JP2022087217A - Terminal device, method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent erroneous email transmission.

SOLUTION: A terminal device communicatively connected to a server that determines whether there is a set of email addresses that are prohibited from being specified as transmission destinations at the same time among email addresses specified as email transmission destinations includes a display generation unit that displays a predetermined warning screen when there is the set of email addresses that are prohibited from being specified at the same time as the transmission destinations based on a result of the determination, and displays a predetermined transmission destination confirmation screen when there is not the set of email addresses that are prohibited from being specified at the same time as the transmission destinations.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2022,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to terminal devices, methods and programs.

A mailer having an address book function capable of registering a name, an e-mail address, etc. in advance has been conventionally known. By using such a mailer, the user can set a destination e-mail address simply by selecting a desired e-mail address, name, or the like from the address book. The mailer is also called an e-mail software or an e-mail client.

In addition, when the e-mail address registered in the address book is set as the destination e-mail address or the sender e-mail address, a mailer that displays the name etc. registered in association with the e-mail address has been conventionally known. ing.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-13020

However, for example, if the e-mail address to be set as the destination e-mail address is not registered in the mailer's address book, the user needs to directly input the e-mail address as the destination e-mail address. For this reason, there is a risk that an erroneous e-mail transmission may occur due to an input error in the e-mail address or the like.

In addition, if an e-mail address that is not registered in the mailer's address book is set as the destination e-mail address or the sender's e-mail address, the name or the like corresponding to the e-mail address is not displayed. Therefore, when creating and sending a new e-mail, replying to an e-mail, forwarding the e-mail, etc., it is not possible to confirm who the e-mail is sent to, and there is a risk of erroneous transmission.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to prevent erroneous transmission of e-mail.

In order to achieve the above object, in the terminal device according to the embodiment of the present invention, a set of e-mail addresses that are prohibited to be specified as a destination at the same time is included in the e-mail addresses specified as the destinations of e-mails. When there is a set of e-mail addresses that are communicably connected to a server that determines whether or not they exist, and that are prohibited from being specified as destinations at the same time based on the result of the determination. Is provided with a display generation unit that displays a predetermined warning screen and displays a predetermined destination confirmation screen when there is no set of e-mail addresses that are prohibited to be specified at the same time as the destination.

It is possible to prevent erroneous sending of e-mail.

It is a figure which shows an example of the whole structure of the e-mail system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the functional structure of the e-mail system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the personal address book stored in the personal address book storage part. It is a figure which shows an example of the shared address book stored in the shared address book storage part. It is a figure which shows an example of the company address book stored in the company address book storage part. It is a figure which shows an example of the prohibition relation table stored in the prohibition relation storage part. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the mail composition processing which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a new mail composition screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a search screen. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the mail transmission processing which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the other example of the prohibition relation table stored in the prohibition relation storage part. It is a figure which shows an example of the destination confirmation screen.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “the present embodiments”) will be described. In the present embodiment, an e-mail system 1 capable of preventing erroneous transmission of e-mail will be described. In the following, e-mail is also simply referred to as "e-mail".

<Overall configuration>
First, the overall configuration of the e-mail system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the e-mail system 1 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the e-mail system 1 according to the present embodiment includes one or more user terminals 10, an address book management server 20, and a mail server 30. Further, the user terminal 10, the address book management server 20, and the mail server 30 are connected to each other so as to be communicable via a communication network N such as an in-house LAN (Local Area Network).

The user terminal 10 is a computer used by the user of the e-mail system 1. As the user terminal 10, for example, various information processing devices such as a PC (personal computer), a smartphone, and a tablet terminal can be used.

A mailer 100 for creating an e-mail, sending / receiving an e-mail, and the like is installed in the user terminal 10. Further, the mailer 100 is installed with a plug-in 110 for communicating with the address book management server 20 and searching for an e-mail address. In the present embodiment, the mailer 100 is software that functions as an e-mail client, but the mailer 100 is not limited to this, and for example, the mailer 100 is a so-called web mail (that is, an electronic mail that can be used via a web browser). It may be a Web application that functions as a mail client).

The user of the user terminal 10 communicates with the address book management server 20 to search for an e-mail address or confirm a destination (for example, to a destination e-mail address) when composing an e-mail or sending / receiving an e-mail. By confirming the corresponding name, company name, etc.), it becomes possible to prevent erroneous sending of e-mail.

Further, the user terminal 10 also represents, for example, an e-mail address that is prohibited from being set as a destination e-mail address at the same time for an e-mail that the user has performed a transmission operation (hereinafter, also referred to as a "prohibited e-mail address". If (.) Is set (for example, if the email address of the employee of company A and the email address of the employee of company B, which is a company competing with company A, are set), the transmission of this email is suppressed. do. This makes it possible to prevent erroneous transmission such as, for example, sending an email having the same content to employees of a competing company at the same time.

The destination e-mail address is an e-mail address set in the TO column (or destination column), CC column, and BCC column of the e-mail. On the other hand, the sender's e-mail address is an e-mail address set in the FROM column (or sender's column) of the e-mail.

The address book management server 20 is a computer or computer system that manages an address book or the like used when a user of the user terminal 10 creates an e-mail, sends / receives an e-mail, or the like. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the address book management server 20 exists on the communication network N such as the in-house LAN, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the address book management server 20 may be on the cloud, for example (the address book management server 20 may be on the cloud). That is, the address book management server 20 may be able to communicate with the user terminal 10 via the Internet).

The mail server 30 is a computer or computer system that forwards the mail transmitted from the user terminal 10 to another terminal or device and delivers the mail to the user terminal 10. The mail server 30 performs the above transfer and delivery according to a general e-mail protocol such as POP (Post Office Protocol) / SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) and IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol). In the present embodiment, the mail server 30 and the address book management server 20 are separate bodies, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, even if the mail server 30 and the address book management server 20 are integrated. (That is, for example, the address book management server 20 may have a mail server function).

<Functional configuration>
Next, the functional configuration of the e-mail system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the e-mail system 1 according to the present embodiment.

≪User terminal 10≫
As shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal 10 according to the present embodiment has a mail function unit 111, a search function unit 112, and a prohibition setting function unit 113. Of these functional units, the mail function unit 111 is realized by the processing executed by the mailer 100 by the processor, and the search function unit 112 and the prohibition setting function unit 113 are realized by the processing executed by the mailer 100 and the plug-in 110 by the processor. To.

Further, the user terminal 10 according to the present embodiment has a mailer address book storage unit 120. The storage unit can be realized by using an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The mailer address book storage unit 120 may be realized by using a storage device or the like connected to the user terminal 10 via the communication network N.

The mail function unit 111 performs processing for realizing various functions such as sending and receiving mail, replying, forwarding, and creating a new mail.

The search function unit 112 performs a process for searching an e-mail address from an address book managed by the address book management server 20 when setting an e-mail address as a destination e-mail address. For example, the search function unit 112 accepts the input of the search word and transmits the search request including the search word to the address book management server 20. Here, as the address book managed by the address book management server 20, for example, there are "personal address book", "shared address book", and "in-house address book" as described later.

The prohibition setting function unit 113 performs a process for determining whether or not the prohibited e-mail address is set as the destination e-mail address. For example, the prohibition setting function unit 113 sends a determination request as to whether or not the prohibited e-mail address is set as the destination e-mail address to the address book management server 20.

Further, when it is determined that the prohibited e-mail address is set as the destination e-mail address, the prohibition setting function unit 113 performs a process for displaying a warning to that effect. On the other hand, when it is determined that the prohibited e-mail address is not set as the destination e-mail address, the prohibition setting function unit 113 performs a process for asking the user to confirm the destination.

The mailer address book storage unit 120 stores the address book of the mailer 100 (hereinafter, also referred to as “mailer address book”). The mailer address book is an address book that can be used as a default function of the mailer 100 (that is, an address book that can be used regardless of whether or not the plug-in 110 is installed). The user can register address information such as a name and an e-mail address in the mailer address book. Then, the user can set the destination e-mail address by using the address information registered in the mailer address book. The address information is one record stored in the address book, and the address information includes, for example, a name, an e-mail address, and the like.

The user terminal 10 may not have the mailer address book storage unit 120 (that is, the mailer 100 may not have an address book that can be used as a default function).

<< Address book management server 20 >>
As shown in FIG. 2, the address book management server 20 according to the present embodiment has a search unit 211 and a prohibition determination unit 212. Each of these functional units is realized by a process of causing a processor to execute one or more programs installed in the address book management server 20.

Further, the address book management server 20 according to the present embodiment has a personal address book storage unit 220, a shared address book storage unit 230, an in-house address book storage unit 240, and a prohibition-related storage unit 250. Each of these storage units can be realized by using an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD or SSD.

The search unit 211 responds to a search request from the user terminal 10, and has a personal address book stored in the personal address book storage unit 220, a shared address book stored in the shared address book storage unit 230, and an in-house address. The company address book stored in the book storage unit 240 is searched. Then, the search unit 211 returns the search result to the user terminal 10.

The prohibition determination unit 212 refers to the prohibition relationship table stored in the prohibition relationship storage unit 250 in response to the determination request from the user terminal 10, and the prohibition relationship is included in the e-mail address set as the destination e-mail address. Determine if the email address in is included. Then, the prohibition determination unit 212 returns the determination result to the user terminal 10.

The personal address book storage unit 220 stores a personal address book that manages address information for each user of the user terminal 10. The shared address book storage unit 230 stores a shared address book that manages address information for each group of users. A group is a set of one or more users, and for example, a department, a team, a section, or the like is represented by a group.

The in-house address book storage unit 240 stores the in-house address book that manages the address information of the employees (that is, the users of the user terminal 10) of the company that has introduced the e-mail system 1 according to the present embodiment. There is.

The prohibition-relationship storage unit 250 stores a prohibition-relationship table for determining an e-mail address having a prohibition-relationship.

Here, the personal address information of the user (for example, the address information of a friend or an acquaintance) is registered in the personal address book, and the address information shared between the users belonging to the group (for example) is registered in the shared address book. , If the group is a sales department, the customer's address information) is registered. That is, in the personal address book and the shared address book, the address information of a person outside the company is generally registered. Therefore, the personal address book and the shared address book may be collectively referred to as an "external address book".

≪Personal address book≫
Here, the personal address book stored in the personal address book storage unit 220 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a personal address book stored in the personal address book storage unit 220. As described above, the personal address information of the user (for example, the address information of a friend or an acquaintance) is registered (stored) in the personal address book.

As shown in FIG. 3, the personal address book stores address information that can be used by each user. Further, each address information includes a user ID, a telephone number, an e-mail address, attribute information, and the like as data items. The attribute information includes a name, a type, and the like.

In the item "user ID", identification information of a user who can use the address information is set. A telephone number registered as the address information is set in the item "telephone number". An e-mail address registered as the address information is set in the item "e-mail address". In the item "name", the name registered as the address information is set. For the item "type", for example, a type such as "friend" or "acquaintance" is set.

As described above, in the personal address book stored in the personal address book storage unit 220, the address information that can be used by the user is stored for each user of the user terminal 10. The address information stored in the personal address book may not include, for example, a telephone number. Further, the attribute information of the address information stored in the personal address book may include, for example, an address, a company name, or the like in addition to the name and type.

Further, the address information stored in the personal address book may be synchronized with the address information stored in the mailer address book of the user for each user. As a result, the contents of the address information stored in the personal address book and the address information stored in the mailer address book can be matched for each user.

≪Shared address book≫
Next, the shared address book stored in the shared address book storage unit 230 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a shared address book stored in the shared address book storage unit 230. As described above, the address information shared between the users belonging to the group (for example, the address information of the customer of the sales department) is registered (stored) in the shared address book.

As shown in FIG. 4, the shared address book storage unit 230 stores a user group table (FIG. 4 (a)) and a shared address book (FIG. 4 (b)).

As shown in FIG. 4A, group information is stored in the user group table. Further, each group information includes a group ID, a user ID, and the like as data items. Group identification information is set in the item "group ID". User identification information is set in the item "user ID". As described above, a group is, for example, a unit representing a department, a team, a section, or the like.

The group information stored in the user group table manages which user belongs to which group. In addition, one user may belong to a plurality of groups.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the shared address book stores address information that can be used by users belonging to the group indicated by the group ID for each group ID. Further, each address information includes a group ID, a telephone number, an e-mail address, attribute information, and the like as data items. The attribute information includes a name, a company name, a job title, a type, and the like.

In the item "group ID", identification information of a group that can use the address information is set. A telephone number registered as the address information is set in the item "telephone number". An e-mail address registered as the address information is set in the item "e-mail address". In the item "name", the name registered as the address information is set. In the item "company name", the company name registered as the address information is set. In the item "Job title", the job title registered as the address information is set. In the item "type", for example, a type such as "business partner", "customer", or "cooperating company" is set.

As described above, in the shared address book stored in the shared address book storage unit 230, address information that can be used by users belonging to the group is stored for each group. The address information stored in the shared address book may not include, for example, a telephone number. Further, the attribute information of the address information stored in the personal address book may include, for example, an address, etc., in addition to the name, company name, job title, and type.

≪In-house address book≫
Next, the in-house address book stored in the in-house address book storage unit 240 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an in-house address book stored in the in-house address book storage unit 240. As described above, the address information of the employees of the company that has introduced the e-mail system 1 is registered (stored) in the in-house address book.

As shown in FIG. 5, the in-house address book stores the address information of each user (employee). Further, each address information includes a user ID, a telephone number, an e-mail address, attribute information, and the like as data items. The attribute information includes a name, a department name, a job title, and the like.

In the item "user ID", identification information of a user who is an employee of a company that has introduced the e-mail system 1 is set. The telephone number of the user is set in the item "telephone number". The e-mail address of the user is set in the item "e-mail address". The name of the user is set in the item "name". The department name of the user is set in the item "department name". The title of the user is set in the item "Title".

As described above, in the in-house address book stored in the in-house address book storage unit 240, the address information of each user who is an employee of the company in which the e-mail system 1 is introduced is stored.

In the company address book, the user ID is used as a key, but for example, a telephone number, an e-mail address, or the like may be used as a key. Further, the address information stored in the company address book may not include, for example, a telephone number.

≪Prohibited table≫
Next, the prohibition relation table stored in the prohibition relation storage unit 250 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a prohibition relation table stored in the prohibition relation storage unit 250.

As shown in FIG. 6, the prohibition relation information is stored in the prohibition relation table. In addition, each prohibition-related information includes a company name and a prohibition list as data items.

A company name is set in the item "company name". In the item "prohibited list", a list of company names of companies having a prohibited relationship (for example, a company having a competitive relationship) with the company name set in the item "company name" is set.

For example, in the prohibition-related information in the first row of the prohibition-related table, "company name 1" is set in the item "company name", and "company name 5, company name 10, company name 11" is set in the item "prohibition list". ing. This indicates that the company with the company name 1 has a prohibited relationship with the company with the company name 5 and the company with the company name 10 and the company with the company name 11.

In this way, the prohibition-related table stored in the prohibition-related storage unit 250 stores the prohibition-related information including a list of company names having a prohibited relationship with the company of the company name for each company name. .. This makes it possible to determine whether or not the prohibited e-mail address is set as the destination e-mail address.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, for each company name, a list of company names having a prohibited relationship with the company of this company name is included in the prohibited information, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, for each company name, a list of company names that are not prohibited from the company with this company name may be included in the prohibited information. Alternatively, for example, for each e-mail address, a list of e-mail addresses that are prohibited from this e-mail address may be included in the prohibited e-mail address, or for each e-mail address, the e-mail address that is not prohibited from this e-mail address. The list may be included in the prohibition relationship information. Alternatively, for example, prohibited relationship information indicating "if the domain name of the email address is different, it corresponds to the prohibited relationship" may be stored in the prohibited relationship table, or "shared with the email address stored in the personal address". Prohibition-related information indicating "If the email address stored in the address book is set to the same email, it corresponds to the prohibited relationship" or "The email address stored in the personal address book and the email address stored in the company address book" Prohibition-related information indicating "If the email address is set to the same email, it corresponds to the prohibited relationship", "The email address stored in the personal address book, and the email address stored in the company address book and shared address book" Prohibition-related information or the like indicating "corresponds to a prohibited relationship when the same email address is set as the same email address" may be stored in the prohibited-related table.

Further, for example, the prohibition relation table may be common to all users, or there may be a prohibition relation table for each user, a prohibition relation table for each group, and a prohibition relation table for each company. Further, for example, a priority is set indicating which prohibition relation table is preferentially used between the prohibition relation table for each user, the prohibition relation table for each group, and the prohibition relation table for each company. You may.

Further, although the prohibition relation table is used in this embodiment, the prohibition relation flag may be provided for each e-mail address stored in the shared address book without using the prohibition relation table. In this case, for example, the e-mail address for which the prohibition relationship flag is set and the e-mail address of another company may be prohibited. Alternatively, for example, a flag with the same identifier may be set for email addresses that are not in a prohibited relationship.

<Mail composition process>
Next, a process (mail creation process) when a mail is created by the mailer 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the mail creation process according to the present embodiment.

First, the mail function unit 111 of the user terminal 10 displays, for example, the new mail creation screen 1000 shown in FIG. 8 (step S101). In this embodiment, a case where an e-mail address is set in the destination e-mail address setting field 1100 on the new e-mail creation screen 1000 will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this. In step S101, for example, a mail reply screen, a mail forwarding screen, or the like may be displayed instead of the new mail creation screen 1000. Further, this embodiment is not limited to the case where the e-mail address is set in the destination e-mail address setting field 1100, and can be similarly applied to the case where the e-mail address is set in the CC field or the BCC field.

Subsequent steps S102 to S109 are repeatedly executed until a desired number of e-mail addresses are set in the destination e-mail address setting field 1100.

When the search start button G1200 is pressed by the user on the new mail creation screen 1000, the search function unit 112 displays, for example, the search screen 2000 shown in FIG. 9 (step S102).

Next, the search function unit 112 of the user terminal 10 accepts the search operation of the e-mail address (step S103). Here, for example, on the search screen 2000 shown in FIG. 9, the user can perform a search operation for an e-mail address by setting a search word in the search word input field 2100 and then pressing the search start button 2200. can.

The user can set a desired character string as the search word. In addition to the search word, various search conditions (for example, comparison conditions ("=", ">", "<", etc.) and items to be searched (for example, only the item "name" is searched)). ) May be set.

When the search function unit 112 of the user terminal 10 receives the search operation of the e-mail address, the search function unit 112 transmits the search request to the address book management server 20 (step S104). Here, the search request includes, for example, a search word set in the search word input field 2100 of the search screen 2000 shown in FIG.

When the search unit 211 of the address book management server 20 receives the search request, the search unit 211 searches the personal address book, the shared address book, and the in-house address book using the search word included in the search request (step S105). .. Here, the search unit 211 extracts, for example, the address information including the search word from the personal address book, the shared address book, and the in-house address book as the search result.

Then, the search unit 211 of the address book management server 20 transmits the search result to the user terminal 10 (step S106).

The search function unit 112 of the user terminal 10 displays the search result in the search result display field 2300 of the search screen 2000 shown in FIG. 9 (step S107). The example shown in FIG. 9 shows a case where six address information is displayed as a search result. The "address book" in the search results is information indicating from which address book the search (extracted) was performed. "In-house" is "in-house address book", "shared" is "shared address book", and "individual". "" Indicates that the search was performed from the "personal address book".

Next, the search function unit 112 of the user terminal 10 accepts an e-mail address selection operation (step S108). The user can perform an e-mail address selection operation by, for example, selecting one or more desired search results from the search result display field 2300 of the search screen 2000 shown in FIG.

When the mail address selection operation is performed, the mail function unit 111 of the user terminal 10 sets the mail address included in the search result selected by the selection operation as the destination mail of the new mail creation screen 1000 shown in FIG. 8, for example. Set in the address setting field 1100 (step S109).

In the present embodiment, when the search start button 2200 on the search screen 2000 shown in FIG. 9 is pressed, the search request in step S104 is transmitted to the address book management server 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when a part of the character string of the mail address is input in the destination mail address setting field 1100 of the new mail creation screen 1000 shown in FIG. 8, the search request using this part of the character string as the search word is the address. It may be transmitted to the book management server 20. In this case, for example, among the e-mail addresses obtained as the search results, the e-mail address with the highest likelihood may be automatically set in the destination e-mail address setting field 1100. Here, as the likelihood, for example, the degree of matching with the search word may be used.

As described above, in the e-mail system 1 according to the present embodiment, the address book (internal address book and external address book) managed by the address book management server 20 capable of communicating with the user terminal 10 via the communication network N. Search for address information from. At this time, the e-mail system 1 according to the present embodiment displays a name, an address book classification, a company name, a department name, a type, and the like as search results. As a result, the user of the user terminal 10 can set the destination e-mail address of the desired e-mail address without making a mistake in the destination e-mail address.

<Email sending process>
Next, a process (mail transmission process) in the case of transmitting an email by the mailer 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the mail transmission process according to the present embodiment. It should be noted that the mail transmission includes not only the case of sending a newly created mail but also the case of replying or forwarding the received mail.

First, the mail function unit 111 of the user terminal 10 accepts a mail transmission operation (step S201). Here, the user can perform the mail transmission operation by pressing the send button 1300 on the new mail creation screen 1000 shown in FIG. 8, for example.

When the mail transmission operation is performed, the prohibition setting function unit 113 of the user terminal 10 transmits a prohibition-related determination request to the address book management server 20 (step S202). The prohibition-related determination request includes an e-mail address set as a destination e-mail address. If an e-mail address is also set in the CC column, the prohibition-related determination request may include the e-mail address set in the CC column. Similarly, when an e-mail address is set in the BCC column, the prohibition-related determination request may include the e-mail address set in the BCC column.

Upon receiving the prohibition-related determination request, the prohibition determination unit 212 of the address book management server 20 determines whether or not the email addresses included in the determination request include the prohibition-related email addresses (step S203). ). Here, the prohibition determination unit 212 determines, for example, whether or not the prohibited e-mail address is included by the following steps S203-1 to S203-3.

Step S203-1: First, the prohibition determination unit 212 refers to the personal address book, the shared address book, and the in-house address book, and for each of the email addresses included in the determination request, the company name corresponding to the email address is given. Identify.

For email addresses registered only in the personal address book, it may not be possible to specify the company name. In this case, for example, a flag or the like indicating that the company name could not be specified may be associated with the e-mail address.

Step S203-2: Next, the prohibition determination unit 212 refers to the prohibition relationship table and has a prohibition relationship in each of the specified company names for each company name specified in step S203-1 above. Determine if the company name exists.

Step S203-3: Then, when it is determined in step S203-2 above that the company name having a prohibited relationship exists, the prohibition determination unit 212 determines that the email address having a prohibited relationship is included. On the other hand, if the prohibition determination unit 212 does not determine in step S203-2 above that the company name in the prohibition relationship exists, it determines that the email address in the prohibition relationship is not included.

In the above step S203-2, the prohibition determination unit 212 refers to, for example, the prohibition-related table shown in FIG. 11 with respect to each company name specified in step S203-1 among the specified company names. In addition, it may be determined whether or not a company name having a prohibited relationship exists. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the prohibition relation table corresponding to the group ID is stored in the prohibition relation storage unit 250 for each group ID. In this case, the prohibition determination unit 212 identifies the user ID of the user terminal 10 that is the source of the prohibition-related determination request, and then refers to the prohibition-relation table corresponding to the specified user ID, and mails in the prohibition relationship. Determine if the address is included. As a result, if the companies that have a prohibited relationship differ depending on the group (for example, if the competitors A and B have a prohibited relationship in the sales department but not in the development department), Depending on the group to which the user belongs, it becomes possible to determine whether or not there is a prohibited e-mail address.

In the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not an e-mail address having a prohibited relationship is included when the e-mail is transmitted, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the above step S109 (that is, when the e-mail address is set) may be performed. In this case, when the prohibited e-mail address is set in the destination e-mail address setting field 1100, an alarm may be notified, or a pop-up or the like indicating that the setting is prohibited may be displayed. Alternatively, the prohibited e-mail address may not be set in the destination e-mail address setting field 1100.

Following step S203, the prohibition determination unit 212 of the address book management server 20 transmits the determination result of the above step S203 to the user terminal 10 (step S204). The determination result includes, for example, an e-mail address having a prohibited relationship.

When the determination result indicating that the prohibited e-mail address is included is received, the prohibition setting function unit 113 of the user terminal 10 warns that the prohibited e-mail address is set as the destination e-mail address. Is displayed (step S205). In this embodiment, the transmission of e-mail is suppressed at this time, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, among the e-mail addresses set as the destination e-mail addresses, other than the prohibited e-mail addresses. An email may be sent to your email address.

When the determination result indicating that the prohibited e-mail address is not included is received, the prohibition setting function unit 113 of the user terminal 10 displays, for example, the destination confirmation screen 3000 shown in FIG. 12 (step S206). On the destination confirmation screen 3000 shown in FIG. 12, information on the mail address set as the destination mail address (for example, the name corresponding to the mail address, the address book classification, the company name, the department name, the type, etc.) is displayed. Is displayed. As a result, the user can confirm to whom the mail is sent, and can prevent erroneous transmission.

At this time, the prohibition setting function unit 113 may highlight the information regarding the e-mail address whose address book category is "individual" or "shared" (that is, the information regarding the e-mail address outside the company). In the example shown in FIG. 12, the information 3001 regarding the e-mail address is highlighted. Such highlighting makes it possible to prevent erroneous transmission to an external e-mail address.

Next, the prohibition setting function unit 113 of the user terminal 10 accepts the transmission operation (step S207). Here, the user can perform a transmission operation by, for example, pressing the transmission button 3100 on the destination confirmation screen 3000 shown in FIG. 12.

Then, the mail function unit 111 of the user terminal 10 transmits a mail to the mail server 30 (step S208). As a result, the mail server 30 sends the mail to the mail address set as the destination mail address.

In the present embodiment, the destination confirmation screen is displayed before the mail is transmitted in step S206, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the destination confirmation screen may be displayed after the mail is transmitted.

As described above, in the e-mail system 1 according to the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not a prohibited e-mail address is set as the destination e-mail address before the e-mail is transmitted by the user terminal 10. Then, in the e-mail system 1 according to the present embodiment, when a prohibited e-mail address is set as a destination e-mail address, a warning is displayed and the e-mail transmission is suppressed. This makes it possible to prevent erroneous transmission such as sending the same email to a competitor, for example.

In the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not an e-mail address that is prohibited when the e-mail is transmitted is set as the destination e-mail address, but this determination may be performed when the e-mail is received. When determining when receiving an e-mail, for example, the above steps S202 to S204 are executed when the user terminal 10 receives the e-mail, and then a prohibited e-mail address is set as the destination e-mail address. In that case, the above step S205 may be executed. As a result, the user can know that a prohibited e-mail address is set as the destination e-mail address of the received e-mail. Therefore, for example, when replying to this e-mail or forwarding this e-mail, it becomes possible to prevent erroneous transmission.

In addition, the user terminal 10 accesses the personal address book, shared address book, and in-house address book when receiving an e-mail, and corresponds to the destination e-mail address (e-mail address set in the TO column, CC column, and BCC column). Information to be used (for example, company name, department, name, etc.) may be displayed. This allows the mail recipient to know who the mail was sent to other than himself, and also to confirm who to send the mail when replying or forwarding the mail. Will be able to. The timing of accessing the personal address book, the shared address book, and the in-house address book may be, for example, the timing of opening the mail or the timing specified by the user, in addition to the time of receiving the mail.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment disclosed specifically, and various modifications and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of claims.

1 E-mail system 10 User terminal 20 Address book management server 30 Mail server 100 Mailer 110 Plug-in 111 Mail function unit 112 Search function unit 113 Prohibition setting function unit 120 Mailer address book storage unit 211 Search unit 212 Prohibition judgment unit 220 Personal address book Storage unit 230 Shared address book storage unit 240 In-house address book storage unit 250 Prohibition-related storage unit

Claims (7)

A terminal device that can communicate with a server that determines whether or not there is a set of e-mail addresses that are prohibited from being specified as a destination at the same time among the e-mail addresses specified as e-mail destinations. And
Based on the result of the above determination, if there is a set of e-mail addresses that are prohibited to be specified at the same time as the destination, a predetermined warning screen is displayed and it is prohibited to specify the destination at the same time. A terminal device including a display generator that displays a predetermined destination confirmation screen when a set of e-mail addresses does not exist. The display generation unit is
When receiving an e-mail, a request is made to display a predetermined screen containing the e-mail address specified as the destination of the received e-mail and the information corresponding to the e-mail address specified as the destination of the received e-mail. Item 1. The terminal device according to item 1. The terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the determination is performed when the mail is received. Based on the result of the determination, the e-mail is sent to an e-mail address other than the set of e-mail addresses that are prohibited to be specified at the same time as the e-mail address specified as the destination of the e-mail. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a unit. E-mail address is set as the destination, and it is equipped with an e-mail composition unit that composes the e-mail.
The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the determination is performed when the mail address is set by the mail creation unit. A terminal device that can communicate with a server that determines whether or not there is a set of e-mail addresses that are prohibited from being specified as a destination at the same time among the e-mail addresses specified as e-mail destinations. but,
Based on the result of the above determination, if there is a set of e-mail addresses that are prohibited to be specified at the same time as the destination, a predetermined warning screen is displayed and it is prohibited to specify the destination at the same time. How to execute the display generation procedure, which displays the specified destination confirmation screen when the set of e-mail addresses does not exist. A program that causes a computer to function as the terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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