JPS63114337A - Electronic mail distribution system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily distribute a mail by providing a data base managing a mail identifier and profile information such as name of user, relating organization and occupation correspondingly to a network so as to freely retrieve the mail identifier. CONSTITUTION:In receiving retrieval information, a destination information service processor 2-b converts the retrieval information into a retrieval equation data-D and transfers it to a retrieval processing process 3, which retrieves all main identifiers coincident with profile information represented by a retrieval equation when the main identifier is requested by the inquiry from a main identifier management list 4. When the inquiry calls for the profile information, all the profiles coincident with the mail identifier represented by the retrieval equation are retrieved from the mail identifier management list 4. The result of retrieval, that is, the mail identifier and profile information in pairs, is transferred to the request reception process 2-a.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an electronic mail system using a network, and particularly to an electronic mail delivery method suitable for sending mail to multiple users whose addresses are unknown.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, regarding the mail delivery method on the network, for example, rAT&TBell Lab of Kyoritsu Publishing Co., Ltd.
oratories UN IX System
V User Reference Manual J (19
(1985), pp. 191-193.

According to the above document, the identifier of each email is managed together with information such as first name and last name on each computer connected through the UUCP network. Furthermore, each system on the network specifies the destination of a mail by a pair of a sending computer ID (if the destination computer is different) and a mail identifier on the computer.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In the above-mentioned conventional technology, a computer identifier and a bare mail identifier are used as mail destinations, and each mail identifier is managed together with user information on the computer in which the identifier is registered. In this case, unless you know which computer each user is using and what kind of mail identifier they are using, you cannot send mail. Also, if the sender's information is not written in the received email,
I can't tell who sent it. Against this.

If a computer is specified, user information on the computer can be referenced, but no consideration is given to cases where the computer is unknown.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic mail delivery system that allows a user to freely search for mail identifiers and easily deliver mail.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention places a database in a network that manages email identifiers in association with profile information such as each user's first and last name, related organization, and job type, and uses the database to manage incomplete information. By performing a search process that extracts the profile information of the owner user from a valid email identifier, and a search process that extracts the corresponding email identifier from incomplete user profile information, it is possible to automatically retrieve emails even from user profile information. It is characterized by being able to be delivered to.

[Effect]

According to the present invention, a mail identifier and a
By creating a database that manages user-related profile information such as first and last names, related organizations, and occupations, it has become possible to express mail destinations using multiple pieces of information such as identifiers and occupations.

By using the above database, each user can extract user profile information from incomplete email identifiers.
Additionally, email identifiers can be searched from incomplete profile information. This makes it possible to freely obtain information about the person to whom you are sending mail, and it is now possible to send mail even with incomplete information without having to remember mail identifiers.

When incomplete profile information is used as the destination of user mail, the mail system uses the database to find a mail identifier corresponding to the information and automatically delivers the mail.

This makes it possible to send the same email to any group of users (all users, people belonging to a certain organization, etc.) at once without having to register in the mail system in advance.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an electronic mail delivery system according to the present invention. In the figure, 1(1-1,・
..., 1-3) is a calculator, 2 (2-1゜..., 2-3
) is a group of destination resolution processes (consisting of a request reception process, destination information service process, and destination resolution process) that resolves mail identifier search requests from users and mail delivery requests using profile information, and 3 (3-3) is a group of destination resolution processes (consisting of a request reception process, a destination information service process, and a destination resolution process). ,
A search processing process 4 (4-3) is a mail identifier management ledger managed by 3, which provides mail identifiers assigned to users on the network and owner user profile information to the users.

The profile information of the owner user is associated with the user.

5 (5-1, . . . , 5-3) is a mail transfer process possessed by each computer system, and 6 is a transmission path. The responses from the destination analysis process 2-i and the search processing process 3-3 are as follows:
This is done via this transmission path.

The destination resolution process group 2 is placed on each computer and accepts requests from multiple users on the computer. Search processing process 3. The mail identifier management ledger 4 is placed on any computer on the network and can respond to requests from the destination resolution process.

As shown in FIG. 4, the search processing process can be used by multiple computers via a transmission line, but it is also possible to connect a personal computer to computers 1 to 3 and use them independently.

As shown in FIG. 1, the destination resolution process group consists of a request reception process 2-a, a destination information service process 2-b, and a destination analysis process 2-c. The destination analysis process 2-c provides a mail identifier translation service that also enables the use of user profile information as a mail destination.The request reception process 2-a provides owner user profile information for the mail identifier. , the destination information service process, the destination analysis process, and the search processing process.

Hereinafter, mail delivery using profile information and search operations for mail identifiers and profile information will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.

First, a mail delivery operation using profile information will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

A user who sends a mail starts the destination analysis process and inputs the text of the mail to be sent according to a request from the process (step 201). Next, optional profile information such as related organizations, first and last name, etc., is input as the mail destination (step 202). At this time, add the mail destination, and then
It is also possible to input the text of the email to be sent. The destination analysis process converts profile information into a search formula (d
ata A) and transferred to the search processing process (step 203). The search processing process receives (searches for all email identifiers that match the search formula from the email identifier management ledger (step 204), and returns (data-B) to the request reception process along with the corresponding profile information (step 205). . If there is no request to display the search results (step 206), the sent mail text and mail identifier pairs (data-C) are sequentially passed to the mail transfer process, with all searched mail identifiers as destinations (step 209). If there is a request to display search results, the search results are displayed (step 207). When the user selects a recipient from the displayed results (the i21 selection method is arbitrary) (step 208), the destination analysis process sends the selected email identifier and email text pair (data C) to the email until there are no more user requests. The information is sequentially passed to the transfer process (step 209).

As described above, even if the destination of the mail is permanent, the destination can be confirmed by requesting to display the search results. Furthermore, the same mail can be sent multiple times until the user's request is completed. Also, if you do not request to display the search results, you can send an email to all the search results, which is convenient as there is no need to remember email identifiers.6 Next, referring to Figures 1 and 3, email identifiers, The search operation for profile information will be explained.

The user who started the destination information service process inputs search information (step 301). The destination information service process converts the search information into a search formula (data-D) and transfers it to the search processing process (step 302).
. In the search processing process, if the inquiry requests a mail identifier (step 303), the mail identifier management ledger is searched for all mail identifiers that match the profile information expressed by the search formula. If the inquiry requests profile information (step 304), the mail identifier management ledger is searched for all profiles that match the mail identifier (vague expressions allowed) expressed in the search formula. The search result, that is, the corresponding pair of mail identifier and profile information (data-E) is transferred to the request reception process (step 305). Upon receiving the response, the destination information service process displays the search results (step 306).

According to the above embodiment, the destination of the mail can be confirmed using only the public profile information.

There is no need to remember mail identifiers unique to the mail system. Furthermore, since the owner user profile information can be obtained from the mail identifier, it is convenient for checking mail whose sender is unknown.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, since a mail identifier can be extracted based on user profile information such as public name, occupation, etc., mails can be sent between different electronic mail systems without being aware of system-specific mail identifiers. This reduces the burden on the user. Furthermore, since the mail destination can be specified using group information (by occupation, organization, etc.) included in the profile information, it is possible to save the trouble of dividing and re-registering a plurality of mail identifiers into groups in advance as mail destinations.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the flow of data between processes in the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of mail delivery operation, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of destination information service operation. Figure 4 shows the overall configuration of the mail delivery system.
FIG. 5, a diagram showing an example, is a diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a mail identifier management ledger. 1... Computer, 2... Destination resolution process group, 3...
・Search processing process, 4...Mail identifier management ledger,
5...Mail transfer process, 6...Transmission path.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an e-mail system in which a plurality of computers are interconnected by a communication system, a database is provided for associating mailbox addresses held by users on the network with profile information such as names of organizations to which users belong and first and last names; An electronic mail delivery method characterized in that a mail sent with user profile information is delivered to the other party by converting the profile information into a mail address.