JP2002215550A - Email device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] An object of the present invention is to provide an e-mail device that can provide a user with pleasure after sending an e-mail and promote the use of e-mail. An electronic mail device includes a control unit for controlling transmission and reception of e-mail, a storage unit for storing data handled by the control unit, an input unit and a display unit connected to the control unit. The section stores a game program and a program for controlling transmission / reception of e-mail, and the control section is configured to be able to start the game program after the end of e-mail transmission.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic mail apparatus capable of transmitting and receiving electronic mail such as a mobile phone, a mobile terminal, and a personal computer, and more particularly to an electronic mail apparatus suitable for promoting the use of electronic mail.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional e-mail devices capable of transmitting and receiving e-mail (hereinafter referred to as e-mail), such as mobile phones, mobile terminals, and personal computers, generally have an e-mail transmission / reception function and a game function for a user to enjoy a game. Many. However, in the conventional e-mail device, the function of sending and receiving e-mails and the game function are independent of each other. In some cases, the animation performs a predetermined operation after sending the mail.

[0003]

In the conventional e-mail apparatus, when the e-mail transmission / reception function is selected, only the e-mail transmission or reception function is performed. In particular, at the time of sending an e-mail, the user only sent the e-mail created. In addition, if the animation performs a predetermined operation after sending the mail, there is a problem that the user gets tired because the operation is determined.

An object of the present invention is to provide an e-mail apparatus which can give a user pleasure after sending an e-mail and can promote the use of the e-mail.

[0005]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in an electronic mail apparatus, a control unit for controlling transmission and reception of electronic mail, a storage unit for storing data handled by the control unit, An input unit and a display unit connected to the control unit are provided.The storage unit stores a game program and a program for controlling transmission and reception of e-mail, and the control unit is configured to be able to start the game program after the end of the e-mail transmission. It is characterized by having been done.

[0006]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.
This will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to a mobile phone as an electronic mail device. The electronic mail device is not limited to a mobile phone, but may be a mobile terminal device such as a mobile terminal, an electronic device capable of transmitting and receiving electronic mail such as a personal computer, or a communication device.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the external shape of the portable telephone and the configuration of the main part in this embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a mobile phone includes a high-frequency circuit section 420, an audio circuit section 430, a CPU
The control unit 102 controls the high-frequency circuit unit 420 and the audio circuit unit 430 according to a control program stored in the storage unit 103 connected thereto. A receiver 445 and a microphone (hereinafter referred to as a microphone) 440 are connected to the audio circuit unit 430. In the present embodiment, the mobile phone further includes a control unit 1.
02 is connected to the input unit 101 and the display unit 104,
The control unit 102 also controls the high-frequency circuit unit 420 or the audio circuit unit 430 based on the control program according to the input from the input unit 101, and obtains information necessary for communication (the radio wave condition, the telephone number of the other party, the mail address, the reception or E-mail data to be transmitted) or information required by the user of the mobile phone is displayed on the display unit 104 as a display device. In the present embodiment, the display section 104 is configured by a display device in which a liquid crystal display is illuminated by a light emitting body. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, a surface having the display unit 104 is referred to as a front surface, and the opposite side is referred to as a back surface. Also, "up, down, left, right"
Corresponds to the upper, lower, left and right when the mobile phone is in a state where characters can be read correctly when viewed from the front. In FIG. 1, the side having the microphone 440 is defined as the lower side, and the side having the receiver 445 is defined as the upper side.

In this embodiment, the display unit 104 and the input unit 1
01 is provided on the front of the housing 400. Character input is also performed from the input unit 101, and the control unit 102 also performs processing of character input input from the input unit 101. Figure 1
As shown in FIG. 1, the input unit 101 has function keys 101F (including cursor up / down / left / right keys and soft keys) for controlling a display screen and various functions, and dial keys 101N for mainly inputting numerical values and characters. The display unit 104 displays information required by the user of the mobile phone and, at the time of character input, displays input characters and data related to the character input. The storage unit 103 is the control unit 1
02 has an area for storing data relating to character input required.

The transmission of mail and the processing after mail transmission in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
Is a flowchart showing a basic idea of the present embodiment. The specific contents of step S200 are shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. When the user sends an e-mail using the mobile phone of the present embodiment, the function key 10
Operate 1F to enter the mail creation mode, dial key 1
The character data of the mail is input using 01N or the function keys 101F such as cursor keys as needed (step S101 in FIG. 3). When the input of the character data is completed, the user sends an e-mail using the function key 101F (step S102 in FIG. 3). When the transmission of the mail is completed, a message indicating the completion of the transmission of the mail is displayed on the screen of the display unit 104 (step S103 in FIG. 3). FIG. 5 shows an example of the screen at this time.
When the user operates the function key assigned to “confirm” in accordance with the guidance (“confirm” at the bottom of the screen) of the display screen, transmission completion is confirmed, and then a determination step for determining whether to shift to the game mode (FIG. 3) Step S
Go to 104). In step S104, a determination is made as to whether or not the game has been designated. The setting for starting the game is made by environment setting, and is set in advance when the user starts using the e-mail device or before sending an e-mail. This setting is "specified" by default
May be set in advance, and when the user considers that the game function is unnecessary, the setting may be changed to “not specified”.

If it is determined in step S104 that the game has not been designated, the process returns to the initial state of the mail creation function and a menu screen is displayed (step S11 in FIG. 3).
0). If it is determined in step S104 that the game has been started, the game mode is set. In the present embodiment, the game to be activated is the sugoroku game, and the number of eyes on which the dice 320 should go around is shown on the game initial screen (FIG. 6) (step S105). In the present embodiment, FIG.
The character 3 is displayed on the display screen of the display unit 104 as shown in FIG.
00, a course 310 in which the character 300 moves is displayed, and the character 300 is set so as to progress toward the goal while playing various games or the like (hereinafter, events) in the course of the course 310. In the present embodiment, each time a mail is received once, the user can roll the dice once and move forward by the number of eyes.
Mark the place where you have advanced on the map and finish. When receiving the next mail, it starts from the place where it arrived last time.

The course on which the character 300 moves on the display screen of the display unit 104 is as shown in FIG.
When the number of dice eyes is indicated in step S105 and the number of dice eyes is indicated in step S105, the square is moved by the number of eyes indicated by the character 300. Next, it is determined whether or not the goal has been reached by this movement (step S107). If the goal has been reached, a commemorative icon is awarded (step S150). Displays a menu. If the goal has not been reached, the step of determining the presence or absence of the event (step S
Go to 108).

Events are set in some of the squares in the cell 315. If the movement destination of the character 300 is a square where an event is set, step S1 in FIG.
At 08, it is determined that there is an event, and the event is performed (step S108). This event is 315
Is displayed as an icon. Events are set to have different contents according to the frequency of use of e-mails. For example, if the number of e-mails used in the past week is 30 or less, levels 1 and 3
Levels 1 to 70 are classified as level 2 and levels 71 or more are classified as level 3. The higher the level (the higher the numerical value of the level), the more advantageous the user can enjoy the game in a more advantageous state. When it is determined that there is no event, the game is ended with a mark placed at the advanced location, and the process proceeds to step S110 to display a mail menu.

Note that this event is not limited to a game, and includes a "rest", a "return to a number of squares", and the like.
For example, when the sixth roll appears several times in a row, a "rest" event may be hit as shown in FIG. In the case of hitting the "rest" event, the game may be interrupted and the rest may be performed until a predetermined number of mails are received as shown in FIG. In this case, after the transmission completion is confirmed, the screen of FIG. 9 appears instead of the initial screen of FIG. When the number of mail arrivals exceeds a predetermined number, that is, in the case of FIG. 9, the initial screen FIG. 6 is displayed from the third mail. Also, regardless of the number of times,
Take a break until an e-mail comes from a predetermined sender,
A situation specific to the e-mail device may be set as a condition for canceling “rest”. In addition, quizzes, problems related to foreign words such as English words (answering the meaning, selecting the correct word, etc.) and problems related to kanji (answering the reading, selecting the correct kanji, etc.), etc. The rest may be issued when the answer is given within a predetermined time or when the number of correct answers reaches a predetermined number.

In the event screen of step S109, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, by operating a function key corresponding to the guidance 350 at the lower part of the display screen, the display screen is changed or the mode is shifted to a different mode. Can be. The operation at this time will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, “back”, “mail”, and “map”
Guidance is displayed. Step S200 in FIG.
Then, a determination is made as to which of the guidances has been selected. "Back" returns to the previous display screen and "Mail"
Then, the game is stopped and the display shifts to the mail menu display in step S110. In the case of "map", the map shown in FIG. 10 is displayed on the display screen as an event in step S201. When a sub in the guidance in FIG. 10 is selected in this state, a selection screen for selecting the zone description or the wallpaper setting in FIG. 13 is displayed (step S202). When "1" is selected here, FIG.
A screen for explaining the state of the zone as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed (step S203), and the current position of the character 300 on the supper can be known. To return to the game screen from this state, "return" may be operated three times. Step S20
When “2” is selected in 2, the screen in that zone is displayed on the display unit 1.
04 is set as the wallpaper of the display screen (the background of the initial screen and the standby screen) (step S204).

FIG. 11 shows a case where a game is hit at an event.
The development of the game may be varied depending on the user's selection as shown in FIG. When the development of the game is successful, a message of the character 300 may be displayed as shown in FIG. When the event is over, a mark is placed at the place where the event has proceeded, and Sugoroku is finished. The process proceeds to step S110 by selecting “mail” in the guidance, and a mail menu is displayed.

If the user wants to return to the standby screen by sending the next mail or making a phone call even during such a game, the user must operate the function key set as the end key to always display the standby screen. Set to return. This is realized by forced termination by an interrupt or the like. When there is an incoming call, the incoming call is set to priority, and when there is an incoming call during the game, the mode is forcibly switched to the mail or telephone mode. In this case, a setting is made so that the screen returns to the standby screen after the incoming mail or telephone call ends.

In the present embodiment, the game is set to Sugoroku, but the present invention is not limited to this. Give quizzes,
Alternatively, the points may be added by playing a game such as playing cards, and when a certain point is reached, a privilege such as a commemorative icon may be given. This makes it possible to add entertainment to mail transmission that tends to be monotonous.

[0018]

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an e-mail apparatus which can give a user pleasure after sending an e-mail and can promote the use of the e-mail.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an appearance of an electronic mail device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic mail device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a game activation process of the electronic mail device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a map display process during a game of the electronic mail device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a display screen of the electronic mail device according to the first embodiment of the present invention at the time of completion of mail transmission.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing an initial game screen on the display unit of the electronic mail device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a screen of the display unit of the e-mail device according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which a game is in progress.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing a screen in the middle of the game on the display unit of the electronic mail device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing a screen in the middle of the game on the display unit of the electronic mail device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing a screen in the course of the game on the display unit of the electronic mail device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a front view showing a screen in the middle of a game on the display unit of the electronic mail device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a front view showing a screen of the display unit of the e-mail device according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which a game is in progress.

FIG. 13 is a front view showing a screen of the display unit of the e-mail device according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which a game is in progress.

FIG. 14 is a front view showing a screen in the middle of the game on the display unit of the e-mail device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a front view showing a screen of the display unit of the e-mail device according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which a game is in progress.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a basic idea of a game activation process of the electronic mail device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

101: input unit, 102: control unit, 103: storage unit, 1
04: Display section

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 2C001 BA04 BB06 CA02 CB08 CC03 DA06

Claims (7)

[Claims] A control unit for controlling transmission and reception of an electronic mail;
A storage unit for storing data handled by the control unit; an input unit and a display unit connected to the control unit; wherein the storage unit stores a game program and a program for controlling transmission and reception of the e-mail. An electronic mail device, wherein the control unit is configured to be able to start the game program after the transmission of the electronic mail. 2. The storage unit stores the number of times of transmission and reception of e-mails, the program of the game is configured to change the contents according to conditions, and the control unit controls the number of times of transmission and reception of the e-mails as a condition. The electronic mail device according to claim 1, wherein the content of the game is changed. 3. The electronic mail device according to claim 1, wherein whether or not to start the game program can be selected. 4. The electronic mail device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit displays a screen of the game on the display unit after transmitting the electronic mail. 5. A step of transmitting the created e-mail, a step of confirming completion of transmission of the e-mail,
Activating the game program after confirming the completion of the e-mail transmission. 6. A step of transmitting the created e-mail, a step of confirming completion of transmission of the e-mail,
A method for controlling an e-mail device, comprising: activating a game program after confirming completion of e-mail transmission; and changing the content of the game according to the number of e-mail transmissions / receptions. 7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of determining a result of execution of the game program, and a step of displaying the result when the determined result reaches a predetermined reference. 7. The method for controlling an e-mail according to 5 or 6.