WO2000002370B1

WO2000002370B1 - System which visually indicates the presence and automatically downloads e-mail

Info

Publication number: WO2000002370B1
Application number: PCT/US1999/014330
Authority: WO
Inventors: Guenter Schaefer
Original assignee: Guenter Schaefer
Priority date: 1998-07-03
Filing date: 1999-06-24
Publication date: 2000-02-24
Also published as: WO2000002370A1

Abstract

Apparatus (1) and methods are provided for determining if electronic mail is waiting on a network for a system user during automatic, or unattended, operation of the apparatus (1), for making the mail available within the apparatus (1), and for providing a visual indication, with the apparatus (1) disconnected from the network onto a hard drive within the apparatus (1) or by printing the mail through a printer (3). The visual indication, which is provided by illuminating an indicator light (22) or by providing information on a display unit screen (2), may also indicate that other types of messages have been sent to the apparatus (1).

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS

[received by the International Bureau on 16 December 1999 (16.12.99); original claims 1, 6-9, 14 and 18 amended; original claims 5 and 17 cancelled; remaining claims unchanged (5 pages)]

1. Apparatus for receiving electronic mail from a network and for providing a visual indication of presence of electronic mail, wherein said apparatus comprises a computer system (1 , 160, 240) including a processor (5a), system memory, and a modem (7a) connected to said network, wherein said computer system (1 , 160, 240) has a quiescent state and Is operable in an operational state, characterized In that said apparatus additionally comprises: an external timer {5, 94) bringing said computer system from said quiescent state to said operational state when a predetermined time for mail access has been reached; a mail access program, executing within said processor with said computer system In said operational state in response to said timing means (5, 94) to access said electronic mail from said network and to make said electronic mail available within said apparatus; and visual indication means (2, 4, 100, 104) operating in response to eaid mail access program, providing a visual indication when mail has been found to be waiting, wherein said visual indication is present with said apparatus disconnected from said network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said visual indication means (4, 100, 104) includes an indicator light (22, 100, 102) turned on in response to said mail access program when mail Is determined to be waiting.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said visual Indication means Includes meanε for turning said indicator light (22, 100, 102) off in response to an access of eaid electronic mail determined to be waiting.

- 25 - 4, The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said apparatus includes a display screen (2) operable in response to said mail access program, and said visual indication means (2) includes presentation of graphical information on said display screen (2) when said control unit (1 , 160, 240) is brought into an operational state.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said computer system (1) Is turned off in said quiescent state, and said external timer (5, 94) turns said computer system (1) on by the application of electrical power (36) to bring said computer system (1) into said operational state.

7, The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said external timer (S, 94) turns said computer system (1) off by the termination of eloctrical power (52) when a predetermined time for termination of mail access has been reached, and said computer system (1 ) includes an internal timer, started (46) by said mail access program, to shut down processes (50) within said computer system before eaid predetermined time for termination of mail access has been reached (52).

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said computer system (1 ) is in a suspense mode in said quiescent state, and said external timer (5, 94) brings said suspense mode to said operational state by causing an Interrupt to be generated (1 2) within said computer system (1).

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9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said computer system (1) is brought from said operational state to said quiescent state (50) in response to completion of processes (72) executed by said mall access program.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said mail access program makes said electronic mail available within said apparatus by downloading information (68) into said system memory.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said apparatus additionally comprises a printer (3) connected to operate In response to said control unit (1 , 160, 240), and said mail access program makes said electronic mail available within said apparatus by causing information to be printed on said printer (3).

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein said timing means (G, 94) turns said printer (3) on to print said information and off following the printing of said Information.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said visual Indication means (2, 4, 100, 104), operating in response to said mail access program, also provides a visual indication when said modem (7a) is contacted (143) by said network.

14. A method for receiving electronic mail from a network within apparatus connected to said network and for providing a visual Indication of presence of electronic mail, wherein said method comprises steps of: (a) determining when a predetermined time for mail access has been reached (44, 130); (b) in response to the determination of step (a), bringing a computing device within eaid apparatus from a quiescent state to an opera- tlonal state and starting a mail access cycle (46, 54, 132); (c) requesting mall access (58) over a network;

- 27 - (d) determining if said electronic mail is waiting (62); (Θ) If mail is found to be waiting in step (d), making said electronic mail available within eaid apparatus (68); (f) If mail is found to be waiting In step (d), providing a visual indication that mail Is waiting (70); and (g) bringing said computing device from said operational state to said quiescent state (138) .

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, within step (c), said electronic mail is made available within said apparatus by downloading information (68) into electronic storage within said apparatus.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein, within step (c), said electronic mail is made available within said apparatus by printing information (198) within eaid apparatus.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein step (g) is followed by steps of: (h) displaying a menu screen (74) when said computing device is brought from said quiescent state to said operational state; (I) displaying mail information stored in electronic storage within said apparatus in response to a first choice (76) made from said menu screen; and (i) establishing access (78) to mall within said network in response to a second choice made from said menu screen. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein within step (f) said visual indication Is provided by turning on (70) an indicator light, and following step (h), turning off (78) said indicator light In response to said first and second choices made from said menu screen.

20. The method of claim 14, additionally comprising steps of: determining if said network has sent a message to said apparatus (62); and

- 28 In response to determination that said network has sent a message to said apparatus, turning on said indicator light (70).

- 29 STATEMENT UNDER ARTICLE 19

In the accompanying amendment, claim 1 is modified to require a computer system instead of a controller, bringing the claim language into agreement with the language of the description. Claim 1 is also modified to require that the computer syetem is conventional, having a quiescent state and being operable In an operational state, while the requirements of claim 1 are modified to require that the previously-specified timing means must be an external timer bringing the computer system from the quiescent state to the operational state when a predetermined time for mail access has been reached. Operation of the mail access program in response to the external timer is now required to occur with the computer system In its operational state. In this regard, the limitations of claim 5, as originally submitted, have been placed in claim 1 , with claim 5 therefore being canceled.

Claims 6-9 are amended herein to reflect the change in the antecedent basis of claim 1 for a computer system. Claim 6 is also modified to depend from claim 1 , instead of from the canceled claim 5.

Claim 14 is amended herein to include the limitations of claim 17 in the application as originally filed. Claim 17 is canceled, and claim 18 is modified to depend from claim 14 instead of from the canceled claim 17.

These changes within the independent claims clarify differences between the present invention and prior art systems cited in the International Search Report. In particular, the devices of US 5,757,891, US 5,717,742 and US 5,500,893 do not control a conventional computing system in the manner of the present invention, as described In the independent claims 1 and 14 as modified herein. These prior art devices do not switch a computing system between a quiescent state and an operational state, as required by these claims,

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