Recording medium, and apparatus and method for transmitting e-mail

• US 7,877,446 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2003
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Yamada, Masami, Tamai, Yoshiyuki, Mishima, Kimie, Tokimoto, Yoshiki
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn; Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, CHIRAG R
• Application Number:
  US10/648,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20040167969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,708 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 358/402
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression

Abstract

In a recording medium, a program for making a computer execute processing is stored. The processing includes detecting a recipient'"'"'s domain name of an e-mail to be transmitted with data attached to the e-mail from a recipient'"'"'s address of the e-mail, deciding a format of the data depending on the detected recipient'"'"'s domain name, formatting the data into the decided format, and transmitting the data formatted into the decided format to the recipient'"'"'s address as an attachment of the e-mail.

Claims

1. A non-transitory recording medium in which a program for making a computer execute processing, the processing, comprising:

detecting a recipient'"'"'s domain name of an e-mail to be transmitted with data attached to the e-mail from a recipient'"'"'s address of the e-mail;

detecting a recipient'"'"'s server based on the detected recipient'"'"'s domain name;

detecting a response time of the detected recipient'"'"'s server;

deciding a format of the data to be attached to the e-mail depending on the detected response time;

re-formatting the data into the decided format if the current format of the data is different from the decided format;

attaching one of the re-formatted data having the decided format or the current format data having the decided format as an attachment to the e-mail; and

transmitting one of the re-formatted data having the decided format or the current format data having the decided format to the recipient'"'"'s address as the attachment of the e-mail,

wherein the decided format relates to limiting the ability of a user associated with the email to electronically handle the data.

3. The non-transitory recording medium as recited in claim 1, wherein, in cases where the data is transmitted simultaneously to a plurality of recipients, the program stored in the recording medium makes the computer decide the format of the data every recipient and format the data into respective decided formats.

5. The non-transitory recording medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the response time is detected by executing a connection status searching command against the detected server.

2. A non-transitory recording medium in which a program for making a computer execute processing, the processing, comprising:

receiving a transmission instruction of an e-mail to be transmitted with data attached to the e-mail;

detecting a recipient'"'"'s domain name of the e-mail from a recipient'"'"'s address of the e-mail based on the received transmission instruction;

detecting a recipient'"'"'s server based on the detected recipient'"'"'s domain name;

searching a route to the detected server;

discriminating whether a relay server having a prescribed property exists on the detected route;

deciding a format of the data to be attached to the e-mail depending on the discriminated result;

re-formatting the data into the decided format if the current format of the data is different from the decided format;

attaching one of the re-formatted data having the decided format or the current format data having the decided format as an attachment to the e-mail; and

transmitting one of the re-formatted data having the decided format and the current format data having the decided format to the recipient'"'"'s address as the attachment of the e-mail,

wherein the decided format relates to limiting the ability of a user associated with the email to electronically handle the data.

4. The non-transitory recording medium as recited in claim 2, wherein, in cases where the data is transmitted simultaneously to a plurality of recipients, the program stored in the recording medium makes the computer decide the format of the data every recipient and format the data into respective decided formats.

6. The non-transitory recording medium as recited in claim 2, wherein the route to the server is searched by executing a route searching command against the server.

7. An e-mail transmission apparatus comprising a processor and comprising:

a domain name detecting unit to detect a recipient'"'"'s domain name of an e-mail to be transmitted together with data attached to the e-mail from a recipient'"'"'s address of the e-mail;

a server detecting unit to detect a recipient'"'"'s server based on the detected recipient'"'"'s domain name;

a response time detecting unit to detect a response time of the recipient'"'"'s server detected by the server detecting unit;

a format deciding unit to decide a format of the data to be attached to the e-mail depending on the detected response time and re-format the data into the decided format for attachment to the e-mail if the current format of the data is different from the decided format;

an attachment unit to attach one of the re-formatted data having the decided format or the current format data having the decided format as an attachment to the e-mail; and

a transmission processing unit to transmit one of the re-formatted data having the decided format or the current format data having the decided format to the recipient'"'"'s address as the attachment of the e-mail,

wherein the decided format relates to limiting the ability of a user associated with the email to electronically handle the data.

9. The e-mail transmission apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the response time is detected by executing a connection status searching command against the detected server.

8. An e-mail transmission apparatus comprising a processor and comprising:

a domain name detecting unit to detect a recipient'"'"'s domain name of an e-mail to be transmitted together with data attached to the e-mail from a recipient'"'"'s address of the e-mail;

a server detecting unit to detect a recipient'"'"'s server based on the detected recipient'"'"'s domain name;

a route detecting unit to detect a route to the recipient'"'"'s server and discriminate whether a relay server having a prescribed property exists on the detected route;

a format deciding unit to decide a format of the data to be attached to the e-mail depending on the discriminated result and re-format the data into the decided format for attachment to the e-mail if the current format of the data is different from the decided format;

an attachment unit to attach one of the re-formatted data having the decided format or the current format data having the decided format as an attachment to the e-mail; and

a transmission processing unit to transmit one of the re-formatted data having the decided format or the current format data having the decided format to the recipient'"'"'s address as the attachment of the e-mail,

wherein the decided format relates to limiting the ability of a user associated with the email to electronically handle the data.

10. The e-mail transmission apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the route to the server is searched by executing a route searching command against the server.

11. An e-mail transmitting method, comprising:

detecting a recipient'"'"'s domain name of an e-mail to be transmitted together with data attached to the e-mail from a recipient'"'"'s address of the e-mail;

detecting a recipient'"'"'s server based on the detected recipient'"'"'s domain name;

detecting a response time by executing a connection status searching command against the detected recipient'"'"'s server;

deciding a format of the data to be attached to the e-mail depending on the detected response time;

re-formatting the data into the decided format if the current format of the data is different from the decided format;

attaching one of the re-formatted data having the decided format or the current format data having the decided format as an attachment to the e-mail; and

transmitting one of the re-formatted data having the decided format and the current format data having the decided format to the recipient'"'"'s address as the attachment of the e-mail,

wherein the decided format relates to limiting the ability of a user associated with the email to electronically handle the data.

12. An e-mail transmitting method, comprising:

detecting a recipient'"'"'s domain name of an e-mail to be transmitted with data attached to the e-mail from a recipient'"'"'s address of the e-mail;

detecting a recipient'"'"'s server based on the detected recipient'"'"'s domain name;

searching a route to the recipient'"'"'s server by executing a route searching command against the detected recipient'"'"'s server;

discriminating whether a relay server having a prescribed property exists on the searched route;

deciding a format of the data to be attached to the e-mail depending on the discriminated result;

re-formatting the data into the decided format if the current format of the data is different from the decided format;

attaching one of the re-formatted data having the decided format or the current format data having the decided format as an attachment to the e-mail; and

transmitting one of the re-formatted data having the decided format and the current format data having the decided format to the recipient'"'"'s address as the attachment of the e-mail,

wherein the decided format relates to limiting the ability of a user associated with the email to electronically handle the data.