JP3633231B2 - E-mail apparatus, e-mail processing method, and medium recording program - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic mail apparatus, an electronic mail processing method, and a medium on which a program is recorded, and more particularly, to an electronic mail system having a function of selecting a desired reply message from a plurality of fixed messages and returning it.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Various communication systems using computers have become widespread, and it has also been proposed to send and receive e-mails using mobile terminals (such as mobile terminals and in-vehicle terminals). However, for example, it is complicated to install a device that transmits and receives an e-mail in a vehicle and create and send a reply sentence to the received e-mail each time.
[0003]
Therefore, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-3421 discloses an e-mail apparatus that can easily create a reply sentence by selecting a desired fixed sentence from pre-stored fixed message sentences when creating an e-mail message. Has been.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
A system that can create a reply sentence by selecting a desired fixed sentence from a plurality of fixed message sentences is efficient in that it can respond easily, while a reply sentence such as “I will reply later” is used. If the user selects and responds, the user may forget to answer later because other loads such as driving operations are high in the vehicle.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to easily create and reply to a reply sentence and to reliably execute the contents of the reply sentence later. The object is to provide a method of electronic mail processing and a medium on which a program is recorded.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the first invention is an electronic mail apparatus that selects and returns a desired reply message from a plurality of fixed messages, and has a work pattern after reply corresponding to the selected reply message. It has the setting means which can be set, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. By setting the work pattern after replying in advance, it is possible to reliably prevent the user from forgetting to do the work (for example, neglecting the actual reply after sending a reply message “I will reply later”).
[0007]
The second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the work pattern includes a work of automatically transmitting to an external terminal. Examples of the external terminal include another terminal of the user and a portable terminal such as an electronic notebook. By automatically transmitting to these terminals, it is possible to save time and effort for the user to separately transmit.
[0008]
In a third aspect based on the first aspect, the work pattern includes a work to be notified again when the engine is started. By notifying again when the engine is started, it is possible to remind the user of the work after the reply.
[0009]
The fourth invention is an e-mail processing method for selecting and replying to a desired reply message from a plurality of fixed messages, the step of displaying a work pattern after reply according to the selected reply message; The work pattern is set to a desired pattern. By setting the work pattern after replying in advance, it is possible to reliably prevent the user from forgetting to do the work (for example, neglecting the actual reply after sending a reply message “I will reply later”).
[0010]
The fifth invention is characterized in that, in the fourth invention, the work pattern includes a work of automatically transmitting to an external terminal. As described above, the external terminal includes another terminal of the user, a portable terminal such as an electronic notebook, and the like, and by automatically transmitting to these, it is possible to save time and effort for the user to separately transmit.
[0011]
In addition, a sixth invention is characterized in that, in the fourth invention, the work pattern includes a work to be notified again when the engine is started. By notifying again when the engine is started, it is possible to remind the user of the work after the reply.
[0012]
According to a seventh aspect of the invention, there is provided a medium on which an e-mail processing program for selecting and returning a desired reply message from a plurality of fixed messages is recorded, the program responding to the selected reply message to the computer. The work pattern after the reply is displayed, and the work pattern is set to a desired pattern.
[0013]
The eighth invention is characterized in that, in the seventh invention, the work pattern includes a work of automatically transmitting to an external terminal.
[0014]
In addition, a ninth invention is characterized in that, in the seventh invention, the work pattern includes a work to be notified again when the engine is started.
[0015]
According to a tenth invention, in the first to third inventions, the electronic mail device is mounted on a vehicle. Since a load of driving operation other than transmission / reception of electronic mail is added to the vehicle, it is significant to install such a device that can automate the work after replying.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0017]
FIG. 1 shows a system configuration diagram of the present embodiment. The vehicle is equipped with an information communication device 1, which sends an e-mail to the mail server 3 in the provider 2 with which the user has a contract, and sends an e-mail addressed to himself / herself stored in the mail server 3. Request and get. The information communication apparatus 1 includes a computer, and a specific configuration thereof will be described later.
[0018]
The mail server 3 is connected to the Internet 4, and another fixed terminal 5 (for example, a computer in the user's house) of the user is further connected to the Internet 4. Therefore, when an e-mail transmitted from a third party to the user is stored in the mail server 3, the user can receive this e-mail by using the in-vehicle information communication device 1 and can also receive an e-mail from the fixed terminal 5. An e-mail can be received by accessing the server 3.
[0019]
FIG. 2 shows a specific configuration of the information communication apparatus 1. The in-vehicle computer 1a is a computer that communicates with other in-vehicle computers such as a navigation computer, and takes in and processes vehicle signals such as vehicle speed pulses. A display unit 1b is connected to the in-vehicle computer 1a, and various processed signals are supplied to the display unit 1b and presented to the user. In addition, an operation unit 1c is connected to the in-vehicle computer 1a, and an instruction to send or receive an e-mail is given from the user.
[0020]
The modem 1d and the wireless unit 1e are for data transmission / reception between the in-vehicle computer 1a and the mail server 3, and a car phone or the like can be used as the wireless unit 1e. That is, when transmitting an e-mail, e-mail data created by the user using the operation unit 1c is transmitted from the radio unit 1e to the mail server 3 via the modem 1d. When receiving an e-mail addressed to him / her, he / she accesses the provider 2 via the wireless unit 1e and supplies the e-mail data transmitted from the mail server 3 of the provider 2 to the in-vehicle computer 1a via the modem 1d. To do. The e-mail data supplied to the in-vehicle computer 1a is displayed on the display unit 1b and output to the voice synthesis unit 1f. The speech synthesizer 1f interprets the text data output from the in-vehicle computer 1a, converts it into speech data, and outputs it to the speaker 1g. Therefore, the user can confirm the contents of the e-mail by looking at the display unit 1b, and can also confirm by voice.
[0021]
In such a configuration, in the present embodiment, when an e-mail from a third party is received and an e-mail is sent back in response to the e-mail, the reply message is selected from a plurality of predetermined fixed messages. It is characterized in that a reply sentence can be easily created with, and forgetting a reply is prevented by setting a work pattern after reply. Hereinafter, this point will be described.
[0022]
FIG. 3 shows an example of a fixed message generated by the in-vehicle computer 1a and displayed on the display unit 1b when the user operates the operation unit 1c to set the in-vehicle computer 1a to the reply mode. As standard messages, messages such as “I will contact you later”, “I will attend”, “I will be absent”, “I understand”, “Please consult me separately”, etc. are prepared. A reply sentence can be created by selecting one of the plurality of standard messages using 1c. That is, when any one of the plurality of standard messages is selected, the selected message text is pasted as it is as text data of an electronic mail and transmitted to the mail server 3 through the modem 1d and the wireless unit 1e.
[0023]
Further, when the user selects any of the plurality of fixed message sentences, the in-vehicle computer 1a further displays a setting screen for setting a work pattern after reply on the display unit 1d (specifically, reply) It is preferable to display the e-mail before sending it to the mail server 3). FIGS. 4 to 8 show examples of these setting screens.
[0024]
FIG. 4 shows a setting screen when “I will contact you later” is selected as the standard message. As work (actions) after replying, "Forward email to office", "Add to task list", "Forward electronic notebook", and "Notify again when engine starts" are displayed, and "Set" for each action , “No setting” option is displayed. In the default state, these actions are set as follows, for example.
[0025]
“Forward mail to office”: Set “Add to task list”: Do not set “Forward to electronic notebook”: Set “Re-notify when engine starts”: Set Therefore, user set this default state In this case, after a reply message “I will contact you later” is sent to the mail server 3, this reply message is automatically transferred to the user's office (fixed terminal 5), and the information communication device 1 and the electronic notebook are connected to the adapter. If the connection is made by, for example, this reply message is automatically transferred to the electronic notebook. In addition, when the user turns off the engine and gets off after getting the reply e-mail, gets on again and starts the engine, the in-vehicle computer 1a displays a message such as “I will contact you later” on the display 1b. And re-notify the user that the user should be contacted. In this way, by setting the work pattern after replying in advance, even after sending the reply message, the user can surely execute without forgetting to contact later.
[0026]
Note that the settings shown in FIG. 4 are in the default state as described above, and the user can change the settings as appropriate according to their preferences. For example, when it is desired to add a task for contacting later from the in-memory task list of the in-vehicle computer 1a, the user may switch the setting item to “Yes” by operating the operation unit 1c.
[0027]
FIG. 5 shows a setting screen when “I attend” is selected as the standard message. The work (action) after the reply is the same as in FIG. 4, but the default state is set as follows.
[0028]
“Forward mail to office”: Set “Add to task list”: Set “Forward to electronic notebook”: Set “Notify again when engine starts” Not set By this, after replying e-mail to meeting etc. The attendance schedule is automatically added to the task list and automatically transferred to the electronic notebook carried by the user, so that the user can execute the schedule with certainty.
[0029]
When the electronic notebook is not connected to the information communication apparatus 1, the user may switch the setting item of the action “transfer to electronic notebook” to “no” using the operation unit 1c, or the in-vehicle computer. It is also possible for 1a to recognize the non-connected state of the electronic notebook and set the default state to “do not” to make the switching impossible.
[0030]
FIG. 6 shows a setting screen when “I am absent” is selected as the standard message. The work (action) after the reply is the same as in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, and is set as follows in the default state.
[0031]
“Forward mail to office”: Set “Add to task list”: Do not set “Forward to electronic notebook”: Do not set “Re-notify when engine starts”: Do not set Even if a reply message such as “I will be absent” is sent, the meeting schedule is not added to the task list and is not transferred to the electronic notebook, and the user matches the contents of the reply section. Can take action.
[0032]
FIG. 7 shows a setting screen when “OK” is selected from the standard messages. The work (action) is the same as that shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, and is set as follows in the default state.
[0033]
“Forward email to office”: Set “Add to task list”: Set “Forward to electronic notebook”: Set “Notify again when engine starts”: Not set This will set “Attend” as a standard message As in the case of the selection, the schedule shown in the received electronic mail is automatically added to the task list and automatically transferred to the electronic notebook, so that the user can surely digest the schedule.
[0034]
FIG. 8 shows a setting screen when “please consult separately” is selected as the standard message. The work (action) after the reply is the same as in FIGS. 4 to 7, and is set as follows in the default state.
[0035]
“Forward mail to office”: Set “Add to task list”: Set “Forward to electronic notebook”: Set “Notify again when engine starts”: Set Since the message is displayed on the display unit 1b, the user can surely execute the content of the reply message without forgetting to consult.
[0036]
As described above, in this embodiment, a work pattern after selecting a reply message and replying is set, and by automatically executing these work patterns, a reply message such as “I will contact you later” etc. When a reply is sent, it is possible to reliably prevent a situation such as forgetting to contact you later.
[0037]
The display of the fixed message selection screen and the display of the work pattern setting screen after the reply shown in FIGS. 3 to 8 can be realized by the processor of the in-vehicle computer 1a executing the processing program.
[0038]
FIG. 9 shows a basic flowchart showing the contents of the processing program. First, when an e-mail from a third party is received (S101), it is determined whether or not the user wishes to reply to this e-mail (S102). Specifically, this determination can be made based on whether or not the reply mode is set on the operation unit 1c (whether or not the reply switch is operated). If the user wishes to reply, the standard message shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the display unit 1b (S103).
[0039]
When the user selects any one of a plurality of standard messages (S104), a setting screen corresponding to the selected message is displayed (S105). Specifically, it is the screen of FIGS. 4 to 8 described above. Then, after the setting is completed, the standard message selected in S104 is returned (S106), and the work pattern set in S105 is executed after the reply (S107).
[0040]
Such a program can be supplied from a medium on which the program is recorded, and any medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD, or a hard disk can be used as the medium. Of course, such a medium can be produced by supplying the program from another computer to the hard disk of the in-vehicle computer 1a using a network.
[0041]
Moreover, in this embodiment, besides a vehicle-mounted computer, it is applicable also to movable terminals, such as a notebook personal computer and a personal digital assistant (PDA). Further, although it may be applied to a stationary personal computer, a fixed transmission process such as that of the present invention is applied to a mobile terminal or an in-vehicle computer because the work load on the user is higher in an environment where the terminal is used. ~ The effect of the work pattern registration method after reply is high.
[0042]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, even when a desired reply message is selected and returned from a plurality of standard messages, the contents of the reply message can be reliably executed after replying.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram of the information communication apparatus according to the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a standard message selection screen according to the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram (part 1) for setting a work pattern after a reply according to the embodiment;
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram (part 2) for setting a work pattern after a reply according to the embodiment;
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram (part 3) for setting a work pattern after a reply according to the embodiment;
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram (part 4) for setting a work pattern after a reply according to the embodiment;
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram (part 5) for setting a work pattern after a reply according to the embodiment;
FIG. 9 is a processing flowchart of the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Information communication device, 2 provider, 3 mail server, 4 Internet, 5 fixed terminal, 1a vehicle-mounted computer.

Claims (10)

An e-mail device that selects and returns a desired reply message from a plurality of standard messages,
An electronic mail apparatus comprising setting means capable of setting a work pattern after reply according to a selected reply message. The electronic mail apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the work pattern includes a work that is automatically transmitted to an external terminal. The electronic mail apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the work pattern includes a work to be notified again when the engine is started. An email processing method for selecting and replying to a desired reply message from a plurality of standard messages,
Displaying a work pattern after reply according to the selected reply message;
An e-mail processing method characterized by setting the work pattern to a desired pattern. 5. The e-mail processing method according to claim 4, wherein the work pattern includes a work of automatically transmitting to an external terminal. 5. The e-mail processing method according to claim 4, wherein the work pattern includes a work to be notified again when the engine is started. A medium in which an e-mail processing program for selecting and returning a desired reply message from a plurality of standard messages is recorded.
Display the work pattern after reply according to the selected reply message,
A medium having a program recorded thereon, wherein the work pattern is set to a desired pattern. The medium according to claim 7, wherein the work pattern includes a work to be automatically transmitted to an external terminal. The medium according to claim 7, wherein the work pattern includes a work to be notified again when the engine is started. The electronic mail apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic mail apparatus is mounted on a vehicle.

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