JPH04179342A - Electronic mail device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To shorten response time by returning a response to a caller when a reception mail generation processing terminates. CONSTITUTION:When the command of mail transmission is received from the caller, a mail origination processing means 6 starts an origination mail generation means 8 and generates an origination mail in the storage areas 13A-13C of the caller. When the processing terminates, the mail origination processing means 6 returns the response to the caller and starts a pointer distribution means 9. The pointer distribution means 9 stores a pointer for the origination mail in the storage areas 14A-14C of a receiver. When the command of mail reception is received, a mail reception processing means 7 starts a reception mail generation means 10 and the reception mail generation means 10 generates a reception mail based on the pointer in the storage areas 14A-14C of the receiver. Thus, response time for the caller is shortened.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an e-mail device using an electronic computer system.

[Conventional technology]

Generally, an e-mail device consists of a central processing system and a plurality of input/output devices connected to the central processing system via communication lines. When receiving a command to send a message,
Create an outgoing email in the storage area set up for the sender, and then the user (recipient) to whom the email is addressed.
A series of processes are performed in which a pointer to the outgoing mail is stored in the storage area of , and at this point a response is sent to the sender that the process has been completed.Also, when receiving a command to receive the mail from the recipient via the input/output device, , the outgoing mail is copied based on the pointer to create the received mail in the recipient's memory and to make it readable.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

As mentioned above, in conventional e-mail devices, especially in the mail sending process, a response is returned to the sender when both the outgoing mail creation process and the pointer distribution process are completed. Until then, the drawback was that the caller had to wait in front of the input/output device. In particular, when there are multiple recipients for one email, the time required for pointer distribution processing varies depending on the number of recipients, so the response time is not constant, and if there are many recipients, you may have to wait for a long time. There was a drawback.

The present invention has been proposed in view of the above points, and its purpose is to provide an e-mail system that can shorten the response time to the sender! Our goal is to provide the following.

Means for Solving Problem C] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an outgoing mail creation means for creating outgoing mail in a sender's storage area, and a pointer to the outgoing email in the recipient's storage area. a pointer distribution means for storing a pointer; a received mail creation means for creating a received mail in a recipient's storage area based on the pointer; and a received mail creation means that activates the outgoing mail creation means upon receiving a command to send the mail, and the processing ends. e-mail transmission processing means that returns a response to the sender at the time when the pointer is sent, and then activates the pointer distribution means; and e-mail reception processing means that activates the received mail creation means upon receiving a command to receive the e-mail. I have to.

[Effect]

In the e-mail device of the present invention, when receiving an instruction to send an e-mail from the sender, the e-mail sending processing means starts the outgoing mail creation means, and the outgoing mail creation means stores the outgoing mail in the sender's storage area. Create. Then, when the processing is completed, the mail transmission processing means returns a response to the sender, and thereafter activates the pointer distribution means, and the pointer distribution means stores a pointer to the outgoing mail in the recipient's storage area.

On the other hand, upon receiving a command to receive mail, the mail reception processing means activates the received mail creation means, and the received mail creation means creates the received mail in the recipient's storage area based on the pointer.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an e-mail device according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, this embodiment is broadly divided into a central processing system 4 and a communication line 3A connected to this central processing system 4.
, 3B, and 3C are connected to the input/output devices IA and IB corresponding to users A, B, and C.

1C. In addition, input/output devices lA, I
B. User interface section 2A on the IC.

2B and 2C, respectively, and the central processing system 4 includes an e-mail control section 5 and each user A and B.

Storage areas 11A, IIB, and IIc corresponding to C are provided. Further, the e-mail control unit 5 is provided with a mail transmission processing means 6, a mail reception processing means 7, an outgoing mail creation means 8, a pointer distribution means 9, and a received mail creation means 10, and a storage area 11A.

11B and IIC have cabinets 12A and 12B.

12C, outgoing mailboxes 13A, 13B, and 13C, and receiving mailboxes 14A, 14B, and 14C are provided, respectively. In order to avoid duplication, the functions of each part will be explained through the following operations.

Hereinafter, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained for each case.

(1) Sending of mail Now, for example, assume that user A sends mail to users B and C.

First, user A instructs the e-mail control section 5 of the central processing system 4 to send an e-mail from his input/output device IA via the user interface section 2A and the communication line 3A.

In the e-mail control section 5, a mail transmission processing means 6 is operated in response to a command for mail transmission, and the mail transmission processing means 6 activates a transmission mail creation means 8.

Now, as shown in the second part, assuming that the document 15 to be sent is stored in the cabinet 12A of the storage area 11A of user A, the sending mail creation means 8 copies the document 15 in the cabinet 12A. , as shown in FIG. 3, an outgoing mail 16 is created in the outgoing mailbox 13A in the same storage area 11A.

The mail transmission processing means 6 generates a communication diagram when the processing of the transmission mail creation means 8 is completed. A response is returned from the input/output device IA to the user A via the input/output device IA and the user interface section 2A.

As a result, user A is released.

Next, the mail transmission processing means 6 activates the pointer distribution means 9.

As shown in FIG. 4, the pointer distribution means 9 stores pointers 17 and 18 to the outgoing mail 16 in the storage areas 11B of users B and C who are recipients, and in the reception mailboxes 1.4B and 14C of IIG. do.

This completes the mail sending process.

(2) E-mail receiving users B and C check whether an e-mail has been delivered to them at an appropriate time, and if it has, the user interface units 2B and 2 are sent from their own input/output devices IB and IC.
The e-mail control unit 5 of the central processing system 4 is instructed to receive mail via C and the communication line 3B23C.

In the e-mail control unit 5, the e-mail reception processing means 7 operates in response to the e-mail reception command, and the e-mail reception processing means 7 starts the received e-mail creation means 10.

Now, assuming that pointers 17 and 18 are stored as shown in FIG.
7.18, the outgoing mail 16 in the storage area 11A is acquired and copied, and as shown in FIG.
Create received mail 19.20 on 4C.

As a result, users B and C use their own input/output devices IB.
, the contents of the received mail 19.20 can be viewed using the IC.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, in the e-mail device of the present invention, a response is returned to the sender when the outgoing mail creation process is completed, so the response time does not include the time required for the pointer distribution process. This has the effect of being able to shorten the response time and keeping the response time substantially constant regardless of the number of recipients.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the e-mail device of the present invention, FIGS. 2 to 5 are diagrams showing operating states, and FIG. Figure 3 shows the state in which the central processing system performs the first half of the sending process in response to a command to send an email, and Figure 4 shows the central processing system performing the second half of the sending process. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which processing has been completed, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which mail reception processing has been performed. In the figure, A to C...... Users 1A to I
C... Input/output devices 2A to 2C...
...User interface section 3A to 3C...
・・・Communication line 4・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
...Central processing system 5...
...... E-mail control unit 6...
・・・・・・・・・・・・Mail transmission processing means 7
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Mail reception processing means 8・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
・Method for creating outgoing mail 9・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
......Pointer distribution means 10...
......Received email creation means 11A-I
IC...Storage area 12A to 12C...Cabift

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) Outgoing mail creation means for creating an outgoing mail in a sender's storage area; pointer distribution means for storing a pointer to the outgoing email in a recipient's storage area; a means for creating received mail in the area; and a means for composing the outgoing mail upon receiving a command to send the mail, returning a response to the sender upon completion of the processing, and then activating the means for distributing pointers. What is claimed is: 1. An electronic mail device comprising: a mail transmission processing means for activating the received mail creation means upon receiving a mail reception command. (2) The outgoing mail creation means creates a copy of the document stored in the cabinet in the sender's storage area in the outgoing mailbox in the same storage area, and the pointer distribution means places a pointer in the receiving mailbox in the recipient's storage area. 2. The e-mail device according to claim 1, wherein the e-mail device stores information. (3) The received mail creation means creates a copy of the outgoing mail stored in the outgoing mailbox of the sender's storage area pointed by the pointer in the reception mailbox of the recipient's storage area. 2. The e-mail device according to 2.