JP2009193104A - Electronic mail transfer system, server device, electronic mail transfer method, program and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic mail transfer system by which, when any change is made in information on constituent members of a mailing list, an electronic mail is transferred by using the mailing list in consideration of the change in the information and in such a manner to meet the purpose of the mailing list. <P>SOLUTION: This electronic mail transfer system is provided with: a first server for storing mail address information and category information; and a second server for transferring electronic mail from a sender to each mail address of a mailing list. The first server is provided with an address information storage means for storing the category information by associating it with the mail address information, and the second server is provided with a condition setting means for setting simultaneous distribution conditions by the mailing list by using the category information; and a transfer control means for comparing the conditions set by the condition setting means with information in the address information storage means before transferring the electronic mail to each mail address of the mailing list, and for controlling the transfer of the electronic mail based on the comparison result. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an e-mail transfer system, a server device, an e-mail transfer method, a program, and a recording medium, and more particularly to a technique that is preferably applied to appropriately distribute e-mail to each mail address registered in a mailing list. Is.

  In recent years, e-mail has become established as a communication means that can be easily used. The sender of an e-mail usually transmits an e-mail by specifying a known e-mail address of the other party, and the other party receives the e-mail of the sender via a mail server. The other party who received the e-mail identifies the sender by the received e-mail, and replies as necessary to exchange e-mails.

  And as an e-mail system, a mailing list that sends e-mails addressed to this mailing list to all addresses registered in the database using a database that records e-mail addresses of specific people called mailing lists The system is known. In the mailing list system, normally, when a sender sends an e-mail by specifying a mailing list destination, the mailing list server sends the e-mail to a destination registered in the specified list. The e-mail is transferred to the registered mailing list member.

  In general, information attached to an e-mail address is information of a person who owns the e-mail address, such as name, address, telephone number, and work place, and is often managed. In many cases, the information is used to create a mailing list. On the other hand, the information of individuals who own email addresses registered in the mailing list is fluid, and when the information changes, considering the purpose of the list, those who have changed the information should be removed from the mailing list In some cases. However, in such a case, due to a delay in the response of the administrator or a delay in the mailing list change instruction, the mail is often not sent from the mailing list and mail is not sent to the mailing list registration target. This will cause information leakage.

  By the way, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a mailing list delivery control method capable of appropriately controlling delivery of an electronic mail sent to a plurality of mailing lists. In the mailing list delivery control method, the mailing list server receives e-mails sent to multiple mailing lists from the external network connection unit, and the analysis unit analyzes the inclusion relation between the destination mailing lists of the received e-mails based on the mailing list information. Then, the received email is processed by the mail processing unit, and the delivery processing of the received email is controlled by the delivery processing unit.

Further, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a member management method in which a personal information database and a mail server are linked to each other and when one is updated, the other is automatically updated. In the member management method, when the mail address of one member of the organization member is updated, the mailing list manager terminal notifies the personal information database of the change of the mail address, and the cooperation control unit responds to the notification. The mail address update information from the personal information database is transmitted to the mail server, and the mailing list of a plurality of organization members involved in one member in the mail server is updated.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-163921 JP 2002-26962 A

The mailing list delivery control method disclosed in Patent Document 1 is for dealing with the inconvenience caused by overlapping list members when a plurality of mailing lists are used simultaneously. Further, the member management method disclosed in Patent Document 2 is for reducing the work load related to data update and data reference of mail servers and personal information databases that have been distributed and managed. In other words, the techniques according to both documents cannot cope with continuous mail transmission to mail addresses that are not subject to mailing list registration due to delays in the mailing list manager's response or list change instructions.
The information of individuals who own email addresses registered in the mailing list is fluid, and when the information changes, there are cases in which the person whose information has changed should be removed from the mailing list, considering the purpose of the list. . However, in such a case, due to a delay in the response of the administrator or a delay in the mailing list change instruction, the mail is often not sent from the mailing list and mail is not sent to the mailing list registration target. This will cause information leakage.

  Therefore, in view of the circumstances described above, the present invention provides an e-mail that uses a mailing list in a form that matches the purpose of the mailing list when the information of the members of the mailing list changes. An object of the present invention is to provide an e-mail transfer system or the like that can perform the transfer.

  In order to achieve such an object, an electronic mail transfer system according to the present invention includes a first server that holds user information including mail address information, and a second server that transfers an electronic mail from a sender to each mail address of a mailing list. The first server has address information storage means for storing category information representing a category of user attributes among user information in association with mail address information. The second server uses the category information to set conditions for simultaneous delivery by the mailing list, and the conditions and addresses set by the condition setting means before transferring the e-mail to each mail address on the mailing list. Compares the information in the information storage means, and controls the transfer of email based on the comparison result. Having a control means.

  The server device of the present invention constitutes an e-mail transfer system together with a first server having address information storage means for holding user information including e-mail address information, and an e-mail from the sender is assigned to each e-mail address of the mailing list. A server device for forwarding, condition setting means for setting conditions for simultaneous delivery by mailing list using category information representing a category of user attributes among user information, and before transferring an email to each mail address of the mailing list The transfer control means for comparing the conditions set by the condition setting means with the information in the address information storage means for storing the category information in association with the mail address information, and controlling the transfer of the e-mail based on the comparison result And having.

  The electronic mail transfer method of the present invention includes a first server that holds user information including mail address information, and a second server that transfers an electronic mail from a sender to each mail address on the mailing list. An e-mail transfer method in the configured e-mail transfer system, the first server having an address information storage step for storing category information representing a category of user attributes among user information in association with mail address information. In the second server, the condition setting step for setting the conditions for simultaneous delivery by mailing list using category information, and the condition and address set in the condition setting step before transferring the e-mail to each mail address of the mailing list Compare with the information stored in the information storage step and based on the comparison result Having a transfer control step of controlling transfer of e-mail.

  The program of the present invention includes a first server that holds user information including mail address information, and a second server that transfers an email from the sender to each mail address on the mailing list. A program used in an e-mail transfer system, wherein a first server causes a computer to realize an address information storage function for storing category information representing a category of user attributes among user information in association with mail address information. In 2 servers, a condition setting function for setting conditions for simultaneous delivery by mailing list using category information, and a condition and address information storage function set by the condition setting function before transferring an e-mail to each mail address in the mailing list Compare with the information stored by and based on the comparison result To achieve the transfer control function of performing transfer control of the electronic mail, to the computer.

  The recording medium of the present invention is a computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded.

  According to the present invention, when a change occurs in the information of a member of a mailing list, it is possible to transfer an e-mail using the mailing list in a form that matches the purpose of the mailing list, taking into account the change of the information. It becomes.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic mail transfer system to which the present invention is applied has a first server 2 having address information storage means 3 and a second server 4 having condition setting means 5 and transfer control means 6. Configured. The address information storage means 3 stores category information representing a category of user attributes in association with user mail address information. The condition setting means 5 sets conditions for performing simultaneous delivery using a mailing list using category information. The transfer control means 6 compares the conditions (category information) set by the condition setting means 5 with the information (category information) in the address information storage means 3 before transferring the e-mail to each mail address on the mailing list, Based on the comparison result, the mail transfer to the mail address is controlled.

  The transfer control means 6 may be configured to operate as follows. That is, when receiving a mail transmission from the e-mail sender 7 to the mailing list, the transfer control means 6 accesses the address information storage means 3 to check the category information of each mail address registered in the mailing list. When the category information of each mail address matches the category information set as the mailing list condition, the transfer control means 6 transfers the email to the email address of the matching email recipient 8. On the other hand, if they do not match, the e-mail is not transferred to the e-mail address, and this is notified to the e-mail sender 7.

  In addition, the condition setting means 5 may be configured to specify category information and set conditions for simultaneous delivery by the mailing list at the time of creating the mailing list, and hold the mailing list information with the condition set. Further, the condition setting means 5 may be configured to set the conditions for simultaneous delivery by the mailing list by combining the category information, and to update each time the conditions are set.

  In the present invention, as a result of the change of the user information of the constituent members of the mailing list, when the user information is out of the purpose of the mailing list, that is, when it does not meet the conditions of the mailing list, Do not forward email to email addresses. As a result, it is possible to perform simultaneous delivery that matches the purpose of the mailing list, and to effectively prevent information leakage.

  The embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of the mail transfer operation in the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining mail transfer using a mailing list in the present embodiment. Each flow in FIG. 2 is displayed linked to the description in FIG.

  First, the sender transmits a mail to the mail list (ML) 1 (step S1). That is, the mail transmitted from the sender T10 is transferred to the ML server 30 via the SMTP server 20 of the sender T10 (FIG. 3 (1)).

  Next, the ML server 30 that has received the mail from the sender T10 checks the mail address registered in ML1 (step S2). Then, it is determined whether or not the e-mail address of the confirmed constituent member has a category that matches the ML1 condition (step S3).

  If the member has a category that matches the condition (step S3 / YES), a mail addressed to the mail address is created (duplicated) (step S4), and the mail is transferred to the member's mail server (step S5). ). On the other hand, if there is no category that matches the condition (step S3 / NO), the mail address is confirmed for the next member without creating or forwarding the mail to the mail address (step S2).

  This will be described with reference to FIG. The mail list information includes a mail list condition and each mail address. Confirmation of the mail address of ML1 performed in the ML server 30 specifically corresponds to the mail address by selecting the mail address to be transmitted from the mail list information and referring to the mail address information in the category registration server 40 It is to get the attached category. The determination of the category that matches the ML1 condition is to determine whether or not the category set as a condition for simultaneous delivery using ML1 has information associated with the mail address to be transmitted. It is.

  For example, the ML server 30 selects the mail address of the recipient A11 from the mailing list (FIG. 3 (2)), and refers to the mail address information of the category registration server 40 (FIG. 3 (3)). Then, the category “a1, b1, c2” associated with the mail address of the recipient A11 in ML1 is acquired (FIG. 3 (4)). The category set as the ML condition is “a: a1, c: c2”, and the mail address of the recipient A11 has the categories “a1” and “c2”. The address is determined to be a power address (FIG. 3 (5)).

  Returning to the flow of FIG. 2, the ML server 30 determines whether or not the above-described condition category matches with all mail addresses in the mailing list (step S <b> 6). When the match determination is completed for all mail addresses in the mailing list (step S6 / NO), a mail describing a mail address that has not been sent is created and transferred to the sender T10 (step S7 / YES, step S8). . There is no unsent mail address, and when the mail is forwarded to all mail addresses in the mailing list (step S7 / NO), the sender T10 is not notified.

  This will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, mail transfer is performed for the recipient A in ML1. That is, the ML server 30 transfers the mail from the sender T10 to the recipient A11 via the SMTP server 21 of the recipient A11 ((6) in FIG. 3). In addition, for the recipient B12 in ML1, the category “a1, b1, c2” associated with the recipient B12 includes the category “a: a1, c: c2” which is the condition of ML1, and therefore depends on the mail list. It is determined that the mail should be forwarded. Then, similarly to the recipient A11, the ML server 30 transfers the mail from the sender T10 to the recipient B12 via the SMTP server 22 of the recipient B12 ((6) in FIG. 3).

  On the other hand, for the recipient C13 in ML1, the category associated with the mail address of the recipient C13 has a category of “a1, b2, c1”. The category set as the ML condition is “a: a1, c: c2”. Both categories match “a1” for “a” but not “c”. For this reason, it is determined that the mail address of the recipient C13 is not an address to which mail transfer by the mail list should be performed. Then, the ML server 30 does not transfer the mail from the sender T10 to the receiver C13, but transfers the mail describing the mail address of the untransferred receiver C13 to the sender T10 (FIG. 3 (7)).

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining mail transfer using a mailing list in the present embodiment, and shows a more specific example. In FIG. 4, it is assumed that the category registration server 40 is a company personnel database. In addition, the mail address includes categories associated with the user such as the person's name, department name, telephone number, job title, and gender. When creating the mailing list, the category is designated and created. Here, it is assumed that ML1 is created by designating the category that the position of the department A is the section manager.

  First, the sender T10 transmits mail using the mailing list (ML) 1 (FIG. 4 (1)). Then, the mail from the sender T10 is transferred to the ML server 30 via the SMTP server 20. Upon receiving the mail addressed to the mailing list from the sender T10, the ML server 30 sequentially selects the mail addresses registered in the mailing list and confirms the mail address.

  First, the mail address of the recipient A11 is selected (FIG. 4 (2)), and the mail address information of the category registration server 40 is referred to (FIG. 4 (3)). Then, the category “department A, section manager” associated with the mail address of the recipient A11 in ML1 is acquired (FIG. 4 (4)). The category set as the ML condition is “Department: Department A, Title: Manager”, and the mail address of the recipient A11 has the categories “Department A” and “Manager”. Is determined to be an address to be executed (FIG. 4 (5)). Then, the ML server 30 transfers the mail from the sender T10 to the recipient A11 via the SMTP server 21 of the recipient A11 ((6) in FIG. 4).

  Next, processing similar to that for the recipient A11 is performed for the recipient B12 in ML1 (FIGS. 4 (1) to 4 (6)). That is, the ML server 30 acquires the category “department A, section manager” associated with the recipient B12 from the category registration server 40, and compares it with the category “department: department A, title: section manager” which is the condition of ML1. . The category “Department A, Section Manager” associated with the recipient B12 matches the category “Department: Department A, Title: Section Manager”, which is the condition of ML1, and therefore, it is determined that the mail should be forwarded by the mail list. Then, like the recipient A11, the ML server 30 transfers the mail from the sender T10 to the recipient B12 via the SMTP server 22 of the recipient B12.

  On the other hand, for the recipient C13 in ML1, the category associated with the email address of the recipient C13 has the category “Department B, Manager”. The category set as the ML condition is “Department: Department A, Title: Section Manager”. Both categories match “section manager” for “position” but not “department”. For this reason, it is determined that the mail address of the recipient C13 is not an address to which mail transfer by the mail list should be performed. Then, the ML server 30 does not transfer the mail from the sender T10 to the receiver C13, but transfers the mail describing the mail address of the untransferred receiver C13 to the sender T10 (FIG. 4 (7)).

  As described above, in the above example, when the job title is changed or the department is changed due to personnel change or the like, it is out of the category, so unnecessary information is not sent. Further, since the sender is notified that the category has changed, the sender is aware of the update (data correction) of the mailing list information. Also, do not discard information from the mailing list. This is because there is a possibility that the information of the category registration server has been updated unintentionally, and there is a case where it is an e-mail address to which information should be transmitted even if the category is out of place. Mailing list conditions can have AND and OR conditions and can be updated at any time.

  According to the above-described embodiment, since an email is not sent to an email address that does not meet the conditions of the mailing list, it is not sent to an email address that is no longer necessary to send an email, and information leakage can be prevented. It becomes.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment mentioned above, it becomes possible for a sender to grasp who is not contacted by sending the information which was not transmitted to a sender.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the mailing list condition can have an AND condition / OR condition and can be updated at any time. Therefore, the operation of the mailing list becomes more flexible.

  The above-described embodiment is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment alone, and various modifications are made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Implementation is possible.

  That is, the ML server in the above-described embodiment operates by processing, means, and functions executed by a computer according to program instructions. The program sends a command to each component of the computer, and obtains category information associated with the registered mail address in the mail list by a predetermined process or function as described above, for example, transfer control means. Compared with the category information set as the mail list condition, the mail is forwarded only when it matches, and when it does not match, the mail with the mail address is forwarded to the sender without forwarding the mail. Process. As described above, the processes and means in the above-described embodiment are realized by specific means in which the program and the computer cooperate.

  Then, for example, the computer (CPU) of the ML server reads the program code stored in the storage medium via a computer-readable recording medium that records the program code of the software that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, that is, the storage medium. The object of the present invention can also be achieved by executing. Further, the program can be loaded and executed directly on a computer through a communication line without going through a recording medium, and the object of the present invention can be achieved similarly.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium or loaded and executed through the communication line realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment. And the storage medium which memorize | stored the program code comprises this invention.

  Examples of the storage medium for supplying the program code include a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, and a magnetic tape. Can be used.

1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an e-mail transfer system to which the present invention is applied. It is the flowchart which showed the flow of the mail transfer operation | movement in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the mail transfer using the mailing list in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the mail transfer using the mailing list in embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 E-mail transfer system 2 1st server 3 Address information storage means 4 2nd server 5 Condition setting means 6 Transfer control means 7 E-mail sender 8 E-mail receiver 10 Sender T
11 Recipient A
12 Recipient B
13 Recipient C
20-23 SMTP server 30 ML server 40 Category registration server

Claims (17)

An e-mail transfer system comprising: a first server that holds user information including e-mail address information; and a second server that transfers e-mail from a sender to each e-mail address of a mailing list,
The first server is
Address information storage means for storing category information representing a category of user attributes in the user information in association with the mail address information;
The second server is
Condition setting means for setting conditions for simultaneous delivery by mailing list using the category information;
Before the e-mail is transferred to each mail address in the mailing list, the condition set by the condition setting means is compared with the information in the address information storage means, and the e-mail transfer control is performed based on the comparison result. And an e-mail transfer system comprising transfer control means.   The transfer control means refers to the information in the address information storage means before transferring the e-mail to each mail address of the mailing list, and the condition setting means determines whether the category information corresponding to the mail address to be transferred is a condition. The e-mail transfer system according to claim 1, wherein an e-mail is transferred to the e-mail address when it matches the category information set as.   The transfer control means refers to the information in the address information storage means before transferring the e-mail to each mail address of the mailing list, and the condition setting means determines whether the category information corresponding to the mail address to be transferred is a condition. 3. The e-mail according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the category information does not match the e-mail address, the e-mail is not transferred to the e-mail address and the sender is notified that the e-mail has not been transferred. Transfer system.   The condition setting means specifies the category information at the time of creating a mailing list, sets conditions for simultaneous delivery by the mailing list, and holds the mailing list information with the condition set. The electronic mail transfer system according to claim 1.   5. The e-mail transfer according to claim 1, wherein the condition setting unit sets a condition for simultaneous delivery by a mailing list by combining the category information, and updates the setting every time the setting is made. system. A server device that constitutes an e-mail transfer system together with a first server having address information storage means for holding user information including e-mail address information, and transfers e-mail from a sender to each e-mail address of a mailing list,
Condition setting means for setting a condition for simultaneous delivery by a mailing list using category information representing a category of user attributes among the user information;
Before transferring an e-mail to each mail address on the mailing list, the condition set by the condition setting means is compared with the information in the address information storage means for storing the category information in association with the mail address information. And a transfer control means for performing transfer control of electronic mail based on the comparison result.   The transfer control means refers to the information in the address information storage means before transferring the e-mail to each mail address of the mailing list, and the condition setting means determines whether the category information corresponding to the mail address to be transferred is a condition. The server apparatus according to claim 6, wherein an e-mail is transferred to the e-mail address when it matches the category information set as.   The transfer control means refers to the information in the address information storage means before transferring the e-mail to each mail address of the mailing list, and the condition setting means determines whether the category information corresponding to the mail address to be transferred is a condition. 8. The server device according to claim 6, wherein, when the category information does not match with the category information set as, the mail is not transferred to the mail address and the sender is notified that the e-mail has not been transferred. .   9. The condition setting means, at the time of creating a mailing list, specifies the category information, sets conditions for simultaneous delivery by a mailing list, and holds the mailing list information for which the conditions are set. The server device according to claim 1.   10. The server device according to claim 6, wherein the condition setting unit sets a condition for simultaneous delivery by a mailing list by combining the category information, and updates the setting every time the setting is made. E-mail in an e-mail transfer system comprising: a first server that holds user information including e-mail address information; and a second server that transfers e-mail from a sender to each e-mail address on the mailing list A transfer method,
In the first server,
An address information storing step of storing category information representing a category of user attributes in the user information in association with the mail address information;
In the second server,
A condition setting step for setting conditions for simultaneous delivery by a mailing list using the category information;
Before transferring an e-mail to each mail address in the mailing list, the condition set in the condition setting step is compared with the information stored in the address information storing step, and e-mail transfer control is performed based on the comparison result. And an e-mail transfer method characterized by comprising:   The transfer control step refers to the information stored in the address information storage step before transferring the e-mail to each mail address of the mailing list, and the category information corresponding to the mail address to be transferred is the condition setting step. 12. The e-mail transfer method according to claim 11, wherein an e-mail is transferred to the e-mail address when it matches the category information set as a condition in.   The transfer control step refers to the information stored in the address information storage step before transferring the e-mail to each mail address of the mailing list, and the category information corresponding to the mail address to be transferred is the condition setting step. 13. The sender is notified that the e-mail has not been forwarded without forwarding the mail to the mail address if it does not match the category information set as a condition in. Email transfer method. A program used in an e-mail transfer system comprising: a first server that holds user information including e-mail address information; and a second server that transfers e-mail from a sender to each e-mail address of a mailing list Because
In the first server,
The computer realizes an address information storage function for storing category information representing a category of user attributes in the user information in association with the mail address information,
In the second server,
A condition setting function for setting conditions for simultaneous delivery by mailing list using the category information;
Before transferring an e-mail to each mail address in the mailing list, the condition set by the condition setting function is compared with the information stored by the address information storage function, and e-mail transfer control is performed based on the comparison result. A program for causing a computer to realize a transfer control function for performing   The transfer control function refers to the information stored by the address information storage function before transferring the e-mail to each mail address of the mailing list, and the category information corresponding to the mail address to be transferred is the condition setting function. 15. The program according to claim 14, wherein an e-mail is transferred to the e-mail address when it matches the category information set as a condition according to.   The transfer control function refers to the information stored by the address information storage function before transferring the e-mail to each mail address of the mailing list, and the category information corresponding to the mail address to be transferred is the condition setting function. 16. The sender according to claim 14 or 15, wherein, when the category information set as a condition does not match, the mail is not forwarded to the mail address, and the sender is notified that the email is not forwarded. program.   A recording medium that records the program according to any one of claims 14 to 16 and is readable by a computer.

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