JP2002171278A - Dial-up connection type electronic mail system, electronic mail transmission/reception method, and electronic mail service providing method using the system or method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dial-up connection type electronic mail system, an electronic mail transmission/reception method, and an electronic mail service providing method using this system or method, which considerably reduce the installation cost of an electronic mail system and avoid a danger of external wrong access at the time of using a rental server. SOLUTION: A constitution is adopted where functions of a conventional mail server are divided to two mail servers A and B. The mail server A is set on the user side and a dial-up connection type mail server (hardware does not limit a server device, a client PC device, etc.). The mail server B is set by a trade (an Internet service provider or the like) and a normally Internet connected (repeating base) mail server. These mail servers A and B are connected through access servers of Internet providers on a public line and the Internet.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic mail system, an electronic mail transmitting / receiving method, and an electronic mail service providing method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There are mainly the following three methods (1) to (3) for a conventional method of using an e-mail service and a method of obtaining an e-mail address.

(1) In the case of acquiring a unique domain name and constructing and operating a mail server and a DNS server in the company Recently, the use of the Internet has been remarkably increased, and a unique domain name has been acquired and a unique domain name has been acquired. Increasingly, e-mails are used depending on their e-mail addresses (including opening a homepage). For example, a company obtains its own domain name, builds a mail server 2 and a DNS server 3 that are always connected to the Internet 1 within the company, as shown in FIG. Are assigned (issued) to each client terminal 4 side.

[0004] As described above, when using an e-mail address including a unique domain name below the @ mark of an e-mail, the company normally prepares a constant connection environment of the Internet 1 and uses a system technology having specialized knowledge. It is necessary to employ a person (administrator), build a DNS server 3 and a mail server 2, and set and use each.
It is also necessary to bear the cost of preparing an environment for continuous Internet connection. For this reason, companies that use an e-mail address including a unique domain name by constructing a constant connection environment within the company are currently limited to companies that can withstand a relatively high communication cost burden.

(2) When contracting with an Internet service provider and using an e-mail address given by the provider On the other hand, when an individual or a small business uses the Internet environment, an Internet service provider (hereinafter referred to as “provider”) It is widely used. That is, when a user such as an individual or a small business connects to the Internet, the user signs an Internet connection contract with the provider and sets a user ID for the Internet connection.
And password from the provider. And FIG.
As shown in (1), a user connects to an access point of a contract provider through a public line 13 (telephone line or ISDN line) using a modem 12 (or a terminal adapter or a dial-up router) from a client terminal 11 and operates the provider. After the user is authenticated by the access server 14, the user borrows an IP address available from the access server 14 and connects to the Internet. Also, when the user uses e-mail, the e-mail address given by the contract provider becomes the e-mail address of the contract user (user). In this case as well, the access point of the contract provider is connected via a public line. After connecting and obtaining user authentication by the access server 14 operated by the provider, the DNS server 16 and the mail server 1 operated by the provider
5 to send and receive e-mails.

Here, an e-mail address given to a user (user) such as an individual or a small and medium-sized business from a contract provider will be described. For example, athena. n
e. Suppose there is a jp provider. The user makes an Internet connection contract with the provider company athena (asena), and has the user issue a user ID and a password for internet connection from the atena. The user uses the issued user ID and password to access the access point of the provider atena through a public line and connect to the Internet. The user obtains an e-mail address from the provider atena, and can transmit and receive e-mail via the Internet. In this case, the e-mail address of the user is the e-mail address given by the provider athena, and the portion of the e-mail below the @ mark is the domain name (athen) of the provider.
a. ne. jp). At this time, the name and character (user name) before the mark may be accepted by the provider in some cases, but the name and character desired by the user are already used by other users. If so, the desired name and characters are not available and must be changed.

[0007] Here, the "domain name" will be described. In order to obtain a domain name consisting of the JP of the first domain, the top-level domain JP, the organization type of the second domain, and the organization name of the third domain in Japan, Japan Network Information According to the regulations of the center, it is necessary to apply there. Other domain names such as "com" are in accordance with the rules of other countries which manage the respective domain names.

[0008] (3) When obtaining an original domain name and using an external rental server When a user who only has a dial-up connection environment wants to send and receive e-mail using an e-mail address including the original domain After obtaining the original domain, use the rental server or the provider's mail server (rental server) to obtain the "e-mail address that includes the original domain name below the @ mark"
There is a method of sending and receiving e-mails using the Internet.

However, when using this rental server, there are the following problems. For example, when using a rental server, an arbitrary number of e-mail addresses cannot be issued, and the number of e-mail addresses that can be issued is limited. In addition, e-mail stored on the rental server or mail server of the company and registered user information of users and individuals and companies are
Because of the constant connection to the Internet, there is a high risk of exposure to unauthorized external access (when using a provider's rental server, each user has their own e-mail address and other confidential information stored on the rental server) Nevertheless, the risk of external unauthorized access cannot be taken on its own by itself, and all must be left to the policies and measures of the external contract provider.)

[0010] Further, the user of the rental server,
When using the “e-mail address where the domain name below the @ mark is an original domain name”, the user must use the e-mail address given by the contracted provider or the e-mail address set in the mail server of the rental server ( In each case, the above "E-mail address where the user's unique domain name is the part below the mark"
Instead, an e-mail address having the domain name of the provider is set in e-mail software (mailer) of the terminal on the user side and transmitted. Then, the transmitted e-mail was displayed on the sender's column on the contracted rental server or mail server of the contractor, with the above "e-mail address where the user's unique domain name is below the @ mark" After being "converted" to an e-mail (after the rental server or mail server rewrites the e-mail address in the "From" line indicating the "sender" in the e-mail from the user), In some cases, it is sent to the destination, and in other cases it is sent using the DNS server and mail server of the provider company, using an "e-mail address with the unique domain name below the @ mark" .

That is, when a rental server is used, in fact, the “e-mail address where the user's unique domain name is below the“ @ ”mark” is determined when the rental server transfers an e-mail to another mail server. There are cases where it is used in the subsequent stages and cases where the DNS server and mail server of the provider company are virtually used as their own servers. As described above, at the stage of sending an e-mail from the user to the rental server, the “e-mail address whose original domain name is below the“ ＠ ”mark is not used. That is, the rental server is used. If
“E-mail address where the user's original domain name is below the ＠ mark” is actually an e-mail address that is not used at the user's stage or has an original domain name. (Mailer), connect to the Internet, and then use the DNS server and mail server of the rental server contracted by the user virtually as their own server.
There is a method of transmitting to the other party using the TP function.

[0012]

As described above, conventionally, individuals and small and medium-sized business users who cannot bear the cost burden of preparing an always-on Internet connection environment including the employment of system technicians, are required to provide an Internet service provider. The only option is to use an "e-mail address that does not include your own domain name" provided by your contract and use the rental server after obtaining your own domain name. As described above, when using the rental server, the user actually sends an e-mail to the rental server using the e-mail address (not including the original domain name) provided by the provider, and the rental server uses the e-mail address. Either have it converted to "e-mail address where the user's unique domain name is below the @ mark" or the provider's DNS
Server or mail server as a virtual server, and a unique domain name.

When using a rental server, the number of e-mail addresses that can be issued cannot be freely determined by the user. In addition, when using the rental server, the rental server is always connected to the Internet, so confidential information such as user accounts and e-mails stored on the rental server is always exposed to the risk of unauthorized external access. There is also a problem that.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. From the stage where a user sends an e-mail at a client terminal, "the following characters are the user's unique domain name. Environment that can use "e-mail addresses" can be constructed and operated at a much lower cost than before, and there is no restriction on the number of e-mail addresses that can be issued on the user side ( There is no restriction on the number of issues as when using a conventional rental server). Furthermore, confidential information such as e-mail in the mailbox of the rental server that existed when using the conventional rental server from outside A dial-up connection type e-mail system and e-mail transmission / reception method that can avoid the risk of unauthorized access As well, and to provide an e-mail service providing method using the system or method.

[0015]

First, as a technical matter which is a premise of the present invention, it will be described that an original domain name and an IP address may be separated in an actual Internet world. Generally, a "virtual domain (domain name)" is known. Such a “virtual domain” exists because a certain person (individual or corporation) has been given a unique domain name from JPNIC (Japan Network Information Center), This is the case where the IP address has not been assigned yet because the constant connection environment is not set up. J
According to the PNIC's current rules, such a "virtual domain" is not desirable, but it can and does exist in theory. In addition, since the US com domain does not enforce the assignment of an IP address (permanent connection to the Internet) (for example, it also allows acquisition of a domain name for the purpose of transfer), there are an extremely large number of virtual domains. I have.

The above "virtual domain" is a case where "there is a unique domain name, but no corresponding IP address is assigned".
There is actually a case where there is a P address, but there is no unique domain name corresponding to the P address. " For example, in the current Internet world, small-scale ISPs
The assignment of the P address is performed by a major ISP (Internet service provider) (such as having a license of a type 1 telecommunications carrier) commissioned by JPNIC. This IP address assignment is performed in such a manner that, for example, 256 IP addresses are assigned to a desired small ISP at a time. In this case, for the 256 IP addresses assigned to the small ISP at a time, "most of them are still
There is no corresponding unique domain name. "

The present invention has been conceived based on the premise of the Internet world (relationship between domain names and IP addresses). The functions of the conventional mail server are classified into the following two types, A and B. It adopts a configuration that is divided into servers. A: Dial-up connection type mail server installed on the user side (hardware is not particularly limited, such as server equipment, client PC equipment, etc.) B: Contractor (Internet service provider, etc.)
Is a relay (relay base) server that is always connected to the Internet. The dial-up connection type mail server A is connected to an access server of an ISP (Internet service provider) via a public line. The always-connected relay server B is connected to an access server of the ISP (Internet service provider) via the Internet. Therefore, the dial-up connection type mail server A and the always-on connection type relay server B are connected to an access server of a public line (such as a telephone line or an ISDN line) and an ISP (Internet service provider) via an Internet network.
Connected to each other.

With this configuration, the dial-up connection type mail server on the user side is a dial-up type that is not always connected to the Internet, so that security measures (measures against unauthorized access from the outside) are easy. Even without a connection-type mail server, a dial-up connection-type mail server can issue any number of e-mail addresses (including the number of employees) including the user's unique domain name.
Assign a specific IP address to the user's unique domain name, which can be easily set up and operated without requiring a system administrator who needs specialized knowledge because the user does not need a constantly connected mail server. Thus, the relay server that is always connected to only the assigned IP address can increase the security by permitting authentication. The transmission and reception of data between the dial-up connection mail server A and the relay server B that is always connected can be performed. In this case, by using a specific port randomly set in advance between A and B, it is possible to obtain advantages such as further improving security.

Conventionally, if an “e-mail address including a user's unique domain name” is to be used,
It was necessary to use a rental server of an external company or set up a mail server and a DNS server which are always connected by a system administrator who requires specialized knowledge within the company. On the other hand, according to the present invention, the user only needs to install the mail server A of the dial-up connection type. Any number of e-mail addresses can be easily used. Also, in the present invention, a dial-up mail server that uses a public line that is not always connected to the Internet is used instead of a mail server that is always connected to the Internet. Even without security measures such as firewalls or hardware or software, sufficient security is achieved and communication costs are reduced.

In the present invention, the always-connected relay server B is installed by the provider of the electronic mail service according to the present invention. Individual users need only install the dial-up connection type mail server A. After installing the hardware of the dial-up connection type mail server A, each user installs software (computer program) for receiving the e-mail service according to the present invention from a homepage or the like provided by the e-mail service provider according to the present invention. It can be downloaded and used for a fee or free of charge.

[0021] Each user downloads and uses the software after selecting whether the download of the software or the service according to the present invention is paid or free. That is, when the individual user transmits an e-mail using the “e-mail address including the user's unique domain name” using the service according to the present invention, the trader inserts predetermined advertising information into the e-mail or If the attachment is permitted, the software can be downloaded free of charge and used free of charge (and the service provider can provide the user with free access to the data center of the company via the public network). To use the software.)

On the other hand, if the user does not approve the insertion or attachment of the advertisement information, the download and / or use of the software is provided for a fee. In this case, the paid service may be provided, for example, by a “sold out” method for only downloading, or by renting software to a user through a public network such as the Internet, which is a normal ASP (application service provider) method. Alternatively, a monthly usage fee may be collected during the rental period. Further, another method of the ASP, that is, a method of allowing a user to access a data center of a service provider through a dedicated line or a public line and use software, may be used.

When the user selects a free system for enjoying the service, the user uses the dial-up connection type mail server A to send an e-mail using an “e-mail address including a unique domain name”. When transmitting the e-mail, predetermined advertisement information is inserted into an arbitrary place of the e-mail transferred from the dial-up connection type mail server A by the always-on relay server B or the mail rewriting device connected thereto. Or it can be attached. By inserting or attaching the advertisement to the e-mail, the business can obtain advertisement revenue from the sponsor company.

As described above, the dial-up connection type e-mail system according to the present invention assigns an "e-mail address including a unique domain name" to each client terminal, and utilizes the dial-up connection type mail server. User's domain name is DNS
The description is set in the MX record of the server, and one of the IP addresses of the provider is assigned to the domain name of the user, and is registered and set in the always-on relay server,
Also, a dial-up connection type mail server connected to a relay server that is always connected to the Internet via a public line and an access server operated by an Internet service provider (ISP), and is created at the client terminal according to an instruction from the client terminal. Receiving the received e-mail, transferring the received e-mail to the always-on relay server via the public line and the access server, and transferring the e-mail from another mail server via the Internet. The e-mail (e-mail addressed to the e-mail address issued by the dial-up connection type mail server) stored in the dedicated mailbox of the user of the always-on connection type relay server through the always-on connection type relay server is transmitted to the always-on connection type relay server. Connected via the Internet to a dial-up connection type mail server for receiving from the type relay server and storing it in its own mailbox and distributing it to the client terminal side according to instructions from the client terminal, and the access server of the ISP Internet relay server that is always connected,
An e-mail from the dial-up connection type mail server is transferred via the Internet to a mail server near the destination of the e-mail, which is an always-on connection type relay server which permits authentication by an IP address assigned to a user's domain name. At the same time, the mail (e-mail addressed to the e-mail address issued by the dial-up connection type mail server) transferred from the other mail server via the Internet is transferred to the constant connection type relay server through the constant connection type relay server. The e-mail stored in a user-specific mailbox in a mailbox and stored in a user-specific mailbox in the user's own mailbox according to an instruction from the dial-up connection type mail server. The above And features and always-on relay server to be transferred to the 1er-up e-mail server, in that it consists of.

In the dial-up connection type e-mail system according to the present invention, it is preferable that the constant connection type relay server is connected to the dial-up connection type mail server by a specific port which is set in advance at random.

In the dial-up connection type e-mail system according to the present invention, the constant connection type relay server is for inserting or attaching predetermined advertisement information to the e-mail transferred from the dial-up connection type mail server. Advertisement insertion means may be provided.

Further, in the dial-up connection type e-mail method of the present invention, an e-mail is created at a client terminal, and the e-mail is sent from the client terminal to an "e-mail address including a unique domain name".
To the dial-up connection type mail server assigned to each client terminal, and the transmitted e-mail is sent from the dial-up connection type mail server to the access server via the public line and the access server of the ISP. Transferring the transferred e-mail from the always-connected relay server to a mail server close to the destination of the e-mail via the Internet; It is characterized by the following.

In the dial-up connection type e-mail transmission method of the present invention, the constant connection type relay server inserts or attaches predetermined advertisement information to the e-mail transferred from the dial-up connection type mail server. Then, it is preferable that the electronic mail in which the advertisement information is inserted or attached is transferred to a mail server near the destination of the electronic mail via the Internet.

The dial-up connection type e-mail receiving method according to the present invention is characterized in that an e-mail transferred from another mail server via the Internet is received by an always-on relay server constantly connected to the Internet, The received e-mail is stored in a mailbox dedicated to the user of the always-on relay server, and the Internet service provider (ISP)
Is operated by an access server connected via the Internet network operated by the company and a dial-up connection type mail server connected to the constant connection type relay server via a public line. Transfer the e-mail stored in the mailbox of the dial-up connection type mail server, and store the transferred e-mail in the mailbox of the dial-up connection type mail server; The electronic mail stored in the mailbox of the dial-up connection type mail server is delivered to the client terminal according to an instruction from a client terminal connected to the mail server.

Also, in the method for providing an e-mail service of the dial-up connection type according to the present invention, a request of a client (user) for the method of providing the e-mail service is previously declared, and the e-mail service is provided free of charge. When the e-mail created by the client that has declared to be provided is transferred from the dial-up connection type mail server to the always-on connection type relay server, predetermined advertisement information is inserted or attached to the e-mail. After that, the e-mail is transferred to a mail server near the destination of the e-mail via the Internet, and the e-mail created by the client who has declared that the e-mail service is to be provided for a fee is transmitted to the dial-up server. Connected mail server is always connected When I came transferred to the server,
The electronic mail is transferred to a mail server near the destination of the electronic mail via the Internet without inserting or attaching predetermined advertisement information to the electronic mail.

[0031]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1 FIG. Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a dial-up connection type electronic mail system according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 21 denotes a client terminal in which e-mail software (mailer) such as "OutlookExpress" of Microsoft Corporation is incorporated, 22 denotes a dial-up connection type mail server to which a plurality of client terminals 21 are connected, and 23 denotes the dial-up connection type mail server. The modem (or terminal adapter or dial-up router) connected to the type mail server 22 and the client terminal 21, and the modem 24 (or terminal adapter or dial-up router) is connected to the dial-up connection type mail server 22 and the client terminal 21. A public line (telephone line or ISDN line) connected through the Internet, 25 is an Internet-continuously-connected access network operated by an Internet service provider (hereinafter referred to as “provider”). Scan server (which is connected to the public line 24 and the Internet 1), 2
6 is an always-on Internet connection type relay server connected to the access server 25 via the Internet 1; 27 is an always-on Internet connection type DNS server connected to the always-on access type relay server 26;
It is. In the present embodiment, the access server 25, the always-on relay server 26, (and DN)
The S server 27) is installed and operated on the Internet 1 by different companies, but in the present invention,
They may be installed and operated by the same company.

When a user using an individual client terminal 21 intends to browse the Internet homepage, the user first accesses the access point of the provider via the modem 23 (or terminal adapter or dial-up router) and the public line 24. Connect, send the user ID and password and access server 2
5 and the access server 25
Can be connected to the Internet 1 by renting an IP address available from.

Next, the configuration of the dial-up connection type mail server 22 in the first embodiment will be described. The dial-up connection type mail server 22 assigns (issues) an “e-mail address including the user's unique domain name” to each client terminal 21 based on the unique domain name obtained by the user from JPNIC or the like. . The dial-up connection type mail server 22 connects to the access point of the provider via a modem 23 (or a terminal adapter or a dial-up router) and a public line 24, and
D and a password are transmitted, the user is authenticated by the access server 25, an available IP address is borrowed from the access server 25, the Internet server 1 is connected, and the relay server 26 is connected via the Internet 1. It is connected to the.

Dial-up connection type mail server 22
Receives an e-mail from the client terminal 21 when the user of the client terminal 21 composes an e-mail and sends it by pressing the send button of the mailer (clicking with the mouse). The e-mail is transmitted via a modem 23 (or a terminal adapter or a dial-up router), a public line 24, the access server 25 (for performing user authentication using a user ID and a password), and the Internet 1 To transfer.

On the other hand, the constant connection type relay server 26
Is an e-mail that has been transferred from another mail server via the Internet and is "an e-mail addressed to the e-mail address assigned to the client terminal 21 by the dial-up connection type mail server 22".
Is temporarily stored in the user's own mailbox 26a in the user's own mailbox. The dial-up connection type mail server 22 is an e-mail transferred from another mail server via the Internet, and is a user-specific mailbox 26 a in the mailbox of the constant connection type relay server 26.
The e-mail (e-mail addressed to the e-mail address including the unique domain name issued by the dial-up connection type mail server 22) once stored in the always-on connection type relay server 26
Receive from. Then, the dial-up connection type mail server 22 temporarily stores the received e-mail in its own mailbox 22a (configured with a recording device such as a hard disk), and stores each of the e-mails in the respective destinations. Organize and manage for each user. Then, the dial-up connection type mail server 22
When the user of a certain client terminal 21 presses the receive button of the mailer, the e-mail address of the user of the client terminal 21 is set as the destination from the respective e-mails stored in the mailbox 22a. Is delivered to the client terminal 21 side.

Next, the configuration of the Internet always-on relay server 26 of the first embodiment will be described. The always-on relay server 26 is connected to the dial-up mail server 22 by the modem 23 (or terminal adapter or dial-up router), the public line 24,
It is connected via the access server 25 of the provider (ISP) and the Internet 1 and is always connected to the Internet 1.

When an electronic mail is transferred from the dial-up connection type mail server 22, the constant connection type relay server 26 assigns an IP address previously assigned to the user's domain name to the provider (ISP) access server from the access server. The IP address is authenticated through a data layer different from the borrowed IP address, and if the pre-assigned IP address is authenticated, the transmitted e-mail is sent to a mail server near the destination of the e-mail via the Internet. Forward. Specifically, the dial-up connection type mail server 22 is connected to the provider (ISP)
Is connected to the Internet with an IP address borrowed from the access server of the Internet service provider and there is a request for e-mail transfer, the always-on relay server 26 determines the data layer of the IP address borrowed from the access server of the provider (ISP). The IP address assigned to the user in advance is checked through another data layer, and if the IP address matches, the authentication is permitted, the DNS server 27 is accessed, and the data is transferred from the dial-up connection type mail server 22. Enter the domain name after the @ mark of the e-mail address indicating the destination of the e-mail
By referring to the S server 27, the MX record in the DNS server is referred to, or the host name of the mail server as the transfer destination and its IP address are determined. Then, the always-on relay server 26 transfers the electronic mail to the determined destination mail server via the Internet.

On the other hand, the always-on connection type relay server 26 transmits and receives the e-mail (the domain name of the dial-up connection type mail server is described and registered in the MX record of the DNS server and transferred in advance from another mail server via the Internet). The e-mail addressed to the e-mail address including the domain name corresponding to the IP address) is once stored in a user-specific mailbox 26a (comprising a recording device such as a hard disk) in the user's own mailbox. Then, the e-mail is organized and managed for each user of the destination. After that, the dial-up connection type mail server 22
From the e-mail in the user-specific mailbox in the mailbox 26a to the always-connected relay server 26, "including the unique domain name assigned by the dial-up connection type mail server 22 to each client terminal 21" It is assumed that the user has instructed to forward the “e-mail addressed to the e-mail address” to himself (the dial-up connection type mail server 22 at this time).
Is almost the same as the conventional "operation when the user presses the mailer's receive button to instruct the mail server to deliver an e-mail addressed to the user". Then, the always-connected relay server 26 is connected to the dial-up mail server 22.
"E-mail addressed to the e-mail address including the unique domain name assigned by the dial-up connection type mail server 22 to each client terminal 21" stored in the mailbox 26a in response to the instruction from To the dial-up type mail server 22
Transfer to the side.

Next, an operation of transmitting an electronic mail according to the first embodiment will be described. When a user sends an e-mail, the client terminal 21 first creates an e-mail.
Then, the user, from this client terminal 21,
By pressing the send button of the mailer, the created e-mail is transmitted to the dial-up connection type mail server 22. The dial-up connection type mail server 22 transmits the transmitted e-mail via the modem 23 (or terminal adapter or dial-up router), the public line 24, the access server 25 of the provider (ISP), and the Internet 1. The data is transferred to the always-connected relay server 26. The always-connected relay server 26 authenticates with the IP address previously assigned to the user's domain name through a data layer different from the data layer of the IP address borrowed from the access server of the provider (ISP), and then transfers the data. The MX record of the mail server to which the received e-mail is transferred is referred to the DNS server 27 for access, and the e-mail is sent to the mail server at the transfer destination (a mail server close to the destination of the e-mail) via the Internet. Transfer via

Next, the operation of receiving an electronic mail according to the first embodiment will be described. E-mail transferred from another mail server via the Internet ("The domain name of the dial-up connection type mail server is registered in the MX record of the DNS server, and the e-mail address including the domain name corresponding to the IP address assigned in advance is An e-mail address that is a destination and is an e-mail addressed to the "e-mail address issued by the dial-up connection type mail server 22" is received by the constant connection type relay server 26. The always-on relay server 26 temporarily stores the received e-mail in a user-specific mailbox in the mailbox 26a, and organizes and manages the e-mail for each user at each destination.
Then, the dial-up connection type mail server 22
From the user, an instruction to transfer an “e-mail addressed to an e-mail address including a unique domain name managed by the dial-up connection type mail server 22 (assigned to each client terminal 21)” is sent. The always-on relay server 26 reads the e-mail addressed to the e-mail address including the unique domain name managed by the dial-up connection-type mail server 22 in the e-mail stored in the mailbox 26a. Is transferred to the dial-up connection type mail server 22 side.

Dial-up connection type mail server 22
Stores the transferred e-mail once in the mailbox 22a, and organizes and manages the e-mail for each user of the destination. And
When the user presses (clicks on) the receive button of the mailer of the client terminal 21, an e-mail addressed to the user is delivered to the user's client terminal 21 side.

Embodiment 2 Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration and operation of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.
And basically the same. However, in the second embodiment,
(1) The constant connection type relay server 26 has a function of inserting or attaching advertisement information into an e-mail transferred from the dial-up connection type mail server 22 (this function is realized by a computer program). And (2) the constant connection type relay server 26 side, for each e-mail transferred from the dial-up connection type mail server 22,
The user of the e-mail is identified based on the e-mail address and the like of the user of "free use" or "paid use", and for the e-mail sent by the user of "free use", the advertisement information is This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it is inserted at an arbitrary place in the mail (the advertisement information may be attached to the mail as an attached file). The above (1) and (2)
May be realized by a computer program incorporated in the always-on relay server 26, or may be realized by a device separate from the always-on relay server 26. The following description is based on the assumption that the functions (1) and (2) are realized by a computer program incorporated in the always-on relay server 26.

That is, in the second embodiment, the constant connection type relay server 26 has an advertisement insertion function capable of inserting or attaching predetermined advertisement information to an electronic mail transferred from the dial-up connection type mail server 22. It has. The always-on relay server 26 inserts predetermined advertisement information into the electronic mail transferred from the dial-up connection-type mail server 22, and converts the electronic mail into which the advertisement information is inserted close to the destination of the electronic mail. It can be transferred to a mail server via the Internet.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described. A trader who intends to provide an e-mail service to a user by using the e-mail system according to the second embodiment (hereinafter referred to as “the service”) provides a user who wishes to apply for the service to the user of the service in advance. Ask them to state their preference for the offer (ie, "use it for a fee" or "use it free of charge, in exchange for allowing ads to be inserted into emails") .

Specifically, a trader who intends to provide an e-mail service to a user using the e-mail system according to the second embodiment sets up a homepage on the Internet for notifying a user of the use of the service. This homepage contains a description of the Service and a description of how to provide the Service. The method of providing the service is as follows: (1) The service is provided on condition that the service provider allows the user to arbitrarily insert the advertisement information into the e-mail sent by the user using the service. A method of freely downloading software for use free of charge and authorizing the use of this software and this service free of charge; and (2) individual users instead of using this service for a fee. There is a method in which the trader does not insert the advertisement information into the e-mail transmitted by using this service.

Each user selects (declares) the above (1) or (2) in advance on this homepage and applies for this service. When the user selects the above (1) and applies for the service, the user downloads the software from this home page free of charge and uses the service free of charge. Further, when the user selects the above (2), the user downloads the software for a fee and uses this service while paying a monthly usage fee.

Select to use this service free of charge
When the e-mail created by the declared user is transferred from the dial-up connection type mail server 22 to the always-on connection type relay server 26, the always-on connection type relay server 26 sends the e-mail (not only the body text) , Header, footer, etc.), the electronic mail is transferred to a mail server near the destination of the electronic mail via the Internet.

On the other hand, when the e-mail created by the user who has selected and declared to use this service for a fee is transferred from the dial-up connection type mail server 22 to the always-on connection type relay server 26, The always-on relay server 26 transfers the electronic mail to a mail server near the destination of the electronic mail via the Internet without inserting or attaching predetermined advertising information to the electronic mail.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, in the first embodiment,
In 2, the access server 25 and the always-on relay server 26 are installed and operated by a different company (for example, the access server 25 is operated by a major ISP, and the always-on relay server is operated by a small ISP. However, in the present invention, the same company (for example, the same Internet service provider company) may install and operate the system. Further, in the first and second embodiments, “identifying whether or not the e-mail transferred from the dial-up connection type mail server belongs to a user who uses the advertisement free of charge instead of permitting insertion of the advertisement, The advertisement insertion function of inserting or attaching predetermined advertisement information to the e-mail when the e-mail is for a user who permits insertion of an advertisement is provided in the relay server 26. However, in the present invention, for example, the access server 25 may be provided with this function, or this function may be realized between the access server 25 and the always-on relay server 26. May be interposed. In the first and second embodiments, the modem 23 may be a communication connection device such as a terminal adapter or a dial-up router.

[0050]

As described above, according to the e-mail system or the e-mail transmission / reception method using the dial-up connection type mail server of the present invention, the user can use the client terminal to set the user's own domain under the "@" mark. An environment that can send and receive e-mails using "named e-mail addresses" is extremely low-cost and easy compared to the past (it is not necessary to build a constant Internet connection environment, It is possible to build and operate the system without having to have a system administrator who has network-related expertise. In other words, the user can easily set up an “e-mail address including a unique domain” without having to set up a mail server or DNS server that is always connected, as in the past, and without using a rental server with a high usage fee. To send and receive e-mail.

Further, according to the present invention, a user can freely issue a plurality of e-mail addresses according to the number of employees and the like (when a conventional rental server is used, the number of e-mail addresses is limited. However, such restrictions disappear.)

Further, according to the present invention, the risk existing when using the conventional rental server, that is, the electronic mail information in the mailbox of the rental server is exposed to external unauthorized access. Risk can be effectively avoided. That is, according to the present invention, the electronic mail stored in the mailbox of the internet connection relay server is periodically (preferably frequently) collected by the user from the dial-up connection mail server. In this way, almost no e-mail remains in the mailbox of the always-on relay server at any time). Even if exposed, the "danger of confidential information of the e-mail remaining in the mailbox of the always-on relay server being illegally obtained by a third party" can be almost completely eliminated. Also, the e-mail stored in the mailbox of the dial-up connection type mail server remains in the mailbox until each user operates (clicks) the mailer's receive button of the client terminal to deliver it. However, since this mailbox is composed of a recording device of a dial-up connection type mail server, unlike an always-on connection type relay server, there is almost no risk of unauthorized access from the outside. Also, since the dial-up connection type mail server of the present invention is a dial-up type using a public line network that is not always connected to the Internet, security is easy without installing special hardware and software such as a firewall. Security costs can be significantly reduced.

In the method for providing an e-mail service using the dial-up connection type mail server according to the present invention, the user (user) is required to use this service for “paid” or “inserting an advertisement in an outgoing mail”. Free of charge
Either of these can be selected and declared in advance and used. In other words, if the user of this service sends an e-mail using the dial-up connection type mail server, the advertisement is sent from the dial-up connection type mail server to the advertisement at the constant connection type relay server which is a relay base. This service can be provided free of charge in exchange for insertion (insertion) in any place within (sent mail) (the provider of this service must pay the advertisement You can secure revenue by collecting from sponsor companies). Therefore,
According to the service providing method of the present invention, a new business model in which a user can send and receive e-mail using an "e-mail address including a unique domain name" free of charge by posting an advertisement in an outgoing mail Can be provided to the world.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an electronic mail system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a conventional system for using e-mail in an Internet constantly connected environment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a system for using electronic mail under a conventional dial-up connection environment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Internet 21 Client terminal 22 Dial-up connection type mail server 22a, 26a Mailbox 23 Modem (or terminal adapter, dial-up router) 24 Public line 25 Access server 26 Always-on connection type relay server 27 DNS server

Claims (8)

[Claims] Claims 1. An "e-mail address including a unique domain name" is assigned to a client terminal, a domain name of a user who uses a dial-up connection type mail server is described and set in an MX record of a DNS server, and , One of the IP addresses of the provider is assigned to the domain name of the dial-up connection type mail server, and is a dial-up connection type mail server registered and set in the constant connection type relay server. Public line and Internet service providers (IS
P) is a dial-up connection type mail server connected via an access server operated by P), receives an e-mail created on the client terminal in accordance with an instruction from the client terminal side, and converts the received e-mail into Via the public line and the access server, the data is transferred to the always-on relay server, and transferred from another mail server via the Internet and stored in the user-only mailbox of the always-on relay server. A dial-up connection type mail server for receiving an e-mail from the always-on connection type relay server, storing it in its own mailbox, and delivering it to the client terminal side in accordance with an instruction from the client terminal side; User who uses mail server The user's domain name is described and set in the MX record of the DNS server, and one of the IP addresses of the provider is assigned to the domain name of the dial-up connection type mail server, and the dial-up connection registered and set in the always-on connection type relay server A mail server, which is connected to the Internet by dial-up and is connected to the access server of the ISP, and transmits e-mail transferred from the dial-up connection type mail server via the access server of the ISP to a user. To an always-on relay server that performs authentication by using the IP address assigned to the domain name of the e-mail. Server The e-mail transferred via the Internet is stored in a user-only mailbox in the always-on connection type relay server, and stored in the user-only mailbox in accordance with an instruction from the dial-up connection type mail server. The saved e-mail is sent to the dial-up mail server by the IS
A dial-up connection type e-mail system, comprising: an always-on connection type relay server for transferring data via an access server of P. 2. The dial-up connection type e-mail system according to claim 1, wherein the dial-up connection type mail server is connected to the constant connection type relay server and a specific port set in advance at random. . 3. The dial-up connection according to claim 1, further comprising an advertisement insertion unit for inserting or attaching predetermined advertisement information to the e-mail transferred from the dial-up connection type mail server. Type email system. 4. An "e-mail address including a unique domain name" is assigned to each client terminal, and an "e-mail address including a unique domain name" is used as an e-mail address of the sender on the client terminal side. A mail is created and transmitted from the client terminal to a dial-up connection type mail server connected to an Internet connection server via an access server operated by a public line and an Internet service provider (ISP). The authenticated electronic mail is authenticated from the dial-up connection type mail server via the public line and the access server of the ISP by the IP address connected to the access server and assigned to the domain name of the user. Always Transferring the transferred e-mail from the constant connection relay server to a mail server close to the destination of the e-mail via the Internet. Email sending method. 5. The electronic mail according to claim 4, further comprising: inserting or attaching predetermined advertisement information to the electronic mail transferred from the dial-up connection type mail server; A dial-up connection type e-mail transmission method, wherein the e-mail is transferred to a mail server near the destination of the e-mail via the Internet. 6. An electronic mail addressed to an e-mail address issued by a dial-up connection type mail server, which is transferred from another mail server via the Internet, is always connected to the Internet, and the user's domain name Received by the always-on relay server that permits authentication by the IP address assigned to the user, stored in the user's dedicated mailbox, and the domain name of the user who uses the dial-up connection-type mail server is described in the MX record of the DNS server One of the IP addresses set and provided by the provider is assigned to the domain name of the user, and the user of the always-on connection relay server is instructed by the dial-up connection-type mail server registered in the always-on connection relay server. Dedicated mail box The e-mail that is saved in the vinegar, to the dial-up connection type mail server, Internet Service Provider (IS
P) is transferred via an access server operated by P) and a public line, the transferred e-mail is stored in a mailbox of the dial-up connection type mail server, and a client connected to the dial-up connection type mail server A method for receiving a dial-up connection type e-mail, wherein the e-mail stored in a mailbox of the dial-up connection type mail server is delivered to the client terminal in accordance with an instruction from a terminal side. 7. An electronic mail service providing method using the system according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein a request of a user regarding the electronic mail service providing method is previously declared, and the electronic mail is provided. When an e-mail created by a user who has declared that the service is provided free of charge is transferred from the dial-up connection type mail server to the always-on connection type relay server, predetermined advertisement information is added to the e-mail. After inserting or attaching, the e-mail is forwarded to the mail server near the destination of the e-mail via the Internet, and the e-mail created by the user who has declared that the e-mail service is to be provided for a fee is connected to the dial-up connection. When the mail is forwarded from the type mail server to the always-on relay server, 4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic mail is forwarded to a mail server close to a destination of the electronic mail via the Internet without inserting or attaching predetermined advertisement information to the electronic mail. How to provide an email service using. 8. A method for providing an e-mail service using the e-mail transmission method according to claim 5, wherein a request of a user regarding a method for providing the e-mail service is previously declared, and the e-mail service is provided. When the e-mail created by the user who has declared that the user is provided free of charge is transferred from the dial-up connection type mail server to the always-on connection type relay server, predetermined advertisement information is inserted into the e-mail. Or, after attaching, the e-mail is forwarded to the mail server near the destination of the e-mail via the Internet, while the e-mail created by the user who has declared that the e-mail service is to be provided for a fee Is transferred from the dial-up mail server to the always-on relay server. And that the e-mail is transferred via the Internet to a mail server close to the destination of the e-mail without inserting or attaching the predetermined advertisement information to the e-mail. An e-mail service providing method using the e-mail transmission method according to claim 5.