Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer conferencing – Demand based messaging
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-07
2001-06-26
Coulter, Kenneth R. (Department: 2154)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer conferencing
Demand based messaging
Reexamination Certificate
active
06253231
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to electronic mail processing systems, and relates more particularly to a system and method for incorporating image data into electronic mail documents.
2. Description of the Background Art
Implementing an efficient and effective method for incorporating image data into electronic documents is a significant consideration of system designers and manufacturers. However, the techniques available to incorporate the image data are often difficult or cumbersome to utilize.
With the increased use of the Internet as a means for communication, the use of electronic mail (e-mail) for business and personal communications has rapidly increased. Because traditional e-mail systems have been text based rather than graphics based, however, consumers have sometimes been reluctant to use e-mail instead of traditional means of communication, such as telephones and letters.
For example, consumers often desire the ease of including pictures with a letter, combined with the immediate communication afforded by a telephone conversation. Although traditional e-mail systems offer the immediate communication of the telephone, they do not offer an easy method for including a picture with the communication. Consumers may desire the ability to include a picture of a graduation ceremony or birthday celebration together with a communication, so that the picture is displayed concurrently with their discussion of the event. As another example, consumers may desire to easily and quickly include directions to a party, or to their home, in the form of hand-drawn maps included directly within the e-mail document.
E-mail system developers have attempted to meet consumer demands by allowing graphic data (i.e., pictures) to be included with e-mail messages in the form of attachments or separate files. Thus, to send a picture with an e-mail message, the system user is typically required to load or input the picture into the computer by the use of a scanner or a video input device. The system user must then convert the picture into a format suitable for attachment to the e-mail document, and then electronically attach the picture to the e-mail document. After the system user finishes creating the e-mail document, the e-mail software converts both text and picture (as separate files) into a suitable format for transmission over a networked source such as the Internet, and then transmits the files to a selected designation.
Once the e-mail document is received, the viewer of the e-mail document must then decode the picture in order to view it. In the typical e-mail processing software, the e-mail software automatically performs the decoding process. However, the attached picture still remains a separate file from the e-mail document and is only “linked” to the e-mail document by some electronic means. To view the attached pictures, the viewer must start a separate, program that displays the attached pictures.
The traditional process for including pictures in an e-mail document requires expensive equipment. In addition, the process is cumbersome and time consuming. The process requires extra equipment to load or input the picture into the e-mail system, and separate computer programs to convert the pictures into a size and format suitable for manipulation by the e-mail system. In addition, because the picture file is always a separate file from the e-mail document, the picture file may be lost or not properly “linked” to the e-mail document at any point in the process. This results in the viewer not being able to view the picture as intended by the sender.
Thus, the foregoing problems present significant obstacles to effectively implementing an efficient method for incorporating image data into electronic documents.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to electronic mail processing systems, and relates more particularly to a system and method for incorporating image data into electronic mail documents. In the preferred embodiment, a CPU initially sets a video input flag to ON. A display module then loads a selected window template from memory and displays image input data on a television. The window template specifies relative areas on the television and the e-mail document where the image data and text data are to be displayed. The CPU then waits for the system user to input commands or to enter key input from a keyboard.
Next, the CPU determines whether the system user has pressed a FREEZE button on the keyboard. If the system determines that the FREEZE button has been pressed, then a graphics conversion module responsively converts the image input data into graphic data and stores the graphic data. Then, the CPU sets the video input flag to OFF and the CPU continues processing.
The CPU then determines whether the system user has pressed an UN-FREEZE button on the keyboard. If the CPU determines that the UNI-FREEZE button has been pressed, then the CPU deletes the graphic data from memory and sets the video input flag to ON.
Next, the CPU determines whether the system user has entered key input from the keyboard. If the CPU determines that the user has entered key input, then an e-mail manager responsively incorporates and saves the key input characters as text data.
Then, the display module determines the status of the video input flag. If the video input flag is set to OFF, then the display module combines the graphic data with the text data for display on the television. However, if video input flag is set to ON, then the display module combines the image input data with the text data for display on the television.
Next, the CPU determines whether the system user has pressed a SEND button on the keyboard. If the CPU determines that the SEND button has been pressed, then an e-mail conversion module converts the graphic data and text data into an e-mail document that is suitable for processing by the e-mail manager. If the video input flag is set to ON, the graphic conversion module first converts the image input data into graphic data and then saves the graphic data before the foregoing conversion process occurs. The e-mail manager then forwards the e-mail document to the Internet to complete the e-mail process.
The present invention thus provides a system and method to directly incorporate image data into an e-mail document. In addition, the present invention provides a system and method to capture a variety of image data types and to send an integrated, e-mail document over a networked source such as the Internet.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5768505 (1998-06-01), Gilchrist et al.
patent: 6014689 (2000-01-01), Budge et al.
patent: 6101320 (2000-08-01), Schuetze et al.
Coulter Kenneth R.
Koerner Gregory J.
Simon & Koerner LLP
Sony Corporation
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