JP2000242582A - General-purpose electronic mail transmission and reception system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide, for electronic equipment which is not connected to the internet, a general-purpose electronic mail transmission/reception system that distributes the advertisements and information accordant with the attributes of users in a transmission/reception mode. SOLUTION: This system consists of an electronic mail terminal 2 which can transmit and receive the electronic mails stored in the storage media 5 and 6 and a server 4 which can receive and transmit the electronic mails via an open network 3. The media 5 and 6 can also store communication related information, electronic mail files and user attribute information. The terminal 2 has a storage medium access means which can access both media 5 and 6, an input means, a transmission/reception control means which controls the terminal 2 and processes electronic mails, a display means, a communication means and a storage means. The server 4 has a communication means, a storage means, a data processing means which performs the total control of the server 4 and also the processing accordant with the request of the terminal 2, an advertisement information data base and an advertisement/information distribution means which distributes the advertisements and information in accordance with the attributes of users.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a file storing electronic mail contents by inserting a predetermined storage medium into an electronic mail terminal. ) Regardless of the format, the data for the e-mail stored in the storage medium is transmitted as an e-mail to a designated destination, and the e-mail to the user is received in the storage medium. And a general-purpose e-mail transmission / reception system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional e-mail transmission / reception involves using a computer to connect to a server on an open network, transmitting the e-mail to a destination server via the server, and receiving the data from a receiving server. This is achieved by accessing the user's own e-mail box (a storage location for his / her own received e-mail) and receiving the e-mail accumulated in the e-mail box.

FIG. 3 shows a configuration of a conventional electronic mail transmitting / receiving system.

[0004] Here, an open network is a network in which a plurality of different types of computers are connected by a common application interface so that information can be exchanged, and is not limited to the Internet. I will explain using the Internet.

As shown in FIG. 3, a conventional electronic mail transmission / reception system using a computer has a number of servers K, L, M,... Arranged on the Internet, and these servers K, L, M,. Are connected to at least one computer.

In the example of FIG. 3, a personal computer A is connected to the server K, personal computers B and C are connected to the server L, and a personal computer D is connected to the server M. It is needless to say that the computer is not limited to a personal computer, but the description will be made by using a personal computer which is actually connected in a very large number and is closely related to the problem to be solved by the present invention.

[0007] In order to send and receive e-mail, a communication environment must be set in advance for a personal computer to be used so that it can be connected to a server on the Internet.

As a prerequisite for setting a communication environment, a right to access a predetermined server must be obtained. The access right to the server is usually contracted with an operator called a provider so that the access right to the server provided by the provider is obtained.

The setting of the communication environment includes, in a personal computer to be used, a communication port, an analog / digital conversion device such as a modem, an address in a server,
An account for accounting, registration of user authentication information such as a password and a user ID, and the like are set, respectively, to provide an environment in which communication is possible.

In addition to the communication environment setting, it is also necessary to be able to start application software called a predetermined mailer on a personal computer to be used.

The application software called a mailer also has a function of sending and receiving and managing e-mail, but the most important function is to send and receive electronic data such as documents as e-mail on the Internet, so that the MIME format is used. It has a function of converting the data into a data format called “data format”. Using this mailer, a user can perform various operations such as creating, editing, sending, and receiving an e-mail.

Various mailers are available on the market. Usually, a user purchases a mailer and installs it on a personal computer to be used.

In a broad sense, the installation and setting of a mailer can also be referred to as an environment setting for transmission and reception. Therefore, in this specification, it is sometimes included in the communication environment setting.

As is clear from the above description, communication environment settings are unique to each personal computer due to differences in the type of each personal computer, user, provider, server, mailer, and the like. In order to express this, in FIG.
For personal computers A, B, C, and D, unique communication environment settings A, B, C, and D are shown, respectively.

With the above preparation, the personal computer, the server, and the Internet are configured as an electronic mail transmission / reception system.

When a user sends an e-mail using the above e-mail transmission / reception system, the user receives the e-mail from his / her own computer via a set connection server (for example, server K in the case of personal computer A). The e-mail data is transmitted to a predetermined e-mail box (e-mail storage location of the server specified by the address) of the side server.

When the receiving user wants to receive an e-mail, his or her own computer is used to access a set connection server (for example, the server L for the personal computer B) and to access his / her own e-mail box. The user retrieves the e-mail stored in the PC and reads the e-mail on his personal computer.

[0018]

The present invention intends to solve the following problems with respect to the above-mentioned conventional electronic mail transmitting / receiving system.

(1) Providing an E-mail Transmission / Reception System for Electronic Devices Not Connected to the Internet In spite of the fact that the above-described e-mail transmission / reception system has existed in the past, in reality, electronic transmission / reception is performed via the Internet. There are an extremely large number of electronic devices such as computers that cannot send and receive mail.

According to a survey, home computers, word processors, and PDA terminals (Personal digital assistants) not connected to the Internet or the like.
Has more than about 20 million computers, about four times the number of computers currently connected to the Internet. Such a huge number of incommunicable electronic devices is a huge waste of resources when considered as a whole society.

It is said that the reason why there are many computers and the like that are not connected to the Internet is partly due to a provider contract for connecting to the Internet. If you make a provider contract, you must pay a monthly contract fee continuously, but there are many users who send and receive e-mail sporadically.

Also, some computers do not have a modem, or it is necessary to newly connect a telephone line.

Further, as can be seen from the above description, since the setting of the communication environment itself requires a certain amount of knowledge and complicated procedures, there are also many users who cannot set the communication environment properly. Met.

Electronic devices such as a word processor and a PDA terminal have a function of creating an e-mail document itself, but many cannot be connected to the Internet. On the other hand, there are word processors that provide functions for connecting to the Internet,
Many require additional investment, such as connection kits. As described above, development of a general-purpose e-mail transmission / reception system that can easily transmit / receive e-mails created by users regardless of the type of electronic devices such as computers and word processors and regardless of whether or not a provider contract is awaited. Was.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an e-mail transmission / reception system that does not require a provider contract, work for connecting to the Internet, and purchase of equipment for connecting to the Internet. It is in. (2) Providing a general-purpose e-mail transmission / reception system In a conventional e-mail transmission / reception system, even if the contents of an e-mail are recorded on a general-purpose storage medium and the e-mail is transmitted by another computer, In many cases, transmission and reception could not be performed due to the change. This is because the setting of the communication environment changes when the computer changes.

As described above, the communication environment setting in the computer includes the connection destination server and the ID of the registered user.
(Identification information), user address, user authentication information (password), communication conditions such as communication port and model,
Various settings are made for communication devices. Therefore, the communication environment set in each computer differs depending on the computer model, user, contract provider, startup software, and the like.

In other words, the computer in which the communication environment is set can be said to be a specialized communication terminal in which a particular user communicates in a particular manner through a communication route such as a particular server.

For this reason, when a person tries to send an e-mail with a computer other than the computer that he or she normally uses, using a storage medium on which data for the e-mail is recorded, a user set to the computer is set. Since the server and the like are different, access to the server is not recognized as it is, and it is often impossible to transmit.

The same applies to reception.

In this case, it is not easy to set a communication environment on each computer.

Further, even if an e-mail is transmitted under the communication environment of the computer with the consent of the owner of the computer, the mailer running on the computer must be used as described above. Was. As described above, there are various types of mailers, and the operation of each mailer is different, so that it is inevitable that the work efficiency is reduced. The same applies to the receiving operation.

Therefore, development of a general-purpose e-mail transmission / reception system that can transmit / receive text for e-mail created by a device or application software that one is familiar with by simple operation has been awaited.

Therefore, another problem to be solved by the present invention is to use a different computer or
It is an object of the present invention to provide a general-purpose e-mail transmission / reception system capable of transmitting and receiving e-mails through a storage medium in a general purpose regardless of a difference between device types such as a computer and a word processor. (3) Providing a System for Providing Ads and Information Effectively Still another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a system for providing advertisements and information effectively.

In the past, when advertising on the Internet, an advertisement homepage was posted on the Internet, and the user accessed the homepage and viewed the advertisement.

On the other hand, recently, there has been an increasing demand for businesses to actively send advertisements to consumers, and it is more difficult to directly send e-mail to each consumer than to post a home page. More.

However, sending the same advertisement mail uniformly to all users does not mean that an efficient advertisement has been made.

[0037] For this reason, there has been a demand for the development of a technology for selecting a user who is regarded as a consumer and transmitting an appropriate advertisement mail.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a general-purpose e-mail transmission / reception system which determines the attributes of a user when transmitting / receiving an e-mail and provides appropriate advertisements or information corresponding to the attributes.

[0039]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a general-purpose electronic mail transmitting / receiving system, comprising: an electronic mail terminal capable of transmitting and receiving an electronic mail stored in a storage medium by inserting a storage medium; Connected to the terminal,
A storage server capable of transmitting and receiving e-mails over an open network, wherein the storage medium stores at least communication-related information including user information and communication destination information, an e-mail file to be transmitted, and user attribute information. The e-mail terminal is composed of a storable medium, the e-mail terminal includes a storage medium access unit capable of accessing the storage medium, an input unit capable of inputting a user's command or data, and a control for transmitting / receiving an e-mail. Transmission / reception control means for performing processing, display means for displaying a message, communication means for communicating with the server,
Storage means for storing data and files generated in the process of sending and receiving e-mail, the server, the e-mail terminal, a communication means for communicating with other servers through an open network, An e-mail sent to the user, a registered user database for storing and managing information about the registered users,
A storage unit for storing data and files generated during transmission and reception, and controlling the entire server, receiving an e-mail sent to a user, storing the received e-mail in the storage unit, and receiving the received e-mail. A data processing unit that performs mail management and access control and performs processing in response to a request from the electronic mail terminal; an advertisement information database that stores and manages advertisement / information data prepared for each user attribute classification; When the user uses the e-mail terminal, obtain the attribute information of the user from the user information of the storage medium, obtain the advertisement and information data according to the attribute of the user from the advertisement information database,
Transmitting the advertisement / information data to the e-mail terminal,
An advertisement / information distribution unit that displays the advertisement / information on a part of the screen via the display unit or on a screen between transmission / reception operations, and in the e-mail transmission process, the e-mail terminal When the storage medium is inserted, the storage medium access unit reads the storage content of the storage medium, the transmission / reception control unit performs processing for user authentication, and stores the communication destination information stored in the storage medium with the communication destination information. Displaying an e-mail file and the display means,
The user selects or newly inputs an e-mail file to be transmitted and a destination by the input means, processes the specified e-mail, destination, and user information into a communication data format and uploads it to the server, The server establishes a communication protocol and transmits the designated e-mail to a designated destination via an open network.In the processing of e-mail reception, when the e-mail terminal is inserted with the storage medium, The storage content of the storage medium is read by the storage medium access means, the transmission / reception control means performs processing for user authentication, downloads an e-mail addressed to the user from the storage means of the server, and downloads the downloaded e-mail. Outputting to the storage medium via the storage medium access means, Upon reception of the email, the advertising and information delivery means, the advertising or information corresponding to the user attribute is displayed on the display means of the electronic mail terminal, it is characterized in.

A general-purpose electronic mail transmission / reception system according to claim 2 of the present invention is the transmission / reception system according to claim 1, wherein the storage medium includes a first storage medium storing communication-related information including user information and communication destination information; And a general-purpose second storage medium storing an electronic mail file.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the transmission / reception system according to the second aspect, the first storage medium also serves as a customer card, and a user performs shopping using the customer card. When configured to record purchase information, the server, user identification information, advertisements and information displayed to each user,
A purchase information database that stores purchase information of each user, wherein the e-mail terminal acquires the purchase information by the storage medium access means when the first storage medium is inserted, and And a purchase information collecting means for storing the information in the purchase information database.

[0042]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of a "general-purpose electronic mail transmitting / receiving system" according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings attached to the application. 1. Schematic Configuration and Operation of General-purpose Electronic Mail Transmission / Reception System According to the Present Invention FIG. 1 conceptually shows the configuration of a general-purpose electronic mail transmission / reception system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a general-purpose e-mail transmission / reception system 1 according to the present invention comprises an e-mail terminal 2, a server 4 connected to an open network (Internet) 3, a first storage medium 5, And a storage medium 6.

In addition to the above, in cooperation with the general-purpose electronic mail transmission / reception system 1, an arbitrary personal computer 7 owned by a user for creating an electronic mail is used.
And the word processor 8 and the receiving server 9.

Although only one e-mail terminal 2 is displayed in FIG. 1, it is preferable that a large number of e-mail terminals 2 are provided at dispersed locations.

The first storage medium 5 is a storage medium in which a user's ID (identification information), attributes, and other user information, and communication-related information such as communication destination information, use history, and communication settings are recorded.

The first storage medium 5 may be of a card type as shown, or may be a general-purpose storage medium such as an FD (floppy disk).

The second storage medium 6 is a storage medium for mainly recording a data file to be transmitted as an e-mail (hereinafter referred to as an “e-mail file”). The second storage medium 6 is not limited to the FD, but is a general-purpose storage medium that can be accessed by the personal computer 7 and the word processor 8.

In FIG. 1, the first storage medium 5 and the second storage medium 6 are separate and independent. However, the first storage medium 5 and the second storage medium 6 are integrated into one general-purpose sheet. It is also possible to use a simple storage medium such as a floppy disk or an IC card.

The e-mail terminal 2 mainly authenticates the user with the first storage medium 5 and transmits the data of the e-mail recorded on the second storage medium 6, or the server 4 sends the e-mail data to the user. It is a device that downloads e-mail.

The e-mail terminal 2 has an interface for an external system. An interface for the storage media 5 and 6, an interface for the server 4, and a man-machine interface for the user.

As an interface for the storage media 5 and 6, the electronic mail terminal 2 has a storage medium access means.

The storage medium access means includes a first storage medium 5
It is a means capable of reading and writing to and from the second storage medium 6 (these operations are collectively referred to as access), and is desirably provided on the front surface of the e-mail terminal 2 which is easy for the user to access.

As an interface to the server 4, the e-mail terminal 2 has a communication means. Here, the communication means refers to means of a general concept including a communication port, a modem, a communication line, and a wireless transceiver.

As a man-machine interface, the e-mail terminal 2 has a display / input panel serving both as display means and input means, voice input means, image input means, and transmission record output means.

The display / input panel as an input means is a means for inputting a user's command or data. In this case, the display / input panel is preferably a pressure-sensitive touch panel. The input means is
When an e-mail is transmitted, the function of an editing unit for editing the content can be partially used.

The display / input panel as a display means is a means capable of displaying an input request to the user, a processing status, an error message, and a message including advertisement / information described later.

The voice input means is means for adding voice data to an e-mail to be transmitted. Specifically, it is a telephone, a microphone or the like as shown in the figure.

The image input means is means for adding image data to an e-mail to be transmitted. More specifically, in addition to the camera as shown, for example, a scanner or the like that captures a photograph or the like as image data is used.

The transmission record output means is a means for outputting a record of the transmitted / received e-mail on a piece of paper or outputting the record to a user's storage medium in the form of electronic data.

In FIG. 1, the transmission record output means is shown as a device for outputting a piece of paper. In addition, when the transmission / reception record of the e-mail is output to the storage media 5 and 6 of the user, the output is performed via the storage medium access unit.

The various means for interfacing with the external system of the e-mail terminal 2 have been described above.
Has transmission / reception control means for controlling the above-described various means and smoothly processing transmission / reception of e-mail and the like as a whole, and other components. Processing by these transmission / reception control means will be described later.

The server 4 is a device connected to the electronic mail terminal 2 and capable of transmitting and receiving electronic mail to and from another server 9 via the open network 3 such as the Internet.

The server 4 can perform various processes in response to a request or inquiry from the e-mail terminal 2 and return a result of the processing to the e-mail terminal 2.

In the general-purpose electronic mail transmission / reception system 1 having the above-described configuration, transmission / reception of an electronic mail is performed as follows. The various operations of the e-mail terminal 2 at the time of transmission and reception described below are examples for helping understanding, and the operation does not deviate from the scope of the present invention even if the operations are mixed up or omitted.

When transmitting, the user who is authorized to use the system (hereinafter referred to as a registered user or simply a user) first uses the personal computer 7 or the word processor 8 to transmit the contents of the e-mail. Create a document that becomes The created e-mail document is stored in the second storage medium 6 as an e-mail file by the user. The e-mail file is preferably in a text data format, but need not be limited to the text data format as long as the file format is widely used to some extent.

Next, the user carries the second storage medium 6 and the first storage medium 5 to the place where the e-mail terminal 2 is installed, and performs an e-mail transmission operation.

In the transmission operation at the e-mail terminal 2, an instruction for e-mail transmission is input by the user, and the first storage medium 5 and the second storage medium 6 are inserted into the storage medium access means of the e-mail terminal 2. Then, the e-mail terminal 2 reads the user information recorded on the first storage medium 5 by the storage medium access means, and determines whether the user is a person who can use the system 1.
At the time of the above determination, the e-mail terminal 2 prompts the user to input authentication information such as a password, if necessary, transmits the input password to the server 4, and requests verification (user authentication) with the registered user. However, when the user authentication information is recorded in the first storage medium 5, the electronic mail terminal 2 can independently determine whether or not the user is a registered user.

If the user is a registered user, the e-mail terminal 2 displays a list of transmission destinations recorded on the first storage medium 5 and a list of e-mail files recorded on the second storage medium 6. Display on the input panel and let the user select and specify the email file to send and the destination.
If the destination displayed in the list does not include the destination intended by the user, the user is prompted to enter a new destination.

The e-mail terminal 2 preferably automatically recognizes the file format of the e-mail file and converts it to a file format suitable for transmission if necessary. Alternatively, the e-mail file can be directly attached to the e-mail.

Preferably, the electronic mail terminal 2 is
In addition to selecting an e-mail file, open the e-mail file so that its contents can be finally reviewed and edited. Alternatively, an additional message can be entered into an electronic file with an attached electronic mail file.

At this time, the user can attach a voice or image message to the e-mail using the voice input means or the image input means provided in the e-mail terminal 2.

When the user designates an e-mail file to be transmitted and its destination, adds a message or the like, and prepares the e-mail, the e-mail terminal 2 converts the e-mail data into the MIME format. And server 4
, And requests the server 4 to transmit the e-mail.

Upon receiving the e-mail data and the transmission request from the e-mail terminal 2, the server 4 establishes a communication protocol and sends the e-mail to the receiving server 9 at the specified address through the open network 3 such as the Internet. Send.

When the e-mail is transmitted as described above, the e-mail terminal 2 outputs the transmitted e-mail and the record of the transmission destination by the transmission record output means.

The above is the transmission of electronic mail. Next, reception of an e-mail will be described. The server 4 normally functions as a receiving server, receives an e-mail sent from another server 9 via the open network 3 such as the Internet, and stores and stores the e-mail in each user's e-mail box according to the address. I do.

A user who wants to receive an e-mail addressed to himself / herself can use the second storage medium 6 for recording the e-mail.
And the first storage medium 5 to come to the installation location of the electronic mail terminal 2 and perform an operation for receiving the electronic mail.

In the operation of receiving an e-mail, a command for receiving the e-mail is input by the user, and the first storage medium 5 and the second storage medium 6 are inserted into the storage medium access means of the e-mail terminal 2. And e-mail terminal 2
Reads the user information recorded on the first storage medium 5 by the storage medium access means,
It is determined whether or not the user can use. At the time of the above determination, the e-mail terminal 2 prompts the user to input a password or the like, if necessary, or performs the user authentication process by the e-mail terminal 2 alone, as in the transmission.

If the user is a registered user, the e-mail terminal 2 causes the server 4 to check whether an e-mail addressed to the user has been received. Server 4
Will send the user's e-mail box according to the above request.
And returns a list of those e-mails to the e-mail terminal 2 if e-mails have been received, and a message to that effect if no e-mails have been received.

The electronic mail terminal 2 displays an electronic mail list or a message addressed to the user on a display / input panel, and prompts the user to specify an electronic mail to be downloaded.

When the user designates a predetermined e-mail, the e-mail terminal 2 requests the server 4 to download the e-mail, and the server 4 transmits the e-mail to the e-mail terminal 2.

The electronic mail terminal 2 records the electronic mail downloaded via the storage medium access means on the second storage medium 6 brought by the user.

Thus, the user can bring back the second storage medium 6 on which the e-mail is recorded and read the e-mail recorded on the second storage medium 6 using his / her personal computer 7 and word processor 8. .

The above is the reception of the electronic mail by the general-purpose electronic mail transmitting / receiving system 1. 2. Detailed Configuration Means and Various Processes of General-purpose Email Transmission / Reception System According to the Present Invention Next, referring to FIG. 2, the detailed configuration of the system and the general-purpose email transmission / reception system 1 including the above-described email transmission / reception will be described. Will be described.

FIG. 2 shows constituent means of the electronic mail terminal 2 and the server 4 and a flow of processing between these constituent means.

2.1. Means for Construction As shown in FIG.
Input means 22, storage medium access means 23, transmission record output means 24, destination management means 25, editing means 26, audio input means 27, image input means 28,
User registration means 29 and file format conversion means 30
Storage medium initializing means 31 and purchase information collecting means 32
, A transmission / reception control unit 33, a communication unit 34, and a storage unit 35.

On the other hand, the server 4 includes a data processing unit 41
, A communication unit 42, a charging unit 43, an advertisement / information distribution unit 44, a storage unit 45, a registered user DB (database) 46, and an e-mail box 47 of each user.
, A user account 48, an advertisement information DB (database) 49, and a purchase information DB (database) 50.

The display means 21 of the e-mail terminal 2 separately describes the display function of the display / input panel described above, and requests input to the user, processing status, error message, advertisement / information, etc. This is a means that can display a “message” including these.

The input means 22 separately describes the display function of the display / input panel described above, and is a means for inputting a user command or data. The input unit 22 may be a keyboard, a pointing device, or the like, in addition to the touch panel described above.

The storage medium access means 23 is means capable of accessing the storage media 5 and 6. Specifically, for example, it is a card reader, an FD drive, a CD drive, an MO drive, or the like.

As described above, the transmission record output means 24 outputs the record of the transmitted / received e-mail on a piece of paper,
Alternatively, it is a means for outputting the record to a user's storage medium in the form of electronic data.

The transmission record output means 24 is physically comprised of a transmission / reception control means 33 which cooperates to output a transmission record.
And a means for printing a piece of paper, or a storage medium access means 23. Logically, these are means for controlling these as a whole.

The transmission destination management means 25 manages transmission destination information of the e-mail, adds the transmission destination information once transmitted to the storage media 5 and 6, and deletes predetermined transmission destination information in accordance with a user's designation. is there.

The editing means 26 is a means for adding a message desired by the user to the e-mail to be transmitted or for editing the e-mail already created in the e-mail terminal 2.

The editing means 26 is physically the input means 22 and the display means 21 which cooperate under the control of the transmission / reception control means 33. Logically, these means are used for editing work. It is a means for overall control.

The voice input means 27 is a means for adding voice data to an electronic mail, as described above.

The image input means 28 is a means for adding electronic mail voice data and image data, as described above.

The user registration means 29 requests the user to input predetermined data, registers the user for transmission and reception by the user, and stores the communication-related information including the user information in the first storage medium 5 or the first storage medium 5. This is a unit that issues a storage medium that stores items to be stored in the storage medium (when the first storage medium 5 and the second storage medium 6 are the same storage medium). The user registration unit 29 is a unit considering a user who intends to register a new user.

The file format conversion means 30 is a means for recognizing the file format of the e-mail file stored in the second storage medium 6 and performing processing for converting the file format to a file format desired by the user. The file format conversion means 30 takes into account the case where the software operable on the receiving computer is different from that of the transmitting computer.

The storage medium initializing means 31 initializes a general-purpose external storage medium including a floppy disk, an IC card, and the like, and either one of the first storage medium 5 or the second storage medium 6 or the same storage medium. If so, it is means for converting the data into the storage medium. This storage medium initialization means 31
Is for user convenience when using a general-purpose storage medium as the storage medium of the present system.

The purchase information collecting means 32 is provided in the first storage medium 5.
Is inserted, the purchase information recorded on the first storage medium 5 is acquired by the storage medium access means 23 and transmitted to the server. The purchase information collecting means 32 is for collecting and evaluating the effect of an advertisement when the present system is used as an advertisement / information distribution system.

In this case, the first storage medium 5 preferably also serves as a customer card. When a user purchases a product, the purchase information is recorded on the customer card, that is, the first storage medium 5. I do.

The transmission / reception control means 33 is physically a control arithmetic unit of the electronic mail terminal 2 and is a means for performing control and processing for transmitting / receiving electronic mail.

The transmission / reception control means 33 controls other physical means under the control of the software program according to the type of requested processing, and functions so as to smoothly execute the processing as a whole system.

The communication means 34 is a communication means for communicating with the server 4. The communication means 34 is, as described above, means of a general concept including a communication port, a modem, a communication line, and a wireless transceiver.

The storage means 35 is a means for storing data and files generated in the process of sending and receiving electronic mail.

On the other hand, the data processing means 41 of the server 4
Controls the entire server, receives the e-mail sent to the user, stores it in the storage means 45,
It is a means for managing the received e-mail and controlling the access, and performing processing according to the request of the e-mail terminal 2.

The communication means 42 of the server 4 is means for communicating with the electronic mail terminal 2 or the open network 3 such as the Internet. The point that the communication means 42 is means of a comprehensive concept including a communication port, a modem, a communication line, and a wireless transceiver is different from the communication means 3 of the electronic mail terminal 2 in that
Same as 4.

The billing means 43 is a means for counting the communication time or data amount of the transmitted / received e-mail and charging the user according to the communication time or data amount. Note that, in FIG.
This is a case where the server 4 has a user account 48 and charges the user account 48. However, in the case where the amount charged for the e-mail is collected by a coin or the like in the e-mail terminal 2, the charging unit 43 becomes a part of the constituent units of the e-mail terminal 2.

The advertisement / information distribution means 44 obtains the attribute information of the user from the electronic mail terminal 2 when a predetermined user uses the electronic mail terminal 2, and outputs the advertisement information D.
The advertisement / information data corresponding to the attribute of the user is obtained from B49, the advertisement / information data is transmitted to the e-mail terminal 2, and is displayed on a part of the screen via the display unit 21, or between transmission / reception operations. This is a means for displaying the advertisement / information on the screen.

The advertisement / information distribution means 44 takes into consideration the case where the present system is to be used as an advertisement / information distribution system.

The storage means 45 stores the registered user DB 46
, An e-mail box 47 of each user, a user account 48, an advertisement information DB 49, and a purchase information DB 5
0 and a means for managing these data.

[0113] The registered user DB 46 is a database for storing and managing information on registered users. The user information managed by the registered user DB 46 may include attribute information such as a user's age, occupation, and family structure.

The e-mail box 47 of each user is a storage location where the e-mail sent to each user is stored and managed according to each user's address.
Strict security management is performed so that the e-mail box 47 of another user cannot be accessed.

The user account 48 is an account for charging a user. In addition to an account for deducting a communication charge described later, a general account for deducting a normal shopping fee can be provided.

The advertisement information DB 49 is a database that stores and manages prepared advertisement / information data classified according to user attribute classification. The advertisement information DB 49 is managed in cooperation with the advertisement / information distribution unit 44 so that the advertisement / information distribution unit 44 can register, delete, and search for advertisement / information data.

The purchase information DB 50 is a database that stores and manages user identification information, advertisement / information displayed for each user, and purchase information of each user in association with each other.

The purchase information DB 50 advertises this system.
It is intended to be used as a data collection system for information evaluation, and that data is
Used as data for evaluating and analyzing the effects of information.

2.2. Various Processes of General-purpose Electronic Mail Transmission / Reception System According to the Present Invention With the above configuration, the general-purpose electronic mail transmission / reception system according to the present invention can perform the following various processes.

Next, various processes of the general-purpose electronic mail transmitting / receiving system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

2.2.1. Transmission / Reception Processing of E-mail In the case of transmission, the user requests the transmission processing by the input means 22 and sets the storage media 5 and 6 to the storage medium access means 23.
Insert

The transmission / reception control means 33 recognizes that it is a transmission process, and after performing user authentication, reads out the transmission destination information and the e-mail file by the storage medium access means 23, displays it on the display means 21 and sends it. Let the user specify the file and the destination to send it to.

If the destination is not in the destination list,
The transmission / reception control unit 33 allows the user to input a new transmission destination. At this time, the destination management unit 25 also cooperates, and if there is a new destination, the destination is preferably automatically added to the destination information, and predetermined destination information is added at the request of the user. Let me delete it.

When a destination and an e-mail file to be transmitted are specified, the transmission / reception control means 33 converts the e-mail data into MIME format data suitable for communication on the open network 3 such as the Internet. The data is uploaded to the server 4 via the communication means 34 and 42.

Upon receiving the e-mail data and the transmission request, the server 4 establishes a communication protocol and transmits the e-mail to the specified destination server via the open network 3 such as the Internet.

When the above transmission is performed, the e-mail terminal 2
The (transmission / reception control unit 33) outputs the transmission record by the transmission record output unit 24. The transmission record, as described above,
It is output in the form of a piece of paper or electronic data.

On the other hand, when receiving, the following processing is performed.

In order to allow the user to receive the e-mail, the server 4 receives the e-mail addressed to each user usually sent through the open network 3 such as the Internet, and sends the e-mail to each user according to the address. The e-mail box 47 stores those e-mails.

When the user wants to receive an e-mail addressed to the user, he requests the e-mail terminal 2 to perform a receiving process by the input means 22, and
3 are inserted into the storage media 5 and 6. In this case, the second storage medium 6 functions as a medium for storing and storing the received e-mail.

[0130] The transmission / reception control means 33 recognizes that it is a reception process, reads out user information by the storage medium access means 23, performs user authentication, and inquires the server 4 of an e-mail addressed to the user. .

In response to the inquiry from the electronic mail terminal 2, the server 4 searches the electronic mail box 47 of the user via the storage means 45, and if an electronic mail has been received, a list of the electronic mail and the electronic mail are received. If not, a message to that effect is returned to the electronic mail terminal 2.

E-mail terminal 2 (transmission / reception control means 33)
Displays a list of received mails or messages from the server 4 on the display means 21 and prompts the user to specify an e-mail to be downloaded.

When the user specifies an e-mail to be downloaded, the e-mail terminal 2 (transmission / reception control means 33) requests the server 4 to download the e-mail.

In response to the request from the e-mail terminal 2, the server 4 (data processing means 41) reads out the specified received e-mail from the e-mail box 47 of each user via the storage means 45 and returns it to the e-mail terminal 2. I do.

Electronic mail terminal 2 (transmission / reception control means 33)
Records the electronic mail downloaded from the server 4 on the second storage medium 6 brought by the user by the storage medium access means 23.

As a result, the e-mail addressed to the user is recorded in the second storage medium 6 brought by the user.
The user can read the electronic mail from the second storage medium 6 using his / her electronic device.

The above is the flow of the e-mail transmission / reception process by the general-purpose e-mail transmission / reception system of the present invention.
You can send and receive e-mails regardless of whether your computer is connected to the Internet or the like. In addition, even a user such as a word processor or a PDA that cannot be connected to the Internet or the like can send and receive electronic mail through the Internet or the like. Further, even when a computer that is normally used cannot be used due to communication failure or going out, e-mail can be transmitted and received using the system of the present invention.

That is, according to the general-purpose electronic mail transmission / reception system of the present invention, the communication-related information stored in the first storage medium 5, the general-purpose settings of the system, and the conversion of the MIME format by the electronic mail terminal 2 With the function, any registered user can freely transmit and receive the electronic mail file recorded in the second storage medium 6. This eliminates the inconvenience that the conventional electronic mail transmission / reception has a communication environment set for each computer and cannot be transmitted / received under a specific computer communication environment.

In the above-described electronic mail transmission / reception processing, the communication between the electronic mail terminal 2 and the server 4 can be performed by a packet communication method. In this case, the e-mail between the e-mail terminal 2 and the server 4 is transmitted and received as a packet, and the server 4 exchanges the packet.

According to the packet communication system, the e-mail terminal 2 and the server 4 can be always connected. This saves time and labor for connecting to the server 4 every time an e-mail is transmitted and received, so that the e-mail can always be transmitted and received quickly. Also, a plurality of e-mail terminals 2 can transmit and receive e-mails to and from the server 4 at the same time. And for the user,
When the accounting process described later is performed, the accounting is performed according to the amount of transmitted data, so that there is also an economical advantage.

The communication is not limited to the wired communication, but may be a wireless communication.

2.2.2. E-mail Editing Process The E-mail editing process is performed as a part of the above-described E-mail transmission process. Since the editing process of the e-mail is additionally performed as a part of the system of the present invention, the general-purpose e-mail transmitting / receiving system according to the present invention may omit the e-mail editing process and various means related thereto. To establish.

When sending an e-mail, the e-mail terminal 2 needs to edit the e-mail when the e-mail terminal 2 finally corrects the contents of the e-mail.

When editing an e-mail, the user
An editing process is requested by the input unit 22. The transmission / reception control unit 33 recognizes that the user has requested the editing process, and causes the user to edit the e-mail.

The editing means 26 allows the user to input new characters and preferably provides various editing tools such as copying and deleting characters.

In editing, a message by voice or a message by image can be added to the electronic mail. The voice input unit 27 and the image input unit 28 are used when adding voice and image data, respectively.

Regarding the transmission of the edited e-mail,
Since the transmission processing is the same as the transmission processing already described, the duplicate description is omitted here.

According to the general-purpose e-mail transmission / reception system for performing the e-mail editing processing, when the e-mail is transmitted / received, the final editing work or the voice / image which cannot be performed by some computers, word processors, and the like is performed. A message can be added.

2.2.3. User Registration Process The following user registration process is performed for a user who intends to register a new user. Since the user registration process can be realized by a method separated from the present system, the general-purpose e-mail transmission / reception system according to the present invention may be one in which the user registration process and various related means are omitted. .

A user who uses the user registration process inputs a request for the user registration process through the input means 22.

The user registration means 29 requests the user to input various data and passwords necessary for registration, and transmits the data for registration to the transmission / reception control means 33 and the communication means 3.
4 to the server 4 to request user registration processing.

In the server 4, the data processing means 41
The data is newly registered in the registered user DB 46 via the storage means 45, and the assigned ID (user identification information) and address of the user are returned to the electronic mail terminal 2.

In the electronic mail terminal 2, the user registration means 29 displays the registration via the transmission / reception control means 33 and the display means 21, and, via the storage medium access means 23, the first recorded user information. When the storage medium 5 or the first storage medium 5 and the second storage medium 6 are the same storage medium, the storage medium is issued.

Thereafter, this user is recognized as a registered user by inserting the storage medium into storage medium access means 23 of electronic mail terminal 2.

According to the general-purpose electronic mail transmission / reception system for performing the user registration process, a person newly using the system can perform user registration with the electronic mail terminal 2 at any time. This allows the system to be used by more users.

2.2.4. File Format Conversion Process It is necessary for a user to convert an e-mail file created on his / her computer or the like into a desired file format, or to convert a received e-mail file into a desired file format. This is a file format conversion process.

In the file format conversion process, since an e-mail file that can be handled by a user's computer or the like is in a special file format, the receiver reads the e-mail when the e-mail file is sent, and reads the e-mail when the e-mail file is received. It considers the case where it is not possible.

Since the file format conversion process can be realized by a method separated from the present system, the general-purpose e-mail transmission / reception system according to the present invention omits the file format conversion process and various means related thereto. What is done also holds.

When the file format of an existing e-mail file is to be converted at the time of transmission / reception of the e-mail, the user inputs file conversion processing by the input means 22.

The file format conversion means 30 automatically reads the file format of the current e-mail by the storage medium access means 23 in response to the user's input, and lists these file formats and the file format to be converted. Display a list. The file format to be converted is preferably a widely used format, for example, a text format, a word format, an Ichitaro format, etc.

The file format conversion means 30 allows the user to specify an electronic mail file to be converted and a file format to be converted.

When the user specifies the source file and the destination file format, the file format conversion means 3
0 indicates that the designated e-mail file is read out by the storage medium access means 23 under the control of the transmission / reception control means 33, converted into the designated file format and transmitted, or the storage medium access means 23 The converted e-mail files are recorded on the storage media 5 and 6 via the.

Thus, even a user who creates a document (e-mail) using special software can transmit and receive an e-mail file in a file format that can be handled by the receiving side by this file format conversion process. Become.

2.2.5. Storage Medium Initialization Processing In the storage medium initialization processing, a user brings a general-purpose storage medium including a floppy disk (FD) to the electronic mail terminal 2 and uses a storage medium usable in the present system. This is a process for initializing to.

In the storage medium initialization processing, in addition to the use of a general-purpose storage medium as the second storage medium 6 of the present system, the first storage medium 5 and the second storage medium 6 are connected to the same storage medium. In the case of using it, the communication-related information can be recorded, and the storage medium can be the same storage medium.

Further, in the storage medium initialization processing, a program for providing a predetermined e-mail template can be stored in advance so that e-mail can be conveniently transmitted and received. This program displays an e-mail input screen on a normal computer, and when a source, a destination, the text of the e-mail, etc. are input on the e-mail input screen, the e-mail is stored in a predetermined location as an e-mail file. Things. This considers the case where it is used like a common mailer.

Note that the storage medium initialization processing can be omitted together with the related means.

When performing the storage medium initialization processing, the user inserts the FD or the like brought to the storage medium access means 23 and inputs a request for the storage medium initialization processing by the input means 22. The storage medium initialization means 31 recognizes the user's request for the initialization processing, and under the control of the transmission / reception control means 33, the FD inserted by the storage medium access means 23.
Etc. are initialized to a predetermined format.

According to the general-purpose e-mail transmission / reception system having the storage medium initialization processing, an arbitrary floppy disk or the like can be used as a storage medium of the present system. Further, according to the storage medium initialization process for providing a common e-mail template, the e-mail is widely used, so that an e-mail in a common format can be transmitted and received.

2.2.6. Billing Process The billing process is a process of counting the communication time or data amount of transmitted and received e-mails and billing the user.

A general-purpose e-mail transmission / reception system that does not charge the user is also conceivable. In this case, the charging process and various means related thereto can be omitted.

When the accounting process is performed, it is automatically performed without requiring a user's request.

When the user transmits / receives an e-mail, the charging means 43 counts the communication time or the amount of data transmitted / received, and calculates the amount of charging. The billing means 43
The user accesses the user account 48 via the storage means 45 and deducts the amount of the charge.

When the billing means 43 directly collects a fee from the user at the e-mail terminal 2, the e-mail terminal 2 is provided with a slot for coins or the like, displays the amount of money via the display means 21, and inputs the amount. Detect the amount of money
Means for providing change are provided. This money input, detection,
Means for performing various operations such as change is included in the "charging means 43".

In the case of a process of debiting a charge from the user account 48, cashless use can be realized. When the user account 48 is also used as a debit account for other fees, a convenient payment system can be constructed not only for sending and receiving e-mails but also for general purchasing activities of users.

2.2.7. Advertisement Information Delivery Process The advertisement information delivery process is to acquire attribute information of a user from the user information of the storage medium when a predetermined user uses the Information D
B49 is a process of searching for an advertisement or information for the user having the attribute from B49 and displaying the advertisement or information on the display unit 21 on the electronic mail terminal 2.

[0177] If there is no request to distribute the advertisement / information by appropriately changing it according to the attributes of the user, the advertisement information distribution processing and various means related thereto can be omitted.

When a predetermined user sends and receives e-mails, the storage media 5 and 6 are inserted into the storage medium access means 23 of the e-mail terminal 2, so that the storage medium access means 23 reads the user information and controls transmission and reception. Under the control of the means 33, the user information is transmitted to the server 4 via the communication means 34.

In the server 4, the data processing means 41
The user information is searched from the registered user DB 46,
Get attribute information of the user.

Next, the advertisement / information distribution unit 44 searches the advertisement information DB 49 via the storage unit 45 for advertisements or information directed to the user having the attribute.

After searching for the relevant advertisement / information, the advertisement / information distribution means 44 transmits the obtained advertisement / information to the electronic mail terminal 2 by the communication means 42 under the control of the data processing means 41.

In the electronic mail terminal 2, the transmission / reception control means 3
3 displays the advertisement / information received and transmitted by the display means 21. The advertisement / information is preferably displayed on a part of the screen of the display unit 21 or between transmission / reception operations.

In the above description of the process, the attribute information of the user is obtained by searching the registered user DB 46 to obtain the attribute information corresponding to the user information. User attribute information can also be included. In this case, the first storage medium 5
, The attribute information can be immediately acquired and transmitted to the server 4.

Conventionally, when posting a home page for advertisement on the Internet, it is necessary to wait for the user to access, and only passive advertisement can be performed. On the other hand, when actively sending an advertisement e-mail to a user, it has been difficult to change the advertisement or the like according to the user's attribute and send it. On the user side, too many unnecessary advertisement e-mails are sent, which is inconvenient.

On the other hand, according to the general-purpose e-mail transmission / reception system having the above-mentioned advertisement information distribution processing, it is possible to provide more appropriate advertisements and information according to the attributes of the user. It will be possible to provide appropriate advertisements or information that match. Also,
Users can also get interesting advertisements and information.

2.2.8. Purchasing Information Collection Process The purchase information collection process corresponds to the advertisement information distribution process described above. That is, the purchase information collecting process is a process for mainly investigating and evaluating the influence on the purchasing behavior of the user who received the advertisement or the information.

[0187] The purchase information collecting process and various means related to the purchase information collecting process can be omitted in the same manner as the advertisement information distributing process can be omitted.

In the purchase information collecting process, it is desirable that the first storage medium 5 also serves as a customer card when the user uses it for shopping. The first that also served as the customer card
The storage medium 5 is capable of recording purchase information such as an identification signal of a purchased product, a purchase date and time, and a purchase place every time a user makes a purchase.

On the other hand, the server 4 stores the purchase information DB 50
Is provided. The purchase information DB 50 includes user identification information,
When a predetermined advertisement / information is presented to the user by the advertisement information distribution processing, the advertisement / information and the purchase information of each user are stored correspondingly.

In the purchase information collecting process, a predetermined user sends an e-mail to the e-mail terminal 2 to transmit / receive e-mail.
When the first storage medium 5 is inserted into the storage medium, the storage medium access means 23 reads out the purchase information accumulated so far from the first storage medium 5 and transmits the information to the server 4. In the server 4, the data processing unit 41 records the purchase information in the purchase information DB 50 via the storage unit 45.

By the above processing, the purchase information DB 50 contains information such as when and what advertisement the user has purchased, how long after that, what kind of merchandise and how much quantity has been purchased. Information is accumulated.

This information is used for commercial purposes after statistical evaluation and analysis processing.

[0193]

As is clear from the above description, according to the "general purpose e-mail transmission / reception system" of the present invention, a user using a computer not connected to an open network such as the Internet can use the electronic mail via the Internet or the like. You can send and receive mail. Further, not only computers, but also electronic devices such as word processors and PDAs can transmit and receive electronic mail with others through the Internet and the like if the created document can be recorded on a general-purpose storage medium as an electronic mail file. . As a result, it is possible to utilize a huge number of electronic devices that cannot be communicated and exist as a reality.

Further, according to the “general-purpose electronic mail transmitting / receiving system” of the present invention, a general-purpose electronic mail transmitting / receiving system can be provided.

As a result, even when a computer normally used can be used due to a communication trouble or going out, an electronic mail can be transmitted and received by the electronic mail terminal 2 of the present system.

By installing the e-mail terminal 2 nationwide, a new communication means can be provided.

Further, according to the “general-purpose electronic mail transmission / reception system” of the present invention, it is possible to provide a system for effectively providing advertisements and information.

Conventionally, when an advertisement homepage is posted on the Internet, there is no effect unless the user attempts access, but according to the system of the present invention, the user is actively advertised. be able to. Also, compared to the case where the same advertisement e-mail is conventionally provided to all users uniformly, it is possible to select advertisements and information and provide appropriate ones according to user attributes. Ads and information can be provided in a targeted manner.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view conceptually showing a general-purpose electronic mail transmission / reception system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing constituent units of the general-purpose electronic mail transmitting / receiving system of the present invention and a flow of processing between the constituent units.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a conventional system for sending and receiving e-mail.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 General-purpose electronic mail transmission / reception system 2 Electronic mail terminal 3 Open network 4 Server 5 1st storage medium 6 2nd storage medium 7 Personal computer 8 Word processor 9 Reception server 21 Display means 22 Input means 23 Storage medium access means 24 Transmission record output means 25 destination management means 26 editing means 27 voice input means 28 image input means 29 user registration means 30 file format conversion means 31 storage medium initialization means 32 purchasing information collection means 33 transmission and reception control means 34 communication means 35 storage means 41 data processing means 42 communication means 43 billing means 44 advertisement / information distribution means 45 storage means 46 registered user DB 47 e-mail box of each user 48 user account 49 advertisement information DB 50 purchase information DB

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An electronic mail terminal capable of transmitting and receiving electronic mail stored in a storage medium by inserting a storage medium, and a server connected to the electronic mail terminal and capable of transmitting and receiving electronic mail through an open network. The storage medium comprises a medium capable of storing communication-related information including at least user information and communication destination information, an e-mail file to be transmitted, and user attribute information. A storage medium access means capable of accessing the storage medium; an input means capable of inputting a user command or data; a transmission / reception control means for performing control and processing for transmitting / receiving an e-mail; and displaying a message. Display means for communicating; communication means for communicating with the server; Storage means for storing data and files generated by the e-mail terminal, a communication means for communicating with another server through an open network, and a server which is sent to a user. A registered user database that stores and manages e-mails and information about registered users, a storage unit that stores data and files generated during transmission and reception, and controls the entire server and is sent to users. A data processing unit for receiving the received e-mail and storing the received e-mail in the storage unit, managing the received e-mail and performing access control, and performing a process according to a request from the e-mail terminal; An advertisement information database for storing and managing prepared advertisement / information data, and a predetermined user When used, the attribute information of the user is acquired from the user information of the storage medium, the advertisement / information data corresponding to the attribute of the user is acquired from the advertisement information database, and the advertisement / information is stored in the electronic mail terminal. An advertisement / information distribution means for transmitting data and displaying the advertisement / information on a part of the screen via the display means or on a screen between transmission / reception operations; When the storage medium is inserted, the electronic mail terminal reads the storage content of the storage medium by the storage medium access unit, and the transmission / reception control unit performs a process for user authentication, and stores the content in the storage medium. The communication destination information and the e-mail file are displayed by the display means, and the e-mail file to be transmitted and the destination are input by the input means. The user selects or newly inputs, processes the specified e-mail, transmission destination and user information into a communication data format and uploads it to the server, and the server establishes a communication protocol and is designated through the open network. Sending an e-mail specified as a transmission destination, in the processing of e-mail reception, when the storage medium is inserted, the e-mail terminal reads the storage content of the storage medium by the storage medium access means, Transmission / reception control means performs processing for user authentication, downloads an e-mail addressed to the user from the storage means of the server, outputs the downloaded e-mail to the storage medium via the storage medium access means, When sending and receiving the e-mail, the advertisement / information distribution means Generic e-mail transmission and reception system advertising or information corresponding to the attribute to be displayed on the display means of the electronic mail terminal, characterized in that. 2. A storage medium comprising: a first storage medium storing communication-related information including user information and communication destination information; a general-purpose second storage medium storing an e-mail file;
The general-purpose electronic mail transmission / reception system according to claim 1, comprising: 3. The first storage medium also serves as a customer card, and is configured to record purchase information when a user makes a purchase using the customer card. It has a purchase information database that stores identification information, advertisement / information displayed to each user, and purchase information of each user, and the electronic mail terminal, when the first storage medium is inserted, 3. The general-purpose e-mail transmission / reception system according to claim 2, further comprising a purchase information collecting unit that acquires the purchase information by a storage medium access unit, transmits the purchase information to the server, and stores the purchase information in the purchase information database. .