JP2002016629A - System and method for managing electronic mail, communication terminal equipment, portable terminal equipment and recording medium recording software for electronic mail management - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology for easily working with electronic mail. SOLUTION: A transfer part 11 of a personal computer(PC) 1 transfers electronic mail stored in the PC 1 to a portable telephone 2. In a working part 22 of the portable telephone 2, the deletion of electronic mail transferred from the PC 1 or preservation/reply to a designated directory is performed. A transmitting part 23 of the portable telephone 2 transmits the contents of the work performed in the working part 22 of the portable telephone 2 to the PC 1. A receiving part 13 of the PC 1 receives the contents of the work, which is performed by the portable telephone 2 concerning the electronic mail, from the transmitting part 23 of the portable telephone 2. The transmitting part 23 and the receiving part 13 are configured to select a transmission route out of a cable of USB or the like, wireless communication of infrared rays or radio and through the Internet. An updating part 14 of the PC 1 makes the work contents transmitted from the portable telephone 2 reflect on the electronic mail stored in the PC 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in technology related to the transfer of electronic mail, and more particularly, to the work related to electronic mail by reflecting the work performed on the electronic mail at the transfer destination to the transfer source. Is easily performed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the development of communication networks typified by the Internet, electronic mail has been widely spread. The electronic mail arrives at a mail server such as an Internet service provider or a company LAN, is stored, and is downloaded to a terminal device such as a personal computer through a dial-up connection or via a company LAN. At present, the number of people who receive e-mails in a day is as high as 100 or more, and it is not unusual for ordinary managers to receive, for example, nearly 40 e-mails. These emails are easy to compose and reply to, are easy to use, have low costs, are real-time, and have many useful points, such as eliminating geographical disparities.
On the other hand, it is difficult for people who receive a lot of messages to read their email after going to work in the morning.

Here, mail transfer software is known as a technique for transferring an electronic mail downloaded to a personal computer to another terminal device such as a mobile phone. That is, for an e-mail, it is necessary to read, delete, save in a desired directory, or reply according to the contents. However, if the e-mail is transferred to a portable terminal device, Such a work can be performed on the go.

[0004]

However, the conventional mail transfer software as described above controls the transfer of a mail, whether or not to send a mail, and whether to perform compression or division from a personal computer side. However, the transfer destination such as a portable terminal device does not control the transfer source personal computer. For this reason, even if work such as deletion or saving is performed on the mobile terminal device, the e-mail on the transfer source PC remains the same, so it is necessary to repeat the same work on the personal computer as performed on the mobile terminal device Not only is the operation complicated, but there is also a risk that mistakes may occur due to mistaken mails.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has as its object to provide a technique for facilitating work relating to electronic mail, that is, an electronic mail management system and method, and a communication terminal. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device, a portable terminal device, and a recording medium on which electronic mail management software is recorded.

[0006]

To achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is an e-mail management system for managing e-mail using a first communication terminal device and a second communication terminal device. A means for transferring an e-mail stored in the first communication terminal device from the first communication terminal device to a second communication terminal device; and Means for performing work on mail, means for transmitting the contents of the work from the second communication terminal device to the first communication terminal device,
Means for reflecting the transmitted contents of the work in an electronic mail stored in the first communication terminal device in the first communication terminal device.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electronic mail management system according to the first aspect, the contents of the work include at least one of deletion, storage in a specified directory, and reply. The invention according to claim 3 is the electronic mail management system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second
The content of the work is transmitted from the communication terminal device to the first communication terminal device by wireless communication. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the communication terminal device for managing e-mail in relation to the portable terminal device, means for transferring the e-mail stored in the communication terminal device to the portable terminal device; Means for receiving, from the portable terminal device, the content of the work performed on the mobile terminal device with respect to the e-mail, and means for reflecting the content of the received work to the e-mail stored in the communication terminal device. It is characterized by the following. The invention of claim 5 is a portable terminal device that manages e-mail transferred from a transfer source communication terminal device, a unit that receives transfer of e-mail stored in the communication terminal device from the communication terminal device, A means for performing a work on the transferred e-mail and a means for transmitting the contents of the work to the communication terminal device are provided. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic mail management method for managing an electronic mail using the first communication terminal device and the second communication terminal device, the electronic mail stored in the first communication terminal device is stored in the first communication terminal device. Transferring the e-mail from the first communication terminal device to the second communication terminal device; performing the operation on the transferred e-mail in the second communication terminal device; Transmitting from the communication terminal device to the first communication terminal device, and in the first communication terminal device, reflecting the content of the transmitted work in an e-mail stored in the first communication terminal device And the step of causing The invention according to claim 7 is a computer-readable recording medium storing e-mail management software for managing e-mail in relation to the second communication terminal device by controlling the first communication terminal device by a computer. Causes the computer to transfer the e-mail stored in the first communication terminal device to the second communication terminal device, and to perform the work performed by the second communication terminal device on the transferred e-mail. The contents are received from the second communication terminal device, and the transmitted contents of the work are reflected on the e-mail stored in the first communication terminal device. The invention according to claim 8 relates to a recording medium recording e-mail management software for managing e-mail by controlling a second communication terminal device with a computer in relation to the first communication terminal device. The software causes the computer to accept the transfer of the e-mail from the first communication terminal device, perform the work on the transferred e-mail, and transmit the contents of the work to the first communication terminal device. It is characterized by the following.

In the present invention, an incoming e-mail is downloaded to a first communication terminal device such as a personal computer, and then transferred to a second communication terminal device, for example, a portable terminal device such as a mobile phone. For this reason, the user can perform operations such as deleting the e-mail, saving the e-mail in a desired directory, and replying on the second communication terminal device at the transfer destination even when going out. These work contents are transmitted to the first communication terminal device that is the transfer source, and are reflected in the e-mail on the first communication terminal device. For this reason, it is not necessary to repeat the same operation as the portable terminal device on the transfer source personal computer or the like, and the operation relating to the e-mail is facilitated. In particular, if the work content is transmitted by wireless communication such as infrared communication, the work of connecting the two terminal devices by electric or mechanical means such as a cable or a connector can be omitted.

[0008]

Next, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as "embodiments") will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present embodiment is typically realized by the operation of a computer and software, and the software in this case realizes the operation and effect of the present invention by physically utilizing the hardware of the computer. The conventional technology is applied to the common parts with the conventional technology.

However, in this case, the types and configurations of hardware and software, the range of processing by software, and the like can be variously changed. For example, a recording medium such as a hard disk drive or a ROM chip package in which such software is recorded can be used alone. However, this is one embodiment of the present invention.
Therefore, in the following description, virtual circuit blocks that realize the functions of the present invention and the embodiments are used.

[1. Configuration] In the present embodiment, a personal computer with an Internet connection function (hereinafter, referred to as a "PC") 1 is used as a first communication terminal device, and a mobile phone terminal device with an Internet connection function (hereinafter, "PC") is used as a second communication terminal device. An e-mail management system and method for managing e-mail using a mobile phone 2). In addition, the present embodiment can be understood as each terminal device (the personal computer 1 and the mobile phone 2) itself, and as e-mail management software used in each terminal device.

The personal computer 1 includes a transfer unit 11, a working unit 12, a receiving unit 13, and an updating unit 14. The mobile phone 2 includes a receiving unit 21, a working unit 22, and a transmitting unit 23.
And These units are realized by controlling hardware such as a CPU and a communication device with software such as an embedded program.

The transfer section 11 of the personal computer 1 is a means for transferring an electronic mail stored in the personal computer 1 to the mobile phone 2. In addition, the receiving unit 21 of the mobile phone 2 is a unit that receives transfer of an electronic mail from the personal computer 1. The work unit 22 of the mobile phone 2 is a means for performing operations such as deleting, saving in a designated directory, and replying to the e-mail transferred from the personal computer 1.

The transmitting unit 23 of the mobile phone 2 is means for transmitting the contents of the work performed by the working unit 22 of the mobile phone 2 to the personal computer 1. The receiving unit 13 of the personal computer 1 transmits the e-mail to the mobile phone 2 Work performed on mobile phone 2
Receiving means from the transmission unit 23. These transmission units 2
The receiving unit 3 and the receiving unit 13 are configured to be able to select a transmission route from a cable such as a USB, a wireless communication such as an infrared ray or a wireless communication, or a public communication line such as the Internet.

The updating section 14 of the personal computer 1 is means for reflecting the work contents transmitted from the mobile phone 2 in an electronic mail stored in the personal computer 1.

[2. Operation] FIG. 2 shows an example of a processing procedure in the present embodiment configured as described above. That is,
In this embodiment, the personal computer 1 periodically accesses the mail server S via the Internet using a protocol such as POP3. Thereby, the personal computer 1 checks the mail reception status, and if there is a mail (step 2), downloads it from the mail server S (step 3). Then, when it is determined that the user is absent on the basis of no operation by the user for a certain period of time (step 4), the transfer unit 11 copies a copy of the electronic mail M1 downloaded and stored in the personal computer 1 in advance. Mobile phone 2 of specified address
(Step 5), and the transferred electronic mail (referred to as transfer mail) M2 is received by the receiving unit 21 of the mobile phone 2 (step 6).

The transfer of electronic mail from the personal computer 1 to the mobile phone 2 is performed via a mobile phone network or via the Internet and a mobile phone network. Also, this transfer may be a conditional transfer, specifically, division, compression,
A function such as forwarding only mail from a designated sender (forwarding designated mail) may be used.

The user carrying the mobile phone 2 on the road, when the e-mail is transferred, reads the individual transfer mail M2 by the work unit 22 of the mobile phone 2,
Operations such as sorting, such as deletion, unopening, saving in a specified directory, and replying with a specified example sentence are performed (step 7). Thereafter, when the user who has returned to the place where the personal computer 1 is located, such as a workplace or home, performs a predetermined operation on the mobile phone 2, the transmitting unit 23 of the mobile phone 2
Data representing the contents of work performed on the copy M2 of the e-mail by the work unit 22 of the mobile phone 2 is transmitted to a personal computer (PC).
The data is transmitted by transmitting to the PC 1, and the data is received by the receiving unit 13 of the personal computer 1. This transmission is performed through a transmission path selected by the user from a cable such as a USB, a wireless communication such as infrared or wireless, or a public communication line such as the Internet.

The update section 14 of the personal computer 1 reflects the work contents transmitted from the mobile phone 2 to each original electronic mail M1 stored in the personal computer 1. Specifically, in accordance with the contents of the work performed on each e-mail, deletion, deletion,
Processes such as unopened, saved in the specified directory, and copying the copy of the reply mail returned in the specified example to the sent folder are performed.

[3. Effect] As described above, in the present embodiment, the incoming e-mail is downloaded to the personal computer 1 and transferred to the mobile phone 2 therefrom. For this reason, the user can perform operations such as deleting an e-mail, saving the e-mail in a desired directory, and replying on the transfer destination mobile phone 2 even when going out. These work contents are transmitted to the personal computer 1, which is the transfer source, and are reflected in the electronic mail on the personal computer 1. For this reason, it is not necessary to repeat the same operation as the mobile phone 2 on the personal computer 1 at the transfer source, and the operation relating to the e-mail is facilitated. In particular, in the present embodiment, the work content is transmitted by wireless communication such as infrared communication, thereby eliminating the need to connect the personal computer 1 and the mobile phone 2 with electrical and mechanical means such as a cable and a connector.

[4. Other Embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but includes other embodiments as exemplified below. For example, the type of communication terminal device is free, and besides personal computers and mobile phones,
It is applicable to HS terminal devices, PDAs, and the like. Also, the transfer of the e-mail from the first communication terminal device to the second communication terminal device may be performed not by a public network such as the Internet or a mobile phone network but by wireless communication such as infrared communication. In addition, the content of work performed by the second communication terminal device or transmitted to the first communication terminal device is not limited to deletion, storage in the specified directory, and reply, and the check is performed in addition to unopened handling. You are free to attach and copy.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since a technology for easily performing the work related to e-mail, that is, a system and method for managing e-mail, a communication terminal device, a portable terminal device, and a recording medium that records software for managing e-mail can be provided, the work related to e-mail can be easily performed. Become.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Personal computer 11 ... Transfer part 12 ... Working part 13 ... Receiving part 14 ... Reflecting part 2 ... Cellular phone 21 ... Receiving part 22 ... Working part 23 ... Transmission part S ... Mail server M1 ... Original e-mail M2 ... E-mail Copy (forwarded mail)

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An electronic mail management system for managing electronic mail using a first communication terminal device and a second communication terminal device, wherein the electronic mail stored in the first communication terminal device is stored in the first communication terminal device. Means for transferring from the communication terminal device to the second communication terminal device, means for performing work on the transferred e-mail in the second communication terminal device, and From the communication terminal device to the first
Means for transmitting to the communication terminal device, and means for reflecting, in the first communication terminal device, the content of the work transmitted to an e-mail stored in the first communication terminal device. An e-mail management system, characterized in that: 2. The electronic mail management system according to claim 1, wherein the contents of the work include at least one of deletion, storage in a designated directory, and reply. 3. The electronic mail management system according to claim 1, wherein the contents of the work are transmitted from the second communication terminal device to the first communication terminal device by wireless communication. 4. A communication terminal device for managing an electronic mail in relation to a portable terminal device, wherein: means for transferring an electronic mail stored in the communication terminal device to the portable terminal device; Means for receiving the contents of the work performed by the portable terminal device from the portable terminal device, and means for reflecting the received contents of the work in an e-mail stored in the communication terminal device. Characteristic communication terminal device. 5. A portable terminal device for managing e-mails transferred from a transfer source communication terminal device, comprising: means for receiving a transfer of e-mail stored in the communication terminal device from the communication terminal device; A portable terminal device, comprising: means for performing work on the electronic mail; and means for transmitting the contents of the work to the communication terminal device. 6. An electronic mail management method for managing electronic mail using a first communication terminal device and a second communication terminal device, wherein the electronic mail stored in the first communication terminal device is stored in a first communication terminal device. Transferring from the communication terminal device to the second communication terminal device; performing a work on the transferred e-mail in the second communication terminal device; and transmitting the contents of the work to the second communication terminal. From the device to the first
Transmitting the content of the transmitted work to the electronic mail stored in the first communication terminal device. E-mail management method characterized by the above-mentioned. 7. A recording medium recording e-mail management software for managing an e-mail in relation to a second communication terminal device by controlling the first communication terminal device by a computer, wherein the software is And causing the computer to transfer the e-mail stored in the first communication terminal device to the second communication terminal device. The contents of the work performed on the transferred e-mail by the second communication terminal device A recording medium recording software for managing e-mail, wherein the contents of the work received from a second communication terminal device are reflected in an e-mail stored in the first communication terminal device. . 8. In connection with a first communication terminal device,
The second communication terminal device is controlled by a computer, and in a recording medium recording e-mail management software for managing e-mail, the software transmits the e-mail from the first communication terminal device to the computer. A recording medium in which software for managing e-mail is recorded, wherein the e-mail management software is configured to receive a transfer, perform a work on the transferred e-mail, and transmit the contents of the work to the first communication terminal device.