JP2005045630A - E-mail server - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily transfer an image file received in a portable terminal device of one carrier to a portable terminal device of another carrier, such as a computer. <P>SOLUTION: A server 3 receives mail with an image transmitted from a portable telephone 2 to a portable telephone 5 of the same carrier. An image file in the e-mail with an image is stored in an image storage DB, and mail including its storage destination address (image URL) is transmitted to a portable telephone 5 (steps 31, 41 to 43 and 51). When the image URL is clicked, the server 3 transmits the image file to the portable telephone 5 by web data (steps 52, 44 and 53). Later. when the portable telephone 5 transmits transfer request web mail including a transfer destination address to the server 3, the server 3 reads the image file from the storage DB and transfers the image file to a transfer destination device 6 (steps 54 to 56 and 45 to 47). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic mail server.

  There is a carrier (communication company) of a mobile terminal device that can transmit an e-mail with an image file attached using a mobile terminal device, but cannot receive an e-mail with an image file attached. When the image file attached e-mail is transmitted to the mobile terminal device of such a carrier, the URL-attached e-mail is transmitted from the mail server to the mobile terminal device. When a URL displayed by the mailer based on the electronic mail with URL is clicked, a request for an image file is transmitted from the portable terminal device to the mail server. The mail server transmits web data including an image file and an HTML file to the portable terminal device. An image based on the image file is displayed in a browser on the mobile terminal device.

  In addition, between mobile terminal devices of the same carrier, it is possible to transfer image files received using URL-attached e-mails to other mobile terminal devices, but transfer is possible to mobile terminal devices of other carriers. Some carriers do not allow.

  According to the present invention, even in a portable terminal device of a carrier as described above, an image file received using an electronic mail with a URL can be transferred to a portable terminal device, a personal computer, or the like of another carrier. The purpose is to do.

  Another object of the present invention is to enable easy transfer of an image file from a mobile terminal device to another mobile terminal device or the like.

  An e-mail server according to the present invention is attached to an e-mail receiving means for receiving an e-mail attached with an image file transmitted from one portable terminal device, and to an e-mail received by the e-mail receiving means. An image file storage device that stores an image file, and an image file that transmits an e-mail including a description of a storage destination address of the image file stored in the image file storage device to another portable terminal device to which the e-mail is transmitted In response to an image file request based on the image file and the addressed e-mail transmitted from the other mobile terminal device, the requested image file is sent from the image file storage device. An image to be read and transmitted to the other portable terminal device by web data In response to an image file transfer request including a transfer destination address transmitted from the file transmission means and another portable terminal device, the image file is read from the image file storage device and transferred to the transfer destination terminal device. A transfer means is provided.

  In the present invention, an image file transmitted from one mobile terminal device to an electronic mail server and transmitted from the electronic mail server to another mobile terminal device by web data is read from the image file storage device and the other To the mobile terminal device. The image file is not deleted from the image file storage device. That is, the image file transmitted from the e-mail server to the other mobile terminal device by the web data is a copy of the image file stored in the image file storage device, and the electronic file is electronically transmitted from one mobile terminal device. It is assumed that the image file itself transmitted to the mail server is kept as it is in the image file storage device of the electronic mail server.

  The image file is transmitted from the electronic mail server to the other portable terminal device using the web data. That is, unlike the transmission / reception of an image file using a mailer, the image file is transmitted in binary form from the electronic mail server to another portable terminal device without being converted into text. Other mobile terminal devices can browse images based on image files received by a browser or the like.

  When a user of another mobile terminal device that has received an image file using web data tries to transfer an image represented by the image file to another terminal device (transfer destination terminal device), the other mobile terminal device Sends an image file transfer request including the transfer destination address to the e-mail server. The image file stored in the image file storage device is read and transmitted to the transfer destination address (transfer destination terminal device) included in the image file transfer request. The transferred image file is received at the transfer destination terminal device. For transmission (transfer) of an image file from an electronic mail server to a transfer destination terminal device, the transfer destination terminal device transmits the image file to a mail server from which data can be read, and the image file is transmitted to the mail server. Remembering.

  According to the present invention, the image file transferred from the other portable terminal device to the transfer destination terminal device is stored in the image file storage device of the e-mail server, not the image file itself received by the other portable terminal device. It is an image file. This is different from normal image file transfer (transmitting a once received image file itself to another terminal device). The image file transmitted from the image file storage device of the e-mail server to the transfer destination terminal device is the same as the image file transmitted from one mobile terminal device to another mobile terminal device. The transfer is substantially the same.

  According to the present invention, when an image file transfer request including a transfer destination address is transmitted from the other portable terminal device to the e-mail server, the e-mail server stores the image file stored in the image file storage device, Transmit to other portable terminal devices, personal computers, etc. Even in the case of a portable terminal device of a carrier that does not permit transfer of an image file to a terminal device of another carrier, the transfer of the image file from the portable terminal device to another portable terminal device or a personal computer is substantially The same effect can be obtained. It is not necessary to change the specifications of one portable terminal device and the other portable terminal device itself.

  In one embodiment, the web data transmitted to the other portable terminal device by the image file transmitting means includes a transfer button for an image file transfer request transmitted from the other portable terminal device. A description to be displayed on the display screen of the portable terminal device is included. Since the transfer button is displayed on the display screen together with the image, the operation of another portable terminal device for transferring the image file is facilitated.

  Preferably, the electronic mail server includes a mail / form / web data transmitting means for transmitting the mail form / web data to the other portable terminal device in response to a transfer command using the transfer button. Then, the image file transfer request including the transfer destination address transmitted from the other mobile terminal device is sent to the mail form web data transmitted to the other mobile terminal device by the mail form web data transmitting means. Based on this, it is inputted and transmitted in the other portable terminal device. Since the image file is transmitted by web data in the other mobile terminal device, an image based on the image file is displayed by a browser or the like in the other mobile terminal device. Since the browser is active, when mail form web data for sending an image file transfer request is received, the mail form screen is immediately displayed on the display screen of the other mobile terminal device. Is displayed. The image file transfer request can be smoothly transmitted to the e-mail server.

  The electronic mail server further includes a determination unit that determines the type of the transfer destination terminal device to which the image file is to be transferred based on the transfer destination address transmitted from another portable terminal device, and the determination unit. You may provide the conversion means which converts the said image file into the format suitable for the transfer destination terminal device discriminated. In this case, the image file transfer means transmits the image file converted by the conversion means to the transfer destination terminal device.

  The present invention also provides a program for controlling the above-described electronic mail server.

  FIG. 1 shows an overview of an image file transfer system.

  The image file transfer system includes a mobile phone with camera 2, a mail server 3, a mobile phone 5, and a transfer destination device 6 that are communicably connected to each other via the Internet 1. The transfer destination device 6 is a mobile phone, a personal computer, or the like. Although more mobile phones, personal computers, and the like are connected to the Internet 1, illustration thereof is omitted.

  In this embodiment, the mobile phone with camera 2, the mail server 3 and the mobile phone 5 are for the same carrier (communication company) (referred to as carrier A), and the mobile phone of carrier A (mobile phone with camera 2). The mobile phone 5) can send an electronic mail with an attached image file, but cannot receive it. The transfer destination device 6 is a mobile phone or personal computer for a carrier other than the carrier A, and is capable of sending and receiving an electronic mail attached with an image file. In this embodiment, the image file in the e-mail attached with the image file transmitted from the camera-equipped mobile phone 2 to the mobile phone 5 (addressed to an e-mail address unique to the mobile phone 5). Is transferred to the transfer destination device 6.

  The mail server 3 includes an image storage database 4. The image storage database 4 stores an image file attached to an e-mail transmitted from the camera-equipped mobile phone 2 to the mobile phone 5.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the camera-equipped mobile phone 2. The mobile phone 5 is obtained by removing a camera function including a camera and a lens, which will be described later, from the camera-equipped mobile phone 2.

  The camera-equipped mobile phone 2 includes a first half 11 and a second half 20. The first half 11 and the second half 20 are foldably connected by a hinge 15.

  Inside the first half 11, a telephone speaker 13 is provided at the top. A display screen 14 is formed under the call speaker 13. The camera lens 16 is exposed at the upper left of the display screen 14.

  An antenna 12 projects from the top of the first half 11.

  On the inner side of the second half 20, a ten keypad 23 is provided over almost the entire surface. An end button 21 is provided on the upper left of the numeric keypad 23. A start button 22 is provided on the upper right of the numeric keypad 23. A microphone 24 is provided below the numeric keypad 23.

  FIG. 3 shows a processing procedure for transferring the image file in the e-mail attached with the image file transmitted from the camera-equipped mobile phone 2 to the mobile phone 5 from the mobile phone 5 to the transfer destination device 6. Show.

  When the user of the camera-equipped mobile phone 2 transmits an e-mail with an image file attached to the mobile phone 5 (hereinafter referred to as an e-mail with an image), the user of the camera-equipped mobile phone 2 sends an e-mail to the e-mail. Prepare an image file to be attached in advance (for example, use the camera function of the camera-equipped mobile phone 2 to capture an image of the subject and form image data representing the subject image formed by the camera lens 16 on the camera-equipped cellular phone 2. Stored in memory). The user of the camera-equipped mobile phone 2 starts the mailer (e-mail program), inputs the e-mail address, message (text data), etc. of the mobile phone 5 using the numeric keypad 23 and attaches to the e-mail. Select the image file to be used.

  An image with the selected image file attached to the e-mail consisting of the e-mail address (destination address) of the mobile phone 5, the entered message, and the e-mail address (source address) of the camera-equipped mobile phone 2 A mail is transmitted from the mobile phone 2 to the mail server 3 via the Internet 1 (step 31).

  The mail server 3 receives the mail with an image transmitted from the camera mobile phone 2 (step 41). The mail server 3 stores the received mail with image in the image storage database 4.

  The mail server 3 is a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) (referred to as an image URL) including a storage destination (save destination) address in the image storage database 4 of an image file included in the mail with an image stored in the image storage database 4. ) Is created (step 42).

  The mail server 3 sends an email including a description of the created image URL to the mobile phone 5 together with the mail address (source address) of the camera-equipped mobile phone 2 and the message input on the camera-equipped mobile phone 2. (Hereinafter referred to as an electronic mail with an image URL) is transmitted (step 43). The image file is not attached to the e-mail with the image URL transmitted from the mail server 3 to the mobile phone 5.

  The e-mail with the image URL is received by the mobile phone 5 (step 51). A character string (symbol string) representing an image URL is displayed on the display screen 14 of the mobile phone 5 together with the mail address (source address) and message of the mobile phone 2 with camera. The mobile phone 5 receives the e-mail with the image URL and displays the screen based on the received e-mail with the image URL by a mailer executed on the mobile phone 5.

  When the character string portion representing the image URL displayed on the display screen 14 is clicked by the user of the mobile phone 5, a browser (communication program) is activated on the mobile phone 5, and the image file specified by the image URL Is sent from the mobile phone 5 to the mail server 3 (step 52). An image file request transmitted from the cellular phone 5 to the mail server 3 is also accompanied by an address on the network 1 of the cellular phone 5 (for example, an address using a telephone number unique to the cellular phone 5).

  When receiving a request for an image file from the mobile phone 5, the mail server 3 reads out and copies the image file specified by the requested image URL from the image storage database 4, and the file name and transfer button of the image file. An HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) file including a description for displaying the text is created. The duplicated image file and the created HTML file are transmitted to the mobile phone 5 (step 44). The image file itself transmitted from the camera-equipped mobile phone 2 remains stored in the image storage database 4.

  When the HTML file and the image file transmitted from the mail server 3 are received by the mobile phone 5, the browser is based on the received image file as shown in FIG. 4 (A) based on the description of the HTML file. A transfer button 14a based on the description of the image and the HTML file is displayed on the display screen 14 of the mobile phone 5 (step 53, FIG. 4 (A)). In this way, the mobile phone 5 of the carrier A that cannot receive the mail with an image can browse the image based on the image file attached to the mail with an image.

  The transfer button 14 a is clicked when the user of the mobile phone 5 transfers the received image file to the transfer destination device 6. As described above, the transfer destination device 6 is a mobile phone for a carrier other than the carrier A of the mobile phone with camera 2, the mail server 3, and the mobile phone 5, or a personal computer.

  When the transfer button 14a is clicked (step 54), a request for an HTML file for mail form is transmitted from the mobile phone 5 to the mail server 3. In response to this request, the mail form HTML file is transmitted from the mail server 3 to the mobile phone 5 (step 45). In the cellular phone 5, a mail form screen according to the received HTML file for mail form is displayed on the display screen 14 (step 55, FIG. 4B).

  The mail form screen (FIG. 4B) includes a title (title) input field 14b, a forwarding address input field 14c, a text input field 14d, and a send button 14e. The user of the cellular phone 5 uses the numeric keypad 23 to enter the title in the title input field 14b, the mail address of the transfer destination device 6 in the transfer address input field 14c, and the message in the text input field 14d. And then click the send button 14e. The title, the mail address of the transfer destination device 6 (transfer address), the message, the mail address of the mobile phone 5 (source address), and the storage address of the image file 4 to be transferred are stored in the mobile phone 5. To the mail server 3 (step 56). This is mail transmission by so-called web mail. When the transmission of the web mail ends normally, a completion screen (FIG. 4 (C)) is displayed on the display screen 14 of the mobile phone 5.

  When the web mail transmitted from the mobile phone 5 is received, the mail server 3 determines the model of the transfer destination device 6 to which the image file is to be transmitted, based on the transfer destination address included in the web mail. If the transfer destination device 6 is a mobile phone, the transfer destination address (mail address of the transfer destination device 6) includes a character string indicating the carrier of the mobile phone. If the transfer destination device 6 is a personal computer, the transfer destination address does not include a character string indicating the carrier of the mobile phone. As described above, the mail server 3 determines the model of the transfer destination device 6 (at least when the transfer destination device 6 is a mobile phone, based on the transfer destination address included in the web mail) Whether it is a phone or not a mobile phone).

  The mail server 3 reads and copies the image file from the image storage database 4 in accordance with the storage destination address in the image storage database 4 of the image file to be transferred included in the received web mail. Then, image processing is performed according to the determined model of the transfer destination device 6 (step 46).

  For example, if the model of the transfer destination device 6 is a mobile phone of a carrier B different from the carrier A of the mobile phone 2 with camera and the mobile phone 5, an image file that can be displayed (viewed) on the mobile phone of the carrier B May be different from the data format of the image file that can be displayed (viewed) on the mobile phone of carrier A. In such a case, when the mail server 3 determines the model of the transfer destination device 6 to which the image file is to be transferred based on the transfer destination address (when it is determined that it is a mobile phone of carrier B), the image file data A process of converting the format into a format that can be displayed (viewed) on the mobile phone of carrier B is performed.

  Of course, the model of the transfer destination device 6 determined based on the transfer destination address included in the web mail does not require the processing such as the format conversion of the image file (can be browsed without performing the conversion or the like). If so, step 46 may be skipped.

  The mail server 3 attaches the created image file for the transfer destination device to an e-mail including the title, message, and mail address (source address) of the mobile phone 5 in the web mail, and transfers the transfer destination device. 6 is sent to the mail (step 47).

  The mail with an image transmitted by the mail server 3 is received by the transfer destination device 6 (step 61). Since the image file attached to the e-mail transmitted from the mail server 3 to the transfer destination device 6 is processed for the transfer destination device 6 in the mail server 3, Displayed normally on the display screen.

  Of course, the mail with the image is not directly transmitted from the mail server 3 to the transfer destination device 6, but the mail with the image is transmitted to the transfer destination device 6 via another mail server. Good. In this case, the mail server 3 transmits the image-attached electronic mail to the other mail server. The transfer destination device 6 receives the image-attached electronic mail transmitted from the other mail server.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image transfer system. It is a perspective view of a mobile phone with a camera. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure when a received image file is transferred to a transfer destination device in the image transfer system. (A), (B), and (C) show examples of form mail screens, respectively.

Explanation of symbols

1 Internet 2 Mobile phone with camera 3 Mail server 4 Image storage database 5 Mobile phone 6 Transfer destination device

Claims (5)

E-mail receiving means for receiving an e-mail attached with an image file transmitted from one portable terminal device;
An image file storage device for storing an image file attached to an e-mail received by the e-mail receiving means;
An e-mail transmitting means with an image file address for transmitting an e-mail including a description about a storage address of the image file stored in the image file storage device to another portable terminal device to which the e-mail is transmitted;
In response to the image file request based on the image file-addressed e-mail transmitted from the other portable terminal device, the requested image file is read from the image file storage device, and the other portable terminal is read. In response to an image file transmission request including a transfer destination address transmitted from the other portable terminal device, the image file is read from the image file storage device. Image file transfer means for transferring to a transfer destination terminal device;
E-mail server with   The web data transmitted to the other portable terminal device by the image file transmitting means includes a transfer button for an image file transfer request transmitted from the other portable terminal device, and the display of the other portable terminal device. The e-mail server according to claim 1, comprising a description to be displayed on the screen. In response to a transfer command using the transfer button, a mail / form / web data transmitting means for transmitting the mail form / web data to the other portable terminal device is provided.
The image file transfer request including the transfer destination address transmitted from the other mobile terminal device is based on the mail form web data transmitted to the other mobile terminal device by the mail / form / web data transmitting means. The electronic mail server according to claim 2, wherein the electronic mail server is input and transmitted in the other portable terminal device. Based on the transfer destination address transmitted from the other portable terminal device, a determination means for determining the type of the transfer destination terminal device to which the image file is to be transferred, and the transfer destination terminal device determined by the determination means A conversion means for converting the image file into a format to be
4. The electronic mail server according to claim 1, wherein the image file transfer unit transmits the image file converted by the conversion unit to the transfer destination terminal device. 5. An e-mail server to manage e-mail
E-mail receiving means for receiving an e-mail attached with an image file transmitted from one portable terminal device;
An image file storage device for storing an image file attached to an e-mail received by the e-mail receiving means;
An e-mail transmitting means with an image file address for transmitting an e-mail including a description about a storage address of the image file stored in the image file storage device to another portable terminal device to which the e-mail is transmitted;
In response to the image file request based on the image file-addressed e-mail transmitted from the other portable terminal device, the requested image file is read from the image file storage device, and the other portable terminal is read. In response to an image file transmission request including a transfer destination address transmitted from the other portable terminal device, the image file is read from the image file storage device. Image file transfer means for transferring to a transfer destination terminal device;
Program to function as.

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