JP2004118810A - E-mail system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily create an e-mail with a content highly appealing to clients, wherein images, pictorial symbols, and music/sound, etc. are effectively combined and a name of a recipient is written, and to transmit to a large number of receiving clients at a time. <P>SOLUTION: Content information to be transmitted is created with a tool for easy creation, for example, a homepage builder, etc. and stored in a DB server 60 as a content information storage means. In a transmitting client 10, address information/attributes information and stored content information specifying information are input by an input portion 11, a transmission content creation portion 16 reads the content information from the DB server 60 and fills in, for example, an individual name, etc. as attached information, and the e-mail is sent to a receiving client 20 via a transmission portion 14. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an e-mail system for distributing e-mail between a sending client and a receiving client through a network, and a mail tool read by the sending client for distributing e-mail over a network, and particularly to using an e-mail. The present invention relates to an e-mail system capable of easily creating and distributing an e-mail having a content expression having customer attraction when distributing a sale or an advertisement.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art E-mail that distributes body text and attached files such as text, images, and voices as content information between a transmitting client and a receiving client through a network such as a LAN or the Internet has been widely used as a simple communication means. I have. An e-mail is created using a mail tool (also referred to as mail software or a mailer) in a sending client such as a computer terminal, a PDA, a mobile phone, etc., and inputs the destination of the receiving client as a mail address, Sent through. The e-mail is first sent to an e-mail transmission server (for example, an SMTP server) registered in the mail tool, and the e-mail transmission server uses an e-mail address to receive an e-mail on a receiving server (for example, a POP3 server, a POP2 server). And an IMAP4 server), extract the name of the e-mail receiving server using DNS or the like, and deliver the e-mail. The e-mail receiving server accumulates the received e-mail in a mailbox assigned to the receiving client specified as the destination. The receiving client accesses the e-mail receiving server through the network, and takes in the e-mail stored in the mailbox of the receiving client to complete the delivery of the e-mail. Hereinafter, in this specification, the operation of "sending to a receiving client" may be expressed as including sending to an electronic mail receiving server.
[0003]
While such email is simple, it can be subject to various restrictions. In the case of sending the same e-mail to many receiving clients at once, as in advertisements and announcements in the Internet business, which has increased significantly in recent years, and e-mail magazines, if the size of the content information increases, The load imposed on the transmitting server and the e-mail receiving server has become large, and a long transmission time and / or large-scale transmission equipment has been required. Therefore, such e-mails have to be simple contents of only the body text, and a sufficient advertising effect and customer incentive effect cannot be expected by appealing to sight and hearing using various types of files.
[0004]
An e-mail system that allows attachment of large files and the like and enables high-speed distribution to many destinations regardless of the size limit is provided by Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-058034 and the like. It is possible to distribute a large amount of e-mails having many files such as audio, video, and the like. However, it is very difficult to display or reproduce them effectively and to give a so-called "flyer" expression by merely attaching them.
[0005]
Also, in Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-402545, content information of an e-mail is created in advance in a good-looking manner, so that an e-mail with a high customer attraction effect that incorporates not only pictograms and images but also moving images can be converted into an extremely small e-mail of less than 2 KB when received. It can be delivered by mail data. However, at this time, a Web server is often used as a content information storage device. However, in order to display a recipient's name by key information or the like, a display program is required on a Web page of the content. In many cases, there are difficulties in creating content information, such as restrictions on available Web servers, and difficulty in creating Web pages unless a person who is familiar with CGI, script, or the like can create Web pages.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it easier to create a so-called “HTML mail” that frequently uses pictograms and images, even if the e-mail is personalized such as by entering the recipient's personal name. The present invention provides an electronic mail system capable of easily mass-dispatching HTML mail even if not.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an e-mail system for distributing e-mail between a transmitting client and a receiving client through a network, wherein the transmitted content information is created using appropriate software or the like. Then, at least the destination information and the information for specifying the stored content information are input by a mail tool which is stored in advance in the content information storage unit connected to the network and read by the transmission client, and the content information is specified. Accessing and reading the content information based on the information, and replacing the identifier included in the read content information with the additional information associated with the destination information and transmitting the content as at least a part of the content of the e-mail to be transmitted. The e-mail system was configured with the transmission contents creating means for creating the e-mail.
[0008]
In the electronic mail system according to the present invention, content information (for example, a text body, a moving image, and an audio file) constituting the content of the electronic mail is stored in the content information storage unit in advance, and the transmission content creation unit specifies the input content information. Read the created content information from the content information storage means based on the information, replace the identifier included in the content information with the additional information related to the destination information, and use at least a part of the content of the transmitted e-mail, Send the created e-mail contents to the receiving client. At this time, the contents of the transmission e-mail are configured such that a large data file such as a moving image, an image, and a sound is accessed and referred to the contents information storage server. When the receiving client opens the received e-mail, the e-mail is referred to the contents information storage means, and the contents information created in advance and including the attached information is displayed on the mail tool.
[0009]
Since the content information is created prior to sending the e-mail, software suitable for the creation, such as homepage creation software, can be used. Such software can create desired content information by flexibly combining images and sound files, pictograms and text, and sometimes programs. Also, by inserting the identifier, it is replaced with attached information, for example, the name of the recipient, etc., and the transmission content is created, so there is no need for a program to display the name given as a variable, etc. It is easy to create personalized content information. Note that the attached information may be plural, such as a telephone number, a postal code, and an address, in addition to the name.
[0010]
Although the data size of the transmitted e-mail is not as small as that of the key mail as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-058034, a large file or the like is left in the content information storage server so that the recipient can refer to it when displaying the mail. Therefore, the data size is much smaller than the data size of the entire content information.
[0011]
Here, the network is, for example, a LAN or the Internet, and therefore, an e-mail includes an e-mail. The sending client and the receiving client are typically personal computer terminals, but do not ask what kind they are, such as PDAs and mobile phones, if they can send mail.
[0012]
The content information storage unit stores the content of the e-mail in association with the content information specifying information. Generally, a Web server is used, and the specific information is often a URL. Of course, a Web page that is dynamically generated according to a part of the content of the specific information or other conditions may be used as the content information. For example, by attaching the information of the recipient to the URL, the system usage time of the recipient is counted. Information called "your system use time" may be generated and used as the content information.
[0013]
In addition, when the electronic mail transmitted by the present system is displayed, for example, when an image file is accessed and read by accessing the content information storage unit, the inherent key information included therein may be transferred to the content information storage unit. Since it is possible, the content information storage means may record the key information in a database or the like. Since the recording of the key information means that the received mail has been opened and the content has been displayed, the opening of the recipient can be recorded in the database.
[0014]
Each means constituting the e-mail system may be an independent device mutually connected through a network, or a part of the means may be constituted as a module physically configured in the same computer. For example, the transmission content creation unit may be configured in the content information storage unit. In this case, the transmitting client stores, through the network, the input destination information, the content information specifying information, the attached information associated with the destination information and the corresponding identifier if necessary, and the generated unique key information through the network. Means for transmitting the electronic mail to the electronic mail transmitting server based on the destination information.
[0015]
Further, the transmission content creation means may be configured in an e-mail transmission server such as an SMTP server. In this case, the e-mail transmission server includes the destination information and the related auxiliary information, and if necessary, the corresponding identifier; Alternatively, it receives the generated unique key information and the information for specifying the content information created in advance from the transmitting client, sends the content information specifying information to the content information storage means via the network, and returns at least one of the specified content information. It receives the section and generates transmission content information, and further transmits the e-mail to an e-mail reception server such as a POP3 server. When the content information storage means is further configured in the e-mail transmission server, the information received from the transmission client is transmitted to the content information storage means without passing through the network.
[0016]
The present invention also provides a mail tool which is read by a sending client to send an email to a receiving client through a network, wherein at least information specifying content information of an e-mail to be sent which is created and stored in advance is provided. Inputting destination information, additional information related to the destination information and, if necessary, an identifier corresponding thereto, a key information creating step of creating unique key information for identifying an e-mail, content information specifying information, and additional information. And, if necessary, the corresponding identifier and the unique key information are transmitted to the DB server capable of storing a plurality of sets of the content information and the content information specifying information in association with each other through the network, and the corresponding content information is received from the DB server. In the receiving process, the identifier included in the received content information is replaced with the attached information, and The client opens the e-mail, retrieves the remaining content information by accessing the content information storage means, and at the same time, generates the transmission content to include the unique key information to be delivered, and transmits the e-mail to the input destination information. Based on the above, the mail tool is configured to cause the sending client to execute an e-mail sending process for sending to the receiving client via the network.
[0017]
According to the mail tool of the present invention, when transmitting an electronic mail, first, content information to be transmitted is created in advance and stored in the DB server. At this time, the content information specifying information for specifying the content information is also stored in association with the content information. The DB server stores the content information and the content information specifying information in association with each other. At least a part of the content information specified based on the input content information specifying information is read out from the DB server, the included identifier is replaced with the input destination information attached information, and the unique e-mail generated separately The transmission content is generated by including the key information described above, and is transmitted to the receiving client through the network based on the input destination information. Thus, when the e-mail is opened in the receiving client, the remaining content information stored in the DB server is extracted, and the content information that is to be transmitted is transmitted to the receiving client.
[0018]
The unique key information creation process can be configured to receive unique key information creation information from the DB server by making an inquiry to the DB server, and create unique key information based on the unique key information creation information. This is to avoid duplication of the unique key information. However, if a method of avoiding duplication is adopted, for example, if it is created based on the time and a character string unique to the sending client, there is no need to particularly inquire the DB server.
[0019]
The unique key information may be transferred to the DB server when accessing the image file extracted from the DB server when the recipient opens the received mail. At this time, in addition to the key information, the recipient's mail address or personal name may be delivered. The DB server that receives the key information or the like may record the unique key information as the receiver sea breeze information in, for example, a database, and may select, for example, an image file from which the received mail is to be extracted based on the information.
[0020]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of an electronic mail system, a mail tool, and a withdrawal program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0021]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of one embodiment of an electronic mail system according to the present invention.
[0022]
In the figure, an e-mail is transmitted from a transmitting client 10 to a receiving client 20 via a network 30 such as a LAN or the Internet. In the e-mail system according to the present invention, unlike ordinary e-mail, what is transmitted as e-mail from the POP3 server 50 to the receiving client 20 is at least part of the content information and the unique key information. The content information such as the image and the audio file that constitute the content of the mail is stored in the DB server 60, and is downloaded to the receiving client 20 through the network 30 when the recipient opens the mail. The content information stored in the DB server 60 is created and created in advance before sending the e-mail.
[0023]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of the electronic mail system according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, the e-mail system includes a sending client 10, a receiving client 20, an SMTP server 40, a POP3 server 50, and a DB server 60, each of which can be connected through a network 30. The DNS server, proxy server, and the like used in the e-mail transmission process are not important elements in the present embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted. Further, in this embodiment, the SMTP server 40, the POP3 server 50, and the receiving client 20 are almost the same as those in the related art, and need not be described in many ways.
[0024]
A mail tool for transmitting an e-mail is read in the sending client 10, so that the destination information / attached information and stored content information specifying information input unit 11, the sending unit 14, A transmission content creation unit 16 and a key information creation unit 18 are configured.
[0025]
The destination information / attached information / accumulated content information specifying information input section 11 sends an e-mail address and attached information as a destination of an e-mail to be transmitted, and information for specifying content information of a previously created e-mail, for example, the DB server 60. Is realized by the Web server, the input of the URL of the stored content information or the like is received from the user. To send to a large number of destinations, the destination e-mail address or the like becomes large and may be input in the form of a file. Also, an identifier corresponding to the destination attached information can be input.
[0026]
The information input to the destination information / attached information and the stored content information specifying information input unit 11 may include attached information such as the recipient's personal name. At this time, the part 11 delivers the information content information specifying information to the transmission content creating part 16.
[0027]
The transmission content creation unit 16 sends the input content information specifying information to the DB server 60, and receives at least a part of the corresponding content information from the DB server 60. The identifier included in the received content information is replaced with the input attached information, the key information generated by the key information generation unit is included, the transmission content is generated, and the transmission content is transmitted to the transmission unit 14. The key information is also transmitted to the DB server 60, and is used for managing recipient opening information. The transmitting unit 14 creates an e-mail from the received transmission content and the destination information, and transmits the e-mail to the receiving client 20 that is the destination of the e-mail via the network 30. The destination client 20 may be a plurality of destinations, but in the present embodiment, the receiving client 20 is a mail tool that operates on each of the DB servers 60 in order to execute content information retrieval on the HTML mail. Must be able to receive HTML mail.
[0028]
When the receiving e-mail is opened using the mail tool in the receiving client 20, the receiving client 20 accesses the DB server 60 in which the content information such as the image and the sound file is stored by the function of HTML, for example. Download and display it in a mail tool or Internet browser. Further, the identifier is replaced by the destination attached information, and the content of the e-mail including, for example, the name of the recipient is displayed. Therefore, the receiving client 20 is a colorful and impactful HTML e-mail, and further includes a personalized name such as a name. Can receive e-mails specialized for
[0029]
The key information creation unit 18 creates key information for specifying an e-mail. The transmission content creation unit 16 embeds the key information in the transmission content created by replacing an identifier in the content information created in advance, and transmits an e-mail from the transmission unit 14.
[0030]
The DB server 60 accumulates and stores the content information created in advance, accepts access by, for example, HTML that operates on the receiving client 20, and transmits the corresponding content information such as images and sounds to the receiving client 20. At this time, the key information contained in the e-mail can be received from the receiving client, and the information is recorded in a database so that the recipient can confirm the opening and select the content information to be transmitted based on the key information. be able to.
[0031]
Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the electronic mail system according to the first embodiment. It is assumed that the content information to be transmitted is already stored in the DB server 60 using appropriate software.
[0032]
First, in the transmitting client 10, the destination information / attached information / accumulated content information specifying information input unit 11 receives the input of each information (step S101), and the key information creating unit 18 generates key information (step S102). , And sends the key information to the transmission content creation unit 16. The transmission content creation unit 16 creates transmission content based on the content information specifying information from the destination information / attachment information / storage content information specifying information input unit 11 and the destination information attachment information (step S103), and sends it to the transmission unit 14. send. At this time, the DB server 60 searches for the content information based on the content information specifying information (step S601), and transmits the corresponding content information to the transmitting client 10 (step S602). Also, the e-mail unique key information is sent to the DB server 60 and recorded for managing the recipient opening information (step S603). The transmitting unit 14 creates an e-mail based on the received transmission contents and sends the e-mail to the receiving client 20 via the network 30 (step S104).
[0033]
The e-mail is distributed from the SMTP server 40 to the POP3 server 50 through the network 30 in the same manner as a normal e-mail, and is temporarily stored in a mailbox assigned to the receiving client 20 in the POP3 server 50.
[0034]
When a new mail is confirmed using the mail tool of the receiving client 20, the e-mail is received by the receiving client 20 from the POP3 server 50 (step S201). When the received mail is opened, access to the DB server 60 via the network 30 is started by the HTML operation of the mail (step S202) (step S604). The DB server 60 searches for the content information (step S605), and transmits the content information to the receiving client 20. At this time, the DB server 60 may select and transmit the corresponding content information based on the transmitted key information. The content information received from the DB server 60 is displayed on the receiving client 20 (step S203). The DB server 60 records the key information received from the receiving client 20 (step S607), so that the recipient can confirm the opening of the recipient.
[0035]
According to the e-mail system according to this embodiment, it is possible to compose an e-mail content that was impossible with a conventional e-mail tool, and to effectively combine pictograms, voices, music, images, moving images, and recipient names. The e-mail with the contents can be delivered to the receiving client. Also, if this system is used, it is possible to easily send a large amount of the above-mentioned e-mails without knowledge of CGI or script if there is knowledge of homepage creation. Therefore, it is possible to easily send an advertisement e-mail having high customer incentive.
[0036]
In the electronic mail according to the present system, a large-sized data file such as an image and a sound is stored in the DB server 60. Therefore, a small size of about 3 KB to 10 KB is sufficient. Regardless of the restriction on the size of the e-mail, content information that makes heavy use of images and sounds can be delivered to many receiving clients 20 at the same time.
[0037]
Furthermore, the content information stored in the DB server 60 can be replaced with another one even with the same reference file name by using key information or the like. This means that a banner such as "expired" can be displayed when the recipient opens the mail by managing the date down. Of course, if the key information contains the information of the recipient, it is possible to display a banner tailored to the recipient, and this function distributes e-mail with more specialized contents by the recipient It is also possible to send an e-mail whose content changes with time or the like.
[0038]
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be appropriately modified within the scope of the present invention.
[0039]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the e-mail system, the e-mail tool, and the withdrawal program according to the present invention, an e-mail having a content effectively combining pictograms, images, sounds, and the like can be easily created and transmitted, and an advertisement / An e-mail that has a high advertising effect and can be expected to attract customers can be simultaneously transmitted to a large number of receiving clients without generating a load on the SMTP server or the like.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main configuration in one embodiment of an e-mail system according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of an e-mail system according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing flow in the embodiment of FIG. 2;
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Sender Client 11 Destination Information / Attached Information and Stored Content Information Specific Information Input Unit 14 Transmitter 16 Transmission Content Creation Unit 18 Key Information Creation Unit 20 Reception Client 30 Network 40 SMTP Server 50 POP3 Server 60 DB Server

Claims (7)

An e-mail system that delivers e-mail between a sending client and a receiving client over a network.
Content information storage means for pre-recording and storing content information constituting the content of the electronic mail,
Means for inputting at least destination information of the electronic mail and information for specifying the content information,
In an email system that accesses the content information, reads out the content information, and transmits at least a part of the content of the email based on the information that specifies the content information,
Means for inputting and storing the attached information associated with the destination information, and replacing the identifier embedded in the content information with the attached information to create the content of the e-mail to be transmitted based on the destination information An e-mail system comprising: 2. The electronic mail system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission content creation means is configured to input and store an identifier in the content information to be replaced. The electronic mail system according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the attached information includes a plurality of attached information items, such as attached information 1, attached information 2,. The content of the e-mail generated by the transmission content creation means has unique key information and includes means for accessing the content information storage means, and when the recipient displays the mail, the key information is stored in the content. 3. The electronic mail system according to any one of the above items 1 to 3, wherein the electronic mail system has a function of transferring the information to information storage means. The electronic mail system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the content information storage means has a function of selecting at least a part of the content information to be transmitted based on the delivered key information. The electronic mail system according to any one of the preceding items 1 to 5, wherein the content information is stored in a plurality of content information storage units. 7. The electronic mail system according to any one of the above items 1 to 6, wherein the content information storage means includes a Web server.

Images