JPH05344152A - E-mail device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] There is a data rule that allows control data other than text data to be transferred in an e-mail and to perform processing according to the content when the control data is transferred. And generate data accordingly,
Enables conversion and output. A control mail body including a mail output destination control code section for specifying one of the peripheral apparatus groups 22 to be controlled in the workstations 3a, 3b and a data section for controlling the peripheral apparatus group 22 is generated. Then, when the data is transferred to the received mail output server 21 via the communication line 2, the received mail output server 21 interprets the mail output destination control code part of the control mail body and outputs the data part to the corresponding peripheral device, thereby transmitting this. Control.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic mail device, and more particularly to an electronic mail device suitable for transferring character strings and data as well as data to be output to a peripheral device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conventional electronic mail apparatus. In the figure, 1a and 1b are host computers connected via a communication line 2, and 3a and 3b are works connected to the host computers 1a and 1b via a LAN (local area network) such as Ethernet (trademark of Xerox Co.). It is a station.

In the above configuration, a plurality of workstations 3a are installed in the router having the host computer 1a as a gateway, and the workstations 3b are connected to the host computer 1a via the communication line 2 and the host computer 1b. Multiple units will be installed in the router that uses as a gateway. Here, when sending e-mail from any of the workstations 3a and 3b to other workstations 3a and 3b, the mails in the same router are kept in the corresponding host computers 1a and 1b, respectively. Communication line 2 for sending e-mail to workstations 3a and 3b belonging to the router
Mail is transferred through the host computer 1a on the other side,
Keeped at 1b. As described above, from one workstation 3a, 3b to another workstation 3
The e-mail sent to a or 3b can be viewed by inputting a key such as a password at the receiving workstations 3a and 3b and calling the e-mail from the host computers 1a and 1b to the workstations 3a and 3b. You can

Now, as shown in the explanatory view of FIG. 4, the e-mail transferred through the above-mentioned route is the mail body section 6 as shown in FIG.
And the mail attribute portion 5 are formed so as to constitute the mail body 4. Here, in the mail attribute section 5, the sender's name,
The name of the workstation 3a, 3b of the transmission partner, the name of the transmission partner of the e-mail, the title of the e-mail, and the like are included. Therefore, the recipient of the e-mail can read and view the contents of the e-mail by expanding the text data of the e-mail body 6 in the environment of a word processor, an editor or the like.

[0005]

Since the conventional electronic mail device is constructed as described above, the data to be transmitted and received as electronic mail are mainly text data, and control data and the like are stored in the respective electronic mail devices. There is a problem in that it cannot be transferred on the premise of processing according to the purpose. Even if data for control is included in the mail body 6 of the mail body 4 for the purpose of controlling peripheral devices, etc., this is treated exactly as text data and is treated as mere data. Only after analyzing the data and implementing it as control data for peripheral devices in the controlled device, the recipient can achieve the purpose. Need the work of doing. As described above, the conventional electronic mail device has not considered the transfer of data other than the text data from the beginning, and thus has a problem that the applicable range of the electronic mail is limited.

The present invention solves the problems of the prior art as described above, and includes control data other than text data as data transferred in electronic mail, and responds to the contents of the control data when the control data is transferred. It has a data protocol for processing, and generates data according to it.
An object is to provide an electronic mail device capable of conversion and output.

[0007]

To achieve the above object, the present invention generates a mail body including a control unit for specifying a peripheral device to be controlled and a data unit for controlling the peripheral device. An electronic mail device comprising: a terminal unit for transferring, a received mail output server unit connected to the terminal unit via a communication unit for interpreting a control unit of the mail body and outputting a data unit to a corresponding peripheral device. Is provided.

[0008]

The electronic mail apparatus of the present invention generates the mail body including the control unit for specifying the peripheral device to be controlled in the terminal unit and the data unit for controlling the peripheral device, and receives the received mail via the communication unit. When transferred to the output server means, the received mail output server means controls the peripheral device by interpreting the control part of the mail body and outputting the data part to the corresponding peripheral device.

[0009]

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

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic mail apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 21 is a received mail output server connected to a LAN having the host computer 1b as a host, and 22 is a received mail output server 21.
Home automation equipment, audio equipment, connected to
Printer device, facsimile device, modem device, LAN
It is a peripheral device group such as a device. Although not shown, if necessary, a device similar to the received mail output server 21 may be connected to a LAN having the host computer 1a as a host, and a peripheral device group 22 may be provided in correspondence therewith. Omitted for simplicity.

The operation of the above-described structure will be described below.

Now, the electronic mail centering on the text data exchanged between the workstations 3a and 3b has a structure as shown in FIG. 4, and is used exclusively for exchanging texts. The operation of each part in this case is exactly the same as the configuration of FIG.

On the other hand, when an electronic mail is used to control various devices included in the peripheral device group 22, the electronic mail in the format shown in FIG. 2 is transferred to the received mail output server 21. To do. By the way, as shown in FIG. 2, the electronic mail for device control is formed so that the data mail 25 and the mail output destination control code 24 constitute the control mail main body 23. Here, in the control mail main body 23, the name of the sender and the received mail output server 21 of the sender are sent.
, The name of the peripheral device to which the e-mail is sent, the control code, etc., and the data section 25 contains the contents of the control data to be sent by e-mail in the form of a data string.

When sending a control electronic mail from one of the workstations 3a to the received mail output server 21, the mail is sent as shown in FIG. 2 based on the peripheral equipment to be controlled and the control contents. Output destination control code section 2
A control mail body 23 having 4 and a data section 25 is generated and sent to the LAN. This email is LAN
To the host computer 1a through the communication line 2
It is transferred to the host computer 1b via and is kept there. On the other hand, one of the workstations 3b
When sending a control electronic mail from the stand to the received mail output server 21, an electronic mail in the format as shown in FIG. 2 is similarly generated and sent to the LAN. This electronic mail is transferred to the host computer 1b through the LAN and kept there.

When the host computer 1b that keeps the transferred electronic mail interprets the mail output destination control code section 24 in the control mail main body 23 and determines that the electronic mail is for control, the received mail is first received. Output server 21
Inquires whether or not is in operation. Then, when the received mail output server 21 is in the operating state, this electronic mail is transferred to the received mail output server 21, and when the received mail output server 21 is not in the operating state, this is kept.

The received mail output server 21 to which the control e-mail has been transferred interprets the mail output destination control code section 24 of the control mail body 23 and selects a device to be controlled from the peripheral device group 22. Control body 23
The peripheral device group 22 using the data section 25 in the
Output to the controlled device in. As a result, the peripheral device group 22 designated by the control data transferred from any of the workstations 3a and 3b can be caused to perform a desired operation.

The received mail output server 21 suspends the transfer of the control data when the peripheral device to be controlled included in the electronic mail is in the non-operational state due to the power-off or the like, and the control is performed at the time when it becomes the operational state. Outputs control data to the target device.

When electronic mails are exchanged between the host computers 1a and 1b connected via the communication line 2, if the destination host computers 1a and 1b are inactive, the destination computer is activated. Hold e-mail forwarding until state is reached.

In the above embodiment, the control mail body 2
The control data has been exemplified as the data included in the data section 25 of No. 3, but the control data includes text to be printed out by the printer device, a document to be transmitted by the facsimile device, and data to be transmitted to the line by the modem device. Of course, etc. are included.

Further, the data protocol of the control electronic mail can be arbitrarily determined according to the type of peripheral device group 22 and the control form, and the mail output destination control code unit 24 and the data unit based on this. The generation, conversion, output and the like of 25 can be easily executed by software running on the workstations 3a and 3b.

In the above embodiment, the system in which the workstations 3a and 3b connected via the LAN are used as terminals is illustrated, but the invention is applied to a home automation system or the like having a personal computer network (personal computer network) or a telephone line. Even if it is, the same effect can be obtained.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, the electronic mail device can generate and transfer the electronic mail for control, and the receiving side interprets the electronic mail to control the device to be controlled. Since it is configured so that it becomes possible to expand the function of the electronic mail, it is possible to arbitrarily control various non-control devices.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

2 is an explanatory diagram of a format of an electronic mail applied to the configuration of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conventional electronic mail device.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a general electronic mail format.

[Explanation of Codes] 1a, 1b Host computer 2 Communication line 3a, 3b Workstation 21 Received mail output server 22 Peripheral device group

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Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A control unit for specifying a peripheral device to be controlled, a terminal unit for generating and transferring a mail body including a data unit for controlling the peripheral device, and a connection unit via the communication unit with the terminal unit. And a received mail output server means for interpreting the control unit of the mail body and outputting the data unit to the corresponding peripheral device.