JPH09200250A - Method and system for transmitting multimedia information - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a method for surely informing the contents of a mail by adopting a method for monitoring whether an electronic mail has been read out or not, and when the mail has not been read out yet, transmitting information by a method other than the electronic mail. SOLUTION: A mail delivery control device 320 is included in a mail center device 300 to monitor whether an electronic mail has been transferred from a mail box 310 to a mail receiving terminal 120 or not. The contents of the mail are referred to, and at the time of judging that the mail is to be urgently transmitted to a receiver, the state of the receiver is estimated, the address information of the receiver is acquired from an information storage device 330 and a communicatable optimum means is selected. A medium converter 500 converts a current medium into a medium corresponding to a communication means selected by the control device 320 and transfers the converted medium to a delivery device 400. The device 400 transmits the information of mail arrival or the contents of the mail to a communication terminal 130 through a communication network 200 matched with each communication means.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multimedia information delivery method and system, and more particularly, to an important e-mail service such as emergency mail and time-limited e-mail in an e-mail service for transmitting and receiving multimedia documents via a communication network. The present invention relates to a multimedia information delivery method and system for surely recognizing a mail by a recipient.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electronic mail system via a LAN, there is a method of displaying that a mail arrives at a terminal when the mail arrives. As a result, the recipient sees the displayed message indicating the arrival of the mail and reads the mail. Specifically, the electronic mail sent from the mail sending terminal is sent to the mail center apparatus via the communication network used by the mail system and stored in the recipient's mailbox. After that, when the recipient accesses the mail center device from the mail receiving terminal, the mail stored in the recipient's mailbox is transferred to the mail receiving terminal, and the contents of the mail can be read.

Further, in the e-mail service by personal computer communication using a telephone line, the recipient calls the mail center to access the mail center. If the mail arrives at that time, the mail is sent to the terminal of the recipient. There are ways to be delivered.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION However, LAN
In the e-mail system via, the terminal is fixed or limited to the premises, so that the recipient is not always at the terminal. Also, when the mail is received via the telephone line, it is unknown whether the recipient has received the mail until the recipient accesses the mail center device. Therefore, even if an urgent mail arrives, it may not be immediately read by the recipient.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points. When an urgent mail arrives, it is monitored whether or not the mail has been read (delivered to the terminal), and if the mail cannot be read. Estimates the recipient's situation, selects an alternative communication method based on pre-registered address information, performs media conversion of the mail content according to that method, notifies the recipient of the arrival of the mail, or , Provided is a multimedia information delivery method and system capable of notifying the contents of mail.

[0006]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the principle of the present invention. When the multimedia information delivery method of the present invention detects an email that should be delivered to the recipient immediately (steps 1 and 2), it monitors whether the recipient has read the email (step 3). ),
If unread (steps 4 and 5), a communication method available to the recipient other than the electronic mail is selected (step 6), and the information content of the electronic mail is delivered to the recipient (step 7).

Further, the present invention monitors flag information or stamp information for which the electronic mail should be urgently delivered to the recipient on the route where the electronic mail is delivered from the sender to the recipient, and the flag information or stamp information is monitored. If it is detected, the e-mail is regularly monitored whether or not the e-mail is read by the recipient, and if it is not read, the communication method other than the e-mail is determined from the pre-registered address information belonging to the recipient. Select, and depending on the selected communication method, if necessary,
Media conversion is performed on the mail contents, notification of arrival of mail and delivery of mail contents are performed.

Further, according to the present invention, when selecting a method capable of communicating with the recipient, the location of the recipient for each specific date and time,
It is registered in advance in a center device having a function of transferring schedule information including work contents, and the center device grasps the status of the recipient of the mail by referring to the location of the recipient and the work contents in the schedule information. .

Further, according to the present invention, at the time of selecting a method capable of communicating with the recipient, the location of the recipient is grasped by using at least one communication system of PHS, GPS and infrared active batch. , And refers to the location information.

Further, the present invention, when a telephone is selected as the communication method to the recipient, when transmitting the e-mail content information, encryption so that the content is not leaked to anyone other than the recipient, or , Add security protection function using password. Further, the present invention is a voice mail having a function of converting the contents information of the e-mail into a voice medium and accepting the voice mail and delivering the same prior to the notification of the arrival of the e-mail by using the communication means usable by the recipient. After registering in the center device and notifying the arrival of the electronic mail, the voice mail center device is accessed by telephone.

Further, according to the present invention, the communication means usable by the recipient is used to convert the content information of the electronic mail into a facsimile signal and register it in the facsimile mail center device prior to the arrival notification of the electronic mail. After notification of arrival
The facsimile mail center device is accessed to receive the facsimile data expressing the contents of the electronic mail.

Further, according to the present invention, the sender of the electronic mail, the specific word, phrase, or stamp included in the electronic mail determines whether or not the recipient is urgently delivered, or which notification means has priority. Among the selection candidates
The recipient specifies at least one.

Further, the present invention notifies the sender of the electronic mail or the delivery confirmation of the electronic mail content information to the receiver or the communication method used for the delivery. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the principle of the present invention. The present invention, in a multimedia information delivery system in an electronic mail service for transmitting and receiving a multimedia document via a communication network, a detecting means 10 for detecting an electronic mail which should be delivered to a recipient immediately, and an electronic mail by the recipient. And a monitoring means 20 for monitoring whether or not the
In the case of unread within a predetermined time, by the alternative communication method selecting means 30 for selecting a communication method available to the recipient other than the electronic mail and the communication method selected by the alternative communication method selecting means 30, And a delivery means 40 for delivering the information content of the electronic mail to the recipient.

Further, the above-mentioned detecting means 10 detects flag information or stamp information for which the electronic mail should be urgently delivered to the recipient on the route where the electronic mail is delivered from the sender to the recipient. Also, the above-mentioned monitoring means 20
When the detecting means 10 detects the flag information or the stamp information, it periodically monitors whether or not the recipient has read the e-mail.

The alternative communication method selecting means 30 described above
Selects a communication method other than the e-mail from the pre-registered address information belonging to the recipient if the monitoring means 20 has not read it. Also, the above-mentioned delivery means 40
Is a media conversion means for converting the media of the mail contents, if necessary, according to the communication method selected by the alternative communication method selection means 30, and a delivery means for notifying the arrival of the mail and delivering the mail contents. Including and

The alternative communication method selecting means 30 described above
Is a registration means for pre-registering in a center device having a function of transferring schedule information including the location of the recipient at each specific date and time and work content when selecting a method capable of communicating from the address information of the recipient. , In the center device,
It includes a selection unit for selecting a communication method suitable for the location and work content of the recipient by referring to the location and work content of the recipient in the schedule information.

Further, the above-mentioned selection means are PHS, GP.
The location of the recipient is grasped by using at least one communication system of S and active batch, and a communication method suitable for the location is selected. Further, when the telephone is selected as the communication method to the recipient by the alternative communication method selecting means 30, the delivery means does not leak the content to anyone other than the recipient when delivering the e-mail content information. It includes security protection measures that use encryption or passwords.

Further, the present invention provides a media conversion means for converting the content information of the electronic mail into voice and registering it in the voice mail center device prior to the notification of the arrival of the electronic mail by using the communication means usable by the receiver. Further, it further comprises mail information acquisition means for accessing the voice mail center device by telephone after the notification of the arrival of the electronic mail by the recipient.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a facsimile registration means for converting the contents information of the electronic mail into a facsimile signal and registering it in the facsimile mail center device prior to the notification of the arrival of the electronic mail by using the communication means usable by the receiver. ,
After the notification of the arrival of the electronic mail, it further has a facsimile data receiving means for accessing the facsimile mail center apparatus and receiving the facsimile data expressing the contents of the electronic mail.

The alternative communication method selecting means 30 described above
Decides whether to give urgent delivery to the recipient based on the certification of the sender of the email or the specific words, phrases, or stamps contained in the email, or which notification method is given priority as a selection candidate. The recipient specifies at least one of the following.

Further, the above-mentioned delivery means notifies the sender of the electronic mail or the delivery confirmation of the electronic mail content information to the receiver or the communication method used for the delivery to the sender of the electronic mail. As described above, the present invention monitors whether or not an email has been read by a recipient when an email that should be delivered to a recipient is detected urgently, and if it is unread, the email is received by other than the email. It is possible for a person to select an available communication method and deliver the information content of the e-mail to the recipient.

Further, according to the present invention, the center device having the function of transferring the schedule information including the location and the work content of the recipient for each specific date and time when the method capable of communicating from the address information of the recipient is selected. It is possible to refer to the location and work contents of the recipient in the schedule information by registering in advance in the center device and inquiring to the center device, so it is possible to send an email according to the information. is there.

When the recipient cannot receive the e-mail, the sender selects at least one of the personal handyphone system (PHS), GPS, and infrared active batch to select the recipient's location. By grasping the position and referring to the location information, it becomes possible to send a mail to the recipient.

Further, the present invention provides a security protection function of using an encryption or a password when delivering the electronic mail content information when a telephone is selected as the communication method to the recipient. As a result, the content is not leaked to anyone other than the recipient. Further, according to the present invention, when the communication means usable by the receiver is used, the contents information of the electronic mail is converted into a voice and is registered in the voice mail center device before the notification of the arrival of the electronic mail is received. After the notification of the arrival of the e-mail, the person can obtain the e-mail information by accessing the voice mail center device by telephone.

Similarly, the communication means usable by the recipient is used to convert the contents information of the e-mail into a facsimile signal and register it in the facsimile mail center device prior to the arrival notification of the e-mail, and arrives at the e-mail. After the notification, it becomes possible to access the facsimile mail center device and receive the facsimile data expressing the contents of the electronic mail.

Further, according to the present invention, the sender of the e-mail, the specific word, phrase, or stamp included in the e-mail determines whether or not the recipient is urgently delivered, or which notification means has priority. Among the selection candidates
By designating at least one of the recipients, it is possible to identify and notify the urgently handled e-mail in accordance with the characteristics of the recipient.

Further, according to the present invention, confirmation of delivery of the electronic mail or the content information of the electronic mail to the receiver, or notification of the communication method used for the delivery to the sender of the electronic mail ensures that the receiver is sure. It becomes possible to confirm whether or not the information of the electronic mail has been received.

[0028]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the system of the present invention. The system shown in the figure comprises a mail sending terminal 110, a mail receiving terminal 120, a communication terminal 130, a communication network 200, and a mail center apparatus 300. The mail center device 300 includes a mailbox group 31 that manages incoming emails for each recipient terminal.
0, the mail delivery control device 320 that monitors whether the mail held in the mailbox group 310 is received by the recipient and determines whether the held mail is an urgent mail, communication address information storage Device 33
Has zero. A media conversion device 500 and an information delivery device 400 are connected to the mail center device 300.

The communication network 200 has various public networks and other communication networks, and includes a mail sending terminal 110, a mail receiving terminal 120,
The communication terminal 130, the information delivery device 400 and the mail center device 300 are connected. The outline operation of each configuration will be described below.

In the present invention, in addition to the conventional operation, a mail delivery control device 320 is provided in the mail center device 300,
The e-mail is monitored whether it has been transferred from the mailbox 310 to the e-mail receiving terminal 120, the e-mail content is referred to, it is determined whether the recipient should be notified urgently, and if it is determined that the emergency notification is to be issued, the reception The situation of the person is estimated, the communication address information of the recipient is acquired from the communication address information storage device 330, and the optimal communication means with which contact can be made is selected.

Next, by the media conversion device 500,
The mail contents are converted into media corresponding to the communication means selected by the mail delivery control device 320 and transferred to the information delivery device 400. The information delivery device 400 notifies the communication terminal 130 of the arrival of a mail or the content of a mail via the communication network 200 suitable for each communication means.

The communication address information storage device 330 is used for communication means such as a home phone, a mobile phone, a PHS, a facsimile, and a pager, the type of terminal, the installation location, the owner,
Address information and the like are set, and the mail sending terminal 11
0, mail receiving terminal 120, and mail center device 30
It has the function of registering information from 0.

When the mail delivery control device 320 of the mail center device 300 estimates the status of the recipient, the schedule information registered by the recipient from the mail receiving terminal 120 is referred to, and the location of the recipient or the location of the recipient is determined from the schedule information. Estimate the contents of work and select the most suitable communication method for the location and work contents from the communication address information.

Further, the mail delivery control device 320 of the mail center device 300 is equipped with a device for obtaining the position of the receiver by utilizing PHS, GPS, infrared active batch, etc., and is useful when estimating the condition of the receiver. The location of the user is estimated from the obtained location information, and the optimal communication method for that location is selected from the communication address information.

When notifying the recipient of the mail contents by telephone from the information delivery device 400 of the mail center device 300, a person other than the receiver may receive the call. Therefore, before notifying the contents of the mail, Confirm your identity with a password. This prevents anyone other than the person himself / herself from listening to the mail contents.

Further, the information delivery device 400 is notified of the arrival of the mail, so that when the person knows the arrival of the mail, the contents of the mail can be received as a voice mail so that the information can be received as a voice mail center. A device is installed to convert the mail contents into voice and register it in the voice mail center device. The voice mail center device will be described later.

In addition, when the information delivery device 400 notifies the arrival of the mail, when the recipient himself / herself knows that the mail has arrived, the contents of the mail can be received as a facsimile mail. A mail center device is provided to convert mail contents into facsimile information and register it in the facsimile mail center device.

Further, when the mail delivery control device 320 refers to the contents of the mail and judges whether or not to notify the recipient urgently, and when selecting the optimum communication means capable of contacting the recipient, E-mail reception means that determines whether to make an emergency contact based on the sender or the content of the e-mail, and when the emergency contact is necessary, the recipient can customize the method of mail delivery control such as which communication method should be prioritized. The terminal 120 is prepared so that it can be registered in the mail delivery control device 320 via the communication network 200.

Further, the mail sender is the mail sending terminal 1
When the e-mail is transmitted from 10, when the e-mail is provided with a function as to whether or not to notify the e-mail delivery result, the e-mail delivery control device 320 determines that the e-mail delivery result notification is required. Then, the mail delivery result is notified to the sender.

Next, the flow of a series of operations will be described. FIG.
3 is a flowchart for explaining a series of operations of the present invention, showing operations centered on the mail delivery control device 320. Step 101) When the mail sender sends an e-mail addressed to the mail recipient from the mail sending terminal 110, the e-mail reaches the recipient's mailbox 310.

Step 102) When the electronic mail arrives,
The mail delivery control device 320 checks the mail sender and the contents of the electronic mail, and determines whether the mail needs to be monitored (whether it is urgent or not). If it is determined that it is necessary, the process proceeds to step 103, and if it is determined that it is not necessary, the process of the mail delivery control device 320 ends, and the process moves to the normal electronic mail system.

Step 103) Mail delivery control device 3
20 monitors the mailbox 310 to see if the received email has been read by the recipient. Step 104) It is judged whether the email has been read within the time specified by the email, and if it has been read,
The process of the mail delivery control device 320 is ended, and the process is shifted to the normal electronic mail system. If it has not been read within the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step 105.

Step 105) If the electronic mail in the mailbox 310 is not read within the designated time, an emergency contact is made. First, as an emergency contact,
By referring to the communication address information stored in the communication address information storage device 330 registered in advance by the subscriber of the electronic mail system, the communication address information registered by the receiver is searched, and the communication address information is fixed from the communication address information. One communication means (terminal) on the receiver side is selected according to the selection criterion.

In this step, the receiver's schedule information is referred to, the receiver's current location is estimated, and the communication address information accumulating device 330 is searched for the communication means capable of contacting that location. . The schedule information of the recipient will be described later.

Next, the optimum communication means is selected from the communication means obtained as a result, based on the situation such as the work contents of the recipient obtained from the schedule information. Further, in the step, when the receiver has PHS, GPS, infrared active batch, or the like, the position information is acquired from each terminal by using the device for obtaining the position of the receiver. Next, the place of the user is estimated from the position information, and the communication means capable of contacting the place is acquired by searching the communication address information storage device 330. Further, the optimum communication means for the location is selected from the obtained communication means.

Step 106) Next, media conversion of the mail contents is performed by the media conversion device 500 according to the selected communication means (terminal). Step 107) The media-converted mail content is transmitted to the communication terminal 130 selected in step 105 using the information delivery device 400.

In the step, if the selected communication terminal is a telephone (including a mobile phone, PHS, etc.) and the contents of the mail should not be heard by anyone other than the recipient, the contents of the mail are notified. Before you do this, you will be asked to enter a password, etc., and the identity of the recipient will be checked. As a result, the e-mail content is notified only when the person can be confirmed.

Step 108) Whether or not it is necessary to monitor whether or not the electronic mail has been read is judged by the item of the electronic mail based on the transmitted contents and the like, and if necessary, the process proceeds to step 103. Furthermore, in the step, if it is determined that it is better to register as a voice mail due to the transmitted contents, the contents of the mail are converted into voice, and the voice mail center device capable of receiving the voice mail by telephone ( The voice data converted to (described later in detail) is registered.

In the step, if it is judged that it should be registered as a facsimile mail due to the contents transmitted, the contents of the mail are converted into facsimile data, and the facsimile mail center capable of receiving the facsimile mail. The converted data is registered in the device (details will be described later).

Incidentally, step 1 of the above flow chart.
02 and step 108, from the mail receiving terminal to the mail delivery control device 320, the definition of the rule unique to the recipient used in the judgment of whether or not the mail monitoring is necessary and in the selection of the optimum communication means in the processing of step 105 is performed. It is supposed to be registered in.

When the mail sender sends the mail,
When the mail is designated to notify the mail delivery result, the mail delivery control device 320 notifies the mail sender of the mail delivery result by mail before the end of the flowchart of FIG.

[0052]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 shows the system configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same components as those in FIG. 3 are given the same elements, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the system configuration of FIG. 5, the public network 21
0 is a mail sending terminal 110, a mail receiving terminal 120, a communication terminal 130, a mail center device 300, information delivery devices 410, 420, 430, a voice mail center device 80.
0, a facsimile mail center apparatus 900 and a pager center 950 are connected.

The mail receiving terminal 120 can define a mail delivery control rule 121 for each recipient, and the defined rule can be used for the mail center device 3 via the public network 210.
00, and is managed in the mail delivery control rule storage unit 321 in the mail delivery control device 320 for each recipient.

FIG. 6 shows an example of mail delivery control rules according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the mail delivery control rule storage unit 321 shown in the same drawing, a rule that describes delivery control according to the sender or the content type of the mail and the designation of the priority use communication terminal is stored for each recipient. In the example shown in the figure, four rules are registered corresponding to one recipient.

In the electronic mail 20, as shown in FIG.
For example, email destination address 21, normal, urgent, important,
It is composed of a mail type code 22, such as a time limit, confidentiality, confidential information, and sender notification, special note content 23, sender address 24, and mail content 25. As described above, the content of the mail 20 is added with the information about the content of the mail in addition to the normal mail header. In the example shown in the figure, the mail type 22 includes 1 = normal, 2 = emergency, 3 = important, 4 = with time limit, 5 = confidential, 6 = confidential, 7 = notification of sender, etc. In the case of “”, the time from the arrival of the mail until the reading is performed, in the case of “with a deadline”, the deadline date is set in the special contents, and in the case of “confidential”, the ID of the recipient of the mail Is set. If the information is "confidential," a personal identification code for accessing the e-mail is set.

When the electronic mail arrives at the mailbox 310, the mail delivery control device 320 checks the mail type code 22 of these mail headers and the sender, and the mail is transferred from the mailbox 310 to the recipient terminal. Determine if it needs to be monitored until If a mail delivery control rule 321 as shown in FIG. 6 is set in the mail delivery control device 320, the necessity of monitoring is determined using the rule. When it is determined that the monitoring is necessary, the emergency contact is performed when the electronic mail is not read from the mailbox 310 within the time specified in the special content of the mail, for example, within 3 minutes.

The mail receiving terminal 120 manages mail delivery control rules 121, communication address information 122, and schedule information 123. These pieces of information are stored in the mail center apparatus 300 by transmitting them to the mail center apparatus 300 via the communication network 210. The mail delivery control rule 121 is held for each recipient in the mail delivery control rule storage unit 321 of the mail delivery control device, and the communication address information 122 is the communication address information together with the communication address information sent from other subscribers. It is stored in the storage device 330. The schedule information 123 is the schedule information storage device 34 of the mail center device 300.
When the value is 0, it is held for the recipient.

FIG. 8 shows an example of communication address information according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, subscriber or organization (company or building)
The type, location, and address information of the communication terminal are set for each. Similarly, the mail receiving terminal 120 manages schedule information 123 for each recipient, and the schedule information is sent to the mail center device 30 via the public network 210.
Schedule information storage device 3 that can be sent to
40 is managed for each recipient. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of schedule information according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the schedule information, for example, an event type, date and time (period), place, contact address information, and participants are set for each event.

From the mail center device 300 to the LAN
(Local Area Network) 700 is connected by a dedicated line, and the location information of the PHS terminal 630, GPS64
0, position information from infrared active batch 650 is P
It is transmitted to the PHS controller 610 via the radio base station 620 of the HS 630 and managed.

When the mail delivery control device 320 determines that the emergency contact is necessary due to the contents of the mail, it accesses the schedule information storage device 340 and checks whether the schedule information of the recipient for the day is registered, If registered, the event type, location, and contact address information are obtained from the schedule information.

Next, the communication address information storage device 330 is accessed based on the contact address to retrieve the communication address information of the recipient. Communication address information storage device 30
When a PHS terminal 630, GPS 640, or a terminal capable of detecting a position such as an infrared active batch is registered in 0, the position information detecting device 600 is accessed to acquire the position information. In this way, the location of the recipient is estimated from the obtained location, contact address information, and location information, and the communication address information storage device 33 is based on the location.
0 or contact means (communication terminal) available from contact address information set in the schedule information storage device 340
Is extracted.

From the obtained contact means, the contents of the mail, the event type of the recipient's schedule information, the place,
The optimum communication means is selected based on the mail delivery control rule 321 and the like. The mail center device 300, media conversion devices 510, 520, 530 compatible with media such as pagers, telephones, facsimiles, etc., and information distribution devices 410, 420, 430 compatible with media are LAN 70.
0 is connected.

The information delivery devices 410, 420, 430 are
If it is also connected to the public network 210 and the means of communication (communication terminal) to the recipient is determined, whether to notify the mail arrival or to notify the mail contents depending on the contents of the mail, the necessity of security, etc. Is determined, the media conversion device performs conversion according to the terminal type, and the information delivery device notifies the communication terminal 130 (telephone, facsimile, or pager).

If necessary, the contents of the mail are sent to the voice mail center device 800 and the facsimile center device 9 as well.
Register with 00. The voice mail center apparatus 800 and the facsimile center apparatus 900 are respectively connected to the public network 210, and the public network 210 can be used to register and receive voice mail and to register and receive facsimile mail.

If the contact to the recipient fails, the contact result cannot be confirmed, and the mail cannot be read from the mailbox after that, another communication means is selected again to contact.

Further, based on the designation of the mail sender, as a result of mail delivery, for example, notification of information such as when it was read from the mailbox, when, where, as what kind of means, etc. as emergency contact, etc. I do. Next, a specific description will be given using each of the above examples.

1. Mail type code = emergency, use of voice mail (1) First, the mail receiving terminal 120 registers the mail delivery control rule 121 in the mail center apparatus 300 via the public network 210 with the mail delivery control rule shown in FIG.
Accordingly, the mail center device 300 registers the mail delivery control rule in the mail delivery control rule storage unit 321.

The mail receiving terminal 120 also transmits the communication address information shown in FIG. 8 to the mail center device 300. Thereby, the mail center device 300 registers the communication address information in the communication address information storage device 330. Further, the mail receiving terminal 120 transmits the schedule information shown in FIG. 9 to the mail center device 300. As a result, the mail center device 300 registers the schedule information in the schedule information storage device 340.

(2) From the mail transmitting terminal 110
An email as shown in FIG. 10 arrived at a mailbox 310 addressed to the recipient abc of the mail center apparatus 300 at 12:00 on December 12, 2013. (3) The mail delivery control device 320 refers to the mail type of the electronic mail that has arrived at the mailbox 310 and is addressed to the recipient abc. In the example of FIG. 10, since the mail type = 2 (emergency) is designated, the designated monitoring time (3
Min), monitor the reading from the recipient. Here, since there was no reading from the recipient even after the lapse of 3 minutes, the mail delivery control device 320 searches the schedule information storage device 340 and refers to the schedule information of the recipient abc to check the current conference. Recognize that you are inside. Since the telephone number “03-8888-8888” is registered as contact address information in this schedule information, the mail delivery control device 320 transfers the contents of the electronic mail to the media conversion device 510, and the voice data is transmitted. And is registered in the voice mail center device 800 from the media conversion device 510 via the information delivery device 410. Furthermore, the mail delivery control device 320 sends a voice message to the telephone number acquired from the schedule information, for example, "There is an urgent contact from Mr. Please contact the voice mail center xxxxxx "with the message" 03-8888-8 "in the contact address information.
888 ".

(4) The recipient who has received the above voice message contacts the voice mail center apparatus 800 and acquires the voice mail of the registered voice data. In the process (3) above, the schedule information is “out of office” and the contact address information is “030-xxxxxx”.
If “xxx” is specified, the position detection device 60
It is also possible to access 0, access a terminal (for example, a PHS terminal) corresponding to the contact address information, and output the above voice message.

2. Mail type code = confidential matters (1) As the registration information from the receiving terminal, as shown in FIG. 11, the communication address information storage device 330 of the mail center device 300 stores the communication address information of the recipient including the personal identification code. There is.

(2) From the mail transmission terminal 110 to FIG.
An e-mail as shown in (1) arrives in the mailbox 310 addressed to the recipient abc of the mail center device 300. (3) The mail delivery control device 320 refers to the mail type of the electronic mail that has arrived at the mailbox 310 and is addressed to the recipient abc. In the example of FIG. 12, the type code (= 6)
Therefore, it is a confidential matter. Mail delivery control device 320
Is "6" for the email type of the email (confidential information)
Is specified, the read from the mailbox 310 by the recipient is monitored.

(4) When accessed by the recipient, the mail delivery control device 320 requests the recipient to enter a personal identification code. (5) When the recipient inputs the personal identification code (1234), the mail delivery control device 320 causes the communication address information storage device 330 to input the personal identification code (1234) registered by the recipient and the personal identification code (123).
Check 4). As a result of the collation, if they match, the mail delivery control device 320 permits the recipient to read the electronic mail.

3. E-mail type = with time limit, sender notification (1) An e-mail from the mail sending terminal 110 is a mailbox 3 addressed to the recipient abc of the mail center apparatus 300.
Arrived at 10. (2) The mail delivery control device 320 refers to the mail type of the electronic mail that has arrived at the mailbox 310 and is addressed to the recipient abc. In this example, two mail types are set to electronic mail. One is that the mail type = 4 (with a deadline) and the mail type = 7 (notice of sender) are specified, and the deadline date is set to January 20, 1996, so the first Monitor readings from recipients until the deadline. In this example, it is assumed that the reading was performed before the time limit.

(3) The mail delivery control device 320 searches the schedule information storage device 340 and refers to the schedule information of the sender. At this point, the sender is allowed to use the electronic mail. Therefore, the mail delivery control device 320 generates a message indicating that the mail has been read from the electronic mailbox 310 before the deadline, and transfers it to the information delivery device 410 together with the sender's address information.

(4) The information delivery device 410 acquires the address information of the sender's electronic mail and sends the electronic mail of the generated message to the sender's mail transmission terminal 110 via the public network 210. As described above, it is possible to specify a plurality of types as the email type of the email.

4. E-mail type = emergency, sender notification (1) An e-mail from the mail sending terminal 110 is a mailbox 3 addressed to the recipient abc of the mail center apparatus 300.
Arrived at 10. As the mail type of the electronic mail, urgent and sender notification are designated.

(2) The mail delivery control device 320 refers to the mail type of the electronic mail that has arrived at the mailbox 310 and is addressed to the recipient abc. In this example, two mail types are set to electronic mail. One is designated as mail type = 2 (emergency) and mail type = 7 (notification of sender). In this example, the mail delivery control rule 32
When "urgent" is designated in 1, it is assumed that the recipient has designated that the email should be read within 5 minutes.

(3) The mail delivery control device 320 stores the recipient's schedule information in the schedule information storage device 3
40 is searched and acquired. (4) At this point, as a result of referring to the schedule information of the recipient, the recipient can use the facsimile. Therefore, the mail delivery control device 320
Instructs the media conversion device 510 to generate a message indicating that the emergency mail has arrived at the electronic mail box 310, acquires the facsimile number of the recipient from the notification address information storage device 330, and transfers it. As a result, the media conversion device 510 is notified that "emergency e-mail has arrived. Please access your mailbox as soon as possible. Message is generated, and the information delivery device 41 is generated.
Transfer to 0.

(5) The information delivery device 410 notifies the recipient's facsimile number using a facsimile. (6) Upon receiving the facsimile, the recipient accesses the mailbox 310 and accesses the email designated as urgent according to the above message.

(7) The mail delivery control device 320 monitors the access of the mailbox from the recipient, acquires the time of access, and sends a message containing the time.
"The email addressed to abc was read at 10:12 am on January 20, 1996. ], The address information of the sender's mail terminal is transferred to the information delivery device 410. As a result, the information delivery device 410 returns the above message by e-mail to the terminal 110 of the sender according to the address information of the sender.

In the above example, the method of making various processing determinations by referring to the mail type code 22 and the special note content 23 has been described. However, the character string of the mail content 25 is converted into a word dictionary (not shown). The registered keywords are extracted using a method such as morphological analysis, and the meaning of the words is analyzed to extract the contents such as urgency, confidentiality, and time limit, and communication means corresponding to them. It may be configured to make the selection.

The present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various modifications and applications are possible within the scope of the claims.

[0085]

As described above, according to the multimedia information delivery method and system of the present invention, it is not necessary for the mail recipient to always confirm whether or not the mail has been received.
When an important mail such as an emergency mail arrives, the arrival of the mail and the contents of the mail can be promptly known.

Further, since the sender uses the communication means capable of the mail delivery system to notify the arrival of the mail or the contents of the mail, the sender does not have to worry about the situation such as where the recipient is. Can be sent.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a principle configuration diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the system of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a series of operations of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a system configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a mail delivery control rule according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic mail according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of communication address information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of schedule information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram (mail type code = 2) showing an example of an electronic mail according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of communication address information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram (mail type code = 6) showing an example of an electronic mail according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Detecting Means 20 Monitoring Means 21 Mail Destination Address 22 Mail Type Code 23 Special Contents 24 Caller Address 25 Mail Contents 30 Alternative Communication Method Selecting Means 40 Delivery Means 50 Mailbox 110 Mail Sending Terminal 120 Mail Receiving Terminal 121 Mail Delivery Control Rule 122 Communication address information 123 Schedule information 130 Communication terminal 200 Communication network 210 Public network 300 Mail center device 310 Mailbox group 320 Mail delivery control device 321 Mail delivery control rule storage unit 330 Communication address information storage device 340 Schedule information storage device 410, 420, 430 Information delivery device 510, 520, 530 Media conversion device 600 Position information detection device 610 PHS control device 620 Radio base station 630 PHS terminal 640 G PS 650 Infrared active batch 700 LAN (local area network) 800 Voice mail center device 900 Facsimile mail center device 950 Pager center

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Agency reference number FI Technical indication H04N 1/32

Claims (21)

[Claims] 1. When an e-mail that should be delivered to a recipient immediately is detected, whether or not the e-mail has been read by the recipient is monitored. A multimedia information delivery method, comprising selecting a communication method available to the recipient and delivering the information content of the e-mail to the recipient. 2. The flag information or the stamp information, which is to be delivered to the recipient as soon as the email is delivered, is monitored on the route where the email is delivered from the sender to the recipient. When stamp information is detected, it is regularly monitored whether or not the e-mail has been read by the recipient, and when it is unread, the electronic mail is read from pre-registered address information belonging to the recipient. A multimedia characterized by selecting a communication method other than mail, converting the media of the mail contents as necessary according to the selected communication method, notifying the arrival of mail and delivering the mail contents Information delivery method. 3. When selecting a method capable of communicating with the recipient, the information is registered in advance in a center device having a function of transferring schedule information including the location of the recipient for each specific date and time and work content. 2. The center device grasps the status of the recipient of the mail by referring to the location and work content of the recipient in the schedule information, and selects a communication method suitable for the location and work content. Alternatively, the multimedia information delivery method described in 2. 4. When selecting a method capable of communicating with the recipient, at least one communication system of a personal handyphone system (PHS), a global positioning system (GPS), and an infrared active batch is used, 3. The multimedia information delivery method according to claim 1, wherein the location of the recipient is grasped and a communication method suitable for the location is selected. 5. When a telephone is selected as the communication method to the recipient, an encryption that prevents the content other than the recipient from being leaked when delivering the e-mail content information,
Alternatively, the multimedia information delivery method according to claim 1, 2, or 4, wherein a security protection function using a password is added. 6. A voice mail center device for converting the contents information of the electronic mail into a voice medium and receiving and delivering the voice mail by using the communication means usable by the recipient prior to the notification of the arrival of the electronic mail. 6. The multimedia information delivery method according to claim 1, 2, or 5, wherein the voice mail center device is accessed from the telephone after notification of the arrival of the electronic mail. 7. The communication means usable by the recipient is used to convert the content information of the electronic mail into a facsimile signal and register it in a facsimile mail center device prior to the arrival notification of the electronic mail, After the arrival notification, the facsimile mail center device is accessed to receive the facsimile data representing the contents of the electronic mail, the facsimile data.
The described multimedia information delivery method. 8. The sender of the e-mail or a specific word, phrase or stamp included in the e-mail determines whether or not urgent delivery is to the recipient, or which notification means is prioritized. 2. The recipient specifies at least one of the selection candidates to be selected.
2. The multimedia information delivery method according to 2 or 7. 9. The delivery confirmation of delivery of the electronic mail or the content information of the electronic mail to the recipient, or notification of the communication method used for the delivery to the sender of the electronic mail, or, 8. The method for delivering multimedia information according to item 8. 10. In a multimedia information delivery system in an electronic mail service for transmitting and receiving a multimedia document via a communication network, a detecting means for detecting an electronic mail that should be delivered to a recipient immediately, and the receiving means for detecting the electronic mail. Monitoring means for monitoring whether or not the electronic mail has been read, and alternative communication for selecting a communication method available to the recipient other than the electronic mail if the monitoring means does not read the electronic mail within a predetermined time A multimedia information delivery system comprising: a method selection means; and a delivery means for delivering the information content of the electronic mail to the recipient by the communication method selected by the alternative communication method selection means. 11. The detecting means detects flag information or stamp information in which the electronic mail should be urgently delivered to the recipient in a route in which the electronic mail is delivered from the sender to the recipient.
The described multimedia information delivery system. 12. The monitoring means, when the detecting means detects the flag information or the stamp information, regularly monitors whether the e-mail has been read by the recipient. The described multimedia information delivery system. 13. The alternative communication method selection means selects a communication method other than the e-mail from pre-registered address information belonging to the recipient when the unread by the monitoring means. Multimedia information delivery system. 14. The delivery means, according to the communication method selected by the alternative communication method selection means, media conversion means for media conversion of mail contents when necessary, notification of arrival of mail, and 11. The multimedia information delivery system according to claim 10, further comprising: delivery means for delivering mail contents. 15. The alternative communication method selecting means transfers schedule information including a location of the recipient for each specific date and time and work content when selecting a communicable method from the address information of the recipient. Registration means for pre-registering in a center device having a function; and in the center device, by referring to the location of the recipient and the work content in the schedule information, the status of the recipient of the mail is grasped, and the reception The multimedia information delivery system according to claim 10, further comprising a selection unit that selects a communication method suitable for the location of the person and the work content. 16. The selecting means uses the personal handyphone system (PHS) and the global positioning system (GP) by the reference means.
S), at least one of infrared active batch
16. The multimedia information delivery system according to claim 15, further comprising means for grasping the location of the recipient by using one communication system and selecting a communication method suitable for the location. 17. The delivery means, when a telephone is selected as the communication method to the recipient by the alternative communication method selecting means, when delivering the electronic mail content information, other than the recipient. 11. The multimedia information delivery system according to claim 10, further comprising security protection means using encryption or a password so as not to leak the contents. 18. Media conversion means for converting the content information of the electronic mail into voice and registering it in a voice mail center device prior to the notification of the arrival of the electronic mail by using a communication means usable by a receiver, 18. The multimedia information delivery system according to claim 10 or 17, further comprising: mail information acquisition means for a person to access the voice mail center device by the telephone after the notification of the arrival of the electronic mail. 19. Facsimile registration means for converting the content information of the e-mail into a facsimile signal and registering it in a facsimile mail center device prior to the arrival notification of the e-mail using a communication means usable by the recipient. The multimedia information delivery method according to claim 10 or 17, further comprising facsimile data receiving means for accessing the facsimile mail center device and receiving facsimile data representing contents of the electronic mail after the notification of arrival of the electronic mail. . 20. The alternative communication method selection means performs urgent delivery to the recipient according to the certification of the sender of the email or a specific word, phrase, or stamp included in the email. Whether or not, which notification means is preferentially selected as a selection candidate,
11. The multimedia information delivery system according to claim 10, wherein the recipient specifies at least one. 21. The delivery means notifies the sender of the electronic mail of the delivery confirmation of the electronic mail or the content information of the electronic mail to the recipient, or the communication method used for the delivery. The described multimedia information delivery system.