JP2001331421A - Electronic mail reservation transmission equipment and method using data base - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide equipment and a method for storing electronic mail transmission contents in a data base, preparing electronic mail from the contents of the data base and transmitting it at the specified transmission date and time. SOLUTION: A mail reception data base storage program 6 receives the electronic mail describing electronic mail transmission scheduled date and time, a transmission destination electronic mail address and the electronic mail transmission contents transmitted from a mail transmission user 1 and stores it in the data base 9. A data base retrieval mail transmission program 7 prepares the electronic mail from the contents preserved in the data base 9 and transmits it at the specified electronic mail transmission scheduled date and time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technique for transmitting an electronic mail using a database.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 2, a conventional e-mail is transmitted from a mail transmitting user 1 via a mail server connected to the Internet 2 in order. When the transmitted e-mail reaches the mail server 3 having the destination e-mail address, the e-mail is stored in the mailbox of the destination user. The mail receiving user 4 can connect to the mail server 3 and receive the electronic mail from the mailbox to receive the electronic mail. Here, the mail server is a computer having a mail transfer agent function for transferring an electronic mail, and the Internet is an entire TCP / IP (TCP / IP) based network. And multiple networks connected using the same protocol. Also, in order for the mail sending user 1 to send an e-mail, a mail server and a simple mail transfer protocol (Simpl)
e Mail Transfer Protocol)
In order for the mail receiving user 4 to receive an e-mail using a mail user agent (Mail User Agent) that can connect and send e-mail data, a mail server and a post office protocol (Pos)
t Office Protocol) or Internet Message Access Protocol (Intern)
et Message Access Protocol
l) A mail user agent (Mail User) that can connect with each protocol and receive e-mail data
Agent).

[0003]

However, according to the above-mentioned prior art, the e-mail which should have been sent may be missing due to a trouble of the relay mail server, etc. And reach the destination within hours to days. Therefore, even when the user wants to send an e-mail to be sent after a specific date and time, he cannot specify the mail arrival date and time specifically. For example, 10
Even if one wants to send an e-mail to one year later, the sent e-mail arrives within a few days, and the e-mail could not be sent to oneself ten years later. Therefore, according to the present invention, based on the contents described in the e-mail, the scheduled transmission date and time of the e-mail, the destination e-mail address, and the contents of the e-mail transmission are stored in the database, and the specified transmission scheduled date and time are stored in the database. It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method capable of creating and transmitting an e-mail from the contents of an e-mail transmission and a destination e-mail address.

[0004]

In order to solve the above-mentioned section, the invention according to claim 1 is based on the contents described in the e-mail, the scheduled date and time of e-mail transmission, the destination e-mail address, the e-mail An apparatus and a method for storing an e-mail transmission content in a database, and creating and transmitting an e-mail from the e-mail transmission content and a destination e-mail address stored in the database at a designated scheduled transmission date and time.

[0005]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. E-mail sending user 1 is scheduled to send e-mail,
An e-mail describing the destination e-mail address and the contents of the e-mail transmission is transmitted to the mail server 5. The description format of the e-mail is described by a character string that is a pair of a character string representing each item of the scheduled date and time of the e-mail transmission, the destination e-mail address, and the contents of the e-mail transmission, and a character string indicating each content. The transmitted e-mail sequentially reaches the mail server 5 via the Internet 2, and the e-mail is stored in the mail server 5. The mail receiving database storage program 6 periodically receives the e-mail data stored in the mail server 5 and, if there is a stored e-mail, the e-mail transmission scheduled date and time, e-mail address,
The e-mail transmission contents are read, and the contents are stored in the database 9. The interval at which the mail reception database storage program 6 connects to the mail server 5 is determined by reading a value indicating the connection interval described in the mail reception database storage program 6 itself, or by an electronic mail that can be read by the mail reception database storage program 6. A file in which a character string of a value indicating the connection interval is described is prepared in the computer, and the value of the connection interval is read from the file to set the connection interval. The database search mail transmission program 7 periodically searches the data stored in the database 9, and in the stored data, the scheduled date and time of the electronic mail transmission indicates the computer on which the database search mail transmission program 7 is executing. If there is data with a date and time that is earlier than the current time of No. 8, an e-mail is created and transmitted from the destination e-mail address and the contents of the e-mail transmission. The interval at which the database search mail transmission program 7 connects to the mail server 5 is determined by reading a value indicating the connection interval described in the database search mail transmission program 7 itself, or by reading an electronic value that can be read by the database search mail transmission program 7. A file in which a character string of a value indicating the connection interval is described is prepared in the computer, and the value of the connection interval is read from the file to set the connection interval. The transmitted e-mail reaches the destination mail server 3 via the mail server connected to the Internet 2 sequentially,
It is stored in the mailbox of the mail receiving user 4. The mail receiving user 4 can connect to the mail server 3 and receive the electronic mail from the mailbox to receive the electronic mail. Although FIG. 1 shows the mail sending user 1 and the mail receiving user 4 as different users, the same processing can be performed by the same user. Next, the terms used above will be described. The mail server is a computer having a mail transfer agent (Mail Transfer Agent) function for transferring an electronic mail. What is the Internet?
It refers to an entire network based on TCP / IP (TCP / IP) and a plurality of networks connected using the same protocol. The database 9 is
An electronic computer that can store and retrieve electronic information. The mail receiving database storage program 6 connects to the mail server 3 and executes a post office protocol (Post Office Protocol) or an Internet message access protocol (In).
ternet Message Access Pro
Tocol), a program that can receive e-mail data and connect to the database 9 to store e-mail data. The database search mail transmission program 7 connects to the database 9, reads the contents stored in the database, creates an e-mail, and communicates with the mail server 3 and the simple mail transfer protocol (Simple Mail Transfer).
r Protocol) and can transmit e-mail data. The electronic computer 8 is an electronic computer provided with an execution environment for the mail receiving database storing program 6 and the database searching mail transmitting program 7. In order for the mail sending user 1 to send an e-mail, a mail server and a simple mail transfer protocol (Simple Mail Transfer) are used.
Mail User Agent (Mail Us) that can connect and send e-mail data by using
er Agent). In order for the mail receiving user 4 to receive an e-mail, a mail server and a post office protocol (Post Office Protocol) are used.
col) or Internet Message Access Protocol (Internet Message Acc)
An e-mail user agent (Mail User Agent) that can connect with each protocol of Ess Protocol and receive e-mail data is used.

[0006]

As described above, according to the present invention, an electronic mail can be transmitted at a specified specific date and time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram showing a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Mail sending user 2 Internet 3 Mail server 4 Mail receiving user 5 Mail server 6 Mail receiving database storage program 7 Database search mail sending program 8 Computer 9 Database

Claims (1)

[Claims] An electronic mail which is stored in a database based on the contents described in the electronic mail, the electronic mail transmission scheduled date and time, the destination electronic mail address, and the contents of the electronic mail transmission are stored in the database at the designated scheduled transmission date and time. An electronic mail transmitting apparatus and method, wherein an electronic mail is created and transmitted from a mail transmission content and a destination electronic mail address.