JP2002132656A - Method for confirming mail address and system for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely acquire the mail address of the other party for confirming the legality and will of the other party or the authenticity of provided information or the like. SOLUTION: This system is provided with a means 34 of storing information transmitted form a user terminal 2 by making it correspond to identification data specifying the user terminal 2 and a means 31 for transmitting a command to which a mail address including the identification data is attached to the user terminal 2 which transmits the information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method and system for confirming a mail address.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, the Internet is used not only as a means for simply exchanging information between specific groups, but also for various kinds of merchandise sales and information collection such as questionnaires by an unspecified number of people.

[0003] In the case of the purpose of buying and selling goods and collecting information, it is necessary to confirm the validity of the purchaser and the information provider, the purchase intention of the purchaser, the authenticity of the provided information, and the like. In many cases, the e-mail address is used as a confirmation method. As a specific method, (1) a method of requesting input of an e-mail address a plurality of times (two or more times) is required.

(2) A confirmation e-mail is transmitted to the e-mail address provided by the purchaser and the information provider to confirm the purchaser, the validity of the information provider, the purchase intention of the purchaser, the authenticity of the provided information, and the like. (For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-271158)
Reference). Or (3) a composite method thereof. Has been adopted.

[0005]

In any of the above methods, it is necessary for a purchaser and an information provider (hereinafter simply referred to as a user) to input their own mail addresses. In general, the user rarely inputs his or her own e-mail address, and the current e-mail address is less than "@" and is specified by the contracted provider and has nothing to do with the user himself (ie, In many cases, it is difficult for the user himself to remember), so that an input error is likely to occur. Further, in mobile terminals such as mobile phones, which are currently becoming the mainstream of Internet terminals, there is a problem that character input itself is difficult to be performed due to restrictions on the number of keys and the like, and input errors are more likely to occur.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has a feature in transmitting a mailer start command with a destination address added to a user terminal.

[0007]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a system configuration when the present invention is applied to a questionnaire totaling system, for example.

In this embodiment, for example, a plurality of user terminals 2 are connected to a management site 3 via the Internet 1 which is one of the networks. Note that the terminal 2 is a personal computer, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or the like.

The management site 3 has a main control circuit 31 for processing access from each terminal 2 on the Internet 1. Although not shown, the main control circuit 31 is a CPU serving as a main processing unit similarly to a normal computer.
(Central processing unit), a ROM (read only memory) in which a control program for controlling the processing of the CPU is stored in advance, and a RAM (random access memory) functioning as a working memory for processing of the CPU based on the control program. At least prepare. The management site 3 includes server function units 32, 33, and 36 that hold various data for functioning as a Web server, a database server, and a mail server.

The Web server function section 32 stores various data such as a questionnaire displayed on the user terminal 2 when communicating with the user terminal 2 described later. The database server (hereinafter referred to as DB server) function unit 33 manages the questionnaire responses transmitted from the user terminal 2 in association with, for example, four-digit numerical IDs as shown in FIG. And a registration area 35 for finally registering and storing the collected questionnaire results. Further, the mail server function unit 36
Manages the mail transmitted from the user terminal 2 via the Internet 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of the operation of this embodiment. The operation of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

First, when the management site 3 is accessed by the browser activated on the user terminal 2 (step S1), the management site 3 activates the Web server function 32 to access as shown in FIG. The questionnaire entry screen 100 is displayed on the user terminal 2 (S2 step). Specifically, on this screen 100, a questionnaire item 101 and an answer end instruction column 102 are displayed.

When the user finishes filling out the questionnaire on the screen 100 and clicks on the response end instruction column 102, the content (questionnaire response) is entered in the user terminal 2.
Is transmitted to the management site 3 (step S3). still,
The questionnaire can be filled in by checking a check box 104 corresponding to the answer content prepared in advance for each question. For example, when the answer to the first question shown in FIG. 4 is “Party B”, by clicking on the check box 104 immediately before the display “Party B”, a check mark is displayed in this section. You.

When the questionnaire response is transmitted from the user terminal 2, the management site 3 temporarily stores the response in the RAM (random access memory) of the main control circuit 31, and transmits the response to the user terminal 2 as shown in FIG. Answer confirmation screen 2
00 is displayed (S4 step).

On a response confirmation screen 200 shown in FIG. 5, a questionnaire response result 201 entered by the user on the questionnaire entry screen 100, a confirmation instruction column 202, and a message 203 prompting the user to click the instruction column are displayed. .

When the confirmation instruction column 202 is clicked (S5 step), the management site 3 converts the questionnaire response held in the RAM of the main control circuit 31 into one of the IDs in response to the S3 step. The data is stored in the collection data area of the management table 34 of the DB server function unit 33 in association with each other, and a thanks end screen 300 is displayed on the user terminal 2 as shown in FIG. The requested command is transmitted (S6 step). When the browser of the user terminal 2 is terminated without clicking the confirmation instruction column 202, the management site 3 detects this and deletes the questionnaire response held in the RAM. Note that the end of the browser of the user terminal 2 is confirmed, for example, on the management site 3 side.
It can be detected by monitoring the browser session status.

The above command activates a mailer (application software for sending and receiving e-mail) to the browser of the user terminal 2 and sends an e-mail to a mail address added to the command (hereinafter simply referred to as an additional address). In the present embodiment, this is a command for instructing the preparation of transmission of a mail. In the present embodiment, a mail address specifying the mail server 36 of the site 3 as the additional address (in the present embodiment, for example, webmaster@opendoor.co.jp)
And ) Is added to the comment portion of (4) the four-digit ID associated with the questionnaire response stored in the collected data area of the collected data management table 33 (eg, web).
master @ opendoor. co. jp <100
0>). Further, for example, when the browser of the user terminal 2 is made by Microsoft or Netscape, the above command is substantially an option of the A tag, and <A href = “mailto: web”
master @ opendoor. co. jp <100
0>">.

A thank-you end screen 300 shown in FIG. 6 includes a questionnaire cooperation message, a mail transmission request message 301 to the mail site 36, and an end instruction column 302.
Is displayed.

When the end instruction column 302 is clicked, the browser of the user terminal 2 starts up a mailer in the user terminal 2 in accordance with the command received from the management site 3, and sets the additional address as a destination address. A non-illustrated transmission mail input screen (not shown) is displayed on the screen.

When the user instructs the transmission mail displayed as described above to be transmitted, the transmission destination address is changed to the additional address (mailto: webmaster @ o).
pendoor. co. jp <1000>) and a mail whose transmission source address is set as the mail address of the user terminal 2 (hereinafter, referred to as outgoing mail).
Is sent.

Since the destination address of the transmitted mail is the address of the mail server 36 as described above, the transmitted mail is delivered to the mail server 36 via the Internet 1.

Unless the user intentionally writes in the outgoing mail, there is no specific mail content such as the subject, but the mail address of the user terminal 2 as the sender and the additional address indicating the destination are information. Included as Therefore, by detecting both of these addresses in the mail received by the mail server 36, the management site 3 stores the address in the management table 34 of the DB server 33 corresponding to the four-digit ID of the comment part of the additional address. The questionnaire response and the e-mail address specifying the creator can be associated with each other, and the DB server 3 converts the questionnaire response and the e-mail address specifying the supplier stored in the management table 34 into highly credible data.
3 in the registration area 35. When the questionnaire response is stored and stored in the collected data registration area 35, the questionnaire response in the management table 34 is deleted.

On the other hand, if the user does not click the end instruction column 302, or if the user does not click on the end instruction column 302 and does not perform a transmission operation of a new mail started thereafter. , The transmitted mail is not transmitted from the user terminal 2. Management site 3
Monitors the reception of the e-mail to the additional address added to the command in the mail server 36 after the start-up request command is transmitted to the user terminal 2 in the above-described step S6, and waits for a predetermined time after the transmission of the command ( If the e-mail is not received within 2 days, for example, the management table of the DB server 33 is associated with the ID added to the comment part of the additional address in the command transmitted to the user terminal 2 in the above S6 step. The questionnaire answer stored in 34 is deleted. That is, the answer to the questionnaire and / or the person who wrote the questionnaire are erased on the assumption that there is a doubt about the reliability.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when acquiring the mail address of the questionnaire respondent, the input of the mail address by the questionnaire respondent is unnecessary, and the mail address of the questionnaire respondent can be reliably acquired. As a result, it is possible to surely confirm the validity of the questionnaire respondent and the authenticity of the answer without bothering the user.

In this embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the questionnaire totaling system has been described. However, not only such an information collecting system but also the buying and selling of goods on the Internet, etc. It can be widely used in a system that uses a mail address when confirming the authenticity or the like of provided information.

Further, in this embodiment, by adding a four-digit ID to the comment part of the destination mail address transmitted from the user terminal 2, it is possible to determine from which terminal the mail is transmitted. However, it is also possible to include such an ID itself in the above-mentioned e-mail address (for example, when ID = 1000, 1000 @ open
ndoor. co. jp).

In this case, it is necessary to automatically create a mail account in response to the access from the user terminal 2. By preparing a large number of assumed mail addresses in advance, generation of a real-time mail address is avoided. If the number of unused e-mail addresses is reduced and added in advance, there is no operational problem.

Further, in this embodiment, the command is transmitted to the user terminal 2 when the thank-you ending screen 300 is displayed on the user terminal 2 in step S6, but the present invention is not limited to this point. , May be transmitted at the most preferable point in the system. .

Further, in this embodiment, various items can be selected,
Although the input of the instruction column is performed by using the click function, a selection method by inputting a number may be used. In this case, the present invention is particularly effective for a terminal such as a mobile phone in which the number of keys is limited.

[0030]

According to the present invention, in a system in which a mail address is used to confirm the legitimacy and will of the other party or the authenticity of the provided information, etc., the input operation of the other party's mail address is not necessary, so that an error is prevented. It is possible to eliminate the uncertainty of confirming the validity, will, or authenticity of the provided information by the input.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a system configuration to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a main part of the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Internet 2 User terminal 3 Management site 31 Main control circuit 32 Web server 33 DB server 34 Management table 35 Registration area 36 Mail server

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Daisuke Sekine 6-4-2 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo Akasaka MS Building 4th floor Open Door Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Toshiaki Iue Minamiyoshikata, Tottori, Tottori 3-201 201 Tottori Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) The inventor Norihito Fukugi 3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori City, Tottori Pref.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A method for confirming an e-mail address of an unspecified number of user terminals connected via a network, comprising: transmitting a mailer start command to which a transmission destination address is added to the user terminal. How to check your email address. 2. A method of confirming a mail address, wherein information for specifying the user terminal is added to a comment part of a transmission destination address added to the command of claim 1. 3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the destination address added to the command is different for each user terminal. 4. A system connectable to an unspecified number of user terminals via a network, comprising: means for transmitting a mailer start command with a destination address added to the accessed user terminal. A mail address confirmation system characterized by the following. 5. A mail address confirming system, wherein information for specifying the user terminal is added to a comment part of a transmission destination address added to the command of claim 4. 6. A mail address confirming system according to claim 4, wherein the destination address added to said command is different for each of said user terminals. 7. A system connectable to an unspecified number of user terminals via a network, means for storing information transmitted from the user terminals in association with identification data for specifying the user terminals. Means for transmitting a mailer start command in which a mail destination address including the identification data is added to the user terminal that has transmitted the information. 8. The mail address confirmation system according to claim 7, further comprising: the transmission information and the user according to transmission destination and transmission source address information in the mail transmitted from the user terminal in response to the command. An e-mail address confirmation system that associates an e-mail address with a terminal.