JP2002268993A - Advertisement distribution method utilizing electronic mail and mail server device provided with advertisement distribution function - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To distribute advertisements to many users without requiring user registration and to select whether to distribute advertisements according to the state of individual users at respective times. SOLUTION: When an electronic mail is transmitted from a terminal, an inquiry for confirming the permission of advertisement distribution is sent from a mail server MSV to the portable terminal MS1 of a transmission source. The answer of a transmission source user to this inquiry is judged by the server MSV. When the answer indicates agreement of the advertisement distribution, the server MSV adds an advertisement attachment guide for confirming the permission of the advertisement reception to the electronic mail text and distributes this electronic mail to the portable terminal MS3 of a transmission destination. Then, the transmission destination user returns and answer of agreeing the reception of an advertisement to the advertisement attachment guide, the mail server MSV gives an advertisement distribution instruction to advertiser servers DS1 to DSi, and thereby the advertisement information is distributed to the terminal MS3 of the transmission destination.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an advertisement distribution method for performing advertisement distribution using electronic mail and a mail server device having an advertisement distribution function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, Internet terminals such as personal computers, mobile phones and PDAs (Personal Digital
The transmission and reception of e-mail using portable terminals such as digital assistants) is increasing. Recently, various methods of performing advertisement distribution using the electronic mail have been proposed.

[0003] For example, there is known a method of selecting a distribution target person based on customer data held by an advertiser and distributing an advertisement such as an event or a campaign to the selected customer by e-mail. Also, ask the user to register in advance content of interest, such as living information and ringtones, and notify the user of the address for browsing sites related to these contents by e-mail. Methods for posting advertising information are also being considered.

[0004]

However, all of these conventional methods deliver a dedicated mail on which an advertisement is posted from a site of a company or an advertisement distribution company to users registered in advance. For this reason, advertisement distribution cannot be performed to an unregistered user, and as a result, there is a problem that a distribution target is limited to a specific user. Also, once registered, the advertisement mail will be delivered unconditionally unless a registration cancellation procedure is performed. For this reason, users must receive advertisement emails even when they do not want to deliver advertisements, such as when they are busy,
The process becomes very troublesome.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to increase the advertising effect by distributing advertisements to many users without requiring user registration. It is an object of the present invention to provide an advertisement distribution method and a mail server device provided with an advertisement distribution function, in which it is possible to select whether or not to distribute an advertisement according to the situation of the user at that time.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an electronic mail is transferred from a first user terminal to a second user terminal via a communication network having a mail server function. The first user terminal transmits an e-mail addressed to the second user terminal, the communication network transmits the e-mail to the first user terminal as a transmission source. Send an inquiry message to confirm permission. Then, the user's response to the inquiry message is returned from the first user terminal to the communication network, and when the content of the response agrees with the advertisement distribution,
The advertisement information is distributed from the communication network to a second user terminal to which the e-mail is transmitted.

Therefore, according to the first invention, the user
Advertisement distribution can be performed using a general e-mail transferred between users, thereby enabling advertisement distribution to an unspecified number of users without requiring user registration. . In addition, every time the mail is transmitted, the advertisement is delivered only to the recipient permitted by the sender. For this reason, when it is determined that the advertisement distribution is inappropriate, for example, when an important contact in the business is made by e-mail, the advertisement distribution can be stopped at the will of the sender.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present invention, in a communication network, the first user terminal transmits an e-mail when the content of a response to the inquiry message from the first user terminal agrees with the advertisement distribution. It is also characterized by executing a billing process for discounting the communication fee required for this. In this way, the mail sender can receive a discount on the communication fee every time he agrees with the advertisement distribution. Advertisers can also expect an increase in the number of advertisement distributions.

On the other hand, according to a second aspect of the present invention, when an electronic mail addressed to a second user terminal is sent from a first user terminal, an advertisement for confirming whether or not to receive the advertisement in the electronic mail in a communication network. The message is transmitted to the destination second user terminal including the attached guidance message. Then, the user's response to the advertisement attachment guidance message is returned from the second user terminal to the communication network, and if the content of the response is a request for receiving the advertisement, the advertisement is transmitted from the communication network to the second user terminal. Information is distributed.

Therefore, according to the second aspect, the first aspect
As in the invention of the first aspect, it is possible to widely distribute advertisements to an unspecified number of users without requiring user registration by using general electronic mail transferred between users. . In addition, every time a mail is delivered, advertisement delivery is performed only if the mail recipient permits. For this reason, when it is determined that the advertisement reception is inappropriate, for example, during travel or during a meeting, the advertisement distribution can be refused according to the recipient's own will. Therefore, the annoyance of the mail recipient due to the advertisement distribution is reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, the information inserted or added to the electronic mail transferred between the users is only the advertisement attachment guide message, and the main body of the advertisement information is transferred to the receiving user terminal by another mail or packet. For this reason, the size of the e-mail can be kept small, and the memory for storing the received e-mail provided in the user terminal can be effectively used. This effect is extremely important for a terminal such as a portable terminal, which has a difficulty in providing a large-capacity memory.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the communication network, when the content of the reply returned from the second user terminal of the transmission destination agrees with the reception of the advertisement, the second user terminal transmits the electronic mail. It is also characterized in that a process for discounting a communication fee required for reception is executed. In this way, each time the advertisement is received, the mail receiver can receive a discount on the communication fee. Advertisers can also expect an increase in the number of advertisement distributions.

Further, the mail server device according to the present invention comprises a user information storage means for storing user attribute information, an advertisement information storage means for storing a list of advertisement information corresponding to the attribute information, and an advertisement selection means. Is further provided. Then, the advertisement selecting means selects the first
Reading attribute information of the destination user from the user information storage means based on the destination address of the e-mail received from the user terminal, and selecting advertisement information corresponding to the attribute information from the advertisement information storage means. And

[0014] With this configuration, advertisement information suitable for the mail transmission destination terminal user is selected and distributed based on the attribute information of the user. For this reason, according to the attributes of the mail transmission destination user, such as gender, age, occupation, and hobbies and preferences, advertisement information that is highly likely to be of interest to the user is distributed to the transmission destination user terminal. Higher advertising effectiveness can be expected for the Lord.

Further, the server device according to the present invention comprises: a user information storage unit for storing user attribute information; an advertisement type storage unit for storing a type of advertisement information corresponding to the attribute information; and an advertisement type selection unit. Furthermore, the advertisement type selection means reads attribute information of the destination user from the user information storage means based on the destination address of the received e-mail, and classifies the advertisement information to be distributed based on the attribute information. Is selected from the advertisement type storage means. Then, in the mail sending means, an advertisement attachment guidance message including the notification information of the type selected by the advertisement type selection means is created, and the advertisement attachment guidance message is included in the electronic mail received from the first user terminal. It is also characterized in that transmission is performed to a second user terminal of a transmission destination.

With such a configuration, the type of the advertisement information suitable for the user to which the mail is sent is selected based on the attribute information of the terminal user to which the mail is sent, and information for notifying the selected type is attached to the advertisement. It is inserted into the guidance message and notified to the destination user. For this reason, the transmission destination user can know the type of the advertisement information to be distributed when viewing the advertisement attachment guidance message, for example, the type of business or the type of product,
This makes it possible to accurately determine whether or not to accept the advertisement.

[0017]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a communication system for explaining an embodiment of an advertisement distribution method and a mail server according to the present invention, and NW indicates a communication network.

This communication network NW has a PSTN
(Public Switched Telephone Network) and ISDN (I
Wired public telephone network consisting of an integrated service digital network and a mobile phone network or PHS (Personal Handyph)
One System), a computer network represented by the Internet, and CATV (Ca
ble Television) network.

The mobile communication network of the communication network NW includes a mobile terminal MS1 via radio base stations BS1 to BSn.
To MSm are connected. These mobile terminals MS1-MS
m is a mobile phone or PDA (Personal Digital Assis)
tants), each of which has the function of sending and receiving e-mail. In addition, personal computers PC1 to PCk used by general users and advertiser servers DS1 to DSi used by advertisers or advertising agencies are connected to the wired public telephone network or CATV network of the communication network NW, respectively. . These personal computers PC
1 to PCk and the advertiser servers DS1 to DSi also have an e-mail transmission / reception function.

Further, a mail server MSV is installed in the communication network NW. The mail server MSV receives and temporarily stores the e-mail transmitted from the terminal, and sends an incoming notification to the destination terminal. Then, when a mail reception request arrives from the destination terminal in response to the incoming notification,
The e-mail is transferred to the destination terminal. In addition,
The mail server MSV is installed in the communication network for each carrier or for each provider, but can be provided outside the communication network NW as shown in the figure.

The mail server MSV is configured as follows. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration. The mail server MSV includes a main control unit (CPU) 11
The CPU 11 is connected to the CPU 11 via a bus 12.
A program memory 13, a network interface (network I / F) 14, a data memory 15,
External interfaces (I / F) 16 are connected to each other.

First, the network I / F 14
It sends and receives e-mails to and from the communication network NW. External I
The / F 16 transmits / receives control data relating to charging processing to / from a charging apparatus (not shown) provided in a carrier in the communication network NW or a management center of the provider.

The data memory 15 includes, in addition to an area for storing data necessary for the original operation of the mail server such as an e-mail storage area, a user information database 15a,
An advertiser information database 15b is provided. In the user information database 15a, user attribute information is stored in association with the mail address of each user who has registered and joined the carrier. The attribute information is composed of a plurality of components such as a user's name, gender, age, address, occupation, and taste.

The advertiser information database 15b stores, in association with the address of an advertisement distribution web page established in the advertiser servers DS1 to DSi, distribution advertisement type information indicating an industry type and a product type, and advertiser information. Attribute information of a user desired as a distribution target is stored.

On the other hand, the program memory 13 includes a transmission permission / rejection confirmation control program 13a, a reception permission / rejection confirmation control program 13b, and a program for realizing the advertisement distribution function according to the present invention, in addition to a normal electronic mail distribution control program. A distribution control program 13c and a charge discount processing program 13d are stored.

The transmission permission / refusal confirmation control program 13a transmits an inquiry message for confirming permission / prohibition of advertisement distribution to the transmission source user terminal when an electronic mail arrives from the user terminal. Then, it is determined whether the response from the transmission source user terminal to the inquiry message is one that agrees with or rejects the advertisement distribution.

The reception permission / non-permission confirmation control program 13b adds an advertisement attachment guide message to the body of an e-mail received from the user terminal when the transmission source user terminal agrees with the advertisement distribution, and transmits the e-mail to the destination user. Sent in response to a mail reception request from the terminal. Then, it is determined whether the response from the transmission destination user terminal to the advertisement attachment guidance message is one that has agreed or rejected the reception of the advertisement.

When the answer from the destination user terminal to the above-mentioned advertisement attachment guidance message agrees with the reception of the advertisement, the advertisement distribution control program 13c uses the user information database 15a based on the mail address of the destination user terminal. From the attribute information of the destination user. Then, based on this attribute information, the address of the advertiser desiring to deliver an advertisement suitable for the destination user is selectively read out from the advertiser information database 15b, and based on this address, the corresponding advertiser server DS1-DSi
To transfer the advertisement information described on the advertisement distribution web page to the transmission destination user terminal.

In response to the inquiry by the transmission permission / refusal confirmation control program 13a, the charging discount processing program 13d reduces the communication charge of the e-mail transmitted by the transmission source user terminal when the transmission source user agrees to the advertisement distribution. The charge control data is output to the charge processing device in the management center in order to reduce the charge or to charge the charge free. Also,
In response to the advertisement attachment guidance by the reception permission / non-permission confirmation control program 13ba, if the transmission destination user agrees to the advertisement distribution, the communication fee required for the transmission destination user terminal to receive the e-mail is reduced by a fixed rate. Alternatively, the charge control data is output to the charge processing device in the management center so as to be free.

Next, an advertisement distribution method implemented in the system configured as described above will be described. Here, a case where the user of the portable terminal MS1 transmits an e-mail to the user of the portable terminal MS3 will be described as an example.

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing a data transfer procedure among the source portable terminal MS1, the destination portable terminal MS3, the mail server MSV, and the advertiser server DS1, and FIGS. It is a flowchart which shows the advertisement distribution control procedure in the mail server MSV, and the control content.

First, the user of the portable terminal MS1 creates an e-mail addressed to the user of the portable terminal MS3 by operating the input keys while looking at the LCD display at his / her own terminal (step 3a). And when the creation is finished,
This e-mail is transmitted to the communication network NW. This e-mail is transferred to the mail server MSV in the communication network NW via the radio base station BS1.

The mail server MSV monitors the arrival of e-mail in step 4a in the standby state as shown in FIG. In this state, when an e-mail arrives from the portable terminal MS1, the mail server MSV first stores the e-mail in the data memory 15. Next, in step 4b, an inquiry message for confirming permission / inhibition of the advertisement distribution to the transmission source user is created, and this inquiry message is transmitted to the transmission source portable terminal MS1 by e-mail.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a sentence "Would you like to attach an advertisement? If you attach an advertisement, this transmission fee will be free." And soft buttons "OK" and "OK" for inputting an answer. An inquiry message consisting of "NO" is created, and this inquiry message is sent to the portable terminal MS1 of the transmission source.

When the above inquiry message arrives from the mail server MSV at the source portable terminal MS1,
This inquiry message is displayed on the LCD display. In this state, the transmitting user presses the soft button “O”
When either one of K and "NO" is selected and the confirmation operation is performed, an answer message is created by the mobile terminal MS1, and the answer message is returned to the mail server MSV.

After transmitting the inquiry message, the mail server MSV monitors the return of the answer message in step 4c. When the response message is returned in this state, it is determined in step 4d whether the content of the response is one that has agreed to or has rejected the advertisement distribution. If the user agrees with the advertisement distribution, the process shifts to step 4e to add an advertisement attachment guidance message to the end of the e-mail text previously received from the mobile terminal MS1 and stored in the data memory 15. Then, in step 4h, a mail arrival notification is sent to the destination portable terminal MS3 based on the destination address included in the electronic mail.

Before the mail arrival notification, the mail server MSV creates charging control data for freeing the current mail transmission fee by the transmission source portable terminal MS1 in step 4f, and generates the charging control data. Is the external I
/ F16 notifies a charging device (not shown).

If the sender's response to the inquiry message is to reject the advertisement distribution, the mail server MSV proceeds to step 4g and instructs the billing device to perform normal billing processing. Then, in step 4h, a mail arrival notification is sent to the portable terminal MS3 of the transmission destination.

Now, suppose that the user of the portable terminal MS3 of the transmission destination performs an operation for receiving a mail in response to the mail arrival notification. Then, an e-mail reception request is transmitted from mobile terminal MS3 to mail server MSV. On the other hand, when the mail server MSV detects the arrival of the e-mail reception request in step 5a as shown in FIG. 5, the process proceeds to step 5b. Then, the e-mail with the advertisement attachment guidance message created in step 4e is transmitted to the requesting portable terminal MS3.

When the portable terminal MS3 receives the electronic mail addressed to itself, the electronic mail is displayed on the LCD display. At this time, the advertisement attachment guidance message is added to the e-mail text, and the advertisement attachment guidance message is displayed following the e-mail text in response to the user's scroll operation.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the display result. In this example, as an advertisement attachment guidance message, an advertisement is attached to this e-mail, and if it is received, the current e-mail reception fee is free. Is displayed, and the soft buttons "OK" and "NO" are displayed.

In this state, when the user of the portable terminal MS3 selects one of the soft buttons "OK" and "NO" and performs a confirming operation, an answer message is created by the portable terminal MS3 and the answer message is created. Returned to mail server MSV.

After transmitting the advertisement attachment guide message, the mail server MSV determines in step 5c whether or not the electronic mail has an advertisement. If the electronic mail has an advertisement, the mail server MSV responds in step 5d from the destination user. Watch for message bounces. Then, when the reply message is returned in this state, it is determined in step 5d whether the reply content is the one that has agreed to the reception of the advertisement or the one that has rejected the advertisement. If the user agrees with the advertisement distribution, the process proceeds to step 5e, where the advertisement distribution control is executed as follows.

That is, based on the mail address of the user of the portable terminal MS3 of the transmission destination, the attribute information of the user is read from the user information database 15a. Next, based on this attribute information, the address of the advertiser desiring to distribute an advertisement suitable for the portable terminal user of the transmission destination is selectively read from the advertiser information database 15b. Then, based on the address of the advertiser, the corresponding advertiser servers DS1 to DSi are accessed to instruct transmission of advertisement information. For this reason, the advertiser servers DS1 to DSi transmit their advertisement information described on the advertisement distribution web page to the portable terminal MS3 of the transmission destination. This advertisement information is transmitted by e-mail or packet.

The advertisement information transmitted from the advertiser servers DS1 to DSi is transmitted to the destination portable terminal MS3 via the communication network NW and displayed on its LCD display. FIG. 9 shows an example of the display result.

After finishing the above-mentioned advertisement distribution control, the mail server MSV proceeds to step 5f, where it creates charging control data for making the current mobile terminal MS3 receive the mail free of charge this time. The charging control data is notified from the external I / F 16 to a charging device (not shown).

If the destination user's response to the advertisement attachment guide message refuses to receive the advertisement, the mail server MSV proceeds to step 5g, where the normal charge processing is performed for the charging apparatus. Instruct.

In the advertisement distribution control, when the attribute of the destination user is not registered in the user information database 15a, or the advertiser corresponding to the attribute information of the destination user is registered in the advertiser information database 15b. If not, an advertiser that distributes the advertisement information for all is selected, and the advertiser server is instructed to distribute the advertisement information. Furthermore, when a plurality of advertisers corresponding to the attribute information of the transmission destination user are registered, the advertiser with the least number of selections is selected in order to make the distribution results among these advertisers fair, When the selection priority is set in advance for the advertiser, the selection is performed according to this priority.

As described above, in this embodiment, when an electronic mail addressed to another mobile terminal MS3 is transmitted from the mobile terminal MS1, the mail server MSV determines whether or not to permit the advertisement distribution to the mobile terminal MS1 of the transmission source. An inquiry message for confirmation is sent, and the response of the sender user to this inquiry is determined by the mail server MSV. Then, if the answer result is that the user agrees with the advertisement distribution, the mail server MSV adds an advertisement attachment guidance message for confirming whether or not to receive the advertisement to the body of the previous e-mail, and sends this e-mail to the destination of the transmission. Deliver to mobile terminal MS3. Then, when the transmission destination user returns a reply to the advertisement attachment guide that agrees with the reception of the advertisement, the mail server M
The SV issues an advertisement distribution instruction to the advertiser servers DS1 to DSi, thereby distributing the advertisement information to the portable terminal MS3 of the transmission destination.

[0050] Therefore, it is possible to perform advertisement distribution using general e-mail transferred between the user terminals, whereby an unspecified number of users can be obtained without requiring user registration for advertisement distribution. Can be delivered. Therefore, the advertising effect can be enhanced.

[0051] Also, advertisement distribution is performed only to the recipient to whom the mail sender has agreed. For this reason, when it is determined that the advertisement distribution is inappropriate, for example, when an important contact in the business is made by e-mail, the advertisement distribution can be stopped at the will of the sender.

Further, the advertisement distribution is performed only when the mail recipient agrees. For this reason, when it is determined that the advertisement reception is inappropriate, for example, during travel or during a meeting, the advertisement distribution can be refused according to the recipient's own will. Therefore, you can prevent unconditional delivery of ads,
Thereby, the trouble received by the mail recipient is reduced.

Further, in the above embodiment, when the advertisement is delivered, the mail server MSV uses the attribute information of the destination user registered in the user information database 15a and the information registered in the advertiser information database 15b. Then, an advertiser corresponding to the attribute information of each user is selected, and the advertisement information is distributed from the advertiser servers DS1 to DSi. For this reason, the advertisement information that is highly likely to be of interest to the user at the transmission destination is automatically selected and distributed, thereby achieving more effective advertisement distribution for both the advertiser and the user.

Further, in the present embodiment, only the advertisement attachment guide message is added to the electronic mail transferred between the users, and the advertisement information is transferred to the destination user terminal by another mail or packet. For this reason, the size of the e-mail transferred between the users can be reduced.
Therefore, it is possible to store a large number of received mails in the mail storage memory of the user terminal, whereby the storage area can be effectively used. This effect
This is particularly important for terminals such as the mobile terminals MS1 to MSm, which have difficulty in having a large-capacity memory.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, when creating the message attached to the advertisement, the user of the transmission destination may be interested in based on the attribute information of the user registered in the user information database 15a and the advertiser information registered in the advertiser information database 15b. It is preferable to determine the type of advertisement such as the type of business or the type of product having a high possibility of having the information, and to include information indicating the type of advertisement in the advertisement attachment guidance message. FIG. 8 shows an example of the advertisement attachment guidance message created in this manner. In this example, “travel agency” is inserted as the advertisement type.

By doing so, the destination user can know the type of advertisement information to be distributed, for example, the type of business or the product, when viewing the advertisement attachment guidance message, and thereby receive the advertisement. Can be accurately determined.

In the above-described embodiment, the advertisement attachment guidance message is added to the blank portion of the body of the e-mail arriving from the portable terminal MS1 as the transmission source. However, if the size of the blank portion of the e-mail text is determined and it is determined that there is no room to add the advertisement attachment guidance message, the advertisement attachment guidance message may be added as an attached file.

Further, for example, a normal type, a detailed type, and a simple type are prepared for the advertisement attachment guidance message, and a message that can be added is selected from these types according to the size of the margin of the e-mail text and added. You may make it. Furthermore, the attachment position of the advertisement attachment guidance message may be inserted at the beginning of the e-mail text or in the text.

In the above embodiment, the discount accounting process is separately performed for the transmission source user and the transmission destination user. However, transmission is performed only when both the transmission source user and the transmission destination user agree to the advertisement distribution. The discount charging process may be performed on the original user and the transmission destination user.
Further, a difference may be provided in the discount fee between a case where only the transmission source user agrees with the advertisement distribution and a case where both the transmission source user and the transmission destination user agree with the advertisement distribution. Further, a questionnaire may be attached to the distributed advertising information, and when the user answers the questionnaire, the discount rate or the discount amount of the mail reception fee may be further increased.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the permission of the advertisement distribution or the permission of the advertisement reception is separately confirmed for the transmission source user and the transmission destination user. However, it is also possible to confirm only one of them. Good.

In the above embodiment, the mail server MS
In V, the response of the transmission destination user to the advertisement attachment guidance message is determined, and if the user agrees to receive the advertisement, the advertiser is selected and the server DS1 to DSi is instructed to distribute the advertisement information. However, it is not limited to this.

For example, an address for accessing the advertisement distribution homepage of the advertiser servers DS1 to DSi is attached to the advertisement attachment guide message, and the message is transmitted to the destination portable terminal MS3. Then, the portable terminal MS of the transmission destination
When the user selects "OK" in step 3, the mobile terminal MS3 may directly access the advertisement distribution homepage of the advertiser server according to the above address. In this way, the time required for advertisement distribution can be reduced, and the processing load on the mail server MSV can be reduced.

In this distribution method, when selecting the address of the advertiser server to be attached to the advertisement attachment guidance message, the attribute information of the user registered in the user information database 15a and the attribute information of the user registered in the advertiser information database 15b are selected. Based on the advertiser information, an advertiser is selected according to the attribute of the transmission destination user. In this way, it is possible to distribute advertisement information that is highly likely to be of interest to the destination user.

On the other hand, an advertisement information database is provided in the data memory 15 of the mail server MSV, and the advertiser server DS
1 to DSi or advertising information is collected from an advertising agency server (not shown) and stored in the advertising information database in advance. Then, in response to the advertisement attachment guidance message, if the destination user has returned a response to the effect of agreeing to receive the advertisement, the advertisement information corresponding to the attribute of the destination user is selectively read from the advertisement information database, You may make it download to the portable terminal MS3 of a transmission destination user.

In addition, the installation location of the mail server, its configuration and function, the type and configuration of the user terminal, the type and configuration of the communication network, and the like are variously modified without departing from the scope of the present invention. it can.

[0066]

As described in detail above, in the present invention, the first
When the user terminal transmits an e-mail addressed to the second user terminal, the communication network transmits an inquiry message for confirming whether or not the advertisement distribution is permitted to the first user terminal as the transmission source. Then, the user's response to the inquiry message is returned from the first user terminal to the communication network, and if the content of the response agrees with the advertisement distribution, the communication network sends the e-mail to the The advertisement information is distributed to the second user terminal.

When an electronic mail addressed to the second user terminal is sent from the first user terminal, the electronic mail includes an advertisement attachment guide message for confirming whether or not to receive the advertisement in the electronic mail. Destination 2
To the user terminal. Then, the user's response to the advertisement attachment guidance message is returned from the second user terminal to the communication network, and if the content of the response is a request for receiving the advertisement, the advertisement is transmitted from the communication network to the second user terminal. Information is distributed.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to distribute advertisements to many users without requiring user registration, thereby increasing the advertisement effect, and distributing advertisements according to the situation of each user at each time. It is possible to provide an advertisement distribution method and a mail server device having an advertisement distribution function capable of selecting whether or not to perform.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a communication system for implementing an advertisement distribution method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a mail server in the system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a signal transmission sequence among a portable terminal of a sending user, a mail server, a portable terminal of a receiving user, and an advertiser site in the system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the first half of the procedure and contents of the advertisement distribution control by the mail server shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the second half of the procedure and contents of the advertisement distribution control by the mail server shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an inquiry message sent from the mail server to the portable terminal of the sending user.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an advertisement attachment guidance message sent from a mail server to a receiving user.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of the advertisement attachment guidance message sent from the mail server to the receiving user.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an advertisement sent from an advertiser site to a receiving user.

[Explanation of symbols]

NW communication network BS1 to BSn base station MS1 to MSm mobile terminal PC1 to PCk personal computer DS1 to DSi advertiser server MSV mail server 11 main control unit (CPU) 12 bus 13 program memory 13a ... Transmission permission confirmation control program 13b ... Advertised mail distribution control program 13c ... Reception permission confirmation control program 13d ... Advertiser access control program 13e ... Charge discount processing program 14 ... Network interface (network I /
F) 15 ... database 15a ... user information database 15b ... advertiser database 16 ... external interface (external I / F)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI theme coat ゛ (reference) H04M 11/00 303 H04M 11/00 303 15/00 15/00 Z F term (reference) 5K015 AB01 5K024 AA77 CC11 5K025 AA08 BB10 GG10 5K030 HA06 HC01 HC09 JT09 KA01 KA06 5K101 KK02 KK18 LL12 MM07 PP03 QQ07 RR19 TT06

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An advertisement distribution method used in a system for transferring an e-mail from a first user terminal to a second user terminal via a communication network having a mail server function, wherein the first user terminal Transmitting an e-mail addressed to the second user terminal to the communication network; and the communication network accepting or rejecting the advertisement distribution to the first user terminal of the transmission source in response to the arrival of the e-mail. Transmitting an inquiry message for confirming the following: at the first user terminal, when the user inputs an answer to the inquiry message, returning the answer to the communication network by the first user terminal Determining the contents of an answer to the inquiry message in the communication network , If the content of the answer was agree to serve ads, how advertisement distribution characterized by comprising a step of distributing advertisement information to the second user terminal the an electronic mail destination. 2. In the communication network, if a content of an answer to the inquiry message agrees with advertisement delivery, a first user terminal discounts a communication fee required for transmitting the electronic mail. 2. The advertisement distribution method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: 3. An advertisement distribution method used in a system for transferring an e-mail from a first user terminal to a second user terminal via a communication network having a mail server function, wherein the first user terminal is provided. Transmitting an e-mail addressed to the second user terminal to the communication network; and attaching the advertisement to the e-mail sent from the first user terminal to confirm whether or not to receive the advertisement. Transmitting the e-mail including the guidance message to the second user terminal of the transmission destination; and, when the user inputs a response to the advertisement attachment guidance message at the second user terminal, Returning to the communication network; and returning from the destination second user terminal in the communication network. Determining the content of the answer; and distributing the advertising information to the second user terminal when the content of the returned answer agrees with the reception of the advertisement. Ad serving method. 4. In the communication network, if the content of the reply returned from the second user terminal agrees with the reception of the advertisement, the second user terminal is required to receive the e-mail. 4. The advertisement distribution method according to claim 3, further comprising a step of executing a process for discounting the communication fee. 5. An advertisement distribution method used in a system for transferring an electronic mail from a first user terminal to a second user terminal via a communication network having a mail server function, wherein the first user terminal is provided. Transmitting an e-mail addressed to a second user terminal to the communication network, and the communication network determines whether or not to permit transmission of the advertisement to the first user terminal of the transmission source in response to the arrival of the e-mail. Transmitting an inquiry message for confirmation; and, at the first user terminal, when a user inputs an answer to the inquiry message, returning the answer to the communication network by the first user terminal. Determining, in the communication network, the content of an answer to the inquiry message; When the contents of the reply agree with the advertisement distribution, the electronic mail transmitted from the first user terminal is transmitted, including an advertisement attachment guidance message for confirming whether or not to accept the advertisement. Transmitting the answer to the advertisement attachment guidance message at the second user terminal, and returning the answer to the communication network when the user inputs the answer to the advertisement attachment guidance message; Delivering the advertisement information to the second user terminal when the content of the answer agrees with the reception of the advertisement. 6. An electronic mail provided in a communication network, the electronic mail transmitted by the first user terminal being received and temporarily stored,
The e-mail is sent to the second destination according to the destination address.
A mail server device for transmitting to the first user terminal, an inquiry means for transmitting an inquiry message for confirming whether or not the advertisement distribution is permitted to the first user terminal of the transmission source in response to the arrival of the electronic mail; A determination unit for determining the content of the response when the response to the inquiry message is returned from the first user terminal; and the determination unit determines that the content of the response agrees with the advertisement distribution. In this case, the mail server device further includes an advertisement distribution control unit that distributes advertisement information to a second user terminal to which the electronic mail is transmitted. 7. A process for discounting a communication fee required for the first user terminal to send the e-mail when the content of the answer to the inquiry message agrees with the advertisement distribution. 7. The mail server device according to claim 6, further comprising charging discount instruction means for instructing the network. 8. An electronic mail provided in a communication network, the electronic mail transmitted by the first user terminal being received and temporarily stored,
The e-mail is sent to the second destination according to the destination address.
A mail server device for transmitting to the user terminal of the second user, wherein the electronic mail received from the first user terminal includes an advertisement attachment guidance message for confirming whether to accept the advertisement, and the second user of the transmission destination of the electronic mail Mail sending means for sending to the terminal; determining means for determining the content of the reply when a reply to the advertisement attachment guidance message is returned from the second user terminal of the transmission destination; A mail server device comprising: advertisement distribution control means for distributing advertisement information to a second user terminal of a transmission destination when it is determined that the content agrees with the reception of the advertisement. 9. When the content of the reply returned from the second user terminal is that which agrees with the reception of the advertisement, the second
9. The mail server device according to claim 8, further comprising a charge discount instructing unit that instructs the communication network to perform a process for discounting a communication fee required for the user terminal to receive the electronic mail. . 10. User information storage means for storing user attribute information, advertisement information storage means for storing a list of advertisement information corresponding to the attribute information, and the user based on a destination address of the received e-mail. Reading the attribute information of the destination user from the information storage means,
9. An advertisement selection means for selecting advertisement information corresponding to the attribute information from the advertisement information storage means and notifying the advertisement distribution control means.
The mail server device as described. 11. A user information storage unit for storing user attribute information, an advertisement type storage unit for storing the type of advertisement information corresponding to the attribute information, and a destination address included in the received e-mail. An advertisement type selection unit that reads attribute information of a transmission destination user from the user information storage unit and selects a type of advertisement information to be distributed from the advertisement type storage unit based on the attribute information; The mail transmitting means creates an advertisement attachment guidance message including the notification information of the type selected by the advertisement type selection means, includes the advertisement attachment guidance message in an e-mail received from the first user terminal, and 9. The mail server device according to claim 8, wherein the mail is transmitted to a second user terminal of the transmission destination.