JP2000172584A - Electronic mail transmitting and receiving apparatus and electronic mail transmitting and receiving method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] FAX of contents of e-mail to be sent
, It is possible to reliably receive the contents of the e-mail even if the other party cannot receive the e-mail due to a network trouble or the like. SOLUTION: An e-mail creation section 1 for a user to create a document to be sent by e-mail, a transmission setting input section 2 for a user to input an e-mail transmission destination (e-mail address), A format converter 3 for converting text data to be transmitted into a facsimile format, an email transmitter 4 for sending an email to an input email address, and a format converter 3 for converting the text data of the input email. A facsimile transmission unit 5 for converting the image data into image data receivable by facsimile and transmitting the data to a facsimile number set by a user.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an e-mail transmitting / receiving apparatus and an e-mail transmitting / receiving method capable of transmitting / receiving management information such as a text described in a text, a destination, a sender, and a transmission date.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art E-mail is received at a convenient time,
Because it is possible to check the contents, it is a convenient tool that allows you to convey your business without worrying about the convenience of the other party (e-mail destination) and without disturbing the other party. But,
On the other hand, there are also drawbacks such as "I can't get the other person to read it immediately" or "I'll be forgotten and I won't get a reply". Therefore, when the sender sends an e-mail with a designated date, such as a contact for a meeting or an appointment for a visit, it is necessary to confirm the e-mail or telephone again.

[0003] In addition, even if the transmission destination cannot receive an e-mail for some reason (such as a network trouble or a malfunction of a computer), the current e-mail mechanism checks whether the other party has received the e-mail. Since there is no means, when a timely message is sent by e-mail, troubles such as "the other party did not receive the message" and "the reply was not made in time" are caused. So, the system monitors the e-mail with a due date, and if the due date is not received or there is no reply,
Although a method of giving an alert is conceivable, if the alert is given to the transmission destination computer, a similar problem occurs again.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided an electronic mail transmitting / receiving apparatus capable of transmitting / receiving management information such as a text described in text, a destination, a sender, and a transmission date. The contents of the e-mail
Means for converting to a format that can be received by X, means for setting a fax number of a destination when sending an e-mail, and means for transmitting the same contents as an e-mail to a facsimile of the set facsimile number. It is configured to be provided.

According to the present invention, even if a transmission destination cannot receive an e-mail for some reason (for example, a network trouble or a malfunction of a computer), the FA
X can be received, and the contents of important e-mail can be reliably transmitted.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is directed to an electronic mail transmitting / receiving apparatus capable of transmitting / receiving a body described in text and management information such as a destination, a sender, and a transmission date. Means for converting the contents of the mail into a format that can be received by facsimile, means for setting a facsimile number of a transmission destination when sending an e-mail,
By providing a means for transmitting the same content as an e-mail to the X-number FAX, even if the transmission destination cannot receive the e-mail for some reason (network trouble, computer malfunction, etc.), It has the effect that reception by facsimile is possible and the contents of important e-mail can be transmitted reliably.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electronic mail transmitting and receiving apparatus according to the first aspect, when transmitting an electronic mail, a time limit (by which time the other party needs to receive / reply) is specified. Means for monitoring the reception status of the e-mail, and means for notifying the sender if the other party (destination) has not received or has not received a reply even if the deadline is approaching, and transmits it. The sender can check the date when an e-mail with a specified date is sent by providing a means to send the contents of the previously sent e-mail to an e-mail and a facsimile again. This has the effect of saving time and effort and also allowing the destination to be reliably notified that the due date is imminent.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic mail transmitting / receiving method capable of transmitting / receiving a body described in text and management information such as a destination, a sender, and a transmission date.
Converting the contents of the transmitted e-mail into a format that can be received by facsimile, setting a facsimile number of the transmission destination when transmitting the e-mail, and setting the facsimile
The step of transmitting the same contents as the e-mail to the fax of the number, the transmission destination can be any situation (network trouble, computer malfunction, etc.)
Therefore, even when the electronic mail cannot be received, the electronic mail can be received by facsimile, and the important contents of the electronic mail can be transmitted without fail.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic mail transmitting / receiving method according to the third aspect, a time limit (by which time the other party needs to receive / reply) is specified when the electronic mail is transmitted. And the step of monitoring the reception status of the e-mail, and when the deadline is approaching, if the other party (destination) does not receive or does not receive a reply, the sender is notified and transmitted. The contents of the e-mail sent earlier are also sent to e-mail and FA again.
The step of sending to X allows the sender to save the time and effort of checking the due date when sending an e-mail with a designated due date, and to ensure that the due date is imminent to the destination. Has the effect that notification is possible.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an electronic mail transmitting / receiving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a configuration by functional means.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an e-mail creating unit for making a user send a document to be sent by e-mail. Reference numeral 2 denotes a transmission setting input unit that allows a user to input an e-mail transmission destination (e-mail address) and the like.
FIG. 7 shows an example of a transmission setting input screen. As shown in FIG. 7, the information to be input here is the mail address, whether or not to transmit to the fax together with the e-mail transmission. When the transmission to the fax is performed, there are three items of the fax number of the other party. is there. Reference numeral 3 denotes a format conversion unit that converts text data transmitted by e-mail into image data that can be received by facsimile. Reference numeral 4 denotes an e-mail transmission unit that transmits an e-mail to a mail address set by a user. Numeral 5 converts the text data of the e-mail input by the user into image data that can be received by facsimile using the format conversion unit 3, and outputs the FA data set by the user.
A FAX transmission unit that transmits the data to the X number. 6
Is a format conversion unit 3, an e-mail transmission unit 4, and a facsimile
The transmission control unit controls the transmission unit 5. Reference numeral 7 denotes a control unit that controls the e-mail creation unit 1, the transmission setting unit 2, and the transmission control unit 6. Reference numeral 8 denotes a storage unit that stores the contents of the e-mail created by the e-mail creation unit 1, the information set by the transmission setting input unit 2, and the image data converted by the format conversion unit 3.

FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram of an electronic mail transmitting / receiving apparatus constituting the electronic mail transmitting / receiving apparatus of the present embodiment, and shows a hardware configuration.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 21 denotes an input device such as a keyboard and a pointing device. 22 is
It is a display device such as a cathode ray tube display (CRT) or a liquid crystal display (LCD). 23 is a central processing unit (CPU) for controlling the apparatus. 24 is a random access memory (RAM) for temporarily storing data
It is. Reference numeral 25 denotes a read-only memory (ROM) for storing a program to be executed by the CPU 23.

Here, the relationship between the functional means of FIG. 1 and the hardware of FIG. 2 will be described. 1 and 2, an e-mail creation unit 1 and a transmission setting input unit 2 use an input device 21 and a display device 22, and a storage unit 8 uses a RAM 24.
Respectively. Format conversion unit 3, e-mail transmission unit 4, FAX transmission unit 5, transmission control unit 6,
The control unit 7 is configured such that the CPU 23 controls the RAM 24 and the ROM 2
5 while executing various programs stored in the ROM 25 while exchanging data with the FAX 5.

In the present embodiment, the CPU 23 determines that R
Although the program stored in the OM 25 is executed, the program executed by the CPU 23 is recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (compact disk-read only memory) using the reader 27. Alternatively, a form for executing the program may be used. With this configuration, the present invention can be easily realized on a general-purpose computer or the like.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an electronic mail transmitting / receiving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention for transmitting an electronic mail with a time limit, showing the configuration of the functional means. .

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 31 denotes an e-mail creating section for creating a document to be transmitted by e-mail from a user. Reference numeral 32 denotes a transmission setting input unit that allows the user to input an e-mail transmission destination (e-mail address) and the like. FIG. 8 shows an example of a transmission setting input screen. As shown in FIG. 8, the information to be input here is the e-mail address and whether or not to transmit to the facsimile together with the e-mail transmission. When transmitting to the facsimile, the facsimile number of the destination is set. Whether or not to perform the expiration date When setting the expiration date, there are five items of the expiration date. This time, if you set a deadline,
The system checks the reception status of the e-mail, and when the deadline is approaching, if the other party does not reply, a warning is issued, but a method of letting the user select whether to perform this monitoring is also conceivable. . Although the deadline here is a date (year / month / day), other designation methods such as time and days can be considered. A format conversion unit 33 converts text data transmitted by e-mail into image data receivable by facsimile. Reference numeral 34 denotes an e-mail transmission unit that transmits an e-mail to a mail address set by a user. A facsimile transmission unit 35 converts the text data of the e-mail input by the user into image data that can be received by facsimile using the format conversion unit 33, and transmits the data to a facsimile number set by the user. It is. 36 is a format conversion unit 33, an e-mail transmission unit 3
4, and a transmission control unit that controls the FAX transmission unit 35. 37 indicates that when an e-mail with a time limit is sent,
This is a due date designated mail monitoring unit that monitors the reception status of the e-mail. Reference numeral 38 denotes a warning transmission unit that monitors an e-mail with a time limit by using a date designation mail monitoring unit 37 and warns an e-mail with no reply even if the time limit is approaching. Here, the e-mail that does not receive a reply even before the deadline is detected, the e-mail sender is warned by e-mail, and the e-mail Resend sent e-mail. Also, if the sender has specified transmission by fax,
Here, transmission by FAX is also performed. 39 is a due date designated mail monitoring control unit that controls the due date designated mail monitoring unit 37 and the warning transmission unit 38. 40 is an e-mail creation unit 31, a transmission setting input unit 32, a transmission control unit 36,
This is a control unit that controls the date designation mail monitoring control unit 39. Reference numeral 41 denotes a storage unit that stores the contents of the e-mail created by the e-mail creation unit 31, the information set by the transmission setting input unit 32, and the image data converted by the format conversion unit 33.

FIG. 2 is also a circuit block diagram of an electronic mail transmitting / receiving apparatus constituting the electronic mail transmitting / receiving apparatus of the present embodiment.

Here, the relationship between the functional means of FIG. 3 and the hardware of FIG. 2 will be described. 3 and 2, the e-mail creation unit 31 and the transmission setting input unit 32 are constituted by the input device 21 and the display device 22, and the storage unit 41 is constituted by a RAM.
24, respectively. Format converter 33,
The e-mail transmission unit 34, the FAX transmission unit 35, the transmission control unit 36, the due date designated mail monitoring unit 37, the warning transmission unit 38, the due date designated mail monitoring control unit 39, and the control unit 40
This is realized by the PU 23 executing various programs stored in the ROM 25 while exchanging data with the RAM 24 and the ROM 25.

Note that, in the present embodiment, the CPU 23
Although the program stored in the OM 25 is executed, the program executed by the CPU 23 is recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (compact disk-read only memory) using the reader 27. Alternatively, a form for executing the program may be used. With this configuration, the present invention can be easily realized on a general-purpose computer or the like.

The operation of the electronic mail transmitting and receiving apparatus and the electronic mail transmitting and receiving method of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described below with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. These flowcharts show how the CPU 23 executes a program stored in the ROM 25.

[0022]

Embodiment 1 FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when an e-mail sent by a sender is also sent to a destination FAX.

First, in step S1, a user creates a document of an e-mail to be transmitted by an e-mail preparation unit (1 in FIG. 1), and in step S2, a transmission setting input unit (2 in FIG. 1). Then, the user sets the transmission information of the e-mail from the user. The transmission information to be set here is: Email address 2. 2. Whether to send to FAX together with sending E-mail When transmitting to a fax, there are three items of the fax number of the destination. FIG. 7 shows an example of a transmission setting input screen.

Next, in step S3, the e-mail transmission section (4 in FIG. 1) transmits the e-mail created in step S1 to the e-mail address set in step S2.

Subsequently, in step S4, the transmission control unit (6 in FIG. 1) checks whether or not "send to e-mail and send to facsimile" is set in step S2. If it is set, the process proceeds to step S5, and if it is set to "do not perform", the e-mail transmission process ends.

In step S5, the format conversion unit (3 in FIG. 1) converts the text data of the e-mail created in step S1 into image data that can be received by facsimile.

Finally, in step S6, the facsimile transmitting section (5 in FIG. 1) transmits the image data converted in step S5 to the facsimile number set in step S2, and ends the e-mail transmission processing.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing of an electronic mail transmitting / receiving apparatus for monitoring an electronic mail with a time limit sent by a sender and notifying that the time limit is imminent. First, in step T1, the user creates a document of the e-mail to be transmitted by the e-mail creation unit (31 in FIG. 3). In step T2, the e-mail is input by the transmission setting input unit (32 in FIG. 3). And have the user set the transmission information. The transmission information to be set here is: Email address 2. 2. Whether to send to FAX together with sending E-mail 3. When sending to a fax, the fax number of the other party. 4. Whether or not to set a deadline When setting the expiration date, there are five items of the date to be the expiration date. FIG. 8 shows an example of a transmission setting input screen.

Next, in step T3, the e-mail transmitting section (34 in FIG. 3) transmits the e-mail created in step T1 to the e-mail address set in step T2.

Subsequently, in step T4, the transmission control unit (36 in FIG. 3) checks whether or not "transmit to FAX together with e-mail transmission" is set in step T2. If it is set, the process proceeds to step T5, and if "not performed" is set, the process proceeds to step T7.

In step T5, the format conversion unit (3 in FIG. 3)
In step 3), the text data of the e-mail generated in step T1 is converted into image data that can be received by facsimile. In step T6, the fax transmission unit (FIG. 3)
According to 35), the image data converted in step T5 is transmitted to the FAX number set in step T2.

In step T7, the due date designated mail monitoring control unit (39 in FIG. 3) checks whether or not "set time limit" is set in step T2, and if "set" is set, The process moves to step T8, and if "not performed" is set, the e-mail transmission process ends.

In step T8, the deadline monitoring agent is activated, the deadline designation mail is monitored, and a warning is issued if necessary. The flow of this processing will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. First, in step U1, it is checked whether or not there is a reply to the mail. If there is a reply, the process ends. If there is no reply, the process proceeds to step U2. Step U2
Then, the date set for the expiration date is compared with the current date, and if it is the day before the expiration date or the current day, the process proceeds to step U3, and if it is two or more days before the expiration date, the process returns to step U1. In step U3, a warning is sent to the sender of the e-mail by e-mail that the deadline is imminent.

Further, an e-mail having the same contents is transmitted again to the transmission destination. At this time, a warning sentence indicating that the deadline is imminent is automatically added and transmitted. Furthermore, if the e-mail is specified to be sent by fax,
Is also transmitted at the same time. The monitoring and warning here are repeated until there is a reply to the due date specified mail or until there is a request from the sender to interrupt the monitoring. The monitoring interval depends on the accuracy of the time limit setting. However, since the date is specified here, the monitoring is performed once a day (at a predetermined time such as 10:00 am). If the time is specified, 3
It is necessary to narrow the monitoring interval, such as once every 0 minutes.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, even if the transmission destination cannot receive the e-mail for some reason (for example, a trouble of the network or malfunction of the computer), the reception by the facsimile is possible. , It is possible to reliably transmit the contents of important e-mails. Also, if you send an e-mail with a designated date, the system will monitor the receiving status of the e-mail, and if necessary, automatically send an e-mail and fax alert, It is possible to omit the trouble of checking the due date and to surely notify the transmission destination that the due date is imminent.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an electronic mail transmitting / receiving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an electronic mail transmitting / receiving apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention for transmitting an electronic mail with a time limit;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of processing of the electronic mail transmitting / receiving apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a processing flow of an electronic mail transmitting / receiving apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flow of monitoring processing of a time-limited email in the embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of an e-mail transmission setting screen according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of an e-mail transmission setting screen according to the second embodiment.

[Description of Signs] 1 E-mail creation unit 2 Transmission setting input unit 3 Format conversion unit 4 E-mail transmission unit 5 FAX transmission unit 6 Transmission control unit 7 Control unit 8 Storage unit 21 Input device 22 Display device 23 CPU 24 RAM 25 ROM 26 Secondary storage device 27 Reading device 31 E-mail creation unit 32 Transmission setting input unit 33 Format conversion unit 34 E-mail transmission unit 35 FAX transmission unit 36 Transmission control unit 37 Due date designated mail monitoring unit 38 Warning transmission unit 39 Due date designated mail monitoring Control unit 40 Control unit 41 Storage unit

Continued on front page F-term (reference) 5B089 GA26 GB01 JA31 JB01 KA12 KB06 KB11 KC11 KE07 KF05 LA01 LA06 LA17 5C062 AA02 AA35 AB20 AB38 AC28 AC35 AC38 AE08 AF01 AF02 AF06 BA04 BD09 5C075 AB90 CE09 CF04 5K030 GA16KA01 H06B LB15 LB16 LD13 LD18 MB18 9A001 BB03 BB04 EE02 JJ14

Claims (6)

[Claims] An electronic mail transmitting and receiving apparatus capable of transmitting and receiving management information such as a text described in a text and a destination, a sender, a transmission date, etc., means for converting the content of the transmitted electronic mail into a facsimile format, Means for setting a destination facsimile number when sending an e-mail, and means for calling the set facsimile number and transmitting the same contents as an e-mail to the facsimile apparatus. Email sending and receiving device. 2. A program recording medium for an electronic mail transmitting and receiving apparatus, wherein the electronic mail transmitting and receiving apparatus is capable of transmitting and receiving a body described in text and management information such as a destination, a sender, and a transmission date. Means for converting the contents into a facsimile format, means for setting a destination facsimile number when sending an e-mail, calling for the set facsimile number, and sending the same contents as the e-mail to the facsimile apparatus. A program recording medium comprising transmission means. 3. A means for designating a time limit when sending an e-mail, a means for monitoring the reception status of the e-mail, and a method for receiving an e-mail when the other party does not receive the e-mail even if the time is approaching or there is no reply. 2. The electronic mail according to claim 1, further comprising means for notifying the sender of the fact and transmitting the contents of the previously transmitted electronic mail to the destination again by electronic mail and facsimile. Transceiver. 4. A program recording medium for an electronic mail transmitting / receiving apparatus, wherein when sending an electronic mail, means for designating a time limit, means for monitoring the reception status of the electronic mail, Means for notifying the sender to that effect if not received or not receiving a reply, and transmitting the contents of the previously transmitted e-mail to the destination again by e-mail and facsimile. 3. The program recording medium according to claim 2, wherein: 5. An e-mail transmitting / receiving method capable of transmitting / receiving a body described in text and management information such as a destination, a sender, and a transmission date, the step of converting the contents of the transmitted e-mail into a format that can be received by facsimile. Setting a destination facsimile number when sending an e-mail, and transmitting the same content as the e-mail to the facsimile apparatus of the set facsimile number. Transmission / reception method. 6. A step of designating an expiration date when sending an e-mail, a step of monitoring the reception status of the e-mail, and a step of: Sending the content of the previously transmitted e-mail to the transmission destination again by e-mail and facsimile while notifying the sender of the fact. Transmission / reception method.