JP2009260897A - Contact network system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a contact network system for preventing an email address of a system subscriber from being known by other subscribers, while permitting a subscriber who has received a broadcast email to reply only to a person having transmitted the first mail. <P>SOLUTION: In the contact network system comprising a plurality of terminals 101 which transmit and receive emails with unique email addresses and a mail server 102 which transmits a broadcast email to all of the terminals 101 or a group of some of them when receiving an email from one of the terminals 101, the mail server 102 has: a function of, when receiving an email from one of the terminals 101, making a unique email address of the terminal 101 secret, converting the unique email address into another conversion email address, and transmitting the email as a broadcast email; and a function of, when receiving a reply email addressed to the conversion email address from a terminal having received the broadcast email, transmitting the reply email to only one terminal 101 having a unique email address that the conversion email address specifies. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a communication network system including a plurality of terminals such as portable terminals and computer terminals and a mail server to which they are connected.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a mail communication network system that includes a plurality of terminals such as portable terminals and computer terminals and a mail server to which they are connected has been known. In such a contact network system, when mail is sent from one terminal to the mail server, simultaneous transmission from the mail server, that is, delivery to the terminals of all system subscribers is made ( For example, see Patent Document 1).

More specifically, one of the above-described contact network systems is known in which transmission / reception is performed with a mail address unique to each terminal. As another example, when a mail server has a predetermined mail address defined for transmission / reception of a contact network and receives a transmission from one of a plurality of terminals connected to the mail server, A device having a function for simultaneous transmission is also known. In such a contact network system, when transmission is made from a certain terminal to the contact network, the simultaneous transmission from the mail server receiving it to all the system subscribers is the mail address of the mail server, that is, the above-mentioned. It is done by a predetermined mail address.
JP-A-11-88423

In the former of the two network systems shown above, the sender's e-mail address (a unique e-mail address assigned to the sender's terminal, the same applies hereinafter) is known to all the network system subscribers. There is a problem that it ends up. Also, in this system, if domain specified reception or domain specified reception refusal is set in the terminal for spam mail countermeasures, it is necessary to set or cancel the setting for each mail address of the contact network system subscriber There is also a problem that the setting operation becomes troublesome.

On the other hand, in the latter contact network system, since the simultaneous transmission to each terminal is made with a predetermined mail address possessed by the mail server, the sender's mail address is not known to other system subscribers, In addition, setting such as domain-designated reception refusal is only required for one mail address of the mail server, which is very simple.

However, in this latter communication network system, the system subscriber who receives the simultaneous transmission from the mail server cannot know the mail address of the subscriber who sent the mail. Therefore, even when replying to the mail that has been sent simultaneously, since it is naturally sent to the mail address of the mail server, the returned mail is also sent to all the system subscribers. In that case, of course, respondents, as well as those who have interests or interests in the contents of the first email sent simultaneously, will reply. However, some system subscribers have such interests and interests. There is a possibility that there is a person who has no relationship (hereinafter referred to as outside the party). If this is the case, it will be inconvenient for people outside the party to send unneeded emails several times after that, although there is no way for the first time.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the mail address of the system subscriber is not known to other subscribers, and the subscriber who receives the simultaneous transmission transmits the first mail (hereinafter referred to as the mail sender). It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication network system that makes it possible to reply only to a user.

The communication network system of the present invention is connected to a plurality of terminals each having a unique mail address for sending and receiving mail and a predetermined mail address defined for transmission and reception of the communication network. And a communication network comprising a mail server having a function of simultaneously transmitting mail to all of the plurality of terminals or a part of the plurality of terminals when receiving transmission from one of those terminals. In the system, when the mail server receives a mail from one of the terminals, the unique mail address of the terminal indicating the transmission source is concealed, and the unique mail address is changed to a different converted mail address. A function that broadcasts emails after conversion, and the converted email address from the terminal that received the broadcast email When receiving the signal mail, and is characterized in that it comprises a function of transmitting only the reply mail single terminal with a unique email address which is the conversion mail address of the conversion source.

In addition to the simultaneous transmission as described above, the communication network system of the present invention may of course have a function of specifying one of the system subscribers and transmitting a mail.

In addition, the above-mentioned “confidential” means that as long as a normal user operates the terminal normally, the e-mail address is not displayed in the elements (subject, text, sender, etc.) constituting the e-mail. Shall.

As described above, when a reply mail addressed to the converted mail address is received, the function of sending the reply mail to only one terminal having a unique mail address that is the conversion source of the converted mail address is mail. When the server is equipped, the mail server may further include a function of concealing the unique mail address of the terminal that issued the reply mail when the mail server receives the reply mail. desirable.

Furthermore, in the contact network system according to the present invention, for each unique mail address, there is provided storage means for storing information for generating the converted mail address in association with the unique mail address, and the mail server includes: When receiving a mail transmission from one of the terminals, it has a function of reading out the information corresponding to the unique mail address of the terminal from the storage means and generating the converted mail address based on the information Is desirable.

As described above, in the contact network system of the present invention, when the mail server receives a mail transmission from one of a plurality of terminals, the unique mail address of the terminal indicating the transmission source is concealed, and the Since it has a function to send e-mails simultaneously after converting the unique e-mail address to another converted e-mail address, simultaneous sending from the e-mail server is performed with the e-mail address of the terminal that sent it kept secret As a result, the sender's unique e-mail address is not known to all system subscribers. Furthermore, since the simultaneous transmission is performed by an e-mail address according to a predetermined definition of the mail server defined for transmission / reception of the communication network, setting operation such as domain designation reception is performed only for one domain used in the communication network system. Therefore, the setting operation is simple.

In the contact network system of the present invention, in particular, when a reply mail addressed to the converted mail address is received from a terminal that has received the broadcast mail, the unique mail address that is the conversion source of the converted mail address Since the mail server has a function of transmitting the reply mail to only one terminal having the mail address, it is possible to reply only to the mail sender. At this time, since mail is not sent to devices other than the reply destination, that is, other than the mail sender, it is possible to prevent people outside the party from receiving many uninterested or interested mails and making them bothersome Is done.

In addition, when the mail recipient replies with normal operation, the reply mail is automatically sent only to the mail sender via the mail server, so it is not necessary to check the mail address when replying .

Further, when the mail server has a function of concealing the unique mail address of the terminal that issued the reply mail when the reply mail is received as described above, the unique mail of the terminal that has sent the reply is provided. This is more preferable because the address (that is, the replyer's unique mail address) is prevented from being known to all the system subscribers.

Further, in the contact network system of the present invention, in particular, for each unique mail address, there is provided storage means for storing information for generating the converted mail address in association with the unique mail address, and the mail server includes: When receiving a transmission of mail from one of the terminals, it has a function of reading the information corresponding to the unique mail address of the terminal from the storage means and generating the converted mail address based on the information Ensures the correspondence between the unique e-mail address and the information to generate a converted e-mail address different from the unique e-mail address that identifies the device, and generates a converted e-mail address different from the unique e-mail address that identifies the device. Management work such as changing information is also facilitated.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a communication network system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This communication network system has a plurality of mobile terminals 101, 101,... (Each having a unique mail address and transmitting / receiving mails). And send screen data or send a mail in response to a command from the portable terminal 101 such as “open contact network authentication screen” or “send mail”. And a network 103 that interconnects the mail server 102 and a plurality of portable terminals 101.

As will be described in detail later, the mail server 102 is a mail address for simultaneous transmission to all members in the communication network system defined for transmission / reception of the communication network, among a plurality of terminals subscribing to the communication network system. An e-mail address for sending to some groups at once, or an e-mail address for sending e-mail to one of the subscribers who are subscribed to the contact network system, and sent from one mobile terminal 101 , A mail is sent to one terminal 101 of the contact network system subscriber, or a mail is sent to all of the plurality of terminals 101, 101,... 101, 101,... Are provided with a function for simultaneously transmitting mails to all terminals 101 belonging to some of the groups. More specifically, the mail server 102 includes a WEB display unit 102 a that transmits screen data such as a contact network authentication screen and a contact network screen displayed on the mobile terminal 101, and a mail transmission unit that transmits mail to the mobile terminal 101. 102b, a mail transfer unit 102c that receives a mail from the mobile terminal 101 and searches for an address to be transferred, and information on a contact network system subscriber and group information indicating a part of groups in the plurality of mobile terminals 101 It comprises a database unit 102d having stored storage means.

Further, in the database unit 102d, a user master that stores information for generating a converted email address different from the unique email address specifying each of the plurality of mobile terminals 101 in association with the unique email address of the terminal. 102d1 and a group master 102d2 that stores group information indicating some groups of the plurality of portable terminals 101 are provided.

The WEB display unit 102 a has a function of performing communication with the mobile terminal 101 using an HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) protocol or an HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer) protocol. The WEB display unit 102a and the mail transfer unit 102c can access the database unit 102d.

Each functional unit described above, that is, the WEB display unit 102a, the mail transmission unit 102b, the mail transfer unit 102c, and the database unit 102d is realized by a program of an information processing device that constitutes the mail server 102. Each function is realized by the central processing unit (Central Processing Unit) of the mail server 102 sequentially reading the stored program through the memory. The database unit 102d is stored in the hard disk device. Although the database unit 102d is installed in the main body of the mail server 102 in this embodiment, it may be installed separately from the main body.

The mail server 102 having the above configuration can be connected to a network such as the Internet, and has a function of transmitting and receiving electronic information such as mail conforming to the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) protocol.

On the other hand, the portable terminal 101 has a WEB display function and an electronic mail (Electronic Mail) function, that is, a function of transmitting and receiving electronic information such as mail according to the SMTP protocol. Each mobile terminal 101 needs to be set in advance so as to be able to receive a mail having a mail address of a domain name used in the communication network system defined as above in the mail server 102 as a transmission source. is there.

As the network 103, for example, the Internet using TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) is used.

Next, the operation of the communication network system of this embodiment will be described. First, in operating the contact network system of this embodiment, the administrator of the contact network system uses the contact network authentication screen displayed on the mobile terminal 101 based on the data from the WEB display unit 102a in FIG. To register the groups used in the communication network system. That is, the administrator of the contact network system accesses the mail server 102 to display the contact network authentication screen 201 as shown in FIG. The contact network authentication screen 201 is displayed based on data provided in the WEB display unit 102a of the mail server 102.

Then, the administrator of the communication network system inputs the user ID and password on the communication network authentication screen 201 and presses the authentication button. Then, a contact network system menu screen 202 shown in FIG. Subsequently, the administrator of the contact network system selects group registration on the contact network system menu screen 202 and displays the group registration screen 203 on the mobile terminal 101. Further, the administrator of the communication network system inputs a symbol for identifying a part of the plurality of terminals 101 to the group symbol on the group registration screen 203, and sets one of the plurality of terminals 101 to the group name. The name of the group is input and the confirmation button is pressed to display the group registration confirmation screen 204. Subsequently, the administrator of the communication network system confirms the registration contents displayed on the group registration confirmation screen 204 and presses the transmission button.

When the above operation is performed, a registration request to the database is transmitted from the portable terminal 101 to the mail server 102. Upon receiving this registration request, the mail server 102 stores the group symbol and group name in the group master 102d2 provided in the database unit 102d. When the data storage is completed, a group registration completion screen 205 is displayed on the mobile terminal 101.

On the other hand, the contact network system subscriber first accesses the mail server 102 to display the contact network authentication screen 301 as shown in FIG. The contact network authentication screen 301 is displayed based on data provided in the WEB display unit 102a of the mail server 102.

Then, the contact network system subscriber selects new registration from the contact network authentication screen 301 and displays the mail address registration screen 302 on the portable terminal 101. Further, the contact network system subscriber inputs the unique mail address of one mobile terminal 101 among the contact network system subscribers in the mail address registration screen 302 and the password of the contact network system subscribers in the password. A password set by one person is input, a symbol indicating a group to which one of the communication network system subscribers belongs belongs to the group to which the user belongs, and a confirmation button is pressed to display a mail address registration confirmation screen 303. Subsequently, the communication network system subscriber confirms the registered content displayed on the mail address registration confirmation screen 303 and presses the send button.

When the above operation is performed, a registration request to the database is transmitted from the portable terminal 101 to the mail server 102. Upon receiving this registration request, the mail server 102 stores the number assigned by the mail server 102 so that the number automatically becomes a serial number in the user master 102d1 provided in the database unit 102d as a user ID, and the mail Save addresses, passwords and groups. When the data storage is completed, a mail address registration completion screen 304 is displayed on the mobile terminal 101.

In the communication network system according to the present embodiment, the mail server 102 automatically assigns a number assigned so that the number is a continuous number, and the user ID is stored in the mail address registration screen 302 as shown in FIG. As in the mail address registration screen 601, an arbitrary character determined by the subscriber of the communication network system may be input to the user ID, and the character may be stored in the user master 102d1 provided in the database unit 102d.

Next, FIG. 4 shows the flow of mail exchange processing in the communication network system of this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the process flow in the mail transmission process 402 and the mail transmission process 404 shown in FIG. Hereinafter, mail exchange processing will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, a mail address defined for communication network transmission / reception used in the communication network system of this embodiment will be described.

Commonly used e-mail addresses are configured in a format such as local part @ domain name. The local part is a symbol indicating the sender of the mail, and the domain name is used by the sender. Each domain name of the server is assigned. The configuration of the e-mail address used in the communication network system of this embodiment is basically the same as the configuration of a commonly used e-mail address (local part @ domain name). Symbol (hereinafter referred to as EEE), a symbol indicating a group of a plurality of terminals (symbol _EEE indicating a group), a symbol indicating one of the subscribers in the communication network system (user ID_EEE) ) Is set. Further, a domain name set in the mail server 102 (hereinafter referred to as “FFF.GGG”) is assigned to the domain name portion.

That is, the e-mail address used in the communication network system of this embodiment is an e-mail address (EEE@FFF.GGG) for simultaneous transmission to all members, and for simultaneous transmission to some groups in the plurality of terminals 101. And a mail address (user ID_EEE@FFF.GGG) for sending to one of the subscribers in the communication network system.

Next, description will be given of a case where mails are simultaneously transmitted to all subscribers of the communication network system using the communication network system.

An e-mail sender among the subscribers of this communication network system, that is, a person who first sends an e-mail for a certain case (hereinafter referred to as subscriber A) is set as a destination on the e-mail transmission screen of the mobile terminal 101 of subscriber A An e-mail address (EEE@FFF.GGG) for simultaneous transmission to all members defined for transmission / reception of the communication network used in the communication network system is input.

Subsequently, the subscriber A inputs the matter indicating the original contact message in the subject and further inputs the contact content in the text. When input of the destination, subject, and text is completed, a mail transmission request 401 is sent to the mail server 102 by pressing a transmission button or the like. As shown in FIG. 4, when the mail server 102 receives the mail transmission request 401 from the mobile terminal 101 of the subscriber A, the mail server 102 executes a mail transmission process 402 next.

In the mail transmission process 402, the mail server 102 first executes a contact network system subscriber determination process 501 shown in FIG. In the contact network system subscriber determination processing 501, the user master 102d1 provided in the database unit 102d in the mail server 102 stores the unique mail address of the mobile terminal 101 of the subscriber A (hereinafter referred to as HHH@III.JJJ). Whether or not it is registered is inquired, and if it is registered, the simultaneous transmission determination process 502 is executed for all of them. If not registered, the received mail is discarded and a mail indicating that it cannot be used is transmitted to the subscriber A. That is, in this case, since it is registered in the user master 102d1 provided in the database unit 102d in the mail server 102 as a result, the simultaneous transmission determination process 502 is executed for all members.

Then, in the simultaneous transmission determination processing 502 shown in FIG. 5, the mail address for simultaneous transmission to all of the contact network system of this embodiment is EEE @ FFF. Since it is defined as GGG, it is compared whether or not the mail address set at the destination of the received mail matches this defined mail address (EEE@FFF.GGG). As a result of the comparison, if it matches with the defined mail address (EEE@FFF.GGG), mail address conversion processing 503 is performed to broadcast to all the members. A determination process 504 is executed. That is, in this case, since the result matches, the mail address conversion process 503 for simultaneous transmission to all the members is executed.

Subsequently, in the mail address conversion process 503 for simultaneous transmission to all members shown in FIG. 5, the unique mail of all the mobile terminals 101 registered in the user master 102 d 1 provided in the database unit 102 d in the mail server 102. The address is inquired, and each unique mail address is set as the mail address of the destination.

In addition, since the configuration of the conversion mail address of the subscriber in the communication network system of the present embodiment is defined as the symbol @domain name (user ID_EEE@FFF.GGG) indicating simultaneous transmission to all user IDs_ A user ID corresponding to the unique mail address (HHH@III.JJJ) of the mobile terminal 101 of the subscriber A is inquired to the user master 102d1 provided in the database unit 102d, and the inquired user ID is used. Then, a converted mail address (for example, if the user ID of the subscriber A is 0001, 0001_EEE@FFF.GGG) is created, and the mail transmission process 508 shown in FIG. 5 is executed.

Further, in the mail transmission processing 508 shown in FIG. 5, the transmission destination mail address and the conversion mail address (0001_EEE@FFF.GGG) created in the mail address conversion processing 503 for simultaneous transmission to all members are sent to the sender's mail address. In addition, the subject indicating the original contact message sent from the subscriber A is set in the subject, the transmission contents sent from the subscriber A are set as the mail body, and the set contents are mailed. The data is passed to the transmission unit 102b.

Then, the mail transmission unit 102b in the mail server 102 transmits the mail all at once to the mail address set as the destination mail address using the SMTP protocol.

Next, a case will be described in which the mail is simultaneously transmitted to some groups among the subscribers of the network system using the network system.

When subscriber A sends a mail to a part of the group (hereinafter referred to as “group A”) among the subscribers of the communication network system, the subscriber A displays the mail transmission screen of the mobile terminal 101 of the subscriber A. , An e-mail address for sending to the group A defined for transmission / reception of the contact network used in the contact network system (for example, GROUPA_EEE @ FFF.GGG).

Subsequently, the subscriber A inputs the matter indicating the original contact message in the subject and further inputs the contact content in the text. When input of the destination, subject, and text is completed, a mail transmission request 401 is sent to the mail server 102 by pressing a transmission button or the like. As shown in FIG. 4, when the mail server 102 receives the mail transmission request 401 from the mobile terminal 101 of the subscriber A, the mail server 102 executes a mail transmission process 402 next.

In the mail transmission process 402, the mail server 102 first executes a contact network system subscriber determination process 501 shown in FIG. In this communication network system subscriber determination processing 501, is the unique mail address (HHH@III.JJJ) of the mobile terminal 101 of subscriber A registered in the user master 102d1 provided in the database unit 102d in the mail server 102? If it is registered and registered, the simultaneous transmission determination process 502 is executed for all of them. If not registered, the received mail is discarded and a mail indicating that it cannot be used is transmitted to the subscriber A. That is, in this case, since it is registered in the user master 102d1 provided in the database unit 102d in the mail server 102 as a result, the simultaneous transmission determination process 502 is executed for all members.

In the simultaneous transmission determination process 502 shown in FIG. 5, the mail address for simultaneous transmission to all members of the contact network system of the present embodiment is EEE @ FFF. Since it is defined as GGG, it is compared whether or not the mail address set at the destination of the received mail matches this defined mail address (EEE@FFF.GGG). As a result of the comparison, if it matches the defined mail address (EEE@FFF.GGG), a conversion process 503 for simultaneous transmission to all members is executed. If they do not match, the simultaneous transmission determination process 504 is executed for the group. In other words, in this case, the result is that they do not match, and the simultaneous transmission determination process 504 is executed for the group.

Further, in the group simultaneous transmission determination processing 504 shown in FIG. 5, first, a symbol indicating the group is extracted from the local part (GROUP_EEE) of the mail address set at the destination of the received mail. More specifically, _ and the symbol (EEE) indicating simultaneous transmission to all members are removed from the local part (GROUP_EEE) of the mail address set at the destination of the received mail, and the symbol (GROUP) indicating the group is extracted.

Then, the mail server 102 inquires whether or not the symbol (GROUPA) indicating the group extracted as described above is registered in the group symbol column of the group master 102d2 provided in the database unit 102d in the mail server 102. If registered, a mail address conversion process 505 for simultaneous transmission to the group is executed. If not registered, a transmission determination process 506 is executed for one of the subscribers. That is, in this case, as a result, since it is registered in the group master 102d2 provided in the database unit 102d in the mail server 102, the mail address conversion process 505 for simultaneous transmission to the group is executed.

Subsequently, in the mail address conversion process 505 for simultaneous transmission to the group shown in FIG. 5, the mail server 102 makes an inquiry about the unique mail address to the user master 102d1 provided in the database unit 102d in the mail server 102. Then, all the unique e-mail addresses of the mobile terminals 101 of the subscribers belonging to the group that matches the symbol are set as e-mail addresses of transmission destinations.

In addition, since the configuration of the conversion mail address of the subscriber in the communication network system of the present embodiment is defined as the symbol @domain name (user ID_EEE@FFF.GGG) indicating simultaneous transmission to all user IDs_ The user ID corresponding to the subscriber A's unique mail address (HHH@III.JJJ) is inquired to the user master 102d1 provided in the database unit 102d, and the converted mail address is used using the inquired user ID. (For example, when the user ID of the subscriber A is 0001, 0001_EEE@FFF.GGG is created), and the mail transmission process 508 is executed.

Further, in the mail transmission process 508 shown in FIG. 5, the transmission destination mail address and the conversion mail address (0001_EEE@FFF.GGG) created in the mail address conversion process 505 for simultaneous transmission to the group are sent to the sender's mail address. In addition, the subject is set to indicate the original contact message sent from the subscriber A, and the transmission content sent from the subscriber A is set as the mail body, and the set content is mailed. The data is passed to the transmission unit 102b.

Then, the mail transmission unit 102b in the mail server 102 transmits the mail all at once to the mail address set as the destination mail address using the SMTP protocol.

Next, a case will be described in which a mail transmitted simultaneously using this communication network system is received and a reply is made to the sender.

Among the contact network system subscribers who have received the broadcast mail, those who wish to reply to subscriber A (hereinafter referred to as subscriber B) are mail reply processing by the function of the mobile terminal 101 of subscriber B A mail reply is made using 403. This reply is made in the form of a normal “reply”. When the mail server 102 receives the mail from the subscriber B, the mail transmission processing 404 is activated in the mail transfer unit 102c.

In the mail transmission process 404, the mail server 102 first executes a contact network system subscriber determination process 501 shown in FIG. In this communication network system subscriber determination processing 501, the user master 102d1 provided in the database unit 102d in the mail server 102 stores the unique mail address of the mobile terminal 101 of the subscriber B (hereinafter referred to as KKK@LLL.MMM). Whether or not it is registered is inquired, and if it is registered, the simultaneous transmission determination process 502 is executed for all of them. If not registered, the received mail is discarded and a mail indicating that it cannot be used is transmitted to the subscriber B. That is, in this case, as a result, since it is registered in the user master 102d1 provided in the database unit 102d in the mail server 102, the simultaneous transmission determination process 502 is executed for all members.

Then, in the simultaneous transmission determination processing 502 shown in FIG. 5, the mail address for simultaneous transmission to all of the contact network system of this embodiment is EEE @ FFF. Since it is defined as GGG, it is compared whether or not the mail address set at the destination of the received mail matches this defined mail address (EEE@FFF.GGG). As a result of the comparison, if it matches the defined mail address (EEE@FFF.GGG), a mail address conversion process 503 for simultaneous transmission to all members is executed. If they do not match, a simultaneous transmission determination process 504 is executed for the group. In other words, in this case, the result is that they do not match, and the simultaneous transmission determination process 504 is executed for the group.

Further, in the group simultaneous transmission determination process 504 shown in FIG. 5, first, a symbol indicating the group is extracted from the local part (0001_EEE) of the mail address set at the destination of the received mail. More specifically, the symbol (EEE) indicating simultaneous transmission to _ and everyone is removed from the local part (0001_EEE) of the mail address set at the destination of the received mail, and the symbol (0001) indicating the group is taken out.

Then, the mail server 102 inquires whether or not the symbol (0001) indicating the group extracted as described above is registered in the group symbol column of the group master 102d2 provided in the database unit 102d in the mail server 102. If registered, a mail address conversion process 505 for simultaneous transmission to the group is executed. If they do not match, transmission determination processing 506 is executed for one of the subscribers. That is, in this case, as a result, since it is not registered in the group master 102d2 provided in the database unit 102d in the mail server 102, the transmission determination process 506 is executed for one of the subscribers.

Further, in the transmission determination processing 506 for one of the subscribers shown in FIG. 5, first, the local part (0001_EEE) of the mail address set at the destination of the received mail is sent to the subscriber in the communication network system. Take out the symbol for one of them. More specifically, the local part (0001_EEE) of the mail address set at the destination of the received mail removes _ and the symbol (EEE) indicating simultaneous transmission to all members, and is one of the subscribers in the communication network system. The symbol (0001) indicating is taken out.

Then, the mail server 102 has a symbol (0001) indicating one of the subscribers in the communication network system extracted in the user ID column of the user master 102d1 provided in the database unit 102d in the mail server 102. Is registered, and if registered, a mail address conversion process 507 for transmitting to one of the subscribers is executed. If not registered, the received mail is discarded and a mail indicating that it cannot be transmitted to the subscriber B is transmitted. That is, in this case, as a result, since it is registered in the user master 102d1 provided in the database unit 102d in the mail server 102, the mail address conversion process 507 for transmitting to one of the subscribers is executed. .

Subsequently, in the mail address conversion processing 507 for transmitting to one of the subscribers shown in FIG. 5, the mail server 102 is unique to the user master 102d1 provided in the database unit 102d in the mail server 102. The mail address is inquired, and the unique mail address (HHH@III.JJJ) of the subscriber's mobile terminal 101 that matches the symbol (0001) is set as the mail address of the transmission destination.

In addition, since the configuration of the conversion mail address of the subscriber in the communication network system of the present embodiment is defined as the symbol @domain name (user ID_EEE@FFF.GGG) indicating simultaneous transmission to all user IDs_ Then, the user master 102d1 provided in the database unit 102d is queried for the user ID corresponding to the unique mail address (KKK@LLL.MMM) of the subscriber B, and the converted mail is sent using the queried user ID. An address (for example, when the user ID of the subscriber B is 0002 is 0002_EEE@FFF.GGG) is created, and the mail transmission process 508 is executed.

Further, in the mail transmission process 508 shown in FIG. 5, the transmission destination mail address and the converted mail address (0001_EEE@FFF.GGG) created in the mail address conversion process 507 for transmission to one of the subscribers are transmitted. Set as the e-mail address of the subscriber, further set the subject to indicate the original contact message sent from the subscriber B, and set the contents of transmission sent from the subscriber B as the email body, The set contents are passed to the mail transmission unit 102b.

Then, the mail transmitting unit 102b in the mail server 102 transmits mail to the mail address set as the destination mail address using the SMTP protocol.

As described above, in the communication network system of this embodiment, a reply to the mail is received from the mobile terminal 101 that has received the mail converted from the subscriber A to the converted mail address that identifies the terminal of the subscriber A. Since the mail server 102 has a function of selecting and transmitting only one portable terminal 101 corresponding to the converted mail address that identifies the terminal when it is made, the unique mail address of the subscriber A is concealed during simultaneous transmission. Even if it is done, the reply mail is surely sent to the mobile terminal 101 of the subscriber A.

Since the broadcast is performed in a state where the unique mail address of the subscriber A is concealed, the unique mail address of the subscriber A is prevented from being inadvertently known to all the system subscribers. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reply is made in a state where the unique mail address of subscriber B who has returned is also kept secret, so the unique mail address of subscriber B is inadvertently known to all the system subscribers. Is also prevented.

Further, since the above simultaneous transmission is performed by a mail address in accordance with a predetermined definition of the mail server 102 defined for transmission / reception of the communication network, a setting operation such as domain designation reception is also performed for one domain used in the communication network system. Therefore, the setting operation is simple.

In addition, since the reply mail from the subscriber B is sent back only to the subscriber A, the subscriber B can also send a person who is not interested or interested in the mail sent by the subscriber A (outside the party). The reply mail is not sent, and the trouble of receiving the reply mail for each person outside the party is eliminated.

In the contact network system of the present embodiment, a database unit (storage means) 102d that stores each user ID of each of the plurality of mobile terminals 101 in association with the unique mail address of the mobile terminal 101 is provided. However, when a transmission is received from one of the plurality of portable terminals 101, the user ID corresponding to the specific mail address of the terminal is read from the database unit 102d, and the terminal is identified based on the read user ID. Since a function for generating an e-mail address is provided, the association between the user ID and the unique e-mail address is ensured, and management work such as a change of the user ID is simplified.

Further, by using the contact network system of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a mail address conversion process 503 for simultaneous transmission to all persons, a mail address conversion process 505 for simultaneous transmission to a group, and a subscriber In the mail address conversion process 507 for sending to one person, in this embodiment, the mail server 102 sends the unique mail address (HHH @ III.JJ), the conversion mail address of the subscriber of the communication network system was inquired (for example, 0001_EEE@FFF.GGG if the user ID of subscriber A is 0001). However, the mail server 102 automatically adds a number that is automatically assigned a unique number. The unique mail address (HHH@III.JJJ) of the mobile terminal 101 of the user A is stored in the transmission history number and mail address fields of the transmission history data provided in the database unit 102d in the mail server 102, and the mail server 102 uses a number assigned as a user ID so as to be an automatically unique number stored in transmission history data as a user ID, and a conversion mail address of a communication network system subscriber (for example, an automatically unique number stored in transmission history data). If the number assigned so as to be a large number is 200803030001, it may be created as 2008083030001_EEE@FFF.GGG).

At that time, by using the communication network system of the present embodiment, a transmission determination process 506 for one of the subscribers and a mail address conversion process for transmission to one of the subscribers shown in FIG. In 507, in this embodiment, the mail server 102 uses the local part (0001_EEE) of the mail address set as the destination of the mail received for the user master 102d1 provided in the database unit 102d in the mail server 102. The unique mail address (HHH@III.JJJ) of the subscriber's mobile terminal 101 that matches the symbol (0001) indicating one of the subscribers in the communication network system is retrieved. 102 receives the transmission history data provided in the database unit 102d in the mail server 102. E-mail unique to the mobile terminal 101 of the subscriber that matches the symbol (200803030001) indicating one of the subscribers in the communication network system, taken from the local part (20080803030001_EEE) of the e-mail address set as the destination of the e-mail It is desirable to query the address (HHH@III.JJJ).

Even if the conversion email address creation method is changed as described above, the same effect as in the present embodiment can be obtained. It is easy to guess who the subscriber has, but since the converted mail address changes every time it is sent, it is also difficult to guess who the subscriber has the converted mail address.

In the present embodiment, the mail address is input when the mail is broadcast, but instead of inputting the mail address, the converted mail address used in the present embodiment in advance, for example, the entire EEE @ FFF . GGG, Group A GROUPA_EEE @ FFF. Like GGG, information in which a name and a mail address are paired is saved as a vCard format file and distributed to all subscribers of the communication network system in advance. Then, the subscriber of the communication network system takes the distributed vCard format file into the address book of each mobile terminal 101, and the communication contents are all of the subscribers of the communication network system or one of them. When it is desired to send a mail to a group of departments simultaneously, the mail address used in the present embodiment is set as the mail destination by referring to the address book provided in the mobile terminal 101 from the mail sending screen. Then it becomes even easier.

1 is a system configuration diagram of a communication network system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Schematic of the screen displayed on a portable terminal at the time of group registration in the embodiment of the present invention. The schematic diagram of the screen displayed on a portable terminal at the time of mail address registration in the embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the process of the exchange part of the mail in embodiment of this invention. 10 is a flowchart of processing in mail transmission processing 402 and mail transmission processing 404. The schematic diagram of the screen displayed on a portable terminal at the time of mail address registration in the case of inputting the arbitrary character which the subscriber of a communication network system inputs into user ID in embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

101 mobile terminal 102 mail server 102a WEB display unit 102b mail transmission unit 102c mail transfer unit 102d database unit 102d1 user master 102d2 group master 103 network 201 contact network authentication screen 202 contact network system menu screen 203 group registration screen 204 group registration confirmation screen 205 Group registration completion screen 301 Contact network authentication screen 302 Email address registration screen 303 Email address registration confirmation screen 304 Email address registration completion screen 401 Email transmission request 402 Email transmission processing 403 Email reply processing 404 Email transmission processing 501 Communication network system subscriber determination processing 502 Simultaneous transmission determination processing 503 for all members Email address conversion processing 504 for simultaneous transmission to all members Simultaneous transmission determination processing 5 for groups 5 for broadcast to a group email address conversion process 506 subscriber email address conversion processing 508 mail transmission process 601 mail address entry screen for sending to one in the transmission determination process 507 subscriber to one in the

Claims (3)

A plurality of terminals each having a unique e-mail address for sending and receiving e-mails, and a predetermined e-mail address defined for communication network transmission / reception and connected to the plurality of terminals, one of those terminals In a communication network system configured with a mail server having a function of simultaneously transmitting mail to all of the plurality of terminals or a part of the plurality of terminals when receiving transmission from the mail server, the mail server includes: When an e-mail is received from one of the terminals, the e-mail address of the terminal indicating the transmission source is concealed, and the e-mail is simultaneously transmitted after converting the e-mail address to a different converted e-mail address. And when receiving a reply email addressed to the converted email address from the terminal that received the broadcast email, Contact network system, characterized in that only one terminal having a unique email address is conversion-mail address of the conversion source has a function of transmitting the reply mail. 2. The communication network system according to claim 1, wherein when the mail server receives the reply mail, the mail server has a function of transmitting the secret mail address of the terminal that has sent the reply mail in a secret manner. For each unique email address, storage means for storing information for generating the converted email address in association with the unique email address is provided, and the email server receives email transmission from one of the terminals. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a function of reading out the information corresponding to the unique mail address of the terminal from the storage unit and generating the converted mail address based on the information. Contact network system.

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