Mail-arrival notification system transmitting acquisition and wake-up signals to acquire urgent mail and attached file from mail server

• US 7,454,473 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2001
• Issued: 11/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Naoya
• Primary Examiner(s): LUU, LE HIEN
• Application Number:
  US09/853,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20020007401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,749 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/240, 709/207, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/224, 379/88.13, 379/88.01, 340/7.5, 455/456.3, 455/413, 370/352, 705/14
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

A mail-arrival notification system is provided for efficiently acquiring incoming electronic mails with simple manipulations. The mail-arrival notification system comprises a mail-arrival monitoring apparatus 10 for transmitting a mail-arrival notifying signal when an incoming electronic mail to mail storing means 6 is an urgent mail, a mobile communication terminal 3 responsive to receipt of the mail-arrival notifying signal for notifying the user that an urgent mail has terminated and for transmitting a download instructing signal for instructing downloading of the incoming electronic mail, and an information processing apparatus 2 responsive to the download instructing signal for downloading the urgent mail from the mail storing means 6.

Claims

1. A mail-arrival notification system, comprising:

a mail-arrival monitoring apparatus configured to judge based on mail-arrival notification condition information whether an electronic mail including an attached file arriving at a mail server is an urgent mail based on a keyword included in said electronic mail, and, when said electronic mail is an urgent mail, to generate a summary of said urgent mail, and to transmit said summary together with a mail-arrival notifying signal excluding said attached file to a mail destination designated by said mail-arrival notification condition information;

a mobile communication terminal configured to notify a user of arrival of said urgent mail, in response to said mail-arrival notifying signal transmitted from said mail-arrival monitoring apparatus, and to transmit an acquisition instructing signal and a wake-up signal to a remote information processing apparatus in order to instruct said remote information processing apparatus to acquire said urgent mail and attached file; and

said remote information processing apparatus configured to receive said acquisition instructing signal and said wake-up signal transmitted from said mobile communication terminal, to output, in response to receiving said wake-up signal, a wake-up instruction to a power control unit to force the power control unit to supply power to respective circuits of the remote information processing apparatus, and to acquire said urgent mail including said attached file from said mail server, in response to receiving said acquisition instructing signal.

2. The mail-arrival notification system according to claim 1, wherein said mobile communication terminal is configured to transmit said acquisition instructing signal when a prescribed acquisition instructing operation is performed under receipt of said mail-arrival notifying signal.

3. The mail-arrival notification system according to claim 1, wherein said mobile communication terminal is configured to transmit said acquisition instructing signal by radio;

and said information processing apparatus receives said acquisition instructing signal by radio.

4. The mail-arrival notification system according to claim 3, wherein said information processing apparatus is configured to acquire said urgent mail via said mobile communication terminal.

5. A mobile communication terminal, comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive a mail-arrival notifying signal together with a summary of an electronic mail indicating that said electronic mail arriving at a mail server is an urgent mail;

a transmitter configured to transmit an acquisition instructing signal and a wake-up signal to a remote information processing apparatus to instruct said information processing apparatus to force a power control unit of the remote information processing apparatus to supply power to respective circuits of the remote information processing apparatus and acquire said urgent mail including an attached file; and

a sound generation unit configured to generate a mail-arrival sound from a speaker of the mobile communication terminal in response to reception of the mail-arrival notifying signal.

6. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein said receiving unit is configured to receive said mail-arrival notifying signal over a public radio circuit network.

7. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein said receiving unit is configured to receive said mail-arrival notifying signal from a prescribed mail-arrival monitoring apparatus which judges an electronic mail arriving said mail server, by radio communications for short distance.

8. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein said transmitter is configured to transmit said acquisition instructing signal including a Message-ID of an electronic mail that is judged as an urgent mail, included in said mail-arrival notifying signal.

9. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein said transmitter is configured to transmit said acquisition instructing signal to a prescribed information processing apparatus by radio communications for short distance, in response to an operation button which is operated by a user to instruct transmission of said acquisition instructing signal.

10. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive an acquisition instructing signal and a wake-up signal transmitted from a remote mobile communication terminal, according to a mail-arrival notifying signal indicating that an electronic mail arriving a mail server is an urgent mail, and to output a wake-up instruction to a power control unit to force the power control unit to supply power to respective circuits of the information processing apparatus; and

a mail acquiring unit configured to acquire said urgent mail including an attached file from said mail server in response to said acquisition instructing signal received from said mobile communication terminal.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said receiving unit is configured to receive said acquisition instructing signal from said mobile communication terminal by radio communications for short distance.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said mail acquiring unit is configured to acquire said urgent mail from said mail server based on the Message-ID of said electronic mail included in said acquisition instructing signal.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said mail acquiring unit is configured to acquire said urgent mail from said mail server via a prescribed mobile communication terminal by radio communications for short distance.