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Claims  |
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We claim:
1. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system, comprising:
an electronic mail system composed of a plurality of terminals connected
through a network, and an electronic mail center via which electronic mail
is exchanged among users of said terminals; and
a telephone system composed of a plurality of telephones and a telephone
exchange for connecting said telephones,
wherein
said telephones are associated in advance with individual users of said
electronic mail system,
said electronic mail center comprises:
correspondence table storing means for storing a table of correspondence
between user IDs and telephone numbers as well as electronic mail for
individual users;
a terminal interface for identifying the users using said terminals; and
status variable managing means for managing status variables by which to
recognize the mail each individual user is currently reading,
said telephone exchange, upon reception of a call request, notifies the
calling telephone number to said electronic mail center, and
said electronic mail center identifies the user ID of the calling user
corresponding to the notified telephone number by referencing said
correspondence table, and transmits, upon connection of the call,
electronic mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages associated
with the calling user to the login terminal of the calling user, the
electronic mail messages or the lists of electronic mail messages thus
transmitted being displayed on said login terminal of the calling user.
2. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 1, wherein said telephones are user-exclusive telephones.
3. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 2, wherein said telephones are user-exclusive portable telephones.
4. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 1, wherein said telephones are telephones attached to said
terminals, and the telephones attached to the terminals are associated
with the users logging in at the respective terminals.
5. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 1, wherein the electronic mail messages or the lists of electronic
mail messages that said electronic mail center transmits to the login
terminal of the calling user upon reception of a call request, include
electronic mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages originating
from the calling user and addressed to the called user.
6. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 5, wherein the date of all incoming electronic mail is identifiable,
and the electronic mail messages that said electronic mail center
transmits to the login terminal of the calling user upon reception of a
call request, include the most recent electronic mail message sent from
the calling user to the called user.
7. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 1, wherein the electronic mail messages or the lists of electronic
mail messages that said electronic mail center transmits to the login
terminal of the calling user upon reception of a call request, include
electronic mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages originating
from the called user and addressed to the calling user.
8. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 7, wherein the date of all incoming electronic mail is identifiable,
and the electronic mail messages that said electronic mail center
transmits to the login terminal of the calling user upon reception of a
call request, include the most recent electronic mail message sent from
the called user to the calling user.
9. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 1, wherein the electronic mail messages or the lists of electronic
mail messages that said electronic mail center transmits to the login
terminal of the calling user upon the reception of a call request, include
electronic mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages originating
from the calling user and addressed to the called user and electronic mail
messages or lists of electronic mail messages originating from the called
user and addressed to the calling user.
10. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 9, wherein the date of all incoming electronic mail is identifiable,
and the electronic mail messages that said electronic mail center
transmits to the login terminal of the calling user upon reception of a
call request, include the most recent electronic mail message sent from
the calling user to the called user and the most recent electronic mail
message sent from the called user to the calling user.
11. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 1, wherein the displayed electronic mail messages or the lists of
electronic mail messages can be respectively deleted by depressing a key
on the terminal or by clicking a mouse button.
12. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 1, wherein the user can make a setting in advance as to whether
electronic mail should be displayed during telephone communication, and
any electronic mail that is set to not display will not be transmitted
from the electronic mail center to any terminal during telephone
communication.
13. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 1, wherein when the displayed mail message contains a key for
retrieval of a related electronic mail message, a request for retrieval of
the related electronic mail message is sent to the electronic mail center
by depressing a key on the terminal or by clicking a mouse button, in
response to which the electronic mail center retrieves the requested
electronic mail message and transmits the same to the requesting terminal
for display thereon.
14. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system, comprising:
an electronic mail system composed of a plurality of terminals connected
through a network, and an electronic mail center via which electronic mail
is exchanged among users of said terminals; and
a telephone system composed of a plurality of telephones and a telephone
exchange for connecting said telephones,
wherein
said telephones are associated in advance with individual users of said
electronic mail system,
said electronic mail center comprises:
correspondence table storing means for storing a table of correspondence
between user IDs and telephone numbers as well as electronic mail for
individual users;
a terminal interface for identifying the users using said terminals; and
status variable managing means for managing status variables by which to
recognize the mail each individual user is currently reading,
said telephone exchange, upon reception of a call request, notifies the
called telephone number to said electronic mail center, and
said electronic mail center identifies the user ID of the called user
corresponding to the notified telephone number by referencing said
correspondence table, and transmits, upon connection of the call,
electronic mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages associated
with the called user to the login terminal of the called user, the
electronic mail messages or the lists of electronic mail messages thus
transmitted being displayed on said login terminal of the called user.
15. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 14, wherein said telephones are user-exclusive telephones.
16. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 15, wherein said telephones are user-exclusive portable telephones.
17. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 14, wherein said telephones are telephones attached to said
terminals, and the telephones attached to the terminals are associated
with the users logging in at the respective terminals.
18. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 14, wherein the electronic mail messages or the lists of electronic
mail messages that said electronic mail center transmits to the login
terminal of the called user upon reception of a call request, include
electronic mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages originating
from the calling user and addressed to the called user.
19. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 18, wherein the date of all incoming electronic mail is
identifiable, and the electronic mail messages that said electronic mail
center transmits to the login terminal of the called user upon reception
of a call request, include the most recent electronic mail message sent
from the calling user to the called user.
20. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 14, wherein the electronic mail messages or the lists of electronic
mail messages that said electronic mail center transmits to the login
terminal of the called user upon reception of a call request, include
electronic mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages originating
from the called user and addressed to the calling user.
21. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 20, wherein the date of all incoming electronic mail is
identifiable, and the electronic mail messages that said electronic mail
center transmits to the login terminal of the called user upon reception
of a call request, include the most recent electronic mail message sent
from the called user to the calling user.
22. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 14, wherein the electronic mail messages or the lists of electronic
mail messages that said electronic mail center transmits to the login
terminal of the called user upon the reception of a call request, include
electronic mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages originating
from the calling user and addressed to the called user and electronic mail
messages or lists of electronic mail messages originating from the called
user and addressed to the calling user.
23. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 22, wherein the date of all incoming electronic mail is
identifiable, and the electronic mail messages that said electronic mail
center transmits to the login terminal of the called user upon reception
of a call request, include the most recent electronic mail message sent
from the calling user to the called user and the most recent electronic
mail message sent from the called user to the calling user.
24. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 14, wherein said electronic mail center recognizes the status of
electronic mail display at the calling user from the status variable
associated with the calling user, and when electronic mail messages
originating from the called user are displayed on the login terminal of
the calling user, said electronic mail center transmits the same
electronic mail messages for display on the login terminal of the called
user.
25. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 14, wherein said electronic mail center recognizes the status of
electronic mail display at the calling user from the status variable
associated with the calling user, and when electronic mail messages
originating from the calling user and addressed to the called user are
displayed on the login terminal of the calling user, said electronic mail
center transmits the same electronic mail messages for display on the
login terminal of the called user.
26. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 14, wherein the displayed electronic mail messages or lists of
electronic mail messages can be respectively deleted by depressing a key
on the terminal or by clicking a mouse button.
27. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 14, wherein the user can make a setting in advance as to whether
electronic mail should be displayed during telephone communication, and
any electronic mail that is set to not display will not be transmitted
from the electronic mail center to any terminal during telephone
communication.
28. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 14, wherein when the displayed mail message contains a key for
retrieval of a related electronic mail message, a request for retrieval of
the related electronic mail message is sent to the electronic mail center
by depressing a key on the terminal or by clicking a mouse button and, in
response, the electronic mail center retrieves the requested electronic
mail message and transmits the same to the requesting terminal for display
thereon.
29. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system, comprising:
an electronic mail system composed of a plurality of terminals connected
through a network, and an electronic mail center via which electronic mail
is exchanged among users of said terminals; and
a telephone system composed of a plurality of telephones and a telephone
exchange for connecting said telephones,
wherein
said telephones are associated in advance with individual users of said
electronic mail system,
said electronic mail center comprises:
a correspondence table storing means for storing a table of correspondence
between user IDs and telephone numbers as well as electronic mail for
individual users;
a terminal interface for identifying the users using said terminals; and
status variable managing means for managing status variables by which to
recognize the mail each individual user is currently reading,
said telephone exchange, upon reception of a call request, notifies the
calling telephone number and the called telephone number to said
electronic mail center, and
said electronic mail center identifies the user IDs of the calling user and
called user corresponding to the notified telephone numbers by referencing
said correspondence table, and transmits, upon connection of the call,
electronic mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages associated
with the calling user to the login terminal of the calling user, and
electronic mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages associated
with the called user to the login terminal of the called user, the
electronic mail messages or the lists of electronic mail messages thus
transmitted being displayed on said respective terminals.
30. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 29, wherein said telephones are user-exclusive telephones.
31. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 30, wherein said telephones are user-exclusive portable telephones.
32. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 29, wherein said telephones are telephones attached to said
terminals, and the telephones attached to the terminals are associated
with the users logging in at the respective terminals.
33. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 29, wherein the electronic mail messages or the lists of electronic
mail messages that said electronic mail center transmits to the login
terminal of the calling user upon reception of a call request, include
electronic mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages originating
from the calling user and addressed to the called user.
34. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 33, wherein the date of all incoming electronic mail is
identifiable, and the electronic mail messages that said electronic mail
center transmits to the login terminal of the calling user upon reception
of a call request, include the most recent electronic mail message sent
from the calling user to the called user.
35. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 29, wherein the electronic mall messages or the lists of electronic
mail messages that said electronic mail center transmits to the login
terminal of the called user upon reception of a call request, include
electronic mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages originating
from the calling user and addressed to the called user.
36. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 35, wherein the date of all incoming electronic mail is
identifiable, and the electronic mail messages that said electronic mail
center transmits to the login terminal of the called user upon reception
of a call request, include the most recent electronic mail message sent
from the calling user to the called user.
37. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 29, wherein the electronic mail messages or the lists of electronic
mail messages that said electronic mail center transmits to the login
terminal of the calling user upon reception of a call request, include
electronic mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages originating
from the called user and addressed to the calling user.
38. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 37, wherein the date of all incoming electronic mail is
identifiable, and the electronic mail messages that said electronic mail
center transmits to the login terminal of the calling user upon reception
of a call request, include the most recent electronic mail message sent
from the called user to the calling user.
39. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 29, wherein the electronic mail messages or the lists of electronic
mail messages that said electronic mail center transmits to the login
terminal of the called user upon reception of a call request, include
electronic mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages originating
from the called user and addressed to the calling user.
40. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 39, wherein the date of all incoming electronic mail is
identifiable, and the electronic mail messages that said electronic mail
center transmits to the login terminal of the called user upon reception
of a call request, include the most recent electronic mail message sent
from the called user to the calling user.
41. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 29, wherein the electronic mail messages or the lists of electronic
mail messages that said electronic mail center transmits to the login
terminal of the calling user upon the reception of a call request, include
electronic mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages originating
from the calling user and addressed to the called user and electronic mail
messages or lists of electronic mail messages originating from the called
user and addressed to the calling user.
42. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 41, wherein the date of all incoming electronic mail is
identifiable, and the electronic mail messages that said electronic mail
center transmits to the login terminal of the calling user upon reception
of a call request, include the most recent electronic mail message sent
from the calling user to the called user and the most recent electronic
mail message sent from the called user to the calling user.
43. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 29, wherein the electronic mail messages or the lists of electronic
mail messages that said electronic mail center transmits to the login
terminal of the called user upon the reception of a call request, include
electronic mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages originating
from the calling user and addressed to the called user and an electronic
mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages originating from the
called user and addressed to the calling user.
44. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 43, wherein the date of all incoming electronic mail is
identifiable, and the electronic mail messages that said electronic mail
center transmits to the login terminal of the called user upon reception
of a call request, include the most recent electronic mail message sent
from the calling user to the called user and the most recent electronic
mail message sent from the called user to the calling user.
45. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 29, wherein the displayed electronic mail messages or lists of
electronic mail messages can be respectively deleted by depressing a key
on the terminal or by clicking a mouse button.
46. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 29, wherein the user can make a setting in advance as to whether
electronic mail should be displayed during telephone communication, and
any electronic mail that is not set to display will not be transmitted
from the electronic mail center to any terminal during telephone
communication.
47. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 29, wherein when the displayed mail messages contain a key for
retrieval of related electronic mail messages, a request for retrieval of
the related electronic mail message is sent to the electronic mail center
by depressing a key on the terminal or by clicking a mouse button, in
response to which the electronic mail center retrieves the requested
electronic mail message and transmits the same to the requesting terminal
for display thereon.
48. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 29, wherein said telephones are the kind of telephones that permits
simultaneous communication between three or more parties, and the
electronic mail exchanged between two parties engaged in simultaneous
conversation is also displayed, by permission of the originator of said
mail, on the login terminals of third parties participating in the same
conversation.
49. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 29, wherein said telephones are the kind of telephones that permits
simultaneous communication between three or more parties, and the
originator of electronic mail can make a setting as to whether free access
to the electronic mail should be allowed or not; if the setting is made so
that free access is allowed to the electronic mail exchanged between two
parties engaged in simultaneous conversation, the same electronic mail is
also displayed on the login terminals of third parties participating in
the same conversation.
50. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system, comprising
an electronic mail system composed of a plurality of terminals connected
through a network, and an electronic mail center via which electronic mail
is exchanged among users of said terminals, and
a telephone system composed of a plurality of telephones,
wherein
said telephones are associated in advance with the individual terminals
connected to said electronic mail system,
each of said terminals is for detecting a call initiated by the associated
telephone, the telephone number of the destination, and the acceptance of
the call,
said electronic mail center is equipped with correspondence table storing
means for storing a table of correspondence between said terminals and
said telephones,
a terminal interface for identifying the users using said terminals, and
status variable managing means for managing status variables by which to
recognize the mail each individual user is currently reading,
the terminal to which the originating telephone is attached notifies the
calling telephone number and the called telephone number to said
electronic mail center upon initiation of a call, and
said electronic mail center identifies the user IDs of the calling user and
called user corresponding to the notified telephone numbers by referencing
said correspondence table, and transmits, upon connection of the call,
electronic mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages associated
with the calling user and called user to the login terminal of the calling
user, the electronic mail messages or the lists of electronic mail
messages thus transmitted being displayed on said login terminal of the
called user.
51. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system, comprising
an electronic mail system composed of a plurality of terminals connected
through a network, and an electronic mail center via which electronic mail
is exchanged among users of said terminals, and
a telephone system composed of a plurality of telephones,
wherein
said telephones are associated in advance with individual users of said
electronic mail system,
said electronic mail center is equipped with correspondence table storing
means for storing a table of correspondence between user IDs and telephone
numbers as well as electronic mail for individual users,
a terminal interface capable of identifying the users using said terminals,
and
status variable managing means for managing status variables by which to
recognize the mail each individual user is currently reading, and
said electronic mail center identifies the user IDs of the calling user and
called user corresponding to the notified telephone numbers by referencing
said correspondence table, and transmits, upon connection of the call,
electronic mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages associated
with the calling user and called user to the login terminal of the called
user, the electronic mail messages or the lists of electronic mail
messages thus transmitted being displayed on said login terminal of the
called user.
52. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system, comprising
an electronic mail system composed of a plurality of terminals connected
through a network, and an electronic mail center via which electronic mail
is exchanged among users of said terminals, and
a telephone system composed of a plurality of telephones,
wherein
said telephones are associated in advance with individual users of said
electronic mail system,
said electronic mail center is equipped with
correspondence table storing means for storing a table of correspondence
between user IDs and telephone numbers as well as electronic mail for
individual users,
a terminal interface capable of identifying the users using said terminals,
and
status variable managing means for managing status variables by which to
recognize the mail each individual user is currently reading, and
said electronic mail center identifies the user IDs of the calling user and
called user corresponding to the notified telephone numbers by referencing
said correspondence table, and transmits, upon connection of the call,
electronic mail messages or lists of electronic mail messages associated
with the calling user and called user to the login terminals of the
calling user and called user, the electronic mail messages or the list of
electronic mail messages thus transmitted being displayed on said
respective terminals.
53. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 52, wherein said telephones are the kind of telephones that permits
simultaneous communication between three or more parties, and the
electronic mail exchanged between two parties engaged in simultaneous
conversation is also displayed, by permission of the originator of said
mail, on the login terminals of third parties participating in the same
conversation.
54. An electronic mail system linked with a telephone system according to
claim 52, wherein said telephones are the kind of telephones that permit
simultaneous communication between three or more parties, and the
originator of electronic mail can make a setting as to whether free access
to the electronic mail should be allowed or not; if the setting is made so
that free access is allowed for the electronic mail exchanged between two
parties engaged in simultaneous conversation, the same electronic mail is
also displayed on the login terminals of third parties participating in
the same conversation. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic mail system, and more
particularly to an electronic mail system adapted to operate in an
interlinked relationship with a telephone system which has traditionally
existed as an independent system separate from an electronic mail system.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Letters, telephones, and facsimile machines have been used as primary means
for communicating and exchanging information between persons at distant
locations. In recent years, however, with increasing processing
capabilities and decreasing prices of computers, computer networking has
been developing rapidly, and electronic mail, a kind of computer-based
service, has been becoming widespread as a means of exchanging messages
between computers. Electronic mail has also found widespread use in
offices where groupware, a system designed for efficient communication
within a group using computers, has not been introduced. Electronic mail
has the advantage that messages can be sent, like letters, at any
convenient time without the fear of interfering with the work of the
recipient (which is often the case with a telephone call), and unlike
letters, can be made instantly available to the recipient. As a result,
electronic mail has come to be used even when transmitting the kind of
information that traditionally would have been transmitted by letter or
telephone.
Information transmitted by electronic mail is visually recognizable
information, like a letter, and offers different benefits than when
speaking directly or talking over the telephone. However, electronic mail
can transmit only information represented by character codes entered from
a keyboard, etc., and when it comes to instantaneity, the telephone, which
allows direct interactive communication, has an advantage over electronic
mail. For example, when there is a need to confirm that the intention of
the sender is properly communicated to the receiver, electronic mail
requires at least two communications, whereas in the case of a telephone
call, the sender can get the reaction from the other party during the
conversation.
Therefore, after sending a message by electronic mail, users often make a
telephone call and talk about the material transmitted by electronic mail.
It should, however, be recalled that one of the advantages of electronic
mail is that the recipient can view the contents of electronic mail at his
convenience; therefore, when the sender calls the recipient on the phone,
it could happen that the recipient has not yet read the message, or even
if he has already read the message, he may be working on a different task.
In such cases, if the recipient has to answer the phone without knowing
the contents of the electronic message, he is unable to respond easily.
Furthermore, users who frequently use electronic mail are usually doing
their work with their terminals always on. When such a user receives a
telephone call about the contents of an electronic message, as described
above, he is expected to operate his terminal to recall an electronic mail
list and bring the electronic mail in question onto the terminal screen.
While the recipient is going through this procedure, he has to keep the
caller waiting. Hence, there arises the need to reduce such a waiting time
as much as possible.
Conversely, there are cases in which the recipient of an electronic mail
message telephones the originator about the contents of the message. In
such cases also, the sender of the electronic message who received the
call needs to operate his terminal to recall an electronic mail list and
bring the electronic mail message in question onto the terminal screen;
hence, the need to reduce the time required for such operation as much as
possible. When calling the other party on the phone about the contents of
an electronic message, whether the caller is the originator or the
recipient of the electronic message, the caller is required to recall the
electronic message in question for display. For such cases also, there is
a need to reduce the time required for such operation as much as possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above enumerated problems, it is an object of the present
invention to realize an easy-to-operate system designed to suit actual use
by interlinking independent electronic mail and telephone systems.
The present invention is directed to an electronic mail system linked with
a telephone. The electronic mail system is composed of a plurality of
terminals connected through a network, and an electronic mail center
through which electronic mail is exchanged among users of the terminals;
the telephone system linked with the electronic mail system comprises a
plurality of telephones and a telephone exchange for connecting the
telephones. The electronic mail center is equipped with a terminal
interface capable of identifying the users using the terminals, and a
status variable managing means for managing status variables by which to
recognize the mail each individual user is currently reading. To achieve
the above object, the electronic mail system linked with telephone is
characterized in that: the telephones are associated in advance with the
individual users of the electronic mail system; the electronic mail center
is equipped with a correspondence table storing means for storing a table
of correspondence between user IDs and telephone numbers as well as
electronic mail for each user; the telephone exchange, upon reception or
acceptance of a call request, notifies the calling telephone number or the
called telephone number or both to the electronic mail center; and the
electronic mail center identifies the user ID of the calling user or the
called user, or the user IDs of both parties, corresponding to the
notified telephone number or numbers by referencing the correspondence
table, and transmits, upon connection of the call, an electronic mail
message or a list of electronic mail messages associated with the calling
user to the login terminal of the calling user, or an electronic mail
message or a list of electronic mail messages associated with the called
user to the login terminal of the called user, the electronic mail message
or the list of electronic mail messages thus transmitted being displayed
on the terminal concerned.
Preferably, the electronic mail message or the list of electronic mail
messages displayed on the terminal upon calling or upon call acceptance is
the electronic mail sent from the calling user to the called user or from
the called user to the calling user or the electronic mail exchanged
between these two users, and further preferably, the latest one among such
mail messages.
According to another preferred mode of the invention, the telephones are
associated in advance with the individual terminals connected to the
electronic mail system; each of the terminals is capable of detecting a
calling action initiated by the attached telephone, the telephone number
of the destination, and the acceptance of the call; the electronic mail
center is equipped with a correspondence table storing means for storing a
table of correspondence between the terminals and the telephones; the
terminal to which the originating telephone is attached notifies the
calling telephone number and the called telephone number to the electronic
mail center upon the initiation of a call or upon the acceptance of the
call; and the electronic mail center identifies the user IDs of the
calling user and called user corresponding to the notified telephone
numbers by referencing the correspondence table, and transmits, upon
connection of the call, an electronic mail message or a list of electronic
mail messages associated with the calling user and called user to the
login terminal of the calling user or called user, the electronic mail
message or the list of electronic mail message thus transmitted being
displayed on the terminal.
Traditionally, an electronic mail system and telephone system are
respectively independent entities, and there are no corresponding
relationships between the telephones and the terminals on which electronic
mail is displayed. Such being the case, it has not been possible to link
the display action of electronic mail with communication by telephone. On
the other hand, according to the system of the present invention, the
telephones are associated in advance either with the users of the
electronic mail system or with the terminals connected to the electronic
mail system, and their corresponding relationships are stored in the
electronic mail center; therefore, with the originating telephone number
or the destination telephone number notified from the telephone exchange
or the terminal, the electronic mail center can transmit related
electronic mail or a list of related electronic mail for display on the
terminal corresponding to the originating telephone number or destination
telephone number.
This improves the operability of the system since related electronic mail
or a list of related electronic mail is automatically displayed without
going through complex operating procedures when the user initiates
communication by telephone concerning electronic mail.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be more clearly understood from the description
as set forth below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a first embodiment of the
system of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a sequence of operations when a terminal
in the embodiment of FIG. 1 logs in to an electronic mail center;
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for operations between user
and terminal at a terminal interface;
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a table constructed by combining a use
ID/telephone number correspondence table with a user status variable
table;
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating operations relating to electronic mail and
the setting of a status variable;
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of electronic mail format;
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating processing steps according to the first
embodiment;
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of electronic mail format according
to a second embodiment; and
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of a third embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described below. For
simplicity of explanation, the following description assumes communication
between two persons, user A and user B, but it will be recognized that the
operations are basically the same for communication among three or more
persons, except for those points that will be described later.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration according to a first
embodiment.
In the figure, the reference numeral 1 is a network; 2-A and 2-B are
terminals which are personal computers; 3 is an electronic mail center;
5-A and 5-B are telephones; 6 is a telephone exchange; and 7 is a
telephone line. User A and user B log in to the electronic mail center 3
via the network 1 from their respective terminals 2-A and 2-B. FIG. 2 is a
flowchart illustrating the sequence of operations performed in each of the
terminals 2-A and 2-B for communication with the electronic mail center 3.
Each terminal goes through the operations shown in FIG. 2, to display the
electronic mail addressed to the terminal, and so on. The operating
procedure shown in FIG. 2 is a well known procedure and does not have a
direct bearing on the present invention, and therefore, detailed
explanation of the procedure will not be given here. Though not shown in
FIG. 1, there are many users other than user A and user B, and many other
terminals and telephones are connected to the same system.
The electronic mail center 3 comprises a central processing unit (CPU) 31
responsible for all necessary processing, a terminal interface 32, and an
external storage 33. The external storage 33 holds therein a user
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