JPH1117734A - Electronic mail device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic mail device with which the interactive contact with the transmission source of electronic mail can be acquired from the list screen or content display screen of electronic mail through simple operation. SOLUTION: This device stores incoming electronic main and displays the list or contents of the electronic mail. The device is provided with a telephone set 12 for user, telephone number retrieving means 13 for retrieving the telephone number of that transmission source from the mail address of the transmission source of incoming electronic mail, and telephone line controller 14 for performing the telephone connection of the telephone set of telephone number detected by the telephone number retrieving means and the telephone set for user so that the telephone number retrieving means 13 and the telephone line controller 14 perform operation corresponding to the operation of selection from the list or content display screen of electronic mail. Thus, the user can perform the interaction of telephone with the transmission source of electronic mail only by easily operating the display screen of electronic mail.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic mail apparatus for transmitting and receiving electronic mail, and more particularly to an electronic mail apparatus capable of interacting with an electronic mail source by operating an electronic mail display screen.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Electronic mail is exchanged through a computer network, and the received electronic mail is stored in a user terminal. The user operates the terminal to display a list of bibliographic items of the received e-mail on the terminal screen, and displays the contents of the e-mail selected from the list screen on the screen and sends the list. Can read messages.

In a conventional e-mail apparatus, when a user returns an e-mail to a source of the e-mail,
It is configured so that e-mail can be sent by simple operation from the list screen or the contents display screen.

[0004] In addition, a system has been created which combines a telephone system and a computer and handles voice mail and facsimile together with e-mail. In this system,
Not only e-mails but also voice mails and faxes sent via telephone lines are accumulated in the terminal, and a list of all of them and the selected contents are displayed on the screen of the terminal.

[0005] Separately, a computer and a PB
In cooperation with X (private private branch exchange), a system has been made in which a telephone number is designated from a computer and the designated telephones are connected by telephone.

[0006]

In the case of e-mail, the sending side and the receiving side can transmit a message or read a received message at their own convenience. Not very convenient. However, when the received e-mail is read from the terminal screen, a situation often occurs in which it is necessary to immediately contact the source of the e-mail.

At this time, the conventional e-mail system has a function of returning a reply by e-mail to the sender,
However, with this, it is not certain whether the mail has arrived at the sender, and even if it arrives immediately, if the sender does not read it, it is difficult to reach the other party. Therefore, if you want to contact the caller urgently and surely, you will have to talk directly by voice such as calling.
In the conventional e-mail system, there is no way to call the caller from the e-mail list screen or the contents display screen.The caller's telephone number is searched in some way, and the telephone is used independently of the e-mail system. There was no other way but to contact.

The present invention is to solve such a conventional problem, and an electronic mail which can communicate with an electronic mail source by a simple operation from an electronic mail list screen or a contents display screen. It aims to provide a mail device.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, in the electronic mail apparatus of the present invention, a search for searching for the telephone number of the sender and the address of the voice input / output device of the sender from the mail address of the sender of the received electronic mail. Means, telephone connection between the telephone of the retrieved telephone number and the telephone for the user,
A connection means for connecting the voice input / output device of the searched address and the voice input / output means of the user's device to a network is provided, and according to a selection operation from a screen displaying a list of emails and the contents thereof, These means perform the operation.

[0010] Therefore, it is possible for the user to perform a simple operation on the display screen of the e-mail and to interact with the source of the displayed e-mail.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is directed to an electronic mail apparatus for storing incoming electronic mails and displaying a list of stored electronic mails and the contents thereof.
A telephone for the user, a telephone number search means for searching for the telephone number of the source from the mail address of the source of the received e-mail, and a telephone for the telephone with the telephone number detected by the telephone number search means and the telephone for the user. Telephone line control means for making a telephone connection, wherein the telephone number search means and the telephone line control means perform the operation in accordance with a selection operation from a screen displaying a list of e-mails and the contents thereof. By simply operating the electronic mail display screen by the user, it is possible to make a telephone conversation with the source of the displayed electronic mail.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic mail apparatus for storing incoming electronic mails and displaying a list of the stored electronic mails and the contents thereof, comprising: a voice input / output means having a speaker and a microphone; A telephone number search means for searching for the telephone number of the source of the e-mail from the mail address of the source of the electronic mail, and a telephone having the telephone number detected by the telephone number search means and the voice input / output means are connected to each other, and the input from the microphone is made Gateway means for taking in the voice data via the network and transmitting it to the telephone, and transmitting the voice from the telephone to the speaker via the network, and providing a telephone according to a selection operation from a screen for displaying a list of e-mails and their contents. The number search means and the gateway means perform the operation. Only easy operation, using a speaker and a microphone that is included in the electronic mail apparatus, it is possible to interact with source of the email being displayed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic mail apparatus for storing incoming electronic mails and displaying a list of the stored electronic mails and the contents thereof, comprising: a voice input / output means having a speaker and a microphone; An address search means for searching a source address of the voice input / output device on the network from a mail address of the source of the e-mail; and a voice input / output device and voice input / output means for the address detected by the address search means. Digital voice dialogue connection means for connecting and enabling voice dialogue is provided, and in accordance with a selection operation from a screen displaying a list of e-mails and the contents thereof, the address search means and the digital voice dialogue connection means perform their operations. Was to do it,
The user simply interacts with the e-mail display screen and interacts with the source of the displayed e-mail via a digital network using the speaker and microphone attached to the e-mail device. Can be.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an extracting means for extracting a telephone number of a caller from the text of a displayed electronic mail. If the number cannot be detected, the necessary telephone number can be extracted from the text of the e-mail.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an extracting means for extracting an address on the network of the voice input / output device of the transmission source from the text of the displayed electronic mail,
When the address search means cannot detect the source address from the detection database, the necessary address can be extracted from the text of the e-mail.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic transmission means for automatically transmitting an e-mail to a caller when a telephone connection with the caller telephone cannot be established.
Even if a call cannot be made on the spot, the caller can be notified by e-mail that he / she wants to be contacted urgently.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic transmission means for automatically transmitting an electronic mail to a caller when a network connection with the caller's voice input / output device cannot be established, Even if a conversation cannot be made on the spot, the caller can be notified by e-mail that he / she wants to be contacted urgently.

The invention according to claim 8 is a receiving means for receiving a voice mail or a facsimile from a telephone line, and a telephone number search by fetching a telephone number of a caller from data at the time of a telephone connection when a voice mail or a facsimile is received. Means for registering telephone numbers to be registered as means, storing incoming voicemails or faxes together with e-mails, displaying a list of stored voicemails or faxes and their contents, and responding to selection operations from the display screen. The telephone number searching means searches for the telephone number of the originator of the voice mail or facsimile, and the telephone line control means makes a telephone connection between the telephone of the telephone number detected by the telephone number searching means and the telephone for the user. Claim 1
In this e-mail device, not only e-mail but also voice mail and FAX can be managed collectively, and even if the origin of the voice mail or FAX is not registered in the detection database, the telephone number can be stored. It is easy to get a conversation with the source.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a receiving means for receiving a voice mail or a facsimile from a telephone line, and a telephone number search by fetching a telephone number of a calling party from data at the time of telephone connection when a voice mail or a facsimile is received. Means for registering telephone numbers to be registered as means, storing incoming voicemails or faxes together with e-mails, displaying a list of stored voicemails or faxes and their contents, and responding to selection operations from the display screen. The telephone number search means searches for the telephone number of the originator of the voice mail or facsimile, and the gateway means connects the telephone having the telephone number detected by the telephone number search means to the voice input / output means. In the electronic mail device according to claim 2, not only the electronic mail but also a voice mail and a facsimile are provided. And to be able to manage, also, without the source of the voice mail and FAX is not registered to the detection database, it is possible to carry out a dialogue with easily its source to obtain the telephone number.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the telephone number searching means searches for the telephone number of the source of the e-mail and the telephone number of the broadcast transmission destination of the e-mail, and the telephone line control means sets the telephone number. A telephone connection between a telephone set of each telephone number detected by the search means and a telephone set for a user to enable multi-party communication. Simultaneous dialogue among many people, including all of the above, becomes possible, and efficient communication can be achieved in a short period of time.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the telephone number searching means searches the telephone number of the source of the e-mail and the telephone number of the transmission destination of the e-mail, and the gateway means searches the telephone number. The telephone of each telephone number detected by the means is connected to the voice input / output means so as to enable multi-party communication. Simultaneous dialogue among many people including all is possible, and efficient communication can be achieved in a short period of time.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the address searching means searches the address of the voice input / output device of the source of the electronic mail and the address of the voice input / output device of the broadcast transmission destination of the electronic mail, and 4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the voice interaction connection means connects the voice input / output device of each address detected by the address search means and the voice input / output means to a network to enable a multi-party conversation by voice. In the mail device, simultaneous conversation between many persons including all of the transmission source and the broadcast transmission destination becomes possible, and efficient communication can be achieved in a short period of time.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) As shown in FIG. 1, an e-mail device according to a first embodiment is a mail server 15 for sending and receiving e-mail via a digital network 21.
An e-mail display device 11 for displaying a list of received e-mails and the contents thereof, a telephone number search means 13 for searching a source telephone number from an e-mail source e-mail address, and a designated telephone number And a telephone line control device 14 for making a telephone connection to the telephone via a telephone line network 22. The mail server 15, the e-mail display device 11, the telephone number search means 13, and the telephone line control device 14 Are connected by a network 21. The telephone line 12 is connected to the telephone 12 of the user and the telephone 17 of the caller, and the digital network 21 is connected to the electronic mail transmitter 16 of the caller.

As shown in FIG. 2, the telephone number search means 13 stores data in which mail addresses are associated with telephone numbers.

In this device, first, when an electronic mail is transmitted from the electronic mail transmitting device 16 of the origin, it arrives at the mail server 15 and is accumulated. At this point, the user operates the electronic mail display device 11 to view the electronic mail stored in the mail server 15 on a list display screen as shown in FIG. 3 or a content display screen as shown in FIG. Can be. Note that the e-mail may be moved from the mail server 15 to the e-mail display device 11 at the time of display on the e-mail display device 11.

The list display screen of FIG. 3 displays the mail address of the sender, the subject of the mail, and the date and time of reception of all the stored e-mails, and also identifies unread mails. The display is attached. Also, this screen displays buttons for "content display", "delete", and "dialogue with sender". When "delete" is clicked, the selected mail is deleted and "content display" is displayed. When clicked, the content of the selected mail is displayed on the content display screen of FIG.

On the content display screen, the sent message is displayed together with the source mail address, the destination mail address, the subject, and the like. In addition, this screen displays buttons for "Reply", "Forward", "Print" and "Dialogue with sender". If you click "Reply", an e-mail addressed to the sender's e-mail address will be displayed. When you click "Transfer", the screen changes to the transfer screen where you specify the destination and forward this message.
When "print" is clicked, the displayed contents are printed out.

Clicking the "Dialogue with sender" button on the screen of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 sends the telephone number of the user who is operating to the telephone line controller 14 and sends the selected mail. The original mail address is sent to the telephone number search means 13. The telephone number search means 13 retrieves the telephone number from the mail address to obtain the telephone number of the caller. The obtained caller's telephone number is sent to the telephone line controller 14.

The telephone line controller 14 makes a call to the telephone 12 of the user and the telephone 17 of the originator based on the transmitted telephone number of the user and the originator's telephone number, and connects them. . Therefore, the user can talk with the caller simply by picking up the telephone receiver.

As described above, in this e-mail apparatus, the user simply operates the e-mail display screen to make a call to the source of the displayed e-mail, and make a call to the telephone 12 of the user. A conversation can be made with the original telephone set 17.

Although the telephone number search means 13 is shown as an independent device connected to the LAN in this example, it is used as one of the electronic mail display device 11, the mail server 15, and the telephone line control device 14. RS232C, IEEE1394 (serial interface with real-time transmission function), USB (personal computer interface for connecting peripheral devices), IrD
LA like A (infrared data communication interface)
It may exist in the form of an independent device connected to the electronic mail display device 11 or the telephone line control device 14 by any communication means other than N.

Also, in this example, the mail server 15 is LA
Although shown as an independent device on N, it is possible to adopt a form in which one device is configured together with the electronic mail display device 11 or the telephone line control device 14.

Also, in this example, the telephone 12 of the user and the telephone 17 of the caller are shown as being connected to the telephone line 22 by wire, but they may be mobile phones or PHSs.

In this example, the telephone number of the user is
Although sent directly from the e-mail display device 11 to the telephone line control device 14, the telephone number of the user may be retrieved by the telephone number retrieval means 13.

Further, the telephone line controller 14 has a CTI (comp
It can also be configured with a PBX device with uter telephony integration) function. When the telephones 12 and 17 are mobile phones or PHSs, a mobile phone or a PHS base station having a CTI function may be used as the telephone line controller 14.

Also, the digital network 21
N, WAN, Internet, etc., or a network including a path connected by a telephone network via a modem.

The telephone network 22 may be any of a private telephone network, a public network, and an ISDN.

Also, the electronic mail display device 11 and the user's telephone 12 may be integrated into one device, and this device is a portable telephone or digital mobile phone capable of switching between voice communication and digital communication. It may be a body terminal.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the electronic mail device may be constructed by incorporating the function of the telephone line control device 14 into the electronic mail display device 11. In this e-mail device, a telephone line controller 14 incorporated in an e-mail display device 11 and a source telephone 17 are connected by a telephone line network 22, and the telephone line controller 14 and a user's telephone 12 are connected to a telephone line. They are connected by a network 23. In this case, between the telephone 12 of the telephone line network 23 and the telephone line controller 14, and between the telephone line
The telephone 17 and the telephone line controller 14 may be directly connected or an exchange may be interposed.

The operation of the electronic mail device is the same as that of the configuration shown in FIG. The telephone line control device 14 of this example can be constituted by a voice communication board with a line switching function incorporated in the electronic mail display device 11.

(Second Embodiment) In a second embodiment, a description will be given of a configuration in which a telephone call is made with a caller telephone using a telephone call function such as an Internet telephone of an electronic mail device.

As shown in FIG. 6, the e-mail apparatus includes a microphone 42 for inputting sound and a speaker for reproducing sound.
An e-mail display device 11 having a telephone number 41 and a network telephone line gateway device 24 for connecting to a telephone having a designated telephone number to relay the telephone line 22 and the digital network 21; As in the embodiment (FIG. 1), the mail server 15 and the telephone number searching means 13
It has. Also, the telephone line network 22 has
17 is connected, and a digital network 21 is connected to an e-mail transmission device 16 of a transmission source.

The network telephone line gateway device 24 is connected to the electronic mail display device 11 via the digital network 21 and to a telephone via the telephone line 22. Then, when the telephone number of the destination is specified, it connects to the specified telephone, captures voice data input from the microphone 42 of the e-mail display device 11 via the network, sends it to the connected telephone, and An operation of transmitting a voice signal from the telephone to the electronic mail display device 11 via the network is performed.

In this e-mail device, as in the first embodiment, the e-mail transmitted from the originating e-mail transmission device 16 is stored in the mail server 15. Then, when the user clicks the "Dialogue with sender" button on the list display screen (FIG. 3) or the content display screen (FIG. 4) displayed on the e-mail display device 11, the e-mail address of the sender is searched by telephone number. Sent to the means 13 to retrieve the telephone number 13
Searches for the phone number of the caller from the email address,
The obtained transmission source telephone number is sent to the network telephone line gateway device 24.

Network telephone line gateway device 24
When a caller's telephone number is sent from the telephone number search means 13, a call is made to the caller's telephone 17 based on the telephone number, and the telephone number is also connected to the e-mail display device 11 via the network 21. I do. As a result, the e-mail display device 11
It is possible to interact with the telephone set 17 using the speaker 41 and the microphone 42 of FIG.

As described above, in the e-mail device of this embodiment, the speaker 41 and the microphone 42 provided in the e-mail display device 11 can be connected only by performing a simple operation on the screen displayed on the e-mail display device. You can use it to call the source of the email.

In this example, the microphone 42 and the speaker 41
Are directly connected to the e-mail display device 11,
AN or RS232C, IEEE1394, US
B, the microphone 42 and the speaker 41 may be connected to another device connected to the electronic mail display device 11 by other communication means such as IrDA.

Also, a PDA (portable information communication terminal) capable of data communication or a mobile communication terminal composed of a personal computer connected to a mobile phone by a modem can be used as the e-mail display device 11.

Further, the network telephone line gateway device 24 can be constituted by an Internet telephony server which enables a conversation between the Internet telephone and the telephone line, and the electronic mail display device 11
Can be configured with a device having the function of an Internet telephone client.

Further, the network telephone line gateway device 24 is connected to an Internet telephone and a portable telephone or PH.
It can also be constituted by a base station of a mobile phone or a PHS having the function of an Internet telephony server that enables interaction with the S.

(Third Embodiment) In a third embodiment, a description will be given of a configuration in which an electronic mail device and a caller both make a call using a call function such as an Internet telephone.

As shown in FIG. 7, this e-mail device includes a digital voice interaction connection means 34 for making a network connection between digital voice input / output devices, and an address required for network connection between digital voice input / output devices. And an e-mail display device 11 having a microphone 42 and a speaker 41, and a mail server 15 as in the second embodiment (FIG. 6). In addition, the digital network 21 is connected to a source electronic mail transmitting device 16 and a source voice input / output device 36 having a microphone 44 and a speaker 43.

In this e-mail device, the e-mail transmitted from the e-mail transmission device 16 of the transmission source is stored in the mail server 15 as in the first embodiment. Then, when the user clicks the "Dialogue with sender" button on the list display screen (FIG. 3) or the content display screen (FIG. 4) displayed on the e-mail display device 11, the e-mail address of the sender is displayed in the address search means. 33 to address search means 33
Is the speaker used by the sender from this email address
The address of the digital voice input / output device 36 having the microphone 43 and the microphone 44 is searched, and the obtained address is sent to the digital voice interaction connection means 34.

The digital voice interaction connection means 34 connects the voice input / output device 36 of the transmission source and the electronic mail display device 11 to each other on the network based on the address sent from the address search means 33, and the devices 11, 36, respectively. Create a state where you can talk using the speaker and microphone attached to

As described above, in this e-mail device, only by performing a simple operation on the screen displayed on the e-mail display device, the speaker 41 and the microphone 42 provided in the e-mail display device 11 are used. Can interact with the digital voice input / output device 36 from which the email is sent.

The digital voice interactive connection means 34 can be constituted by a device having the function of an Internet telephone server, and the electronic mail display device 11 and the voice input / output device 36 of the transmission source are connected to the Internet telephone client. It can be configured with a device having the function of

The digital network 21 is a LAN, WA
N, the Internet, or a network including a path connected by a telephone network via a modem.

The speaker 41 of the electronic mail display device 11
The microphone 42 is directly connected to the electronic mail display device in this example, but may be connected to a device separated from the electronic mail display device 11 connected to the digital network 21.

The source voice input / output device 36 and the source electronic mail transmitting device 16 are separate devices in this example, but the same device has both functions. You may.

(Fourth Embodiment) In a fourth embodiment, a description will be given of an apparatus for detecting the telephone number and address of a caller from the text of an electronic mail.

As shown in FIG. 8, in addition to the configuration of the first, second or third embodiment, this electronic mail apparatus has a search means for searching for the telephone number or address of the sender from the text of the electronic mail. Equipped with 18. In FIG. 8, the telephone number search means 13 of the first and second embodiments (FIGS. 1 and 6) and the address search means 33 of the third embodiment (FIG. 7) are collectively referred to as "Phone number search". Means Or Address Search Means "
The telephone line connection device 14 of the first embodiment, the network telephone line gateway device 24 of the second embodiment, and the digital voice interactive connection means 34 of the third embodiment are collectively referred to as a "telephone line connection device". A connection device or network telephone line gateway device or digital voice interactive connection means "74. Also, the user's telephone 12 of the first embodiment, the microphone 42 and the speaker of the second embodiment
Description of 41 is omitted here.

In this electronic mail device, the electronic mail transmitted from the electronic mail transmitting device 16 of the sender is stored in the mail server 15 and the user is displayed on the electronic mail display device 11 in a list display screen (FIG. 3) or Click the "Dialogue with sender" button on the content display screen (Fig. 4).
The sender's mail address is sent to the telephone number search means or address search means 73, and the sender's telephone number or the address of the digital voice input / output device is searched from this mail address.

The operation up to this point is the same as that of each embodiment. When the search is successful, the obtained telephone number or address is stored in the telephone line control device, the network telephone line gateway device, or the digital voice interactive connection means. 14 and a voice dialogue between the user and the caller is performed in the same procedure as in each embodiment.

On the other hand, when the telephone number search means or address search means 73 cannot search the telephone number or address, the contents of the e-mail are sent to the search means 18.

The search means 18 detects a part considered as a telephone number or an address from a sentence of an electronic mail based on a numeric pattern or a positional relationship with a related word such as "TEL" or "telephone number".

A screen illustrated in FIG. 9 is displayed based on the detection result, and the user confirms whether or not the detection result is correct with the “Yes” and “No” buttons. If the user clicks the Yes button, this telephone number or address is sent to the telephone line control device, the network telephone line gateway device, or the digital voice interactive connection means 74, and the call is transmitted to the user in the same procedure as in each embodiment. Voice communication with the original is enabled.

As described above, in this electronic mail apparatus, even if the search of the telephone number of the transmission source or the address of the voice input / output device from the mail address fails, the transmission source and the voice of the electronic mail can be easily operated. Can interact.

In this example, when the telephone number or the address is searched from the text of the e-mail, the search result is confirmed by the user. However, the confirmation by the user may be omitted. . Further, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which when the user selects “NO” on the confirmation screen, the next candidate is presented to the user and confirmation is required.

Further, in this apparatus, when a telephone number or address other than the caller is described as a contact in the text of the e-mail, the search by the detecting means 18 is prioritized, so that the contact By detecting a telephone number or address, a telephone line or network can be connected, and voice communication with a contact can be performed.

(Fifth Embodiment) In a fifth embodiment, a device will be described which automatically sends an e-mail to a sender when a telephone call with the sender cannot be established.

As shown in FIG. 10, the electronic mail device includes an automatic transmission means 19 for automatically transmitting an electronic mail. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment (FIG. 1).

In this electronic mail device, the electronic mail transmitted from the electronic mail transmitting device 16 of the sender is stored in the mail server 15 and the user is displayed on the electronic mail display device 11 in a list display screen (FIG. 3) or Click the "Dialogue with sender" button on the content display screen (Fig. 4).
Through the procedure described in the first embodiment, a telephone call is made from the telephone line controller 14 to the telephone set 17 of the caller. At this time, if the caller picks up the receiver of the telephone set 17 and the telephone connection is successful, a voice dialogue between the user and the caller is performed.

However, at this time, if the telephone connection with the caller fails due to a busy or absent call or a malfunction of the telephone, the mail address of the caller and a part of the contents of the e-mail are sent to the automatic transmission means 19. .

The automatic transmission means 19 receiving the message uses a part of the received e-mail and, as shown in FIG. Automatically created and sent to the originating e-mail device. In FIG. 12, the X part is a quote from the received e-mail.

As described above, this e-mail device transmits, by e-mail, the contents that the user wants to contact immediately when the voice communication with the caller cannot be performed due to the busy or absence of the caller's telephone or the trouble of the telephone. By doing so, the will can be communicated to the sender.

FIG. 11 shows a case where an automatic transmission means 19 for automatically transmitting an electronic mail is provided in the apparatus of the second embodiment (FIG. 6). Also in this device, when the telephone connection with the caller fails, the automatic transmission means 19 automatically creates an e-mail and transmits it to the e-mail device of the caller.

FIG. 15 shows a case where an automatic transmission means 19 for automatically transmitting an electronic mail is provided in the apparatus of the third embodiment (FIG. 7). In this device, the power of the voice input / output device 36 of the transmission source is not turned on, or the network connection with the voice input / output device 36 due to a failure of the digital network 21, the voice input / output device 36, or the digital voice interaction connection means 34. If it is not possible, automatic transmission means 19
Automatically creates an e-mail and sends it to the originating e-mail device.

The text of the e-mail created by the automatic transmission means 19 may be automatically corrected according to the cause of the malfunction of the telephone connection. FIG. 13 shows a text example of an e-mail in the case where the caller does not answer the phone even if the ring tone sounds. Further, the user may select the text of the e-mail to be transmitted from a plurality of texts including the text example as shown in FIG. Alternatively, the user may create some or all of the text.

(Sixth Embodiment) In a sixth embodiment, an e-mail device that receives not only an e-mail but also an integrated mail including a voice mail and a facsimile will be described.

As shown in FIG. 16, this e-mail device includes a receiving device 51 for receiving a voice mail or a facsimile from the telephone line 22, and a telephone number for taking in the telephone number of the originator of the voice mail or the facsimile when the facsimile is received. And taking-in means 52. Further, the mail server 15 of the electronic mail device can store integrated mails, and the electronic mail display device 11 can display a list of not only electronic mail but also voice mail and facsimile, and display the contents. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment (FIG. 1).

In this electronic mail device, when a voice mail or a facsimile is transmitted from the telephone set 17 of the caller, the voice mail or the facsimile is received by the receiving device 51 via the telephone line 22. At this time, the telephone number capturing means 52 attached to the receiving device 51 captures the source telephone number information and the source terminal identification information exchanged between the terminal and the telephone line network at the time of an incoming call, and converts the information into a message number. Is registered in the telephone number search means 13 together with information for identifying a voice mail or a facsimile represented by "."

The received voice mail or fax is
It is sent to the mail server 15 and stored. At this point, the user can view the voice mail or fax stored in the mail server 15 on the list display screen as shown in FIG. 3 or the content display screen as shown in FIG. it can. At the time of display on the e-mail display device 11, the voice mail or the fax is sent to the mail server.
It is also possible to move from 15 to the e-mail display device 11.

When the user clicks the "dialogue with originator" button on the screen shown in FIG. 3 or 4, the telephone number of the user who is operating is sent to the telephone line controller 14, and information for identifying voice mail or facsimile is transmitted. Is a telephone number search means
Sent to 13.

The telephone number search means 13 searches the telephone number of the originator of the voice mail or FAX from the identification information, and sends the obtained telephone number of the originator to the telephone line controller 14. The telephone line controller 14 makes a call to the user's telephone 12 and the originating telephone 17 based on the transmitted user's telephone number and originating telephone number, and connects the two.

As described above, in the electronic mail apparatus of this embodiment, integrated mails including voice mails and faxes can be managed collectively, and when it is necessary to make a telephone call with the sender of the integrated mails, , You can make a phone call with a simple operation from those display screens.

Even if the telephone number of the originator of the voice mail or FAX is not registered in the telephone number search means 13 in advance, the telephone number of the originator can be automatically registered at the time of receiving them. Telephone call can be easily made.

FIG. 17 shows a receiving apparatus 51 for receiving a voice mail or a facsimile from the telephone line 22 and a telephone number fetching means 52 for fetching the telephone number of the originator of the voice mail or the facsimile when receiving the facsimile. Embodiment (FIG. 6)
In the case of the device shown in FIG.

Also in this electronic mail device, the voice mail or FAX transmitted from the telephone set 17 of the transmission source is received by the reception device 51. At this time, the telephone number capturing means 52 transmits the transmission source telephone number information and the transmission source terminal. The identification information is fetched and registered in the telephone number search means 13 together with the identification information of voice mail or FAX. Then, when the user clicks the “dialogue with sender” button on the screen of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4, the electronic mail display device 11 and the telephone set 17 of the sender are connected via the network. It is possible to interact with the telephone 17 using the microphone 41 and the speaker 42.

In this embodiment, one receiving device
Although voice mail or FAX is received at 51, voice mail and FAX may be received by a separate device.

[0091] The originating telephone 17 may be a facsimile or a telephone having a facsimile function.

The receiving device 51 for receiving voice mail or fax may be integrated with the telephone line connection device 14 or the network telephone line gateway device 24.

The telephone number capturing means 52 for capturing the telephone number of the caller when receiving a voice mail or a facsimile call when the telephone number of the caller cannot be captured from the data at the time of telephone connection. It is also possible to configure such that it has a function of inquiring the telephone number to another search means or the user.

In the examples of FIGS. 16 and 17, all data of voice mail, FAX, and e-mail are stored in one mail server.
The data of X and e-mail may be stored in different devices. The voice mail may be of a type in which automatic recording is performed during a call on an extension and registered in a mail server after the call is completed.

(Seventh Embodiment) In the seventh embodiment, an electronic device capable of making a telephone call between many parties including a source of an e-mail and a plurality of destinations to which the e-mail is broadcast. The mail device will be described.

In this apparatus, as shown in FIG. 18, a plurality of telephones 57 to which an electronic mail is broadcast are connected to the telephone line network 22 to which the telephone 12 of the user is connected. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment (FIG. 1).

In this apparatus, first, an e-mail having a plurality of destinations is transmitted from an e-mail transmitting apparatus 16 of a transmission source, and arrives at a mail server 15 which is one of the destinations and is accumulated. You.

The user displays a list display screen (FIG. 3) or a content display screen (FIG. 4) of the e-mails stored in the mail server 15 on the e-mail display device 11, and displays the "dialogue with sender". When the button is clicked, the telephone number of the user is sent to the telephone line controller 14, and the mail address of the sender and the address of the destination other than the user of the e-mail are sent to the telephone number search means 13.

When the telephone number search means 13 searches the mail address for the telephone number of the transmission source and the telephone number of the destination other than the user of the e-mail, it sends each telephone number of the search result to the telephone line controller 14. The telephone line control device 14 communicates with the user's telephone 12 and the originating telephone 17 based on the transmitted user's telephone number, the originating telephone number and the destination telephone number of the e-mail other than the user. A multi-party telephone call is established with the telephone 57 to which the e-mail other than the user is sent.

As a result, it is possible to perform a voice conversation between many persons including a source of the e-mail and another transmission destination, and it is possible to efficiently and quickly communicate with related persons. .

FIG. 19 shows a case in which the electronic mail device of the second embodiment (FIG. 6) has a function of multi-party communication. This device also displays an electronic mail list display screen (FIG. 3). ) Or by simply clicking the “Dialogue with sender” button on the content display screen (FIG. 4), using the microphone 41 and the speaker 42 of the e-mail display device 11 to display the other party's telephone 17 and e-mail. It is possible to make a multi-party call with the telephone 57 of the destination.

FIG. 20 shows a third embodiment (FIG. 7).
Of the electronic mail device shown in FIG. 3 has a function of multi-party communication. In this device as well, the "dialogue with sender" of the electronic mail list display screen (FIG. 3) or the content display screen (FIG. 4) is shown. By simply clicking the button of, the microphone 41 and the speaker 42 of the e-mail display device 11 are used to communicate between the voice input / output device 36 of the transmission source and the voice input / output device 67 of the other destination of the e-mail. Multi-party calls can be made.

In FIG. 19, all the e-mail destinations other than the user use the telephone for dialogue, and in FIG. 20, all the e-mail destinations other than the user use the voice input / output device for dialogue. However, by providing the network telephone line gateway device 24 and the digital voice interaction connection means 34 in the e-mail device, some of the destinations interact with the telephone and the other destinations receive voice input. It can take the form of interacting with the output device.

[0104]

As is apparent from the above description, the e-mail apparatus of the present invention can operate the e-mail source, the telephone, the attached speaker and the microphone by simply operating the e-mail display screen. Can be used to interact.

Further, in an apparatus provided with an extracting means for extracting the telephone number or address of the transmission source from the text of the e-mail, even if the telephone number or address of the transmission source cannot be detected from the search database, the communication with the transmission source is not performed. Enable connections for conversations.

Also, in a device provided with automatic transmission means for transmitting an e-mail to the transmission source when a connection for the conversation with the transmission source cannot be established, it is necessary to inform the transmission source that urgent contact is desired. Can be.

Further, in an apparatus provided with a voice mail or FAX receiving means and a telephone number capturing means for capturing the telephone number of the originator thereof, the voice mail or FAX can be managed in the same manner as the electronic mail. By operating from these display screens, it is possible to interact with the originator of voice mail or FAX.

[0108] Further, in a device that allows simultaneous conversation between all parties from the source of the e-mail and the broadcast destination of the e-mail, efficient communication can be achieved in a short period of time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic mail device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a data structure held by a telephone number search unit according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a list screen of the electronic mail display device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary view showing a content display screen of the e-mail display device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing another configuration of the e-mail device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic mail device according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic mail device according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic mail device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a view showing a screen for confirming an extracted telephone number to a user on the electronic mail display device according to the fourth embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic mail device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing another configuration of the electronic mail device according to the fifth embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of an e-mail automatically transmitted by the e-mail device according to the fifth embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a view showing another example of an e-mail automatically transmitted by the e-mail device according to the fifth embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a view showing another example of an e-mail automatically transmitted by the e-mail device according to the fifth embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing another configuration of the electronic mail device according to the fifth embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic mail device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing another configuration of the electronic mail device according to the sixth embodiment;

FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic mail device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing another configuration of the electronic mail device according to the seventh embodiment;

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing another configuration of the electronic mail device of the seventh embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 E-mail display device 12 User's telephone 13 Telephone number search means 14 Telephone line controller 15 Mail server 16 Sender's e-mail transmitter 17 Sender's telephone 18 Extraction to extract sender's telephone number or address from e-mail Means 19 Automatic transmission means for automatically sending e-mail 21 Digital network 22, 23 Telephone network 33 Address search means 34 Digital voice interaction connection means 36 Voice input / output device 24 Network telephone line gateway device 41 E-mail display device Connected speaker 42 Microphone connected to the e-mail display device 43 Speaker of the source voice input / output device 44 Microphone of the source voice input / output device 51 Receiving device that receives voice mail and fax from telephone 52 When receiving a call Means to capture the telephone number of the caller 57 Destination telephones other than e-mail users 67 Electronic Lumpur users other than the destination of the audio input and output device 73 telephone number search unit or address search means 74 a telephone line controller or network Telephone gateway device or digital audio interactive connection means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification symbol FI H04M 1/27 H04N 1/32 Z 11/00 303 G06F 15/40 370Z H04N 1/00 107 H04L 11/20 B 1/32

Claims (12)

[Claims] An e-mail device for storing incoming e-mails and displaying a list and contents of the stored e-mails, comprising: a telephone for a user; a mail address of a source of the received e-mail; Telephone number searching means for searching for a telephone number, and telephone line control means for making a telephone connection between the telephone having the telephone number detected by the telephone number searching means and the telephone for the user. An electronic mail apparatus wherein the telephone number search means and the telephone line control means perform the operation in accordance with a selection operation from a screen for displaying the contents. 2. An electronic mail device for storing an incoming electronic mail and displaying a list of the stored electronic mails and the contents thereof, comprising: a voice input / output means having a speaker and a microphone; A telephone number search means for searching the telephone number of the caller from the address, connecting the telephone of the telephone number detected by the telephone number search means and the voice input / output means, and transmitting voice data input from the microphone. Gateway means for taking in via the network and flowing to the telephone, and transmitting voice from the telephone to the speaker via the network, wherein the telephone is operated in accordance with a selection operation from a screen displaying a list of e-mails and its contents. An electronic mail apparatus wherein the number search means and the gateway means perform the operation. 3. An electronic mail apparatus for storing incoming electronic mails and displaying a list of stored electronic mails and the contents thereof, comprising: a voice input / output unit having a speaker and a microphone; Address search means for searching the address of the source voice input / output device on the network from the address; and connecting the voice input / output device of the address detected by the address search means and the voice input / output means to the network to generate a voice. Digital voice dialogue connection means for enabling a dialogue, wherein the address search means and the digital voice dialogue connection means perform the operation in accordance with a selection operation from a screen displaying a list of e-mails and the contents thereof. Email device. 4. The electronic mail device according to claim 1, further comprising an extracting unit configured to extract the telephone number of the caller from the text of the displayed electronic mail. 5. The electronic mail apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an extracting unit configured to extract an address on the network of the source voice input / output apparatus from a sentence of the displayed electronic mail. 6. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an automatic transmission means for automatically transmitting an e-mail to the caller when a telephone connection with the caller telephone cannot be established. Email device. 7. An apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an automatic transmission means for automatically transmitting an e-mail to the transmission source when a network connection with the transmission source voice input / output device cannot be established. E-mail device. 8. Voice mail or fax from a telephone line
Receiving means for receiving a voice mail or fax
Telephone number capturing means for capturing the telephone number of the caller from the data at the time of the telephone connection at the time of the incoming call and registering the telephone number in the telephone number search means.
Is stored together with the e-mail, a list of the stored voice mails or faxes and the contents thereof are displayed, and in response to a selection operation from the display screen, the telephone number search means causes the telephone number of the originator of the voice mail or fax. 2. The electronic mail apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the telephone line control means makes a telephone connection between the telephone having the telephone number detected by the telephone number searching means and the telephone for the user. 9. Voice mail or fax from a telephone line
Receiving means for receiving a voice mail or fax
Telephone number capturing means for capturing the telephone number of the caller from the data at the time of the telephone connection at the time of the incoming call and registering the telephone number in the telephone number search means.
Is stored together with the e-mail, a list of the stored voice mails or faxes and the contents thereof are displayed, and in accordance with a selection operation from the display screen, the telephone number search means causes the telephone number of the originator of the voice mail or fax transmission. 3. The electronic mail apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the gateway means connects the telephone having the telephone number detected by the telephone number search means to the voice input / output means. 10. The telephone number search means searches for a telephone number of a source of an e-mail and a telephone number of a broadcast transmission destination of the e-mail. 2. The e-mail apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the telephone of each detected telephone number and the telephone for the user are connected by telephone to enable a multi-party call. 11. The telephone number search means searches for a telephone number of a source of an e-mail and a telephone number of a broadcast transmission destination of the e-mail, and the gateway means detects the telephone number by the telephone number search means. 3. The electronic mail apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the telephone of each of the set telephone numbers is connected to the voice input / output means to enable a multi-party call. 12. The address search means searches an address of a voice input / output device of a source of an electronic mail and an address of a voice input / output device of a broadcast transmission destination of the electronic mail,
The digital voice interaction connection means connects the voice input / output device of each address detected by the address search means and the voice input / output means to a network, thereby enabling a multi-party conversation by voice. The electronic mail device according to claim 3.