JPS6333343B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (1) Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for temporarily suspending mailbox access, particularly in an e-mail system, for suspending or suspending access to a mailbox in response to a request from a user. This invention relates to a method for temporarily suspending mailbox access that improves the efficiency of processing for canceling mailboxes.

(2) Background of the Technology An electronic mail system exchanges and sends and receives various messages and data via a mail area called a mailbox, that is, an electronic file, provided for each user. In such an e-mail system, when one user sends an e-mail to another user, the e-mail is entered from the sending user's terminal into the receiving user's mailbox on the host computer, for example. However, the user on the receiving side periodically accesses his/her own mailbox from his or her own terminal and reads the inputted mail, thereby receiving the mail. In addition, one of the services provided by such email systems is that users can temporarily suspend access to their own mailbox from other users at a specified date and time, or cancel the suspension. There is a mailbox access suspension service.

(3) Prior art and problems Conventionally, when suspending or unpausing access to a mailbox at a date and time specified by the user, the host computer of the e-mail system would always, for example, The current date and time are periodically monitored, and when the current date and time reaches a specified date and time, access to the user's mailbox is temporarily suspended or suspended.

However, in the conventional method, when there are many requests from users to suspend or cancel suspension, the amount of processing required to constantly monitor the date and time becomes extremely large, and a considerable portion of the processing capacity of the host computer, etc. There is an inconvenience that a lot of time is wasted due to the monitoring, resulting in so-called overhead.

(4) Purpose of the Invention In view of the problems with the conventional method described above, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for suspending mailbox access when a suspension request, a suspension release request, and a mailbox access request from a user are received. To simplify the time monitoring function of a host computer, etc. by eliminating the need for periodic constant time monitoring, and to eliminate overhead on the processing capacity of the host computer, based on the concept of occasionally performing time comparison.

(5) Structure of the Invention According to the present invention, the purpose is to provide an e-mail system that suspends or unsuspends access to a mailbox in response to a request from a user at a date and time specified in the request. In the mailbox access suspension method, when there is a suspension request or suspension cancellation request from a user, the date and time at the time of the request is compared with the specified date and time, and if the requested date and time has not reached the specified date and time, the mailbox is suspended or suspended respectively. If the request date and time reaches the suspension date and time, the mailbox is in the suspended or suspended state, respectively.If the user requests access to the mailbox and the mailbox is in the suspended or suspended state, the access request is made. This is achieved by providing a method for temporarily suspending mailbox access, which compares the access request time with a designated time, and if the access request time reaches the designated time, the mailbox access is set to a suspended or unsuspended state, respectively.

(6) Embodiments of the invention Examples of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an e-mail system for implementing a method according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a host computer, 2
are switching and communication circuit networks, 3 and 4 are terminals for users, respectively, and 5 and 6 are respective terminals for each user 3.
This is a mail area provided corresponding to 4 and 4.

In the system shown in FIG. 1, for example, when a user of terminal 3 sends an e-mail such as a message to a user of terminal 4, an e-mail including destination information and a message and a command are input from terminal 3. In response to the command, the host computer 1 connects the terminal 3 and the mail area 5 corresponding to the terminal 3 via the exchange and communication circuit network 2, and temporarily stores the input mail in its own mail area 5. Then, the mail is transferred from the mail area 5 to the mail area 6 of the destination user. The mail thus stored in the mail area 6 corresponding to the user of the terminal 4 is transmitted to the terminal 4 when the user of the terminal 4 inputs a predetermined read command and accesses the mail area, for example, periodically.

FIG. 2 shows a processing system provided within the host computer 1, for example, for suspending and canceling mailbox access in the above-mentioned electronic mail system. Such a system can be realized by combining each processing section using hardware, but it can also be realized by a program that performs the operation of each processing section. In FIG. 2, 21 is a mailbox access processing unit, 22 is a mailbox stored in a large-capacity storage device, etc., and 23 is a request for suspending mailbox access, accepting requests for suspending suspension, and performing necessary processing. Processing unit 24 is a mailbox status monitoring processing unit 25
is a clock, and 26 is a status display section.

In the system shown in Fig. 2, the mailbox status is normal, that is, a state in which access is being accepted, a state in which access is not being accepted (hereinafter referred to as "stopped"), and a waiting state in which the mailbox is stopped when a specified date and time is reached. You can manage your mailbox by providing four types of states: (hereinafter simply referred to as Waiting for Suspension), and Waiting for Pause Release (hereinafter simply referred to as Waiting for Suspension), in which access is unsuspended when a specified date and time is reached. Let's do it.

That is, when a user makes a request to temporarily stop a mailbox by specifying a stop date and time, the request information is input to the request processing section 23. Request processing unit 23
inputs the request information into the mailbox status monitoring processing section (hereinafter simply referred to as the monitoring processing section) 24;
The monitoring processing unit 24 compares the current date and time from the clock 25 with the specified date and time included in the request information. As a result of this comparison, if the current date and time has not reached the specified date and time, the flag in the status display section 26 corresponding to the specified mailbox is set to the state at the time of stopping, and if the current date and time has been reached, the flag is set to the stopped state. Set to . Note that the flag in the status display section 26 is provided with, for example, 2 bits for each mailbox to display the above four statuses.

When a user specifies a date and time and requests to cancel the temporary suspension of the mailbox, the current date and time are compared with the specified date and time in the same way as described above, and if the current date and time has not reached the specified date and time, the status display section 26 The flag inside is set to wait for stop release, and if it has been reached, the state is set to normal.

Further, when there is a request from a user to access the mailbox, that is, to write or read mail in the mailbox, the request is input to a mailbox access processing section (hereinafter simply referred to as the access processing section) 21. In response to the request, the access processing section 21 inquires of the monitoring processing section 24 about the status of the corresponding mailbox. If the status information indicates Waiting for Stop or Waiting for Stop Release, the monitoring processing unit 24 compares the specified date and time stored in the status display unit 26, that is, the stop date and time or release date and time, with the current date and time. If the current date and time have not reached the specified date and time, the state of the status display section 26 remains in the standby state or in the standby state, respectively, and if the current date and time has reached the designated date and time, the state is set to be in the stopped state or normal state, respectively. Thereafter, the access processing section 21 receives the status information of the mailbox displayed on the status display section 26 via the monitoring processing section 24. If the received status information indicates a normal status, the access processing unit 21 accesses the mailbox 22, and if the received status information indicates that the mailbox is stopped, it notifies the user's terminal that the mailbox is stopped. Through such processing, the state of the mailbox can be changed and the access request can be rejected or accepted.

(7) Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, there is no need to constantly monitor time periodically, and time monitoring is performed only when a user requests a pause, cancels a pause, or requests access. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the time monitoring function of the host computer, etc., and to reduce waste of processing power due to constant monitoring.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block circuit diagram showing an example of an e-mail system used to implement the method of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows processing for a mailbox temporary stop request, etc. in the system of FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing system for carrying out the processing. 1...Host computer, 2...Exchange and communication network, 3, 4...Terminal, 5, 6...Mail area, 2
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Mailbox access processing section, 22...Mailbox, 23...Request processing section, 24...Mailbox status monitoring processing section, 25...Clock, 26...Status display section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 In the mailbox access suspension method of an e-mail system, which suspends or cancels suspension of mailbox access at the date and time specified in the request in response to a user's request, a suspension request or suspension from a user When a cancellation request is made, the date and time at the time of the request is compared with the specified date and time, and if the requested date and time has not reached the specified date and time, the mailbox is placed on standby or standby, respectively, and if the request date and time has reached the specified date and time, If the mailbox is in the suspended or suspended status, and the mailbox is in the suspended or suspended status when a user requests access to the mailbox, the access request time and the designated time are compared, and the access request time is determined to be the designated time. The mailbox access temporary suspension method is characterized in that if the mailbox access is reached, the mailbox access is set to a suspended state or a suspended state, respectively.