JP2008020979A - Attachment file confirmation method for electronic mail system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an attachment file confirmation method enabling an electronic mail user to surely check a mistake in order to prevent the mistake of the attachment file of an electronic mail or the forgetting of the attachment of the attachment file. <P>SOLUTION: This electronic mail system is provided with: a means for making a user to confirm whether or not the absence of the attachment file of an electronic mail is correct and a means for making the user confirm whether or not an erroneous file (a file which is not the latest version or the like) has been attached when there is any attachment file. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an attached file confirmation method for preventing mistakes and forgetting to attach an attached file of an electronic mail.

Conventionally, forgetting to attach an attached file of an e-mail is often noticed immediately after the e-mail is transmitted. In Patent Document 1, an e-mail to be transmitted to an e-mail terminal is temporarily stored and designated time (10 to 10). When 40 seconds) elapses and the transmission time is reached, it is confirmed whether or not transmission is allowed. In Patent Document 2, a check is made with a keyword (for example, “attach file”) that specifies the body of an e-mail, and if it matches the keyword and there is no attached file, the presence or absence of the attached file is confirmed. It was something to be made. However, in Patent Document 1, there is an error in a range that is noticed immediately after sending, and there is a problem that many of attachments are forgotten. Moreover, in patent document 2, there exists a problem that it will be overlooked when the matching keyword is not in the text. In addition, both methods have a problem that they cannot cope with an erroneous attachment file.
JP 2003-223399 A JP 2001-195322 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a method for confirming an attached file that enables an e-mail user to surely check for an error in order to prevent an error or forgetting to attach an e-mail attachment.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, when there is no attached file in the e-mail, a means for confirming whether it is correct or an incorrect file (such as a file that is not the latest version) when there is an attached file It is characterized by comprising means for confirming whether or not it is attached.

  According to the present invention, since an e-mail can be transmitted only with an e-mail terminal after confirming an error or forgotten attachment of an e-mail, it is possible to eliminate an error caused by a sender's assumption or a simple careless mistake. it can.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of an electronic mail terminal according to the present invention. The e-mail terminal 100 searches for an e-mail creating unit 101 that creates (modifies) an e-mail, an e-mail checking unit 102 that confirms whether the attached file of the created e-mail is correct, and a file similar to the attached file. The file search unit 103 includes an e-mail transmission / reception unit 104 connected to the mail server 120, a file storage unit 110, and an e-mail storage unit 111.
FIG. 2 shows an example of a confirmation screen when there is no attached file. The confirmation screen 200 includes a screen title 201 “confirmation of transmission content”, a confirmation message 202, a transmission button 210 and a correction button 211 as user selection buttons for the message 202, an e-mail destination 220, Cc 221, a title 222, It consists of a sender 223, an attached file 224 and transmission contents 230. In the example, each of the destination 220 and the Cc 221 is one transmission destination, but there may be a plurality of destinations. Other than this, there may be Bcc.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of a confirmation screen when there is an attached file. The confirmation screen 300 includes a screen title 301, a confirmation message 302, a send button 310 and a correction button 311 as user selection buttons for the message 302, an e-mail destination 320, Cc 321, a title 322, a sender 323, and an attached file. 324 includes a file 325 similar to the attached file 324 and transmission contents 330. In the example, there is one attached file 324 and similar file 325, but there may be a plurality of files.

  FIG. 4 is an example of an email management table stored in the email terminal 100. The e-mail management table 400 includes e-mail title 401, destination 402, Cc 403, attached file name 404, update date / time 405, and contents 406. In the data 410 as a data example of the e-mail management table 400, the e-mail title 401 is “regular meeting”, the destination 402 is “aaa@xxx.co.jp”, and the Cc 403 is “bbb@yyy.co.jp”. The attached file name 404 is “Agenda 1.doc”, the update date / time 405 is “2006/4/25 12:55”, and the content 406 is “Mr. Tanaka, always take care of me ...”. The same applies to other data.

  FIG. 5 is an example of a file management table stored in the electronic mail terminal 100. The file management table 500 includes a file name 501, a folder name 502, a file size 503, a file type 504, and an update date / time 505. In the data 510 as a data example of the file management table 500, the file name 501 is “Agenda.doc”, the folder name 502 is “c: \ Doc \ aa”, the file size 503 is “35 KB”, and the file type 504 is “Word document”. The update date and time 505 is “2006/4/24 17:27”. The same applies to the other data examples 511 and 512.

  The processing of the present invention will be described according to the attached file confirmation flowchart shown in FIG. The process starts when the user starts creating an email (block 600). The user creates (or modifies) an email using the email creation unit 101 (block 601). The e-mail creating unit 101 also attaches / deletes a file to / from the e-mail. When the creation by the e-mail creating unit 101 is completed, the e-mail confirmation unit 102 confirms whether the attached file of the created e-mail is correct. The e-mail confirmation unit 102 first checks whether or not there is an attached file of the e-mail (block 602). If there is no attachment, go to block 603. In block 603, a confirmation message 200 with no attached file as shown in FIG. 2 is displayed. The user determines whether an attached file is necessary for the email (block 604). If it is determined that an attached file is necessary, the correction button 211 is pressed to return to block 601 to correct the e-mail. On the other hand, if it is determined that the attached file is not necessary, the process goes to block 608 by pressing the send button 210. If it is determined in block 602 that there is an attached file, for example, in the case of email 410, go to block 605.

In block 605, the file search unit 103 searches for a file similar to the attached file 404 of the e-mail 410 from the files stored in the file storage unit 110. Similar is the same document type (the file extension is the same), and the longest matching character string from the beginning of the file name excluding the file extension, or the matching character string from the back of the file name Either the longest file or an attached file or a similar file is included in the other file, and is the longest file. If the matching character string length is less than or equal to the specified character string length, it is determined that there is no similar file. Here, the file whose update date / time is newer than that of the attached file or a file in a specified period before and after the update date / time of the attached file is targeted. As a result of the search, a confirmation message 300 when there is an attached file as shown in FIG. 3 is displayed (block 606). If the user determines that the attached file is wrong, the user presses the correction button 311 to return to block 601 to correct the e-mail. On the other hand, if it is determined that the attached file is correct, go to block 608. In block 608, the e-mail is transmitted to the mail server 120 by the e-mail transmission / reception unit 104. Thereafter, the process ends (block 609).

  In FIG. 3 of the first embodiment, for the attached file 324 and the similar file 325, the file name and update date / time are displayed. In order to notice attachment mistakes, the elapsed time (date) from the update date to the present is displayed instead of the update date. For the elapsed time, the difference between the current date and time and the update date and time 505 may be obtained.

  In the first embodiment, the attached file may be anywhere as the file storage unit 110 in the electronic mail terminal. In the third embodiment, in order to prevent information leakage due to an erroneous attached file and improve search performance, the folder having a file that can be attached to an e-mail is limited to a specific folder name in the file storage unit 110. For example, only a file in the folder name “attached folder” or a file in all lower folders included in the “attached folder” may be attached. A plurality of folders may be designated as the attached folder.

  The present invention can reduce mistakes in an attached file of an e-mail, and is therefore suitable for an e-mail system of a company, a government office or the like in which an error or forgetting to attach an e-mail attachment causes a large loss.

Configuration example of an e-mail terminal. Example of confirmation screen when there is no attached file. An example of a confirmation screen when there is an attached file. An example of an e-mail management table. File management table example. The processing flowchart of attachment file confirmation.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... E-mail terminal 120 ... Mail server 200 ... Confirmation screen when there is no attached file 201 ... Screen title 202 ... Confirmation message 210 ... Send button 211 ... Correction button 300 ... Confirmation screen when there is an attached file

301 ... Screen title 302 ... Confirmation message 310 ... Send button 311 ... Correction button 400 ... Email management table 410 ... Email example 500 ... File management table

Claims (4)

  There are means for creating an e-mail, means for attaching a file to the e-mail, means for displaying a screen for confirming whether there is no attached file before sending the e-mail, and an attached file. In the case where there is an attached file in an e-mail system having means for displaying a screen for confirming whether or not the attached file is correct and means for sending the e-mail, the date and time after the attached file is updated The file name and update date and time of the file with the largest file name match and the same type of file updated during the specified period before and after the date and time when the attachment was updated A method for confirming an attached file, which is displayed for confirmation.   The attached file checking method according to claim 1, wherein an elapsed time (date and time) from the update date and time of the file to the present is displayed instead of the update date and time of the file to be displayed.   2. The attached file checking method according to claim 1, wherein the degree of matching between the attached file name and the file name stored in the e-mail terminal is a matching character string length from the beginning of the file name, excluding the extension, or A method for checking an attached file, characterized in that a matching character string length from the back of the file name, or if any file name is included in another file name, is the character string length of the included file.   2. The attached file checking method according to claim 1, further comprising means for designating a plurality of folders (directories) as a search range of the attached file.

Images