JPH11328070A - Electronic mail communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To separate a portable mail terminal, which has electronic mail preparation and display functions and a fixed device having transmission and reception functions for the internet from each other, as a PDA(personal digital assistant) exchanging mails with the internet. SOLUTION: The portable mail terminal 1 is provided with a means which prepares an electronic mail to be transmitted to the internet, a means transmits the generated electronic mail and its destination information, and a means which displays a received electronic mail. A fixed device 2 is provided with a means which receives the electronic mail and destination information transmitted from the portable mail terminal 1, a means which converts the received electronic mail and destination information into a format according with a protocol connected to the internet to transmit them, and a means which converts the electronic mail received from the internet to an electronic mail in a form, which can be processed by the portable mail terminal 1, to transmit it.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable electronic mail communication device for transmitting and receiving electronic mail. Especially,
The present invention relates to an e-mail communication system in which an e-mail input / output unit and a transmission / reception unit are separated from each other, and the transmission / reception unit is provided in a fixed device, thereby improving the portability of the e-mail input / output unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a personal computer connected to a telephone line, a LAN, a dedicated line or the like has been reduced in size and can be used as a mobile communication terminal. On the other hand, portable information terminals (hereinafter referred to as “PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants)”) which have been enhanced by adding a communication function to a conventional electronic organizer have also become effective means as mobile communication terminals.

The PDA has a data exchange function by optical communication (infrared ray), a communication function of transmitting input data to a facsimile via a FAX modem or the like, and a communication function of performing personal computer communication. As a technique to which such a PDA is applied, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-236541 discloses
An electronic mail delivery system using a wireless mobile terminal including a transmission / reception unit constituting a teleterminal modem is disclosed. According to the present invention, it is possible to transmit and receive electronic mail between portable terminals and wired terminals via the teleterminal system.

Further, according to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-353966, a technique for reducing the communication time between a wireless portable terminal and a base station, which is a fixed unit, on the premise of a touch panel input having no keyboard. Is disclosed. Specifically, a fixed form sentence of an e-mail is stored in a wireless portable terminal in advance, and when an electronic mail is transmitted, a necessary sentence part is selected from the fixed form sentence, and the e-mail is sent. For quick transmission of files.

[0005]

However, there is a problem in an electronic mail transmission / reception system using such a wireless portable terminal having a communication function. In the case of the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-236541, data can be transmitted and received between electronic notebooks or between an electronic notebook and a personal computer terminal such as an office. It has a communication protocol for connecting to the Internet. For this reason, there is a limit to miniaturization and low cost of the electronic organizer.

According to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-353966, an electronic mail can be transmitted promptly by storing a fixed text, but a communication protocol necessary for connecting the electronic mail to a communication network is required. There is a problem similar to the above in that it must be mounted. That is, in a PDA that enables mail exchange with the Internet, a TCP / IP (Transfer Control Protocol) for connecting to the Internet is used.
/ Internet Protocol), which requires a large-capacity memory. As a result, a PDA equipped with such a protocol must be of a certain size, and has a problem in portability.

An object of the present invention is to provide, as a PDA for exchanging mail with the Internet, an electronic mail communication system in which a portable mail terminal having a function of creating and displaying an electronic mail and a fixed device having a transmitting / receiving function with respect to the Internet are separated. To provide.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, an electronic mail communication system according to the first aspect of the present invention provides a portable mail terminal with a means for creating an electronic mail to be transmitted to the Internet, and the created mail. It has means for transmitting an e-mail and its destination information, and means for displaying the received e-mail. Internet transmission for receiving the electronic mail and the destination information transmitted from the mobile mail terminal to the fixed device, converting the received electronic mail and the destination information into a format corresponding to a protocol for connecting to the Internet, and transmitting the converted electronic mail and the destination information. Means for transmitting e-mail received from the Internet to e-mail in a form that can be processed by the e-mail terminal and transmitting the e-mail. Thus, since the portable mail terminal is limited to an electronic mail input / output function, a small and inexpensive portable mail terminal that does not necessarily require a high-speed CPU or a large-capacity memory can be realized.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 2, according to claim 1,
In the electronic mail communication system described above, the Internet transmitting means and the portable mail terminal transmitting means may include a communication protocol for controlling communication with the portable mail terminal, a communication protocol for controlling communication with the Internet, and a communication protocol for controlling communication with the Internet. Means for converting the format of the e-mail.

[0010] According to the third aspect of the present invention, the first aspect is provided.
Or the electronic mail communication system according to 2, wherein the portable mail terminal includes means for encrypting and transferring the contract ID to the fixed device, the fixed device decrypts the contract ID, and sends the contract ID to the server via a dedicated line. And a means for sending an e-mail to the Internet when the authentication is obtained.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic mail communication system of the first, second, or third aspect, the fixed device is connected to a communication line, and performs communication between the portable mail terminal and the fixed device. , Using infrared rays.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic mail communication system of the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, the portable mail terminal can generate an electronic mail by voice input. I have.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a communication system according to the present invention. The communication system includes a mobile mail terminal 1 and a fixed device 2. The fixed device 2 is fixedly connected to the communication line 3 and is, for example, a public telephone or LA.
It is installed in N terminals and the like. A management server 4 that manages the mobile mail terminal 1 is connected to the communication line 3, and a dedicated line is set between the fixed device 2 and the management server 4.
In addition, a part of the public line may be virtually dedicated and used as a dedicated line.

The mobile mail terminal 1 has only a simple communication protocol for performing communication with the fixed device 2.
It does not have a function to connect directly to the Internet. On the other hand, the fixed device 2 has a TCP connection function for exchanging mail with the Internet in addition to a connection function with the communication line 3.
/ IP and other communication protocols, and is configured to perform mediation processing between the mobile mail terminal 1 and the Internet.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an external configuration of the portable mail terminal 1. As shown in FIG. The mobile mail terminal 1 is, for example, Ir DA for communicating with the display unit 5, the operation unit 6, and the fixed device 2.
It has an optical communication port 7 of a system and a power supply connection part 8 for receiving power supply.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the portable mail terminal 1. The mobile mail terminal 1 includes a display unit 5,
Operation unit 6, optical communication port 7, power supply unit 9, fixed text list 1
0, an address list 11, a transmission mail buffer 12, a reception mail buffer 13, a terminal information storage unit 14, a transmission mail storage unit 15, a reception mail storage unit 16, and a working memory 17 connected via a control unit 18. It is.
The control unit 18 includes a communication protocol 19 for communicating with the fixed device 2 via the optical communication port 7. Further, the microphone 20 for inputting / outputting audio is provided by the A / D converter 21.
And a speaker 24 is connected to the control unit 18 via the D / A converter 22 and the amplifier 23.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the fixing device 2. The fixing device 2 includes a telephone function unit 25, a key panel 26, a display unit 27, an optical communication port 28, an authentication encryption key storage unit 29, a conversion table 30, and a storage unit 31.
Is a configuration connected to the control unit 32. The telephone function unit 25 is connected to the handset 33 and the communication line 3. The control unit 32 includes a communication protocol 34 for communicating with the mobile mail terminal 1 via the optical communication port 28, a communication protocol 35 for connecting to the Internet, and a protocol conversion unit 36 for converting both protocols.

The operation of the electronic mail communication system according to the present invention will be described below. First, an operation when the outgoing mail is created by the mobile mail terminal 1 will be described. When an operation of selecting mail creation is performed on the operation unit 6, the control unit 18 reads a fixed phrase from the fixed phrase list 10 and displays the fixed phrase on the display unit 5. When the transmission mail is selected from the candidates by the operation unit 6, the control unit 18 reads the address from the address list 11 and displays it on the display unit 5. When an address to be the destination of the outgoing mail is selected on the operation unit 6, the control unit 1
Reference numeral 8 temporarily stores the transmission mail and the address in the transmission mail buffer 12.

Next, the operation of transmitting a mail will be described.

The mobile mail terminal 1 is brought into a range in which communication with the fixed device 2 is possible, and the operation unit 6 is operated to transmit the mail and the address written in the transmission mail buffer 12 and to record the mail and the address in the terminal information storage unit 14. The contract ID is transferred to the fixed device 2. The contract ID is stored in the terminal information storage 1
4 is once encrypted with the encryption key recorded in Step 4, and then transferred. The mobile mail terminal 1 and the fixed device 2 are configured to be able to communicate with each other by infrared rays via the optical communication ports 7 and 28 based on the communication protocols 19 and 34.

When sending a mail by voice,
When the operation unit 6 is operated to enter the voice input state, the control unit 18
Represents an audio signal input from the microphone 20 by the A / D converter 2
1 to convert to a digital signal.
The data is coded according to the method and stored in the transmission mail buffer 12. Hereinafter, similarly, the transmission mail by voice is transmitted to the fixed device 2.

Next, the operation of the fixing device 2 will be described.

When the fixed device 2 receives a mail transmission request from the portable mail terminal 1 via the optical communication ports 7 and 28, the fixed device 2 makes an inquiry to the management server 4 via a dedicated line and then starts communication. That is, the mobile mail terminal 1
Transfers the destination, mail body, and contract ID of the other party to the fixed device 2, the control unit 32 of the fixed device 2 temporarily stores them in the storage unit 31. Then, the approval encryption key storage unit 29
Decrypts the contract ID with the encryption key recorded in
The data is transferred to the management server 4 via the dedicated line. If there is no problem with the inquired ID, the management server 4
The mail address of the ID contractor is transferred to the fixed device 2.

When the control unit 32 of the fixed device 2 receives the approval of the management server 4, the protocol conversion unit 36 converts the format of the data stored in the storage unit 31 for transfer to the Internet server. continue,
The control unit 32 constructs an Internet mail by assembling a destination, a mail text, and a sender address. And
Under the control of the communication protocol 35, the mail is transmitted from the telephone function unit 25 to the destination Internet server using the communication line 3.

Next, a mail receiving operation will be described.

The mobile mail terminal 1 is brought into a range in which communication with the fixed device 2 is possible, and the operation unit 6 is operated to transfer the contract ID recorded in the terminal information storage unit 14 to the fixed device 2. The control unit 32 of the fixed device 2 transfers the contract ID to the management server 4 via the dedicated line 3, and causes the mail arriving at the mail address corresponding to the ID to be transferred from the management server 4 to the fixed device 2. . The received mail transferred from the management server 4 is temporarily stored in the storage unit 31.
The control unit 32 of the fixing device 2 converts the format of the data stored in the storage unit 31 by the protocol conversion unit 36 and decomposes the data into a state that can be read by the mobile mail terminal 1.

Then, under the control of the communication protocol 34, the mail is transferred to the portable mail terminal 1 via the optical communication ports 28 and 7. The mobile mail terminal 1 temporarily stores the received mail in the received mail buffer 13. The received mail stored in the received mail buffer 13 is displayed on the display unit 5 by operating the operation unit 6, and the sender address of the mail is stored in the address list 11.

The transmitted mail and the received mail can be stored in the transmitted mail storage unit 15 and the received mail storage unit 16 by operating the operation unit 6.

By the way, the portable mail terminal 1 obtains the driving power from the secondary battery and needs to be charged periodically. Normally, as shown in FIG. 5A, a DC voltage is generated by a dedicated charger, and the DC voltage is taken into a secondary battery via a power supply connection unit 8 of the portable mail terminal 1 and charged.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5B, a coil may be provided in the charger and the portable mail terminal 1 so as to perform non-contact charging using electromagnetic induction when the two are brought close to each other. . In this configuration, the coil is mainly used on the charger (hereinafter referred to as “power transmission panel”) side, and the mobile mail terminal 1
A rectifier circuit for converting the induced voltage to a DC voltage is disposed on the side.

As shown in FIG. 5C, in a configuration in which charging is performed in a non-contact manner, there is a method in which a coil, a rectifier circuit, and the like are separated from the portable mail terminal 1 as a power receiving panel. In this case, the mobile mail terminal 1 is charged via the power receiving panel. That is, the power receiving panel and the power transmitting panel correspond to a normal charger. By separating the mobile mail terminal 1 and the power receiving panel, the mobile mail terminal 1 is reduced in size and weight, and the portability is improved. In addition, when the power receiving panel and the power transmission panel are separated, charging can be performed even if the distance between them is set to some extent by devising the size and arrangement of the coil. Thus, for example, the power transmission panel can be mounted on a chair, a desk, or the like, and can be charged even while working at a desk simply by putting the mobile mail terminal 1 on the power reception panel.

Also, by providing the power receiving panel with a secondary battery and enabling charging, there is an advantage that the power receiving panel and the power transmission panel are separated. For example, mobile mail terminal 1
Is carried out, the charging is performed between the power receiving panel and the power transmitting panel, and when the mobile mail terminal 1 is next taken out, the power receiving panel is carried. Will be possible.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a fixed unit as a power transmission panel has a function of transmitting data supplied from the LAN, and the power reception panel receives the data in a non-contact manner. May be provided with a function of transferring in a contact type. In this case, the portable mail terminal 1 can perform necessary data updating and the like simultaneously with charging.

The above embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. It is.

[0036]

As described above, the electronic mail communication system according to the first aspect of the present invention separates a portable mail terminal having an electronic mail creation and display function from a fixed device having an Internet transmission / reception function. In addition, the size and cost of the mobile mail terminal can be reduced.

The fixed device in the electronic mail communication system according to the second aspect of the present invention includes a communication protocol for controlling communication with a portable mail terminal, a communication protocol for controlling communication with the Internet, and an electronic mail communication between the two. Since it includes means for converting the format, there is no need to mount a complicated communication protocol on the portable mail terminal. Therefore, the size and cost of the portable mail terminal can be reduced.

In the electronic mail communication system according to the third aspect, the mobile mail terminal can transmit the electronic mail to the Internet after obtaining the authentication from the management server via the fixed device. Can be shared on mobile email terminals. For example, a fixed device is installed on a public telephone, and a plurality of mobile mail terminal users can transmit and receive e-mails via the fixed device.

In the electronic mail communication system according to the fourth aspect, the fixed device controls communication with the Internet, and the communication between the portable mail terminal and the fixed device is performed using infrared rays. Even if the mail terminal and the fixed device are separated to some extent, exchange of electronic mail is possible.

Further, in the electronic mail communication system according to the fifth aspect, the electronic mail can be created by voice input in the portable mail terminal, so that the electronic mail can be transmitted more easily. Become.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of an electronic mail communication system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an external configuration of the mobile mail terminal 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the mobile mail terminal 1.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the fixing device 2.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a charging mode of the portable mail terminal 1;
(A) is a contact type, (B) is a non-contact type, and (C) is a hybrid type combining a contact type and a non-contact type.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a connection configuration enabling data transmission from a LAN line in the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mobile mail terminal 2 Fixed device 3 Communication line 4 Management server 5 Display unit 6 Operation unit 7 Optical communication port 8 Power supply connection unit 9 Power supply unit 10 Standard text list 11 Address list 12 Outgoing mail buffer 13 Received mail buffer 14 Terminal information storage unit 15 Outgoing mail storage unit 16 Received mail storage unit 17 Working memory 18 Control unit 19 Communication protocol 20 Microphone 21 A / D converter 22 D / A converter 23 Amplifier 24 Speaker 25 Telephone function unit 26 Key panel 27 Display unit 28 Light Communication port 29 Authentication encryption key storage unit 30 Conversion table 31 Storage unit 32 Control unit 33 Handset 34 Communication protocol 35 Communication protocol 36 Protocol conversion unit

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A portable mail terminal including means for creating an e-mail, means for transmitting the created e-mail and its destination information, and means for displaying the received e-mail, and transmission from the portable e-mail terminal An interface for receiving the received e-mail and destination information, converting the received e-mail and destination information into a format corresponding to a protocol for connecting to the Internet, and transmitting the format to the Internet.
A fixed device comprising: a net transmitting means; and a portable mail terminal transmitting means for converting an e-mail received from the Internet into an e-mail capable of being processed by the portable e-mail terminal and transmitting the e-mail to the portable e-mail terminal. An e-mail communication system. 2. The Internet transmission means and the portable mail terminal transmission means include: a communication protocol for controlling communication with the portable mail terminal; a communication protocol for controlling communication with the Internet;
2. An electronic mail communication system according to claim 1, further comprising means for converting an electronic mail format between the two. 3. The mobile mail terminal includes means for encrypting and transferring a contract ID to the fixed device, and the fixed device decrypts the contract ID and sends the contract ID to a management server via a dedicated line. 3. An e-mail communication system according to claim 1, further comprising means for transmitting an e-mail to the Internet when authentication is obtained. 4. The fixed device is connected to a communication line,
4. The electronic mail communication system according to claim 1, wherein communication between the mobile mail terminal and the fixed device is performed using infrared rays. 5. The electronic mail communication system according to claim 1, wherein said portable mail terminal is capable of creating an electronic mail by voice input.