JP4299281B2 - Mail transmission / reception program and mail transmission / reception device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a mail transmission / reception program and a mail transmission / reception apparatus for delivering electronic mail, and more particularly to a mail transmission / reception program and a mail transmission / reception apparatus capable of preventing inappropriate transmission of an e-mail in advance.

  With the spread of electronic mail, it is common for companies to use electronic mail for exchanging information inside and outside the company. When using e-mail in a company, the contents of the e-mail can only be understood by the sender and the recipient specified by the sender, even though the e-mail may be representative of the organization. There's a problem.

  Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to a system that identifies a group to which a sender or a recipient of a mail belongs by analyzing mail header information and the like, and stores the mail in a storage area corresponding to the specified group. ing.

  By using this technology, members of the group will be able to check the content of emails sent or received by other members, sharing information and monitoring inappropriate behaviors via email. It becomes possible.

JP 2003-198633 A

  However, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot prevent inappropriate transmission of e-mail afterwards. In general, once an e-mail has been sent, it cannot be canceled, so even if it is found later that an e-mail that causes serious damage is found, no fundamental action can be taken.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems caused by the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mail transmission / reception program and a mail transmission / reception apparatus capable of preventing inappropriate transmission of e-mail in advance. And

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention is a mail transmission / reception program for delivering an electronic mail, which acquires a mail address of a transmission destination of the mail requested to be transmitted, and the mail is organized A transmission destination determination procedure for determining whether or not to be transmitted to the outside, and when it is determined by the transmission destination determination procedure that a mail is to be transmitted outside the organization, A screen control procedure for displaying a list of approvers associated and stored and selecting an approver who approves the transmission of the email, and until the email transmission is approved by the approver selected in the screen control procedure. A mail transmission control procedure for placing the mail in a transmission pending state is executed by a computer.

  The present invention is also a mail transmitting / receiving apparatus for delivering e-mail, which acquires a mail address of a destination of a mail requested to be transmitted, and determines whether the mail is transmitted outside the organization. A list of approvers stored in association with the sender for the sender of the mail when the destination determination means and the destination determination means determine that the mail is to be transmitted outside the organization. Screen control means for displaying and selecting an approver who approves transmission of the mail, and mail transmission control for placing the mail in a transmission pending state until mail transmission is approved by the approver selected by the screen control means Means.

  According to the present invention, the transmission of the mail determined to be transmitted outside the organization is suspended, and the transmission is performed after asking the approver for approval, so that inappropriate mail transmission is prevented in advance. can do.

  In addition, since the sender can select an email approver from a plurality of candidates, by making an appropriate selection, the delay in sending email due to the presence of an approval process is minimized. be able to.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the screen control procedure displays a screen for the sender of the mail in the transmission pending state to reselect the approver.

  According to the present invention, since the sender can change the approver of the mail, changing the approver according to the situation minimizes the delay in sending the mail due to the presence of the approval process. Can be

  In the present invention, in the above invention, the computer further executes a procedure of sending a mail notifying that the approval of the transmission of the mail is requested to the approver selected in the screen control procedure. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, since it is configured to notify the e-mail approver that approval is required, it is possible to notify the approver of the approval request at an early stage, and there is an approval process. It is possible to minimize the delay in sending mail.

  Also, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, the mail transmission control procedure replaces information on a sender of a mail pending transmission in accordance with an approver's instruction and transmits the information to the approver.

  According to the present invention, since the approver can change the sender of the mail to himself / herself, the sender can easily correct and send an inappropriate mail.

  According to the present invention, the transmission of the mail determined to be transmitted outside the organization is suspended, and the transmission is performed after asking the approver for approval, so that inappropriate mail transmission is prevented in advance. There is an effect that can be done.

  In addition, according to the present invention, since the sender can select the mail approver from a plurality of candidates, the transmission of the mail due to the presence of the approval process can be performed by making an appropriate selection. This has the effect of minimizing the delay.

  Further, according to the present invention, since the sender can change the approver of the mail, by changing the approver according to the situation, the mail transmission delay due to the presence of the approval process There is an effect that can be minimized.

  In addition, according to the present invention, since it is configured to notify the e-mail approver that the approval is requested, it is possible to notify the approver of the approval request at an early stage, and the approval process. It is possible to minimize the delay in mail transmission due to the presence of the mail.

  Further, according to the present invention, since the approver can change the mail sender to himself / herself, there is an effect that the sender can easily correct and send inappropriate mail.

  Exemplary embodiments of a mail transmission / reception program and a mail transmission / reception apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  First, an outline of the mail transmission / reception method according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the outline of the mail transmission / reception method according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in the figure, when receiving a mail delivery request, the mail transmitting / receiving apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment determines whether or not the transmission destination is outside the organization. When it is determined that the transmission destination is outside the organization, the e-mail is awaiting approval and the approver is requested to approve transmission outside the organization.

  The mail waiting for approval is suspended until the approval of the approver is obtained, and is sent outside the organization only after the approval is obtained. If the approval of the approver is not obtained, the mail is rejected to be sent, and is left in the mail transmitting / receiving apparatus 100 without being sent.

  As described above, in the mail transmission / reception method according to the present embodiment, when it is determined that the mail transmission destination is outside the organization, the transmission outside the organization is suspended until the approval of the approver is obtained. Therefore, it is possible to prevent transmission of inappropriate mail to the outside in advance.

  Here, basic functions of the mail transmitting / receiving apparatus 100 will be described. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the basic functions of the mail transmitting / receiving apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the mail transmitting / receiving apparatus 100 has three basic functions: a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) function, a Post Office Protocol (POP) / Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) function, and a WEB mail function. .

  The SMTP function is a function for delivering mail. Specifically, the delivery destination is determined from the header information of the mail requested to be delivered, and the mail is delivered to the decided delivery destination. The mail delivery request source is a terminal device used by a mail sender such as the terminal devices 201 to 202 or another mail transmitting / receiving device such as the mail transmitting / receiving devices 101 to 103. The mail delivery destination is another mail transmission / reception apparatus such as the mail transmission / reception apparatuses 101 to 103 or a mail spool in the mail transmission / reception apparatus 100.

  The POP / IMAP function is a function for receiving or browsing a mail stored in the mail spool in the mail transmitting / receiving apparatus 100 in response to a request from the recipient. When receiving or browsing, the user name and password are transmitted, and the user's mail is received or viewed only when it matches the pre-registered authentication information.

  The WEB mail function is a function that enables transmission / reception of mail on a WEB browser. This function accepts a user's request based on HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), and internally sends and receives mail by calling the SMTP function and the POP / IMAP function as needed.

  There are roughly two types of forms in which the user uses the function of the mail transmitting / receiving apparatus 100. One is a form in which the user operates the mail terminal program 210 introduced into the terminal device like the terminal device 201. In this form, mail is transmitted using the SMTP function of the mail transmitting / receiving apparatus 100, and mail is received or viewed using the POP / IMAP function.

  The other form is a form in which the user operates the WEB browser 220 introduced into the terminal device like the terminal device 202. In the case of this form, the WEB mail function of the mail transmitting / receiving apparatus 100 is used to send and view mail. Although this form does not reach the former form in terms of usability, there is an advantage that mail can be transmitted and viewed from a plurality of terminal devices.

  Next, the configuration of the mail transmitting / receiving apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration of the mail transmitting / receiving apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown simultaneously, the mail transmitting / receiving apparatus 100 includes a network interface unit 110, a control unit 120, and a storage unit 130. The network interface unit 110 is an interface unit for exchanging various types of information through a network.

  The control unit 120 is a control unit that controls the mail transmitting / receiving apparatus 100 as a whole, and includes a mail delivery unit 121, a mail reception response unit 122, an HTTP control unit 123, and a mail management unit 124.

  The mail delivery unit 121 is a processing unit that delivers mail and implements the SMTP function of FIG. The mail reception response unit 122 is a processing unit that receives or browses mail stored in the mail storage unit 133 of the storage unit 130, and implements the POP / IMAP function of FIG.

  The HTTP control unit 123 is a processing unit that controls communication using HTTP, and realizes the WEB mail function of FIG. 2 in cooperation with the mail management unit 124. The mail management unit 124 is a processing unit that performs various processes related to mail transmission / reception and management.

  The storage unit 130 is a storage unit that stores various types of information, and includes an authentication data storage unit 131, a mail attribute storage unit 132, a mail storage unit 133, and an operation information storage unit 134.

  The authentication data storage unit 131 is a storage unit that stores authentication information for the mail reception reception unit 122 to authenticate a user. The mail attribute storage unit 132 is a storage unit that stores various types of mail attribute information. The mail storage unit 133 is a storage unit that stores a mail delivered to the mail transmission / reception device and a mail transmitted from the mail transmission / reception device, and corresponds to a mail spool. The operation information storage unit 134 is a storage unit that stores various types of information necessary for mail management.

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the authentication data storage unit 131 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the authentication data storage unit 131 stores a user master 131a.

  The user master 131a holds information related to users registered as users in the mail transmitting / receiving apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 5, the user master 131a has items such as a user ID, a password, a user name, a user address, and an approval address, and data is created for each user.

  The user ID is an ID for identifying the user, and the password is a password for authenticating the user in combination with the user ID. The user name is the name of the user, and the user address is the mail address assigned to the user.

  The approval address is sent by the approval request notification email when the user is selected as the approver from the sender of the email and the sender requests that the approver request approval. The email address to be sent. By registering an e-mail address or the like used in the mobile phone terminal here, it becomes possible to quickly approve an e-mail even when the approver is outside the company due to a business trip or the like.

  FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of the mail attribute storage unit 132 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the mail attribute storage unit 132 stores a transmission mail table 132a and an application status table 132b.

  The outgoing mail table 132a holds information about mails sent from the mail transmitting / receiving apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 7, the outgoing mail table 132a has items such as a mail ID, a sender ID, a sender name, a state, and a storage location, and one piece of data is created for each outgoing mail.

  The mail ID is an ID for identifying the mail. The sender ID is an ID for identifying the sender, and corresponds to the user ID of the user master 131a. The sender name is the name of the sender. The status indicates the status of the mail, and the storage destination indicates the physical or logical storage location of the mail in the mail storage unit 133.

  The status takes one of the values “sent”, “pending”, “approved”, “denied” or “deleted”. “Sent” means that the email was sent without requiring approval. “Applying” means that the mail is waiting for approval of transmission to the outside. “Approved” means that the mail has been approved and sent. “Negative” means that the e-mail is rejected from being sent to the outside. “Deleted” means that the mail has been deleted by the sender and entered the trash. If the mail is also deleted from the trash box, the corresponding data in the outgoing mail table 132a is also deleted.

  The application status table 132b holds information related to an email that is determined to require approval when the email is transmitted. As shown in FIG. 8, the application status table 132b has items such as an application number, a mail ID, a sender ID, a sender name, a forwarding destination ID, a forwarder name, a state, an application date, and a determination date. One piece of data is created for each email that is determined to be necessary.

  The application number is an ID for identifying data in the application status table 132b. The mail ID is an ID for identifying the mail, and corresponds to the mail ID of the transmission mail table 132a. The applicant ID is an ID for identifying the sender, and corresponds to the user ID of the user master 131a. The applicant name is the name of the sender.

  The forwarding destination ID is an ID for identifying the approver, and corresponds to the user ID of the user master 131a. The forwarding destination name is the name of the approver. The status indicates the status of the mail, and takes one of the values “pending”, “passed” or “failed”. The application date is the date when it is determined that approval is required, and the determination date is the date when the determination by the approver is performed.

  FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of the operation information storage unit 134 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the operation information storage unit 134 stores an approver master 134a.

  The approver master 134a holds information on approvers that can be selected by the sender. As shown in FIG. 10, the approver master 134a has items such as an applicant ID and a forwarding destination ID, and data is created for each approver that can be selected by the sender.

  The applicant ID is an ID for identifying the sender, and corresponds to the user ID of the user master 131a. The forwarding destination ID is an ID for identifying the approver, and corresponds to the user ID of the user master 131a. The approver is, for example, a boss of the sender, and the approver master 134a can hold a plurality of approvers in association with one sender.

  FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the mail management unit 124 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the mail management unit 124 includes a transmission destination determination unit 124a, an approver selection unit 124b, a mail operation unit 124c, and a screen control unit 124d.

  The transmission destination determination unit 124a is a processing unit that determines whether a transmission destination of a mail created using the WEB mail function is outside the organization. The determination as to whether or not the mail transmission destination is outside the organization is made by, for example, comparing whether or not the domain of the mail address of the transmission destination is the same as the domain of the organization.

  In addition, the organization here shall be able to define the range as needed. In the case of a company, for example, one department may be treated as an organization, or the entire company may be treated as an organization.

  The approver selection unit 124b is a processing unit that selects a candidate approver of the mail when the transmission destination determination unit 124a determines that the transmission destination of the mail created using the WEB mail function is outside the organization. is there. Selection of the approver candidate is performed by referring to the approver master 134a and extracting the approver associated with the sender. The approver selection unit 124b also refers to the user master 131a to check whether an approval address is set for the approver candidate.

  The selection result of the approver selection unit 124b is displayed as a forwarding destination selection screen by the screen control unit 124d, and the sender selects an approver for mail transmission from the list of approvers displayed on the forwarding destination selection screen.

  The mail operation unit 124c is a processing unit that manages the state of mail. Specifically, processing such as changing the state of the mail according to an instruction from the screen by the approver or changing the approver of the mail according to the instruction from the screen by the sender is performed.

  The screen control unit 124d is a processing unit that generates various screens for realizing the WEB mail function. Specifically, an e-mail transmission screen for creating and transmitting e-mails, a forwarding destination selection screen for selecting an e-mail approver, and the like are generated.

  Next, various screens generated by the screen control unit 124d will be described. FIG. 12 is a sample diagram showing an example of a mail transmission screen. This screen is displayed when the user presses a new creation button for creating a new mail after entering a user ID and password and receiving authentication on the login screen of the WEB mail function.

  As shown in the figure, three buttons, a redisplay button, a new creation button, and a search button, are arranged at the top of the mail transmission screen. The redisplay button is a button for updating the display content on the screen to reflect the mail reception status or the like. The new creation button is a button for calling up a mail transmission screen to create a new mail. The search button is a button for calling a screen for searching for mail.

  A folder list is displayed on the left side of the mail transmission screen. The screen control unit 124d classifies the emails sent or received by the user as if they were stored in folders according to their status, and displays the number of emails for each folder in the folder list.

  The folder list display area is divided into a plurality of areas. In the example of FIG. 12, an approval status display area that is a display area of mail that is determined to be mail outside the organization by the transmission destination determination unit 124 a is displayed on the upper side of the folder list, and the other side is displayed on the lower side. The transmission / reception status display area, which is the mail display area, is displayed.

  In the approval status display area, the sender ID of the mail whose data is stored in the outgoing mail table 132a matches the login ID of the user (refers to the user ID entered by the user on the login screen), and the status is The number of emails that are either “Applying”, “Passed”, or “Negated” is displayed by status.

  In the example of FIG. 12, it is displayed that there are three mails with the status “Applying”, five mails “Approved”, and seven mails “Negative”.

  In the transmission / reception status display area, the sender ID is the same as the user's login ID among the number of emails received to the user and the emails whose data is stored in the transmission email table 132a, and the status is “send” Displays the number of emails that are either “completed” or “deleted”. The number of mails is divided into three folders, “inbox”, “outbox”, and “trash box”.

  The number of “inbox” indicates the number of mails received to the user. The “sending box” field indicates the number of mails whose sender ID matches the user's login ID and whose status is “sent” among mails whose data is stored in the outgoing mail table 132a. The “trash box” case includes the number of mails whose sender ID matches the user's login ID and whose status is “deleted” among the mails whose data is stored in the outgoing mail table 132a, and the address to the user. Shows the total number of emails received and stored in the recycle bin.

  In the example of FIG. 12, it is displayed that there are 10 mails in the “inbox”, 8 mails in the “outbox”, and 3 mails in the “trash box”.

  In this way, the configuration in which three buttons such as a redisplay button, a new creation button, and a search button are arranged at the top of the screen and the folder list is displayed on the left side is a configuration common to other screens described below. It is.

  On the right side of the mail transmission screen, input items for inputting various information necessary for mail transmission are arranged. Specifically, a destination (TO) for designating a transmission destination, CC and BCC input items, a subject input item, a text input item, a send button for executing mail transmission, and a destination mail An address book button for displaying a screen for selecting a destination from the address book in which addresses are registered is arranged.

  When the user inputs necessary items to these input items and presses the send button, the destination determination unit 124a checks the address of the destination and determines whether the mail is transmitted outside the organization. Here, if it is determined that the mail is not transmitted outside the organization, the mail operation unit 124c delivers the mail to the mail delivery unit 121 and transmits it. Furthermore, data whose status is “sent” is registered in the outgoing mail table 132a, and as a result, the number of cases displayed in the “outbox” of the folder list is incremented by one.

  When it is determined that the mail is transmitted outside the organization, the screen control unit 124d causes the approver selection unit 124b to select a candidate for the approver and displays the result on the forwarding destination selection screen.

  FIG. 13 is a sample diagram showing an example of the forwarding destination selection screen. As shown in the figure, a list of candidates for approvers (forwarding destinations) is displayed on the forwarding destination selection screen according to the registered contents of the approver master 134a. In addition, when an approval address is registered as an approver candidate in the user master 131a, two types of candidates are displayed for the same candidate depending on whether or not there is a mail notification.

  When the user selects an approver on this screen and presses the forward execution button, the mail operation unit 124c registers data whose state is “pending” in the outgoing mail table 132a. "1" is added to the number displayed. Data is also registered in the application status table 132b, and the status is set to “Applying”.

  Here, when the user selects an approver that indicates that an email notification is required, the mail operation unit 124c acquires the approver's approval address from the user master 131a and notifies the mail address of an approval request. send mail.

  The approval request notification e-mail is an e-mail notifying the approver that there is an e-mail approval request, and a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for displaying an e-mail transmission approval screen described later is also described. By receiving this e-mail with a portable terminal or the like, the approver can know that there is an e-mail approval request even when he / she is away from the desk, and can take further measures.

  Although the transmission of mail may be urgent, if the approver is absent, the transmission of mail will be delayed. In order to solve this problem, the mail transmission / reception method according to the present embodiment has the following features.

  First, since it is possible to register a plurality of approvers in association with the sender in the approver master 134a, the sender selects an approver who is likely to be quickly approved depending on the situation. can do. In addition, the sender can request an email notification as described above and cause the approver to send an approval request notification email. Furthermore, as will be described later, the approver once selected can be changed at any time.

  A list of mails waiting for approval of transmission is displayed by selecting the character string “Applying” in the folder list with a mouse or the like. The character string “Applying” is an anchor, and the mail list screen for applying is displayed by selecting it.

  FIG. 14 is a sample diagram showing an example of the mail list screen during application. As shown in the figure, in the mail list screen for application, the sender ID of the mail whose data is stored in the transmission mail table 132a matches the login ID of the user, and the status is “pending”. A list of emails is displayed. In this list, the character string corresponding to the subject is an anchor, and by selecting it, the application mail update screen is displayed.

  FIG. 15 is a sample diagram showing an example of the on-application mail update screen. As shown in the figure, the pending email update screen has the same screen configuration as the email transmission screen shown in FIG. 12, but differs in that there is no send button and an update button and a forwarding destination change button are provided. ing.

  The information set in the header and text of the email selected on the pending email list screen is displayed in each input item on the pending email update screen. If you want to change this information, change the contents of the input item and press the update button, and it will be reflected in the mail waiting for approval.

  If the forward destination change button is pressed, the forward destination selection screen shown in FIG. 13 is displayed, and the approver can be changed. When the approver is changed, the mail operation unit 124c updates the values of the forwarding destination ID and the forwarding destination name in the application status table 132b to values corresponding to the changed approver.

  Subsequently, a screen referred to by the approver will be described. FIG. 16 is a sample diagram showing an example of the pending mail list screen. The approval target display area is displayed in the folder list on the screen that the user registered as the approver in the approver master 134a refers to using the WEB mail function.

  In the approval object display area, the number of mails whose forwarding destination ID matches the user's login ID among the mails stored in the application status table 132b is displayed for each state. Specifically, the number of e-mails whose status is “pending” is displayed as “undecided”, and the number of e-mails whose status is “passed” or “denied” is displayed as “determined”.

  In the example of FIG. 16, it is displayed that there are four “undecided” emails and one “decided” email. In the example of FIG. 16, the approval status display area is omitted for the sake of illustration, but even an approver may send an email outside the organization, so the approval status display area is displayed in the folder list. Exists.

  The character string “undecided” in the approval target display area is an anchor, and the undecided mail list screen is displayed by selecting it. Similarly, the “determined” character string is also an anchor, and the selected mail list screen is displayed by selection.

  As shown in FIG. 16, among the mails whose data is stored in the application status table 132 b, mail whose forwarding destination ID matches the user's login ID and whose status is “pending” is displayed on the pending mail list screen. A list of will be displayed. In this list, the character string corresponding to the subject is an anchor, and the mail transmission approval screen is displayed by selecting it.

  FIG. 17 is a sample diagram showing an example of a mail transmission approval screen. As shown in the figure, the mail transmission approval screen displays information set in the header and text of the mail selected on the pending mail list screen. In addition, an approval button and a denial button are provided, and the approver confirms the content of the mail and presses one of them.

  When the approval button is pressed, the mail operation unit 124c updates the status of the corresponding data in the transmission mail table 132a and the application status table 132b to “approved”. Then, the mail is delivered to the mail delivery unit 121 and transmitted. On the other hand, when the denial button is pressed, the mail is not transmitted, and the state of the corresponding data in the transmission mail table 132a and the application status table 132b is updated to “denial”.

  In the mail transmission approval screen, it is possible to select whether to leave the sender as the sender or to replace the sender with an approver when sending the mail. If it is selected to replace the e-mail with the approver, the e-mail sender information is replaced with the approver before the e-mail is delivered to the mail delivery unit 121.

  In this way, by replacing the sender, an appropriate response can be taken quickly and easily when the subordinates are trying to answer the content that should be judged by the supervisor.

  The result of the approver approving or rejecting the mail on the mail transmission approval screen is reflected in the approval target display area, the pending mail list screen, and the pending mail list screen. Here, a description will be given assuming that the approver approves the transmission of the mail on the mail transmission approval screen shown in FIG.

  FIG. 18 is a sample screen showing an example of the pending mail list screen after approval. As shown in the figure, after the mail transmission is approved on the mail transmission approval screen, the number of “undecided” in the approval target display area is decremented by 1, and the number of “determined” is incremented by 1. In addition, the number of mails displayed in the list is reduced by one.

  FIG. 19 is a sample screen showing an example of the determined mail list screen. As shown in the figure, after the mail transmission is approved on the mail transmission approval screen, the information of the approved mail is added to the mail list, and the status is displayed as “Approved”.

  Next, a processing procedure of the mail transmitting / receiving apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 3 will be described. FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure when the mail transmitting / receiving apparatus 100 illustrated in FIG. 3 transmits a mail.

  When the transmission button is pressed on the mail transmission screen and the transmission / reception apparatus 100 accepts it (step S101), the transmission destination determination unit 124a acquires the mail address of the transmission destination and determines whether the mail transmission destination is outside the organization. Determination is made (step S102).

  If it is determined that the mail destination is outside the organization (Yes at step S103), the approver selection unit 124b selects the approver corresponding to the sender, and the screen control unit 124d forwards the information. Displayed on the destination selection screen (step S104).

  If the approver is selected on the forwarding destination selection screen, the mail operation unit 124c acquires the information (step S105), registers the data in the transmission mail table 132a, and sets the status to “pending”. In step S106, data is also registered in the application status table 132b, and the status is set to “pending” (step S107).

  If notification is required (Yes at Step S108), the approval address of the approver is acquired from the user master 131a, and an approval request notification mail is transmitted to this mail address (Step S109).

  When the transmission destination determination unit 124a determines that the transmission destination of the mail is not outside the organization (No at Step S103), the mail operation unit 124c delivers the mail to the mail delivery unit 121 and transmits it (Step S110). . Further, data is registered in the transmission mail table 132a and the state is set to “sent” (step S111).

  Next, a processing procedure when mail transmission is approved by the approver will be described. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when the mail transmission / reception apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 3 approves mail transmission.

  When the transmission / reception apparatus 100 accepts the selection result of the approver on the mail transmission approval screen (step S201) and the selection result is one that approves the transmission of mail (step S202 affirmative), the mail operation unit 124c displays the application status. The state of the corresponding data in the table 132b is set to “Approved” (step S203).

  If the sender is selected to be replaced by the approver (Yes at step S204), the sender information is replaced with the applicant (step S205). Then, the mail is delivered to the mail delivery unit 121, transmitted, and the process is terminated (step S206).

  If the approver's selection result on the mail transmission approval screen does not approve mail transmission (No at step S202), the mail operation unit 124c sets the status of the corresponding data in the application status table 132b to “denied”. The process is terminated (step S207).

  Various processes of the mail transmission / reception apparatus 100 described in the above embodiment can be realized by executing a mail transmission / reception program prepared in advance by a computer. In the following, an example of a computer that executes a mail transmission / reception program will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram illustrating a computer that executes a mail transmission / reception program. The computer 1000 includes an input device 1010 that receives data input from a user, a monitor 1020, a medium reading device 1030 that reads a program from a recording medium that records various programs, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 1040 that temporarily stores various information, A network interface device 1050 that exchanges data with other computers via a network, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 1060, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1070 are connected by a bus 1080.

  The HDD 1060 stores a mail transmission / reception program 1060c, which is a program that exhibits the same function as that of the mail transmission / reception apparatus 100. The HDD 1060 also stores a mail transmission / reception DB 1060a corresponding to the authentication data storage unit 131, the mail attribute storage unit 132, and the operation information storage unit 134 of FIG. A mail spool 1060b corresponding to the mail storage unit 133 is also provided.

  The mail transmission / reception DB 1060a may be appropriately integrated or distributed.

  The CPU 1070 reads the mail transmission / reception program 1060c from the HDD 1060 and executes it, so that the program functions as a mail transmission / reception process 1070a. This mail transmission / reception process 1070a corresponds to the control unit 120 shown in FIG.

  Further, the CPU 1070 reads out necessary information from the mail transmission / reception DB 1060a of the HDD 1060, stores it as RAM 1040 as mail transmission / reception data 1040a, and executes various data processing based on the mail transmission / reception data 1040a stored in the RAM 1040. .

  The mail transmission / reception program 1060c is not necessarily stored in the HDD 1060, and the computer 1000 may read and execute the mail transmission / reception program 1060c stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM. Good. Further, the mail transmission / reception program 1060c is stored in another computer (or server) connected to the computer 1000 via a public line, the Internet, a LAN, a WAN, etc., and the computer 1000 reads and executes the program from these. You may do it.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the configuration is such that the transmission of the mail determined to be transmitted outside the organization is suspended, and the transmission is performed after asking the approver for approval. Transmission can be prevented in advance.

  In addition, since the sender can select an email approver from a plurality of candidates, by making an appropriate selection, the delay in sending email due to the presence of an approval process is minimized. be able to.

  The above embodiment has been described on the assumption that the mail transmitting / receiving apparatus 100 transmits / receives mail according to a standard protocol on the Internet such as SMTP. However, the mail transmitting / receiving method according to the present invention is not limited to other methods. It is also effective when sending and receiving mail according to the protocol.

(Appendix 1) A mail transmission / reception program for delivering electronic mail,
A transmission destination determination procedure for acquiring a mail address of a transmission destination of the mail requested to be transmitted and determining whether or not the mail is transmitted outside the organization;
When it is determined that the mail is transmitted outside the organization by the destination determination procedure, a list of approvers stored in association with the sender is displayed to the sender of the mail, and the mail Screen control procedure to select approver to approve transmission,
A mail transmission / reception program that causes a computer to execute a mail transmission control procedure that puts the mail in a transmission pending state until mail transmission is approved by an approver selected in the screen control procedure.

(Supplementary note 2) The mail transmission / reception program according to supplementary note 1, wherein the screen control procedure displays a screen for a sender of a mail in a transmission pending state to reselect an approver.

(Supplementary Note 3) The computer further executes a procedure for sending an email notifying that the approval of the transmission of the email is requested to the approver selected in the screen control procedure. Or the mail transmission / reception program of 2.

(Supplementary note 4) According to any one of Supplementary notes 1 to 3, wherein the mail transmission control procedure is performed by replacing information of a sender of a mail in a transmission pending state with the approver according to an instruction of the approver. The mail sending / receiving program described.

(Appendix 5) A mail transmission / reception device for delivering electronic mail,
A destination determination means for acquiring a destination email address of the email requested to be transmitted and determining whether the email is transmitted outside the organization;
When it is determined by the transmission destination determination means that a mail is transmitted outside the organization, a list of approvers stored in association with the sender is displayed to the sender of the mail, and the mail Screen control means for selecting an approver who approves transmission;
A mail transmission / reception apparatus comprising: mail transmission control means for placing the mail in a transmission pending state until transmission of the mail is approved by the approver selected by the screen control means.

(Supplementary note 6) The mail transmitting / receiving apparatus according to supplementary note 5, wherein the screen control means displays a screen for a sender of a mail in a transmission pending state to reselect an approver.

(Supplementary note 7) The supplementary note 5 or 6, further comprising means for sending a mail notifying that the approval of the transmission of the mail is requested to the approver selected by the screen control means. The mail transmission / reception device described in 1.

(Supplementary note 8) According to any one of supplementary notes 5 to 7, wherein the mail transmission control means replaces the information of the sender of the mail pending transmission in accordance with the instructions of the approver and transmits the information to the approver. The mail transmission / reception device described.

(Supplementary note 9) A mail transmission / reception method for delivering electronic mail,
A transmission destination determination step of acquiring a mail address of a transmission destination of the mail requested to be transmitted and determining whether or not the mail is transmitted outside the organization;
When it is determined by the transmission destination determination step that a mail is transmitted outside the organization, a list of approvers stored in association with the sender is displayed to the sender of the mail, and the mail Screen control process to select approver to approve transmission,
A mail transmission / reception method comprising: a mail transmission control step of placing the mail in a transmission pending state until transmission of the mail is approved by the approver selected in the screen control step.

(Additional remark 10) Additional remark 9 which further includes the process of transmitting the mail which notifies that the approval of transmission of mail is requested | required with respect to the approver selected in the said screen control process. Mail sending and receiving method.

(Supplementary note 11) The mail transmission / reception method according to supplementary note 9 or 10, characterized in that the mail transmission control step replaces the information of the sender of the mail pending transmission in accordance with the approver's instruction and transmits the information to the approver. .

  As described above, the mail transmission / reception program and the mail transmission / reception apparatus according to the present invention are useful for mail delivery, and are particularly suitable when it is necessary to prevent inappropriate transmission of email in advance.

It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the outline | summary of the mail transmission / reception system based on a present Example. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the basic function of the mail transmission / reception apparatus which concerns on a present Example. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the mail transmission / reception apparatus concerning a present Example. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the authentication data memory | storage part shown in FIG. It is a data block diagram which shows an example of a data structure of a user master. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the mail attribute memory | storage part shown in FIG. It is a data block diagram which shows an example of a data structure of a transmission mail table. It is a data block diagram which shows an example of a data structure of an application status table. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of an operation information storage unit illustrated in FIG. 3. It is a data block diagram which shows an example of a data structure of an approver master. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the mail management part shown in FIG. It is a sample figure which shows an example of a mail transmission screen. It is a sample figure which shows an example of a forwarding destination selection screen. It is a sample figure which shows an example of the mail list screen during application. It is a sample figure which shows an example of the mail update screen during application. It is a sample figure which shows an example of a pending mail list screen. It is a sample figure which shows an example of an email transmission approval screen. It is a sample figure which shows an example of the pending mail list screen after approval. It is a sample figure which shows an example of a predetermined mail list screen. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence at the time of mail transmission of the mail transmission / reception apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence at the time of mail transmission approval of the mail transmission / reception apparatus shown in FIG. It is a functional block diagram which shows the computer which performs a mail transmission / reception program.

Explanation of symbols

100 to 103 mail transmission / reception device 110 network interface unit 120 control unit 121 mail delivery unit 122 mail reception response unit 123 HTTP control unit 124 mail management unit 124a transmission destination determination unit 124b approver selection unit 124c mail operation unit 124d screen control unit 130 storage Unit 131 Authentication data storage unit 131a User master 132 Mail attribute storage unit 132a Transmission mail table 132b Application status table 133 Mail storage unit 134 Operation information storage unit 134a Approver master 201-202 Terminal device 210 Mail terminal program 220 WEB browser 1000 Computer 1010 Input device 1020 Monitor 1030 Media reader 1040 RAM
1040a Mail transmission / reception data 1050 Network interface device 1060 HDD
1060a Mail transmission / reception DB
1060b Mail spool 1060c Mail transmission / reception program 1070 CPU
1070a Mail transmission / reception process 1080 bus

Claims (5)

An email sending and receiving program that delivers email,
A transmission destination determination procedure for acquiring a mail address of a transmission destination of the mail requested to be transmitted and determining whether or not the mail is transmitted outside the organization;
When it is determined that the mail is transmitted outside the organization by the destination determination procedure, a list of approvers stored in association with the sender is displayed to the sender of the mail, and the mail Screen control procedure to select approver to approve transmission,
A mail transmission / reception program that causes a computer to execute a mail transmission control procedure that puts the mail in a transmission pending state until mail transmission is approved by an approver selected in the screen control procedure.   The mail transmission / reception program according to claim 1, wherein the screen control procedure displays a screen for a sender of mail in a transmission pending state to reselect an approver.   3. The computer according to claim 1, further comprising a step of causing the computer to execute a procedure of transmitting an email notifying that an approval of the transmission of the email is requested to the approver selected in the screen control procedure. The mail sending / receiving program described.   4. The mail according to claim 1, wherein the mail transmission control procedure replaces information on a sender of a mail pending transmission in accordance with an approver's instruction and transmits the information to the approver. 5. Send / receive program. A mail transmission / reception device for delivering electronic mail,
A destination determination means for acquiring a destination email address of the email requested to be transmitted and determining whether the email is transmitted outside the organization;
When it is determined by the transmission destination determination means that a mail is transmitted outside the organization, a list of approvers stored in association with the sender is displayed to the sender of the mail, and the mail Screen control means for selecting an approver who approves transmission;
An e-mail transmission / reception apparatus comprising: an e-mail transmission control unit that sets the e-mail to a transmission pending state until e-mail transmission is approved by an approver selected by the screen control unit.

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