JP2000270008A - Composite mail transmission system, its composite mail transmitting method, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a composite mail transmission system, its composite mail transmitting method, and a recording medium which make it possible to transmit and receive various composite mail irrelevantly to the environment of the reception side. SOLUTION: Electronic mail is separated into a text mail of a small size and a composite mail of a large size; and only the text mail of the small size is transmitted to the receiver and the composite mail of the large size is transmitted to a WWW server 14 and stored. The receiver receives the composite mail by accessing the WWW server 14 only when receiving the composite mail according to the contents of the sent text mail.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a composite mail transmission system for transmitting a composite mail including text data and non-text data, a composite mail transmission method thereof, and a recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various transmission devices have been put to practical use for exchanging electronic mail on a network.

[0003] In the conventional e-mail environment, a closed e-mail environment used within a specific user group, such as a product name CC: MAIL, is mainly used in a company or the like. Among researchers, etc.,
Unix mail on the Internet was used.

However, with the recent development and spread of the Internet, the use of open Internet mail for an unspecified number of users is rapidly increasing. Various electronic mail transmission devices / software such as on a “PC”) are in practical use. On the other hand, with the rapid development and spread of various types of multimedia, there has been an increasing demand for the use of electronic mails not only for conventional mails consisting only of text data but also for transmission and reception of composite mails.

[0005] Here, the "composite mail" refers to an electronic mail including non-text data such as a binary document such as image data, character modification data and their allocation information, or a binary file such as an image / sound / program. .

[0006] Originally, e-mail was originally intended for sending and receiving (European) text data. Therefore, the development of various e-mail protocols and e-mail software, and the implementation of a mail server for relaying e-mail, etc., are mainly based on text data. It has been considered and done.

In recent years, the standard RFC2045
9: Standards for handling non-text data in electronic mail have been prepared in MIME (Multiple Internet Mail Extensions), etc., but the degree of implementation of these standards depends on the e-mail software and mail server currently used. It was mixed. In particular, since it is not possible to specify the mail server that passes through and the e-mail software on the receiving side (and the degree of their implementation) on the Internet, the size and type of e-mail data that can be transmitted and received cannot be known in advance. Was.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of electronic mail when a composite mail is transmitted on the Internet by a conventional electronic mail transmission device and electronic mail software.

In FIG. 1, a sender of an e-mail uses an e-mail software 1102 to send a text “H”.
This is an email containing image data. Is transmitted from the transmission-side PC 1101 including the composite mail including the text data consisting of "."

[0010] The composite mail transmitted from the transmitting PC 1101 is sent to the transmitting mail server 1104 in the Internet 1103 via the standard e-mail protocol SMTP (Simp).
le Mail Transfer Protocol) and the like, and further reaches a receiving mail server 1105 specified as a mail address via a mail server 1104 on the Internet 1103. The mail receiver converts the composite mail that the receiving-side mail server has reached 1105 into the standard electronic protocol POP3 defined by the standard RFC 193.
(Post Office Protocol Version 3) or the standard e-mail protocol IMAP4 (Internet Message Access Protocol V) specified by RFC2060.
In accordance with ersion 4) and the like, the data is read by the receiving e-mail software 1107 that operates on the receiving PC 1106.

In FIG. 12, reference numerals 1102 ′ and 1107 ′ are an enlarged view of the display screen of the sending electronic mail software 1102 displayed on the display screen of the sending PC 1101 and the receiving PC 11, respectively.
It is an enlarged view of the display screen by the receiving electronic mail software 1107 displayed on the display screen of No. 06.

[0012]

However, transmission of a composite e-mail using the above-described conventional e-mail transmission device or software has the following problems.

(1) Restriction of Size of E-mail that Can Be Transmitted Some conventional electronic mail transmission devices or software limit the size of e-mail that can be transmitted. For this reason, there has been a case where a composite mail having a size larger than the limit value of the mail server cannot be transmitted and received.

Generally, non-text data such as an image has a larger size (eg, 640) than text data.
In addition to the × 480 dot 24-bit color image file size being 921600 bytes, the amount of mail data further increases due to the encoding process of encoding non-text data into 7 bits (depending on the encoding method). However, the size of the composite mail is generally much larger than that of the simple text data.

Also, as shown in FIG. 12, the e-mail is sent to the sending mail server 1104 and the receiving mail server 1
The mail function is transmitted via mail servers 105 and the Internet 1103 therebetween, and the mail functions in these mail servers are very diverse. The server with the smallest upper limit of the mail size in the mail transfer route has been a bottleneck for mail transfer. If the mail server receives an email that is larger than the implementation limit, it may cause non-arrival of the email or cut the data that exceeds the email limit, as well as the mail server system down. There was also. In particular, on the Internet, it is essentially impossible to specify the server through which the e-mail passes, so it is necessary to limit the size of the e-mail to be sent to a certain value or less.

Further, as means for avoiding the limitation of the upper limit value of the mail size, for example, “standard RFC 20
46: MIME ”(Multipart
Media types) have been recently developed, and e-mail software having an e-mail division transmission function based on these standards has been put to practical use.
However, even if the sending e-mail software 1102 has a split sending function, but the receiving e-mail software 1107 does not have a function of recombining the split e-mails, the split e-mail Joining is difficult,
In effect, sending large emails will not be possible. Also, the example of FIG. 12 shows transmission and reception of e-mail on the Internet 1103. For example, in personal computer communication using a centralized host system, even if one user divides a composite mail, the entire mail is In some cases, there is a limit on the total size of emails, so if there is such a limit, even if the size is reduced per mail, it is limited by the total size before the split. As a result, there was a case where it was not possible to send a mail having a size larger than the limit size.

(2) Non-guarantee of Receiving / Displaying Compound Mail on Receiving Side When the receiving party views the compound mail, the receiving party can see only data in a format that can be displayed on the receiving side electronic mail software 1107. Can not. However, various types of e-mail software have been put to practical use for e-mail addressed to an unspecified majority, particularly e-mail on the Internet. Therefore, the general transmitting side cannot determine the mail environment of the receiving side, and cannot determine what type of data can be displayed.

Some e-mail software has a function of transmitting and receiving a composite document including image data, character modification data and their allocation information by e-mail, and appropriately displaying the compound document. It is expressed in a protocol specific to the e-mail software. For this reason, such a function is generally effective only when the e-mail software on the transmitting side and the e-mail software on the receiving side are the same.

Furthermore, a composite mail transmitted by e-mail software different from that on the receiving side may not be able to receive even a proper display on the receiving side, so that the composite mail can be communicated only in a very limited range. Was.

(3) Complex mail data handling complexity,
Difficulty As a practical method of transmitting data other than text using conventional e-mail software, a multi-purpose Internet mail extension (MIME: Multipurpose) defined by a standard RFC 2045-9 as a non-text data file is used.
There is a method of attaching to an e-mail as an attachment file conforming to Internet Mail Extensions (encoding), and this method is supported by many e-mail softwares.

However, in addition to the MIME standard, MIME
A plurality of encoding methods are generally used, such as the uuencode format, which is an encoding method widely used in Unix mail and has many dialects, and the BinHex method, which is often used between Apple Macintoshes and the like. Which encoding method is supported depends on the e-mail software. Therefore, in order to exchange e-mail reliably, it is necessary for both the sender and the recipient to know the encoding method and to know which encoding method is supported by both e-mail software. there were.

Further, the handling of attached files differs depending on the type of file and the OS used, and it is very difficult for a novice computer user to handle the attached file. For example, even if an image data file can be received as an attached file,
To view the image, the recipient needs to reproduce the original image data file from the attached file that has been encoded. In addition, it is necessary to start the viewer software according to the format of the image data file, but there are dozens of image data file formats, which can be standard or supported by OS and application software. Format is different.

[0023] In addition, the standard MIME and the like have a provision for converting non-text data into an attached file, but there is no regulation on a display method on the receiving side of the sent mail. Documents cannot be realized. Attachment also does not avoid the limitation on the size of outgoing mail.

(4) Problems When Receiving Large-sized E-mail The timing at which the receiving-side electronic mail software 1107 receives mail from the receiving-side mail server 1105 is generally determined by the user when the receiving-side mail software is activated. When an instruction to receive a mail is issued, when the receiving e-mail software 1107 accesses the mail server 1105 at predetermined intervals to confirm the arrival of a new mail, or when a notification of arrival of a new mail is received from the mail server. It is. As described above, the reception timing differs depending on the functions and settings of the receiving e-mail software.

Many electronic mail software unconditionally receive all new mail in the mail server when receiving mail. However, as described above, the composite mail generally has a large data size, and therefore, there is a problem that the time required for reception is long even when the mail can be normally received and displayed. In particular, modem connection and dial-up connection may take impractical time when the line speed is low. In addition, the received mail may overwhelm the disk capacity of the receiving device, and in the worst case, the disk may become full and the receiving system may stop.

In a mobile environment, it is generally difficult for a user to continue receiving at one location for a long time. This is because mobile phones and public telephones, which are usable lines, often have high communication charges and low communication speeds. Further, various storage devices such as a RAM, a flash memory, a battery backed up by the device, and a small-capacity hard disk due to size and weight restrictions are used in mobile devices. As soon as you connect to the mail host and start receiving mail just to check the received mail addressed to yourself, the long-time receiving operation starts, especially in the case of pay phones, coins and telephone cards are gone Calls may be interrupted on the way, and high call charges may be incurred. Further, when the amount of data being received exceeds the storage capacity of a mobile device having a small received data capacity as described above, there is a problem that the mobile device hangs up.

(5) Suppression of Network Traffic Due to Broadcasting of Large-sized Mail In broadcast communication in which the same contents are transmitted to a plurality of parties, mails having the same contents are continuously transmitted by the number of parties. Therefore, even if it is just a text mail, the network traffic sharply increases. Furthermore, in the case of the broadcast communication of a large-sized compound mail, a heavy load is often imposed on the network traffic, and a problem such as a delay in the arrival of the e-mail, a non-arrival of the e-mail, and a down of the network may occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a composite mail transmission system, a composite mail transmission method, and a recording system capable of transmitting and receiving various composite mails regardless of the receiving environment. The purpose is to provide a medium.

[0029]

In order to achieve the above object, a composite data transmission system according to claim 1 has a separating means for separating composite data into a first data part and a second data part. A transmitting device that transmits a first data portion and the second data, a first receiving unit that receives and displays the first data portion, and a second receiving portion that receives and displays the second data portion based on access information included in the first data portion. A receiving device having an access request unit for outputting an access request for a data unit, a second display unit for receiving and displaying the second data unit, and a first data unit transmitted from the transmitting device being transmitted to the receiving device. And a data storage unit for storing a second data portion transmitted from the transmission device, wherein the data is stored in the data storage unit in response to an access request output from the reception device. Second The chromatography data unit, characterized in that it is comprised of a second transmission device for transmitting to the receiving device.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the composite mail transmission system according to the first aspect, the first data portion comprises text data, and the second data portion includes non-text data. And

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the composite data transmission system according to the first aspect, wherein the receiving device stores the second data portion based on access information included in the first data portion. It is characterized by having determining means for determining whether or not to receive from the second transmitting means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the composite data transmission system according to the first aspect, wherein the second transmission device is built in the transmission device as a server.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the composite data transmission system according to the first aspect, wherein the composite data is composite document data.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the composite mail transmission system according to the first aspect, the composite data includes at least one independent file.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the composite mail transmission system according to the first aspect, the composite data includes at least one compression / conversion file.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the composite mail transmission system according to the first aspect, the composite data includes an archive.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the composite mail transmission system according to the first aspect, the first transmission means is an electronic mail transmission means.

A composite data transmission system according to claim 10 is
2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein
The complex mail transmission system includes a plurality of the first transmission devices, and the transmission device is configured to transmit the same first data portion to each of the plurality of first transmission devices.

The composite data transmission system according to claim 11 is
2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein
The composite mail transmission system includes a plurality of the receiving devices, and is configured to be able to transfer the first data portion from one receiving device to another receiving device.

The composite data transmission system according to claim 12 is
2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein
When transmitting the composite data, the transmitting device is configured to transmit using the communication protocol corresponding to the first transmitting device or the second transmitting device.

A composite data transmission system according to claim 13 is
2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein
The second transmission device is a WWW server.

A composite data transmission system according to claim 14 is
2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein
The second transmission device is an FTP server.

A composite data transmission system according to claim 15 is
2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein
The transmission device is configured to add address information of an area where the second data portion in the data storage means is stored to the first data portion.

A composite data transmission system according to claim 16 is:
2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein
The transmitting device is configured to add size information of the second data portion to the first data portion.

The composite data transmission system according to claim 17 is:
2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein
The transmitting device is configured to convert the second data portion into an HTML format and transmit the HTML format.

The composite data transmission system according to claim 18 is:
2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein
The transmission device includes a capacity determination unit that determines whether the second transmission device has a sufficient storage capacity to store the transmitted second data unit. The transmission of the first data portion and the second data portion is stopped when it is determined that the storage device does not have a sufficient storage capacity.

The composite data transmission system according to claim 19 is
2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein
The transmission device is configured to transmit the second data portion to the second transmission device using a file transfer protocol.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a composite data transmission system comprising:
2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein
The second transmission device transmits the second data portion to the receiving device using an HTTP protocol.

The composite data transmission system according to claim 21 is:
2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein
The second transmission device is configured to transmit the second data portion to the receiving device using a file transfer protocol.

A composite data transmission system according to claim 22 is:
2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein
The transmitting device is configured to perform at least one of a data format conversion process, a data compression process, and an archive process on the second data portion.

The composite data transmission system according to claim 23,
2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein
The transmitting device performs at least one of a data format conversion process, a data compression process, and an archive process according to a data type of the second data portion, or performs the data format conversion process, the data compression process, It is characterized by comprising a control means for controlling the transmitting device so as not to perform any of the archiving processes.

A composite data transmission system according to claim 24 is
2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein
Second data format conversion or data compression
It is characterized by including a file composed of a data part and a file composed of a second data part before the data format conversion processing or the data compression processing is performed.

The composite data transmission system according to claim 25 is
25. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 24, wherein the transmission device is a file comprising a second data portion subjected to the data format conversion process or the data compression process when a machine environment of the reception device is unknown. And a second data portion before the data format conversion process or the data compression process is performed.

The composite data transmission system according to claim 26 is:
2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein
The transmission device includes a machine environment storage unit that stores information on a machine environment of the reception device.

A composite data transmission system according to claim 27,
27. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 26, wherein the transmission device performs a data format conversion process on the second data portion based on information on a machine environment stored in the machine environment storage unit. It is characterized in that it is configured to perform at least one of a compression process and an archiving process.

The composite data transmission system according to claim 28 is:
2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein
The composite mail transmission system includes a plurality of receiving devices,
The transmitting device, when performing broadcast communication to the plurality of receiving devices, includes at least one second data portion having a format corresponding to the type of the receiving device.
When the data portion has already been transmitted to the second transmission device, the second data portion having the format is not transmitted.

A composite data transmission system according to claim 29 is
2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein
The composite mail transmission system includes a plurality of receiving devices,
The transmitting device, when performing a broadcast communication to the plurality of receiving devices, configured to transmit a first data portion corresponding to the type of the plurality of receiving devices to each of the plurality of receiving devices. Features.

A composite data transmission system according to claim 30 is:
30. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 29, wherein the transmitting device has a format corresponding to the type of the receiving device in the data storage means in the first data portion when performing the broadcast communication. It is characterized in that it is configured to add address information of an area where the second data section is stored.

A composite data transmission system according to claim 31 is:
30. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 29, wherein the transmitting device has a format corresponding to the type of the receiving device in the data storage means in the first data portion when performing the broadcast communication. The data type information of the second data portion is configured to be added.

A composite data transmission system according to claim 32,
30. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 29, wherein the transmitting device has a format corresponding to a type of the receiving device in the data storage means in the second data portion when performing the broadcast communication. It is characterized in that it is configured to add size information of the second data part.

A composite data transmission system according to claim 33,
A transmitting device for transmitting the plurality of data portions, a separating device for separating the composite data into a plurality of data portions, a receiving device for receiving at least one data portion of the plurality of data portions, A plurality of display means for displaying the at least one data part, and a data part other than the received at least one data part, based on the access information included in the data part displayed on the plurality of display means. A receiving device having access request means for outputting an access request, and a first device for transmitting the at least one data portion transmitted from the transmitting device to the receiving device
A transmission device, and a data storage unit for storing a data portion other than the at least one data portion transmitted to the first transmission device, wherein the data storage unit stores the data portion in response to an access request output from the reception device And a second transmission device for transmitting the data portion to the receiving device.

A composite mail transmission method according to a thirty-fourth aspect is a composite mail transmission method for a composite mail transmission system having a transmitting device for transmitting composite data and a receiving device for receiving the composite data. Second
Separating the data into a data part; and
Transmitting a data portion, transmitting and separating the separated second data portion to data storage means, receiving and displaying the transmitted first data portion in the receiving device, Outputting an access request for the second data unit from the receiving device to the data storage unit based on the access information included in the first data unit; Receiving the transmitted second data portion in the receiving device.

According to a 35th aspect of the present invention, the step of receiving the second data portion is a step of displaying the second data portion on the receiving device. There is a feature.

In the composite mail transmitting method according to claim 36, in the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 34, the step of receiving the second data portion is a step of storing the second data portion in the receiving device. There is a feature.

A composite mail transmission method according to claim 37, wherein in the composite mail transmission method according to claim 34, the first data portion comprises text data, and the second data portion includes a non-text data portion. Features.

In the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 38, in the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 34, following the step of receiving and displaying the first data portion, an access included in the first data portion may be performed. Said second information
A step of determining whether to read a data portion from the data storage means.

In the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 39, in the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 34, in the step of determining whether to read the second data portion, the second data portion must be read. When it is determined, the composite data receiving process is interrupted.

[0068] According to a forty-ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the method of transmitting a composite mail according to the thirty-fourth aspect, wherein the data storage means is incorporated in the transmitting device.

[0069] According to a 41st aspect of the present invention, there is provided the composite mail transmitting method according to the 34th aspect, wherein the composite data is compound document data.

A composite mail transmission method according to claim 42 is the composite mail transmission method according to claim 34, wherein the composite data includes at least one independent file.

A composite mail transmission method according to claim 43 is characterized in that in the composite mail transmission method according to claim 34, the composite data includes at least one compression / conversion file.

[0072] The compound mail transmitting method according to claim 44 is the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 34, wherein the compound mail includes an archive.

According to a forty-fifth aspect of the present invention, at least one of the step of transmitting the first data part and the step of transmitting the second data part is an electronic mail. It is a transmission means.

In the compound mail transmission method according to claim 46, in the compound mail transmission method according to claim 34, the compound mail transmission system transmits the first data portion transmitted by the transmitting device to the receiving means. The method includes the step of transmitting the first data section, wherein the step of transmitting the first data section includes transmitting the same first data section to a plurality of first transmission sections.

[0075] According to a forty-seventh aspect of the present invention, in the compound mail transmitting method according to the thirty-fourth aspect, the compound mail transmitting system includes a plurality of receiving devices, and the first to the second receiving devices are transmitted from one receiving device to another receiving device. A step of transferring one data portion.

[0076] The compound mail transmitting method according to claim 48 is characterized in that in the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 34, a step of selecting a communication protocol for transmitting the first data portion or the second data portion is provided. And

[0077] According to a forty-ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the composite mail transmitting method according to the thirty-fourth aspect, wherein the data storage means is a WWW server.

A fifty-fifth method of transmitting a composite mail according to the thirty-fourth aspect is characterized in that the data storage means is an FTP server.

[0079] In the composite mail transmitting method according to claim 51, in the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 34, the step of transmitting the first data section includes the step of storing the second data section in the first data section. And adding the address information of the data storage means.

In the composite mail transmitting method according to claim 52, in the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 34, the step of transmitting the first data portion includes the step of transmitting the size of the second data portion to the first data portion. The method includes a step of adding information.

According to a fifty-third aspect of the present invention, in the composite mail transmitting method according to the thirty-fourth aspect, the step of transmitting and storing the second data portion to the data storage means comprises storing the second data portion in the second data portion. The method is characterized by including a step of converting to HTML format.

According to a fifty-fourth aspect of the present invention, in the composite mail transmitting method according to the thirty-fourth aspect, the step of transmitting and storing the second data portion to the data storage means includes storing the second data portion in the second data portion. The method further comprises a step of determining whether or not the data storage means has a sufficient storage capacity to store the data.

In the composite mail transmitting method according to claim 55, in the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 34, the step of transmitting the second data portion to the data storage means and storing the second data portion includes the second data portion. Is transmitted using a file transfer protocol.

In the composite mail transmission method according to claim 56, in the composite mail transmission method according to claim 34, the step of receiving at the receiving device the second data portion transmitted from the data storage means includes the step of: The data portion is transmitted to the receiving device using an HTTP protocol.

In the composite mail transmission method according to claim 57, in the composite mail transmission method according to claim 34, the step of receiving at the receiving device the second data portion transmitted from the data storage means includes: The data portion is transmitted to the receiving device by a file transfer protocol.

In the composite mail transmitting method according to claim 58, in the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 34, the step of receiving at the receiving device the second data portion transmitted from the data storage means, comprises: A step of performing at least one of a data format conversion process, a data compression process, and an archive process on the unit.

[0087] In the composite mail transmitting method according to claim 59, in the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 34, the step of transmitting the first data section includes a step of transmitting a data format according to a data type of the second data section. Transmitting the second data portion by performing at least one of a conversion process, a data compression process, and an archiving process, or transmitting the second data portion without performing any of the data format conversion process, the data compression process, and the archiving process. The method further comprises a step of determining whether to transmit the two data portions.

[0088] The composite mail transmission method according to claim 60 is the composite mail transmission method according to claim 34, wherein the file comprising the second data portion subjected to data format conversion processing or data compression processing; A file including the second data portion before the processing or the data compression processing is performed is transmitted to the storage unit.

According to a 61st aspect of the present invention, there is provided the method of transmitting a composite mail according to the 34th aspect of the present invention, wherein the data format conversion processing or the data compression processing is performed when the machine environment of the receiving device is unknown. A file composed of a second data part and a file composed of the second data part before being subjected to the data format conversion processing or the data compression processing are transmitted to the storage means.

[0090] A composite mail transmitting method according to claim 62 is characterized in that, in the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 34, the transmitting device stores information on a machine environment of the receiving device in advance.

[0091] In the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 63, in the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 34, the step of transmitting the second data portion to the data storage means and storing the second data portion includes information about the machine environment. A data format conversion process for the second data portion,
At least one of a data compression process and an archive process is performed.

[0092] In the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 64, in the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 34, when the transmitting device performs a broadcast communication to a plurality of receiving devices, the second data portion stores the data. In the step of transmitting the data to the storage unit and storing the same, at least one of the second data units having a format corresponding to the type of the receiving device, the same second data unit has already been transmitted to the data storage unit. At this time, the second data part having the format is not transmitted.

[0093] In the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 65, in the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 34, the first data portion is transmitted when the transmitting device performs broadcast communication to a plurality of receiving devices. In the steps,
A first data unit corresponding to each of the plurality of receiving devices is transmitted to each of the plurality of receiving devices.

[0094] In the composite mail transmission method according to claim 66, in the composite mail transmission method according to claim 65, the step of transmitting the first data portion when performing broadcast communication from the transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices. In
Address information of an area where at least one second data part corresponding to the type of the receiving device in the data storage means is stored is added to the first data part.

[0095] In the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 67, in the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 65, the step of transmitting the first data portion when performing broadcast communication from the transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices. In
The data type information of at least one second data portion corresponding to the type of the receiving device in the data storage means is added to the first data portion, and the data is transmitted to the plurality of receiving devices.

[0096] In the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 68, in the compound mail transmitting method according to claim 65, the step of transmitting the first data portion when performing broadcast communication from the transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices. In
Preferably, size information of at least one second data portion corresponding to the type of the receiving device in the data storage means is added to the first data portion and transmitted to the plurality of receiving devices.

A compound mail transmitting method according to claim 69 is a compound mail transmitting method for a compound mail transmitting system having a transmitting device for transmitting compound data and a receiving device for receiving the compound data, wherein the compound data is stored in a plurality of data parts. Separating, a first transmitting step of transmitting at least one data part of the plurality of separated data parts via at least one transmission path, and a plurality of data parts transmitted from the transmitting device. At least one first transmitting step of transmitting at least one included data portion to the receiving device, a displaying step of displaying the data portion transmitted in the first transmitting step on the receiving device, and the transmitted data Department other than at least
A data storing step of transmitting one data part to the data storing means and storing the data part, and based on the access information included in the data part displayed in the displaying step, the data stored in the data storing means in the data storing step Outputting an access request to a data unit; and transmitting at least one second transmission step of transmitting the data unit stored in the data storage unit to the receiving device in response to the output access request. And

A recording medium according to claim 70, wherein a step of separating a composite data into a first data section and a second data section to a computer, a step of transmitting the separated first data section, Transmitting the second data portion to the data storage means and storing the second data portion; receiving and displaying the transmitted first data portion in the receiving device; and displaying the access information included in the first data portion. Outputting an access request for the second data part from the receiving device to the data storage means, and receiving the second data part sent from the data storage means in response to the access request. A program for executing the step of receiving in the device is recorded in a format readable by the computer.

A recording medium according to claim 71 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
In the recording medium described above, the step of receiving the second data section is a step of displaying the second data section on the receiving device.

A recording medium according to claim 72 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
In the recording medium described above, the step of receiving the second data section is a step of storing the second data section in the receiving device.

The recording medium of claim 73 is the recording medium of claim 70.
The recording medium according to the item, wherein the first data portion includes text data, and the second data portion includes a non-text data portion.

A recording medium according to claim 74 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the program is the first program.
Receiving a data portion and displaying the data portion; and determining whether to read the second data portion from the data storage means based on access information included in the first data portion. And

A recording medium according to claim 75 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
In the recording medium described above, in the step of determining whether to read the second data portion, if it is determined that the second data portion is not to be read, the composite data receiving process is interrupted.

The recording medium according to claim 76 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
In the recording medium described above, the data storage means is built in the transmission device.

The recording medium according to claim 77 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
In the recording medium described above, the compound data is compound document data.

A recording medium according to claim 78 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
The recording medium according to the item, wherein the composite data includes at least one independent file.

The recording medium according to claim 79 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
In the recording medium described above, the composite data includes at least one compression / conversion file.

The recording medium according to claim 80 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
In the recording medium described above, the compound mail includes an archive.

The recording medium of claim 81 is the recording medium of claim 70.
The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the step of transmitting the first data section and the step of transmitting the second data section includes transmitting the first data section or the second data section by electronic mail transmitting means. Features.

The recording medium according to claim 82 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
In the recording medium according to the aspect, in the step of transmitting the first data portion, the same first data portion is transmitted to a plurality of first transmission units that transmit the transmitted first data unit to the reception unit. It is characterized by the following.

The recording medium of claim 83 is the recording medium of claim 70.
The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the program includes a step of transferring the first data portion from one receiving device to another receiving device.

The recording medium according to claim 84 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the program is the first program.
Selecting a communication protocol for transmitting a data part or the second data part.

The recording medium according to claim 85 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
3. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the data storage means is WWW.
It is a server.

The recording medium of claim 86 is the recording medium of claim 70.
3. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the data storage unit is an FTP server.
It is a server.

A recording medium according to claim 87 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
In the recording medium described above, the step of transmitting the first data section includes a step of adding address information of the data storage unit in which the second data section is stored to the first data section. And

The recording medium according to claim 88 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
In the recording medium described above, the step of transmitting the first data section includes a step of adding size information of the second data section to the first data section.

The recording medium according to claim 89 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
In the recording medium described above, the step of transmitting and storing the second data portion to the data storage means includes a step of converting the second data portion into an HTML format.

A recording medium according to claim 90 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
And transmitting the second data portion to the data storage device and storing the second data portion in the storage medium, the data storage device having a sufficient storage capacity to store the second data portion. A step of determining whether

The recording medium of claim 91 is the recording medium of claim 70.
In the recording medium described above, in the step of transmitting the second data portion to the data storage means and storing the second data portion, the second data portion is transmitted by a file transfer protocol.

A recording medium according to claim 92 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
In the recording medium described above, in the step of receiving the second data portion transmitted from the data storage means in a receiving device, the second data portion is transmitted to the receiving device using an HTTP protocol. .

A recording medium according to claim 93 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
In the recording medium described above, in the step of receiving the second data portion sent from the data storage means in a receiving device, the second data portion is transmitted to the receiving device using a file transfer protocol. And

A recording medium according to claim 94 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
In the recording medium described above, the step of receiving at the receiving device the second data portion sent from the data storage means includes a data format conversion process on the second data portion.
The method includes a step of performing at least one of a data compression process and an archive process.

A recording medium according to claim 95 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
In the recording medium according to the aspect, the step of transmitting the first data portion includes performing at least one of a data format conversion process, a data compression process, and an archive process according to a data type of the second data portion. Transmitting the second data portion, or performing the second data portion without performing any of the data format conversion process, the data compression process, and the archive process
The method includes a step of determining whether to transmit the data section.

A recording medium according to claim 96 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
In the recording medium according to the present invention, a file including a second data portion subjected to a data format conversion process or a data compression process and a file including a second data portion before the data format conversion process or a data compression process is performed Are transmitted to the storage means.

A recording medium according to claim 97 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
In the recording medium described above, when a machine environment of the receiving device is unknown, a file including a second data portion subjected to a data format conversion process or a data compression process, and the data format conversion process or the data compression process are performed. And transmitting the file including the second data portion before being applied to the storage means.

A recording medium according to claim 98 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
In the recording medium described above, the transmitting device stores information about a machine environment of the receiving device in advance.

A recording medium according to claim 99 is the recording medium according to claim 70.
In the recording medium described above, in the step of transmitting and storing the second data portion to the data storage means, a data format conversion process is performed on the second data portion based on information on the machine environment. At least one of a compression process and an archive process is performed.

A recording medium according to claim 100 is the recording medium according to claim 7.
0, in the step of transmitting and storing the second data portion to the data storage means when performing broadcast communication from the transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices, When at least one second data portion having a format corresponding to the type of device has been already transmitted to the data storage means, the second data portion having the format is not transmitted. It is characterized by the following.

A recording medium according to claim 101 is the recording medium according to claim 7.
0, in the step of transmitting the first data portion when performing broadcasting from the transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices, the program corresponds to each of the plurality of receiving devices. First consisting of a form
A data unit is transmitted to each of the plurality of receiving devices.

A recording medium according to claim 102 is the recording medium according to claim 1.
01. The recording medium according to item 01, wherein, when performing broadcasting from the transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices, the program transmits the first data portion to the first data portion. Wherein address information of an area where at least one second data portion corresponding to the type of the receiving device is stored is added.

A recording medium according to claim 103 is the recording medium according to claim 1.
01. The recording medium according to item 01, wherein, when performing broadcasting from the transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices, the program transmits the first data portion to the first data portion. The data type information of at least one second data portion corresponding to the type of the receiving device is added and transmitted to each of the plurality of receiving devices.

A recording medium according to claim 104 is the recording medium according to claim 1.
01. The recording medium according to item 01, wherein, when performing broadcasting from the transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices, the program transmits the first data portion to the first data portion. The size information of at least one second data portion corresponding to the type of the receiving device is added and transmitted to each of the plurality of receiving devices.

[0133] The recording medium according to claim 105 provides a computer with a step of separating composite data into a plurality of data sections, and transmitting at least one of the separated plurality of data sections to at least one transmission path. A first transmitting step of transmitting through the first transmitting step, at least one first transmitting step of transmitting at least one data section included in the plurality of data sections transmitted from the transmitting apparatus to the receiving apparatus, and the first transmitting step A display step of displaying the transmitted data part on the receiving device, a data accumulation step of transmitting and storing at least one data part other than the transmitted data part to data storage means, and displaying in the display step The data stored in the data storage means in the data storage step based on the access information included in the data portion obtained. Outputting an access request to the data unit; and at least one second transmission step of receiving, at the receiving device, a data unit transmitted to the data storage unit in response to the output access request. The program is recorded in a format readable by the computer.

[0134]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of electronic mail when a composite mail is transmitted and received on the Internet using the mail transmission device according to the present embodiment.

[0137] In the figure, a sender and a receiver mutually transmit and receive a composite mail via the Internet 13.

[0138] The sender creates and transmits a composite e-mail by using e-mail software 12 on the transmission side running on a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as "transmission side PC") 11 on the transmission side. A plurality of (three in this embodiment) recipients have e-mail addresses that are uniquely determined for each recipient, and each of the recipients is a receiving personal computer (hereinafter, “receiving PC”). 1)
Reception side mail software 1 that operates on 7a to 17c
8a to 18c and the WWW browsers 19a to 19c are used to receive, access and display the composite mail.

Reference numerals 12 ', 18' and 19 'shown in FIG. 1 are enlarged views of the screen of the sending electronic mail software 12 displayed on the display screen of the sending PC 11, respectively, and the receiving PC 17c. Enlarged view of the screen of the receiving mail software 18c displayed on the display screen of
And W displayed on the display screen of the receiving PC 17c.
It is an enlarged view of the screen of WW browser 19c.

The e-mail created by the sender as the outgoing mail is separated into a text mail part and a composite mail part.

The text mail part is transmitted via the normal electronic mail transmission path, that is, the Internet 13 from the sending electronic mail server 15 that receives only the text mail part from the sending PC 11 to the receiving mail servers 16a to 16c.
It is received by the receiving side mail software 18c operating on the receiving side PCs 17a to 17c via the above mail transmission path. Similarly, at the time of broadcast communication in which the same content mail is transmitted to a plurality of recipients, the recipient PCs 17a to 16c are similarly sent to the respective recipients.
e-mail software 18 running on a to 17c
a to 18c.

The composite mail section sends the W
The information is transmitted to the WWW server 14 and received and stored by the WWW server 14.

The recipient is the recipient mail software 18
On the basis of the address information contained in the text mail part received by a to c, the composite mail part stored in the WWW server 14 is accessed by the browsers 19a to 19c and displayed on the display screens of the receiving PCs 17a to 17c. To be displayed.

The WWW server 14 includes, for example, a homepage area of the sending user on a WWW server of the Internet provider, an area for the electronic mail software provided on the WWW server in the intranet environment, and an electronic mail on the Internet. It is conceivable that the system is installed and operated in an area on a WWW server of a mail seller provided for mail software. More specifically, for example, in the case described above, the user who has contracted with the Internet provider generally has a W
A fixed size directory capacity is allocated on the WW server, and the user has the right to set up his own homepage. Therefore, in this case, the composite mail can be transmitted using the home page area on the provider's WWW server as the WWW server 14.

The address of the file on the WWW server 14 is obtained by integrating a predetermined area name on the WWW server 14 with a file name randomly generated by a known random number generation algorithm. URL (Unifor
m Resource Locator) format.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a composite mail transmission procedure according to this embodiment.

Using the sender's e-mail software 12 on the sender's PC 11, the mail sender creates a composite mail consisting of text data “Hello This is mail containing image data.” And an image data file. Alternatively, after setting the e-mail addresses of a plurality of recipients and other information necessary for e-mail transmission, when transmission of a completed composite e-mail is instructed, this procedure is started.

First, the complex mail body is converted by the sending electronic mail software 12 into an HTML format, which is a file format readable by a browser, to create a complex mail section (step S21), and the created complex mail is created. The URL address of the WWW server 14 transmitting the copy is determined (step S22), and the size of the created composite mail part is obtained (step S23). Then, a text mail part composed of the text part extracted from the transmission data of the compound mail, the URL address obtained in step S22, the size information of the compound mail part obtained in step S23, and the like is created (step S22). S24), it is determined whether or not there is enough free space on the WWW server 14 to receive the composite mail part (step S25).

At step S25, WWW server 1
In the case where the area above 4 can be used exclusively by one person as in the case described above, in the electronic mail software 12, the area size of the WWW server 14 known in advance and the size of the composite mail part transmitted so far are determined. The size of the free space can be checked without performing actual communication by calculating the free space size from the history information such as the above, and comparing this with the size of the composite mail part to be transmitted. Also, as in the above or the case, the WWW server 1
To share the area above 4 with other mail senders, use WW
By inquiring of the W server 14 about the free area size using a predetermined protocol, the free space can be reliably obtained.

If it is determined in step S25 that there is sufficient free space, the text mail section created in step S24 executes a normal mail protocol (for example, SMTP) by the number of designated recipients. Sent to the sending mail server 15 (step S2
6) The composite mail section sends the file name and address determined in step S22 to the area of the WWW server 14
Standard File Transfer Protocol FTP
otocol) (step S2).
7) Then, this procedure ends.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S25 that there is not enough free space, a warning message to that effect is displayed.
It is displayed on the display screen of the sending PC 11 under the control of the sending email software 12 (step S28),
Thereafter, the transmission procedure is stopped.

The text mail part transmitted in step S26 passes through the normal e-mail path on the Internet 13 from the transmitting mail server 15, and receives the mail mails of the receiving mail servers 16 corresponding to the mail addresses of the respective recipients.
The received mail software 18a to 18c of the receiving PCs 17a to 17c receives the received mail via the PCs a to 16c.

In FIG. 1, the portion indicated by reference numeral 18c 'is the text mail portion, and the text data portion of the original composite mail, "Hello This is a mail including image data." Below is the URL address of the compound mail part on the WWW server 14 (“http: /www.patent.temp/mail/0123abcd.html” in the example of FIG. 1).
) And the size information of the composite mail part (“(253 kbyte)” in the example of FIG. 1) is displayed.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a composite mail receiving procedure performed in the receiving PC 17.

First, the text mail portion received by the receiving side electronic mail software 18c on the receiving side PC 17c is read (step S31), and it is determined from the contents thereof whether or not to receive the composite mail portion (step S31). S32).
That is, in step S32, it is determined based on the contents of the text mail part of the original e-mail whether or not it is necessary to receive the compound mail part, and based on the size information of the compound mail part in the text mail part. It is determined whether or not the storage capacity of the receiving PC 17c has sufficient free space to receive the composite mail part. Further, the size information of the composite mail part in the text mail part and the current communication of the receiving PC 17c are performed. It is determined based on the connection status with the line or the like whether or not the time required for receiving the composite mail portion is within an allowable range.

If it is determined in step S32 that no composite mail is received, this procedure is immediately terminated. When receiving a composite mail, the receiving-side e-mail software 18c on the receiving-side PC 17c transmits “clickable UR”.
"L" function is determined (step S
33). Here, the “clickable URL” is a function supported by many e-mail softwares, and the browser is operated by a very simple operation of double-clicking the URL address described in the mail text with a mouse button. And accesses the corresponding URL address.

If the receiving electronic mail software 18c has a "clickable URL" function, when the URL address in the text mail part is double-clicked with the mouse button (step S34), the browser 1
9c, according to the designated URL address, WW
Access to the composite mail section in the directory of the W server 14 is performed (step S35). In the browser 19, the WWW server 14 receives this access, and receives a predetermined compound mail portion transmitted by the standard HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) protocol (step S).
36), the received composite mail part is displayed on the browser 19c (step S37).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S33 that the browser does not have the clickable URL, the browser 19c is separately activated (step S38), and the URL address in the text mail part is copied to the address area of the browser 19c. By inputting by a paste operation (step S39), access to the composite mail section is performed (step S35).

In this manner, as indicated by reference numeral 19c 'in FIG. 1, the composite mail section including the HTML-converted image can be viewed as a homepage on the Internet 13, for example.

Note that most e-mail software is
As shown at 18c 'in FIG. 1, a highlighting function is provided to make it easier to confirm by underlining or changing the color of the URL portion in the text. This URL part highlighting function allows the mail recipient to easily identify the URL in the mail text.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the electronic mail is separated into the text mail part and the composite mail part, and each part is transmitted and received separately. The solution is as follows.

Restriction on Size of E-mail that Can Be Transmitted The text mail part in this embodiment passes through a normal mail transmission path using a standard protocol for e-mail (SMTP, POP3, etc.), but has a normal text format and a small size. Because of the size, there is no transmission / reception problem.

On the other hand, as for the composite mail part, the sender P
The transfer from the C11 to the WWW server 14 uses the FTP protocol which is a standard file transfer protocol, and the transfer from the WWW server 14 to the receiving PCs 17a to 17c uses the HTTP protocol. There are virtually no restrictions on size, data type, communication path, etc. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the conventional problem of the limitation of the mail size as described above is solved.

Non-guaranteing of Receiving and Displaying Composite Mail on Receiving Side Since the text mail part in the present embodiment is in a normal text format and is small in size, there is no problem in reception and display processing.

On the other hand, regarding the composite mail part, the HTML
Format and received by browsers 19a-c,
Is displayed. HTML format data can be read by any browser, and browsers are generally very expressive and support many data formats, so they can display various complex emails without any problems. .

Since browsers are widely used on various platforms, and typical browsers have an e-mail function having a clickable URL function, at least a PC connected to the Internet 13
In, the e-mail transmitted by the above-described procedure can be received.

Regarding the complexity and difficulty of handling compound mail data The compound mail part in this embodiment is received by a browser after being converted into HTML format and displayed. H
Data in TML format can be read by any browser, and browsers are generally very expressive,
Also, since it supports many data formats, it is possible to display various types of compound mail without any trouble.

Regarding the Problem at the Time of Reception of Large-sized Mail Since the text data part in the present embodiment is in the ordinary text format and is of small size, no problem occurs at the time of reception.

Regarding the reception of the composite mail part, the receiver can determine whether or not to receive the composite mail part file by the determination in step S32 of FIG. Can be determined. Further, since the reception of the composite mail portion is performed when the recipient is convenient, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the line or personal computer is occupied by the reception in a time zone inconvenient for receiving the mail as in the related art. be able to.

Regarding suppression of network traffic by broadcasting large-sized mail As described above, the broadcasting mail in the present embodiment is transmitted to the respective receiving destinations designated for broadcasting in step S16 in FIG. However, the composite mail part is transmitted only once to the WWW server 14 in step S17 in FIG.

That is, only a text mail part having a small data amount is broadcasted, and a large-sized composite mail part is transmitted only once regardless of the number of broadcast destinations.

Since access to the composite mail section in the WWW server 14 from each recipient is performed at a time convenient for each recipient, concentration of network traffic and concentration of data to a specific mail server do not occur.

Further, the recipient who judges that the reception of the composite mail part is unnecessary by checking the contents of the text mail part is WWW.
Since access to the server 14 is not performed, network traffic as a whole can be further reduced.

Next, the transfer of electronic mail will be described.

In general, in the operation of e-mail, mail transfer for sending a received e-mail to other recipients related to the contents is widely performed, and most e-mail software supports this mail transfer function. are doing.

Automatic mail transfer, such as transferring an e-mail addressed to an old e-mail address to a new e-mail address in accordance with a change in work location, or transferring an e-mail addressed to an office to a home during a vacation, is widely and practically used. Has been offered to.

In the system according to the present embodiment, when a mail receiver transfers mail using the receiving mail software 18c, only the small-sized text mail portion is transferred, and the large-sized text mail portion is transferred. The composite mail section is not communicated until the recipient who needs it accesses it. Also, the composite mail section is not received at the transfer point. Therefore, further reduction in network traffic can be expected.

In particular, in the automatic mail transfer, the reception and transmission of the composite mail portion are not performed at the transfer point, so that the effect of reducing the network traffic is further enhanced.

Further, if the URL address of the composite mail section is known, access to the composite mail section is possible even from a device which has not received the e-mail. For example, without transferring the e-mail, You can also read the same composite email at work and home.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, an electronic mail is separated into a small-sized text mail part and a large-sized composite mail part, and only the small-sized text mail part is transmitted to the recipient. The large-sized composite mail section is configured so that it can be viewed when accessed on a WWW server. This solves the conventional problems and reduces the network traffic in the transfer of mail. It is possible to send and receive complex mail.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of electronic mail when a composite mail is transmitted and received on the Internet using the mail transmission device according to this embodiment. In the figure, in the present embodiment, the transmitting PC 41 is connected to the WWW server 14.
The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the second embodiment also has the function of In the transmission-side PC 41, e-mail transmission software 42 operates. Otherwise, the same components as those in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a composite mail transmission procedure according to this embodiment.

In FIG. 4, a composite mail composed of text data “Hello This is a mail including image data” and image data is created using the transmission-side electronic mail software 42. After composing a composite email,
When information necessary for mail transmission such as the mail address of one or more recipients is set, and transmission of the completed composite mail is instructed, the processing of this flowchart is started.

First, the transmission side e-mail software 12
As a result, the composite mail body is converted into the HTML format, which is a file format that can be read by the browser, and a composite mail part is created (step S51).

[0186] Then, W for placing the created composite mail section
The URL address of the sending PC 41 having the WW server function is determined (step S52). This address is
It is assumed that an area name on the transmitting PC 41 is integrated with a file name randomly generated by a known random number generation algorithm.

The size of the composite mail part created in step S51 is obtained (step S53), and the text part extracted from the transmission data of the composite mail and
A text mail part composed of the URL obtained in step 52 and the size information of the composite mail part obtained in step S53 is created (step S54), and the sending PC is created.
It is determined whether or not there is enough free space for placing the composite mail section on the file 41 (step S55).

If it is determined in step S55 that there is a sufficient free space, the text mail section created in step S54 is replaced by the number of designated recipients according to the designated recipient's mail address. The mail is transmitted to the sending mail server 15 by executing a normal mail protocol (for example, SMTP) (step S56), and the composite mail part is used as a WWW server on the sending PC 41 with the file name obtained in step S52. (Step S57), and the procedure is terminated.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S55 that there is not enough free space, a warning message to that effect is displayed.
The sending PC 4 is sent by the sending electronic mail software 42.
1 is displayed on the display screen (step S58), and thereafter, the transmission procedure is stopped.

In the present embodiment, the mail receiving procedure is W
Transmitting PC that functions as WWW server 14
The configuration is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment except that the configuration for implementing 41 is realized. That is, the recipient accesses the URL address described in the text mail part received on the receiving mail software 18c using the browser 19c, and transmits the composite mail part from the transmitting PC 41 to the browser 1c.
9c to receive and display.

As described above, according to this embodiment, in addition to the same effects as in the above-described first embodiment, communication of a large-sized composite mail section is not performed during mail transmission, so that network traffic is reduced. Can, and
Since the composite mail section is placed in the transmitting PC 41, the effect of simplifying the management of the area where the composite mail section is placed can be obtained.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

Conventionally, electronic mail is used not only for documents and compound documents, but also for files in special formats such as spreadsheet and presentation software files, executable programs and software installation programs, and software development environments. There has been a request to transmit a file including various files under a specific directory and a file including a directory structure. In the present embodiment, a composite mail including the above-described file or directory structure + file can be transmitted.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of electronic mail when a composite mail is transmitted / received on the Internet using the mail transmission device according to this embodiment. In the figure, the same components as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the present embodiment, the composite mail transmitting software 61 according to the present invention operates on the transmitting PC 11. Further, in the present embodiment, an FTP server 62 is employed instead of the WWW server 14 shown in FIG. The operation and installation of the FTP server are the same as those of the WWW server 14 in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a composite mail transmission procedure according to this embodiment.

The mail sender specifies one or a plurality of files or directories to be sent, inputs a comment such as a description of the file to be sent, and sends the mail of the receiver using the sending electronic mail software 12 on the sending PC 11. After the address and other information necessary for the e-mail are set, when the transmission of the completed compound mail is instructed, the procedure starts.

The sending PC 1 to which an instruction to send a mail has been issued
In the first step, the file format of the mail to be sent is checked first, and the versatility of the file format,
Alternatively, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to perform data compression / conversion in consideration of the effect of data compression (step S7).
1). For example, when one transmission file is a compressed file, it is determined that the data compression processing is unnecessary.
Also, it is determined that data compression is unnecessary for a file with a small file redundancy and little data compression effect, such as the JPEG format which is a standard compression format for still images. In such a case, the transmission file itself becomes the composite mail part.

If the file format is a general-purpose format that does not depend on the platform, it is determined that data conversion is unnecessary. On the other hand, in the case of a special format specific to a specific OS or application software,
It is determined that the data needs to be converted.

If it is determined in step S71 that the data compression / conversion processing does not need to be performed, it is checked whether a data compression / conversion format is designated (step S7).
4). The above-mentioned “recipient's mail address and other information necessary for mail” includes the machine environment of the mail recipient, that is, the OS of the receiving PCs 17a to 17c, the supported compression / conversion file format, and the like. Contains the specification of the data compression / conversion format adapted to the receiving side.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a registration format of an address book for easily specifying a recipient in the transmitting PC 11. As shown in the figure, in this address book, not only the recipient's name and e-mail address but also the recipient's machine environment can be registered. Therefore, for a recipient whose machine environment is also registered in the address book, the data compression / conversion format is automatically designated only by the sender designating the recipient.

For example, when the recipient is “Taro Yamada”, the specified data compression / conversion format is the exe format described at the head of the “support file format”.
The exe format is a format that is widely recognized as a self-decompressing data compression format, and the recipient obtains the original file by decompressing this format file without using any special application. be able to.

Similarly, for a recipient whose name is not registered in the address book, and for a recipient whose name and mail address are registered but whose machine environment is not registered, if the receiving environment is known, , Data compression and
You can specify the conversion format. If the receiving environment is unknown, the data compression / conversion format is not specified.

Returning to FIG. 7, if it is determined in step S72 that the data compression / conversion format has been specified, the file or directory is subjected to data compression / conversion processing in accordance with the specification, and the composite mail section Is created (step S73). For example, if the recipient is “Taro Yamada” registered in the address book shown in FIG. 8, one or more files or directories to be transmitted are stored in a 1exe file specified by a known data compression / conversion method. Data is compressed and converted to a format.

Then, the URL address of the FTP server 62 that transmits the created composite mail part is determined (step S74). The address of the FTP server 62 is
This is determined by the same method as in the above-described first or second embodiment. However, in this embodiment, since the file access from the recipient needs to be performed by the FTP protocol, the URL starting with “ftp:” is used. Determined as an address.

Next, the size of the created composite mail part is obtained (step S75). What we want here is
If data compression / conversion is not performed, this is the size of the original transmission file treated as a composite mail part. If data compression / conversion is performed, the size is the size of the composite mail part after data compression / conversion processing in step S73. is there.

A comment on the file to be transmitted, the URL address determined in step S74, and step S7
A text mail part composed of the size information of the composite mail part obtained in step 5, information on the data compression / conversion format, and the like is created (step S76), and the FTP server 62
It is determined whether there is sufficient free space above to receive the composite mail part (step S77).

In step S77, if there is sufficient free space, the text mail portion created in step S76 is transmitted to the specified recipient's mail address using a normal mail protocol (for example, SMTP) (step S78). ), The composite mail unit uses the file name and address determined in step S74 to
Is transmitted to the predetermined area (step S79), and this procedure ends. When the sending PC 11 also has the function of the FTP server 62 as in the second embodiment described above, in step S79, the composite mail unit is transferred to a predetermined area in the sending PC 11 used as the FTP server 62. Is copied.

If it is determined in step S77 that the free space of the FTP server is not sufficient, a warning message is displayed by the processing of the sending electronic mail software 61 (step S80), and the procedure is terminated thereafter. You.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S72 that the data compression / conversion format is not specified, the data compression / conversion is performed on one file in a compressed file format supported by many receiving environments, for example, a zip format. This is performed (step S81), and the address (URL) of the FTP server 62 to which the file is to be sent next is determined in the same manner as in step S74 (step S82). Then, the size of the file after data compression / conversion, the size of the original transmission file, and the sum of both sizes are obtained (step S8).
3), comment on the file to be sent, step S
The URL address of the compressed / converted file on the FTP server 62 obtained in 82, the URL address of the original transmitted file, the size information of the compressed / converted file on the FTP server 62 determined in step S83, and the URL of the original transmitted file A text mail part including size information and information on data compression / conversion format is created.
84), similar to step S75, the FTP server 6
Then, it is determined whether or not the free space of the FTP server 64 is sufficient by comparing the sum of the sizes with the free area on the FTP server 4 (step S85).

If it is determined in step S85 that there is sufficient free space, the text mail section created in step S84 is sent to the specified recipient's mail address using a normal mail protocol (for example, SMTP). etc)
(Step S86), and the compressed / converted file and the original transmission file are transmitted to the FTP server 64 in Step S86.
FTP to the area indicated by the URL address determined in step 82
The procedure is transmitted (step S87), and then the procedure ends. Note that, as in the second embodiment described above, the transmitting PC
If the FTP server 11 also functions as the FTP server 62, in step S87, the compressed / converted file and the original transmission file are copied to a predetermined area in the transmission-side PC 11 used as the FTP server 62.

If it is determined in step S85 that there is not enough free space, a warning message to that effect is displayed on the display of the transmitting PC 11 by the transmitting electronic mail software 62 (step S85). S88) Then, this procedure is terminated by stopping the transmission processing.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a composite mail receiving procedure performed in the receiving PC 17.

First, the text mail part received by the receiving side electronic mail software 63c on the receiving side PC 17c is read (step S91), and it is determined from the contents thereof whether or not to receive the composite mail part (step S91). S92).
That is, in step S92, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to receive the composite mail part based on the contents of the text mail part of the original electronic mail, and based on the size information of the composite mail part in the text mail part. It is determined whether or not the storage capacity of the receiving PC 17c has sufficient free space to receive the composite mail part. Further, the size information of the composite mail part in the text mail part and the current communication of the receiving PC 17c are performed. It is determined based on the connection status with the line or the like whether or not the time required for receiving the composite mail portion is within an allowable range.

If it is determined in step S92 that the composite mail section is not received, this procedure is immediately terminated. Also,
When receiving the composite mail part, the URL of the original transmission file or the URL of the compression / conversion file included in the text mail part is selected (step S94).
As described above, in the transmitting side PC 11, step S8
In step 4, the URL and size information of the compressed / converted file and the URL and size information of the original file are included in the text mail part. For example, in the enlarged view 63c 'of the text mail section shown in FIG. 6, the title of "<original>" or "<compressed file>" is displayed for each of the original file and the compressed converted file, and the URL thereof is displayed. The address and size information are described. Also, from the “zip” described at the end of the URL address of the compressed / converted file, it can be seen that the compressed / converted file is a zip format which is a general-purpose data compression format. The recipient looks at the contents of the text mail part, and if the compressed / converted file can be handled in his own machine environment, the URL of the compressed / converted file is used.
Select the address, and if it cannot be handled,
The RL address can be selected.

Next, it is determined whether or not the receiving-side electronic mail software 63c on the receiving-side PC 17c has a "clickable URL" function (step S94).
When the receiving-side email software 63c has a "clickable URL" function, when the URL address in the text mail section is double-clicked with the mouse button (step S95), the browser 64c follows the commanded URL address. Then, access is made to the composite mail section in the directory of the FTP server 62 (step S96). Then, the composite mail portion received by the FTP server 62 and transmitted by the standard FTP protocol is received by the browser 64c (step S97) and stored in the hard disk (not shown) of the receiving PC 17c (step S98). ).

If it is determined in step S94 that the receiving-side e-mail software 63c does not have the clickable URL function, the browser 64c is separately activated (step S101), and the URL address in the text mail part is input to the browser 64c. Input to the address area by copy and paste operation (step S
102), access to the composite mail part of the FTP server 62 is performed in step S96.

It is determined whether or not the stored composite mail part is a compressed / converted file (step S99). If it is not a compressed / converted file, it is an original (before compression / conversion) transmission file. This receiving procedure is terminated as it is. If it is determined that the file is a compression / conversion file, the file is decompressed or reproduced by inverse conversion using a function such as a compression / conversion file decompression program (not shown) provided in the receiving PC 17c. (Step S100) After that, this procedure ends.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are flowcharts showing a procedure for broadcasting a composite mail to a plurality of recipients.

At the sending PC 11, the sending mail software 61 specifies at least one file or directory to be sent, inputs a comment such as a description of the sending file, the mail address of one or more recipients, and other electronic information. This procedure is started when the mail sender instructs the broadcast after setting the information necessary for sending the mail.

First, the sender's e-mail software 61
Thus, it is determined whether or not the transmission process has been completed for all the specified recipients (step S111). If the transmission process has been completed for all the recipients, this procedure is terminated.

If the transmission processing has not been completed for all recipients, the file format to be transmitted is checked, and the data compression conversion processing is performed in consideration of the versatility of the file format, the necessity of data compression, or the effect of data compression. Is determined (step S112). This determination is performed, for example, by the same method as in step S71 described above.

In the determination of step S112, the data compression
If you do not want to perform the conversion process, the compound mail part of the specified format,
That is, it is determined whether or not the original file has already been transmitted (step S113). This determination is made based on flag information (not shown) used in the transmission-side electronic mail software 61 used in the present embodiment. This flag information is initialized to “unsent” when the sending electronic mail software 62 is activated, and is set to “sent” when sending. Therefore, by looking at the flag information, it is possible to determine whether or not the file of the current designated format has been transmitted.

If it is determined in step S113 that the transmission has not been completed, the FTP server 62 transmitting the composite mail section
Is determined (step S114).
This RUL address is determined by the same method as in the above-described first or second embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the access to the file from the recipient is performed by FTP.
The URL address is set to an address starting with "ftp:" because the protocol is used.

Then, after the size of the compound mail part is obtained (step S115), a comment on the file to be transmitted, the URL address determined in step S114, the size of the compound mail part obtained in step S115, the data compression A text mail part including information on the conversion format, information indicating that the file is the original file, and the like is created (step S116), and whether or not there is sufficient free space on the FTP server 62 to receive the composite mail part Is determined (step S117).

If it is determined in step S117 that there is sufficient free space, step S11 on the FTP server 62 is executed.
The composite mail part is transmitted by FTP to the area indicated by the URL address determined in step 4 (step S118). In addition,
If the sending PC 11 also has the function of the FTP server 62, in step S118, the composite mail part is copied to a predetermined area in the sending PC 11 used as the FTP server 62. Then, the text mail part created in step S116 is transmitted to the mail address of the recipient to be processed at present using a normal mail protocol (step S119).

When the transmission of the text mail portion to the recipient to be transmitted this time is completed, the transmission target is changed to the next recipient (step S120), and the process returns to step S120.
The processing after 111 is executed.

If it is determined in step S113 that the original file has already been transmitted, step S114
Steps S118 to S118 are skipped, and the process proceeds to step S119, where the text mail portion is transmitted.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S112 that data compression / conversion processing is necessary, as in step S72, the sender is specified, the mail address of the receiver currently being processed, and Based on the address book or the like shown in FIG. 8, it is determined whether or not a data compression / conversion format is designated for the recipient (step S121).
If the data compression / conversion format is specified, it is determined whether or not the composite mail part file in the specified data compression / conversion format has been transmitted (step S122).

Here, if the data has not been transmitted, a composite mail part is created by performing data compression / conversion processing in the specified format (step S123). For example, if the recipient is “Taro Yamada” shown in FIG. 8,
Send at least one file or directory to a file specified by a known data compression / conversion method.
Data compression / conversion processing is performed on the file format.

Next, the FTP server 6 for sending the composite mail part
2 is determined (step S12).
4). The address on the FTP server 62 is set to an address beginning with “ftp:”, as in step S114, in order to access the file from the recipient by the FTP protocol. The extension added to the end of the file name is in accordance with the compression / conversion file format. For example, when data compression / conversion processing is performed on a file in the exe file format, the extension added to the end of the file name is used. With the extension "exe".

After the address is determined, the size of the composite mail part after the data compression / conversion processing is obtained (step S1).
25), a comment about the file to be transmitted, the URL address determined in step S124, and step S12.
5, a text mail part including the information on the size of the compound mail part obtained in step 5, information on the data compression / conversion format, and the like is created (step S126), and the compound mail is stored on the FTP server 62 as in step S117 described above. It is determined whether there is enough free space to receive the copy (step S127).

If it is determined in step S127 that there is sufficient free space, step S11 on the FTP server 62 is executed.
The composite mail part is transmitted by FTP to the area indicated by the URL address determined in step 4 (step S128). In addition,
If the sending PC 11 also has the function of the FTP server 62, in step S128, the composite mail part is copied to a predetermined area in the sending PC 11 used as the FTP server 62. Then, the text mail part created in step S126 is transmitted to the mail address of the recipient currently being processed by the normal mail protocol (step S129). When the transmission of the text mail portion to the recipient to be transmitted this time ends, the process proceeds to step S120, and the transmission target is changed to the next recipient.

If it is determined in step S122 that the composite mail part file in the designated format has been transmitted, the processing in steps S123 to S128 is skipped, the flow advances to step S129, and the text mail part is transmitted.

If it is determined in step S121 that the data compression / conversion format is not specified, the current data compression / conversion format, that is, the common compression file format (for example, zip format) supported by many receiving machine environments It is determined whether or not the composite mail part and the original transmission mail have already been transmitted (step S130). If not, the composite mail part has a common compressed file format of 1
The data is compressed and converted into a file format (step S13).
1) In the same manner as in step S114, the URL address on the FTP server 62 to which the compound mail part is sent is determined (step S132).

After the address is determined, the size of the compressed / converted file after the data compression / conversion processing, the size of the file before the data compression / conversion processing, and the sum of both sizes are obtained (step S133), and transmitted. Text mail composed of a comment on the file to be executed, the URL address determined in step S132, the size information of the compressed / converted file obtained in step S133, the size information of the original file, and information on the data compression / conversion format. A part is created (Step S134), and Step S134
Comparing the sum of the size after data compression / conversion and the size before data compression / conversion obtained in 133 with the free capacity of the FTP server 62, the free space sufficient for receiving the composite mail part on the FTP server 62 is obtained. It is determined whether there is a capacity (step S135).

If it is determined in step S135 that there is sufficient free space, the compressed / converted file and the original file are transmitted to the area on the FTP server indicated by the URL address determined in step S132 by FTP (step S135). S136). It should be noted that the sending PC 11 is connected to the FTP server 62.
If the function also has the function of
The composite mail part is copied to a predetermined area in the transmitting PC 11 used as the TP server 62. Then, the text mail part created in step S134 is transmitted to the mail address of the recipient currently being processed by the normal mail protocol (step S137).
When the transmission of the text mail portion to the recipient to be transmitted this time ends, the process proceeds to step S120, and the transmission target is changed to the next recipient.

If it is determined in step S130 that the composite mail part file in the common format has been transmitted, the processing in steps S131 to S136 is skipped, and the flow advances to step S137 to transmit the text mail part.

If it is determined in step S117, S127, or S135 that there is not enough free space in the FTP server 62, a warning message indicating this fact is displayed on the display of the transmitting PC 11 by the transmitting mail software 61. This procedure is displayed above (step S138), and the procedure is terminated by canceling the transmission processing.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the above-mentioned conventional problems are solved as follows.

Restriction on Size of E-mail that Can Be Sent The text mail part in this embodiment passes through a normal mail transmission path using a standard protocol for e-mail (SMTP, POP3, etc.), but is in a normal text format and small. Because of the size, there is no transmission / reception problem.

On the other hand, as for the composite mail part, the sender P
The transfer from the C11 to the FTP server 62 and the transfer from the FTP server 62 to the receiving PCs 17a to 17c are both FT.
Although the P protocol was used, this protocol has practically no restrictions on data size, data type, communication path, and the like as in the standard protocol for electronic mail. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the conventional problem of the limitation of the mail size as described above is solved.

Non-guaranteing of Receiving and Displaying Compound Mail on Receiving Side Since the text mail part in the present embodiment is in a normal text format and is small in size, there is no problem in reception and display processing.

On the other hand, unlike the first and second embodiments, the composite mail section is a file, and therefore does not need to be displayed on the receiving PCs 17a to 17c. Browsers are widely used on various platforms and have an FTP receiving function. In addition, since a typical browser has an e-mail function having a clickable URL function, at least a PC connected to the Internet 13 can receive an e-mail transmitted by the above-described procedure.

Regarding the complexity and difficulty of handling compound mail data The compound mail unit in the present embodiment determines whether or not to perform data compression / conversion processing in consideration of the versatility of the type of file to be transmitted. When the data compression / conversion processing is not performed, the original transmission file is transmitted. In this case, since the recipient receives the original file itself in a general-purpose format, there is no problem in data handling.

In the case of performing data compression / conversion processing, if the data compression / conversion format is specified, or if the file format that can be handled by the receiver is known, it is supported in the machine environment of the receiving side. And send a compressed / converted file that has been compressed / converted to a format. Also in this case, the recipient can receive a file in a format supported by his or her environment, so that there is no problem in data handling.

In the case where data compression / conversion processing is performed and the data compression / conversion format is not specified, or when the file format that the receiver can handle is unknown,
In the present embodiment, both the compression / conversion file of the compression / conversion format supported by many receiving environments and the original transmission file are transmitted to the FTP server. Therefore, since the recipient receives the file determined to be most appropriate based on the content of the text mail by the FTP protocol, there is no problem in data handling.

In particular, for example, an optimal file format is automatically selected for a mail recipient whose machine environment is registered in advance in the address book shown in FIG. In addition to the problem, it is possible to simplify the selection of the file format for each recipient on the transmission side.

[0248] Problems at the Time of Reception of Large-sized Mail Since the text data part in the present embodiment is in a normal text format and has a small size, no problem occurs at the time of reception.

Regarding the reception of the composite mail part, the receiver can determine whether or not to receive the composite mail part file by the determination in step S92 in FIG. Can be determined. Further, since the reception of the composite mail portion is performed when the recipient is convenient, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the line or personal computer is occupied by the reception in a time zone inconvenient for receiving the mail as in the related art. be able to.

Further, when a data compression / conversion format is specified at the time of mail transmission, a file format that can be handled by the recipient is known, or a compressed file in the FTP server is in a format that can be handled in the recipient's machine environment. In the case of receiving a compressed file, for example, the transfer data size at the time of reception is reduced, so that the inconvenience at the time of reception can be reduced.

Regarding compression of network traffic due to broadcasting of large-sized mail As described above, broadcasting mail in this embodiment is
The text mail part is transmitted to each recipient who has designated the broadcast, while the composite mail part is transmitted only once to the FTP server 62.

That is, only a text mail part having a small data amount is broadcast, and a large-sized composite mail part is transmitted only once regardless of the number of broadcast destinations.

Since access to the composite mail section in the FTP server 62 from each recipient is performed at a time convenient for each recipient, concentration of network traffic and concentration of data to a specific mail server do not occur.

Further, the recipient who judges that the reception of the composite mail part is unnecessary by checking the contents of the text mail part is FTP
Since access to the server 62 is not performed, network traffic as a whole can be further reduced.

In addition, when the data compression / conversion format is specified, and the file format that can be handled by the recipient is known in advance, the optimal file format for each recipient is automatically selected. When the optimal file format is selected as described above, or when the compressed file in the FTP server 62 is a format that can be handled in the recipient's machine environment, the compressed file is received from the FTP server to the receiving PC.
Since the received data size to 17a to 17c is reduced, network traffic can be further reduced.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the transmission data from the transmission side PC 11 to the FTP server 62 is transmitted only once for the same file format, so that the network traffic in the transmission of the broadcast mail is also minimized. Be transformed into

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the conventional problems can be solved. In addition, according to the present embodiment, since the files of the same file format are not duplicated on the FTP server 62, the size of the composite mail storage area used on the FTP server can be stopped.

In the transfer of the electronic mail, as in the first and second embodiments described above, the network traffic is further reduced, and if the URL address of the composite mail section is known, the electronic mail is transferred. Since access to the composite mail section is possible even if the device is not the device that received the mail, for example, it is possible to read the same composite mail at work and home without transferring e-mail. Can be If the data to be received is a compressed file, the reduction of network traffic becomes even more effective.

Next, the effect of the data compression / conversion processing unique to this embodiment will be described.

If the data compression / conversion format is specified at the time of mail transmission, or if the file format that can be handled by the recipient is known, the FT
Both file transfer to the P server 62 and file transfer from the FTP server 62 to the receiving PCs 17a to 17c are compressed /
Since the conversion is performed using the conversion file, network traffic can be reduced.

In the case where the data compression / conversion format is not specified at the time of mail transmission, or when the file format that can be handled by the recipient is unknown, most of the receiving side PCs 17a to 17c are used in this embodiment. Compressed and converted files supported by this machine environment,
The original transmission file is transmitted to the FTP server 62, and the receiver receives the compression / conversion file if it determines that the compression / conversion file can be handled by the user by checking the contents of the text mail part. If it is determined that the data cannot be handled, the original (uncompressed) data can be received.

It is to be noted that the transmission-side PC 11 sends the FTP server 6
2 transfers the original file and the compressed / converted file, so the size of the transferred file is larger than that of the original file alone, but the size of the compressed file is usually Since the size of the transfer file is significantly smaller than that of the file, the increase in the transfer file size is small.

On the other hand, when the receiver receives the compressed / converted file, the FTP server 62 sends the received PC 17a to the receiving PC 17a.
Since the transfer file size to 17c can be small, network traffic as a whole can be reduced.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to solve the problems of the prior art, to reduce the network traffic in the mail transfer, and to increase the network traffic without greatly increasing the network traffic. Various composite mails can be sent and received.

Furthermore, the optimum data compression / conversion format can be selected according to the recipient's machine environment, and the size of the composite mail storage area used by the FTP server 62 can be kept as small as possible.

In the present embodiment, the software used by the recipient to receive and import the file is not limited to the browser, but may use various types of FTP reception software that is practically used. It goes without saying that you can do it.

Further, in the first to third embodiments described above, the composite data to be transmitted is separated into the first data part and the second data. It is also possible to separate them into parts, and it is also possible to configure each data part to be transmitted via a plurality of transmission paths / storage paths according to the type and size of data.

(Other Embodiments) A storage medium storing the program code of software for realizing the functions in the first to third embodiments is supplied to the transmitting PC and the receiving PC, and the transmitting PC It is needless to say that the object of the present invention is also achieved when the computer (or CPU, MPU) of the PC and the receiving PC reads out and executes the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the novel function of the present invention, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk,
Hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-
A ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

The functions of the first to third embodiments described above are not only realized by the computer executing the readout program code, but also run on the computer based on the instructions of the program code. It goes without saying that an OS or the like that performs a part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided on a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the program code is read based on the instruction of the program code. This includes a case where the CPU or the like provided in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described first to third embodiments. Not even.

[0273]

As described above, according to the composite mail transmission system of claim 1 or the composite mail transmission method of claim 34, the composite data is separated into a first data section and a second data section, Transmitting the separated first data portion, transmitting and storing the separated second data portion to data storage means, receiving and displaying the transmitted first data portion in the receiving device, The receiving device outputs an access request for the second data unit to the data storage unit based on the access information included in the first data unit, and is transmitted from the data storage unit in response to the access request. Since the second data portion is received by the receiving device, the receiving device issues an access request only when the second data portion is received, based on the access information, and receives the second data portion. Therefore, there is an effect that various complex mails can be transmitted and received regardless of the machine environment of the receiving side.

According to the composite mail transmission system of the second aspect or the composite mail transmission method of the thirty-seventh aspect, the first data portion is composed of text data, and the second data portion includes a non-text data portion. Only the first data portion having a small size is transmitted to the device, and the second data portion having a large size can be received by outputting an access request only when receiving the data portion. It is possible to solve the conventional problems such as the reception time of large-sized mail and to reduce the network traffic.

According to the composite mail transmission system of claim 3 or the composite mail transmission method of claim 38 or 39, the second data part is stored in the data storage means based on the access information included in the first data part. By judging whether or not to read the data, an access request only needs to be issued when it is determined from the access information that the second data portion needs to be read. The effect of eliminating the problem of occupying the computer and reducing network traffic can be obtained.

According to the compound mail transmission system of claim 4 or the compound mail transmission method of claim 40, since the data storage means is built in the transmission device, the management of the area for storing the second data section is simplified. The effect that it can be obtained is obtained.

According to the composite mail transmission system of claim 22 or the composite mail transmission method of claim 58, at least one of data format conversion processing, data compression processing, and archiving processing is performed on the second data part. Since this is performed, the effect of reducing network traffic can be obtained.

According to the composite mail transmission system of claim 24 or claim 25, or the composite mail transmission method of claim 60 or claim 61, the composite mail transmission system comprises a second data portion which has been subjected to data format conversion processing or data compression processing. Since the file and the file composed of the second data part before the data format conversion processing or the data compression processing are performed are transmitted to the storage means, the receiver is supported in his own machine environment. Thus, an effect is obtained that a file in the most appropriate format can be received, and therefore, problems such as inability to handle data can be solved.

According to the composite mail transmission system of claim 26 or the composite mail transmission method of claim 62, the transmitting device stores in advance information about the machine environment of the receiving device. Can be processed and transmitted by the sender in a format most suitable for the recipient.

According to the composite mail transmission system of claim 27 or the composite mail transmission method of claim 63, the second data portion is
Performing at least one of a data format conversion process, a data compression process, and an archiving process can reduce network traffic during transmission and reception, and can reduce the number of recipients supported by their own machine environment. It is possible to receive a file in an appropriate format, and thus to solve the problem that data cannot be handled.

According to the composite mail transmission system of the twenty-eighth aspect or the composite mail transmission method of the sixty-fourth aspect, when performing a broadcast communication from a transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices, the transmitting device has a format corresponding to the type of the receiving device. When the same second data part of the at least one second data part has already been transmitted to the data storage means, the second data part having the format is not transmitted. To perform the second
Since the second data portion of the same format is transmitted only once at the time of transmission of the data portion, there is an effect that network traffic in broadcast mail transmission can be minimized. In addition, the second data portion of the same format is not duplicated, and the area used for storage on the storage means can be minimized.

According to the composite mail transmission system of the twenty-ninth aspect or the composite mail transmission method of the sixty-fifth aspect, when performing a broadcast communication from a transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices, a second mail corresponding to each of the plurality of receiving devices is provided. Since one data portion is transmitted to each of the plurality of receiving devices, even in broadcast communication, each receiving device can use the second method in an optimal manner based on, for example, the contents of the first data portion suitable for the receiving device.
The effect that a data part can be received is acquired.

According to the composite mail transmission system of claim 30 or the composite mail transmission method of claim 66, when performing broadcast communication from the transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices,
Since the address information of the area in which at least one second data part corresponding to the type of the receiving device in the data storage means is stored is added to the first data part, when the broadcast communication is performed, Network traffic can be greatly reduced. In each receiving device,
Since the address information can be known, the reception processing can be performed at a convenient time, so that the effect of eliminating the problem of occupying a line or the like in an inconvenient time zone can be obtained. Further, the same composite mail can be viewed in a place other than the place where the transmitted first data portion is received.

[0284] According to the composite mail transmission system of the twenty-first aspect or the composite mail transmission method of the sixty-seventh aspect, when broadcasting from a transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices is performed, the first data portion stores the data in the data storage means. The data type information of at least one second data section corresponding to the type of the receiving device is added to each of the plurality of receiving devices, so that each of the receiving devices Has the effect that the second data portion having a data format suitable for the own machine environment can be received.

According to the composite mail transmission system of claim 32 or the composite mail transmission method of claim 68, when a broadcast is transmitted from a transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices, the first
Since the data section is added with the size information of at least one second data section corresponding to the type of the receiving apparatus in the data storage means and is transmitted to each of the plurality of receiving apparatuses, when performing the broadcast communication, Also, there is an effect that each receiving device can receive the second data portion having a size suitable for its own machine environment.

According to the recording medium of claim 70, a step of separating the composite data into a first data section and a second data section, a step of transmitting the separated first data section to a computer, Transmitting the separated second data portion to the data storage means and storing the separated second data portion; receiving and displaying the transmitted first data portion in the receiving device;
Outputting an access request for the second data unit from the receiving device to the data storage unit based on the access information included in the first data unit; and outputting the access request from the data storage unit in response to the access request. The program for executing the step of receiving the transmitted second data portion in the receiving device is recorded in a format readable by the computer, so that the program is stored in each device constituting the conventional composite mail transmission system. By executing the program stored in the medium, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the above-described composite mail transmission system according to the first aspect.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a flow of electronic mail when a composite mail is transmitted and received on the Internet using a mail transmission device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a composite mail transmission procedure according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a composite mail receiving procedure performed in the receiving PC 17 shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a flow of electronic mail when a composite mail is transmitted and received on the Internet using the mail transmission device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a composite mail transmission procedure according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a flow of electronic mail when a composite mail is transmitted and received on the Internet using the mail transmission device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a composite mail transmission procedure according to the embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a registration format of an address book for easily specifying a recipient in the transmitting PC 11;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a composite mail receiving procedure performed in the receiving PC 17;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for broadcasting a composite mail to a plurality of recipients.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a procedure for broadcasting a composite mail to a plurality of recipients.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a flow of electronic mail when a composite mail is transmitted on the Internet by a conventional electronic mail transmission device and electronic mail software.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 11 transmitting device 14 WWW server (second transmitting means, data storing means) 16 receiving mail server (first transmitting means) 17 receiving device 41 transmitting device (transmitting device, second transmitting means, data storing means) 62 FTP server ( Second transmission means, data storage means)

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Claims (105)

[Claims] A transmitting device for transmitting the first data portion and the second data, the transmitting device having a separating unit for separating the composite data into a first data portion and a second data portion; First receiving means for receiving and displaying
A receiving device comprising: an access request unit that outputs an access request for the second data unit based on access information included in the first data unit; and a second display unit that receives and displays the second data unit. A first transmission device that transmits a first data portion transmitted from the transmission device to the reception device; and a data storage unit that stores a second data portion transmitted from the transmission device; The second data stored in the data storage means in response to the output access request
And a second transmitting device for transmitting a data portion to the receiving device. 2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein said first data portion comprises text data, and said second data portion includes non-text data. 3. The receiving device includes a determining unit configured to determine whether to receive the second data unit from the second transmitting unit based on access information included in the first data unit. 2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein: 4. The composite mail transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein the second transmitting device is built in the transmitting device as a server. 5. The compound mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the compound data is compound document data. 6. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the composite data includes at least one independent file. 7. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the composite data includes at least one compression / conversion file. 8. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the composite data includes an archive. 9. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein said first transmission means is an electronic mail transmission means. 10. The composite mail transmission system includes a plurality of the first transmission devices, and the transmission device is configured to transmit the same first data portion to each of the plurality of first transmission devices. 2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein: 11. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of receiving devices are provided, and the first data portion is configured to be able to be transferred from one receiving device to another receiving device. Compound mail transmission system. 12. The transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission device transmits the composite data using a communication protocol corresponding to the first transmission device or the second transmission device. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1. 13. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein said second transmission device is a WWW server. 14. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein said second transmission device is an FTP server. 15. The transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting device adds address information of an area where the second data portion is stored in the data storing means to the first data portion. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1. 16. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein said transmission device is configured to add size information of said second data portion to said first data portion. 17. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission device is configured to convert the second data portion into an HTML format and transmit the HTML format. 18. The transmission device, further comprising: capacity determination means for determining whether the second transmission device has a storage capacity sufficient to store the transmitted second data portion, 2. The composite according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of the first data portion and the second data portion is stopped when the capacity determination means determines that the storage capacity is not sufficient. Email transmission system. 19. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission device is configured to transmit the second data portion to the second transmission device using a file transfer protocol. 20. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein said second transmission device transmits said second data portion to said receiving device by an HTTP protocol. 21. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the second transmission device is configured to transmit the second data portion to the reception device by a file transfer protocol. 22. The transmission apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the transmission device is configured to perform at least one of a data format conversion process, a data compression process, and an archive process on the second data portion. 1. The composite mail transmission system according to 1. 23. The transmission device according to claim 23, wherein the transmission device performs at least one of a data format conversion process, a data compression process, and an archive process according to a data type of the second data portion. 2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, further comprising control means for controlling the transmission device so as not to perform any of the data compression processing and the archiving processing. 24. A file consisting of a second data part subjected to data format conversion processing or data compression processing and a file consisting of a second data part before being subjected to the data format conversion processing or data compression processing. 2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the system includes: 25. The transmission device, wherein when the machine environment of the reception device is unknown, a file consisting of the second data portion subjected to the data format conversion process or the data compression process, and the data format conversion process 25. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 24, further comprising a file including a second data part before data compression processing is performed. 26. The composite e-mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission device includes a machine environment storage unit that stores information on a machine environment of the reception device. 27. The transmission device, according to information on a machine environment stored in the machine environment storage means, performs a data format conversion process on the second data part,
27. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 26, wherein at least one of data compression processing and archiving processing is performed. 28. The composite mail transmission system includes a plurality of receiving devices, and the transmitting device, when performing broadcasting to the plurality of receiving devices, has at least one of a format corresponding to a type of the receiving device. Of the two second data parts,
2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein when the data portion has already been transmitted to the second transmission device, the second data portion having the format is not transmitted. 29. The composite mail transmission system includes a plurality of receiving devices, and the transmitting device performs first communication corresponding to a type of the plurality of receiving devices when performing broadcasting to the plurality of receiving devices. 2. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the composite mail transmission system is configured to transmit a message to each of the plurality of receiving devices. 30. The transmitting device, when performing the broadcast communication, stores a second data portion in the first data portion in a format corresponding to a type of the receiving device in the data storage means. 30. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 29, wherein the system is configured to add address information of an area where the mail is stored. 31. The transmitting device, when performing the broadcast communication, stores, in the first data portion, a data type of a second data portion having a format corresponding to a type of the receiving device in the data storage means. 30. The system of claim 29, wherein the system is configured to add information. 32. The transmitting device, when performing the broadcast communication, stores, in the second data portion, size information of a second data portion in a format corresponding to the type of the receiving device in the data storage means. 30. The composite mail transmission system according to claim 29, wherein the system is configured to add the following. 33. A transmitting device, comprising: separating means for separating composite data into a plurality of data portions; transmitting a plurality of data portions; and receiving at least one of the plurality of data portions. Means, a plurality of display means for displaying the received at least one data part, and the at least one received data part based on access information contained in the data part displayed on the plurality of display means. A receiving device having access request means for outputting an access request for a data portion other than the above, a first transmitting device for transmitting the at least one data portion transmitted from the transmitting device to the receiving device, and a first transmitting device Data storing means for storing a data portion other than at least one data portion transmitted to the device, in response to an access request output from the receiving device; A second transmission device for transmitting the data portion stored in the data storage means to the receiving device. 34. A composite mail transmission method for a composite mail transmission system having a transmitting device for transmitting composite data and a receiving device for receiving the composite data, wherein the composite data is separated into a first data portion and a second data portion. Transmitting the separated first data portion; transmitting and storing the separated second data portion to data storage means; and storing the transmitted first data portion in the receiving device. Receiving and displaying at the step of: outputting an access request for the second data unit from the receiving device to the data storage unit based on the access information included in the first data unit; Receiving at the receiving device the second data portion sent from the data storage means in response to a request. Complex e-mail transmission method according to claim. 35. The method according to claim 34, wherein the step of receiving the second data portion is a step of displaying the second data portion on the receiving device. 36. The method according to claim 34, wherein the step of receiving the second data part is a step of storing the second data part in the receiving device. 37. The method according to claim 34, wherein the first data part comprises text data, and the second data part includes a non-text data part. 38. Following the step of receiving and displaying the first data portion, it is determined whether or not to read the second data portion from the data storage means based on access information included in the first data portion. The method according to claim 34, further comprising a step of determining. 39. The method according to claim 38, wherein in the step of determining whether to read the second data portion, if it is determined that the second data portion is not read, the composite data receiving process is interrupted. Combined mail transmission method. 40. The method according to claim 34, wherein said data storage means is built in said transmitting device. 41. The method according to claim 34, wherein the compound data is compound document data. 42. The method according to claim 34, wherein the composite data includes at least one independent file. 43. The composite data according to claim 34, wherein the composite data includes at least one compression / conversion file.
The described composite mail transmission method. 44. The method according to claim 34, wherein the composite mail includes an archive. 45. The method according to claim 34, wherein at least one of the step of transmitting the first data part and the step of transmitting the second data part is an electronic mail transmitting means. 46. The composite mail transmission system has a first transmission unit that transmits a first data portion transmitted by the transmission device to the reception unit, and in the step of transmitting the first data portion, the first transmission unit transmits the first data unit. 35. The composite mail transmitting method according to claim 34, wherein the first data portion is transmitted to a plurality of first transmitting means. 47. The composite mail system according to claim 34, wherein said composite mail transmission system includes a plurality of receiving devices, and has a step of transferring said first data portion from one receiving device to another receiving device. Email transmission method. 48. The method according to claim 34, further comprising the step of selecting a communication protocol for transmitting the first data portion or the second data portion. 49. The method according to claim 34, wherein said data storage means is a WWW server. 50. The method according to claim 34, wherein said data storage means is an FTP server. 51. The method according to claim 51, wherein the step of transmitting the first data portion includes a step of adding address information of the data storage means in which the second data portion is stored to the first data portion. 35. The method for transmitting composite mail according to claim 34. 52. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step of transmitting the first data section includes the step of adding size information of the second data section to the first data section.
4. The method for transmitting composite mail according to 4. 53. The composite mail according to claim 34, wherein the step of transmitting and storing the second data part to the data storage means includes the step of converting the second data part into an HTML format. Transmission method. 54. The step of transmitting and storing the second data part to the data storage means, wherein the data storage means has a sufficient storage capacity to store the second data part. 35. The method according to claim 34, further comprising the step of: 55. The composite according to claim 34, wherein in the step of transmitting and storing the second data portion to the data storage means, the second data portion is transmitted by a file transfer protocol. Email transmission method. 56. The method according to claim 56, wherein, in the step of receiving at the receiving device the second data portion transmitted from the data storage means, the second data portion is transmitted to the receiving device using an HTTP protocol. Item 34. The composite mail transmission method according to Item 34. 57. In the step of receiving at the receiving device the second data portion sent from the data storage means, the second data portion is transmitted to the receiving device by a file transfer protocol. Claim 3
4. The method for transmitting composite mail according to 4. 58. The step of transmitting the second data portion, comprising: performing a data format conversion process on the second data portion;
4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of performing at least one of data compression processing and archiving processing.
4. The method for transmitting composite mail according to 4. 59. The transmitting of the first data portion includes performing at least one of a data format conversion process, a data compression process, and an archive process according to a data type of the second data portion, Determining whether to transmit the second data portion or to transmit the second data portion without performing any of the data format conversion process, the data compression process, and the archiving process. 34. The composite mail transmission method according to claim 34. 60. A file comprising a second data portion subjected to a data format conversion process or a data compression process, and a file comprising a second data portion before being subjected to the data format conversion process or a data compression process. 35. The composite mail transmission method according to claim 34, further comprising: transmitting a composite mail to the storage unit. 61. When the machine environment of the receiving device is unknown, a file consisting of a second data portion that has been subjected to a data format conversion process or a data compression process, and a file that has been subjected to the data format conversion process or the data compression process. Before the second
35. The composite mail transmission method according to claim 34, wherein a file including a data part is transmitted to said storage means. 62. The composite mail transmission method according to claim 34, wherein the transmitting device stores information on a machine environment of the receiving device in advance. 63. In the step of transmitting and storing the second data portion to the data storage means, the second data portion is subjected to a data format conversion process and a data compression process based on the information on the machine environment. 63. The method according to claim 62, wherein at least one of processing and archiving is performed. 64. When performing broadcasting from the transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices, the step of transmitting and storing the second data portion to the data storage means includes:
When at least one second data portion having a format corresponding to the type of the receiving device has already been transmitted to the data storage means, the second data portion having the format is changed to the second data portion having the same format. 35. The method according to claim 34, wherein the transmission is not performed. 65. In the step of transmitting the first data portion when performing broadcast communication from the transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices, the first data portion corresponding to each of the plurality of receiving devices is transmitted by the transmitting device. 35. The method according to claim 34, wherein the transmission is performed to a plurality of receiving devices. 66. In the step of transmitting the first data portion when performing broadcasting from the transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices, the type of the receiving device in the data storage means is stored in the first data portion. At least one corresponding to
66. The method according to claim 65, further comprising adding address information of an area in which two second data portions are stored. 67. When performing broadcasting from the transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices, in the step of transmitting the first data portion, the type of the receiving device in the data storage means is stored in the first data portion. At least one corresponding to
67. The method according to claim 65, wherein data type information of two second data portions is added to each of the plurality of receiving devices and transmitted. 68. When performing broadcasting from the transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices, in the step of transmitting the first data portion, the type of the receiving device in the data storage means is stored in the first data portion. At least one corresponding to
66. The apparatus according to claim 65, wherein size information of two second data parts is added and transmitted to the plurality of receiving apparatuses.
The described composite mail transmission method. 69. A compound mail transmitting method of a compound mail transmitting system having a transmitting device for transmitting compound data and a receiving device for receiving the compound data, wherein the compound data is separated into a plurality of data parts; A first transmission step of transmitting at least one data part of the plurality of data parts via at least one transmission path; and at least one data part included in the plurality of data parts transmitted from the transmitting device. At least one first transmitting step of transmitting to the receiving device; a displaying step of displaying the data portion transmitted in the first transmitting step on the receiving device; and at least one data portion other than the transmitted data portion A data storing step of transmitting the data to the data storing means and storing the data, Outputting an access request to the data part stored in the data storage means in the data storage step based on the access information included in the indicated data part; and storing the data in response to the output access request. Transmitting at least one second transmitting step of transmitting the data portion stored in the means to the receiving device. 70. A computer, comprising: separating a composite data into a first data portion and a second data portion; transmitting the separated first data portion; and transmitting the separated second data portion to the computer. A step of transmitting and storing the data to a data storage unit; a step of receiving and displaying the transmitted first data portion in the receiving device; and a process of receiving and displaying the received first data portion based on access information included in the first data portion. Outputting an access request for the second data unit to the data storage unit from the following; and receiving at the receiving device the second data unit sent from the data storage unit in response to the access request. A program for executing the program in a format readable by the computer. 71. The step of receiving the second data portion,
71. The recording medium according to claim 70, comprising displaying the second data portion on the receiving device. 72. The step of receiving the second data portion,
71. The recording medium according to claim 70, wherein the step of storing the second data portion in the receiving device. 73. The recording medium according to claim 70, wherein said first data portion comprises text data, and said second data portion includes a non-text data portion. 74. The program reads the second data portion from the data storage means based on access information included in the first data portion, following the step of receiving and displaying the first data portion. 71. The recording medium according to claim 70, further comprising a step of judging whether or not the recording medium is an image. 75. The method according to claim 70, wherein in the step of determining whether to read the second data portion, if it is determined that the second data portion is not read, the composite data receiving process is interrupted. Recording medium. 76. The recording medium according to claim 70, wherein said data storage means is built in said transmission device. 77. The recording medium according to claim 70, wherein said composite data is composite document data. 78. The recording medium according to claim 70, wherein said composite data includes at least one independent file. 79. The composite data according to claim 70, wherein the composite data includes at least one compression / conversion file.
The recording medium according to the above. 80. The recording medium according to claim 70, wherein said composite mail includes an archive. 81. At least one of the step of transmitting the first data part and the step of transmitting the second data part transmits the first data part or the second data part by an electronic mail transmitting means. 71. The recording medium according to claim 70, wherein: 82. In the step of transmitting the first data part, transmitting the same first data part to a plurality of first transmitting means for transmitting the transmitted first data part to the receiving means. 71. The recording medium according to claim 70, wherein: 83. The recording medium according to claim 70, wherein said program includes a step of transferring said first data portion from one receiving device to another receiving device. 84. The recording medium according to claim 70, wherein said program includes a step of selecting a communication protocol for transmitting said first data portion or said second data portion. 85. The recording medium according to claim 70, wherein said data storage means is a WWW server. 86. A recording medium according to claim 70, wherein said data storage means is an FTP server. 87. The step of transmitting the first data portion,
71. The recording medium according to claim 70, further comprising a step of adding address information of said data storage means in which said second data part is stored to said first data part. 88. The step of transmitting the first data portion,
71. The recording medium according to claim 70, further comprising a step of adding size information of said second data portion to said first data portion. 89. The step of transmitting and accumulating the second data portion to the data accumulating means, comprising the steps of:
71. The recording medium according to claim 70, further comprising a step of converting to an ML format. 90. The step of transmitting and storing the second data portion to the data storage means includes determining whether the data storage means has a sufficient storage capacity to store the second data portion. 71. The recording medium according to claim 70, comprising a step of determining 91. The recording according to claim 70, wherein in the step of transmitting and storing the second data portion to the data storage means, the second data portion is transmitted by a file transfer protocol. Medium. 92. In the step of receiving at the receiving device the second data portion sent from the data storage means, the second data portion is transmitted to the receiving device by an HTTP protocol. Item 70. The recording medium according to Item 70. 93. In the step of receiving the second data portion transmitted from the data storage means in a receiving device, the second data portion is transmitted to the receiving device by a file transfer protocol. Claim 70
The recording medium according to the above. 94. A step of receiving the second data portion sent from the data storage means in a receiving device, the receiving device performs at least one of a data format conversion process, a data compression process, and an archiving process on the second data portion. 71. The recording medium according to claim 70, comprising a step of performing two processes. 95. The step of transmitting the first data portion,
According to the data type of the second data part, the data processing part performs at least one of data format conversion processing, data compression processing, and archiving processing and transmits the second data part, or the data format conversion processing, 71. The recording medium according to claim 70, further comprising a step of determining whether to transmit the second data portion without performing any of a compression process and an archiving process. A file consisting of a second data part subjected to data format conversion processing or data compression processing and a file consisting of a second data part before being subjected to the data format conversion processing or data compression processing. Is transmitted to the storage means. 97. When the machine environment of the receiving device is unknown, a file consisting of a second data portion that has been subjected to data format conversion processing or data compression processing and the data format conversion processing or data compression processing are performed. Before the second
71. The recording medium according to claim 70, wherein a file including a data part is transmitted to said storage means. 98. The recording medium according to claim 70, wherein said transmitting device stores information on a machine environment of said receiving device in advance. 99. In the step of transmitting and storing the second data portion to the data storage means, the second data portion is subjected to a data format conversion process and a data compression process based on the information on the machine environment. The recording medium according to claim 98, wherein at least one of processing and archiving processing is performed. 100. The program according to claim 1, wherein, when performing broadcasting from said transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices, transmitting and storing said second data portion to said data storing means. When at least one second data portion having the format corresponding to the type has already been transmitted to the data storage means, the second data portion having the format is not transmitted. 71. The recording medium according to claim 70, wherein: 101. The program, when performing broadcasting from the transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices, in the step of transmitting the first data section, the first program corresponding to each of the plurality of receiving devices. 8. A data unit is transmitted to each of the plurality of receiving devices.
0 recording medium. 102. In the step of transmitting the first data portion when performing broadcasting from the transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices, the program stores the first data portion in the first data portion. The recording medium according to claim 101, wherein address information of an area in which at least one second data portion corresponding to the type of the receiving device is stored is added. 103. In the step of transmitting the first data portion when performing broadcasting from the transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices, the program stores the first data portion in the data storage means. The recording medium according to claim 101, wherein data type information of at least one second data portion corresponding to a type of the receiving device is added and transmitted to each of the plurality of receiving devices. 104. The program, when performing broadcasting from the transmitting device to a plurality of receiving devices, in the step of transmitting the first data portion, the program stores the first data portion in the data storage means. The recording medium according to claim 101, wherein size information of at least one second data portion corresponding to a type of the receiving device is added and transmitted to each of the plurality of receiving devices. 105. A step of separating composite data into a plurality of data portions to a computer, and a first transmission for transmitting at least one of the plurality of separated data portions via at least one transmission path. And at least one first transmission step of transmitting at least one data part included in the plurality of data parts transmitted from the transmission device to the reception device; and a data part transmitted in the first transmission step A display step of displaying on the receiving device, a data storage step of transmitting and storing at least one data part other than the transmitted data part to data storage means, and a data part displayed in the display step. Access to the data portion stored in the data storage means in the data storage step based on the access information A program for executing at least one second transmission step of receiving at the receiving device a data portion transmitted to the data storage means in response to the output access request. A recording medium recorded in a format readable by a computer.