JP3112305U - Mail terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a mail terminal device that allows a child, the elderly, and a disabled person to easily send and receive mail by using a simple and easy-to-use terminal structure.
A terminal 100 has a box shape as shown in (A), and a lid 102 of a main body 101 opens and closes. The lid 102 is provided with a light emitting button 104. When sending a message, the lid 102 is opened and the message is uttered to the main body 101 as shown in FIG. When the voice is closed and the lid 102 is closed, the light emission button 104 emits light as shown in FIG. In this state, when the user presses the light emission button 104 as shown in (D), a message is transmitted. When a message arrives at the terminal 100, the light emitting button 104 emits light and a ring tone is output from the main body 101 as shown in (E). Here, when the lid 102 is opened as in (F), a message is reproduced / output from the box. When the lid 102 is closed, the message is deleted.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an improvement of a mail terminal device that transmits or receives mail using the Internet or the like.

  As is well known, with the spread of the Internet, electronic mail (hereinafter simply referred to as “mail”) has become widely used. In the case of a telephone, it is impossible to make a call if there is no other party, but in the case of an email, there is an excellent advantage (asynchronism) that this message can be transmitted even if there is no other party. In general, a personal computer (personal computer), a portable information terminal, a mobile phone, or the like is used for sending and receiving mail. However, elderly people and people with physical disabilities cannot operate such information devices and cannot use convenient communication means.

On the other hand, Patent Document 1 below discloses a mail transmission / reception technique for the purpose of performing mail transmission / reception with a simple operation. According to this, a handset with a built-in microphone and speaker is connected to a personal computer, and a voice mail program is started by picking up the handset. To be controlled.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-119972

  However, in the prior art disclosed in the above-mentioned patent publication, the handset is operated by program processing by a personal computer, and a personal computer is essential. It is wasteful to prepare a personal computer only for sending and receiving voice mail.

  The present invention pays attention to the above points, and by providing a simple and easy-to-use terminal structure, it is intended to provide a mail terminal device that can easily send and receive mail even for the elderly and persons with disabilities. It is the purpose.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a mail terminal device for transmitting / receiving voice or image mail to / from a preset destination via a network, and operating means capable of performing some operation on the main body, When the operation means is operated, the mail acquisition means for acquiring the mail, the mail transmission means for transmitting the mail acquired by the mail acquisition means to the destination via the network, and receiving the mail from the destination via the network A mail receiving means, and a mail reproducing means for reproducing mail received by the receiving means when the operating means is operated, are provided.

  One of the main forms includes a plurality of operation means and an operation means identification data acquisition means for acquiring identification data of the operated operation means, and the mail transmission means includes the operation means identification data acquisition means. The identification data of the operating means obtained by the above is transmitted together with the mail, the mail receiving means receives the identification data of the operating means together with the mail, and the mail reproducing means operates the operating means corresponding to the received identification data. When received, the received mail is played back.

  One of the other forms is characterized in that the operation means is any one of opening / closing of a lid, pressing of a button, and taking in / out of a drawer. Still another embodiment includes a destination identification data acquisition unit that uses a destination data holding unit and acquires identification data of a mail destination held in the destination data holding unit, and the mail transmission unit acquires the destination identification data acquisition The destination identification data acquired by the means is transmitted together with the mail. Alternatively, it comprises user identification data acquisition means for acquiring user identification data held in the user data holding means, and the mail transmission means is provided by the user identification data acquisition means. The acquired user identification data is transmitted together with the mail, the mail receiving means receives the user identification data together with the mail, and the mail reproduction means includes a user data holding means corresponding to the received identification data. When present, the received mail is reproduced. The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily send and receive e-mails even to elderly people and persons with disabilities by adopting a simple structure capable of sending and receiving e-mails by operating the operation means such as opening the box lid. it can.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail based on examples.

  First, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows an outline of a mail terminal device according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1A, the mail terminal device (hereinafter simply referred to as “terminal”) 100 of this embodiment has a box shape, and the lid 102 of the main body 101 can be opened and closed. The lid 102 is provided with a light emitting button 104. When transmitting a message, the lid 102 is opened and the message is uttered to the main body 101 as shown in FIG. In other words, a voice is put into the main body 101. When a voice is put in and the lid 102 is closed, the light emitting button 104 emits light as shown in FIG. In this state, as shown in FIG. 4D, when the user presses the light emission button 104, a message is transmitted. On the other hand, when a message arrives at the terminal 100, the light emitting button 104 emits light and a ring tone is output from the main body 101 as shown in FIG. In response to this, when the lid 102 is opened as shown in FIG. 5F, a message is reproduced / output from the box. If the lid 102 remains open, the message is played back repeatedly. When the lid 102 is closed, the message is deleted.

  As described above, according to the terminal 100 of the present embodiment, the message is transmitted when a message is put in the box, and when the message is received, the message is heard from the box. It is possible to provide an excellent interface capable of transmitting and receiving messages with an easy operation.

  Next, the mechanical structure of the terminal 100 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 1A, a state display lamp 110 is formed in a square frame shape on the outer exposed surface of the lid 102 of the terminal 100, and a touch sensor 112 is provided on the inner side. The state display lamp 110 and the touch sensor 112 correspond to the light emission button 104 described above. Among these, the status display lamp 110 displays the operation status of the terminal, such as “recording”, “waiting to send”, “received”, “playing”. The touch sensor 112 is a switch for transmitting a message when touched with a fingertip after recording a message and waiting for transmission.

  On the other hand, a remaining amount display lamp 114 is provided on the back side of the lid 102 as shown in FIG. The remaining amount display lamp 114 is for displaying the remaining amount of message recording time or playback time (in other words, the length of the message).

  Next, a pilot lamp 116, a transmission / reception lamp 118, a LAN cable terminal 120, a link lamp 122, and a power adapter terminal 124 are provided on the back side of the main body 101, as shown in FIG. Of these, the pilot lamp 116 displays the connection status of the power source and the network. The transmission / reception lamp 118 is turned on when data is transmitted / received to / from the LAN. The LAN cable terminal 120 is a terminal for connecting the terminal 100 to the Internet via a LAN cable, a HUB, or a broadband modem. The link lamp 122 is lit when a connection with a HUB or a broadband modem is established via a LAN cable. The power adapter terminal 124 is a terminal for connecting to the power adapter.

  The internal structure of the terminal is shown in FIG. 2D. An insole 130 is provided in the box of the main body 101, and a speaker 132 is provided on the insole 130 toward the bottom. A microphone (microphone) 134 and an open / close sensor 136 are provided inside the lid 102. Furthermore, an electronic circuit 140 described later is provided on the bottom side of the main body 101 and the inside of the lid 102. The electronic circuit 140 on the lid 102 side, the microphone 134, and the open / close sensor 136 are covered with a sheet 142. Therefore, even when the user opens the lid 102 of the terminal 100, the components in the main body 101 are hidden by the insole 130, and the inside of the lid 102 is hidden by the sheet 142. The structure is invisible.

  Next, the electrical configuration of the terminal 100 described above will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, the transmitting terminal 100A and the receiving terminal 100B are shown, but the configuration is the same. In the figure, the microphone 134 described above is connected to the CPU 154 via the microphone amplifier 150 and the A / D converter 152, and the CPU 154 is connected to the speaker 132 described above via the D / A converter 156 and the power amplifier 158. Has been. Further, the CPU 154 is connected to a sensor unit 160, a status display unit 162, a RAM 164, a LAN controller 166, and a ROM 168, and is provided with a power supply circuit 170 that supplies necessary driving power to each unit.

  Among the above units, the microphone amplifier 150 and the A / D converter 152 are circuits for acquiring messages, and the D / A converter 156 and the power amplifier 158 are circuits for outputting messages. The touch sensor 112 and the open / close sensor 136 described above correspond to the sensor unit 160. The status display section 162 corresponds to the status display lamp 110, the remaining amount display lamp 114, the pilot lamp 116, the transmission / reception lamp 118, and the link lamp 122. The RAM 164 is a memory for performing processing operations in the CPU 154 and temporarily storing message data. The LAN controller 166 is connected to the LAN cable terminal 120 described above, and is connected to the broadband modem 174 by the LAN cable 172. The ROM 168 is a memory for storing a program for performing operations described later and an ID as a terminal. The power circuit 170 is connected to the power adapter 176 via the power adapter terminal 124 described above. The broadband modem 174 is connected to an Internet data center 200 described later via an ISP 178 and the Internet 180.

  Next, the Internet data center that performs message transmission / reception processing in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, a message exchange server 202 is installed in the Internet data center 200. The message exchange server 202 is provided with a message reception unit 204, a message transmission unit 206, a message deletion unit 208, a transmission source ID / destination ID correspondence table 210, a terminal authentication table 211, and a message storage unit 212. Among these, the message reception unit 204 searches for the destination with reference to the transmission source ID / destination ID correspondence table 210 in response to the reception of the message from the terminal 100A on the transmission side, and corresponds to the message storage unit 212. A function of storing received message data in a destination folder is provided. The message transmission unit 206 has a function of referring to a corresponding folder in the message storage unit 212 in response to a message inquiry request from the terminal 100B on the receiving side, transmitting a message if there is, and notifying that if not. Yes. The message deletion unit 208 has a function of deleting a corresponding message in response to a message deletion request from the receiving terminal 100B.

  FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of software for performing processing of each unit of the message exchange server 202 as described above. As shown in FIG. 6A, on the operating system PA, the WEB server software PB and the database management software PC for managing the transmission source ID / destination ID correspondence table 210 are operating, respectively. Data exchange between the PB and the database management software PC is performed by the message exchange processing CGI and the source ID / destination ID correspondence table setting CGI.

  Among these, the message exchange CGI has a function for the terminal 100 to automatically access and exchange messages in accordance with user operations. The specific procedure is as follows.

(1) Message reception processing from terminal a, reception source terminal ID received from transmission side terminal 100A b, confirmation that corresponding terminal ID exists in transmission source ID / destination ID correspondence table 210 c, message from terminal Receive data d, refer to source ID / destination ID correspondence table 210, determine destination terminal ID from source terminal ID, store message file in destination terminal message folder in message storage unit f, normal message Replies to the sending terminal 100A

(2) Message inquiry processing a from the receiving side terminal 100B, receiving the terminal ID from the receiving side terminal 100B b, confirming that the corresponding terminal ID exists in the source ID / destination ID correspondence table 210, c, Specify the message folder d, check whether there is a message in the corresponding message folder e, if the message file exists, send the message file with the oldest time stamp to the receiving terminal 100B f, if there is no message file, Response to that effect

(3) Message deletion request processing a from receiving terminal 100B, receiving terminal ID from receiving terminal 100B b, confirming that corresponding terminal ID exists in source ID / destination ID correspondence table 210, corresponding terminal ID Specify the message folder of d, delete the message file with the oldest time stamp in the message folder

Next, the source ID / destination ID correspondence table setting CGI is a setting interface used by a user or a service provider through a WEB browser such as a personal computer or a mobile phone, and has the following functions.
a, Send a screen requesting input of terminal ID and passphrase (terminal ID and passphrase are distributed as a set with the terminal 100)
b, terminal ID and passphrase received c, check whether corresponding record exists in terminal authentication table 211 d, if not, send error screen and exit e, if present, source ID / Referring to the destination ID correspondence table 210, a record in which the input terminal ID is the transmission source is searched, the destination terminal ID is specified f, the above result screen is generated and transmitted g, and the destination terminal ID of the corresponding record If there is an instruction to delete / modify, the instruction h for deletion / modification from the terminal authentication table 211 is transmitted, and the updated destination terminal ID screen is transmitted.

  FIG. 4B shows an example of the terminal authentication table 211. For example, the passphrase with the terminal ID “123456” is “ABCDEFG”. An example of the transmission source ID / destination ID correspondence table 210 is shown in FIG. For example, the destination terminal ID of the transmission source terminal ID “123456” is “123457”. In addition, the destination terminal IDs of the transmission terminal IDs “123458” and “123459” are both “123460”, and it can be set to send a message from a plurality of terminals to the same terminal. Conversely, the destination terminal IDs of the transmission terminal ID “123460” are “123458” and “123459”, and it can be set so that a message is sent from one terminal to a plurality of terminals.

In addition, although the above example becomes a structure by a WEB server and CGI,
(1) Method comprising only a standard mail server (implementing POP / SMTP protocol on the terminal 100 side and using any mail server as a server)
(2) A method of combining dedicated software with the mail server is also applicable.

  Next, the overall operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. FIG. 5 shows the operation on the terminal side, and FIG. 6 shows the operation on the server side. The terminals 100A and 100B are in a state waiting for an event when power is supplied to each unit from the power supply circuit 170 (step S10), and it is determined whether it is a time for periodic incoming call confirmation every elapse of a fixed time (for example, 5 minutes). (Step S12).

  (1) When sending a message: First, a case where a message is sent from the terminal 100A to 100B will be described. When the user opens the lid 102 of the terminal 100A (Yes in step S14), this is detected by the open / close sensor 136 of the sensor unit 160 and notified to the CPU 154. Then, the CPU 154 displays that recording is in progress by causing the state display lamp 110 of the state display unit 162 to emit light (step S16). Here, when the user speaks a message toward the main body 101, the sound is converted into an electric signal by the microphone 134, and further amplified by the microphone amplifier 150 and then converted into digital data by the A / D converter 152. The converted message data is stored in the RAM 164 by the CPU 154. As a result, the message is recorded in the RAM 164 (step S18). When the message is finished, the user closes the lid 102. Then, this is detected by the open / close sensor 136 of the sensor unit 160 and further notified to the CPU 154, and the recording operation is finished (step S18).

  When the recording is finished, the CPU 154 displays the confirmation reproduction by causing the state display lamp 110 of the state display unit 162 to emit light (step S20), and then the touch sensor 112 of the sensor unit 160 for a certain time (for example, 10 seconds). (Step S20). If the user presses the transmission button 104 during that time (Yes in step S22), the CPU 154 displays that the transmission is in progress by causing the status display lamp 110 of the status display unit 162 to emit light (step S24). The message data stored in the RAM 164 is transmitted to the message exchange server 202 through the LAN controller 166, broadband modem 174, ISP 178, and Internet 180 together with its own terminal ID (step S24). At the end of transmission, the emission of the status display lamp 110 is stopped and released (step S24).

  On the other hand, the message exchange server 202 is waiting for a request from the terminal (step S50). Here, when there is a request from the transmitting terminal 100A, the validity of the terminal ID is checked with reference to the terminal authentication table 211 (step S54). If the access is illegal (No in step S554), the session is disconnected (step S56). If the ID is valid (Yes in step S54), if it is a message registration request (Yes in step S58), the message receiving unit 204 receives the message data (step S60). Next, the transmission source ID / destination ID correspondence table 210 is referred to, and the destination terminal ID (in this example, the ID of the terminal 100B) is specified (step S62). Then, the received message data is stored in the folder of the specific terminal ID in the message storage unit 212 (step S64), and further notification is sent to the transmission source terminal 100A (step S66).

  (2) When a message is received Next, the operation when a message is received by the receiving terminal 100B will be described. As described above, the CPU 154 of the receiving terminal 100B periodically inquires the message exchange server 202 about the presence or absence of a message (Yes in step S12, S26). The message exchange server 202 receives the message inquiry (Yes in step S68), and checks whether there is a message addressed to the inquiry source terminal 100B (step S70). As a result, when there is no message (No in step S72), a response to that effect is sent (step S76). On the other hand, when there is a message (Yes in step S72), one latest message data is transmitted to the terminal 100B (step S74).

  On the other hand, if there is a message in terminal 100B (Yes in step S28), CPU 154 receives the message from message exchange server 202 via LAN controller 166, broadband modem 174, ISP 178, and Internet 180. That is, in the message exchange server 202, the message data stored in the folder of the corresponding terminal ID is read by the message transmitting unit 206 and transmitted to the terminal 100B.

  In the terminal 100B, when message data is received (step S30), the message data is stored in the RAM 164 by the CPU 154, and a ring tone is output from the speaker 132, and the status display lamp 110 of the status display unit 162 is emitted. Then, a message indicating that the incoming call has been received is displayed (step S32). Then, it waits for the lid 102 to open in this state (step S34). When the user notices light emission from the status display lamp 110 and opens the lid 102, and this is detected by the open / close sensor 136 of the sensor unit 160, the CPU 154 sends the message data stored in the RAM 164 to the D / A converter 156. Output and convert to analog signal. The converted analog signal is amplified by the power amplifier 158 and supplied to the speaker 132, and a message is reproduced / output from the speaker 132 (step S36). The status display lamp 110 displays that playback is in progress.

  When the playback is finished and the lid 102 is closed by the user (Yes in step S38), the CPU 154 cancels the display during playback by the status display lamp 110 and deletes the message by the LAN controller 166, broadband. The message exchange server 202 is instructed via the modem 174, the ISP 178, and the Internet 180 (step S40). When message deletion is requested (Yes in step S78), the message exchange server 202 deletes the corresponding message data in the message storage unit 212 (step S80), and transmits that fact to the terminal 100B (step S82). Note that the message may be deleted after a predetermined time has elapsed after the end of the reproduction. This is because it may be desired to listen to the message again (the same applies to the following embodiments).

  As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to automatically transmit a message simply by opening the terminal lid and speaking the message into the box. Also, by opening the lid of the terminal, the received message is reproduced from the box and the message can be heard. In other words, the voice is put in the box of the terminal which is a container, and it is delivered to the partner's box via the network. And when you receive a call, you can listen to the message as if you were taking a voice out of the box. In other words, instead of performing complicated operations like e-mail software, messages can be transmitted by a simple act of opening and closing the lid, making it easy for elderly people and people with disabilities who are unfamiliar with the operation of information equipment. Can be handled. In addition, it is not necessary to explicitly specify a destination, and erroneous transmission of messages can be reduced well.

  Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 shows the main configuration of the terminal 300 of this embodiment. In the figure, the terminal 300 has an oval shape as a whole and is placed on a pedestal 350. A push button 302 made of a translucent material is provided on the top of the main body 301 of the terminal 300. A printed wiring board 304 is provided in the main body 301 on the push button 302 side, and a switch 306 and a light emitting unit 308 are provided on the printed wiring board 304, respectively. The push button 302 is supported by the printed wiring board 304 while being urged upward by a coil spring 310.

  The operation of each of the above parts will be described. When the light emitting unit 308 emits light, since the push button 302 is translucent, light passes through the push button 302 and appears to emit light. When the user pushes the push button 302 against the coil spring 310, the switch 306 turns from OFF to ON. When the push button 302 is released, the push button 302 is returned to the original position by the coil spring 310.

  An electronic circuit 320 is provided inside the main body 301 and the pedestal 350. The electronic circuit 320 includes a microphone amplifier, a power amplifier, an A / D and D / A converter, a wireless communication unit, a display control circuit, a CPU, a memory, a LAN controller, a main body detection sensor, and the like. Basically, it is the same as the above embodiment, but a wireless communication unit is provided in both the terminal 300 and the pedestal 350 in order to exchange data between the terminal 300 and the pedestal 350. In addition, a main body detection sensor is provided on the pedestal 350 in order to detect that the user picks up the terminal 300 from the pedestal 350 or returns the terminal 300. In the main body 301 of the terminal 300, a driving battery 322, a microphone, and a speaker 324 are further provided. In addition, power for driving is supplied to the pedestal 350 by a power adapter 326 and connected to the message exchange server 202 of the Internet / data center 200 by the LAN cable 328 as in the above-described embodiment.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. When sending a message, the user picks up the terminal 300 from the pedestal 350 as shown in FIG. This is detected by the main body detection sensor of the pedestal 350, and the message transmission operation described in the above embodiment is performed. The user blows a message while pressing the push button 302 of the taken-up terminal 300. Then, the switch 306 is turned on, the light emitting unit 308 emits orange light, for example, and sound is recorded from the microphone 324 and temporarily stored in the memory of the electronic circuit 320. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the user returns the terminal 300 to the pedestal 350, the message data stored in the memory is sent to the message of the Internet data center 200 via the wireless communication unit and the LAN cable 328. Sent to exchange server 202. During transmission, the light emitting unit 308 emits yellow light, for example. By stopping the light emission, the user can know that the transmission has been completed successfully.

  On the other hand, when there is a message, an inquiry by the terminal 300 is made to the message exchange server 202 in the same procedure as in the above-described embodiment, and the corresponding message is transmitted to the terminal 300 and stored in the memory. Then, as shown in FIG. 8C, the light emitting unit 308 of the terminal 300 emits green light, for example. In this state, as shown in FIG. 8D, when the user presses the push button 302 that emits light, a message is reproduced / output from the speaker 324 in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment. Also in this embodiment, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the pedestal 350 is viewed from the plane, it is formed in a hexagonal shape, for example. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8 (E), a large number of pedestals 350 can be coupled in a planar manner using a magnet or the like. For this reason, the terminals 300 can be grouped. For example, the bases of the terminals 300 that transmit and receive messages addressed to their family members are combined into a group, and the bases of the terminals 300 that transmit and receive messages addressed to company transactions are combined into a group. By performing such grouping, it is possible to visually understand the message transmission / reception destination or the human relationship, which is convenient.

  Next, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the above-described embodiment, the message destinations are determined in advance, but in this example, one of several destinations can be selected. FIG. 9A shows the appearance of the terminal of this embodiment, and its main cross-sectional structure is shown in FIG. As shown in these drawings, the terminal 400 according to the present embodiment includes three stages of drawers 410, 420, and 430. By selecting these drawers, the destination of message transmission / reception is determined. ing. For example, the top drawer 410 is for the daughter, the second drawer 420 is for grandchild 1, the bottom drawer 430 is for grandchild 2, and so on. The drawers 410, 420, and 430 are opened and closed by the knobs 411, 421, and 431.

  Destination labels 412, 422, and 432 are provided in front of the drawers 410, 420, and 430, so that the destinations of the drawers 410, 420, and 430 can be known. In addition, status display windows 414, 424, and 434 are provided in front of the drawers 410, 420, and 430, and status display light emitting diodes 415, 425, and 435 are provided in the back of the drawers 410, 420, and 430, respectively. Is provided. These light leaks out of the drawer through the state display windows 414, 424, 434, so that the message transmission / reception state is displayed. In other words, it is configured to give an impression as if the inside of the drawer is emitting light.

  An electronic circuit 402 is provided on the back side of the main body 401 of the terminal 400, and the state display light emitting diodes 415, 425, 435 are provided in a partition 403 between the electronic circuit 402 and the drawers 410, 420, 430. ing. The partition 403 is provided with opening / closing sensors 416, 426, 436 corresponding to the drawers 410, 420, 430, respectively. A microphone unit 404 is provided on the drawer side of the partition 403, and a speaker unit 405 is provided on the electronic circuit side. In this example, similarly to the above-described embodiment, power is supplied by a power cable, and the LAN cable 407 is connected to the message exchange server 202 of the Internet data center 200.

  Further, in the message exchange server 202 of this embodiment, a table (not shown) showing the relationship between each drawer and the destination is prepared.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. For example, when a message is sent to the daughter, the drawer 410 in which the daughter is set as the destination is opened. Then, it is detected by the open / close sensor 416, and the terminal 400 performs a message transmission operation. That is, when a user blows a message into the drawer as in the above embodiment, this is converted into an electric signal by the microphone unit 404, and further converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter and stored in the memory. . This message data is sent to the message exchange server 202 together with the ID data of the terminal 400 and the ID data of the opened drawer 410. The message exchange server 202 searches for a destination from the two ID data.

  On the other hand, when receiving a message, message data and ID data designating withdrawal are sent from the message exchange server 202 to the corresponding terminal 400. In the terminal 400, the message is stored in the memory of the electronic circuit 402, and the LED for displaying the status of the corresponding ID drawer is turned on. For example, when a message comes from the daughter, the state display light emitting diode 415 of the drawer 410 is caused to emit light. Then, light begins to leak from the status display window 414 of the drawer 410, and the user knows that a message has come from his daughter. When the drawer 410 is opened, a message is reproduced / output from the speaker.

  According to this embodiment, in addition to the same effects as those of the above embodiment, by providing a plurality of drawers, messages can be transmitted / received to / from a plurality of destinations. Further, by specifying the communication partner at the physical position of the drawer in the terminal, the correspondence relationship can be easily understood, and the caller can be easily identified at the drawer position when an incoming call is received. If there is one drawer, it can be considered that it is substantially the same as the first embodiment.

  Next, Embodiment 4 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This is an application of the terminal of the first embodiment described above. In the above embodiment, message exchange with a predetermined partner is possible, but in this embodiment, a destination can be selected by using a destination card. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for components corresponding to those in the first embodiment.

  A destination card 502 is attached to the front of the main body 101 of the terminal 500, as shown in FIG. The destination card 502 displays a face photograph of the destination indicated by the card, and incorporates an IC tag 504 in which the destination ID data is stored. This destination card 502 is detachable from a slide type card holder 506 provided on the front surface of the main body 101. On the back side of the card holder 506, a reading sensor 508 for reading the ID data of the IC tag 504 is provided.

  A destination card 502 is prepared for each destination, as shown in FIGS. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4D, a plurality of destinations may be designated at the same time. The example shown in the figure is a card that can address Mr. A and Mr. B, and the IC tag 504 records ID data indicating that Mr. A and Mr. B are the addresses. Of course, a larger number of destinations may be designated. A correspondence table (not shown) indicating the relationship between the ID data recorded on the IC tag 504 of each destination card 502 and the destination is prepared in the message exchange server 202.

  When transmitting a message, as shown in FIG. 10A, the destination card 502 on which the destination person is displayed is set in the card holder 506. Then, the ID data recorded on the IC tag 504 is read by the reading sensor 508. The ID data indicating the destination is transmitted to the message exchange server 202 together with the message data. The message exchange server 202 refers to the correspondence table from the ID data, determines the destination, and transmits the message to the corresponding destination. The message is received for all messages addressed to its own terminal, regardless of who has the destination card 502 in the card holder 506.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, messages can be exchanged with a large number of opponents by preparing a destination card for each opponent. In addition, since the other party's face photo or the like is displayed on the destination card, the destination can be specified intuitively, and mistakes such as mistaken destinations can be reduced.

  In the above description, the IC tag 504 is attached to the destination card 502, and the ID data of the destination is recorded thereon. However, a barcode or a non-contact IC card may be used instead of the IC tag 504 (implementation). The same applies to Example 5.)

  Next, Embodiment 5 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The present embodiment is an application of the terminal of the fourth embodiment described above, and assumes that a plurality of users share one terminal. For example, it is convenient when there are many users, such as nursing homes, hospitals, and schools. According to the present embodiment, a user is specified by using a user card instead of the destination card. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for components corresponding to those in the fourth embodiment.

  A user card 602 is attached to the front of the main body 101 of the terminal 600, as shown in FIG. The user card 602 displays a face photograph of the user indicated by the card and incorporates an IC tag 504 in which the user ID data is stored. The user card 602 is detachable from a slide type card holder 506 provided on the front surface of the main body 101. On the back side of the card holder 506, a reading sensor 508 for reading the ID data of the IC tag 504 is provided.

  A user card 602 is prepared for each user as shown in FIGS. A correspondence table (not shown) indicating the relationship between the ID data recorded on the IC tag 504 of the user card 602 and the user is prepared in the message exchange server 202.

  When transmitting a message, the user card 602 is set in the card holder 506 as shown in FIG. Then, the ID data recorded on the IC tag 504 is read by the reading sensor 508. The ID data indicating the user is transmitted to the message exchange server 202 together with the message data. The message exchange server 202 refers to the correspondence table from the ID data to determine the user, and further refers to the destination ID / destination ID correspondence table 210 (see FIG. 3) indicating the correspondence between the user and the destination. And send a message to the appropriate destination.

  On the other hand, when receiving a message, the user sets his / her user card 602 in the card holder 506. Then, the ID data recorded on the IC tag 504 is read by the reading sensor 508 and transmitted to the message exchange server 202. The message exchange server 202 refers to the correspondence table from the ID data, determines the user, and refers to the folder of the user. When there is a message, it is transmitted to the terminal 600, so that the user can listen to the message addressed to him / her. Thus, according to the present embodiment, one terminal can be used by a plurality of users by using the user card. In other words, the shared terminal can be used as its own terminal by setting a user card.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the Example mentioned above, A various change can be added in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention. For example, the following are also included.
(1) Although all of the above embodiments dealt with voice messages (voice mail), it is also possible to send and receive images or both images and sounds by providing imaging means and display means on the terminal. . Furthermore, a printing function may be provided in the terminal so that the content of the message can be printed.
(2) The terminals shown in the above embodiments do not necessarily need to be the same on the transmission side and the reception side, and may be different terminals.
(3) The terminal may have various shapes such as a cubic box shape. For example, a rectangular parallelepiped vertically or horizontally long box shape, cylindrical shape, or compact shape. The terminal may also be used as a jewelry box or a pen case. Moreover, in the said Example, although operation of opening / closing of a lid | cover, pushing down of a button, and taking in / out of drawer | drawing-out was performed, various operation modes other than that can be applied. For example, raising an animal's ear or opening a door or window.
(4) The configuration of each part shown in the above embodiment can be variously modified so as to achieve the same effect. For example, the terminal installation position can be freely changed within a certain range using a wireless LAN, or the driving power required for the terminal is secured by a solar cell.
(5) In the above embodiment, the user is notified mainly of the incoming message by light, but of course, it may be notified by voice or voice and light, or by color development, fragrance, etc. Also good.
(6) The above embodiments have shown the case where the terminal performs transmission / reception, but this does not prevent the terminal from being configured to perform only transmission or reception.
(7) In the above embodiment, the operation status such as “sending” and “incoming” is notified by light or sound, but the text “sending mail” or “incoming mail” You may make it display or utter.
(8) In the above embodiments, the message exchange between terminals of the same type has been shown. However, by providing a conversion function with the SMTP protocol by a message server, a personal computer using Internet e-mail can be used. You may also exchange messages with your mobile phone. Also, software including the communication function of the terminal shown in the embodiment may be operated on a personal computer or a mobile phone, and one terminal may be a personal computer or a mobile phone.

  According to the present invention, mail can be transmitted and received by a simple operation such as opening and closing the box lid, and thus it is extremely effective as a mail terminal in nursing homes, schools, hospitals and the like. It is also effective when applied to a terminal such as an information providing service, an emergency alert, or a wake-up call service by utilizing the characteristic that voice messages can be transmitted simultaneously to individual terminals or a plurality of terminals.

It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the terminal of Example 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration and a system configuration of a terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a software configuration and a main table of a server according to the first embodiment. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the terminal according to the first embodiment. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the server according to the first embodiment. It is principal sectional drawing which shows the structure of the terminal of Example 2 of this invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows the external appearance and structure of the terminal of Example 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the principal part of the terminal of Example 4 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the principal part of the terminal of Example 5 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

100: terminal 100A: transmitting terminal 100B: receiving terminal 101: main body 102: lid 104: light emission button 110: status display lamp 112: touch sensor 114: remaining amount display lamp 116: pilot lamp 118: transmission / reception lamp 120: LAN cable Terminal 122: Link lamp 124: Power adapter terminal 130: Insole 132: Speaker 134: Microphone 136: Open / close sensor 140: Electronic circuit 142: Seat 150: Microphone amplifier 152: A / D converter 154: CPU
156: D / A converter 158: Power amplifier 160: Sensor unit 162: Status display unit 164: RAM
166: LAN controller 168: ROM
170: Power circuit 172: LAN cable 174: Broadband modem 176: Power adapter 178: ISP
180: Internet 200: Internet data center 202: Message exchange server 204: Message receiving unit 206: Message transmitting unit 208: Message deleting unit 210: Source ID / destination ID correspondence table 210: Correspondence table 211: Terminal authentication table 212: Message storage unit 300: terminal 301: main body 302: push button 304: printed wiring board 306: switch 308: light emitting unit 310: coil spring 320: electronic circuit 322: battery 324: microphone / speaker 326: power adapter 328: LAN cable 350 : Base 400: Terminal 401: Main body 402: Electronic circuit 403: Partition 404: Microphone unit 405: Speaker unit 406: Power cable 407: LAN cables 410, 420, 430: Drawer 41 , 421, 431: knobs 412, 422, 432: destination labels 414, 424, 434: status display windows 415, 425, 435: status display light emitting diodes 416, 426, 436: open / close sensor 500: terminal 502: destination card 504: IC tag 506: Card holder 508: Reading sensor 600: Terminal 602: User card PA: Operating system PB: Server software PC: Database management software

Claims (5)

A mail terminal device for sending and receiving voice or image mails via a network with a preset destination,
An operation means capable of some operation on the main body,
Mail acquisition means for acquiring the mail when the operation means is operated;
Mail transmitting means for transmitting the mail acquired by the mail acquiring means to the destination through the network;
Mail receiving means for receiving mail from the destination through the network;
Mail reproducing means for reproducing the mail received by the receiving means when the operating means is operated;
A mail terminal device comprising: A plurality of operation means, and an operation means identification data acquisition means for acquiring identification data of the operated operation means,
The mail transmission means transmits the identification data of the operation means acquired by the operation means identification data acquisition means together with the mail,
The mail receiving means receives the identification data of the operating means together with the mail,
The mail reproduction means reproduces the received mail when the operation means corresponding to the received identification data is operated.
The mail terminal device according to claim 1.   3. The mail terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the operation means is one of opening / closing of a lid, pressing of a button, and taking in / out of a drawer. Using destination data holding means, and having destination identification data acquisition means for acquiring the identification data of the mail destination held in the destination data holding means,
The mail terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the mail transmission unit transmits the destination identification data acquired by the destination identification data acquisition unit together with the mail. User identification data acquisition means for acquiring user identification data held in the user data holding means is provided,
The mail transmission means transmits the user identification data acquired by the user identification data acquisition means together with the mail,
The mail receiving means receives user identification data together with mail,
The mail reproducing means reproduces the received mail when the user data holding means corresponding to the received identification data exists;
The mail terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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