Mail control device and mail control program

Abstract

To provide a mail control device and a program for automatically adding a necessary recipient to a reply destination of a reply mail to an inquiry mail without limiting to a sending source or sending destination of the inquiry mail.SOLUTION: In a mail control device 1, an outgoing mail analysis unit 121 analyzes a received outgoing mail and determines whether the outgoing mail is an inquiry mail requesting a response from a sending destination. When it is determined that the received outgoing mail is an inquiry mail, a reply destination information acquisition unit 122 acquires a reply destination email address by referring to predetermined information storage means based on the sending destination of the outgoing mail. An outgoing mail change unit 123 forms an outgoing mail in which the reply destination email address acquired by the reply destination information acquisition unit 122 is set at the reply destination in a header section of the outgoing mail (inquiry mail), and a mail sending processing unit 124 sends the outgoing mail to the sending destination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and a program that enable a reply mail to an inquiry mail that requires some kind of reply to be sent to an appropriate recipient, for example. [Background technology]

[0002] Internal control, which is a mechanism for a company to operate its business activities soundly and efficiently, has been gaining in importance. For example, when sending e-mail, approval is obtained as necessary before sending the e-mail. However, when sending e-mail, the procedure for obtaining approval may be complicated, or e-mail may be sent without approval from an appropriate approver, but with approval from an inappropriate approver. For this reason, Patent Document 1 described later discloses an invention relating to an information processing system that does not require the sender of e-mail to make a complicated decision to select an approver and prevents an approval request from an inappropriate approver. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-163360 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, not all sent emails necessarily require approval. In companies, inquiries are often made using emails. For example, it is common to inquire about the date and time of a meeting or appointment, or the price or delivery date of a product. When sending an email to make an inquiry like this, the need for approval is generally considered to be low. However, it is often preferable to send a reply email to the inquiry email to related parties, such as a superior.

[0005] For this reason, it is conceivable that at the inquiry email stage, an inquiry email is sent not only to the person in charge of the inquiry, but also to related parties such as the person's superior. However, since related parties such as the person's superior are not direct contacts, it is often the case that adding them to the destination list at the inquiry email stage is forgotten. In this case, the related parties such as the superior do not know the content of the reply to the inquiry, and communication between the related parties such as the superior and the sender or recipient of the inquiry email does not flow smoothly, which can result in work not progressing.

[0006] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to automatically add a required recipient to the destinations of a reply mail to an inquiry mail, without being limited to the sender or destination of the inquiry mail. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the mail control device of the invention described in claim 1 comprises: an analyzing means for analyzing a received outgoing e-mail and determining whether the e-mail is an inquiry e-mail requesting a reply from a destination in a header section; an acquisition means for referring to a predetermined information storage means and acquiring an email address of a reply destination based on a destination in the header section of the outgoing email when the analysis means determines that the outgoing email is an inquiry email; an outgoing mail modifying means for forming an outgoing mail in which the reply destination mail address acquired by the acquiring means is set as the reply destination in a header section of the outgoing mail; a transmission processing means for transmitting the outgoing mail formed by the outgoing mail modifying means to a destination of the header portion; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, the mail control device according to the invention described in claim 3 comprises: a first analysis means for analyzing a received outgoing e-mail and determining whether the e-mail is an inquiry e-mail requesting a reply from a destination in a header section; a setting means for forming an outgoing mail with a predetermined email address set as a reply destination in a header section of the outgoing mail when the outgoing mail is determined to be an inquiry mail by the first analysis means; a first transmission processing means for transmitting the outgoing mail formed by the setting means to a destination in the header portion; A second analysis means for analyzing a received outgoing email and determining whether the email is a reply email including the predetermined email address in a destination of a header portion; an acquisition means for acquiring an email address to be added to a destination by referring to a predetermined information storage means based on a sender in a header section of the outgoing email when the outgoing email is determined to be the reply email by the second analysis means; a change means for forming an outgoing email by changing the predetermined email address of the destination in the header section of the outgoing email to the email address acquired by the acquisition means and to be added to the destination; a second transmission processing means for transmitting the outgoing mail formed by the modification means to a destination of the header portion; The present invention is characterized by comprising: Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to this invention, necessary recipients can be automatically added to the reply destination of a reply mail to an inquiry mail, without being limited to the sender or destination of the inquiry mail. This makes it possible to reliably notify the contents of the reply mail to the necessary people, and prevents inconveniences such as communication gaps due to not knowing the contents of the reply mail. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a network system configured using a mail control device to which an embodiment of a device and a program according to the present invention is applied; [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a mail control device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of data stored in an in-house information DB according to the first embodiment; FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of an inquiry email processed by the email control device of the first embodiment; FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a header part of an inquiry email processed by the email control device of the first embodiment; FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a reply email processed by the email control device of the first embodiment; FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process flow centered on a mail control device in a network system using the mail control device of the first embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a sequence diagram continuing from Figure 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a mail control device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a header part of an inquiry email according to the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a header part of a reply email according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process flow centered on a mail control device in a network system using the mail control device of the second embodiment. [Figure 13] This is a sequence diagram continuing from Figure 12. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the device and program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The device and program according to the present invention are suitable for use in cases where various inquiries are made by e-mail, such as inquiring about the schedule of a meeting or appointment, or inquiring about the price or delivery date of a product, in a company. In the following, for the sake of simplicity, an example will be described in which an inquiry e-mail is sent to a recipient in a different department in a company, and a reply e-mail is sent (replyed) to the inquiry e-mail.

[0012] [Network system configuration example] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a network system that uses a mail control device 1 to which an embodiment of the device and program according to the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, the mail control device 1, a router RT(1), and a base station BS(1) of a mobile phone network are connected to a wide area network 5 shown in the center. The wide area network 5 is mainly the Internet, but also includes an optical telephone network and a public telephone network that connect the mail control device 1 and the router RT(1) to the wide area network 5, and a mobile phone network that connects the base station BS(1) to the wide area network 5. Although not shown in FIG. 1, communication terminals such as smartphones and PCs (Personal Computers) may also be connected to the wide area network 5 through a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) access point.

[0013] The mail control device 1, which will be described in detail later, has both a function as a mail server for realizing the sending and receiving of e-mails and a reply destination setting function. The reply destination setting function adds a necessary reply destination to an inquiry mail, and enables the reply destination to be automatically added as a destination of the reply mail. The mail control device 1 is connected to PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), 3(4), 3(5), 3(6), ... used by each employee who is a member of the company, and an internal information DB (Data Base) 4 that stores information about employees, etc., via a LAN (Local Area Network) 2. The internal information DB 4 is a device unit consisting of a recording medium such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) and its driver, but may also be configured as a server device further equipped with a CPU, etc.

[0014] In the embodiment described below, for the sake of simplicity, it is assumed that PC3(1) is used by Mr. A, the sales department manager, PC3(2) is used by Mr. B, the development department manager, and PC3(3) is used by Mr. C, the development department manager, as described later. Also, it is assumed that PC3(4) is used by Mr. D, the production department manager, PC3(5) is used by Mr. E, a production member (without title), and PC3(6) is used by Mr. F, the production department manager.

[0015] The smartphone 6(1) connected to the wide area network 5 through the base station BS(1) of the mobile phone network is owned by an employee of the company, such as Mr. A, and can receive e-mails addressed to the employee and send e-mails related to work even when away from the office. A home PC 7(1) connected through the router RT(1) is used by an employee of the company, such as Mr. B, when performing so-called remote work from a home other than the company office. Therefore, the employee can receive e-mails addressed to the employee and send e-mails related to work through the home PC 7(1). In FIG. 1, the base station BS(1), smartphone 6(1), router RT(1), and home PC 7(1) are shown as representatives, but in reality there are many of these. In other words, employees other than Mr. A also own smartphones 6(2), ..., and employees other than Mr. B can also use the home PCs 7(2), ....

[0016] As described above, the mail control device 1 has a function as a mail server for transmitting and receiving e-mails. Therefore, e-mails addressed to employees received using the PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), 3(4), 3(5), 3(6), ..., smartphone 6(1), and home PC 7(1) used by employees are received via the mail control device 1. Also, e-mails sent using the PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), 3(4), 3(5), 3(6), ..., smartphone 6(1), and home PC 7(1) used by employees are sent via the mail control device 1.

[0017] In this way, since e-mail is sent and received via the e-mail control device 1, the e-mail control device 1 can realize a reply destination setting function that adds a necessary recipient to the reply destination of an inquiry e-mail. In this embodiment, even if the superior of the destination (inquiry destination) of the inquiry e-mail is not included in the destinations of the inquiry e-mail, a reply e-mail to the inquiry e-mail can be automatically sent to the superior. This allows the superior to receive and check the reply e-mail, and to reliably know what kind of inquiry his / her subordinate received and what kind of answer (reply) was given to it.

[0018] In the following, the mail control device 1 of the first embodiment and the mail control device 1A of the second embodiment, which is used in the same manner as the mail control device 1 of the first embodiment but has different processing contents, will be described. The mail control device 1 of the first embodiment specifies a reply destination email address in the process of sending an inquiry email. The mail control device 1A of the second embodiment specifies a reply destination email address in the process of sending a reply email to an inquiry email.

[0019] [First embodiment] <Configuration example of mail control device 1> 2 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of the mail control device 1 of the first embodiment. Connection end 101T constitutes a connection end to wide area network 5. Communication I / F (Interface) 101 is a part that enables communication through wide area network 5. Communication I / F 101 converts data transmitted through wide area network 5 into data in a format that can be processed by mail control device 1 and imports it. In addition, communication I / F 101 converts data to be sent from mail control device 1 to wide area network 5 into data for transmission and sends it to wide area network 5.

[0020] Although not shown, the control unit 102 is a microprocessor configured by connecting a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a non-volatile memory via a bus. The control unit 102 realizes the function of controlling each part of the mail control device 1. The storage device 103 is a device unit consisting of a recording medium, such as an SSD, and its driver, and records, modifies, and deletes various data on the recording medium, and reads data from the recording medium. The storage device 103 stores and holds necessary data and programs, and is also used as a working area for temporarily storing intermediate data generated in various processes.

[0021] The transmission box 104 is a storage unit that stores e-mails (outgoing e-mails) sent from subordinate terminal devices using the mail server function of the machine. The reception box is a storage unit that stores e-mails (incoming e-mails) received by subordinate terminal devices using the mail server function of the machine. The transmission box 104 and reception box 105 are formed in a storage device unit that includes a storage medium, such as an SSD, and its driver. The transmission box 104 and reception box 105 can be formed in the same storage device unit with different storage areas, or can be formed in different storage devices.

[0022] The connection end 106T constitutes a connection end to the LAN2. The LANI / F 106 is a part that enables communication through the LAN2. The LANI / F 106 converts data transmitted through the LAN2 into data in a format that can be processed by the mail control device 1 and imports it. The LANI / F 106 also converts data to be sent from the mail control device 1 to the LAN2 into data for transmission and sends it to the LAN2.

[0023] The mail server function unit 110 is a part that realizes the mail server function, and is composed of a transmission server function unit 111 and a reception server function unit 112. The transmission server function unit 111 is a part that functions as an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server. The transmission server function unit 111 receives outgoing mail from PC3(1), ... connected to LAN2 and outgoing mail from employee's smartphone 6(1), ... and employee's home PC 7(1), ... sent through wide area network 5, and stores the mail in the outgoing box 104. The transmission server function unit 111 identifies the destination from the information in the header section of the outgoing mail, and performs processing to send the outgoing mail to the destination.

[0024] The receiving server function unit 112 functions as a Post Office Protocol Version 3 (POP3) server or an Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) server. The receiving server function unit 112 receives e-mails sent via the LAN 2 or wide area network 5 addressed to employees who receive e-mails through the receiving server, stores them in the inbox 105, and provides them upon request. Note that since the mail server function unit 110 is a unit that realizes a well-known mail server function, detailed explanations of, for example, a unit that identifies a destination through a DNS (Domain Name System) server and a unit that manages e-mail addresses to identify a recipient will be omitted.

[0025] The reply destination setting unit 120 is a part that realizes a reply destination setting function that adds a necessary reply destination to an inquiry mail. That is, the reply destination setting unit 120 automatically sets a reply destination for an inquiry mail, so that the intended destination (reply destination) can be automatically added to the destination of the reply mail that is sent in response to the inquiry mail, simply by performing the process of replying to the inquiry mail. Each part of the reply destination setting unit 120 will be specifically described.

[0026] The outgoing mail analysis unit 121 functions when an outgoing mail sent using the mail server function of the mail control device 1 is received through the connection terminal 106T and the LAN I / F 106 or the connection terminal 101T and the communication I / F 101 and stored in the outgoing box 104. The outgoing mail analysis unit 121 checks the mail text in the body of the outgoing mail stored in the outgoing box 104, and if the outgoing mail contains a statement requesting some kind of response, it determines that the outgoing mail is an inquiry mail and notifies the control unit 102 of the same. For example, it is assumed that the mail text in the body of the outgoing mail contains a statement requesting some kind of response, such as "Is that okay?", "When is it?", "How much is it?", "Please respond.", or "Tell me about...". In this case, the outgoing mail can be determined to be an inquiry mail.

[0027] Also, the contents of the subject in the header section may be taken into consideration. For example, suppose that the subject in the header section does not have "Re:" or "RE:" added, which indicates a reply, but contains some wording that requests a response, such as "Confirmation of...", "Request for a response", or "Please tell me about...". In this case, the sent email can still be determined to be an inquiry email. However, since the subject is often not written, and often only contains a description to clarify the recipient, such as "To Mr. / Ms. XX", it is basically preferable to analyze the contents of the email body to determine whether it is an inquiry email or not.

[0028] Assume that the outgoing mail analysis unit 121 has determined that the incoming outgoing mail is an inquiry mail requesting a reply. In this case, the control unit 102 instructs the reply destination information acquisition unit 122 to acquire reply destination information. The reply destination information acquisition unit 122 accesses the in-house information DB4 on the LAN2 via the LANI / F 106 and the connection terminal 106T based on the destination of the inquiry mail, and performs a process of acquiring the reply destination email address. In this embodiment, the email address of the superior of the destination of the inquiry mail is acquired as the reply destination email address.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of data (organizational structure data) stored in the in-house information DB4 in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the organizational structure data includes information on a department ID, a position ID, a name, and an email address. In this embodiment, the department ID is an identification code for each department, such as "01: Sales Department", "02: Development Department", and "03: Manufacturing Department". In this embodiment, the position ID is an identification code for a position, such as "01: Director", "02: Section Chief", "03: Assistant Manager", "04: Chief", and "05: Member (no position)". The name is the name of an employee who is a member of the company, and the email address is an email address assigned to each employee in the company. The department ID can be further detailed, such as headquarters / department / section / section (group), by increasing the number of digits. The position ID can also be further subdivided, such as by increasing the number of digits.

[0030] The reply destination information acquisition unit 122 refers to the internal company information DB4 based on the email address of the destination of the inquiry email, and acquires the email address of the manager who is the superior of the department to which the employee identified by the email address of the destination belongs. The email address acquired here becomes the reply destination email address of the inquiry email. The outgoing email modification unit 123 forms an outgoing email (inquiry email) for each destination with a different reply destination based on the outgoing email (inquiry email) stored in the outbox 104, and sets the reply destination email address in the reply destination (Reply-To) in the header section.

[0031] The mail sending processing unit 124 processes the sending mail (inquiry mail) formed by the sending mail changing unit 123 to be stored in the sending box 104 in place of the sending mail (inquiry mail) to be sent stored in the sending box 104, and sends it to the destination. As a result, when replying to the inquiry mail using an existing mailer (mail processing software), a reply mail with the sender, destination, and reply destination of the inquiry mail as the destination can be formed and sent.

[0032] <Examples of inquiry emails and reply emails> The processing in the reply destination setting unit 120 of the mail control device 1 will be specifically described with reference to examples of an inquiry mail and a reply mail. Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of an inquiry mail processed by the mail control device 1 of the first embodiment. Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of the header part of an inquiry mail processed by the mail control device 1 of the first embodiment. Here, an example will be described in which A of the sales department sends an inquiry mail to B, the manager of the development department, D, the head of the manufacturing department, and E, a member of the manufacturing department (without title), inquiring about the delivery date of product XXX.

[0033] In the header section Hd of the inquiry email that A creates for B, D, and E using his own PC3(1), A's email address (aaaa@ssss.co.jp) is set in the sender (From) field, as shown in Fig. 4. In addition, B's email address (bbbb@ssss.co.jp), D's email address (dddd@ssss.co.jp), and E's email address (eeee@ssss.co.jp) are set in the destination (To) field in the header section Hd of the inquiry email. And the information "Confirmation of delivery date of product XXX" is entered in the subject field of the header section Hd.

[0034] Furthermore, the body portion Bd of the inquiry email contains the names of the recipients (Mr. B, Mr. D, Mr. E) and an email body inquiring about "the delivery date of product XXX to XX company." By analyzing the email body with such contents, the outgoing email analysis unit 121 determines that the outgoing email is an inquiry email inquiring about the delivery date of product XXX to XX company.

[0035] In this case, under the control of the control unit 102 that has been notified of the determination result by the outgoing mail analysis unit 121, the reply destination information acquisition unit 122 functions to refer to the in-house information DB4 and acquire the reply destination email address. In this example, as shown in FIG. 4, the destinations are B, D, and E, so the email address of the manager who is the superior of the department to which these three people belong is acquired. Specifically, as explained using FIG. 3, the department to which B belongs is the development department, and the email address (cccc@ssss.co.jp) of the manager, C, is acquired. Furthermore, as explained using FIG. 3, the department to which D and E belong is the manufacturing department, and the email address (ffff@ssss.co.jp) of the manager, F, is acquired.

[0036] Here, the email address of C, the development department manager, and the email address of F, the manufacturing department manager, may be set in the reply destination (Reply-To) of the inquiry email shown in Fig. 4. However, in many cases, it is sufficient to send the reply email to the boss of the person who actually sent the reply. Therefore, the outgoing email modification unit 123 functions to create an inquiry email to B, and inquiry emails to D and E, which have different reply destinations, based on the inquiry email stored in the outgoing box 104.

[0037] Specifically, the outgoing e-mail modification unit 123 forms an inquiry e-mail with a sender (From) of A (aaaa@ssss.co.jp), a destination (To) of B (bbbb@ssss.co.jp), and a reply destination (Reply-To) of C (cccc@ssss.co.jp) as shown in Fig. 5(A). The e-mail body of the inquiry e-mail is the same as the inquiry e-mail shown in Fig. 4. Furthermore, the outgoing e-mail modification unit 123 forms an inquiry e-mail with a sender (From) of A (aaaa@ssss.co.jp), a destination (To) of D (dddd@ssss.co.jp) and E (eeee@ssss.co.jp), and a reply destination (Reply-To) of F (ffff@ssss.co.jp) as shown in Fig. 5(B). The e-mail body of the inquiry e-mail is the same as the inquiry e-mail shown in Fig. 4.

[0038] The destination and reply destination are changed to form two inquiry emails according to the destination and reply destination from the original inquiry email (FIG. 4) stored in the transmission box 104. The mail transmission processing unit 124 functions to send these inquiry emails in place of the inquiry email (FIG. 4) stored in the transmission box 104, and an inquiry email (FIG. 5(A)) to B and an inquiry email (FIG. 5(B)) to D and E are sent.

[0039] After that, suppose that D sends a reply to the inquiry email (FIG. 5(B)) that includes D in the destination list. In this case, a reply email is sent to A, the sender of the inquiry email, E, the other recipient of the inquiry email other than D, and F, who was added as a reply sender. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of a reply email in the first embodiment.

[0040] The reply email that D forms by replying to the inquiry email (Figure 5(B)) that includes him / her as a recipient is shown in Figure 6. In this case, the information in the header section is automatically set according to the header section of the original inquiry email by the function of the mailer used by D. That is, a reply email is formed with the sender (From) as D (dddd@ssss.co.jp) and the destinations (To) as A (aaaa@ssss.co.jp), E (eeee@ssss.co.jp), and F (ffff@ssss.co.jp). D will write a reply message in the body section of the reply email. In the example of the reply email shown in Figure 6, it says, "Delivery of product XXX to XX company is scheduled for September 25, 2023." In addition, the email body of the original inquiry email is added to the bottom of the new body section as an original message.

[0041] In this way, by setting the email address of D's boss, F, in the reply-to address of the inquiry emails sent to D and E shown in Fig. 5(B), it is possible to include F in the destinations of the reply email to the inquiry email. In other words, the reply email from D to the inquiry email sent to D and E can be automatically sent to A, the sender of the original inquiry email, and E, a destination other than D, as well as D's boss, F.

[0042] <Processing of the network system according to the first embodiment> 7 and 8 are sequence diagrams for explaining the flow of processing centered on the mail control device 1 in a network system using the mail control device 1 of the first embodiment. Here, too, an example is taken of a case in which A from the sales department sends an inquiry mail to B, the manager of the development department, D, the head of the manufacturing department, and E, a member of the manufacturing department (without title), inquiring about the delivery date of product XXX.

[0043] As shown in the upper left corner of Fig. 7, suppose that A in the sales department uses his / her PC3(1) to create an inquiry email (Fig. 4) to inquire about the delivery date of product XXX to B, the manager of the development department, D, the head of the manufacturing department, and E, a member of the manufacturing department (step S1). When the inquiry email is sent from PC3(1), it is transmitted to the mail control device 1, which has a mail server function (step S2).

[0044] The inquiry mail is stored in the transmission box 104 of the mail control device 1 and analyzed by the transmission mail analysis unit 121 to determine whether it is an inquiry mail or not. It is assumed that the transmission mail analysis unit 121 determines that the transmission mail stored in the transmission box 104 is an inquiry mail. In this case, under the control of the control unit 102, the reply destination information acquisition unit 122 functions and refers to the internal company information DB4 to acquire the reply destination email address corresponding to the destination (step S3). Here, the email address of C, the development department manager who is the superior of the destination B, and the email address of F, the manufacturing department manager who is the superior of the destinations D and E, are acquired.

[0045] After this, the outgoing mail modification unit 123 starts functioning, and based on the inquiry mail stored in the outbox 104, forms an inquiry mail using the email address of the development department manager C and the email address of the manufacturing department manager F acquired by the reply destination information acquisition unit 122. In this example, the outgoing mail modification unit 123 forms an inquiry mail (FIG. 5(A)) with the sender set to A, the destination (To) set to B, and the reply destination (Reply-To) set to C (step S4), and sends this through the mail transmission processing unit 124 (step S5). As a result, B can receive, display, and view the inquiry mail using his own PC3(2) (step S6).

[0046] Furthermore, the outgoing mail modification unit 123 creates an inquiry mail (FIG. 5(B)) with the sender set to A, the destination (To) set to D and E, and the reply destination (Reply-To) set to F (step S7), and sends this via the mail sending processing unit 124 (steps S8, S9). As a result, D can display and view the inquiry mail using his / her own PC3(4) (step S10), and E can receive, display, and view the inquiry mail using his / her own PC3(5) (step S11).

[0047] Then, proceeding to the process shown in Fig. 8, assume that D performs an operation to reply to the inquiry mail received and displayed in step S10 of Fig. 7 to send a reply mail. In this case, PC3(4) used by D creates a reply mail (Fig. 6) with D as the sender (From) and A, E, and F as the destinations (To) by using the function of the mailer used by D (step S12), and sends this (step S13). The mail control device 1 processes to send to each destination (destination) (step S14). As a result, the reply mail is sent to A (step S15), E (step S16), and F (step S17).

[0048] As a result, person A can use his / her PC 3(1) to receive, display, and view the reply mail from person D (step S18), and similarly, person E can use his / her PC 3(5) to receive, display, and view the reply mail from person D (step S19). Furthermore, person F, who was added as a reply destination at the inquiry mail stage, can also use his / her PC 3(6) to receive, display, and view the reply mail from person D (step S20).

[0049] In this way, F (the boss of the recipients D and E) who was not included in the recipient list at the stage of the inquiry email created by A, can be automatically added to the reply destination of the inquiry email, and automatically added to the destination list for the reply email to the inquiry email. This allows F, who is the boss of D and E, to understand the contents of the reply email created and sent by D, and prevents any problems from occurring in the work thereafter.

[0050] [Second embodiment] In the case of the mail control device 1 of the first embodiment described above, since B, who was the destination of the inquiry mail, is in a different department from the other destinations D and E, the reply mail from D to the inquiry mail is not received. In this case, the destinations may be B, D, and E, and the reply destinations may include C, who is B's boss, and F, who is D and E's boss. However, the reply mail only needs to reach the boss of the person who sent the reply, and there are cases where it is not necessary for it to reach the bosses of other departments. Therefore, in the case of the second embodiment described below, a reply mail can be sent to the destination of the inquiry mail and the boss of the department to which the person who sent the reply to the inquiry mail belongs.

[0051] <Configuration example of mail control device 1A> Fig. 9 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of a mail control device 1A of the second embodiment. In Fig. 9, parts configured similarly to the mail control device 1 of the first embodiment explained using Fig. 2 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations of these parts will be omitted to avoid duplication. As can be seen by comparing Fig. 9 with Fig. 2, the mail control device 1A of the second embodiment has a reply destination setting unit 120A configured differently from the reply destination setting unit 120 of the mail control device 1 of the first embodiment.

[0052] The reply destination setting unit 120A of the mail control device 1A of the first embodiment includes an outgoing mail analysis unit 125. The outgoing mail analysis unit 125 determines whether an outgoing mail stored in the outbox 104 is an inquiry mail, an outgoing mail in response to an inquiry mail, or another mail. Specifically, the outgoing mail analysis unit 125 checks the subject of the header of the outgoing mail, and if the text "Re:" indicating that it is a reply mail is added, it determines that the outgoing mail is a reply mail.

[0053] Furthermore, when the outgoing mail analysis unit 125 determines that the outgoing mail is not a reply mail, it checks the mail text in the body section of the outgoing mail, and determines that the outgoing mail is an inquiry mail if the outgoing mail contains a statement requesting a response. The method of determining whether the outgoing mail is an inquiry mail is the same as that of the outgoing mail analysis unit 121 of the mail control device 1 of the first embodiment. When the outgoing mail is neither an inquiry mail nor a reply mail, the outgoing mail analysis unit 125 determines that the outgoing mail is a normal mail. The determination result by the outgoing mail analysis unit 125 is notified to the control unit 102.

[0054] When the outgoing mail analysis unit 125 determines that the outgoing mail stored in the outbox 104 is an inquiry mail, the reply destination address setting unit 126 sets a specific email address as the reply destination (Reply-To) of the inquiry mail under the control of the control unit 102. The specific email address is not an actual email address that specifies the destination, but is used to indicate that there is a destination to be added to the reply mail according to the destination of the inquiry mail (the sender of the reply mail). In other words, the reply destination address setting unit 126 realizes the function of setting a specific email address as the reply destination (Reply-To) of the inquiry mail when the outgoing mail stored in the outbox 104 is an inquiry mail.

[0055] In this way, the inquiry mail in which the reply destination address setting unit 126 has set a specific email address in the reply destination (Reply-To) is not modified in any other way, and the mail transmission processing unit 128 and the transmission server function unit 111 function to send the inquiry mail to the destination. After this, when the destination of the inquiry mail performs an operation to reply to the inquiry mail, a reply mail is created and sent. This reply mail is also sent via the mail control device 1A, and is therefore stored in the transmission box 104, and is therefore subject to analysis by the transmission mail analysis unit 125, as described above.

[0056] Destination address conversion unit 127 functions under the control of control unit 102 when outgoing mail analysis unit 125 determines that the outgoing mail stored in outbox 104 is a reply mail. Destination address conversion unit 127 determines whether or not the destination (To) in the header section of the reply mail stored in outbox 104 contains a specific email address set in the reply destination (Reply-To) of the inquiry mail. That is, in the case of a reply mail to an inquiry mail, the specific email address set in the reply destination (Reply-To) of the inquiry mail is automatically added to the destination (To) by the mailer function.

[0057] When the destination (To) of the reply mail includes a specific email address, the destination address conversion unit 127 refers to the in-house information DB 4 on the LAN 2 based on the sender (From) of the reply mail, and acquires the email address of the sender's superior. The destination address conversion unit 127 performs a process of converting (replacing) the specific email address of the destination (To) of the reply mail to the acquired email address of the superior. This allows a destination (the email address of the sender's superior) according to the sender of the reply mail to be added to the destination of the reply mail. In this way, the mail transmission processing unit 128 and the transmission server function unit 111 function to send the reply mail with the email address of the sender's superior added to the destination to the destination.

[0058] In this way, the mail control device 1A of the second embodiment only sets a specified email address as the reply destination (Reply-To) at the inquiry mail stage. However, at the reply mail stage, it is possible to automatically add a destination (To) corresponding to the sender (From) of the reply mail. That is, the mail control device 1 of the first embodiment specifies the email address of the reply destination in the process of sending an inquiry mail. In contrast, the mail control device 1A of the second embodiment specifies the email address of the reply destination (the destination of the reply mail) in the process of sending a reply mail to an inquiry mail.

[0059] <Examples of inquiry emails and reply emails> FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of the header part of an inquiry email processed by the email control device 1A of the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of the header part of a reply email processed by the email control device 1A of the second embodiment. Here, as in the first embodiment, an example will be explained in which an inquiry email is sent from A of the sales department to B, the manager of the development department, D, the head of the manufacturing department, and E, a member of the manufacturing department (without a title), inquiring about the delivery date of product XXX. Therefore, the email text in the body part of the inquiry email and reply email is similar to that shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 6 of the first embodiment.

[0060] In the header section Hd of the inquiry mail to B, D, and E, which A creates using his / her PC3(1), A's email address (aaaa@ssss.co.jp) is set in the sender (From) as shown in Fig. 10. In addition, B's email address (bbbb@ssss.co.jp), D's email address (dddd@ssss.co.jp), and E's email address (eeee@ssss.co.jp) are set in the destination (To) of the header section Hd of the inquiry mail. And, information such as "Confirmation of delivery date of product XXX" is input in the subject (Subject) of the header section Hd. Furthermore, for the inquiry mail, the outgoing mail analysis section 125 and reply destination address setting section 126 function in the mail control device 1A, and a predetermined email address, in this example, "jyoushi@ssss.co.jp" is set in the reply destination (Reply-To).

[0061] When D starts up a mailer on his / her PC3(4) and performs a reply operation in response to the inquiry email shown in Fig. 10, D's email address (dddd@ssss.co.jp) is set in the sender (From) as shown in Fig. 11. Also, the email addresses of A (aaaa@ssss.co.jp), B (bbbb@ssss.co.jp), D (dddd@ssss.co.jp), and E (eeee@ssss.co.jp) are set in the destination (To) in the header section Hd of the inquiry email. Furthermore, the specified email address (jyoushi@ssss.co.jp) set in the reply destination (Reply-To) of the inquiry email is set in the destination (To).

[0062] Therefore, in the mail control device 1A, the outgoing mail analysis unit 125 and the destination address conversion unit 127 function to convert (replace) the specified destination (To) email address (jyoushi@ssss.co.jp) into the email address of F, the manufacturing department manager who is the superior of the sender, D. That is, as shown in Fig. 11, the specified destination (To) email address (jyoushi@ssss.co.jp) is converted (replaced) into the email address (ffff@ssss.co.jp) of F, the manufacturing department manager.

[0063] In this way, by setting a specific email address in the reply destination (Reply-To) of the inquiry email shown in Fig. 10, it is possible to include F as a recipient in the reply email to that inquiry email. In other words, the reply email from D to an inquiry email sent to B, D, and E can be sent to F as well, with the destinations automatically set to A, the sender of the original inquiry email, and the recipients B and E other than D, as well as D's boss F.

[0064] <Processing of the network system according to the second embodiment> 12 and 13 are sequence diagrams for explaining the flow of processing centered on the mail control device 1A in a network system using the mail control device 1A of the second embodiment. Here, too, an example is given in which A in the sales department sends an inquiry email to B, the manager of the development department, D, the head of the manufacturing department, and E, a member of the manufacturing department (without title), inquiring about the delivery date of product XXX.

[0065] As shown in the upper left corner of Fig. 12, suppose that A of the sales department uses his / her PC3(1) to create an inquiry email (Fig. 4) to inquire about the delivery date of product XXX to B, the development department manager, D, the manufacturing department manager, and E, a manufacturing department member, using his / her PC3(1) (step S1). When the inquiry email is sent from PC3(1), it is transmitted to the mail control device 1 having a mail server function (step S2). Up to this point, the process is the same as that of the first embodiment described using Fig. 7.

[0066] In the mail control device 1A that receives the inquiry mail and stores it in the transmission box 104, the transmission mail analysis unit 125 functions to determine whether the transmission mail stored in the transmission box 104 is an inquiry mail, a reply mail, or other mail (normal mail). If the transmission mail analysis unit 125 determines that the transmission mail stored in the transmission box 104 is an inquiry mail, the reply destination address setting unit 126 functions to set a specified email address as the reply destination (Reply-To) of the inquiry mail (step S31). In this embodiment, the specified email address is the predetermined "jyoushi@ssss.co.jp".

[0067] In this way, the inquiry email with a specified email address set in the Reply-To field is sent to the destination by email transmission processing unit 128 and transmission server function unit 111 (step S32). As a result, the inquiry email is sent to each of the destinations, B, D, and E (steps S33, S34, S35). As a result, B, D, and E are able to receive, display, and view the inquiry email from A via their respective PCs 3(2), 3(4), and 3(5) (steps S36, S37, S38). Note that the inquiry emails sent to B, D, and E have the same content in both the header and body.

[0068] Then, proceeding to the process shown in Fig. 13, assume that D performs an operation to reply to the inquiry email received and displayed in step S37 of Fig. 12, to send a reply email. In this case, PC3(4) used by D uses the function of the mailer used by D to create a reply email (Fig. 11) with D as the sender (From) and A, B, D as the recipients (To), and also adding "jyousi@ssss.co.jp" (step S39), and sends this (step S40).

[0069] The mail control device 1A receives the reply mail, stores it in the transmission box 104, and determines whether it is an inquiry mail, a reply mail, or other mail. If it is determined that it is a reply mail, the destination address conversion unit 127 functions and determines whether or not the specified email address "jyoushi@ssss.co.jp" exists in the destination (To) (step S41). In the determination process of step S41, it is assumed that it is determined that the specified email address "jyoushi@ssss.co.jp" exists in the destination (To).

[0070] In this case, the destination address conversion unit 127 refers to the in-house information DB4 on the LAN2 and acquires the email address of Mr. F, the manufacturing department manager who is the superior of Mr. D, who is the sender (From) of the reply email (step S42). The destination address conversion unit 127 creates a reply email by converting (replacing) the destination's predetermined email address "jyoushi@ssss.co.jp" into Mr. F's email address (ffff@ssss.co.jp) (step S43). The reply email created here is sent to Mr. A, Mr. B, Mr. E, and Mr. F by the function of the email transmission processing unit 128 and the transmission server function unit 111 (steps S44, S45, S46, S47).

[0071] As a result, person A can receive, display, and view the reply mail from person D using his / her PC 3(1) (step S48), and similarly, person B can receive, display, and view the reply mail from person D using his / her PC 3(2) (step S49). Also, person E can receive, display, and view the reply mail from person D using his / her PC 3(5) (step S50). Furthermore, person F, who was added as a recipient at the reply mail stage, can also receive, display, and view the reply mail from person D using his / her PC 3(6) (step S51).

[0072] In this way, F (the boss of the recipients D and E) who was not included in the recipient list when the inquiry email was created by A can be automatically added to the recipient list of the reply email by adding a specified email address to the reply email. This allows F, who is the boss of D and E, to understand the contents of the reply email that D created and sent, and prevents any problems from occurring in the work that follows. Moreover, the reply email from D is also sent to B in the development department, who was the recipient of the inquiry email, and he can understand its contents.

[0073] [Effects of the embodiment] According to the mail control device 1, 1A of the above-mentioned embodiment, it is possible to automatically add necessary recipients to the destinations of a reply mail to an inquiry mail, without being limited to the sender or destination of the inquiry mail. This makes it possible to reliably send a reply mail to necessary recipients who were not specified as the destinations of the reply mail when the inquiry mail was sent. Specifically, a reply mail to the inquiry mail can also be sent to the superior of the destination of the inquiry mail. This prevents a problem in which the superior does not know the contents of the reply to the inquiry, leading to a misunderstanding between the superior and the sender, and work does not progress.

[0074] [Variations] In the above embodiment, the organizational structure data as shown in Fig. 3 is stored in the in-house information DB 4, but the present invention is not limited to this. The in-house information DB 4 may of course be stored on the wide area network 5. Also, if existing data such as organizational structure data or an employee master that can grasp the affiliation and position of members exists, this may be used.

[0075] In the above embodiment, the case where the superior of the destination of the inquiry mail, who needs some kind of response, is automatically added to the destination of the reply mail to the inquiry mail, has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, instead of the internal information DB4 described with reference to Fig. 3, data that associates the destination of the inquiry mail with the email address of the destination (reply destination) to be added to the reply mail to the inquiry mail is stored. In this case, the destination of the inquiry mail and the destination (reply destination) to be added to the reply mail to the inquiry mail may be either an internal or external party.

[0076] In this way, by storing and holding data in advance that associates the destination of an inquiry email with the email address of the destination (reply destination) to be added in a reply email to the inquiry email, the reply email to the inquiry email can be sent to a predetermined reply destination. The email address of the automatically added destination is additionally displayed in the destination of the reply email, so the sender of the reply email can also check the destination of the reply email. The data can be stored in a storage device provided on the LAN 2 or a storage device connected to the wide area network 5.

[0077] In the above embodiment, the mail control device 1 has been described as having both a mail server function and a contact network server function, but this is not limited thereto. For example, a network may be configured so that a reply mail control device having a reply destination setting unit 120 is provided before or after a mail server. For example, the mail server may be provided on a wide area network 5, and the reply destination setting unit 120 provided in the mail control device 1 may be provided in a device called a UTM (Unified Threat Management) device provided in a company. In this case, for example, a smartphone 6(1) or a home PC 7(1) may be connected to the UTM device through a so-called VPN (Virtual Private Network).

[0078] In this way, the mail control device of the present invention can be set up so that all e-mails sent and received in an organization such as a company always pass through, and can automatically add recipients to whom a reply mail must be sent to the destinations of the reply mail. Therefore, a reply mail can be sent to the necessary recipient without being aware of the sender of the inquiry mail or the sender of the reply mail to the inquiry mail.

[0079] The process performed by the mail control device 1 described using the sequence diagrams of Figures 7 and 8 is an application of an embodiment of the program according to the present invention. Therefore, the functions of each part of the reply setting part 120 and each part of the mail server function part 110 of the mail control device 1 shown in Figure 2 can be realized as functions of the control part 102 by a program executed by the control part 102. Similarly, the process performed by the mail control device 1A described using the sequence diagrams of Figures 12 and 13 is an application of an embodiment of the program according to the present invention. Therefore, the functions of each part of the reply setting part 120A and each part of the mail server function part 110 of the mail control device 1A shown in Figure 9 can be realized as functions of the control part 102 by a program executed by the control part 102. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1...mail control device, 101T...connection end, 101...communication I / F, 102...control unit, 103...storage device, 104...transmission box, 105...reception box, 106T...connection end, 106...LAN I / F, 110...mail server function unit, 111...transmission server function unit, 112...reception server function unit, 120...reply destination setting unit, 121...transmitted mail analysis unit, 122...reply destination information acquisition unit, 123...transmitted mail change unit, 12 4...Email transmission processing unit, 120A...Reply destination setting unit, 125...Sent email analysis unit, 126...Reply destination address setting unit, 127...Destination address conversion unit, 128...Email transmission processing unit, 2...LAN, 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), 3(4), 3(5), 3(6)...PC, 4...In-house information DB, 5...Wide area network, 6(1)...Smartphone, BS(1)...Base station, 7(1)...Home PC, RT(1)...Router

Claims

1. an analyzing means for analyzing a received outgoing e-mail and determining whether the e-mail is an inquiry e-mail requesting a reply from a destination in a header section; an acquisition means for referencing a predetermined information storage means and acquiring an email address of a reply destination based on a destination in the header section of the outgoing email when the analysis means determines that the outgoing email is an inquiry email; an outgoing mail modifying means for forming an outgoing mail in which the reply destination mail address acquired by the acquiring means is set as the reply destination in a header section of the outgoing mail; a transmission processing means for transmitting the outgoing mail formed by the outgoing mail modifying means to a destination of the header portion; An email control device comprising:

2. 2. The mail control device according to claim 1, When the received outgoing mail has multiple destinations in the header section, The acquiring means acquires a reply destination email address for each of a plurality of destinations in the header section of the outgoing email, The outgoing mail modifying means forms a plurality of outgoing mails in which the reply destination email address acquired by the acquiring means is set as the reply destination in the header portion of the outgoing mail for each of the plurality of destinations in the header portion.

13. An email control device comprising:

3. a first analysis means for analyzing a received outgoing mail and determining whether the outgoing mail contains an inquiry mail requesting a reply from a destination in a header portion; a setting means for forming an outgoing mail with a predetermined email address set as a reply destination in a header section of the outgoing mail when the outgoing mail is determined to be an inquiry mail by the first analysis means; a first transmission processing means for transmitting the outgoing mail formed by the setting means to a destination in the header portion; a second analysis means for analyzing the received outgoing mail and determining whether the outgoing mail is a reply mail including the predetermined mail address in the destination of the header; an acquisition means for acquiring an email address to be added to a destination by referring to a predetermined information storage means based on a sender in a header section of the outgoing email when the outgoing email is determined to be the reply email by the second analysis means; a change means for forming an outgoing email by changing the predetermined email address of the destination in the header section of the outgoing email to the email address acquired by the acquisition means and to be added to the destination; a second transmission processing means for transmitting the outgoing mail formed by the modification means to a destination of the header portion; An email control device comprising:

4. A mail control program executed by a computer, an analysis step of analyzing the received outgoing mail and determining whether the outgoing mail is an inquiry mail requesting a reply to a destination of the header section; an acquisition step of acquiring an email address of a reply destination by referring to a predetermined information storage means based on a destination of the header part of the outgoing email when the email is determined to be an inquiry email in the analysis step; an outgoing mail modifying step of forming an outgoing mail in which the reply destination mail address acquired in the acquiring step is set as the reply destination in a header section of the outgoing mail; a sending process step of sending the sending mail formed in the sending mail changing step to a destination of the header part; 2. A mail control program comprising:

5. A mail control program executed by a computer, a first analysis step of analyzing a received outgoing mail and determining whether the outgoing mail is an inquiry mail requesting a reply from a destination in a header section; a setting step of forming an outgoing mail with a predetermined email address set as a reply destination in a header section of the outgoing mail when the outgoing mail is determined to be an inquiry mail in the first analysis step; a first transmission processing step of transmitting the outgoing mail formed in the setting step to a destination in the header portion; a second analysis step of analyzing the received outgoing mail and determining whether the outgoing mail is a reply mail including the predetermined email address in a destination of a header portion; an acquisition step of acquiring an email address to be added to a destination by referring to a predetermined information storage means based on a sender in a header section of the outgoing email when the outgoing email is determined to be the reply email in the second analysis step; a modifying step of forming an outgoing email by modifying the predetermined email address of the destination in the header portion of the outgoing email to the email address acquired in the acquiring step to be added to the destination; a second sending process step of sending the outgoing mail formed in the change step to a destination of the header part; 2. A mail control program comprising:

Images