JP4025969B2 - Mail exchange method and system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to electronic mail, and more particularly, to a mail transfer method and system that enables exchanging and transferring mail between the Internet and groupware.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, Internet mail has become an indispensable part of work, such as contact with internal and business partners, from large companies to small offices. Here, the Internet mail refers to an electronic mail delivered via the Internet.
[0003]
However, in small offices called SOHO (small office home office), it is necessary to install a mail server and firewall for sending and receiving Internet mail, and to acquire and maintain domain names and IP addresses. In many cases, the problem of cost and the construction operation know-how become problems. Therefore, in a small office, the mail service provided by ISP (Internet Service Provider) should be used without installing a mail server, and the mail server installed by ISP should be used. Is common. There are various Internet mail services provided by ISP, but the simplest one is to assign an e-mail address (e-mail account) to each user for individual users, and always-on or dial-up connection For example, when sending mail, the user accesses the ISP's SMTP (simple mail transfer protocol) server to transfer outgoing mail data to the SMTP server using SMTP as a protocol, and receives mail from the user side. There is a type in which a POP (post office protocol) server of an ISP is accessed and POP is used as a protocol to extract received mail data from the POP server. The ISP also provides a service for corporations, called a mail hosting service, which operates the mail server of the corporation.
[0004]
Even in such a small office, groupware has been introduced for office communication, schedule management, document sharing, and the like. The mail handling method, mail format, and mail transfer protocol in groupware are generally different from those of Internet mail. Therefore, groupware often incorporates a function for delivering mail by Internet mail from outside the company.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, conventional groupware does not work well with Internet mail, and it is difficult to operate groupware and Internet mail seamlessly, especially for small offices that do not have their own mail server. There is a point. In other words, the mechanism for linking with Internet mail in groupware is based on the premise that the operator of the groupware operates its own mail server. For small offices using ISP mail servers, It was difficult to use the cooperation mechanism.
[0006]
In groupware, in addition to setting a mailbox for each individual, there is often a shared mailbox for each group that can be referenced by members of the group. In conventional groupware, the shared mailbox is used. Have not been able to share a single email address for Internet mail. Therefore, there arises a problem that sharing of information is hindered, and the number of mail addresses (mail accounts) to be acquired from the ISP is increased, resulting in a cost.
[0007]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a mail transfer method and system capable of easily transferring and exchanging mail between the Internet and groupware.
[0008]
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mail transfer method and system capable of sharing one mail address (for POP / SMTP) acquired from an ISP among a plurality of users on groupware.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The mail transfer method of the present invention is a mail transfer method for exchanging electronic mail between groupware having a mailbox and the Internet, and a user correspondence table for associating user information in the groupware and an Internet mail address is prepared. When sending mail from the groupware to the Internet, the user correspondence table is searched, the address of the sender field in the header of the mail is rewritten to the corresponding Internet mail address, and then sent to the Internet. When mail is received by wear, the user correspondence table is searched, the address of the destination field in the header of the received mail is rewritten with the corresponding address in the groupware, and the received mail can be rewritten. It is stored in the mail box based on the address.
[0010]
The mail transfer system of the present invention is a mail transfer system for exchanging e-mails between groupware and the Internet, and searches a user correspondence table for associating user information in the groupware with an Internet mail address, and a user correspondence table. Receive the outgoing mail from the groupware, rewrite the address of the sender field in the header of the outgoing mail to the corresponding Internet mail address, send the mail with the rewritten address to the Internet, receive the incoming mail from the Internet A mail transmission / reception unit that rewrites the address of the destination field in the header of the received mail to a corresponding address in the groupware, and passes the received mail with the rewritten address to the groupware.
[0011]
That is, according to the present invention, when using a mail service operated in groupware or the like, the user information managed by the mail service is associated with the mail address (mail account) of an ISP (Internet Service Provider). And a mechanism for sending and receiving mails to and from the POP / SMTP server that is managed by the ISP is provided.
[0012]
Here, the source field and the destination field will be described. Regardless of whether it is an Internet mail or a groupware mail, an electronic mail is generally composed of a header and a body. The header is described in a predetermined format (format), and includes information necessary for delivering the electronic mail divided into fields. The header includes the mail address of the sender of the mail and the mail address of the destination of the mail. The sender's mail address is described in the sender field, and the destination mail address is described in the destination field. Become. In the case of Internet mail, these fields are called the From field and the To field, respectively. This is often called even in mail systems other than Internet mail. Therefore, in the following description, the source field and the destination field are also described as a From field and a To field, respectively.
[0013]
In the present invention, it is preferable that a shared mailbox used by a plurality of users of the groupware is set, and an Internet mail address is also set for the shared mailbox in the user correspondence table. By using this mechanism, it is possible to share and use one Internet mail address of an ISP among a plurality of users who use groupware. In this case, regarding the user of the shared mailbox, the address in the transmission source field is rewritten with the Internet mail address set in the shared mailbox when sending mail. Further, in the user correspondence table, for each of the groupware user and the shared mailbox, a reception flag that enables reception of mail from the Internet side and a transmission flag that enables transmission of mail to the Internet side are provided. Stipulates that a user who can dedicate one Internet mail address can receive and send a reception flag and a transmission flag, respectively, and a user of a shared mailbox cannot receive a reception flag and a transmission flag, respectively. It is preferable that the transmission flag is set so that the reception flag is set to be receivable for the shared mailbox.
[0014]
In the mail transfer system of the present invention, it is preferable that the mail transmission / reception unit transmits the transmission mail to the ISP SMTP server and receives the transmission mail from the ISP POP server. Further, a transmission / reception activation unit that activates the mail transmission / reception unit according to a predetermined activation schedule may be further provided.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a mail address sharing and usage system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0016]
Generally, groupware is realized by a server-client type implementation, and dedicated client software or general-purpose web browsing software is used on the client side (individual user side). Therefore, in the following description, the term “groupware” refers to software (group) executed on the server side in order to function as groupware.
[0017]
The groupware server 50, together with the groupware 10, transmits and receives Internet mail to and from the ISP (Internet Service Provider) 20, associates it with the Internet mail address of the ISP 20, and shares the Internet mail address. An exchange tool 100 is provided. The exchange tool 100 includes a mail transmission / reception unit 101, a transmission / reception activation unit 102, an information setting unit 103, and an information file 104. The ISP 20 is connected to the Internet 30 and includes at least an SMTP server 21 that is a transmission mail server and a POP server 22 that is a reception mail server.
[0018]
The client terminal 51 of each user of the groupware 10 is connected to the server 50. The client terminal 51 is generally a personal computer (PC). The client terminal 51 is usually connected to the server 50 via a LAN (local area network) 52.
[0019]
The groupware 10 includes a transmission mail spool 11 that temporarily stores (spools) mail to be transmitted to the Internet 30 side, a reception mail spool 12 that temporarily stores mail received from the Internet 30 side, A user information storage unit 13 for storing information on each user, an SMTP conversion unit 14 for converting a mail format between Internet mail and groupware mail, a mailbox for each user (personal mailbox MP), And a mailbox storage unit 15 in which the group shared mailbox MS is stored.
[0020]
Next, the exchange tool 100 will be described.
[0021]
The exchange tool 100 can be realized as software or hardware that is added to the groupware 10 as will be described later. In the exchange tool 100, the mail transmission / reception unit 101 retrieves the mail transmitted to the Internet 30 by the user of the groupware 10 from the transmission mail spool 11, transmits the mail to the SMTP server 21 of the ISP 20, and after the transmission is completed, the POP of the ISP 20 The mail is taken out from the server 22 and transferred to the receiving mail spool 12 of the groupware 10. The transmission / reception activation unit 102 activates the mail transmission / reception unit 101 according to the schedule defined in the information file 104. Note that the mail transmission / reception unit 101 is also activated when there is no mail to be transmitted to the Internet 30 side. In this case, the mail transmission / reception unit 101 immediately performs reception processing without performing transmission processing.
[0022]
The information setting unit 103 is a schedule by which the transmission / reception activation unit 102 activates the mail transmission / reception unit 101, ISP connection information (communication parameters necessary for connecting to the ISP, etc.), groupware 10 user information, and ISP Internet. Manages information such as tables associated with email addresses. Information defined by the information setting unit 103 is registered in the information file 104. That is, the information file 104 holds a user correspondence table in which user information and an Internet mail address are associated, ISP connection information, and an activation schedule.
[0023]
In the groupware system shown here, when each user of the groupware sends or receives Internet mail, the groupware 10 of the server 50 performs processing in a batch. Therefore, the system shown in FIG. 1 can be realized by adding the replacement tool 100 to the server 50 of the groupware 10.
[0024]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
[0025]
Assume that a user of the groupware 10 creates an e-mail addressed to the Internet 30 and stores it as a transmission mail file in the transmission mail spool 11 via the SMTP conversion unit 14.
[0026]
The transmission / reception activation unit 102 acquires a schedule for activating the mail transmission / reception unit 101 from the information file 104, and activates the mail transmission / reception unit 101 according to the activation schedule. As the activation schedule, for example, a setting for activating the mail transmission / reception unit 101 every elapse of a predetermined time, a setting for activating at a specified time, or the like can be selected as appropriate. When the mail transmission / reception unit 101 is activated by the transmission / reception activation unit 102, the mail transmission / reception unit 101 extracts the transmitted mail from the transmission mail spool 11 and transmits it to the SMTP server 21 of the ISP 20. At that time, as will be described later, the mail transmitting / receiving unit 101 refers to the user correspondence table of the information file 104 and converts the address described in the From field of the mail header into an Internet mail address in the ISP 20. To do.
[0027]
When the outgoing mail processing for the Internet is completed, the mail transmission / reception unit 101 takes out the Internet mail from the POP server 22 of the ISP 20 and stores it in the reception mail spool 12 as a reception mail file. At that time, the mail transmission / reception unit 101 refers to the user correspondence table of the information file 104 and converts the address described in the To (destination) field of the mail header into the mail address in the groupware 10 as described later. To do. The received mail file in the receiving mail spool 12 is then converted into groupware mail data by the SMTP conversion unit 14 and stored in the mailbox specified in the To field of the mail header.
[0028]
Hereinafter, the role of the information file 104 and details of the mail transmission / reception process will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, the mail sent by the user of the groupware is described so as to be sent to the Internet side without going through the mail box. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the information is stored in a mailbox for each user, and such a case is also included in the scope of the present invention. In a configuration in which both outgoing mail and incoming mail are stored in the mailbox, the above-mentioned reception flag and transmission flag are the same in the end, but they are not set for each user but for each mailbox. You may think. When the outgoing mail is also stored in the mailbox, when it is determined that the destination of the outgoing mail is outside the groupware, the outgoing mail is temporarily stored in the outgoing mail spool 11 via the SMTP conversion unit 14. Will be accumulated.
[0029]
ISP connection information when the mail transmitting / receiving unit 101 exchanges mail with the ISP 20 is registered in the information file 104 as described above. In the information file 104, a user correspondence table and ISP connection information are registered for each user of the groupware 10. The user correspondence table describes the correspondence between the reception flag and transmission flag that define the transmission / reception relationship with the ISP 20 for each user, and the address in the groupware and the Internet mail address. Each of the reception flag and the transmission flag takes one of “ON” and “OFF” as a value. When the flag is “ON”, the mail transmitting / receiving unit 101 executes a corresponding process (reception / transmission) for the user.
[0030]
Depending on the setting of the reception flag and the transmission flag, here, one user uses one Internet mail address for a user, and a plurality of users who use a shared mailbox use one Internet mail address. If you want both to be realized.
[0031]
That is, for a certain user, the user information in the user information storage unit 13 of the groupware 10 is associated with one Internet mail address in the ISP, and both the transmission flag and the reception flag are set to “ON” for the user. In that case, the user can use the Internet mail address alone. User C in FIG. 2 corresponds to this user. In this case, when sending mail to the Internet 30 side, the mail transmitting / receiving unit 101 converts the address described in the From field of the mail header into an Internet mail address in the ISP 20 according to the description in the user correspondence table, and converts the address. The later mail is transferred to the SMTP server 21 of the ISP 20. The mail transferred to the SMTP server 21 is then delivered to the other party by normal mail processing on the Internet 30. As a result, the recipient who has received this mail on the Internet 30 side appears to have received the mail from the Internet mail address of the ISP 20.
[0032]
On the other hand, mail transmitted from the Internet 30 side to this Internet mail address is stored in the POP server 22 of the ISP 20. When the mail transmission / reception unit 101 retrieves the mail from the POP server 22, the mail transmission / reception unit 101 checks the address described in the To field in the mail header of the mail, searches the user correspondence table based on the confirmed address, The address in the To field is replaced with the user address (mail address on the groupware 10). The mail whose address is replaced is transmitted to the corresponding user's mailbox via the reception mail spool 12 and the SMTP conversion unit 14. Therefore, the mail is received by the personal mailbox MP in the groupware 10.
[0033]
Next, a case where a plurality of users share one mailbox and these users share one Internet mail address will be described.
[0034]
First, in the groupware 10, a mailbox that can be referred to by a plurality of users (hereinafter referred to as a shared mailbox MS) is prepared. In general, the groupware 10 often has a mailbox that can be used by multiple users in a department or the like as a basic environment. If such a shared mailbox is not prepared, access to the mailbox is possible. Set so that it can be shared by multiple users by changing the setting of the rights list.
[0035]
Then, in the user correspondence table of the information file 104, the shared mail box MP and the Internet mail address to be shared by the ISP are associated, the transmission flag is set to “OFF”, and the reception flag is set to “ON” for the shared mail box MP. Set. Also, for each user who uses the shared mailbox MP, in the user correspondence table, the Internet mail address of the ISP is associated, the transmission flag is set to “ON”, and the reception flag is set to “OFF”. By setting in this way, when mail is sent to the Internet 30 side, the shared Internet mail address is described in the From field of the mail created by each user. Eventually, users who use the shared mailbox MP (shared user A and shared user B in FIG. 2) can send mail using a shared Internet mail address as a sender address. In addition, since only the shared mailbox MS has the reception flag “ON” for the shared Internet mail address, mail sent to the shared Internet mail address is stored in the shared mailbox MS. It will be.
[0036]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the transmission / reception processing performed by the mail transmission / reception unit 101 described above. FIG. 3A shows transmission processing, and FIG. 3B shows reception processing.
[0037]
In the transmission process, when the mail transmission / reception unit 101 is activated by the transmission / reception activation unit 102, in step 111, the mail transmission / reception unit 101 checks whether there is an untransmitted mail in the transmission mail spool 11. If there is no unsent mail, the process is terminated. If there is an unsent mail, the mail transmitting / receiving unit 101 extracts one unsent mail from the sending mail spool 11, and the address described in the From field of the header of the mail (at this stage, the address in the groupware) Based on the above, the user correspondence table in the information file 104 is searched (step 112). Then, it is determined whether or not the transmission flag is “ON” for the user at the address (step 113). If the transmission flag is not “ON”, the user is not permitted to transmit Internet mail, so the mail is discarded (step 114), and the process returns to step 111 to process the next mail. If the transmission flag is “ON” in step 113, the mail transmitting unit 101 next searches the user correspondence table for the address described in the From field of the mail and the corresponding Internet obtained. Replacing with the mail address (step 115), the mail with the replaced address in the From field is transferred to the STMP server 21 of the ISP 20 (step 116), and the process returns to step 111 to process the next mail.
[0038]
In the receiving process, the mail transmitting / receiving unit 101 determines whether there is a received mail in the POP server 22 of the ISP 20 (step 117), and ends the process if there is no received mail. When there is a received mail, the mail transmission / reception unit 101 extracts one received mail from the POP server 22 and based on the address described in the To field of the header part of the mail (this is an Internet mail address at this stage). The user correspondence table in the information file 104 is searched (step 118). Then, the address of the groupware corresponding to the Internet mail address and the reception flag being “ON” is found, and the To field of the mail is rewritten by the found address (step 119), The mail is stored in the receiving mail spool 12 (step 120), and the process returns to step 117 to process the next mail. The mail stored in the reception mail spool 12 is stored in the corresponding mailbox via the SMTP conversion unit 14.
[0039]
As for the Internet mail address to which mail may be sent from the Internet 30 side, the reception flag is set to “ON” corresponding to any one of the mail boxes on the groupware 10 side. To be. If there is no mailbox (or user) for which the reception flag is set to “ON” for the Internet mail address, the mail received for the Internet mail address is not subject to reception processing and is discarded. Will be.
[0040]
Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the system described above causes the computer to be the server 50 to read the computer program to function as the groupware 10 and the conversion tool 100 and execute the program. Can also be realized. A program for causing a computer to function as the groupware 10 and the conversion tool 100 is read into the computer by a recording medium such as a magnetic tape or a CD-ROM, or via a network. Such computers typically include a central processing unit (CPU), a hard disk device for storing programs and data, main memory, input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, a CRT or a liquid crystal display (LCD). ), A reading device that reads a recording medium such as a magnetic tape or a CD-ROM, and a communication interface for connecting to the LAN 52 to which the client terminal 51 is connected and for connecting to the ISP 20. The hard disk device, main memory, input device, display device, reading device, and communication interface are all connected to the central processing unit. This computer attaches a recording medium storing a program for realizing the groupware 10 and the exchange tool 100 to the reading device, reads the program from the recording medium and stores it in the hard disk device, or stores the groupware 10 and the exchange tool 100 in the hard disk device. The program to be realized is stored in the hard disk device via the network, and then the central processing unit executes the program stored in the hard disk device, thereby functioning as the system described above. Alternatively, it can be realized by installing a program for realizing the exchange tool 100 in the computer assuming that a program for realizing the groupware 10 is installed in advance.
[0041]
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention described above, the connection between the server 50 and the ISP 20 preferably takes the form of a constant connection using a dedicated line or an ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line). If the office is a small office and Internet mail is used less frequently, a configuration with dial-up IP connection is also possible. When groupware is used in a plurality of departments, it is also possible to prepare a shared mailbox for each department and associate one Internet mail address of each ISP.
[0042]
According to the present embodiment, the corporate mail hosting service provided by the ISP can be linked with the groupware, and the Internet mail address assigned by the inexpensive personal mail service provided by the ISP is also provided. Is available.
[0043]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to connect and operate groupware and Internet mail seamlessly in a small office or the like without operating and managing a unique mail server or a unique domain. Become. Since the ISP typically performs maintenance and security measures for the mail server, it is not necessary to construct and operate the mail server when using Internet mail with groupware. Therefore, according to the present invention, introduction of groupware to a small office can be promoted.
[0044]
Furthermore, according to the present invention, a groupware user can share and use one Internet mail address of an ISP, and the introduction cost for using Internet mail with groupware can be reduced. The present invention is also effective when it is desired to continue to use an existing ISP Internet mail address when newly introducing groupware.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a mail address sharing and usage system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a mechanism for sharing and using a mail address.
FIG. 3A is a flowchart for explaining transmission of mail to the Internet side, and FIG. 3B is a flowchart for explaining reception of mail from the Internet side.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Groupware
11 Mail spool for sending
12 Mail spool for receiving
13 User information storage
14 SMTP converter
15 Mailbox storage
20 ISP (Internet Service Provider)
21 SMTP (simple mail transfer protocol) server
22 POP (post office protocol) server
30 Internet
50 servers
51 Client terminal
52 LAN (Local Area Network)
100 change tool
101 Mail sending / receiving unit
102 Transmission / reception activation unit
103 Information setting section
104 Information file
111-120 steps

Claims (8)

A mail transfer method for exchanging e-mail between groupware having a mailbox and the Internet,
Preparing a user correspondence table associating user information and Internet mail address in the groupware;
Furthermore, a shared mailbox used by a plurality of users of the groupware is set, an Internet mail address is set for the shared mailbox,
In the user correspondence table, for each of the groupware user and the shared mailbox, a reception flag that enables reception of mail from the Internet side and a transmission flag that enables transmission of mail to the Internet side For the user who can dedicate one Internet mail address, the reception flag and the transmission flag are set to be receivable and transmittable, respectively, and for the user of the shared mailbox, the reception flag and the The transmission flag is set to be unreceivable and transmittable, and the reception flag is set to be receivable for the shared mailbox.
When sending mail from the groupware to the Internet, the user correspondence table is searched, the address of the sender field in the header of the mail is rewritten to the corresponding Internet mail address, and then sent to the Internet. ,
When receiving mail from the Internet to the groupware, the user correspondence table is searched, the address of the destination field in the header of the received mail is rewritten to the corresponding address in the groupware, and the received A mail forwarding method that stores mail in a mailbox based on the rewritten address. 2. The mail transfer method according to claim 1 , wherein an address in a sender field is rewritten with an Internet mail address set in the shared mailbox when the mail is transmitted with respect to a user of the shared mailbox. A mail transfer system for exchanging e-mail between groupware and the Internet,
A user correspondence table associating user information and Internet mail addresses in the groupware;
The user correspondence table is searched, the outgoing mail from the groupware is received, the address of the sender field in the header of the outgoing mail is rewritten to the corresponding Internet mail address, and the mail whose address is rewritten is transferred to the Internet. Sending, receiving the received mail from the Internet, rewriting the address of the destination field in the header of the received mail to the corresponding address in the groupware, and passing the received mail with the rewritten address to the groupware. A mail transmission / reception unit;
I have a,
When a shared mailbox used by a plurality of users is set in the groupware, an Internet mail address is also set for the shared mailbox in the user correspondence table,
In the user correspondence table, for each of the groupware user and the shared mailbox, a reception flag that enables reception of mail from the Internet side and a transmission flag that enables transmission of mail to the Internet side For the user who can dedicate one Internet mail address, the reception flag and the transmission flag are set to be receivable and transmittable, respectively, and for the user of the shared mailbox, the reception flag and the The transmission flag is set to be unreceivable and transmittable, the reception flag is set to be receivable with respect to the shared mailbox, and the mail transmission / reception unit performs reception processing and transmission based on the reception flag and the transmission flag. A mail transfer system that performs processing . 4. The mail transfer system according to claim 3 , wherein with respect to a user of the shared mailbox, the mail transmitting / receiving unit rewrites an address in a transmission source field with an Internet mail address set in the shared mailbox when transmitting the mail. 5. The mail transfer system according to claim 3 , wherein the mail transmitting / receiving unit transmits the outgoing mail to an SMTP server of an Internet service provider and receives the outgoing mail from a POP server of the Internet service provider. . The mail transfer system according to any one of claims 3 to 5 , further comprising a transmission / reception activation unit that activates the mail transmission / reception unit according to a predetermined activation schedule. A program for causing a computer to execute the mail transfer method according to claim 1 or 2 . A computer readable recording medium, a recording medium recording a program for executing the method mail transfer according to claim 1 or 2 to the computer.

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