RU2267228C2 - Method and device for use in conjunction with electronic mail - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: electronic mailing technologies.

SUBSTANCE: method for notification of user about receipt of electronic mail message by mail center, wherein information is stored, related to mail accounts, assigned to identifiers of decoder receivers, enables transfer of notification message in broadcast signal, while notification message includes at least additional portion of text of electronic mail message and identifier of decoder receiver targeted as destination for current notification message. Described transmission is realized by appropriate devices and decoder receivers.

EFFECT: decreased load of addressed transmission channel.

3 cl, 7 dwg

Description

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for notifying an email user (e-mail services) of receipt of email at a postal center.

In e-mail systems known in the art, a user from a remote location gains access to e-mail by connecting to and registering with an Internet service provider (ISP) server (so-called logging-on). ISP has a mail center responsible for sending and receiving email to / from the Internet, as well as storing received email. When a user connects to the ISP and registers with him, the latter informs the user whether there is an email in the mail center for him; any such mail is then downloaded to the subscriber.

The disadvantage inherent in such well-known systems is that the user can determine if there is mail for him only by connecting and registering with ISP. If there is no mail for him, then the time is wasted.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of notifying a user of the receipt of an e-mail (e-mail) at a postal center, comprising transmitting a notification message in a broadcast signal.

Said notification message may be transmitted without any (direct) user request.

By transmitting a notification message in a broadcast signal, the user can be informed about the receipt of e-mail at the postal center without the need for the user to connect to the postal center and register on it.

Said notification message may include an identifier of the receiver / decoder to which the notification message is to be transmitted. Due to this, the receiver-decoder will be able to retrieve only those notification messages that are intended for the user or users using this receiver-decoder. Preferably, the receiver / decoder compares said identifier with some identifier stored in the given receiver / decoder. For example, the smart card number may be known to the receiver / decoder, and said identifier may include at least a portion of said smart card number. In this way, a convenient way of addressing the corresponding receiver / decoder using the notification message can be provided.

The term "smart card" as used in this text covers - but does not limit them - any card device based on a microcircuit, or an object with the same purpose and performance, equipped with, for example, a microprocessor and / or memory device. This term also encompasses devices having a physical form other than the card, for example, key-shaped devices, similar to those often used in television systems using decoders.

The said method preferably further includes storing information related to mail accounts, for example e-mail addresses, aliases, passwords, settings set by the user in accordance with his preferences, etc. This information is preferably stored with the operator, which may be located at a central point. Thanks to this, the operator can maintain and maintain mail accounts.

In order to identify the receiver / decoder to which the notification message is to be transmitted, information related to the mail accounts is preferably associated with the identifiers of the receiver / decoder. For example, notification messages can be transmitted to receiver-decoders that know smart card numbers, and the mentioned information related to mail accounts can be linked to such smart card numbers. A smart card number is a number unique to the smart card of the receiver / decoder, and therefore it uniquely identifies the corresponding receiver / decoder.

The broadcast signal may be an element of a service provided by subscription, and information related to mail accounts may be attached to information related to this service provided by subscription. This will make it possible to maintain and maintain mail accounts in parallel with the mentioned service provided by subscription. The term “subscriber” as used in this text means a subscriber (subscriber) of broadcasting services, while the term “user” means an email user. Each subscriber can correspond to one or more email users.

Said notification message may contain various types of information intended for a user, for example, to display a set-top box (STB) on a television screen or a display of a set-top box. For example, said notification message may include the recipient identifier of the corresponding e-mail message (since one receiver-decoder can be used to work with several mail accounts), or the sender identifier of the corresponding e-mail message. The notification message may also include at least a portion of the text of the corresponding e-mail message, for example, the title or subject of the e-mail message. It should be noted that said text can be encoded for transmission and decoded by the receiver / decoder.

The receiver / decoder preferably generates a signal for displaying at least a portion of said notification message, such as the recipient identifier of the corresponding e-mail message, the sender identifier of the corresponding e-mail message, or part or all of the text of the corresponding e-mail message. In other cases, no part of the notification message is displayed, but an icon is displayed. Said receiver-decoder may be a receiver-decoder of said subscriber, and said signal may be intended to display at least a portion of said notification message, for example, on a television screen or on a display of a receiver-decoder.

The proposed method may further include saving settings selected by the user in accordance with his preferences, for example, whether the user wants to be notified of the receipt of an e-mail message and the number of e-mail messages for which he wishes to receive a notification . These settings may be stored in said receiver / decoder and in a database maintained and maintained by said operator.

Preferably, the user is notified of a selected number of e-mail messages. For example, the user can be notified of each e-mail message received by the mail center, or the user can only be notified of the first e-mail message received by the mail center after the last call of this user to the said mail center.

The present invention finds particular application in broadcasting digital data into which additional information can easily be inserted; accordingly, said broadcast signal is preferably a digital data stream, preferably transmitted by a digital transmission system. The term "digital transmission system", as used in this text, covers any transmission system for transmission or broadcasting, for example, mainly audiovisual or multimedia digital data. Although the present invention is particularly applicable to a digital television broadcasting system, it can also be applied in specialized data networks for multimedia Internet applications, cable television networks, and the like.

To reduce the amount of transmitted data, said digital data stream may be compressed using some kind of digital compression technology, for example, MPEG, or other known compression techniques. The term “MPEG” refers to data transfer standards developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) working group “Cinematography Expert Group” (MPEG), and especially (but not exclusively) the MPEG-2 standard, developed for use in digital television and defined in documents ISO 13818-1, ISO 13818-2, ISO 13818-3 and ISO 13818-4. In the context of this application, this term covers all options, modifications or development of MPEG formats that can be used in the field of digital data transmission.

Said notification message may be transmitted using any known method for inserting messages into a broadcast signal; for example, said notification message may be transmitted in the form of a section of a digital data stream, such as an MPEG section, or through an entitlement control message or an access control message (EMM).

The proposed method may also include providing the user with a receiver / decoder for receiving and / or decoding said broadcast signal. It should be noted that two or more users can share the same receiver / decoder. The term “receiver-decoder” as used in this text may mean a receiver for receiving both encoded and unencoded signals, for example, television and / or radio signals, which can be transmitted by broadcasting or in some other way. This term may also mean a decoder for decoding received signals. Embodiments of such receiver-decoders may include a decoder combined with the receiver for decoding received signals, such as, for example, a “set-top box” (STB), a decoder that operates in conjunction with a physically separate receiver, or a decoder equipped with additional features like a web browser, recording device or TV.

The present invention is particularly suitable for use in a television broadcast system, and accordingly, said broadcast signal may include a television signal. The term "television broadcasting system" as used in this text covers, for example, any satellite, terrestrial, cable or other system.

Preferably, said notification message is “pushed” to the user, which preferably means that the user does not take any special action to find out if there is an email for him.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of notifying a user of receipt of an e-mail (e-mail) center, which is to be transmitted to said user via a first medium, comprising transmitting to said user a second medium other than said first medium, notification messages , informing about receipt in the mentioned postal center of e-mail.

Preferably, said first medium is some dial-up medium, and said second medium is some broadcast medium.

The second aspect may also be characterized by any of the features of the first aspect, and vice versa.

The present invention also provides a method for delivering an e-mail message from a postal center to a user, comprising transmitting at least a portion of said e-mail message in a broadcast signal. Thus, the entire e-mail message can be delivered to the user without special request by the said user for the transmission of the said e-mail message, i.e. without any (direct) user command. Said e-mail message may be delivered to the user by any of the methods described above with respect to notification messages.

The present invention also provides a method for exchanging data with a mail center, comprising executing an application for working with e-mail (e-mail program) at the receiver-decoder. Thanks to this, the user can exchange data with the mail center without the need for a separate computer.

According to one aspect of the present invention regarding a device, there is provided a device for notifying a user of an e-mail (e-mail), comprising means for transmitting a notification message in a broadcast signal.

Said notification message may include an identifier of the receiver / decoder to which the notification message is to be transmitted.

The inventive device may also include means for storing information related to mail accounts. Information related to mail accounts can be tied to the identifiers of receiver-decoders. This information pertaining to mail accounts can be tied to smart card numbers known to decoders. The broadcast signal may be an element of a service provided by subscription, and information related to mail accounts may be attached to information related to this service provided by subscription.

Said notification message may include the recipient identifier of the corresponding e-mail message. Said notification message may include the identifier of the sender of the corresponding e-mail message. Said notification message may include at least a portion of the text of the corresponding e-mail message.

The proposed device may also contain means for storing settings selected by the user in accordance with his preferences. Said device may be configured to notify the user of a selected number of e-mail messages. Said device may be configured to notify the user of each e-mail message received by said mail center. The said device can be configured to notify the user only of the first e-mail message received by the postal center after the last contact of the user to the said postal center.

Said broadcast signal may be a digital data stream. The proposed device may further comprise means for compressing said digital data stream using some kind of digital compression technology.

The proposed device can be configured to transmit the said notification message in the form of a section of a digital data stream. The proposed device can be made with the possibility of transmitting said notification message by means of a rights management message or an access control message (EMM).

Said broadcast signal may include a television signal.

The proposed device can be configured to "push" the above-mentioned notification message to the user.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention regarding a device, there is provided a device for notifying a user of an e-mail center to be sent to said user via a first medium, comprising means for transmitting to said user via a second medium, different from the aforementioned first medium, a notification message, informing about the receipt of said email center.

Said first medium may be some dial-up medium, and said second medium may be some broadcast medium.

The present invention also provides a device for delivering an e-mail message from a postal center to a user, including means for transmitting at least a portion of said e-mail message in a broadcast signal. This device may include any of the embodiments described above with regard to notification messages.

According to yet another aspect of the device, there is provided a receiver / decoder for receiving and / or decoding a broadcast signal, having means for receiving, along with the broadcast signal, a notification message to notify the user of receipt of email at the postal center.

The proposed receiver-decoder may be configured to compare the identifier contained in said notification message with some identifier stored in this receiver-decoder. The smart card number may be known to the receiver / decoder, and said identifier may include at least a portion of said smart card number.

The proposed receiver-decoder can generate a signal that reports the receipt of e-mail at the post center. Said receiver / decoder may generate a signal for displaying at least a portion of said notification message.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention regarding a device, there is provided a receiver / decoder for receiving and / or decoding a broadcast signal, having means for receiving e-mail through some first medium and means for receiving through some second medium other than said first medium, notification messages , informing about receipt in the mentioned postal center of e-mail.

Said first medium may be some dial-up medium, and said second medium may be some broadcast medium.

A system for notifying the user of the receipt of email may also be provided, including the device described above and the receiver-decoder described above.

Features of the methods can be applied to aspects related to devices, and vice versa. Features of one aspect may be applied to other aspects.

The preferred features of the present invention will be described below solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

figure 1 - architecture of a typical digital television system;

figure 2 - schematic representation of the receiver-decoder;

figure 3 - system access to the Internet in General;

figure 4 - software levels of the user equipment shown in figure 3;

5 is an architecture of an Internet access system;

6 - the main elements of the account management system for using the Internet and

7 is a structure of an access control message.

Figure 1 shows a system 1 of digital television in General. The present invention uses primarily the conventional digital television system 2, in which an MPEG-2 compression system is used to transmit compressed digital signals. More specifically, the MPEG-2 compressor 3 in the broadcast center receives a stream of digital signals (usually a stream of video signals). The compressor 3 is connected to the scrambler 4 multiplexer via connection 5.

The multiplexer 4 receives many additional input signals, composes the transport stream and transmits the compressed digital signals to the transmitter 6 of the broadcast center via connection 7, which, of course, can take a wide variety of forms, including telecommunication channels. The transmitter 6 transmits electromagnetic signals through the channel 8 "Earth-satellite" to the satellite transponder 9, where they are processed electronically; from there, they are transmitted by broadcasting via satellite-to-Earth virtual channel 10 to the ground receiver 12, usually in the form of a plate, owned or leased by the end user. Of course, other transport channels for data transmission are also possible, such as terrestrial broadcasting networks, cable transmission channels, combined cable-satellite connections, telephone networks, etc.

The signals received by the receiver 12 are transmitted to the combined receiver-decoder 13, owned or leased by the end user and connected to the television 14 of the end user. Receiver-decoder 13 decodes the compressed MPEG-2 signal into a television signal for TV 14. Although in figure 1 the receiver-decoder is shown as a separate unit, it can equally be part of an integrated digital TV. The term “receiver-decoder” as used in this text covers both a separate receiver-decoder, such as a set-top box for television (STB), and a TV with a built-in receiver-decoder.

In a multi-channel system, the multiplexer 4 processes the audio and video information obtained from several parallel sources, and interacts with the transmitter 6 to broadcast this information on the corresponding number of channels. In addition to audiovisual information, messages, or applications, or any other kind of digital data can be introduced into some or all of these channels, interspersed with transmitted digital audio and video information.

A conditional access system 15 connected partially to the broadcast center and partially to the decoder is connected to the multiplexer 4 and the receiver-decoder 13. It allows the end user to access digital television broadcasts of one or more broadcast providers. A smart card capable of decrypting messages related to commercial offers (i.e., one or more television programs sold by the broadcast provider) may be installed in the receiver / decoder 13. Using the decoder 13 and the smart card, the end user can buy commercial offers either in the subscription mode or in the pay-per-view mode (PPV mode).

As mentioned above, the programs transmitted by the system are scrambled by the multiplexer 4, and the parameters and encryption keys applied to this particular transmission are determined by the conditional access system 15. The transmission of scrambled data in this way is well known in the field of pay-TV systems. Typically, the scrambled data is transmitted together with a control word intended to descramble this data, and the control word itself is encrypted with a so-called working key and transmitted in encrypted form.

Said scrambled data and the encrypted control word are then received by the decoder 13 having access to the equivalent of the said working key stored on the smart card installed in the decoder to decrypt the encrypted control word and then descramble the transmitted data. The subscriber who has paid for the subscription will receive, for example, in the EMM transmitted for the current month (rights management message or access control message), the working key needed to decrypt the encrypted control word, which, in turn, is necessary to view the transmission.

The interactive system 16, also connected to the multiplexer 4 and the receiver-decoder 13 and also located partially in the broadcast center and partially in the decoder, allows the end user to interact interactively with various applications through the modem return channel 17. This modem return channel can also be used for messaging with the conditional access system 15.

The physical interfaces of the receiver-decoder 13 are used to download data. As shown in FIG. 2, the receiver-decoder 13 contains, for example, six devices for downloading data: a serial interface 30, a parallel interface 32, a modem 34, two card readers 36 and a tuner 38 MPEG streams.

The broadcasting and reception system in question is also used to provide Internet services such as Web browsing and e-mail. The application executed by the receiver-decoder 13 allows the receiver-decoder to access Internet services and display Web pages and e-mail messages either on the TV 14 or through a computer connected to the receiver-decoder 13.

With reference to FIG. 3, an Internet access system will be generally described below. The user equipment 20 (which includes the receiver / decoder) is connected to the operator 22 via a public switched telephone network 24 (PSTN). The user equipment transmits to the operator 22 a request to transmit specific data, for example, a specific web page or email, to it. The operator accepts this request and transmits it to the Internet Service Provider (ISP) 26. In response to this request, the ISP provides the operator with a response that may contain the requested Web page received from Internet 27, or the e-mail message available for this ISP subscriber. The operator transmits this response to the broadcast center 28, where it is introduced into the MPEG bitstream, for example, as a private section, transmitted by transmitter 6 and received by receiver 12, as described above. The user equipment 20 extracts this response from the MPEG bitstream and displays it on a TV or monitor connected to a computer. Alternatively, this response may be transmitted to user equipment 20 via PSTN 24.

Figure 4 shows the software levels of user equipment 20. The application layer contains a Web browser and an application for working with e-mail (email program), which can be used as standard applications such as Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer and Outlook Express, or any application specifically designed to run on the receiver- decoder. Below the application layer are the HTTP layer, the socket layer, the TCP / IP layer, the PPP / SLIP layer and the driver layer. The driver level is modified, differing from the browser that is normally executed on a PC, in that it is divided into a modem driver for communicating with the PSTN 24 via a user equipment modem, and a tuner driver for exchanging data through a 4028 tuner to receive an MPEG stream.

It is possible to use user equipment 20 of various configurations. In one configuration, the PC is not used, and all user software runs on the receiver-decoder 13. In this configuration, the receiver-decoder 13 communicates with the PSTN 24 either via an internal modem or an external modem and a serial port. Receiver-decoder 13 can receive Internet responses in a bitstream received from the ground-based receiver 12. The user interface (for user and system interaction) is provided by a remote control or keyboard, as well as a TV connected to the receiver-decoder 13. In this TCP configuration / The IP layer shown in FIG. 4 may not be available, in which case the necessary protocols are implemented by the gateway hosted by the operator, as will be described below.

In another configuration, a personal computer (PC) is provided, the parallel port of which is connected to the parallel port 32 of the receiver-decoder 13 (or, alternatively, the serial port of which is connected to the serial port 30 of the receiver-decoder 13). In this case, the upper program levels shown in FIG. 4 are executed on the PC, and the remaining lower program levels are executed on the receiver-decoder 13. The user interface is provided by a keyboard and a monitor connected to the PC.

In yet another configuration, the PC is connected to the PSTN 24 via its internal or external modem. In this configuration, the receiver-decoder 13 may be in the form of a separate device or may be represented by an expansion card or a removable card for a PC connected to its ISA or PCI bus.

5 shows the architecture of an Internet access system. As shown in FIG. 5, an Internet account management system (IAMS) 50 is connected to an Internet service provider (ISP) 26 providing services such as web browsing and e-mail. IAMS 50 is also connected to a subscriber management system (SMS) 60, which controls subscribers and sends to IAMS requests to provide or deny access to Internet services. The receiver / decoder 13 is connected to the IAMS via an internal modem, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 24, a network access server (NAS) 56, and a gateway 58.

SMS is also connected to a Subscriber Authorization Authority (SAS) 61, which issues permissions and processes subscriber orders for broadcast services, such as broadcast television services. SMS works in parallel with SAS and IAMS systems and ensures the consistency of these two systems. Information exchange between SMS and SAS and SMS and IAMS is carried out using real-time TCP / IP connections using batch files.

Gateway 58 allows users to access real-time Internet services. Such services include mail services for sending and receiving mail, and other services that may be provided by ISP 26, as well as user support and reminder services provided by IAMS. In terms of its functions, Gateway 58 is a message router, making it possible to exchange data with various systems using a single modem connection. In cases where the receiver-decoder is not equipped with TCP / IP protocols for communication with the ISP, this gateway also implements the protocols necessary for the receiver-decoder to communicate with the ISP. In this case, the receiver-decoder 13 communicates with the ISP through the gateway 58, as shown by line 59 in FIG. 5. If the receiver-decoder is equipped with the necessary protocols, communication with the ISP is carried out directly, as shown in FIG. 5 by dashed line 57.

ISP interface 66 allows you to duplicate (copy) each change in the user account that occurs in IAMS, in the user account of ISP 26, which is responsible for hosting Internet services such as the mail service. It should be noted that all information related to user accounts for using the Internet is centralized in IAMS, which is responsible for managing TV and Internet settings. IAMS also provides a connection between Internet parameters and TV parameters, interacting with a subscriber management system (SMS) 60. SMS 60 manages the rights of subscribers and transmits requests to IAMS requesting granting subscribers access rights or denying subscribers access to Internet services.

In order to create a user account, first the user from the receiver-decoder 13 sends to IAMS 50 a request for a new account, which includes the number of his smart card along with information such as the requested e-mail address, password and selected parameters settings. IAMS checks whether an appropriate subscriber account has already been created from an SMS request by checking the availability of the smart card number of this receiver / decoder. If a subscriber account has already been created, then this subscriber can create new user accounts. After that, IAMS sends to the ISP a request to create an account for using the Internet, together with the requested email address and password. After creating the account, the ISP returns an appropriate confirmation to IAMS. User account data (password, e-mail address and settings for working with the Internet) is stored in IAMS along with the subscriber's smart card number. After that, the user can send mail to the mail server 28 and receive mail from it.

6 shows the basic elements of IAMS. The main functions of IAMS are as follows:

- maintaining and maintaining a centralized list of mail account settings tied to subscriber settings, such as a smart card number;

- Granting rights to access or denial of access to Internet services for a subscriber by SMS request;

- Set up accounts for using the Internet at the request of subscribers (support for subscribers);

- a reminder service, in which an email user can record (schedule) an event and receive a reminder about it by e-mail at the time this event occurs;

- a copy service that allows you to copy updated IAMS content to an appropriate server, such as ISP.

At the IAMS center is a relational database management system (RDBMS) 70 containing information about subscribing to Internet services and mail accounts stored in the data storage device 72. The interface 74 for exchanging data with SMS provides the ability to transfer information between IAMS and SMS, so that IAMS can be provided with up-to-date information about subscribers who have been granted access to mail services or who have been denied such access. The support server 76 allows the user to work with their mail account and change it in accordance with their preferences. Server 78 reminders provides the user the ability to work with a list of events. The event is bound to the user's mail account. The user can record an event and receive an automatic reminder for a certain predetermined number of days before the occurrence of this event, using an automatically generated e-mail message. An interface 84 for communicating with an email notification system enables the email notification system (EMNS) 62 to find user settings related to user notification in the IAMS RDBMS 70 for transmitting a notification message via satellite (OTA). The secondary server 80 allows the administrator to check the presence and status of the subscriber or email user in IAMS. Copy server 82 copies the updated contents of the RDBMS 70 of the IAMS system to the account management system of the Internet service provider.

Requests transmitted to the IAMS from the receiver / decoder 13 are forwarded by the gateway 58 to the corresponding part of the IAMS, such as a support server (for working with mail accounts) and a reminder server (for working with reminders).

IAMS is described in more detail in a parallel application, entitled "Internet Subscriber Management" and filed in the name of the applicant of this application, the contents of which are incorporated into this application by reference. The aforementioned gateway and the method of exchanging data between the receiver-decoder, IAMS and ISP are described in more detail in the parallel application, entitled "Communication Methods and Apparatus" and filed in the name of the applicant of this application, the contents of which are incorporated into this application by reference.

Email Notification

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the IAMS is equipped with an interface 84 for exchanging data with an email notification system for interacting with an email notification system (block 62 in FIG. 5). The email notification system provides notification to users immediately after they receive new email in their mailboxes on mail server 64. A short message is transmitted to their receiver / decoder via satellite.

E-mail messages received from the Internet and destined for this user are stored on the mail server 64. When receiving new mail, the mail server transmits a notification notification message (EMNS) to the system 62. The notification request is transmitted only in response to receiving ISP 26 new mail, i.e. it is event driven. The following messages can be sent from ISP to EMNS:

- "new e-mail message" - there is a new e-mail message;

- "first e-mail message" - the first e-mail message since the last time the user connected;

- the user is connected to the mail server.

Immediately after receiving a notification request from the ISP, EMNS locates user settings defined by the user for notification purposes in RDBMS 70 and the associated settings necessary to generate the notification message. Various settings can be selected by the user, including the following:

- activate or deactivate notifications of receipt, email;

- notify about each new e-mail message or the first e-mail message since the last time a user connected to ISP;

- show the sender of the corresponding e-mail message;

- show the recipient of the corresponding e-mail message. In some cases, some or all of the above settings may be set by the operator.

EMNS also checks whether this user was forbidden, for example, to use the SMS notification system. If the above checks indicate that the user should be informed of his e-mail, a notification message is generated for transmission to this user. This notification message includes the smart-card receiver-decoder number of this user, which is retrieved from RDBMS 70. This smart-card number uniquely identifies the receiver-decoder (although it is not necessarily a unique user identifier, since the receiver-decoder can be used by several users) . The notification message may also include other information, such as information identifying the recipient of the given e-mail message, information identifying the sender of the given e-mail message, and text to be displayed by the receiver-decoder, for example, the title or subject of this e -mail-messages.

From the EMNS system to the broadcast center 63, a broadcast request for the notification message is transmitted. After receiving this request, the broadcast center transmits this notification message for a predetermined period of time and at regular intervals, for example every 15 minutes during the day. The duration of this time cycle may vary; for example, a notification message may be transmitted relatively frequently during a certain first period of time and relatively rarely during a certain second period of time. The notification message may be transmitted, for example, as an access control message (EMM) or as an MPEG-2 section.

Below, with reference to FIG. 7, an EMM structure suitable for transmitting a notification message informing of receipt of email will be described. Such an EMM, which is a sequence of digital data bits, includes a header 3060, EMM 3062 itself, and a signature 3064.

Header 3060 contains an identifier of type 3066, which in this case identifies this EMM as an individual type EMM (i.e., destined for any one subscriber), length identifier 3068 indicating the length of the EMM, address 3070, based on the smart card number of this subscriber , operator identifier 3072 and key identifier 3074.

Actually EMM 3062 contains information identifying this EMM as notification of mail, as well as other information related to the notification of mail. For example, EMM may contain information regarding the recipient of the corresponding e-mail message, for the case of a home environment (where there are several email users using the same receiver / decoder), the sender of the corresponding e-mail message, the header and subject of the corresponding e-mail messages, the number of received pending e-mail messages, etc. In addition, this part of EMM contains an index identifier identifying this particular EMM.

Finally, signature 3064, typically 8 bytes long, is designed to perform several checks to detect corruption of the remaining data contained in this EMM.

As mentioned above, instead of using EMM to transmit a notification message, you can equally use the MPEG section, which includes any part of the above information or all of it. The advantage of using the MPEG section is that access control for television programs is not affected.

Each receiver-decoder monitors incoming notification messages and retrieves those that contain the smart card number of this receiver-decoder. If several users use this receiver / decoder, it identifies the specific user to whom this e-mail message is addressed based on the information contained in the notification message. Then the receiver-decoder informs the corresponding user that he has received e-mail, for example, by displaying a message on the display of the receiver-decoder or on the TV screen. Other information contained in such a notification message may also be displayed.

Finally, after the receiver-decoder receives a message notifying of the receipt of mail, it “burns” this message so that it does not appear again. This is done by comparing incoming notification messages with those already received and informing only of new messages. Typically, such an EMM or MPEG section will contain an index identifier identifying the EMM or MPEG section, in which case only these index identifiers are compared to determine if the message has already been received and take appropriate action. Additionally or instead, receiver / decoder 13 may order EMNS 62 to stop transmitting a specific notification message, for example, by transmitting a corresponding request through PSTN 24.

After receiving a notification of the mail received for him, the user can send a request to the Internet service provider to send him this email. E-mail can be transmitted either through PSTN 24, or on channel 8, 9, 10 in the manner described above with reference to figure 3. In one alternative embodiment of the present invention, upon receipt of an email notification message, the receiver / decoder 13 automatically downloads the corresponding e-mail message and stores it locally, so that the subscriber can access it after a while.

When a user retrieves his e-mail message, EMNS receives a message from the ISP stating that the e-mail message has been retrieved. Upon receiving such a message, EMNS ceases to transmit the corresponding notification.

In yet another embodiment, the entire e-mail message is “pushed out” to the user in the same manner as described above with respect to notification messages. This embodiment may be preferred in broadband communication systems such as cable and fiber optic transmission systems. In this embodiment, a separate notification message can be dispensed with, since the e-mail message itself is transmitted by broadcasting.

As you can see, the email notification system described above notifies the user of the receipt of email at the postal center in such a way that the user does not have to ask if email has been received for him; in other words, a message notifying the user of the receipt of email is “pushed” to the user.

Terms
The following terms are used in this application: Email Address An e-mail address (email address) consists of two parts: an email identifier (E-mail ID) and a domain name. Email address has the following form: Email ID @ domain name Email Account The mail account provides the user information needed by the mail server to process user messages Email ID The prefix part of the email address. This identifier is unique to this domain name. Email Notification System (EMNS) The email notification system allows you to notify the subscriber immediately after receiving a new e-mail message in his inbox. A short message is transmitted to its STB via satellite (OTA) or in some other way Internet Account Management System (IAMS) A system that maintains and maintains subscriber account settings for television and related mail account settings Mailbox Messages stored for later delivery using IMAP are placed in the mailbox (IMAP or POP-). A mailbox located on a mail server is uniquely identified by a mailbox identifier. A mail server serving a different domain name cannot assume that the mentioned E-mail ID is unique to this mail server, so the identifier of the mailbox must be the mentioned e-mail address Mail server A program that exchanges e-mail messages with other mail servers and receives and sends messages to mail clients Support server Allows users to create and configure email accounts themselves Reminder server Allows the user to record ("record in") events and receive an automatic reminder via an automatically generated email message STB Fully ready-to-use digital decoding apparatus, manufactured in accordance with DVB standards, CANAL + TECHNOLOGIES specifications. It is used as a digital decoder for transmitted video information, sound information, applications and data streams, providing end-user access to television programs and services Smart cards Cards on which the secret keys of one or more commercial operators and other information related to access are electronically recorded Subscriber The term “subscriber” refers to an account for television (for example, a smart card number) Subscriber Management System (SMS) Subscriber related data management system User The term "user" corresponds to the mail account. Multiple Users Can Match One Subscriber

Naturally, the present invention has been described above with a purely illustrative example, and various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Each feature disclosed in the description of the invention, as well as (as appropriate) in the claims and in the drawings, may be implemented independently or in any suitable combination.

The item numbers provided in the claims are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as having any limiting effect on the scope of the claims.

Claims (27)

1. The method of notifying the user of the receipt of an e-mail message (e-mail message) to the postal center, which stores information related to mail accounts, tied to the identifiers of the receiver-decoders, including the transmission of a notification message in a broadcast signal, and notifying the message includes at least a portion of the text of said e-mail message and the identifier of the receiver-decoder to which this notification message should be transmitted. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that said notification message is transmitted without any (direct) user request. 3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the receiver-decoder compares the said identifier with some identifier stored in this receiver-decoder. 4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the smart card number is known to the receiver / decoder and said identifier includes at least a portion of said smart card number. 5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the information related to the mail accounts is tied to the smart card numbers of the receivers-decoders. 6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that said broadcast signal is an element of some service provided by subscription, and information related to mail accounts is tied to information related to this service provided by subscription. 7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that said notification message includes a recipient identifier of said e-mail message. 8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that said notification message includes an identifier of the sender of said e-mail message. 9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the said notification message is transmitted to the receiver-decoder. 10. The method according to claim 9, in which said receiver-decoder generates a signal to inform the user about the receipt of the said e-mail message in the post center. 11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising saving settings selected by the user in accordance with his preferences. 12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising notifying the user of a selected number of e-mail messages. 13. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that said broadcast signal is a digital data stream. 14. The method according to item 13, wherein said notification message is transmitted as a section of said digital data stream. 15. The method according to item 13, wherein said notification message is transmitted through an access control message. 16. A device for notifying the user of the receipt of e-mail (e-mail) in a postal center, having a means for storing information related to mail accounts associated with the identifiers of the receivers-decoders, containing means for transmitting a notification message in a broadcast signal, the notification message includes at least a portion of the text of this email and the identifier of the receiver / decoder to which the notification message is to be transmitted. 17. The device according to clause 16, wherein the information related to the mail accounts is tied to the smart card numbers of the receivers-decoders. 18. The device according to clause 16, wherein said broadcast signal is an element of some service provided by subscription, and information related to mail accounts is tied to information related to this service provided by subscription. 19. The device according to clause 16, wherein said notification message includes a recipient identifier of said e-mail message. 20. The device according to p. 16, characterized in that the said notification message includes the identifier of the sender of the said e-mail message. 21. The device according to clause 16, further comprising means for storing settings selected by the user in accordance with his preferences. 22. The device according to clause 16, configured to notify the user of a selected number of e-mail messages. 23. The device according to clause 16, wherein said broadcast signal is a digital data stream. 24. The device according to item 23, configured to transmit the said notification message in the form of a section of a digital data stream. 25. The device according to item 23, configured to transmit the aforementioned notification message through an access control message. 26. The device according to item 23, configured to transmit at least part of the email in the broadcast signal. 27. System for notifying the user of the receipt of electronic mail, including the device according to clause 16 and at least one receiver-decoder.

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