JPH06268677A - Electronic mail system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatically recognize the scheduled opening time of a reception side user and to easily set the limit of transmission on the transmission side by searching the time to start idle time nearest from present time and possessing that time when the destination is shown from a transmission side user. CONSTITUTION:Information processors 1 (1a-1c) transmit and receive data through a LAN 2. These devices 1 are composed of CPU 10, main memories 11, video memories 12, keyboards 13, mouses 14 and display devices 15. In this case, when performing scheduled opening possession processing 1304 to recognize the mail opening schedule of the reception side, the length of time from the present time to scheduled ending time is calculated by using the possessed plan of the reception side user. The length of this calculated time shows the length of time to the time to start the nearest idle time for the reception user to open the mail. Therefore, this time length is automatically displayed on the screen of the transmission side user as the reception side scheduled opening time.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic mail system and a schedule management system, and more particularly to a mail schedule system which facilitates a mail sending operation and mail sending / receiving.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a network environment in which a plurality of terminal devices are connected using communication lines, a tool for freely handling information between the terminal devices is required in order to perform office work more smoothly. Conventionally, a user creates a mail (information) to be sent by using an electronic mail system, designates a destination using a mouse from a destination list, and selects a type of mail (for example, important, urgent, reply, message, circulation,
After selecting (Distribution, etc.) and setting the reply deadline and expiration date, the e-mail was automatically sent. At that time, the user was able to set / confirm the deadline designation of the mail after referring to the schedule contents of the transmission partner using the schedule management system.

[0003]

The conventional method has the following problems.

(1) When the sending user specifies a destination on the screen displaying the user list storing all the destinations, if the data amount of the user list is large, it takes time to search the destinations. (2) When registering user names that are grouped in a certain unit (belonging department, etc.) to the user list, when a member is changed (for example, a member is added, moved, or deleted) in the unit, , It is difficult to correct the address.

(3) When sending a mail with a sending deadline, the sending user cannot know when the receiving user will open the sent mail, so it is difficult to set the deadline.

(4) When a sending user sends a mail with a sending deadline using a sending procedure such as distribution or circulation, if the receiving user cannot read the mail by the deadline, the sending of the mail is performed. To be wasted.

In order to solve the above problems, the objects of the present invention are as follows.

(1) To facilitate the search for the destination on the screen displaying the user list.

(2) When registering user names that are grouped in a certain unit (belonging department, etc.) to the user list, it is easy to correct the destination when the members are changed in the unit. .

(3) Before the sending user sets the due date of the mail, it is possible to grasp the opening schedule of the receiving user and easily set an appropriate due date.

(4) Before executing the mail transmission, when the mail transmission is executed according to the transmission procedure (distribution, circulation, etc.) input and set by the transmission side user, the reception side user opens the mail contents by the transmission deadline. What you could do,
By automatically notifying the sending side user, the receiving side user can know the mail opening schedule of the receiving side user, and the waste of sending can be reduced.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to achieve the above object, and in a first aspect thereof, an electronic mail having a function of sending and receiving an electronic mail via a communication line. In the system, a data area in which the attribute data of an individual is stored as a destination and each of the above individuals are managed as one destination, and the destinations stored in the data area are grouped into A management area for managing the group by treating it as one destination.
The storage means storing the list, the destination designating means for designating a desired destination among the destinations stored in the data area, the group name inputting means for inputting the name of the group, and the user When an instruction means for giving an operation instruction to the system and a grouping instruction are given via the instruction means, the destination instructed by the destination instruction means is registered in the management area of the user list. An electronic mail system is provided which is characterized by being grouped and having a grouping means for giving a name inputted from the group name inputting means to the group. .

In this case, when the transmission is instructed through the instructing means, the data relating to the destination instructed by the destination instructing means is read from the user list to finally compose the destination. It is preferable to have a sending means for sending mail to all individuals.

It is preferable that the attribute data includes at least one of the name, the identification code, the post, and the affiliation of the individual.

When there are two or more types of attribute data instructed by the destination instructing means, the grouping means stores all the contents of the attribute data of the instructed type. It is preferable to have a function of extracting a matching destination from the user list and setting the extracted destination as one group.

The display means for displaying the attribute data, which has a display screen, and the instruction by the destination designating means are performed by selecting one of the attribute data displayed on the display screen. Is preferred.

When the destination designated by the destination designating means is a group, the display means preferably has a function of reading the destinations forming the group from the user list and displaying the destination. .

Attribute data stored in the data area
It is preferable to have a changing means for changing the data.

As a second aspect of the present invention, in an electronic mail system having a function of sending and receiving electronic mail via a communication line, a schedule describing a schedule of a recipient of the mail is stored. The storage means, the destination designating means for designating the recipient as the destination of the mail, and the schedule of the recipient designated by the destination designating means by referring to the schedule are acquired, and the recipient An electronic mail characterized by comprising opening schedule estimation means for obtaining the earliest time at which the mail can be read as the scheduled opening time, and notifying means for notifying the sender of the scheduled opening time.
System is provided.

In this case, there is provided time calculating means for obtaining the length of time from the present time to the scheduled opening time (hereinafter referred to as "opening scheduled time"), and the notifying means is the scheduled opening time and / or the scheduled opening. It is preferable to inform the time.

As a third aspect of the present invention, in an electronic mail system having a function of circulating an electronic mail between recipients who are destinations, a memory storing a schedule describing a schedule of the recipients is stored. Means, a destination designating means for designating a recipient as a destination of the mail, an order for circulating the mail between the recipients (hereinafter referred to as "designated circulation order"), and the mail for each recipient. Circulation condition instructing means for instructing the time (hereinafter referred to as "reference time") which is considered necessary for reading the mail and the circulation deadline by which the mail must reach the last recipient, When the mail is circulated according to the designated circulation order, if the above reference time is required from the reception of each mail to the transmission of the mail to the next recipient, until the circulation deadline. To the above designated circulation order A determination means for determining whether or not the mail reaches the last recipient by referring to the schedule of the recipient instructed by the destination instruction means, an informing means for informing the result of the determination, There is provided an electronic mail system comprising:

In this case, as a result of the judgment, if the mail is circulated according to the designated circulation order, and if it is judged that the mail does not reach the last recipient, the circulation is completed by the circulation deadline. It is preferable to include a search means for searching a possible circulation order, and the notification means to notify also the search result by the search means.

[0023]

The operation of the first aspect of the present invention will be described.

In the data area of the user list stored in the storage means, the destination of each individual whose attribute data is the name, identification code, post, affiliation, etc. of the individual is stored.
Further, in the management area, destinations and the like in which each individual is grouped are managed.

The destination is designated by the destination designating means. For example, the contents of the attribute data of the destination are displayed on the display means, and one of the attribute data is selected to give the instruction.

When the instruction by the instructing means is grouping, the grouping means, in the management area,
These destinations are grouped, and the group name input at this time is added to this group. in this case,
When there are two or more types of instructed attribute data (for example, when there is a affiliation and a post name), the above-mentioned destinations whose contents all match the attribute data of the instructed type are described above. It is extracted from the user list, and the extracted destination is set as one group.

When the instruction by the instructing means is transmission, the transmitting means transmits the mail to the individual who finally belongs to the destination instructed by the destination instructing means.

As described above, by designating the group name when sending the mail, a plurality of recipients can be designated as the recipients at one time, and the trouble of entering the recipients can be saved. The destination on the target user list can be easily searched.

As the attribute data used to indicate the destination,
In addition to using the post name, affiliation, etc., when a personnel change occurs, the attribute data (for example, post name, affiliation) stored in the data area is changed by the changing means. This makes it possible to easily deal with personnel changes and the like.

The operation of the second aspect of the present invention will be described.

The schedule of the recipient of the mail is described in the schedule in the storage means.

The recipient is designated by using the recipient designating means. The opening schedule estimation means obtains the schedule of the recipient designated by the destination designating means by referring to the schedule, and sets the earliest time at which the recipient can read the mail as the scheduled opening time. Ask. Further, the time calculation means obtains the length of time from the present time to the scheduled opening time (hereinafter referred to as "scheduled opening time").

The notifying means notifies the scheduled opening time and / or the scheduled opening time.

As a result, the sending user can grasp the mail opening scheduled time (shortest from the current time) of the receiving user when instructing the mail sending.

The operation of the third aspect of the present invention will be described.

The schedule in the storage means describes the recipient's schedule.

The recipient is designated by using the recipient designating means. Also, the order in which the mail is circulated among the recipients by the circulation condition instruction means (hereinafter referred to as "designated circulation order") and the time required for each recipient to read the mail (hereinafter referred to as "below"). "Reference time") and the circulation deadline that the mail must have reached the last recipient.

When the mail is circulated according to the designated circulation order, the judging means sets the above reference time from the reception of each mail to the transmission of the mail to the next receiver. If necessary, it is determined whether the mail reaches the last recipient in the designated circulation order by the circulation deadline by referring to the schedule of the recipient designated by the destination designating means.

The notifying means notifies the result of the above determination.

As a result of the judgment, the searching means completes the circulation by the circulation deadline when it is determined that the mail does not reach the last recipient if the mail is circulated according to the designated circulation order. Search for possible circulation order. In this case, the notification means also notifies the search result by the search means.

From the above, the sending side user can grasp whether or not there is a possibility that the receiving side user can open the mail by the sending deadline before sending the mail.
It is possible to grasp the opening schedule of the receiving users in the set circulation order, and if all the receiving users cannot open the mail in the circulation order (without bothering the sending users), automatically. Since the circulation order can be set, waste of transmission can be eliminated.

[0042]

(Embodiment 1 for Purpose 1) An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, one or more information processing apparatuses (servers) having a function related to a mail schedule, and one or more requesting the information processing apparatus to perform processing related to a mail schedule. The present invention is applied to an information processing system including the information processing device (client).

First, the relationship between information processing apparatuses and the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatuses applied to this embodiment and the following embodiments will be described with reference to FIG. The information processing devices 1 (1a to 1c) send and receive data via a LAN (Local Area Network) 2. The information processing apparatus 1 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 10, a main memory (MM) 11, a video memory (VRAM) 12, and a keyboard (KB) 1.
3, mouse (MS) 14, display device (CR
T) 15, a fixed disk device (HDD) 16, a communication control unit (CDRV) 17, and a bus 18 connecting these devices.

The central processing unit (CPU) 10 executes various programs concerning creation, transmission and reception of mail on the main memory (MM) 11 and setting of schedules, execution of various programs concerning management, and control of peripheral equipment. CPU
The contents of the display data stored in the video memory (VRAM) 12 by the display device 10 are displayed on the display device (CRT) 15. The keyboard (KB) 13 and the mouse (MS) 14 are used to create and send mails, receive mails, and input instructions such as schedule settings. The fixed disk device (HDD) 16 saves various programs related to creation, transmission, and reception of emails, setting of schedule, and various programs related to management. Communication control unit (CD
The RV) 17 communicates with another information processing device 1 via the LAN 2. These peripheral devices 11 to 16 and the CPU 10
Data transfer between them is performed via the bus 18.

The group referred to in the claims is
The above-mentioned main unit, transmission means and the like are realized as a whole by the above-mentioned units operating in close cooperation with each other and the CPU 10 executing software.

Next, the structure of the user list for storing all mail destinations will be described with reference to FIG.

The user list 200 has a structure for hierarchically managing data relating to mail destinations. The user list 200 includes a hierarchy management data 210 located at the highest level, a group management data 220, a sub hierarchy management data 2170, a user management data 230, and a destination data header indicating the location of the top of the hierarchy management data 210. 20
1 and.

The hierarchy management data 210 is the user list 2
00 is located in the highest hierarchy. The hierarchy management data 210 is used directly for destination designation.
A layer name 211 indicating the name of the highest layer, a user number 212 indicating the number of users belonging to the same layer, a user name pointer 213 indicating the location of a user name belonging to the same layer, and a group number 214 indicating the number of groups belonging to the same layer. A group name pointer 215 indicating the location of group management data 2150, which will be described later, is provided. In addition, the number of sub-layers that indicates the number of sub-layers belonging to the same layer, which is used only to provide information about the destination, is 2
16, a sub-layer name pointer 2 indicating the location of layer management data that manages data relating to sub-layers belonging to the same layer
It is equipped with 17.

The group management data 2150 is for managing the data of the members of the group for the grouped destinations, and is provided for each group. However, not only an individual but also a group can be a member of the group. Therefore, there may be a small group in the group. The group management data 2150 includes a group name 2151 indicating the name of a group, the number of users 2152 indicating the number of users belonging to the group, and a user name pointer 2153 indicating the location of the user name belonging to the group. Composed. Further, as described above, the number of groups 2154 indicating the number of groups in the lower layer belonging to the group, and the group management data similarly provided for the group in the lower layer. Group management data pointer 2155 indicating the location of the data 21550. The group management data 2150 and the group management data 21550 are the same in content except that the existing layers are different. Further, if necessary, a lower layer may be provided below the user management data 21550.

The sub-hierarchy management data 2170 is for managing the data of the members of the sub-hierarchy with respect to the sub-hierarchical destinations, and is provided for each sub-hierarchy. However, the sub-layer can be a member not only as an individual but also as a sub-layer. Therefore, there may be a small sub-layer within the sub-layer. The sub-tier management data 2170 includes a sub-tier name 2171 indicating the name of the sub-tier, a number of users 2172 indicating the number of users belonging to the sub-tier, and a user name pointer 2173 indicating the location of the user name belonging to the sub-tier. It is configured with. Further, as described above, the sub-layer number 2174 indicating the number of sub-layers in the lower layer belonging to the sub-layer, and the sub-layer management data similarly provided for the sub-layer itself in the lower layer. It is composed of a sub-layer management data pointer 2175 indicating the location of 21770. The sub-tier management data 2170 and the sub-tier management data 21770 are the same in content except that the existing tiers are different. Further, if necessary, a lower layer may be provided below the sub-user management data 21770.

The above-mentioned group (group management data 2)
The members are specified by 150 and the like. ) And the sub-hierarchy (members are specified by the sub-hierarchy management data 2170, etc.) are simply different uses and purposes. That is, when the content of the group is displayed, by selecting any part of the displayed content, the selected content is designated as the destination. On the other hand, the sub-layer is intended only to provide the user with information such as the affiliation of the user, and even if the display portion of the sub-layer is selected, it is designated as the destination. It will not be done. Therefore, the group management data 2150 and the like and the sub-layer management data 2170 and the like have the same data structure.

The user management data 230 is a part for storing data relating to the individual user (hereinafter referred to as "user attribute data". In this embodiment, the user name and password are used as the user attribute data. , Manage.

Contents of user list 200 (see FIG. 4)
And the state when the contents are displayed on the screen (see Fig. 3)
And will be described in more detail.

In the user management data 230, the personal names "akamatsu" and "ishi" are used as the destination names.
It is assumed here that "zaki", "inoue", and "kasai" are registered.

In FIG. 3, in the highest hierarchy, "kasai,""koshimura", and "so" are stored as personal names.
"rimachi" is displayed. Also, as the groups, "first manufacturing group" and "second manufacturing group" are displayed.
"*" Displayed in front of the first manufacturing group is not the individual but the group. These personal names and group names are the parts directly used to specify the destination, and the display shows the number of users of the hierarchical management data 210. 21
2, the user name pointer 213, the number of groups 214, and the group name pointer 215.
That is, as shown in FIG.
Is listed. Further, the user name pointer 213 includes a pointer indicating the position where the data of "kasai" is stored, a pointer indicating the position where the data of "koshimura" is stored, and the like. . “2” is described in the group number 214. Group
The group management data pointer 215 is a pointer indicating the position where the group management data for the "first group" is stored, and the group management data for the "second group". A pointer indicating the position where the data is stored is described. Needless to say, the pointer stored in the user name pointer 213 points to the address where the data is stored in the user management data 230. On the other hand, it goes without saying that the pointer stored in the group management data pointer 215 points to the address where the user management data for the group is stored.

Further, in the next layer portion (Note: in FIG. 3, the lower the display position is, the lower the layer is.) The display showing the members of the first group is made. . In the figure, the first group is "akama".
tsu ”,“ ishizaki ”,“ inoue ”,“
It is shown to consist of 4 members of "koshimura" and members of "A group".
This part is used directly for designating the destination, and the display shows the number of users 215 of the group management data 2150.
2, user name pointer 2153, group number 2154,
This is done based on the contents of the group name pointer 2155. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, “4” is described in the user number 2152. Further, the user name pointer 2153 includes a pointer indicating the position where the data of "akamatsu" is stored, a pointer indicating the position where the data of "ishizaki" is stored, and the like. . Furthermore, "1" is set in the group number 2154,
The group management data pointer 2155 contains "A group".
A pointer indicating the position where the data of the "" is stored is described.

In the layer further below, the A group is "s".
ugiura ”,“ sorimachi ”,“ yagi ”
The display indicates that it is composed of "sawa". These displays are made according to the contents of the user management data 21550. That is, as shown in FIG. 21552 describes "3", and the user name pointer 21553 has "su".
A pointer indicating the position where the data of "gira" is stored, a pointer indicating the position where the data of "sorimachi" are stored, etc. The A group is further lower. Since the group is not a member, “0” is stored in the group number 2154 and the group management data pointer 2155.

Regarding the display portion described above, no matter which destination portion is selected, all the members belonging to the selected destination are designated as destinations.

Furthermore, "manufacturing group" and "development group" are displayed in the highest hierarchy of FIG. These displays are provided solely to provide information about the destination. The display contents are displayed based on the contents of the sub layer 216 and the sub layer management data pointer 217. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, “2” is described in the sub-layer number 216. Also,
The sub-layer management data pointer includes a pointer indicating the position where the sub-layer management data 2170 for "manufacturing group" is stored, and the sub-layer management data 2170 for "development group". A pointer indicating the stored position is stored. Note that the brackets [] surrounding the name of the sub-layer indicate that it is a sub-layer.

On the lower layer side, the "manufacturing group" is "ichiki", "matsumoto".
2 and the members of the "B group" are displayed. These displays are likewise provided merely to provide information about the destination. Then, the displayed contents are the sub-tier management data.
Displayed based on the content of the data 2170. That is,
As shown in FIG. 4, “2” is described in the user number 2172. Further, the user name pointer 2173 stores a pointer indicating a position where data is stored for "ichiki" and a pointer indicating a position where data is stored for "matsumoto". . Further, "1" is described in the group number 2174. The group management data pointer 2175 stores a pointer indicating the position where the group management data for "B group" is stored.

An outline of the operation method of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

On the user list display screen 300, a user is displayed.
The contents of the list are displayed.

"First group" 310 by mouse 17
When is selected, the display mode is changed so that it can be determined that the group has been selected (in the present embodiment, the display of the destination is reversed in black and white). At the same time, the destinations (user name, group name) belonging to the group are displayed. In the example of this figure, "akamatu", "ishizaki", "
"A group" or the like is displayed.

In this state, when the user further selects "A group", this time, the display of "A group" is also reversed in black and white, and the destination included in the A group is displayed. Is displayed. In the example of this figure, reference numeral 31
In the part showing 2, "sugiura", "sorim"
“Achi” and the like are displayed. Although not apparent in the drawing, at this time, the display mode of the “first group” returns to the normal display state.

When the "destination designation" function is activated after selecting the desired destination portion in this way, all the destinations belonging to the hierarchy lower than the selected portion are designated as destinations. The "address designation" function is activated by selecting a menu bar not shown in this figure. For example, the state where "1st group" is selected (that is, the state where "1st group" is displayed in black and white)
When the destination is designated, all the persons and groups belonging to the first group are designated as the destination. That is, "akamatsu", "ishizaki" ...
・ 7 of "sorimachi" and "yagizawa"
The first name is designated as the destination. Further, if the destination is designated in a state where "A group" is selected (that is, the display of "A group" is reversed in black and white), a person belonging to the A group and All groups are designated as destinations. That is, "sugiura", "sori"
Three people, "machi" and "yagizawa" are designated as the destinations.

Similarly, with the mouse 17, "[Production group
[]] 320, the destinations (user name, group name, sub-hierarchy name) belonging to the manufacturing group are designated by reference numeral 32.
It is displayed as shown in 1.

After that, the mail can be transmitted by selecting the menu showing the transmission function shown on the display screen by using the mouse or the like. In this case, it goes without saying that it is necessary to specify the mail to be transmitted. The system designer can freely select which of the transmission function and the destination is to be performed first.

Next, the process of registering a new user name in the user list 200 will be described. The system can be started by inputting the user name and password.

When the user gives an instruction to perform user registration, an input screen for inputting user attribute data (user name and password in this embodiment) is displayed.
When the input by the user is completed, the input data is set in the user management data 230. Details of the procedure are described in Example 2.

Next, the process of grouping and hierarchizing the destinations already stored in the user list will be described with reference to FIG.

First, when the user gives an instruction to change the user list 200 (step 401), the user list display screen 300 is displayed to wait for the next instruction from the user (step 402).

When the user selects the destination to be processed in step 403, the destination is displayed in black and white, etc. (step 404), and the destination (location of user name or location of group management data 2150) is displayed. Is stored (step 405). After that, the process returns to step 403 and waits for the next user designation.

When the grouping of the destinations is instructed in step 403, it is checked whether or not the destinations have been selected (step 406). If the destination has not been completed, grouping cannot be performed, so the process returns to step 403 and waits again for an instruction from the user. If the selection of the destination is completed, the user is made to input the group name to be added to the selected destination from the keyboard 13 at this time (step 407). Then, these destinations are grouped and the group is registered in the user list 200 as one destination (step 408). That is, the input group name is used as the group management data 21.
Set to the group name 2151 within 50, and set the number of users included in the selected destination to the number of users 2152,
Also, the location of the user name is set in the user name pointer 2153. Similarly, the number of groups included in the selected destination is set to the number of groups 2154, and the location of the group management data 21550 is set to the group management data pointer 2155. Furthermore, the destination data header 2
The number of groups in the hierarchy management data 210 indicated by 01 is 2
14 is incremented by 1, and the location of the group management data 2150 generated at this time is set to the group management data pointer 215.
Set to. Next, the group name is displayed on the user list display screen 300 (step 402), and the next user designation is awaited.

When it is instructed to make the destination hierarchical in step 403, it is checked whether the selection of the destination is completed (step 409). If not completed, layering cannot be performed, so step 403
And waits for the user's instruction again. When the selection of the destination is completed, the user is prompted to input the hierarchical name to be added to the selected destination at this time (step 410). After that, these destinations are hierarchized into groups such as departments and business types, and registered in the user list 200 (step 411). That is, the input sub-layer name is set in the layer name 211 in the layer management data 210, and the number of users included in the selected destination is set to the number of users 212.
In addition, the location of the user name is set in the user name pointer 213. Similarly, the number of groups included in the selected destination is set in the group number 214, and the location of the group management data 2150 is set in the group management data pointer 215. Further, the sub-layer number 216 in the layer management data 210 indicated by the destination data header 201 is incremented by 1, and the location of the sub-layer management data 2170 generated at this time is set in the sub-layer management data pointer 217.
Next, the hierarchy name is displayed on the user list display screen 300 (step 402) and the next user designation is awaited.

When it is instructed to move the destination in step 403, it is checked whether the selection of the destination is completed (step 412). If it is not completed, it is not possible to move, so return to step 403,
Wait for the user's instruction again. When the selection is completed, the user is made to specify the destination (layer name) of the selected destination (step 413), and the destination is moved to the destination (step 414). That is, when the selected destination is a user name, the number of users 212 in the hierarchy management data 210 that manages the destination hierarchy is increased by the specified number of users, and the location of the user name stored as the destination is determined. It is set in the user name pointer 213. In addition, the number of users 212 in the hierarchy management data 210 that manages the migration source hierarchy
Is reduced by the number of users belonging to the source hierarchy, and the user name pointer 213 corresponding to the user is deleted. Similarly, when the designated destination is a group name (sub-tier name), the number of groups 214 (the number of sub-tiers 216) in the tier management data 210 for managing the destination tier.
Is increased by the designated number of groups (the number of sub-groups), the location of the group name (sub-tier name) stored as the destination is set in the group management data pointer 215 (sub-tier management data pointer 217), and the group is moved. The number of groups 214 in the hierarchy management data 210 for managing the original hierarchy
The (sub-layer number 216) is decreased by the number of groups (sub-layers) belonging to the source layer, and the group management data pointer 215 corresponding to the group (sub-layer)
(Sub-tier management data pointer 217) is deleted.

When it is instructed to end the processing in step 403, the processing of the grouping / hierarchical processing 400 is ended.

According to the above procedure, by grouping the destinations and the like, if the user designates the group name on the user list display screen 300 at the time of mail transmission, a plurality of destinations (users) can be designated at one time. , It is possible to save the trouble of inputting the destination. Also, the user list 200
By sub-hierarchizing the destinations stored in, the destinations on the user list display screen 300 are organized and the destinations can be easily searched.

(Embodiment 2 regarding Objective 2) Embodiment 2 of the present invention is characterized in that grouping can be performed using not only the user name as a destination, but also user attributes such as a job title and a department name. To do. The hardware configuration of the information processing system is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment.

First, the structure of the user list used in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Next, the configuration of the user list that stores all the mail destinations will be described with reference to FIG.

The user list 500 has a structure for hierarchically managing data related to mail destinations. The user list 500 includes the hierarchy management data 510 located at the highest level, group management data 5510, sub-tier management data 5710, user management data 540, and destination data header indicating the location of the top of the hierarchy management data 510. 5
01 and.

The hierarchy management data 510 is the user list 5
00 is located in the highest hierarchy. The hierarchy management data 510 is used directly for destination designation.
A layer name 511 indicating the name of the highest layer, a user number 512 indicating the number of users belonging to the same layer, a user name pointer 513 indicating the location of a user name belonging to the same layer, and a group number 514 indicating the number of groups belonging to the same layer. A group name pointer 515 indicating the location of group management data 5150, which will be described later, is provided. In addition, the number of sub-layers 5 indicating the number of sub-layers belonging to the same layer is used only to provide information regarding the destination.
16. Sub-layer name pointer 5 indicating the location of layer management data for managing data relating to sub-layers belonging to the same layer
It is configured to include 17.

Furthermore, the attribute type number 521 to the attribute group
It contains the data name 524. These are the number of attribute types 5521 included in the group management data 5510.
Since the attribute group data name 5524 has the same meaning as that of the attribute group data name 5524, these explanations are described in the group management data 55.
This will be done in the description of 10.

The group management data 5510 is for managing the data regarding the members of the group for the grouped destinations, and is provided for each group. However, not only an individual but also a group can be a member of the group. Therefore, there may be a small group in the group. The group management data 5510 includes a group name 5511 indicating the name of a group and a user number 551 indicating the number of users belonging to the group, as in the above embodiment.
2, a user name pointer 5513 indicating the location of the user name belonging to the group, the number of groups 5514 indicating the number of groups in the lower hierarchy belonging to the group,
A group management data pointer 5515 indicating the location of the group management data 55510, which is also provided for the group itself in the lower hierarchy, is configured.

Furthermore, the group management data 5 of this embodiment.
Reference numeral 510 denotes an attribute type data destination number 5518 and an attribute number 55
19, an attribute name 5520, an attribute type number 5521, an attribute type name 5522, an attribute group data number 5523, and an attribute group name 5524.

The attribute type data destination number 5518 indicates the number of destinations designated by using the attribute type data among the destinations belonging to the group. The attribute type data referred to here is user attribute data other than the user name and password, for example, job title, department name, etc. In addition, the attribute group data refers to data in which all users corresponding to the types of user attribute data other than the user name and password are grouped and shown as one destination.

The number of attributes 5519 indicates the number of user attribute data included in one of the destinations.

The attribute name 5520 indicates the name of the user attribute data.

The attribute type number 5521 indicates the number of attribute types belonging to the user attribute data.

The attribute type name 5522 indicates the name of the attribute type.

The attribute group data number 5523 indicates the number of attribute group data belonging to the group.

The attribute group name 5524 indicates the name of the attribute group data.

The group management data 5510 and the group management data 55510 are the same in content except that the existing layers are different. If necessary, a lower layer may be provided below the user management data 55510.

Sub-tier management data 5710, 57710
Is the sub-tier management data 2170, 21 of the first embodiment.
The same as 770.

The user management data 540 is a part for storing data relating to the individual user (hereinafter referred to as "user attribute data". In this embodiment, the user name, password, job title, department name, etc. are stored. It is managed as user attribute data.

Contents of user list 500 (see FIG. 8)
And the state when the contents are displayed on the screen (see Fig. 7)
And will be described in more detail.

In the user management data 540, the personal names "akamatsu" and "kuwa" are used as the destination names.
It is assumed here that "moto", "kuwabara", and "endo" are registered.

7, in the uppermost hierarchy, two personal names, "kasai," and "koshimura" are displayed, and a "study report" 650 is displayed as a group. The "*" displayed in front of the group is an identification symbol that indicates that the group, not the individual, is displayed after the symbol. The names and group names are displayed based on the contents of the number of users 512, the user name pointer 513, the number of groups 514, and the group name pointer 515 of the hierarchical management data 510. That is, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, “2” is described in the user number 512. In addition, the user name pointer 513 contains "kas".
A pointer indicating the position where the data "ai" is stored, a pointer indicating the position where the data "koshimura" is stored, etc. are described. The group number 514 is "1". In the group management data pointer 515, a pointer indicating the position where the group management data for the "report" 650 is stored is described. , "0" is stored in the sub-layer number 516 because the sub-layer is not set, and the sub-layer management data pointer 51
Column 7 is not provided. User name pointer 5
The pointer stored in 13 is the user management data 5
Needless to say, 30 indicates the address where the data is stored. On the other hand, the pointer stored in the group management data pointer 515 is
It goes without saying that it points to the address where the user management data for the group is stored.

On the display screen 600, two titles of "trainee" and "researcher" are displayed. In this case, two identical job titles are displayed because they have different functions. Also, as an affiliation
1st G "630," 2nd G "632," 3rd G "635
Is displayed.

The "trainee" 610 and the like not preceded by the symbol "*" are used for grouping. In other words, when conducting grouping, "trainee" 610
And other affiliations and the like are selected together, users who satisfy both attributes (position and affiliation, etc.) can be extracted and combined into one group. For example, "First G / Trainee" 64 included in "Review Report" 650
0 means that the trainees who belong to the first group are the destinations, which means that when the group is formed, the “trainee” 610 and the “first G” 630 are combined. Made by selecting. The "trainee" 61
The display such as 0 indicates that the number of attribute types of the hierarchical management data 510 is 5
21 and attribute type name 522. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, five types of attributes (Note:
In this case, the attribute type number 521 is "5" to indicate that the user name and password are not included).
Is listed. In the attribute type name 522, the names of the five types of attributes (“trainee”, “researcher”, “1G”, “2G”, “3G”) are specifically described. .

On the other hand, the symbol "*" is attached before it.
* Trainee “620” is selected when all trainees are to be designated as destinations. The symbol “*”
The titles marked with are displayed by changing the typeface so that they can be distinguished from other destinations. These displays are
Attribute group data number 523, attribute group data name 5
It was done according to the contents of 24. That is, FIG.
As shown in, the attribute group data number 523 has two groups (for example, "* trainee" 620, etc.) marked with "*", which corresponds to "2". Is listed. Further, the attribute group data name 524 is the concrete name of the two groups (“* trainee”, “*”).
Researcher ”).

In the display 660, the members of the group “study report” are “1G / trainee” 640, “2G / trainee” 642, “3G / trainee” 644, “* researcher”. ”
646 is shown. "First G / Trainee" 6
40, “* Researcher” 646, etc. are as described above. The display 660 shows the group management data 5
It is based on the contents of 510. That is,
As shown in FIG. 8, in the group name 5511, "study report" which is the name of this group is described. In the user number 5512, "0" is described in correspondence with the fact that there is no one directly registered in the group as an individual. Corresponding to this, the user name pointer 55
Column 13 is not provided. In the column of the number of groups 5514, a normal group is described in the “study report” (Note: The normal group here means an individual or a group as one destination. It is handled collectively, and the above-mentioned Example 1 is used.
Is similar to the group in. ) Is not directly registered, “0” is described. Corresponding to this, the group management data pointer 55
Column 15 is not provided.

The number of destinations of attribute type data 5518 is four using the attribute data (Note: here, it means an individual name, a position other than password, an affiliation, etc.) 1G
・ Trainee “640,” 2nd G Trainee “642,” 3rd
G. Trainee “644”, “* Researcher” 646) “4” is described in correspondence with the existence.

The number of attributes 5519 is "1G / trainee".
“3” is described in correspondence with the existence of three 640 and the like. The attribute name 5520a is "1G / trainee".
However, the number of attribute types 5521a following this is
There are two attributes ("1G", "
"2" is described in correspondence with the inclusion of "trainee". Furthermore, the attribute type name 5522a specifically indicates the name of the attribute as "1G" or "trainee". It is stated that there is "2G / trainee", "3G ・
Similarly, "trainee" is described in the attribute names 5520b and c, the attribute type numbers 5521b and c, and the attribute type names 5522b and c.

The number of attribute group data 5523 is "*".
"1" is described in correspondence with the existence of the researcher "646. And, the attribute group data name 5524 specifically describes that the name is" * researcher ".

The group name and hierarchy name are the same as those in the first embodiment.
In the same manner as above, it is displayed on the user list display screen 600.

An outline of the operating method of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

On the user list display screen 600, a user is displayed.
The contents of the list are displayed.

When the "report" 650 is selected by the mouse 17, the display mode is changed so that it can be discriminated that the group is selected (in the present embodiment, the display of the destination is reversed in black and white). . At the same time, the destinations (user name, group name) belonging to the group are displayed. In the example of this figure, "1G / trainee", "2G / trainee", etc. are displayed in the portion indicated by reference numeral 660.

In this state, if the user further selects, this time, the display of "1G / trainee" is also reversed in black and white, and "1G / trainee member, ie, One group of trainees is displayed.

After selecting the desired destination portion in this way, for example, when the "destination designation" function is activated, all the destinations belonging to the lower hierarchy than the selected portion are designated as destinations. The "address designation" function is activated by selecting a menu bar not shown in this figure.

Next, the process of registering a new destination in the user list 500 will be described with reference to FIG.

When the "user registration" process is started by the user (step 710), the input screen is displayed and the user attribute data (for example, user name, password, job title, department name, etc.) is displayed by the user. To enter (Step 7
20). Then, it is checked whether or not the user registration process is finished (step 730). If not, the process returns to step 720 and continues to wait for the user attribute data to be input. On the other hand, when the processing is to be ended, the input user attribute data is set in the user management data 530 in the user list 500 (step 740).

Next, regarding the grouping process using the user attribute data (Note: the names other than the user name and password are mentioned here, for example, the post name, department name, etc.) This will be described with reference to FIG.

First, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, when the destination registration process is started by the user (step 401),
Display the user list display screen 600 (step 40
2) Wait for instructions from the user.

When the destination to be processed is selected by the user in step 403, the display of the destination is reversed in black and white or the like (step 404), and the destination (location of user name or location of group management data 5510, etc.) is displayed. Is stored (step 405). After that, the process returns to step 403 and waits for an instruction from the next user.

In step 403, when the grouping of the destinations (eg, post, affiliation, etc.) is instructed, it is checked whether or not the destinations are selected (step 406). If the selection has not been performed, grouping cannot be performed, so the process returns to step 403 and waits again for an instruction from the user. On the other hand, if the selection is made, the user is made to input the group name to be added to the selected destination from the keyboard 13 at this time (step 407). Then, these destinations are grouped and the group is registered in the user list 200 as one destination (step 408). That is, the input group name is used as the group name 5511 in the group management data 5510.
The number of users included in the selected destination is set to the number of users 5512, and the location of the user name is set to the user name pointer 5513. Similarly, the number of groups included in the selected destination is set to 55.
14 and the location of the group management data 55510 is set in the group management data pointer 5515. Further, the number of destinations using the attribute type data among the stored destinations is set in the attribute type data destination number 5518, and the number of user attribute data included in one of the destinations is set to the attribute number 5
519, the name of the user attribute data is set in the attribute name 5520, the number of attribute types belonging to the user attribute data is set in the attribute type number 5521, and the name of the attribute type is set in the attribute type name 5522. The number of attribute group data in the set and stored destinations is set in the attribute group data number 5523, and the name of the attribute group data is set in the attribute group data name 5524. next,
The group name is displayed on the user list display screen 300 (step 402), and the next user designation is awaited.

Next, the processing at the time of mail transmission will be described.

When the "* report" 650 is designated as the destination during the mail transmission, the user name pointer 5513, the group management data pointer 5515, the attribute type name 552 in the group management data 5510 for the group.
2 (in the example of FIGS. 7 and 8, trainees belonging to 1G, 2G
(Trainer who belongs to the group) and the attribute group data name 5524 (planner, researcher in the example of FIGS. 7 and 8), and acquires a pointer or the like. After that, referring to the user management data 540, the user name indicated by the user name pointer 5513 and the user name corresponding to the attribute type name 5522 (first in FIG. 6).
User names of trainees who belong to G, user names of trainees who belong to 2G), and user names corresponding to attribute group data name 5524 (in FIG. 6, user names of all planners and all researchers) are searched. To do. Then, an email is sent to the found user.

By the same procedure as above, a user belonging to the group pointed to by the group management data pointer 5513 is searched for, and a mail is sent to the searched user.

Next, in the case where the user attribute data (note: data other than the user name and password, such as job title and department name) is changed due to personnel changes or the like. The change processing procedure 800 will be described with reference to FIG.

When the user gives an instruction to change the user attribute data (position name, department name, etc.) (step 8)
10) The input screen is displayed (step 820) and the user is prompted to input the change data (step 830). Then, the changed data is registered in the user management data 540 (step 840).

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the destination is designated by using the job title of the user, the department name, etc., even if there is a personnel change, the user management data is simply This can be dealt with only by modifying the content of the data 540.

(Embodiment 3 regarding Objective 3) This embodiment is
The feature is that the sending user can grasp the opening schedule of the mail of the receiving user before sending the mail. The hardware configuration of the information system is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment.

The data relating to the transmitted mail is shown in FIG.
As shown in, the mail management data 900 and the transmission list 910 manage the mail.

The mail management data 900 is the mail to be sent.
It is for managing the file. The mail management data 9
00 is a sender user name 901 that stores the name of the sender user, and a mail ID 90 that stores the identifier of each mail.
2. Transmission list 91 set for the mail
It is composed of a transmission list ID 903 indicating 0.

The transmission list 910 stores data relating to transmission conditions and the like, and is provided for each mail. The transmission list 910 includes a transmission deadline mode 911, a transmission deadline 912, a transmission procedure 913, and a user name pointer 91.
4 and the opening status 915 are included. The transmission deadline mode 911 indicates whether or not there is a transmission deadline for a mail to be transmitted. The transmission deadline 912 indicates the transmission deadline of the mail. A transmission procedure 913 shows a procedure for transmitting a mail. The transmission procedure includes, for example, circulation and distribution. The user name pointer 914 is
The location of the user name (of the receiving side user) stored in the user management data 540 is shown. Opening status 91
Reference numeral 5 indicates whether or not the mail has been opened by the receiving side user. Here, "open" means that the user on the receiving side has opened the file of the mail.

The user list 500 storing the destination and the user management data 540 are the same as those in the second embodiment.

Next, an example of the setting screen of the transmission data stored in the transmission list 910 will be described with reference to FIG.

On the transmission list display screen 1000, there are three items: a destination designation 1001 for setting a destination of a mail, a deadline designation 1002 for setting a mail transmission deadline and a transmission deadline, and a transmission procedure 1003 for setting a mail transmission procedure. Composed of. In the field for specifying the due date 1002, select either mouse number 1 (no transmission deadline) or number 2 (transmission deadline) for mouse 1
Only when the number 7 is selected and the number 2 is selected, the transmission deadline is input and set from the keyboard 13. In the transmission procedure 1003, either the number 1 (distribution) or the number 2 (circulation) is selected using the mouse 17. The "distribution" is to send a mail to each destination. Therefore, in the distribution, mails having the same contents are transmitted by the number of destinations. The "circulation" is that one mail goes around each destination in order. Therefore,
In this circulation, the sender only sends one mail to one destination (which should be sent first).

Next, the schedule data 1100 for managing the schedule of each user will be described with reference to FIG.

The schedule data 1100 includes schedule management data 1110 and user-specific schedule data 1120.

The schedule management data 1110 associates a user with a schedule related to the user. The schedule management data 1110 includes a user name pointer 1111 indicating the location of the user name stored in the user management data 540 and a user-specific schedule data pointer 1112 indicating the location of the user-specific schedule data 1120 for the user. Composed of.

User-specific schedule data 1120 is
It stores data relating to the user's schedule and is provided for each user.

The schedule data for each user 1120
Is a scheduled start time 1121 indicating the start time of the user's scheduled time, a scheduled end time 1122 indicating the end time of the user's scheduled time, and the scheduled start time to the scheduled end time. The schedule contents 1123 indicating the contents of the schedule are included.

The outline of the mail transmission process 1200 will be described with reference to FIG.

The sending user gives an instruction to send a mail (step 1201) and also gives an instruction to send a mail (including a file) (step 120).
2). Then, the transmission list display screen 1000 (see FIG. 12) is displayed on the screen of the transmitting user (step 120).
3) The user is made to input the transmission data (step 12).
04) The details of step 1204 will be described later in detail with reference to FIG.

When the input of the transmission data by the user is completed, the transmission data is registered in the transmission list 910 and the data regarding the mail is registered in the mail management data 900 (step 1205). That is, the presence or absence of the input transmission deadline is set in the transmission deadline mode 911 in the transmission list 910, the input transmission deadline is set in the transmission deadline 912, and the input transmission procedure is set in the transmission procedure 913. The location of the user name is set in the user name pointer 914. In addition, the user name of this system (Login
First name) is set in the sender user name 901, the name (file name) of the mail instructed to be sent is set in the mail ID 902, and the location of the send list is set in the send list ID 903.

The process in step 1204 of FIG. 14 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the destination user designates 100
The destination is entered in 1 (step 1301), and the due date is designated 1
When a number in 002 (whether there is a transmission deadline) is designated (step 1302), it is determined whether the designated number is "1" (no transmission deadline) or "2" (transmission deadline) ( Step 1303). If the designated number is "1", the transmission side user waits for the input setting of the transmission procedure 1003. On the other hand, when the designated number is "2", the destination, that is, the receiving side user searches for the scheduled time for opening the mail and notifies the transmitting side user of the scheduled time (step 1304). The process performed in step 1304 will be described later in detail with reference to FIG.

Thereafter, the transmission side user sets a transmission deadline of 10
The mail transmission deadline is entered in 02 (step 130).
5) The transmission procedure is input to the transmission procedure 1003 (step 1306).

Next, the opening schedule acquisition process 1304 for grasping the receiving user's mail opening schedule will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the contents set in the transmission deadline mode 911 (presence or absence of transmission deadline) in the processing shown in FIG. 14 are acquired (step 1401) and it is determined whether or not the transmission deadline is designated (step 1401). 1402). If the transmission deadline is not designated, the opening schedule acquisition processing 1304 is ended as it is. When the transmission deadline is designated, the current time is acquired (step 1403) and the reception side user indicated by the user name pointer 913 in the transmission list 910 (user-specific schedule data 1).
The schedule (stored in 120) is acquired (step 1404).

Then, using the schedule of the receiving side user acquired at this time, it is the shortest from the present time (stored in the user-specific schedule data 1120).
The scheduled end time 1122 is searched, and the length of time from the current time to the scheduled end time 1122 is calculated (step 1405). The length of time calculated here indicates the length of time until the earliest time when the receiving user can open the mail when the sending user sends a mail at the current time. Is. Therefore, the length of the time is displayed on the screen of the sending user as the mail opening scheduled time of the receiving user (step 1406).

From the above, when sending a mail with a transmission deadline, the sending user determines the time when the receiving user opens the mail according to the time displayed on the screen, that is, the mail opening scheduled time of the receiving user. Since it is possible to make a rough examination of the above, it is possible to set an appropriate due date by referring to the scheduled mail opening time when actually setting the mail transmission deadline.

In the above embodiment, the length of time until the mail is opened is displayed as the "scheduled time for opening the mail". However, other than this, the earliest time when the mail can be opened. The time (that is, the scheduled end time 1122 which is the shortest from the current time) may be displayed on the screen as the scheduled mail opening time of the receiving user. Alternatively, in addition to this, a schedule regarding the receiving side user may be displayed (see FIG. 17). (Fourth Embodiment Related to Objective 4) In the third embodiment described above, the transmission deadline is easily set by notifying the transmission user of the mail opening schedule of the reception user in advance. However, conversely, there may be an example in which the receiving side user confirms the possibility of opening the mail within the designated deadline after the transmitting side user inputs the transmission deadline. In the following, such an example will be described as Example 4 of the present invention. The hardware configuration of the information system is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment.

The mail transmission process performed at the time of mail transmission will be described.

The outline of the mail transmission process of this embodiment is the same as the outline of the mail transmission process of the third embodiment (see FIG. 14). Therefore, in the following, only the differences from the mail transmission processing of the third embodiment will be described.

The point that the mail transmission process of this embodiment is different from that of the third embodiment is that the sender user inputs the transmission data (step 1204 in FIG. 14, that is, the process corresponding to FIGS. 15 and 16). Is.

The transmission data input process performed in step 1240 of FIG. 14 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the destination user designates 100
The address is entered in 1 (step 1601), and the due date is designated 1
The number in 002 (whether there is a transmission deadline) is designated (step 1602), and the transmission deadline is input (step 160).
3), the number in the transmission procedure 1003 (number 1 is distribution, number 2 is circulation) is designated (step 1604). Then, the designated number of the transmission procedure is determined (step 160).
5). If the designated number is "1" (distribution), it is searched whether or not each of the destinations, that is, each of the receiving side users may open the mail within the set transmission deadline (step 16).
06). Similarly, if the designated number is "2" (circulation), it is determined whether all the destinations, that is, all receiving users can circulate the mail within the transmission deadline (step 1607). The opening schedule confirmation processing 1606 performed when the transmission procedure is “distribution” and the opening schedule confirmation processing 1607 performed when the transmission procedure is “circulation” are shown in FIGS.
It will be described in detail using 0.

First, the opening schedule confirmation processing 1606 in the case of "distribution" will be described with reference to FIG. First, ask the sending user to set the minimum reference time (reference time) required to read one email (Note: In addition to this, a method to set the reference time in advance for each type of email content) Can also be considered) (step 1701). After that, the transmission deadline input and set in step 1603 described above is acquired (step 1702), and the current time is acquired (step 1703). Further, when the schedule regarding the receiving side user is acquired (step 1704),
From the current time to the transmission deadline on the schedule, a time when there is no plan, that is, a free time is searched for (step 1705). Then, it is judged whether or not the found free time is long enough for the receiving side user to read the mail, that is, whether or not the free time is longer than the reference time ( Step 1706).
As a result of the determination, if the free time does not exist or if the free time is shorter than the reference time, it is displayed on the screen of the sending user that the receiving user is not likely to open the mail by the transmission deadline. (Step 170)
7). On the other hand, if there is a vacant time longer than the reference time, the transmission user waits for transmission.

Details of the opening schedule confirmation processing 1607 (see FIG. 18) performed when the transmission procedure is “circulation” will be described with reference to FIG.

First, as in the case of distribution, the user on the transmitting side sets a reference time (step 180).
1) Ask the user to set the order in which the mail will be circulated (Note:
In addition, the destination input 160 in the transmission data input processing 1204
A method of setting the order in which the destinations are input and set as the circulation order in 1) can be considered (step 1802). Then, the circulation order input and set by the transmitting user is acquired (step 1803), and the transmission deadline is acquired (step 180).
4), the current time is acquired (step 1805), and the schedule related to the receiving side user is acquired (step 18).
06). Then, by using the acquired circulation order, transmission deadline, current time, and schedule regarding the receiving side user,
The circulation deadline for each receiving user is searched (step 1807). In this case, the search for the circulation deadline is
The search condition is that the time (circulation time) for reading the mail per recipient user is equal to or longer than the reference time and that all the recipient users can be circulated before the transmission deadline.

It is judged whether or not the circulation deadline satisfying the above search conditions can be set (step 1808). If the circulation deadline can be set, the transmission user waits for transmission. On the other hand, if the setting is not possible, it is displayed that the circulation order entered by the transmission side user cannot be circulated to all reception side users by the transmission deadline (step 1809).

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of setting the circulation deadline for each receiving user. In FIG. 21, t1, t
Reference numerals 2 and 3 indicate the circulation deadlines of the receiving users A, B, and C, respectively.

As described above, in the present embodiment, whether or not there is a possibility that the receiving side user opens the mail contents by the transmission deadline set by the transmitting side user is automatically determined before the execution of the transmission. It is possible to check and notify the sending user when there is no possibility of opening. Therefore, mail transmission can be performed without waste.

Finally, if the mail cannot be circulated to all the receiving users by the transmission deadline in the circulation order input and set by the transmitting user, the mail can be circulated to all the receiving users by the transmission deadline. A method of searching for a proper circulation order will be described below.

In such a case, the circulation order is changed according to a certain rule based on the current time, the transmission deadline, and the schedule concerning the receiving side user.
A circulation order that satisfies the above search conditions (see steps 1807 and 1808) is obtained and determined. In this case, as a method of finally determining the circulation order, a method of setting the circulation order found first and all patterns of the circulation order that can be circulated to all the receiving users within the transmission deadline are obtained. There is a method of setting an appropriate circulation order (for example, the circulation order that can be circulated the fastest) for the purpose of the mail.

Even if the circulation order is changed, if the circulation order satisfying the above search condition is not found, the fact is displayed on the screen of the transmitting user.

As described above, by the user on the transmitting side,
It is possible to automatically retrieve a circulation order that can be circulated to all receiving users by the transmission deadline and set the circulation order.

[0162]

As described above, according to the present invention, when a destination is set at the time of sending a mail, if a group name is designated, a plurality of destinations can be designated at one time. Further, by hierarchically organizing the destinations on the user list display screen, the destinations displayed on the user list display screen are organized, and the destinations can be easily searched even when the data amount of the user list is large.

In addition to the user name, user attribute data such as job title and department name is stored in the user list, and destination designation and grouping are performed using the user attribute data such as job title and department name. Since it is possible, it is possible to easily deal with a case where a member is changed in a department or the like to which the user belongs.

In another aspect of the present invention, the sending user can make a rough consideration of the time for the receiving user to open the mail, so that when actually setting the mail sending deadline. It is possible to set an appropriate date by referring to the scheduled opening time of the mail, and to avoid waste of transmission.

In still another mode, it is possible to automatically check whether or not all the receiving side users can be circulated by the transmission order according to the circulation order before executing the mail transmission, and the mail transmission is performed without waste. be able to. Also, based on the current time, the transmission deadline, and the schedule related to the receiving side user, the circulation order is changed according to a certain rule, and the circulation order that can be circulated to all the receiving side users within the transmission deadline is obtained. By notifying the sending side user of the order, the sending side user can smoothly perform mail transmission.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an information processing device and a connection relationship between the information processing devices.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a user list.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a user list display screen.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the contents of a user list when the user list display screen is as shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing grouping / hierarchical processing executed by the information processing apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a user list according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a user list display screen.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the contents of a user list when the user list display screen is as shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a user registration process executed by the information processing device.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a process of changing the contents of user management data executed by the information processing apparatus.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the configuration of mail management data and a transmission list according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a transmission list display screen.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a structure of schedule data.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a mail transmission process executed by the information processing device.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a transmission data input process executed by the information processing device.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of an opening schedule acquisition process executed by the information processing device.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a schedule display screen.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of a transmission data input process executed by the information processing device.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart of an opening schedule confirmation process (distribution) executed by the information processing device.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart of an opening schedule confirmation process (circulation) executed by the information processing device.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a circulation deadline setting screen.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Information processing device 2: LAN 200: User list (Example 1) 210: Hierarchical management data 300: User list display screen (Example 1) 400: Grouping / hierarchical processing 500: User list (Example) 2) 600: User list display screen (Example 2) 700: User registration process 800: Change process 900: Mail management data 910: Send list 1000: Send list display screen 1100: Schedule data 1200: Mail send process 1204: Send data Input processing 1304: Opening schedule acquisition processing 1606: Opening schedule confirmation processing (distribution) 1607: Opening schedule confirmation processing (circulation)

Front Page Continuation (72) Inventor Hideki Kuwamoto 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Inside the Microelectronics Equipment Development Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Inventor Takao Iwatani Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa 292 Incorporated Hitachi, Ltd. Microelectronics Device Development Laboratory (72) Inventor Tomoya Ozaki Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa 292 Incorporated Company Hitachi Ltd. Microelectronics Device Development Laboratory

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An electronic mail system having a function of transmitting and receiving electronic mail via a communication line, and a data area storing attribute data of an individual as a destination,
A management area for managing each of the individuals as one destination, and grouping the destinations stored in the data area to manage the group as one destination. Storage means for storing a user list composed of, a destination designation means for designating a desired destination among the destinations stored in the data area, and a group name input means for inputting the name of the group When the user gives an instruction means for giving an operation instruction to the system and a grouping instruction through the instruction means, the destination indicated by the destination instruction means is changed to the user.
And a grouping means for forming a group on the management area of the list and for giving a name input from the group name input means to the group. -Le system. 2. When the transmission is instructed through the instructing means, the data regarding the destination instructed by the destination instructing means is read from the user list and all the destinations are finally constructed. 2. The electronic mail system according to claim 1, further comprising a transmitting means for transmitting a mail to the individual. 3. The electronic mail according to claim 1, wherein the attribute data includes at least one of the name, identification code, post, and affiliation of the individual. System. 4. The grouping means, when there are two or more types of attribute data instructed by the destination instructing means, the attribute data of the instructed type.
For the destinations whose contents all match,
The electronic mail system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic mail system has a function of extracting from the list and setting the extracted destination as one group. 5. A display unit having a display screen for displaying the attribute data, and an instruction by the destination designating unit is performed by selecting one of the attribute data displayed on the display screen. The electronic mail system according to claim 1, wherein: 6. The display means has a function of, when the destination designated by the destination designating means is a group, reading the destinations forming the group from the user list and displaying the destination. The electronic mail system according to claim 5, wherein: 7. Attribute data stored in the data area
The electronic mail system according to claim 1, further comprising a changing means for changing the data. 8. An electronic mail system having a function of sending and receiving electronic mail via a communication line, a storage means for storing a schedule describing a schedule of a mail recipient, and a mail means for storing the schedule. A destination designating means for designating a recipient as a destination, and a schedule of the recipient designated by the destination designating means by referring to the schedule,
An electronic mail characterized by comprising: an opening schedule estimation means for obtaining the earliest time at which the recipient can read the mail as an opening schedule time; and a notification means for notifying the sender of the scheduled opening time. System. 9. A time calculating means for obtaining a length of time from the present time to the scheduled opening time (hereinafter referred to as "opening scheduled time"), wherein the notifying means is the scheduled opening time and / or the scheduled opening time. 9. The electronic mail system according to claim 8, wherein the time is notified. 10. An electronic mail system having a function of circulating an electronic mail between recipients as destinations, a storage means for storing a schedule describing a schedule of the recipients, and a destination of the mails. The destination designating means for designating the recipients, the order in which the mails are circulated between the recipients (hereinafter referred to as "designated circulation order"), and the above-mentioned recipients are considered necessary for reading the mail. Circulation condition instructing means for instructing the time (hereinafter referred to as "reference time") and the circulation deadline that the mail must reach the last recipient, and the mail is transmitted in accordance with the designated circulation order. When it is circulated, after each recipient receives the mail, the next recipient receives the mail.
If the above reference time is required before sending a mail, whether or not the mail reaches the last recipient in the specified circulation order by the circulation deadline An electronic mail system, comprising: a determination means for making a determination with reference to a person's schedule; and an informing means for making a notification of the result of the determination. 11. As a result of the judgment, if the mail is circulated according to the designated circulation order, and if it is judged that the mail does not reach the last recipient, the circulation is completed by the circulation deadline. 11. The mail system according to claim 10, further comprising search means for searching a possible circulation order, wherein the notification means also notifies the search result by the search means.