Communication system having common e-mail address for plurality of devices

• US 7,801,979 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2003
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Hideto
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh; Khanh Q
• Application Number:
  US10/714,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20040103161A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,499 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/224, 709/227, 709/206, 709/220, 709/228, 709/229, 705/26, 705/27, 713/201
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

In a communication system, a mail server and a plurality of electronic devices, which are connected with a network, are provided. A predetermined e-mail address is assigned to the plurality of electronic devices. Each of the plurality of electronic devices includes a first determination system that determines whether an e-mail address of an e-mail message transmitted to the mail server coincides with the predetermined e-mail address, a second determination system that determines, whether the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined e-mail address is directed to the electronic device to which the second determination system belongs in accordance with contents of the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined e-mail address, and a processing system that executes a procedure corresponding to the e-mail message when the second determination system determines that the e-mail message is directed to the electronic device to which the second determination system belongs.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a first determination system that, upon receiving an e-mail message that

includes e-mail addresses and contents other than the e-mail addresses, determines whether an e-mail address of the e-mail message transmitted to a mail server coincides with a predetermined common e-mail address, the predetermined common e-mail address being commonly assigned to and shared by a plurality of the electronic devices;

a second determination system that determines whether the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address is directed to the electronic device to which said second determination system belongs in accordance with the contents of the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address; and

a processing system that executes a procedure corresponding to the e-mail message when said second determination system determines that the e-mail message is directed to the electronic device to which said second determination system belongs,

wherein the plurality of electronic devices are part of a communication system having the mail server and the plurality of electronic devices connected with a network,

wherein the e-mail message has attached data to be processed, and [wherein processing of the attached data including printing of the attached data,

wherein each of said plurality of electronic devices has a data type obtaining system that obtains a data type of the attached data from the contents of the e-mail message, and wherein said second determination system determines whether the e-mail message is directed to the electronic device to which said second determination system belongs based on whether the attached data can be processed by said electronic device.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the attached data is TIFF-F format data.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising an e-mail deleting system that deletes the e-mail message corresponding to the procedure executed by the processing system from the mail server.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising an e-mail deleting system that deletes the e-mail message corresponding to the procedure executed by the processing system from the mail server predetermine period after the procedure has been executed.

18. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the second determination system determines whether or not the e-mail message should be directed only to the device and not to any other devices.

19. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, when said second determination system determines that the e-mail message is directed to the electronic device to which said second determination system belongs, the processing system directs the e-mail message only to the device, and not to any other devices.

20. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, when the second determination system determines that the e-mail message is not directed to the electronic device, the processing system will not forward the e-mail message to the electronic device.

5. An electronic device comprising:

a first determination system that, upon receiving an e-mail message that includes e-mail addresses and contents other than the e-mail addresses, determines whether an e-mail address of the e-mail message transmitted to a mail server coincides with a predetermined common e-mail address, the predetermined common e-mail address being commonly assigned to and shared by a plurality of the electronic devices;

a second determination system that determines whether the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address is directed to the electronic device to which said second determination system belongs in accordance with the contents of the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address; and

a processing system that executes a procedure corresponding to the e-mail message when said second determination system determines that the e-mail message is directed to the electronic device to which said second determination system belongs,

wherein the plurality of electronic devices are part of a communication system having the mail server and the plurality of electronic devices connected with a network,

wherein the procedure executed by said processing system includes creation and transmission of a replying e-mail message replying to the e-mail message,

wherein the e-mail message contains a request for a status of the electronic device, and

wherein the replying e-mail message contains a status of the electronic device to which the processing system belongs,

wherein the e-mail message has attached data to be processed, wherein each of said plurality of electronic devices has a data type obtaining system that obtains a data type of the attached data from the contents of the e-mail message; and

wherein said second determination system determines whether the e-mail message is directed to the electronic device to which said second determination system belongs based on whether the attached data can be processed by said electronic device.

6. An electronic device comprising:

a first determination system that, upon receiving an e-mail message that includes e-mail addresses and contents other than the e-mail addresses, determines whether an e-mail address of the e-mail message transmitted to a mail server coincides with a predetermined common e-mail address, the predetermined common e-mail address being commonly assigned to and shared by the electronic device and at least one terminal device;

a second determination system that determines whether the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address is directed to one of the electronic device and said at least one terminal device in accordance with the contents of the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address; and

a processing system that executes a procedure corresponding to the e-mail message when said second determination system determines that the e-mail message is directed to one of said electronic device and said at least one terminal device,

wherein the electronic device is part of a communication system having the mail server, the electronic device and the at least one terminal device, and the at least one terminal device is managed by said electronic device,

wherein the procedure executed by said processing system includes creation and transmission of a replying e-mail message replying to the e-mail message, wherein the e-mail message contains a request for the status of a designated device, and wherein a replying e-mail message contains the status of the designated device,

wherein the e-mail message has attached data to be processed, wherein each of said electronic device and said at least one terminal device has a data type obtaining system that obtains a data type of the attached data from the contents of the e-mail message, and

wherein said second determination system determines whether the e-mail message is directed to the electronic device or said at least one terminal device based on whether the attached data can be processed by said electronic device or the at least one terminal device.

7. The communication system according to claim 6, further comprising an e-mail deleting system that deletes the e-mail message corresponding to the procedure executed by the processing system from said mail server.

8. The communication system according to claim 6, further comprising an e-mail deleting system that deletes the e-mail message corresponding to the procedure executed by the processing system from said mail server predetermine period after the procedure has been executed.

9. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein said electronic device obtains status information of said at least one

terminal device in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol when the request is for the status of said at least one terminal device;

and

wherein the replying e-mail message contains a status of one of the electronic device and said at least one terminal device.

10. The communication system according to claim 9, wherein the status includes at least one of a remaining amount of toner and a remaining amount of sheet.

11. An electronic device comprising:

a first determination system that, upon receiving an e-mail message that

includes e-mail addresses and contents other than the e-mail addresses, determines whether an e-mail address of the e-mail message transmitted to a mail server coincides with a predetermined common e-mail address, the predetermined common e-mail address being commonly assigned to and shared by a plurality of electronic devices;

a second determination system that determines whether the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address is directed to said electronic device in accordance with the contents of the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address; and

a processing system that executes a procedure corresponding to the e-mail message when said second determination system determines that the e-mail message is directed to said electronic device,

wherein the electronic device is part of a communication system having a mail server and a plurality of electronic devices that are connected with a network, and the electronic device is one of the plurality of electronic devices,

wherein the e-mail message has attached data to be processed, and wherein processing of the attached data including printing of the attached data,

wherein each of said plurality of electronic devices has a data type obtaining system that obtains a data type of the attached data from the contents of the e-mail message, and

wherein said second determination system determines whether the e-mail message is directed to the electronic device based on whether the attached data can be processed by said electronic device.

12. A computer for a communication system, said computer comprising:

an e-mail creating system that creates an e-mail message that includes e-mail addresses and contents other than the e-mail addresses, the e-mail message being addressed to a common e-mail addressed which is commonly used by a plurality of electronic devices, the predetermined common e-mail address being commonly assigned to and shared by the plurality of electronic devices;

an electronic device selecting system that enables an operator of said computer to select at least one of said plurality of electronic devices, information indicative of the selected one of said plurality of electronic devices being inserted in the e-mail message; and

an information designating system that enables the operator to designate information to be obtained from the selected at least one of the plurality of electronic devices, information indicative of the designated information being inserted in the e-mail message,

the communication system being configured such that only the designated at least one of the plurality of electronic device processes the contents of the e-mail message, the e-mail message being transmitted to a mail server,

wherein the mail server and the plurality of electronic devices are connected with a network and said computer is connected with the mail server,

wherein the e-mail message has attached data to be processed, wherein each of said plurality of electronic devices has a data type obtaining system that obtains a data type of the attached data from the contents of the e-mail message, and

wherein the e-mail message is determined to be directed to the one of the plurality of electronic devices based on whether the attached data can be processed by the one of the plurality of electronic devices.

13. The computer according to claim 12, wherein the communication system is configured such that, when the mail server receives the e-mail message including the information indicative of the designating at least one of the plurality of electronic devices and information indicative of the designated information, a replying e-mail message containing a status in terms of the designated information of the designated at least one of the plurality of electronic devices being transmitted to said computer.

14. The computer according to claim 13, further comprising a display, a visual interface being provided so as to display a window on said display, the window allowing the operator to select at least one of the plurality of electronic devices sharing the common e-mail address, the visual interface inserting information indicative of the selected at least one of the plurality of electronic devices in the e-mail message.

15. The computer according to claim 14, where the window displayed on said display allows the operator to select one or more pieces of information to be obtained from the designated one of the plurality of electronic devices, the visual interface inserting information indicative of the one or more pieces of information to be obtained from the designated at least one of the plurality of electronic devices in the e-mail message.

16. A computer readable non-transitory storage medium having embedded thereon a computer program product, the computer program product comprising the instructions of:

determining, upon receiving an e-mail message that includes e-mail addresses and contents other than the e-mail addresses, whether an e-mail address of the e-mail message transmitted to a mail server coincides with a predetermined common e-mail address, the predetermined common e-mail address being commonly assigned to and shared by a plurality of electronic devices;

determining whether the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address is directed to the electronic device of the plurality of electronic devices in accordance with the contents of the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address; and

executing a procedure corresponding to the e-mail message when it is determined that the e-mail message is directed to the electronic device,

wherein the computer program product controls a computer to function as the electronic device which is part of a communication system having a mail server and the plurality of electronic devices which are connected with a network, and the electronic device is one of the plurality of electronic devices,

wherein the e-mail message has attached data to be processed, wherein each of said plurality of electronic devices has a data type obtaining system that obtains a data type of the attached data from the contents of the e-mail message, and

wherein the e-mail message is determined to be directed to the electronic device based on whether the attached data can be processed by said electronic device.

17. A computer readable non-transitory storage medium having embedded thereon a computer program product, the computer program product comprising the instructions of:

determining, upon receiving an e-mail message that includes e-mail addresses and contents other than the e-mail addresses, whether an e-mail address of the e-mail message transmitted to a mail server coincides with a predetermined common e-mail address, the predetermined common e-mail address being commonly assigned to and shared by an electronic device and at least one terminal device;

determining whether the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address is directed to one of the electronic device and the at least one terminal device in accordance with the contents of the e-mail message addressed to the predetermined common e-mail address; and

executing a procedure corresponding to the e-mail message when it is determined that the e-mail message is directed to one of the electronic device and the at least one terminal device,

wherein the computer program controls a computer to function as the electronic device for a communication system having the mail server, the electronic device and the at least one terminal device, and the at least one terminal device is managed by the electronic device,

wherein the e-mail message has attached data to be processed, and [wherein processing of the attached data including printing of the attached data,

wherein each of said electronic device and said at least one terminal device has a data type obtaining system that obtains a data type of the attached data from the contents of the e-mail message, and

wherein the e-mail message is determined to be directed to the electronic device or said at least one terminal device based on whether the attached data can be processed by said electronic device or the at least one terminal device.