Electronic mail system

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]

【0001】

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

The present invention relates to an e-mail system that sends or receives attachments.

【0002】

[Conventional technology]

A conventional e-mail system has a configuration in which an attached file is attached to an e-mail on the sending side and sent, and the received e-mail is opened on the receiving side. On the receiving side, when there is an attachment in the email, the user is notified that there is an attachment, and when the user opens the desired attachment, the application software corresponding to the attachment starts and the contents of the attachment are displayed. indicate.

【0003】

On portable terminals with a small recording area, sent or received mail is sent to limit the capacity of the mailbox, reduce the amount of data in the attached file, or to directly access the attached file without going through the mail. It is common to store attachments in an area separate from the body of. Emails sent or received are stored in the outbox or inbox.

【0004】

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

However, if the body of the e-mail and the attached file are stored separately, if the file that is no longer needed is deleted from the memory, or if the file name in the memory is changed and organized or edited accordingly. , When you try to open an email by specifying an attachment from an email saved in the outbox or inbox, the name of the attachment in the saved email and the file name on the memory that actually stores the attachment There was a problem that it became impossible to take measures.

【0005】

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides an e-mail system capable of editing, organizing, and deleting unnecessary attachment files while efficiently storing e-mails.

【0006】

[Means for solving problems]

In the first invention of the present application, apart from the body of the e-mail, a memory for storing an attachment to be attached to the e-mail, an encoder for converting the attachment from binary to text, and an attachment encoded by the encoder are provided. An e-mail transmitter that attaches to the body of an e-mail and sends the registered e-mail, and an outbox that stores the registered e-mail in a format in which the attribute information of the attached file is added to the body of the e-mail. When the file name of the attached file in the memory and the attached file management unit corresponding to the attached file name saved in the outbox and the file name in the memory are changed. It is characterized by having a history file creation unit for recording changes.

【0007】

The second invention of the present application is an e-mail receiving unit that receives an e-mail, an attachment file detection / extraction unit that detects and extracts an attachment from the received e-mail, and an attachment file detection / extraction unit that extracts the attachment. A decoder that converts the attached file from text to binary, a memory that stores the attached file decoded by the decoder separately from the body of the e-mail, and a body that deletes the attached file from the received e-mail. , Correspondence between the inbox that stores the received e-mail in the format to which the attribute information of the attached file is added, the file name of the attached file in the memory, and the attached file name saved in the inbox. It is characterized by including an attached file management unit and a history file creation unit for recording the changed contents when a change occurs in the file name on the memory.

【0008】

In the third invention of the present application, the memory manages the file name by the number, and when the file is deleted, the deleted file number is packed into the file having a value larger than the deleted file number. A file number allocation unit for reassignment is provided, and the maximum value of the file number is associated with the number of files currently existing in the memory.

【0009】

A fourth invention of the present application is characterized in that the history file creation unit records a change history of a file name on the memory.

【0010】

The fifth invention of the present application is based on the history file created by the history file creation unit when the attachment management unit reproduces the attachment from the mail existing in the transmission box or the inbox. , Among the attached files managed by the attached file management unit, the attached file name deletion unit that deletes the attached file name corresponding to the file deleted from the memory, and the attached file of the mail in the outbox or the inbox. It is characterized by including a file name renaming unit that changes the name to the corresponding file name on the memory, and associating the file name on the memory with the attachment file name of the mail in the outbox or the inbox. And.

【0011】

A sixth aspect of the present application is that the attachment management unit has an attachment list showing the current file name in the memory corresponding to the attachment file name of the mail in the outbox or the inbox. The file name on the memory is associated with the name of the attached file of the mail in the outbox or the inbox.

【0012】

A seventh invention of the present application is characterized in that the memory manages at least still image files collectively.

【0013】

Eighth invention of the present application is characterized in that the memory manages at least audio files collectively.

【0014】

A ninth invention of the present application is characterized in that the memory manages at least a document file.

【0015】

A tenth invention of the present application is characterized in that the memory manages at least moving image files collectively.

【0016】

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

【0017】

The schematic configuration in this embodiment is shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, 101 is an image / audio input unit for a camera, a scanner, a microphone, etc., and 102 is a format that can be reproduced by general application software by compressing or converting the image or audio input from the image / audio input unit 101. It is an image / audio data creation unit to be converted.

【0018】

Examples of the compression method include JPEG, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MP3, AAC, G723-1, G726, and G729. Formats that can be played by general application software include, for example, BMP, TIFF, GIF, PICT, PNG, FlashPix, and PCM.

【0019】

103 is a document file creation unit that creates a document file, and 104 is a memory that stores the created image / audio data or document file. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the image / audio data or the document file created outside the system may be provided with an interface with the outside that is directly stored in the memory 104.

【0020】

The memory 104 may store various data without distinguishing them, and stores each type of data such as an area for storing only still image data, an area for storing moving image + audio data, and an area for storing a document file. The area may be divided.

【0021】

The 105 is an encoder that converts the binary data stored in the memory 104 into text data in order to attach it to an e-mail. Examples of this conversion method include base64 and uuencode.

【0022】

107 is the e-mail creation unit that creates the e-mail address, subject name, body, etc., 106 is the e-mail body created by the e-mail creation unit 107, and the attached file of the text data created by the encoder 105 is attached and registered. It is an e-mail sender that sends the registered e-mail.

【0023】

Reference numeral 108 denotes an outbox for storing the mail registered by the e-mail transmission unit 106, and all the mails registered in the past are stored in the outbox 108 unless they are deleted. Figure 7 shows an example of the mail stored in the outbox 108.

【0024】

The mail destination, subject name, body and attachment attribute information (for example, attachment file name, attachment size, attachment format) created by the e-mail creation unit 107 are saved in the outbox 108. Etc.) only, and the data of the attached file is not saved and remains stored in the memory 104.

【0025】

Therefore, in order to be able to access the data in the memory 104 from the attachment file name of the mail stored in the outbox 108 and open the attachment, the attachment file name and the data in the memory as described later. It is associated with the file name.

【0026】

109 is an attachment management unit that manages the relationship between the file name of the data in the memory 104 and the attachment written in the mail stored in the outbox 108. Both are managed by the attached file list in which the file name of each data on the memory 104 is recorded, which corresponds to each attached file name of the saved mail.

【0027】

110 is a history file creation unit that records the history of each file name change when the file name of each data on the memory 104 is changed due to the deletion / addition of the data on the memory 104. Here, it has a history file that records the change history of the file name of the data on the memory 104.

【0028】

The contents of this history file are reflected in the attachment list by the attachment management unit 109 when accessing the data on the memory 104 from the attachment file name of the outbox 108. When the contents of the history file are reflected in the attachment list, the contents of the history file are cleared.

【0029】

Reference numeral 111 denotes an application unit provided with various application software for reproducing the data on the memory 104. For example, you can decrypt a JPEG file to create still image data, open a word file, or play an MPEG-4 file to create video and audio data.

【0030】

Reference numeral 112 denotes a display unit that displays the data reproduced by the application unit 111. The user can visually recognize the still image, moving image, sound, and document file reproduced on the display unit 112.

【0031】

Next, the history file creation unit 110 and the attachment file management unit 109 will be described in detail. If you add various newly input and created files (video, audio, still image, document file) to the memory 104, or delete various files that have already been sent and are no longer needed from the memory 104, the file name on the memory will be changed. Changes may occur.

【0032】

Here, the file names are managed by numbers on the memory 104. File numbers are unique to one file and cannot be duplicated in different files. By managing by number, it is possible to order uniquely, so it is easier for users to understand than managing by address, and it provides a system that can easily change the file name by tasks such as adding, deleting, and dividing files. be able to.

【0033】

For example, as shown in Fig. 2, the file name may be a word + a 3-digit number, or simply a 3-digit number. This number is given in the order of creation. For example, when a new file is created, the maximum value of the existing file number + 1 is added.

【0034】

Next, the case where the file is deleted or the file name is changed will be described. Figure 2 (a) shows the case where the attachment file list on the memory 104 and the attachment file management unit correspond to each other at a certain point in time. Here, it is assumed that cat002 is deleted from the memory 104.

【0035】

At this time, as shown in Fig. 2 (b), the number of the file with the number 003 or higher is changed. For example, kids003 becomes kids002. When egg006 is added and dog003 is deleted, the numbers of files with numbers 004 or higher are changed, as shown in Fig. 2 (c).

【0036】

For example, book004 becomes book003. The egg005 may be stored in the deleted cat002 location as shown, or may be added to the memory after hat005.

【0037】

In this way, if the file numbers are reduced each time the file is deleted, the maximum value of the file number will always be the number of data currently stored in the memory 104, and the data in the memory 104 will be managed. It is convenient to go.

【0038】

Figure 3 shows the history of changes in the file name on the memory 104. Fig. 3 (a), (b), (c) is a list showing the file name changes corresponding to Fig. 2 (a), (b), (c), and as a result, Fig. 2 (a) shows. The history file from the time point to the time when the change in (c) of Fig. 2 was made is shown in Fig. 3 (d).

【0039】

Since there is no change in flower001, it is not recorded in the history file. Since cat002 and dog004 have been deleted, a flag indicating deletion (here, 0) is written in the history file.

【0040】

It is recorded in the history file that the numbers of kids003, book005, and hat006 have been changed to kids002, book003, and hat004. The newly added egg006 at the time of (b) is recorded in the history file that the number has been changed to egg005.

【0041】

It should be noted that even for a file that has not been changed, such as flower001, the fact that there is no change may be recorded and the history of all files may be recorded in the history file.

【0042】

Here, a case where the user tries to open the attached file by accessing the data on the memory 104 from the attached file name written in the mail stored in the outbox 108 will be described.

【0043】

At this point, the attachment list (Fig. 4 (a)) of the attachment management unit 109 no longer shows the correspondence between the attachment file name of the mail in the outbox 108 and the file name of the data on the memory 104. ..

【0044】

When the attachment file management unit 109 confirms that the history file creation unit 110 has a history file in which the history is written, the attachment file management unit 109 reflects the contents of the history file in the attachment file list.

【0045】

An example of the result is shown in Fig. 4 (b). The current correspondence between the email attachment file name in the outbox and the file name on memory 104 is shown. Here, since cat002 and dog004 have been deleted, a flag indicating deletion (here, 0) is written.

【0046】

When the user gives an instruction to open the deleted file, a message such as "This file has been deleted" is displayed. For other files, the data of the file name on the memory 104 corresponding to the attached file name indicated by the attached file list is input to the application unit 111, and the reproduced data is displayed on the display unit 112.

【0047】

Figure 4 (c) shows another example of the result of reflecting the contents of the history file in the attached file list. The attachment file name corresponding to the file deleted from the memory 104 is also deleted from the attachment list, and the file name on the attachment list is changed to the same number as the file name number on the memory 104.

【0048】

Further, the attachment file management unit 109 updates the attachment file name of the mail in the outbox 108 according to the attachment file list reflecting the contents of the history file. In this way, when the attachment file management unit 109 reflects the above change in the attachment file list, the history file creation unit 110 clears the history file.

【0049】

In addition, the attachment management unit 109 updates the attachment file name of the mail in the outbox 108 according to the result reflected in the attachment list.

【0050】

The method of specifying the file to be deleted on the memory 104 is, for example, for an image file, a reduced screen is displayed as shown in FIG. 5 (a), and the reduced image specified by the user is specified on the memory 104. There is a way to delete the data in.

【0051】

For audio and document files, there is a method of specifying the file to be deleted by showing a list of file names as shown in Fig. 5 (b). At this time, if various files are managed in the memory according to the classification of moving images, still images, sounds, document files, etc., it is convenient because an appropriate display method can be selected depending on the files.

【0052】

In this way, by managing the correspondence between the attached file name in the email and the file name in the memory using the history file that records the history of the change of the file name in the memory, the actual data of the attached file can be obtained. Even when the storage memory and the mail with the attached file are managed separately, the attached file can always be played correctly from the attached file name on the e-mail.

【0053】

When attachments are managed collectively in memory, for example, as shown in Fig. 5, files of the same type can be displayed collectively even if they are attached to different emails, which is convenient for file management. ..

【0054】

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, 206 is an e-mail receiver that receives the sent e-mail, 207 detects an attached file from the received e-mail, and if an attached file is detected, the attached file is extracted. -Extractor.

【0055】

Reference numeral 205 denotes a decoder that converts the attached file extracted by the attached file detection / extraction unit 207 from text data to binary data. Here, as a method of converting text data to binary data, there are methods such as base64decode and uudecode.

【0056】

204 is a memory for storing the attached file converted into a binary file by the decoder 205. This memory 204 has the same function as the memory 104 in the first embodiment described above.

【0057】

Reference numeral 208 denotes an inbox for storing the mail received by the e-mail receiving unit 206, and the inbox 208 stores all the mails received in the past unless they are deleted. Figure 7 shows an example of the mail stored in the inbox 208.

【0058】

Note that only the recipient, subject name, body and attribute information of the attached file (for example, attached file name, attached file size, attached file format, etc.) are saved in the inbox 208. The data of the attached file is not saved and is stored in the memory 204.

【0059】

Therefore, in the same manner as in the first embodiment described above, in order to be able to access the data in the memory 204 from the attachment file name of the email stored in the inbox 208 and open the attachment. The attachment file name is associated with the data file name in memory.

【0060】

Reference numeral 209 is an attachment file management unit that manages the relationship between the file name of the data in the memory 204 and the attachment file written in the mail stored in the inbox 208. Both are managed by the attached file list in which the file name of each data on the memory 204 is recorded, which corresponds to each attached file name of the saved mail.

【0061】

210 is a history file creation unit that records the history of each file name change when the file name of each data on the memory 204 is changed due to the deletion / addition of the data on the memory 204. Here, it has a history file that records the change history of the file name of the data on the memory 204.

【0062】

The contents of this history file are reflected in the attachment list by the attachment management unit 209 the next time the data on the memory 204 is accessed from the attachment name of the inbox 208.

【0063】

When the contents of the history file are reflected in the attachment list, the contents of the history file are cleared. In addition, the attachment management unit 209 updates the attachment file name of the mail in the inbox 208 according to the change of the attachment list.

【0064】

The operation of the attachment file management unit 209 and the history file creation unit 210 is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, except that the mail is stored not in the outbox 108 but in the inbox 208.

【0065】

Reference numeral 211 is an application unit provided with various application software for reproducing the data on the memory 204, and 212 is a display unit for displaying the data reproduced by the application unit 211. The application unit 211 and the display unit 212 have the same functions as the application unit 111 and the display unit 112 in the first embodiment described above.

【0066】

In this way, by managing the correspondence between the attached file name in the email and the file name in the memory using the history file that records the history of the change of the file name in the memory, the actual data of the attached file can be obtained. Even when the storage memory and the mail with the attached file are managed separately, the attached file can always be played correctly from the attached file name on the e-mail.

【0067】

[Effect of the invention]

Since the e-mail system of the present invention has the above configuration, even when the data of the attached file is stored separately from the e-mail body, the data on the memory generated by adding, deleting, editing, and organizing the file can be stored. By keeping a history of file name changes and reflecting changes in memory to attachments managed by email when accessing attachments from email, the data of email attachments and email attachments are stored. Accurate correspondence with the attached file name can be taken.

【0068】

In addition, by managing the file names of the attached file data stored in the memory by numbers, it is possible to easily add, delete, change, and manage the file names.

【0069】

Further, by storing the change history of the file name of the data stored in the memory, it is possible to correspond the data in the memory with the attached file name in the mail.

【0070】

Further, by reflecting the change history of the file name in the memory in the list for managing the attachment file name in the mail, it is possible to correspond the data in the memory with the attachment file name in the mail.

【0071】

Furthermore, file management can be simplified by separating the management on the memory according to the type of data stored in the memory.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

[Figure 1]

It is a block diagram which shows the e-mail transmission system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention.

[Figure 2]

It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of changing the file name in memory.

[Fig. 3]

It is explanatory drawing which shows the history file.

[Fig. 4]

It is explanatory drawing which shows the attached file list.

[Fig. 5]

It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the display method of the file in memory.

[Fig. 6]

It is a block diagram which shows the e-mail receiving system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

[Fig. 7]

It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of mail.

[Explanation of symbols]

101 Image / audio input section 102 Image / audio data creation department 103 Document data creation department 104 memory 105 encoder 106 Email sender 107 Email Creator 108 Outbox 109 Attachment Management Department 110 History file creation department 111 Application Department 112 Display 204 memory 205 decoder 206 Email receiver 207 Attachment detection / extraction unit 208 Inbox 209 Attachment Management Department 210 History file creation department 211 Application Department 212 Display