JP2008198166A - Mail delivery system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mail delivery system achieving reliable delivery of mail by acquiring a mail receiving situation on the receiving side. <P>SOLUTION: The mail delivery system can acquire a mail receiving situation on the mail transmitting side by installing a testing user mail box 60 and a testing user computer 80 to prepare the same environment as the mail receiving environment of a user, transmitting test mail, and transmitting the mail receiving situation of the testing user computer 80, as determined situation information to a mail delivery device 10 by a receiving checking device 90. The mail delivery device 10 changes mail transmission setting or the like based on the determined situation information. Consequently, when regular mail is transmitted to a user computer 70, the regular mail can be surely transmitted to mail software 72 of the user computer 70 without being erroneously determined as junk mail. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a mail delivery system for reliably reaching an electronic mail.

With the development of electronic mail (hereinafter simply referred to as mail) that is transmitted and received between personal computers and the like, many spam mails that are unnecessary for users who receive mail are also distributed.
As countermeasures against junk mail, security software or the like is introduced into a mail server of a provider, a school, or a business office, or a personal computer of a user who receives mail, and spam mail reception restrictions and filtering are performed.
Thus, the recipient can receive only legitimate mail, and the troublesomeness of the recipient himself / herself sorting spam mail and legitimate mail is eliminated.
JP 2006-31807 A

However, some of the reception restrictions used as countermeasures against junk mail do not take measures such as sending a transmission error message to the sender of the mail, even if the reception of the mail is restricted. In this case, the sender cannot know the situation where the mail has not arrived.
In addition, when it is determined as spam mail by a filtering function as a countermeasure against spam mail, those that are quarantined from normal mail or are subject to deletion have become widespread. In this case, it is unknown to the sending side what kind of judgment has been made, and even if it is misjudged that the mail for which regular reception permission has been received from the recipient is spam mail, Only keeps a record that the mail was successfully sent to the destination mail server.

In such a conventional method, there is no means for the sender to know the status of the receiving side, and it is determined whether the recipient can receive the email reliably, and the email is erroneously determined to be spam. In case of failure, we were unable to take any evasive measures.
Therefore, in view of such problems, the present invention has an object to provide a mail distribution system that recognizes the mail reception status on the receiving side and realizes reliable mail distribution.

Therefore, the present invention distributes a test mail from the mail distribution device to the mail reception device via the Internet, further causes the test user computer to receive the test mail distributed to the mail reception device, and the reception check device The reception status of the test mail received by the test user computer is checked, and the check result is transmitted to the mail distribution device as reception status information. The mail distribution device informs the user based on the received reception status information. Mail delivery is set so that mail is delivered, and mail is delivered to users.
In addition, the mail receiving device includes a filtering function unit that determines whether the received mail is junk mail, and a test user mailbox that has a mail folder corresponding to the determination result by the filtering function, and the filtering function unit Based on the determination result, the test mail is distributed to the corresponding mail folder in the test user mailbox, and the reception check device determines which mail folder the test mail is distributed to the test user mailbox. Was to check.
This test user mailbox is provided in a predetermined mail receiving device extracted based on the user's usage share.

The test user computer includes a test security function unit that determines whether or not the received test mail is junk mail, and a mail function unit that has a mail folder corresponding to a determination result by the test security function unit. The test security function part sorts the test mail into the corresponding mail folder in the mail function part based on the determination result, and the reception check device sends the test mail to the mail folder in the mail function part. Was to check.
Alternatively, the test user computer includes a mail function unit having a security function for determining whether or not the received test mail is a junk mail, and the mail function unit stores a mail folder corresponding to the determination result by the security function. The test mail is distributed to the corresponding mail folder based on the determination result of the security function, and the reception check device checks which mail folder in the mail function section the test mail is distributed. .
The test user computers are provided as many as the test security function units extracted based on the user's use share or the mail function units having the security function.

  The mail delivery device changes the delivery route or content of the test email, compares the reception status information received from the reception check device before and after the change, and sets the delivery of the email.

According to the present invention, the reception check device transmits the reception status information to the mail distribution device, and the mail distribution device performs the mail distribution setting based on the reception status information, so that the mail transmission side confirms the mail reception status. Thus, it is possible to reliably deliver the mail to the user.
In addition, the mail delivery side checks the mail reception status by the reception check device sending to the mail delivery device which mail folder in the test user mailbox has been sorted by the filtering function unit. In addition, by changing the mail delivery setting, the mail can be reliably delivered to the user without being disturbed by the filtering function unit.

The mail delivery side transmits the mail to the mail delivery device by the reception check device sending to the mail delivery device the mail folder for the test sent to the mail folder by the test security function provided in the test user computer. The reception status can be confirmed, and by changing the mail delivery setting, the mail can be reliably delivered to the user without being disturbed by the security function unit.
Alternatively, the mail function part having the security function may confirm the mail reception status by the mail delivery side by sending the mail checker to which mail folder the mail function part having the security function has been sent to the mail delivery apparatus. In addition, by changing the mail delivery setting, mail can be reliably delivered to the user without being disturbed by the mail function unit.

In addition, a test user mailbox is provided in a predetermined mail receiving device extracted based on a user's usage share, or a test user computer is extracted based on a user's usage share. Or, by providing as many mail function units as security functions, it is possible to grasp the large number of mail reception statuses among all users, and to deliver regular mails to more users reliably. Become.
Since the mail delivery device can change the delivery route or content of the test email, the mail delivery device can check the email reception status according to the change status. By performing the distribution setting, it is possible to reliably distribute regular mail to more users.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described by way of examples.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the mail delivery system.
Mail distribution apparatus 10 that distributes mail via the Internet 30, mail reception apparatus 40 that receives mail distributed from the mail distribution apparatus 10 and distributes it to the test user computer 80, and mail reception at the test user computer 80 The mail delivery system 1 is composed of the reception check device 90 that checks the status.
The mail receiving device 40 is a receiving facility installed by a provider or business operator, and distributes received mail to the user computer 70 in response to a request from the user computer 70 used by a general user.

The mail delivery device 10 includes a delivery application 11 and an SMTP server 12.
As will be described in detail later, the mail delivery apparatus 10 transmits a test mail for confirming whether the mail is determined to be junk mail by a filtering function unit or security software.
The distribution application 11 creates a test mail, and the SMTP server 12 sends the test mail to the mail receiving device 40 through the Internet 30.

Next, details of the mail receiving device 40 will be described.
The mail receiving device 40 receives an e-mail delivered to a user computer 70 used by a general user via the Internet 30, and receives an e-mail received by the SMTP server 41 from a source SMTP server. A filtering function unit 42 that determines whether a mail is a junk mail from the characteristics and the characteristics of the contents of the mail created by the distribution application of the transmission source, and a user mailbox 50 assigned to each user.

The user mail box 50 is provided with a received mail folder 51 and a junk mail folder 52.
The filtering function unit 42 sorts the mail determined to be spam to the spam mail folder 52, sorts other mail to the received mail folder 51, or marks the title of the mail determined to be spam as the received mail. Sort to folder 51.

The user computer 70 receives mail stored in the user mailbox 50 of the mail receiving device 40 using the mail software 72.
Further, security software 71 is installed in the user computer 70, and mail received from the user mailbox 50 is further classified into spam mail and other mail by the security software 71. The security software 71 sorts junk mails to the junk mail folder 74 in the mail software 72, and sorts other mails to the received mail folder 73.
Note that the mail software 72 may have a function of determining spam mail.

Here, a general flow until mail is delivered to the user computer 70 through the Internet 30 will be described.
Mail transmitted from a sender (not shown) is distributed to the SMTP server 41 in the mail receiving device 40 via the Internet 30.
The mail received by the SMTP server 41 is determined by the filtering function unit 42 as to whether it is a junk mail, and is stored in the received mail folder 51 or the junk mail folder 52 in the user mail box 50 according to the determination result.

The user uses the mail software 72 in the user computer 70 to receive the mail stored in the user mailbox 50 of the mail receiving device 40.
When the user computer 70 receives mail, the security software 71 further determines whether the mail is spam or not, and the mail is distributed to the received mail folder 73 or the spam mail folder 74.
The user browses mail stored in the received mail folder 73 or the junk mail folder 74.
Further, the user can refuse to receive mail stored in the junk mail folder 52 by setting or the like.

Next, a configuration for checking whether mail is delivered to the user will be described.
As described above, generally, the sender of the mail sends the mail to the received mail folder 51 or the junk mail folder 52 in the mail receiving device 40, the received mail folder 73 in the user computer 70, or It is impossible to know to which of the junk mail folder 74 the mail folder 74 has been distributed.
Therefore, an environment similar to the user's mail reception environment is prepared for testing.
Specifically, a test user mailbox 60 having the same configuration as the user mailbox 50 and a test user computer 80 having the same configuration as the user computer 70 are prepared in the mail receiving device 40.

In the test user mailbox 60, similarly to the user mailbox 50, a test received mail folder 61 and a test junk mail folder 62 that store mail sorted by the filtering function unit 42 are provided.
Similarly to the user computer 70, the test user computer 80 stores the test security software 81 and the test mail software 82, and the test mail software 82 stores the mail sorted by the test security software 81. A test received mail folder 83 and a test junk mail folder 84 are provided.
Note that the test security software 81 is the same as the security software 71 in the user computer 70.

In the reception check device 90, reception check software 91 and aggregation software 92 are provided.
The reception check software 91 is a test reception mail provided in the test reception mail folder 61, the test junk mail folder 62, and the test user computer 80 in the test user mailbox 60 prepared in the mail reception device 40. It is checked to which folder of the folder 83 and the test junk mail folder 84 the mail is delivered.
The check results are aggregated by the aggregation software 92 as judgment status information indicating the judgment status of spam mail by the filtering function unit 42 of the mail receiving device 40 or the test security software 81, that is, the security software 71, and transmitted to the mail distribution device 10. Is done.

Next, the flow of processing for checking whether or not mail has been delivered to the user will be described.
The mail delivery apparatus 10 creates a test mail using the delivery application 11, and sends the created test mail using the SMTP server 12 to the test user computer 80 as a transmission destination.
The test mail transmitted from the mail delivery device 10 is received by the SMTP server 41 of the mail receiving device 40 via the Internet 30.

The mail received by the SMTP server 41 is judged by the filtering function unit 42 as to whether or not it is a junk mail, and is distributed to the test received mail folder 61 or the test junk mail folder 62 in the test user mailbox 60. Or a junk mail mark.
The test user computer 80 receives the mail stored in the test user mailbox 60 using the test mail software 82.
When the test user computer 80 receives mail, the test security software 81 determines whether the mail is spam or not, and the mail is distributed to the test incoming mail folder 83 or the test spam mail folder 84. .

When mail is received by the test user computer 80, the reception check software 91 of the reception check device 90 causes the test mail transmitted from the mail distribution device 10 to be received in the test received mail folder 61 in the mail receiving device 40. Alternatively, it is checked whether the test mail is assigned to the test junk mail folder 62 or to the test received mail folder 83 or the test junk mail folder 84 in the test user computer 80.
The aggregation software 92 aggregates the check results from the reception check software 91 as determination status information, and transmits the determination status information to the mail delivery apparatus 10.
Thereby, the mail delivery apparatus 10 side which transmitted mail can know a user's reception condition by confirming determination status information.

Further, the mail delivery system 1 may send a test mail to the test user computer 80 via the test mail delivery apparatus 20 including the SMTP server 21.
In this case, the SMTP server 12 of the mail delivery device 10 and the SMTP server 21 of the test mail delivery device 20 are different servers for the mail reception device 40, and the filtering function unit 42 of the mail reception device 40 and the test user The judgment status of the test security software 81 of the computer 80 is different from that in the case of not using the SMTP server 21.
Therefore, when the test mail is transmitted from the mail distribution device 10 to the test user computer 80 and when the test mail is transmitted via the test mail distribution device 20, the reception check device 90 causes the mail distribution device 10 to receive the test mail. It is possible to verify which distribution setting, such as the setting of the SMTP server for distribution, will generate an erroneous determination of junk mail.

It is also possible to distribute a test mail in which the content of the test mail generated by the distribution application 11 of the mail distribution apparatus 10 is modified, and obtain determination status information transmitted from the reception check apparatus 90 to the mail distribution apparatus 10.
Also in this case, as described above, the filtering function unit 42 of the mail receiving device 40 and the test security software 81 of the test user computer 80 are compared by comparing the determination status information before and after the mail modification. It is possible to verify what point in the mail is used as a judgment criterion for spam mail, and generate a false judgment for spam mail.
As a result, the mail delivery device 10 erroneously determines that the mail is a spam mail by the filtering function unit 42 or the security software 71 having the same configuration as the test security software 81 based on various pieces of determination status information received from the reception check device 90. It is possible to perform delivery setting for not being determined, and mail can be reliably delivered to the received mail folder 73 of the user computer 70.

The present embodiment is configured as described above, and in order to prepare the same environment as the user's mail receiving environment, the test user mailbox 60 and the test user computer 80 are installed, the test mail is transmitted, and the test user The reception check device 90 transmits the mail reception status of the computer 80 as the determination status information to the mail distribution device 10, so that the mail reception status can be grasped on the mail transmission side.
The mail delivery device 10 performs mail delivery settings such that the filtering function unit 42 or the test security software 81 does not determine that the mail is spam by changing the mail transmission setting based on the determination status information. Can do. That is, when a legitimate mail is transmitted to the user computer 70, the legitimate mail can be reliably transmitted to the mail software 72 of the user computer 70 without being erroneously determined to be a spam mail.

There are an infinite number of mail receiving devices because they are installed by providers and businesses.
Therefore, for example, by preparing a test user mailbox for each of about 10 major providers and operators according to the actual usage share and sending a test mail, it is possible to grasp a large number of mail reception statuses. it can.
Similarly, there are innumerable security software and mail software provided on the user computer side, so by preparing the main ones, it is possible to grasp the status of receiving a large number of emails, and to send regular emails to more users. It becomes possible to deliver reliably.

  It is a figure which shows the starting apparatus in a 1st Example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mail delivery system 10 Mail delivery apparatus 11 Delivery application 12, 21, 41, SMTP server 20 Test mail delivery apparatus 30 Internet 40 Mail receiving apparatus 42 Filtering function part 50 User mailbox 51 Received mail folder 52 Spam mail folder 60 For test User mailbox 61 Test received mail folder 62 Test junk mail folder 70 User computer 71 Security software (security function section)
72 Mail software (Mail function part)
73 received mail folder 74 junk mail folder 80 test user computer 81 test security software (security function part)
82 Test mail software (Mail function part)
83 Test received mail folder 84 Test junk mail folder 90 Reception check device 91 Reception check software 92 Aggregation software

Claims (7)

An email delivery device that delivers test emails over the Internet;
A mail receiving device for receiving the test mail;
A test user computer for receiving a test mail distributed to the mail receiving device;
A reception check device that checks a reception state of the test mail received by the test user computer and transmits the check result as reception status information to the mail distribution device;
The mail distribution system, wherein the mail distribution apparatus performs mail distribution setting so that mail is distributed to the user based on the received reception status information, and distributes the mail to the user. The mail receiving device is:
A filtering function that determines whether the received email is spam,
A test user mailbox having a mail folder corresponding to the determination result by the filtering function,
The filtering function unit sorts the test mail into a corresponding mail folder in the test user mailbox based on a determination result,
2. The mail delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the reception check device checks to which mail folder the test mail is distributed in the test user mailbox. The mail delivery system according to claim 2, wherein the test user mailbox is provided in a predetermined mail receiving device extracted based on a user's usage share. The test user computer includes:
A test security function that determines if the received test email is spam,
A mail function unit having a mail folder corresponding to the determination result by the test security function unit,
The test security function unit sorts the test mail into a corresponding mail folder in the mail function unit based on the determination result,
The mail delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reception check device checks which mail folder in the mail function unit the test mail has been distributed to. The test user computer includes:
It has a mail function part with a security function to judge whether the received test mail is spam mail,
The mail function unit has a mail folder corresponding to the determination result by the security function, and sorts the test mail into the corresponding mail folder based on the determination result of the security function,
The mail delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reception check device checks which mail folder in the mail function unit the test mail has been distributed to. 6. The test user computers are provided in a number corresponding to the number of test security function units extracted based on user usage shares or mail function units having security functions. Mail delivery system. The mail delivery device changes the delivery route or content of the test email, compares the reception status information received from the reception check device before and after the change, and sets the delivery of the email. The mail delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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