JP2005269087A - System and method for preventing endless transfer of e-mail - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent endless transfer of an e-mail occurring when a user having mail accounts in a plurality of mail servers sets an automatic transfer service cyclically. <P>SOLUTION: At least one mail server 100 out of a plurality of mail servers 100, 200 and 300 detects repeated transfer of the same e-mail based on the source address, the title and the file capacity of the e-mail and when the number of times Ci of repeated transfer reaches a preset allowable number of times C in a preset time t, the system for preventing endless transfer of e-mail releases operation of an automatic e-mail transfer function 101 of the mail server 100. Since identity of the e-mail is judged based on the source address, the title and the file capacity, identity of the e-mail can be judged even when uniqueness of Message-ID is not secured, the Message-ID is not imparted to the e-mail, or the Message-ID is updated by the transfer service being repeated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an e-mail infinite transfer prevention system and e-mail for preventing infinite e-mail transfer caused by a user who has e-mail accounts in a plurality of mail servers cyclically setting an e-mail automatic transfer service in the mail server. The present invention relates to an infinite transfer prevention method.

  With the spread of e-mail, the same user has a tendency to have e-mail accounts on the mail servers of multiple Internet service providers. If the automatic e-mail forwarding service is set incorrectly, infinite e-mail transmission May occur.

  For example, if one user has a mail account a on the mail server A, a mail account b on the mail server B, and a mail account c on the mail server C, this user is sent to the mail account a on the mail server A. It is possible to transfer the e-mail to the mail account b of the mail server B using the automatic transfer service of the mail server A. Similarly, the e-mail sent to the mail account b of the mail server B can be transferred to the mail account c of the mail server C using the automatic transfer service of the mail server B. The e-mail sent to the mail account c can be transferred to the mail account a of the mail server A using the automatic transfer service of the mail server C.

  In this way, when a user who has a mail account in a plurality of mail servers sets up an automatic email forwarding service in a plurality of mail servers, the email forwarding process is theoretically repeated forever. Such as excessive traffic on the Internet due to unnecessary transfer processing, excessive load on the mail server, or the storage of many meaningless e-mails in the data storage means of the mail server. Occurs.

  As techniques for preventing infinite transfer of e-mail, for example, an e-mail device as disclosed in Patent Document 1 and an e-mail transfer method as disclosed in Patent Document 2 have already been proposed.

  The e-mail device disclosed in Patent Document 1 sends an e-mail with a unique e-mail ID (Message-ID) attached to the transmission data, determines whether the Message-ID matches or does not match, and receives duplicate e-mails. There are many cases in which the uniqueness of Message-ID is not guaranteed due to the structure of the mailer or mail server of the sender or a defect in the program, and the setting of the sender mail server. Depending on the message-ID, the message-ID may not be assigned, and the message-ID may be updated by the transfer service. It's not possible.

  The e-mail transfer method disclosed in Patent Document 2 registers e-mail addresses that may cause a loop when specified as a destination in advance in a table, and prohibits replies to e-mail addresses registered in the table. However, it does not prevent infinite transfer of e-mail that occurs due to the automatic transfer service being performed cyclically between multiple mail servers (the transfer destination table). If you register with, it will be meaningless because the automatic forwarding service itself will be disabled).

JP 2000-92112 A JP 2003-122682 A

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to improve the inconveniences of the prior art, and infinite e-mail generated when a user having a mail account in a plurality of mail servers cyclically sets an e-mail automatic transfer service in the mail server. An object of the present invention is to provide an e-mail infinite transfer prevention system and an e-mail infinite transfer prevention method capable of reliably preventing transfer.

The e-mail infinite transfer prevention system of the present invention prevents infinite e-mail transfer that occurs when a user who has a mail account in a plurality of mail servers cyclically sets an e-mail automatic transfer service in the plurality of mail servers. In order to achieve the above-mentioned problem, an e-mail infinite transfer prevention system for
Repetitive transfer detecting means for detecting repetitive transfer of the same e-mail based on at least an e-mail source address, title, and file capacity, to at least one mail server of the plurality of mail servers; A repetitive transfer number counting means for counting the number of repetitive transfers detected by the return transfer detecting means; and an automatic transfer set by the user when the count value of the repetitive transfer number counting means reaches a preset allowable number of times. A transfer function forcible canceling means for canceling the service is provided.

When this mail server receives an e-mail addressed to the user with the e-mail automatic transfer service set in the mail server having the above configuration, the e-mail automatic transfer function of the mail server automatically operates, The electronic mail is transferred to a transfer destination set in advance in the mail server.
At this time, whether the repetitive transfer detection means of the mail server is the same as the e-mail that has been transferred in the past based on at least the e-mail source address, title, and file capacity. If it is the same e-mail, it is detected that repetitive transfer of the e-mail has been executed.
The repetitive transfer number counting means increments the count value every time the repetitive transfer detecting means detects repetitive transfer. Until this count value reaches a preset allowable number of times, e-mail automatic The transfer function is allowed to operate.
Finally, when the count value of the repetitive transfer number counting means reaches a preset allowable number, the transfer function forcible release means operates to cancel the setting of the automatic transfer service set by the user, Avoid infinite transfers.
In the present invention, since the identity of the email is determined based on the email sender address, title, and file capacity, the uniqueness of the email Message-ID is not guaranteed. Even if the Message-ID is not assigned to the e-mail, or even when the Message-ID is updated by a recurring transfer service, the same e-mail can be used repeatedly and repeatedly without infinite transfer. It can be prevented in advance.
Here, the purpose of judging the identity of an e-mail based on the sender address, title, and file capacity is to guarantee the identity judgment accuracy by using a plurality of judgment conditions together. It is also possible to set four or more determination conditions according to the determination accuracy.

  More specifically, the repetitive transfer detecting means has storage means for storing at least a sender address, a title, and a file capacity of an e-mail that has been automatically transferred in the past. It is determined whether or not the sender address, title and file capacity of the target email match the sender address, title and file capacity of the email stored in the storage means. It can be configured to detect repeated transfers of the same e-mail in some cases.

  When such a configuration is applied, every time an e-mail is automatically transferred, the e-mail source address and title whose e-mail source address, title, and file capacity are already stored in the storage means are stored. If the two match, the repeated transfer of the same e-mail is detected and the count value of the repeat transfer number counting means is incremented. In this case, the source address, title, and file capacity of the e-mail that is newly subject to automatic transfer at this time are added and stored in the storage means, and the transmission is performed in the next and subsequent transfer processing. The original address, title, and file size are used as one of the objects to be compared.

  Further, it is desirable that the repeated transfer number counting means is configured to count the number of repeated transfers within a preset time range.

Even when judging the identity of an email based on the sender address, title, and file capacity, the sender address, title, and file capacity are the same when considering a time frame of months or years. However, an e-mail with a different content, that is, another e-mail may be received, and it is unconditionally repeated over a long period while judging the identity of the e-mail based on the sender address, title, and file capacity If you increment the count value of the transfer count counting means, there is a possibility that the automatic transfer service setting will be inadvertently canceled even though you are actually transferring emails with different contents is there.
Such an adverse effect can be easily eliminated by counting the number of repetitive transfers within a preset time range (for example, several tens of minutes, several hours).

  Further, in response to the operation of the transfer function forcible release means, it is preferable to provide an abnormality notification means for notifying the user's information terminal having the mail account of the occurrence of an abnormality related to the repeated transfer of electronic mail.

In this way, by notifying the user that the automatic e-mail transfer service is set up cyclically, it is possible to quickly resolve the inconvenience on the user side.
Instead of activating the abnormality notification means using the transfer function forced release means as a trigger, the abnormality notification means is activated when the count value of the repetitive transfer number counting means reaches the set value less than the allowable number described above. The notification in this case functions as an advance notice of the occurrence of an abnormality. As a result, it is possible to notify the user of a notice before the automatic transfer service is actually canceled and to confirm a setting error related to the automatic transfer service.

  Here, it is desirable that the abnormality notifying means notifies the user's information terminal of the occurrence of an abnormality related to the repeated transfer of the e-mail without going through the Internet.

  In the case of anomaly notification using e-mail, if the e-mail is repeatedly transferred many times and the e-mail server with the user's e-mail account or the data storage means for the user (so-called disk) malfunctions, the e-mail is correctly Although there is a possibility that it cannot be received, by sending an error notification using a wired or wireless communication network other than the Internet, the occurrence of the error is reliably notified to the user regardless of malfunctions on the mail server or the Internet. can do.

  Specific examples of information terminals that receive notifications from the abnormality notification means include telephones, facsimile machines, mobile phones, pagers, and portable electronic notebooks.

  Any of them has a function of receiving a notification from the abnormality notification means without going through the Internet, so that a notification related to the occurrence of the abnormality can be surely notified to the user regardless of a malfunction on the mail server or the Internet.

The method for preventing infinite e-mail transfer according to the present invention prevents infinite e-mail transfer that occurs when a user who has a mail account in a plurality of mail servers sets up an e-mail automatic transfer service cyclically in the plurality of mail servers. In order to achieve the same problem as described above,
Time at which at least one mail server among the plurality of mail servers detects the repeated transfer of the same e-mail based on the e-mail source address, title, and file capacity, and the number of times of the re-transfer is set in advance The automatic forwarding service set by the user is forcibly canceled when the preset allowable number of times is reached, and the information terminal of the user is notified of the occurrence of an abnormality related to repeated forwarding of e-mails. It has a configuration.

  The substantial effect of this method for preventing infinite email forwarding is as described above, so that if the uniqueness of the email Message-ID is not guaranteed, no Message-ID is assigned to the email. In this case, or even when the Message-ID is updated by repeated transfer services, it is possible to prevent useless repeated transfer and infinite transfer of the same electronic mail.

  The e-mail infinite transfer prevention system and e-mail infinite transfer prevention method of the present invention detects the repetitive transfer of the same e-mail based on the e-mail source address, title, and file capacity, and the number of repetitive transfers is determined. Since the automatic forwarding service set by the user is forcibly canceled when the preset allowable number of times is reached, if the uniqueness of the Message-ID of the email is not guaranteed, the Message-ID is not included in the email. Even when the message is not given or when the Message-ID is updated by repeated transfer services, infinite transfer of the same electronic mail can be prevented in advance.

  FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a mail server for implementing the e-mail infinite transfer prevention method and e-mail infinite transfer prevention system of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, it is assumed that the same user 500 has a mail account in each of a plurality of mail servers 100, 200, and 300 on the Internet 400, and each of the mail servers 100, 200, and 300 E-mail automatic transfer functions 101, 201, and 301 are provided for performing the automatic transfer service.

  Accordingly, the user 500 can transfer the e-mail sent to the mail account of the mail server 100 to the mail account of the mail server 200 using the automatic mail transfer function 101 of the mail server 100. It is. Similarly, the e-mail sent to the mail account of the user 500 of the mail server 200 may be transferred to the mail account of the user 500 of the mail server 300 using the e-mail automatic transfer function 201 of the mail server 200. Furthermore, the e-mail sent to the mail account of the user 500 of the mail server 300 can be transferred to the mail account of the user 500 of the mail server 100 using the automatic e-mail transfer function 301 of the mail server 300.

  When such a setting is made, the e-mail sent to the mail account of the user 500 of the mail server 100 is cyclically transferred to the mail server 200, the mail server 300, the mail server 100, the mail server 200,. May continue to be. This is an infinite transfer of e-mail, and this type of problem can occur when the same user 500 has a mail account in two or more mail servers on the Internet 400.

  Here, as an example, a case will be described in which an infinite transfer prevention function between email servers 100, 200, and 300 is prevented by adding an infinite transfer prevention function to the mail server 100. The mail server 200 or the mail server 300 may be added, and each of the mail servers 100, 200, and 300 may be provided with an infinite e-mail transfer prevention function.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the configuration requirements necessary for adding the infinite transfer prevention function for e-mail to the mail server 100 are, as shown in FIG. 1, at a minimum, the repetitive transfer detecting means 102, the repetitive transfer number counting means 103, and the transfer. It is desirable to provide the function forcibly releasing means 104, and further, the abnormality notifying means 105 is also provided.

  The information terminal 600 is an information terminal such as a telephone, a facsimile machine, a mobile phone, a pager, and a portable electronic notebook owned by a user 500 who has a mail account in each of the mail servers 100, 200, and 300. Communication network 700 is a wired or wireless communication network other than the Internet, and indicates a communication network suitable for the type of information terminal 600.

  The e-mail automatic transfer function 101 of the mail server 100 is for automatically transferring the e-mail sent to the user 500 who has a mail account in the mail server 100 to other mail servers 200, 300, etc. as described above. Therefore, the mail server or mail account of the transfer destination can be arbitrarily set by the user 500 who has the mail account in the mail server 100. Conventionally, this type of setting operation has required remote access using a user terminal or use of a shell command suitable for the system configuration of the mail server 100. However, in recent years, with the general use of the Internet. The setting operation has also been simplified, and the destination mail server and mail account can be specified, and the ON / OFF operation of the electronic mail automatic transfer function 101 can be easily performed.

  The e-mail automatic transfer function 101 of the mail server 100 is individually managed for each of a plurality of users who have a mail account in the mail server 100. Naturally, a specific user 500 can transfer a mail server or a mail account as a transfer destination. The automatic mail transfer function 101 for the user 500 can be executed and the ON / OFF operation of the automatic mail transfer function 101 can be executed.

  The repetitive transfer detecting means 102, the repetitive transfer count counting means 103, the transfer function forcible canceling means 104, and the abnormality notifying means 105 are components unique to this embodiment, and all of them are the above-described automatic e-mail transfer function. Similar to 101, the mail server 100 is individually managed for each of a plurality of users who have a mail account. The repetitive transfer detecting means 102, the repetitive transfer number counting means 103, the transfer function forcible releasing means 104, and the abnormality notifying means 105 shown in FIG. 1 are for the user 500 described above.

  Among these, the repetitive transfer detection means 102 includes a storage means for storing a source address, title, and file capacity of an electronic mail that has been automatically transferred in the past. Each time an e-mail sent to the user 500 is transferred to another mail server by the e-mail automatic transfer function 101, at least its source address, title, and file capacity are extracted from the e-mail. This storage means is searched to determine whether or not the sender address, title and file capacity matching the sender address, title and file capacity are already stored in the storage means.

  Here, when it is determined that there is a match, the repetitive transfer detecting means 102 considers that the repetitive transfer of the same electronic mail is newly detected, and the repetitive transfer number counting means. The count value of 103 is incremented by one.

  On the other hand, if the determination results do not match, the repeated transfer detection means 102 considers that the same electronic mail has not been repeatedly transferred, and at this time becomes a new automatic transfer target. The source address, title, and file capacity of the e-mail, that is, the e-mail that is about to be transferred, are added to the storage means and stored. As a result, in the subsequent transfer process, the source address, title, and file capacity newly added and stored in the storage unit are used as one of the comparison target data of the repetitive transfer detection unit 102. Will be used. Of course, when the determination result by the repeated transfer detecting means 102 does not match, the count value of the repeated transfer number counting means 103 is not incremented.

  The transfer function forcible release means 104 constantly monitors the count value of the repeated transfer number counting means 103, and when the count value of the repeated transfer number count means 103 reaches a preset allowable number, The function forcibly releasing means 104 forcibly resets the automatic email transfer function 101 to the OFF state, stops the automatic transfer processing service for the email sent to the user 500, and makes the email infinite Prevent forwarding.

  At the same time, the transfer function forcible release means 104 activates the abnormality notification means 105 when the automatic transfer processing service is stopped, and the abnormality notification means 105 is connected to the user 500 via the communication network 700 different from the Internet 400. The information terminal 600 is notified of the occurrence of an abnormality related to the repeated transfer of e-mail.

  Here, a specific example will be given and described. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a main part of the mail server 100 having a function for preventing infinite transfer of electronic mail. This mail server 100 is a normal information processing terminal constituted by a workstation, a personal computer, or the like, and is used for a CPU 2 for arithmetic processing, a ROM 2 storing a drive control program for the CPU 1, and a temporary storage of arithmetic data. A RAM 3, a hard disk drive 4 that functions as a large-capacity storage device, and a keyboard 6, a monitor 7, a printer 8, and the like are connected to the input / output circuit 5.

  In addition, the interface 9 is connected to the Internet 400 to communicate with other mail servers 200, 300, etc., and performs processing such as transmission / reception and transfer of electronic mail, and communication different from the Internet 400. Connected to the network 700 is connected to a telephone exchange 11 for notifying the information terminal 600 of the user 500 of the occurrence of an abnormality related to the infinite transfer of electronic mail.

  Here, the telephone exchange 11 is used as a part of the abnormality notification means 105 on the assumption that the information terminal 600 of the user 500 is configured by a telephone or a facsimile machine. May be deployed. As the other information terminal 600, a mobile phone, a pager, a portable electronic notebook or the like can be used.

  The main parts of the electronic mail automatic transfer function 101, the repetitive transfer detecting means 102, the repetitive transfer count counting means 103, the transfer function forcible releasing means 104, and the abnormality notifying means 105 are mainly the CPU 1 of the mail server 100 and its main parts. The storage means that is configured by the control program and stores the source address, title, and file capacity of the electronic mail that has been automatically transferred in the past is a part of the storage area of the hard disk drive 4 included in the mail server 100. The transfer mail monitoring table 12 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the forwarded mail monitoring table 12 includes the source address (Fi) of the forwarded electronic mail, the title of the electronic mail (Si), and the file size (Vi) of the electronic mail. Is extracted and stored by the CPU 1 functioning as a function realizing unit of the electronic mail automatic transfer function 101. In the first embodiment, the CPU 1 writes the transfer execution time (Ti) when the transfer of the e-mail is first detected. The number of repeated transfers (Ci) is a value indicating the number of times the same e-mail has been repeatedly transferred, and is incremented by 1 when the CPU 1 functioning as the repeated transfer detection means 102 gives a coincidence determination result as described above. It has become so. That is, the repetitive transfer count (Ci) column in the transfer mail monitoring table 12 functions as the substantial repetitive transfer count counting means 103.

  Hereinafter, the forwarded e-mail collectively includes a set of a source address (Fi), a title (Si), a file capacity (Vi), a transfer execution time (Ti), and a repetitive transfer count (Ci) having the same value of i. This is called data.

  Further, the other storage area of the hard disk drive 4 is further provided with a contact management table 13 as shown in FIG. 4, and the contact telephone number of the user corresponding to the mail account of the user 500 or the like is provided. It is supposed to be registered. This telephone number is a telephone number used when the telephone exchange 11 is activated to notify the user's information terminal 600 of an abnormality when an abnormality relating to the repeated transfer of e-mail occurs.

  FIG. 5 shows the processing operation of the CPU 1 functioning as a part of the electronic mail automatic transfer function 101, the repeated transfer detecting means 102, the repeated transfer number counting means 103, the transfer function forcible releasing means 104, and the abnormality notifying means 105. It is the flowchart shown in figure. Since normal processing operations related to the operation of the mail server 100, such as e-mail transmission / reception and storage processing, are already known techniques, only “normal processing” is described in step S21 in FIG. The detailed explanation is omitted.

  After the mail server 100 is turned on and various initialization processes are performed, the CPU 1 first initializes the transfer mail monitoring table 12 as shown in FIG. 3 to an unstored state (step S1). The value of the index n for storing the number of transferred email data stored in the transfer email monitoring table 12 is initialized to 0 (step S2), the email automatic transfer function 101 is activated (step S3), or The CPU 1 enters a standby state to wait for a notification destination telephone number registration request by the user (step S19). If neither the operation of the automatic e-mail transfer function 101 nor the notification destination telephone number registration request is detected, the CPU 1 performs the same process as in the prior art. Only “normal processing” (step S21) related to the operation of the mail server 100 is repeatedly executed.

  Therefore, a user 500 who has a mail account in the mail server 100 accesses the mail server 100 in advance via a user terminal such as a personal computer and the Internet 400, specifies his / her mail account, that is, a notification destination telephone number. A telephone number necessary for notifying the information terminal 600 of the user 500 is registered.

  At this time, the registration request transmitted from the user terminal such as a personal computer is detected by the CPU 1 in the process of step S19, and the CPU 1 associates the mail account with the notification destination telephone number to manage the contact information as shown in FIG. Register in the table 13 (step S20).

  Note that access from the user terminal to the mail server 100 is not necessarily performed directly via the Internet 400, but via a web server, a remote access server, or the like in the Internet service establishment where the mail server 100 is installed. However, even if these points are discussed, the explanation is only redundant, so only the final input / output relationship is briefly described here.

  Similarly, when a plurality of servers and computers are mixed in the Internet service establishment, some of the functions of the mail server 100, for example, the repetitive transfer detecting means 102, the repetitive transfer number counting means 103, the transfer function forcible canceling means. It is possible to partially distribute functions such as 104 to other servers and computers. However, since the explanation is only redundant even if the distributed arrangement of various functions is discussed, the repeated transfer detection means 102 is used here. In the following description, it is assumed that the repeated transfer number counting means 103, the transfer function forcible release means 104, etc. are substantially located in the mail server 100.

  In other words, in practice, the repetitive transfer detecting means 102, the repetitive transfer count counting means 103, the transfer function forcibly releasing means 104, etc. may be located anywhere in the computer system or network installed in the Internet service establishment. It is meaningless to physically specify its location.

  Here, when an e-mail is transmitted to the user 500 with the e-mail automatic transfer function 101 related to the user 500 set to ON, the e-mail automatic transfer function 101 of the mail server 100 operates, and the user The e-mail is transferred to a transfer destination 500 set in advance, for example, the mail account of the user 500 of the mail server 200.

  At this time, the CPU 1 detects the reception of the e-mail in the determination process of step S3, extracts the sender address (F), the title (S), and the file capacity (V) from the e-mail and temporarily stores them (step S1). S4) Whether or not the value of the index n for storing the number of transferred e-mail data is 0, that is, one or more transferred e-mail data already in the transferred mail monitoring table 12 as shown in FIG. Is stored (step S5).

  Here, if the determination result in step S5 becomes true, it means that no transferred electronic mail data is stored in the forwarded mail monitoring table 12, so the CPU 1 increments the value of the index n by 1. (Step S6), the sender address (F) extracted in step S4 is stored in the sender address field of the nth address in the forwarded mail monitoring table 12, and the title field of the nth address in the forwarded mail monitor table 12 is stored. In step S4, the title (S) extracted in step S4 is stored, the file capacity (V) extracted in step S4 is stored in the file capacity column of the nth address in the transfer mail monitoring table 12, and Store the current time (T) in the transfer execution time field of the nth address, and monitor the forwarded mail The initial value in the column of repeat transfer number of the n address in Buru 12 to store (1) (step S7).

  In this way, the first transferred electronic mail data is stored at the n = 1 address of the forward mail monitoring table 12.

  On the other hand, if the determination result in step S5 is false, only n pieces of transferred e-mail data related to e-mails that have been subject to automatic transfer in the past are already stored in the transfer mail monitoring table 12. Therefore, the CPU 1 functioning as the repetitive transfer detecting means 102 searches all the transferred e-mail data from the first address to the n-th address of the transfer mail monitoring table 12 as shown in FIG. In step S8), the transfer mail monitoring table 12 has a transfer source address, title, and file capacity that match the source address (F), title (S), and file capacity (V) extracted in step S4. Whether or not email data is stored, that is, emails that have been forwarded in the past that are currently subject to forwarding It will determine whether there is likely to be identical (step S9).

  If the determination result in step S9 is true, the e-mail that is currently subject to transfer processing is the same as the e-mail that has been transferred in the past because the source address, title, and file capacity match. Since there is a very high possibility, the CPU 1 functioning as the repetitive transfer detecting means 102 detects the repetitive transfer of the same electronic mail, and matches the source address and title in the forwarded mail monitoring table 12. The address i of the transferred e-mail data having the file capacity is specified (step S10), and the value of the repetitive transfer count (Ci) in the transferred e-mail data of the i-th address in the transfer mail monitoring table 12, ie, the repetition The count value of the return transfer number counting means 103 is incremented by 1 (step S11).

  Next, the CPU 1 transfers the current time (T) from the transfer execution time (Ti) in the transferred e-mail data of the i-th address of the transfer mail monitoring table 12, that is, the time (Ti) when the transfer of the e-mail was first executed. ) To obtain an elapsed time ti to reach () (step S12), and determines whether or not this elapsed time ti has reached a preset time range t (for example, several tens of minutes, several hours) (step S13). If it has been reached, it is further determined whether or not the current value of the number of repeated transfers (Ci) has reached a preset allowable number of times (C) (step S14).

  If the determination result in step S14 is false, the repeated transfer number C (i) of the same e-mail is counted within a preset time range t. Since this means that the value of the number of times C (i) has not reached the preset allowable number of times (C), the CPU 1 finally determines that the same electronic mail has not been repeatedly transferred. Then, the transferred e-mail data at the i-th address in the transfer mail monitoring table 12 is deleted, and the transferred e-mail data from the (i + 1) -th address to the n-th address are sequentially arranged so as to fill the free storage area generated by this deletion process. After shifting up by one rank (step S15), the value of the index n is decremented by 1 and the transferred e-mail data currently stored in the transfer mail monitoring table 12 is stored. It is matched the value of the index n to the number (step S16), and again returns to the initial standby state of waiting for a registration request notification destination telephone number by actuating and user e-mail forwarding function 101.

  On the other hand, if the determination result in step S14 is true, the number of repeated transfers of the same e-mail within a preset time range t results in the value of the number of repeated transfers C (i). Means that the preset allowable number of times (C) has been reached, so that the CPU 1 finally determines that the same electronic mail has been repeatedly transferred. In this case, the CPU 1 functioning as the transfer function forcible release means 104 forcibly resets the automatic email transfer function 101 corresponding to the mail account of the user 500 to the OFF state and automatically transfers the email related to the user 500. The service is stopped to prevent the occurrence of useless repetitive transfer and infinite transfer of e-mail (step S17).

  Then, the CPU 1 functioning as the main part of the abnormality notifying means 105 searches the contact management table 13 as shown in FIG. 4 to obtain a contact telephone number corresponding to the mail account of the user 500, and this contact The telephone switch 11 that constitutes part of the abnormality notification means is activated based on the telephone number, and the occurrence of an abnormality related to the repetitive transfer of e-mail to the user information terminal 600 via the communication network 700 different from the Internet 400 The occurrence time (T) of the repetitive transfer that may have led to the infinite transfer, and also the e-mail transfer route on the Internet 400 if possible (step S18).

  At this time, if the information terminal 600 of the user 500 is a telephone, the voice data notifying the occurrence and time (T) of occurrence of the abnormality and the transfer route of the e-mail from the voice synthesizer (not shown) provided alongside the telephone exchange 11 In addition, if the information terminal 600 of the user 500 is a facsimile machine, print data notifying the occurrence of the abnormality, the time of occurrence (T), and the e-mail transfer route is transmitted.

  Here, the time (T) at which the abnormality is finally determined is set as the abnormality occurrence time, but instead, the first transfer execution time (Ti) may be transmitted as the abnormality occurrence time.

  After performing the service stop process and abnormality notification process related to automatic transfer of e-mail in this way, the CPU 1 deletes the transferred e-mail data of the i-th address in the transfer mail monitoring table 12 in the same manner as described above. Further, after the transferred e-mail data from the (i + 1) -th address to the n-th address are sequentially shifted up by one rank in order to fill the free storage area generated by this deletion processing (step S15), the value of the index n is changed. The index n is decremented by 1 and the value of the index n is made to match the number of transferred email data currently stored in the forwarded mail monitoring table 12 (step S16), and the initial standby state is restored.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the CPU 1 functioning as the repetitive transfer detection means 102 is an electronic device in which the electronic mail has been transferred in the past based on the source address, title, and file capacity of the electronic mail. Since it is determined whether it is the same as the email, if the uniqueness of the Message-ID of the email is not guaranteed, the Message-ID is not assigned to the email, or repeated Even when the Message-ID is updated by the transfer service, it is possible to detect repeated transfer of the same electronic mail with high accuracy.

  In the first embodiment, the determination is made by the AND condition using only the three types of the e-mail source address, the title, and the file capacity as the determination conditions. However, if the determination conditions are four or more, the accuracy of the determination result is further increased. Can be improved.

  Further, the number of repetitive transfers (Ci) is counted only within a preset time range t, and the transferred e-mail data of the address i in the transfer mail monitoring table 12 is totally displayed when the set time t has elapsed. Therefore, the count value of the number of repetitive transfers (Ci) is not stepped up cumulatively over a long period of time. Therefore, even when the mail server 100 is continuously operated over a long period of time, another e-mail having the same source address, title, and file capacity but different contents is repeated with the same e-mail. The probability of being misjudged as being a transfer is very low.

  Furthermore, since the occurrence of an abnormality related to the repetitive transfer of e-mail is notified to the user information terminal 600 via the communication network 700 different from the Internet 400, the mail server 100 having the user's mail account and the user Even if the data storage means (so-called disk) is malfunctioning, it is possible to reliably notify the user of the occurrence of the abnormality regardless of malfunction on the mail server 100 or the Internet 400.

In the first embodiment, the abnormality notifying unit 105 is operated in response to the operation of the transfer function forcible releasing unit 104, but the number of repeated transfers (Ci) has reached a set value (Cx) less than the allowable number (C). The abnormality notification unit 105 may be operated at a stage, and the transfer function forcible release unit 104 may be operated when the number of repeated transfers (Ci) reaches the allowable number (C).
Since the notice of the occurrence of an abnormality can be sent to the user before the automatic forwarding service by the electronic mail automatic forwarding function 101 is actually stopped, the mail server 100 or other mail servers 200, 300 can be processed by the user side. By correcting the setting operation related to the transfer service and releasing the loop, it is possible to avoid the forced stop of the automatic transfer service and the infinite transfer of e-mail by the transfer function forced release means 104.

It is the functional block diagram shown about the outline of the structure of the mail server for implementing the e-mail infinite transfer prevention method and e-mail infinite transfer prevention system of this invention. It is the functional block diagram which showed the principal part of the mail server provided with the infinite transfer prevention function of an electronic mail. It is the conceptual diagram which showed the outline of the structure of the transfer mail monitoring table which functions as a memory | storage means which memorize | stores the transmission origin address, title, and file capacity of an electronic mail. It is the conceptual diagram which showed the outline of the structure of the contact management table which memorize | stores the contact at the time of abnormality occurrence. 5 is a flowchart specifically showing processing operations of a CPU functioning as a part of an electronic mail automatic transfer function, a repeated transfer detection unit, a repeated transfer number counting unit, a transfer function forcible release unit, and an abnormality notification unit.

Explanation of symbols

1 CPU (main part of electronic mail automatic transfer function, repeated transfer detection means, repeated transfer count counting means, transfer function forced release means, abnormality notification means)
2 ROM
3 RAM
4 Hard disk drive 5 Input / output circuit 6 Keyboard 7 Monitor 8 Printer 9 Interface 10 Router 11 Telephone exchange (part of abnormality notification means)
12 Forwarded mail monitoring table (storage means)
13 Contact Management Table 100 Mail Server 101 Automatic Email Transfer Function 102 Repeated Transfer Detection Unit 103 Repeated Transfer Number Counting Unit 104 Transfer Function Forced Canceling Unit 105 Error Notification Unit 200 Mail Server 201 Email Automatic Transfer Function 300 Mail Server 301 Automatic e-mail transfer function 400 Internet 500 User 600 Information terminal (telephone, facsimile machine, mobile phone, pager, etc.)
700 communication network

Claims (7)

An e-mail infinite transfer prevention system for preventing infinite e-mail transfer caused by a user having a mail account in a plurality of mail servers cyclically setting an e-mail automatic transfer service in the plurality of mail servers. And
Repetitive transfer detecting means for detecting repetitive transfer of the same e-mail based on at least an e-mail source address, title, and file capacity, to at least one mail server of the plurality of mail servers; A repetitive transfer number counting means for counting the number of repetitive transfers detected by the return transfer detecting means; and an automatic transfer set by the user when the count value of the repetitive transfer number counting means reaches a preset allowable number of times. An infinite e-mail transfer prevention system comprising a transfer function forcible release means for canceling a service.   The repetitive transfer detecting means has storage means for storing at least a source address, a title, and a file capacity of an e-mail that has been automatically transferred in the past. It is determined whether or not the sender address, title and file capacity of the e-mail match the sender address, title and file capacity of the e-mail stored in the storage means. 2. The infinite e-mail transfer prevention system according to claim 1, wherein repetitive transfer is detected.   3. The infinite e-mail transfer prevention system according to claim 1, wherein the repetitive transfer number counting means counts the number of repetitive transfers within a preset time range.   2. An abnormality notifying means for notifying occurrence of an abnormality related to repetitive transfer of e-mail to an information terminal of a user having the mail account in response to an operation of the transfer function forcible releasing means. 4. An infinite e-mail transfer prevention system according to claim 2 or claim 3.   5. The infinite e-mail transfer prevention system according to claim 4, wherein the anomaly notification means notifies the user's information terminal of the occurrence of an anomaly related to infinite e-mail transfer without going through the Internet.   6. The e-mail infinite transfer prevention system according to claim 5, wherein the information terminal comprises any one of a telephone, a facsimile machine, a mobile phone, a pager, and a portable electronic notebook. An infinite e-mail transfer prevention method for preventing infinite e-mail transfer that occurs when a user having a mail account in a plurality of mail servers cyclically sets an e-mail automatic transfer service in the plurality of mail servers. And
Time at which at least one mail server among the plurality of mail servers detects the repeated transfer of the same e-mail based on the e-mail source address, title, and file capacity, and the number of times of the re-transfer is set in advance The automatic forwarding service set by the user is forcibly canceled when the preset allowable number of times is reached, and the information terminal of the user is notified of the occurrence of an abnormality related to repeated forwarding of e-mails. E-mail infinite transfer prevention method.

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