agent, wherein said selected one or more predetermined messages is indicative of a state of said agent.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein said agent selects one or more predetermined messages based on said plurality of agent parameters.

40. An apparatus for controlling a virtual agent, said apparatus comprising:

means for generating a virtual agent adapted to deliver E-mail and having a plurality of agent parameters, said agent parameters configured to determine a behavior of said virtual agent;

a display unit adapted to display said virtual agent;

means for interacting with said virtual agent on said display unit, said interacting means including means for positioning at least a portion of a display of an input device over said virtual agent on said display unit, means for detecting an input signal from said input device, and means for modifying the agent parameters such that said display unit displays said virtual agent in response to said input signal; and

means for updating said plurality of agent parameters using said interacting means such that the behavior of said virtual agent is continuously modified.

41. An apparatus for automatic control of an E-mail transmission, said apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a send command designating the transmission of an E-mail to a recipient;

means for appending a plurality of agent parameters to a main mail text of said E-mail, said agent parameters controlling the behavior of an agent delivering said E-mail;

means for transmitting said E-mail to said recipient;

means for automatically returning an indication when said recipient has received said E-mail; and

means for modifying said agent parameters based on said agent interacting with said recipient.

42. A computer readable medium for controlling a virtual agent, wherein said medium generates a virtual agent adapted to deliver E-mail and having a plurality of agent parameters, said agent parameters are configured to determine a behavior of said virtual agent;

wherein said virtual agent is displayed on a display unit;

wherein said virtual agent interacts on said display unit including positioning at least a portion of a display of an input device over said virtual agent on said display unit, detecting an input signal from said input device, and modifying the agent parameters such that said display unit displays said agent in response to said input signal; and

wherein said plurality of agent parameters are updated based on said interaction such that the behavior of said virtual agent is continuously modified.

43. A computer readable medium for automatic control of the transmission of an E-mail wherein said medium, on receiving a send command designating the transmission of an E-mail to a recipient, appends a plurality of agent parameters to a main mail text of said E-mail, said agent parameters controlling the behavior of an agent delivering said E-mail;

wherein said E-mail is transmitted to said recipient;

wherein an indicator that said recipient has received said E-mail is automatically returned; and

wherein said agent parameters are modified based on said agent interacting with said recipient.

44. A method of providing a virtual agent, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting one or more events corresponding to a first virtual agent adapted to deliver E-mail, wherein the behavior of said first virtual agent is determined by a plurality of first agent parameters;

updating said plurality of first agent parameters based on a current first agent parameter with each detected event such that the behavior of said first virtual agent is continuously modified with each detected event; and

wherein said events include an interaction between said first virtual agent and a second virtual agent controlled by a second agent parameter and an interaction between said first virtual agent and an operation by an operator.

45. The method according to claim 44 further including receiving said second agent parameter through a communication network.

46. The method according to claim 44 further including updating said second agent parameter.

47. The method according to claim 46 further including sending said updated second agent parameter through a communication network.

48. The method according to claim 44 further including sending said first agent parameters through a communication network.

49. The method according to claim 44 further including randomly generating said first agent parameters.

50. A method of providing an agent, said method comprising the steps of:

storing a first agent software;

storing an agent parameter controlling a behavior of an agent;

executing said first agent software using said agent parameter to control the behavior of the agent; and

sending said agent parameter using E-mail to a remote computer storing a second agent software which is substantially the same as said first agent software so that said second agent software can be executed using said agent parameter to control the behavior of the agent.

51. The method according to claim 50 further including receiving said agent parameter from said remote computer.

52. A method of controlling a virtual agent, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a virtual agent having a plurality of agent parameters, said agent parameters configured to determine the behavior of said virtual agent;

sending said agent parameters to a recipient through a network using E-mail;

setting a state of said virtual agent to an absent state corresponding to said sending step; and

selectively displaying said virtual agent on the display unit according to said state wherein said virtual agent is displayed on a display unit when said state represents other than said absent state.

53. The method of claim 52 further including receiving said agent parameters through the network, setting the state of said virtual agent to an existing state corresponding to said receiving step, and selectively displaying said virtual pet on the display unit according to said state wherein said virtual pet is displayed on a display unit when said state represents said existing state.

54. The method of claim 53 wherein said received agent parameters have been modified.

55. The method of claim 54 wherein said received agent parameters have been continuously modified.

56. The method of claim 52 wherein said agent parameters include sending date and time information, and setting the state of said virtual agent to an existing state after a lapse of pre-set time based on the sending date and time information.

57. An apparatus for providing a virtual agent, said apparatus comprising:

means for storing a first agent parameter controlling a first agent kept by a first person on a first computer kept by said first person;

means for storing a first image data of said first agent on said first computer;

means for storing a second image data of a second agent kept by second person on said first computer;

a display unit connected to said first computer adapted to display said first agent on a first screen based on said first image data and said first agent parameter; and

means for sending said first agent parameter to said first computer through a communication network using E-mail.

58. An apparatus for providing a virtual agent, said apparatus comprising:

means for storing a first agent parameter in a first storage device, said first agent parameter controlling a first virtual agent kept by a first person;

means for transferring said first agent parameter from said first storage device to a first memory for controlling said first agent at a first computer operated by said first person; and

means for sending said first agent parameter from said first memory to a second computer remote from both said first storage device and said first computer through a communication network using E-mail.

59. An apparatus for providing a virtual agent, said apparatus comprising:

means for sending a first agent parameter at a first computer operated by a first person to a second computer remote from said first computer through a communication network using E-mail, wherein said second computer is operated by a second person and said first agent parameter controls a first agent kept by said first person;

means for receiving said first agent parameter sent from said second computer using said first computer;

means for receiving a second agent parameter sent from second computer at said first computer, said second agent parameter controlling a second virtual agent kept by said second person; and

means for sending a received said second agent parameter to said second computer using said first computer.

60. An apparatus for providing a virtual agent, said apparatus comprising:

means for detecting one or more events corresponding to a first virtual agent adapted to deliver an E-mail, wherein the behavior of said first virtual agent is determined by a plurality of first agent parameters;

means for updating said plurality of first agent parameters based on a current first agent parameter with each detected event such that the behavior of said first virtual agent is continuously modified with each detected event; and

means for interacting said first virtual agent with a second virtual agent controlled by a second agent parameter and said first virtual agent with an operation by an operator.

61. An apparatus for providing an agent, said apparatus comprising:

means for storing a first agent software;

means for storing an agent parameter controlling a behavior of an agent;

means for executing said first agent software using said agent parameter to control the behavior of said agent; and

means for sending said agent parameter using E-mail to a remote computer storing a second agent software which is substantially the same as said first agent software so that said second software can be executed using said agent parameter to control the behavior of the agent.

62. An apparatus for controlling a virtual agent, said apparatus comprising:

means for providing a virtual agent having a plurality of agent parameters, said agent parameters configured to determine the behavior of said virtual agent;

means for sending said agent parameters to a recipient through a network using E-mail;

means for setting a state of said virtual agent to an absent state corresponding to said sending means sending said agent parameters; and

means for selectively displaying said virtual agent on the display unit according to said state connected to a display unit wherein said virtual agent is displayed when said state is other than said absent state.

63. A computer readable medium for providing a virtual agent, wherein said medium stores a first agent parameter controlling a first agent kept by a first person a first computer operated by said first person;

stores a first image data of said first agent on said first computer;

stores a second image data of a second agent being kept by second person on said first computer;

displays said first agent on a first screen connected to said first computer based on said first image data and said first agent parameter; and

wherein said first agent parameter is sent to said first computer through a communication network using E-mail.

64. A computer readable medium for of providing a virtual agent wherein a first agent parameter is stored in a first storage device, said first agent parameter controlling a first virtual agent kept by a first person;

wherein said first agent parameter is transferred from said first storage device to a first memory for controlling said first agent at a first computer operated by said first person; and

wherein said first agent parameter is sent from said first memory to a second computer remote from both said first storage and said first computer through a communication network using an E-mail.

65. A computer readable medium for providing a virtual agent wherein a first agent parameter at first computer operated by a first person is sent to a second computer remote from said first computer through a communication network using E-mail, wherein said second computer is operated by a second person and said first agent parameter controls a first agent kept by said first person;

wherein said first agent parameter sent from said second computer is received using said first computer;

wherein a second agent parameter sent from second computer is received using said first computer, said second agent parameter controlling a second virtual agent kept by said second person; and

wherein a received said second agent parameter is sent to said second computer using said first computer.

66. A computer readable medium for providing a virtual agent using an E-mail wherein said medium detects one or more events corresponding to a first virtual agent and the behavior of said first virtual agent is determined by a plurality of first agent parameters;

said plurality of first agent parameters are updated based on a current first agent parameter with each detected event such that the behavior of said first virtual agent is continuously modified with each detected event; and

wherein said events include an interaction between said first virtual agent and a second virtual agent controlled by a second agent parameter and an interaction between said first virtual agent and an operation by an operator.

67. A computer readable medium for providing an agent wherein the medium stores a first agent software;

wherein an agent parameter controlling a behavior of an agent is stored;

wherein said first agent software is executed using said agent parameter to control the behavior of the agent; and

wherein said agent parameter is sent using E-mail to a remote computer storing a second agent software which is substantially the same as said first agent software so that said second software can be executed using said agent parameter to control the behavior of the agent.

68. A computer readable medium for controlling a virtual agent wherein said medium provides a virtual agent having a plurality of agent parameters, said agent parameters configured to determine the behavior of said virtual agent;

wherein said agent parameters are sent to a recipient through a network using E-mail;

wherein a state of said virtual agent is set to an absent state corresponding to sending said agent parameters to said recipient; and

wherein said virtual agent is selectively displayed on the display unit according to said state, wherein said virtual agent is displayed on a display unit when said state represents other than said absent state.