JP2024148656A - E-mail mis-sending prevention system, e-mail relay device, telephone control device, and program for preventing e-mail mis-sending - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable a destination of electronic mail to be reconfirmed as objectively as possible and appropriately.SOLUTION: In a mail relay device 1, electronic mail for transmission is stored in a storage function unit 1A. Transmission destination recognition information is acquired from a transmission destination electronic mail address by a data management function unit 1B, is converted to voice data by a voice processing function unit 1C, and is transmitted to a telephone controller 4. In the telephone controller 4, the transmitted voice data is stored in a storage function unit 4A by a control function unit 402 and storage location identification information indicating a storage location is reported to the mail relay device 1. The storage location identification information is reported to an information terminal that is a transmission source of the electronic mail for transmission. The telephone controller 4 includes a voice processing function unit 4B that when storage location identification information is transmitted from an accommodated telephone terminal, provides the telephone terminal with voice corresponding to voice data on a storage location identified by the storage location identification information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

This invention relates to a system, device, and program for preventing the erroneous sending of e-mail.

The spread of chat and SNS (Social Networking Service) has made it easy to exchange information in text using information terminals such as personal computers and smartphones. However, in the business field, e-mail is widely used because it can send relatively large amounts of information reliably and quickly. In the case of e-mail, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 described below, technology has been realized that not only can users listen to the contents of e-mails addressed to them via telephone, but also allows users to send a reply message to the sender of the e-mail they have listened to.

Patent No. 3050292

When sending and receiving e-mail for business purposes, it is important to be able to check the contents of the e-mail in a timely manner and to be able to respond in a timely manner, and the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 is useful. However, when sending and receiving e-mail for business purposes, it is also important not to send the e-mail to a wrong destination (recipient). Sending a business e-mail to the wrong address can sometimes result in a loss of credibility. Conventionally, the response has been to hold off on sending the e-mail for a moment, and have the recipient reconfirm the destination before sending the e-mail.

However, because the sender must check the information they entered themselves on the display screen when sending, it is difficult to notice any mistakes. Basically, only the person who creates and sends an email can determine whether the email address is correct, so there is no objective and reliable method of checking the recipient to prevent erroneous sending. For this reason, there is a demand for a way to recheck email recipients as objectively as possible.

In light of the above, the purpose of this document is to enable email senders to reconfirm the destination of an email as objectively and appropriately as possible.

In order to solve the above problems, the system for preventing erroneous e-mail transmission according to the invention described in claim 1 comprises:
An e-mail erroneous transmission prevention system comprising: an e-mail relay device provided between an information terminal and an IP (Internet Protocol) network, relaying e-mail between the information terminal and a mail server device connected to the IP network; and a telephone control device accommodating one or more telephone terminals;
The email relay device
a storage means for storing e-mail to be sent from the information terminal;
a first acquiring means for acquiring destination identification information from an address managing means for managing destination email addresses and destination identification information based on the destination email address of the email to be sent stored in the holding means;
a conversion means for converting the destination recognition information acquired by the first acquisition means into voice data;
a sending means for sending the voice data converted by the conversion means to the telephone control device;
a second acquiring means for acquiring storage location specifying information indicating a storage location of the voice data from the telephone control device;
a notification means for notifying the storage location identification information acquired through the second acquisition means to the information terminal that is the sender of the electronic mail to be sent,
The telephone control device includes:
a storage unit for storing the voice data from the email relay device in a predetermined storage unit;
a notification means for notifying the electronic mail relay device of the storage location identification information that identifies a storage location of the voice data;
and a providing means for, when the storage location identifying information is provided from a telephone terminal accommodating the storage location, providing the telephone terminal with the voice data stored in the storage location identified by the storage location identifying information.

According to the system for preventing erroneous e-mail transmission of the invention described in claim 1, in the e-mail relay device, the e-mail to be sent is stored in the holding means, and transmission is put into a standby state. The first acquisition means acquires destination recognition information from the destination e-mail address, which is converted into voice data by the conversion means and sent to the telephone control device by the sending means. In the telephone control device, the sent voice data is stored in a specified storage means by the storage means, and storage location specific information indicating the storage location is notified to the e-mail relay device by the specific information notification means.

The storage location identification information is acquired by a second acquisition means of the email relay device, and is notified by a notification means to the information terminal that is the sender of the outgoing email. When the storage location identification information is transmitted from the accommodated telephone terminal, the provision means of the telephone control device provides the telephone terminal with a voice corresponding to the voice data stored in the storage location identified by the storage location identification information, so that the voice can be heard. This makes it possible to confirm the destination of the email by listening to the voice using the telephone terminal.

According to this invention, the sender of an e-mail can confirm the destination of the e-mail by listening to the voice using a telephone terminal. This allows the sender of an e-mail to confirm the destination of the e-mail as objectively and appropriately as possible.

1 is a diagram for explaining an example of the overall configuration of a system for preventing erroneous e-mail transmission according to an embodiment; 1 is a diagram for explaining a schematic configuration of a mail relay device and a telephone control device of a system for preventing erroneous e-mail transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of data held by the address management server device according to the embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a mail relay device according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an overview of stored data and transmitted/received data. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of a telephone control device according to an embodiment; 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the system for preventing erroneous e-mail transmission according to the embodiment; FIG.

Below, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of the system, device, and program according to the present invention will be explained. The system of the present invention can also be constructed as a small-scale system in a home, for example. However, the system of the present invention is preferably used to prevent erroneous sending of e-mail sent or received for business purposes. For this reason, the embodiment described below will be explained taking as an example a case where the system of the present invention is constructed in a company office.

[Example of overall configuration of system to prevent erroneous e-mail transmission]
Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of the overall configuration of an embodiment of an e-mail erroneous transmission prevention system. In Fig. 1, a wide area network 8 shown in the center includes an external telephone network 81 and an IP (Internet Protocol) network 82. The external telephone network 81 includes a public switched telephone network, a mobile phone network, etc., and mainly realizes voice communication services. The IP network 82 refers to a computer network interconnected using Internet Protocol Suite technology, and is equivalent to the so-called "Internet."

A mail relay device 1 connected to an IP network 82 is connected to a number of information terminals, PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ..., via a LAN (Local Area Network) 2, to form a LAN system. As shown in FIG. 1, the mail relay device 1 is provided between the number of PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... and the IP network 82, and relays the sending and receiving of e-mail between the number of PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... and a mail server device 9 connected to the IP network 82. That is, each of PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... can use the mail server device 9 provided on the IP network 82 via the mail relay device 1 to send and receive e-mail through the IP network 82.

The mail relay device 1 can be provided as one of the functional parts of a UTM device. A UTM (Unified Threat Management) device efficiently and comprehensively protects a LAN system formed within a company from threats such as computer viruses and hacking, and is also called a unified threat management device.

The telephone control device 4, which is connected to an external telephone network 81, is connected to multiple telephone terminals 6(1), 6(2), 6(3), ... via an internal telephone network 5 to form a business phone system. The telephone control device 4 controls connections between internal and external lines and connections within the internal lines. In other words, the telephone control device 4 is connected to multiple telephone terminals 6(1), 6(2), 6(3), ... and performs so-called call control such as connecting, disconnecting, and transferring communications between internal and external lines and within internal lines. Note that the telephone control device 4 may also be connected to an IP network 82, and IP telephone services using VoIP technology may be made available through the IP network 82.

In FIG. 1, PCs 1(1), 1(2), 1(3), ... and telephone terminals 6(1), 6(2), 6(3), ... are installed on desks in a company office. In the example shown in FIG. 1, PC(1) and telephone terminal 6(1) are installed on the desk used by employee A, PC(2) and telephone terminal 6(2) are installed on the desk used by employee B, and PC(3) and telephone terminal 6(3) are installed on the desk used by employee C.

In this way, in a company office, each employee is assigned a PC 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... that enables information processing such as tallying and sending/receiving e-mails, and a telephone terminal 6(1), 6(2), 6(3), ... that enables voice calls. With a focus on this communication environment, this e-mail mis-sending prevention system has been constructed to effectively prevent the mis-sending of e-mails. In this embodiment of the e-mail mis-sending prevention system, as shown in FIG. 1, the mail relay device 1 and telephone control device 4 are connected via a LAN 7, allowing them to send and receive data to and from each other.

As a result, as will be described in detail later, the mail relay device 1 and the telephone control device 4 work together to make it possible, when an email is sent from PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ..., to listen to destination recognition information that enables the recipient of the email to be recognized as audio information using telephone terminals 6(1), 6(2), 6(3), .... The destination recognition information consists of, for example, the company to which the recipient belongs, the department to which the recipient belongs, and the name of the recipient.

This allows the destination of the e-mail (recipient) to be confirmed not only on the display screens of PC(1), PC(2), PC(3), etc., but also by listening to the voice using telephone terminals 6(1), 6(2), 6(3), etc., as objectively and appropriately as possible. If it is confirmed by this voice listening that the destination of the e-mail is correct, a final transmission instruction is issued to mail relay device 1 via telephone terminals 6(1), 6(2), 6(3), etc. and telephone control device 4, allowing the e-mail to be sent.

In FIG. 1, the mail server device 9 is a server device that is responsible for sending and receiving e-mail. Specifically, the mail server device 9 realizes the function of receiving outgoing e-mail sent from a contractual user's PC or the like, and sending the e-mail to the recipient's e-mail server device specified by the destination e-mail address. The mail server device 9 also realizes the function of receiving and holding inbound e-mail addressed to a contractual user, and providing the e-mail to the user's PC or the like in response to a request from the user.

The address management server device 10 realizes the function of identifying and providing destination recognition information (company name, department, name, etc.) based on the destination email address. The base station 11 is a base station for a mobile phone network. The smartphone 12 is a high-function telephone terminal used by employees who use the PC(1), PC(2), PC(3), ... and telephone terminals 6(1), 6(2), 6(3), ... of this email erroneous transmission prevention system.

Furthermore, by registering smartphone identification information, such as the telephone number assigned to smartphone 12, in telephone control device 4, smartphone 12 can be used as an internal telephone housed in telephone control device 4. This allows employee A to receive and make internal calls using smartphone 12 in the same way as when using telephone terminal 6(1) even when he is away from home.

As explained using FIG. 1, multiple PCs 1(1), 1(2), 1(3), ... are connected to the mail relay device 1 via the LAN 2. These PCs 1(1), 1(2), 1(3), ... have the same basic configuration. For this reason, in the following explanation, for the sake of simplicity, PCs 1(1), 1(2), 1(3), ... will be collectively referred to as PC1 unless there is a particular need to distinguish between them.

The telephone control device 4 also accommodates multiple telephone terminals 6(1), 6(2), 6(3), ... through the internal telephone network 5. These telephone terminals 6(1), 6(2), 6(3), ... have the same basic configuration. For this reason, in the following explanation, for the sake of simplicity, telephone terminals 6(1), 6(2), 6(3), ... will be collectively referred to as telephone terminal 6 unless there is a particular need to distinguish between them.

[General configuration of mail relay device 1 and telephone control device 4]
Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining the schematic configuration of a mail relay device and a telephone control device of an embodiment of an email erroneous transmission prevention system. As shown in Fig. 2, the mail relay device 1 includes a LAN I/F (Interface) 1A, a control function unit 1B, a network I/F (Interface) 1C, a storage function unit 1D, a data management function unit 1E, a voice processing function unit 1F, a telephone linkage function unit 1G, and a mail transmission function unit 1H. The telephone control device 4 includes a LAN I/F (Interface) 4A, a control function unit 4B, a connection I/F 4C, a storage function unit 4D, a voice processing function unit 4E, and a response function unit 4F.

A PC 3 is connected to the mail relay device 1 via LAN I/F 1A and LAN 2. The mail relay device 1 is also connected to an IP network 82 via network I/F 1C, and can communicate with the mail server device 9 and address management server device 10 connected to the IP network 82. The LAN I/F 1A of the mail relay device 1 and the LAN I/F 4A of the telephone control device 4 are also connected via LAN 7. This allows the mail relay device 1 and the telephone control device 4 to communicate with each other.

The telephone control device 4 is connected to the telephone terminal 6 via the connection I/F 4C and the internal telephone network 5. As explained using FIG. 1, the telephone control device 4 is also connected to the external telephone network 81, but since telephone communication is not performed through the external telephone network 81 in relation to preventing erroneous e-mail transmission, the connection to the external telephone network 81 is omitted in FIG. 2. In the thus configured system for preventing erroneous e-mail transmission, a case in which e-mail is sent from PC 3 to a recipient outside the company will be explained.

Let us assume that a mailer (mail software) is used on PC3 to create an email to an external recipient and send it. The email is sent to the mail relay device 1, accepted via LAN I/F 1A, and recorded in the storage function unit 1D under the control of the control function unit 1B, and goes into a standby state for sending to the recipient. In this case, under the control of the control function unit 1B, the data management function unit 1E functions and extracts the email address of the recipient of the email to be sent recorded in the storage function unit 1D. The data management function unit 1E accesses the address management server device 10 on the IP network 82 via the network I/F 1C, and obtains destination recognition information (recipient recognition information) based on the email address of the recipient extracted from the email to be sent.

Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of data held by the address management server device 10 of the embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the address management server device 10 stores and holds an email address in association with the company name, department name, name, etc. of the person to whom the email address is assigned (in this case, the recipient of the email). As a result, as shown in Figure 3, a recipient (email destination) with an email address of "XXXX@..." can be identified as "Mr. XX Taro of the Technology Development Department of XX Co., Ltd.", and it can be specifically recognized who the recipient of the email is. In this way, the information that allows the recipient of the email to be specifically recognized is destination recognition information (recipient recognition information).

The voice processing function unit 1F converts the destination recognition information acquired by the data management function unit 1E into voice data (voice file) and sends it to the telephone control device 4 via the LAN 7. The telephone control device 4 accepts the voice data via the LAN I/F 4A, and the control function unit 4B functions to record it in the memory function unit 4D. In this case, the control function unit 4B acquires specific information (storage location specific information) on the storage location of the voice data and notifies the mail relay device 1 via the LAN I/F 4A and the LAN 7. In this embodiment, the telephone control device 4 stores the voice data in a voice box, which is an area for storing voice data in the memory function unit 4D. For this reason, in this embodiment, the storage location specific information indicating the storage location of the voice data is the box number (box No.) of the voice box.

In the mail relay device 1, the telephone linking function unit 1G functions under the control of the control function unit 4B and obtains storage location identification information (box number) from the telephone control device 4. Furthermore, the telephone linking function unit 1G performs a process of notifying the user of PC3, which is the sender of the outgoing email, of the storage location identification information (box number) of the voice data of the destination recognition information, for example by email. In this way, the notification of the storage location identification information using email is sent via the network I/F 1C to the mail server device 9 on the IP network 82 and stored in the receiving mailbox of the user of PC3. The email stored in this receiving mailbox is received by PC3 via the mail relay device 1 and provided to the user.

The user of PC3 takes his/her telephone terminal 6 off-hook, inputs the notified storage location specification information (box number) via the numeric keypad, and requests the telephone control device 4 to provide voice data. In this case, in the telephone control device 4, under the control of the control function unit 4B, the voice processing function unit 4E functions to read the voice data of the destination recognition information from the storage location of the memory function unit 4D specified by the provided storage location specification information (box number). The voice processing function unit 4E provides the read voice data to the telephone terminal 6 via the connection I/F 4C and the internal telephone network 5.

This allows the user of PC 3 to listen to a voice through telephone terminal 6 as to the destination of the outgoing e-mail that the user has set to be sent. In this way, the destination (recipient) of the outgoing e-mail that PC 3 has set to be sent can be listened to as a voice through telephone terminal 6, so the recipient of the e-mail can be objectively and appropriately reconfirmed. If this voice confirmation confirms that the destination (recipient) of the outgoing e-mail is correct, the user of PC 3 sends an instruction to send the e-mail to telephone control device 4 through telephone terminal 6.

In the telephone control device 4 that has received an instruction to send an e-mail, the response function unit 4F functions under the control of the control function unit 4B to form a transmission instruction for the e-mail to be sent that is waiting to be sent, and sends it to the mail relay device 1 via the LAN I/F 4A and LAN 7. In the mail relay device 1 that has received the transmission instruction, the mail sending function unit 1H functions under the control of the control function unit 1B to send the e-mail to be sent that is waiting to be sent and that is recorded in the memory function unit 1D, to the destination (recipient).

If the destination recognition information heard as voice is not the intended destination (destination), the user of PC3 sends an instruction to stop sending e-mail to telephone control device 4 via telephone terminal 6. In telephone control device 4 that receives the instruction to stop sending e-mail, response function unit 4F functions under the control of control function unit 4B to form an instruction to stop sending e-mail to be sent that is in a waiting state, and transmits it to mail relay device 1 via LAN I/F 4A and LAN 7. The sending instruction is received through LAN I/F 1A of mail relay device 1. In response to the stopping instruction, mail sending function unit 1H functions under the control of control function unit 1B to stop sending the e-mail to be sent that is in a waiting state and recorded in storage function unit 1D, and deletes the e-mail to be sent from storage function unit 1D. This makes it possible to prevent sending of e-mail to a wrong address.

[More specific configuration example of the mail relay device 1 and the telephone control device 4]
Next, a more specific example of the configuration of the mail relay device 1 and the telephone control device 4 according to this embodiment will be described. First, an example of the configuration of the mail relay device 1 will be described, and then an example of the configuration of the telephone control device 4 will be described.

<Configuration example of mail relay device 1>
Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of the mail relay device 1 of the embodiment. Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the data stored in the memory function unit and the data to be transmitted. In the mail relay device 1 of this embodiment, the LAN connection terminal 101A on the left end constitutes the connection end to the LAN 2, and the LAN connection terminal 101B constitutes the connection end to the LAN 7. The LAN I/F 101 is a part that enables communication through the LAN 2 and the LAN 7, and corresponds to the LAN I/F 1A of the mail relay device 1 shown in Fig. 2. Communication with the PC 3 and the telephone control device 4 is performed through the LAN I/F 101.

In addition, in the mail relay device 1 of this embodiment, the IP network connection terminal 151T on the right end side constitutes the connection end to the IP network 82. Furthermore, the network I/F 151 is a part that enables communication through the IP network 82. The network I/F 151 corresponds to the network I/F 1C of the mail relay device 1 shown in FIG. 2. Communication with the mail server device 9 and the address management server device 10 provided on the IP network 82 is performed through the network I/F 151.

The control unit 102 is a microprocessor (not shown) that includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), non-volatile memory, etc. The control unit 102 is a part that realizes the function of the control function unit 1B of the mail relay device 1 shown in FIG. 2, and controls each part of the mail relay device 1. The storage device 103, the outgoing mail waiting unit 104, the audio file storage unit 105, and the box information storage unit 106 realize the function of the storage function unit 1D of the mail relay device 1 shown in FIG. 2.

The storage device 103 is a device unit consisting of a storage medium such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) or HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and its driver, and writes, reads, and deletes various data and programs. The storage device 103 is also used as a working area for storing intermediate results in various processes. The outgoing mail waiting unit 104, the audio file storage unit 105, and the box information storage unit 106 are also created in the SSD or HDD. The outgoing mail waiting unit 104, the audio file storage unit 105, and the box information storage unit 106 can each be created in a different SSD or HDD, or they can be created in the same SSD or HDD.

When the outgoing email waiting unit 104 receives an outgoing email from the PC 3 via the LAN connection terminal 101A and the LAN I/F 101, the control unit 102 temporarily stores the outgoing email. This puts the outgoing email into a standby state for transmission to the other party (destination). As shown in FIG. 5(A), the outgoing email waiting unit 104 stores and holds at least a mail ID for uniquely identifying the temporarily stored outgoing email, and email data (the email itself) that forms the outgoing email. The mail ID is assigned by a function of the control unit 102.

The audio file storage unit 105 stores and holds audio data (audio files) obtained by converting into voice the destination recognition information identified based on the email address of the destination (destination) of the outgoing email temporarily stored in the outgoing mail waiting unit 104. As shown in FIG. 5(A), the audio file storage unit 105 stores and holds at least a mail ID for uniquely identifying the outgoing email to be processed temporarily stored in the outgoing mail waiting unit 104, and the audio data of the destination recognition information, in association with each other. In other words, the audio data is obtained by converting into voice the destination recognition information obtained according to the email address of the destination of the outgoing email to be processed.

As described above, the box information storage unit 106 stores and holds a box number indicating the storage location of the voice data provided by the telephone control device 4. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5(C), the box information storage unit 106 stores and holds at least a mail ID for uniquely identifying a temporarily stored outgoing e-mail and a box number provided by the telephone control device 4 in association with each other. The box number identifies the storage box in which the voice data obtained by converting the destination recognition information obtained according to the destination e-mail address of the outgoing e-mail temporarily stored in the outgoing e-mail waiting unit 104 is stored.

In this way, the outgoing mail waiting unit 104, the audio file storage unit 105, and the box information storage unit 106 each store email data, audio data, and box numbers in association with a mail ID that can uniquely identify the outgoing email to be processed. This makes it possible to uniquely identify which outgoing email is the target of processing by the mail ID.

In addition, in FIG. 4, the destination information extraction unit 111 and the destination name etc. acquisition unit 112 realize the function of the data management function unit 1E of the mail relay device 1 shown in FIG. 2. The destination information extraction unit 111, under the control of the control unit 102, extracts the destination (recipient) email address from the outgoing email from PC3 that is temporarily stored in the outgoing mail waiting unit 104 in the manner shown in FIG. 5(A). The destination name etc. acquisition unit 112, under the control of the control unit 102, acquires destination identification information from the address management server device 10 using the destination email address extracted by the destination information extraction unit 111.

In addition, in FIG. 4, the voice file generating unit 121 and the voice file providing unit 122 realize the function as the voice processing function unit 1F of the mail relay device 1 shown in FIG. 2. The voice file generating unit 121 converts the destination recognition information acquired through the destination name acquiring unit 112 into voice data, and stores it in the voice file holding unit 105 in the format shown in FIG. 5(B). As described above, the destination recognition information is text data such as the destination's company name, department, and name, and the voice file generating unit 121 uses an existing text-to-voice conversion technology that converts text data into voice data. The voice file providing unit 122 performs a process of providing the voice data (voice file) of the destination recognition information generated by the voice file generating unit 121 and stored in the voice file holding unit 105 in the format shown in FIG. 5(C) to the telephone control device 4 via the LAN 7.

In addition, in Fig. 4, the storage box information acquisition unit 131 and the storage box information notification unit 132 realize the function of the telephone linking function unit 1G of the mail relay device 1 shown in Fig. 2. When the storage box information acquisition unit 131 provides the telephone control device 4 with voice data obtained by converting the destination recognition information into voice, it performs a process of acquiring the box number transmitted from the telephone control device 4 via the LAN 7 and storing this in the box information holding unit in the form shown in Fig. 5 (C). The storage box information notification unit 132 performs a process of notifying the sender of the transmission target email that is waiting to be sent of the box number stored in the box information holding unit 106, for example, by using an email.

In the mail relay device 1 of this embodiment, the control unit 102 functions to identify the outgoing e-mail to be processed by the mail ID and notify each of the above-mentioned units. This allows each of the above-mentioned units to identify the outgoing e-mail to be processed.

In addition, in FIG. 4, the transmission control acceptance unit 141 and the mail transmission control unit 142 realize the function of the mail transmission function unit 1H of the mail relay device 1 shown in FIG. 2. The transmission control acceptance unit 141 realizes the function of accepting mail control information addressed to the device itself that is sent from the telephone control device 4 via the LAN 7. The mail control information is information consisting of a type, instruction content, and mail ID, for example, as shown in FIG. 5 (D). Here, the type indicates that the data is mail control information. The instruction content is information indicating whether the transmission of the outgoing e-mail waiting to be sent is OK (sendable) or NG (send additional). The mail ID is information that uniquely identifies the outgoing e-mail waiting to be sent.

When the instruction content of the mail control information received through the transmission control reception unit 141 indicates that transmission is OK (transmission possible), the mail transmission control unit 142 reads out the mail to be sent specified by the mail ID from the transmission mail standby unit 104 and transmits it to the destination. Also, when the instruction content of the mail control information received through the transmission control reception unit 141 indicates that transmission is NG (transmission addition), the mail transmission control unit 142 deletes the mail to be sent specified by the mail ID from the transmission mail standby unit 104 and cancels the transmission.

<Configuration example of telephone control device 4>
6 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of the telephone control device 4 of the embodiment. In the telephone control device 4 of this embodiment, the LAN connection terminal 401T constitutes a connection end portion to the LAN 7. The LAN I/F 401 is a part that enables communication through the LAN 7, and corresponds to the LAN I/F 4A of the telephone control device 4 shown in FIG. 2. Communication with the mail relay device 1 is performed through the LAN I/F 101.

In addition, in the telephone control device 4 of this embodiment, the internal telephone network connection terminal 421T constitutes the connection end to the internal telephone network 5. Furthermore, the connection I/F 421 is a part that enables communication through the internal telephone network 5. The connection I/F 421 corresponds to the connection I/F 4C of the telephone control device 4 shown in FIG. 2. Communication with the telephone terminal 6 connected to the internal telephone network 5 is performed through the connection I/F 421.

The control unit 402 is a microprocessor (not shown) that includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, non-volatile memory, etc. The control unit 402 is a part that realizes the function of the control function unit 4B of the telephone control device 4 shown in FIG. 2, and controls each part of the telephone control device 4. The storage device 403 and the storage box 404 realize the function of the storage function unit 4D of the telephone control device 4 shown in FIG. 2.

The storage device 403 is a device unit consisting of a storage medium such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) or HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and its driver, and writes, reads, and deletes various data and programs. The storage device 403 is also used as a working area for storing intermediate results in various processes. The storage box 404 is also created in an SSD or HDD. The storage box 404 stores and holds voice data (voice files) formed by converting the destination recognition information provided by the mail relay device 1 into voice.

The audio file storage processing unit 411 performs processing to store audio data obtained by converting destination recognition information sent from the mail relay device 1 into audio in the storage box 404. The audio data stored in the storage box 404 consists of a box number, a mail ID, and audio data. When audio data is stored in the storage box 404 by the audio file storage processing unit 411, the storage box information providing unit 412 performs processing to obtain the box number indicating the storage location and provide it to the mail relay device 1.

The guidance providing unit 413 reads voice guidance data for the telephone terminal 6 accessed through the internal telephone network 5 from the storage device 403, and provides this to the telephone terminal 6. When the voice file providing unit 414 receives a box number from the telephone terminal 6 accessed through the internal telephone network 5, it reads voice data from the storage area of the storage box 404 specified by the box number, and provides this to the telephone terminal 6. The voice data is voice data (voice file) obtained by converting the destination recognition information provided by the mail relay device 1 into voice.

When the special number operation discrimination unit 415 receives special number information (predetermined number information) from the telephone terminal 6 accessed through the internal telephone network 5, the audio file provision unit 414 performs processing to discriminate the notification contents indicated by the special number information. In this embodiment, the special number information is information indicating whether the sending of the outgoing e-mail is OK (sendable) or NG (send additional). For example, the special number information indicating that the sending of the outgoing e-mail is OK (sendable) is determined to be, for example, "555", and the special number information indicating that the sending of the outgoing e-mail is NG (not sendable) is determined to be, for example, "999". Of course, this is not limited to this, and number information that can appropriately notify the instruction contents can be determined taking into consideration already existing special number information.

The transmission control notification unit 416 performs processing to form mail control information in the form shown in FIG. 5 (D) based on the result of the determination by the special number operation determination unit 415, and provide this to the mail relay device 1. This makes it possible to instruct the transmission of an e-mail to be sent that is waiting to be sent, or to instruct the cancellation of the transmission, in response to an instruction from the user (the sender of the e-mail to be sent) via the telephone terminal 6.

<Operation of the system to prevent erroneous e-mail transmission>
Next, the operation (processing) of the system for preventing erroneous e-mail transmission, which is composed of the mail relay device 1 described with reference to Figures 4 and 5 and the telephone control device 4 described with reference to Figure 6, will be summarized. Figure 7 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation (processing) of the system for preventing erroneous e-mail transmission according to the embodiment. The PC 3 and telephone terminal 6 shown on the left side of Figure 7 are used by a user (an employee of the company in which the system is built) who creates and sends e-mail via the PC 3.

Let us assume that PC3 is used to create an email addressed to an outside company, and that this email is then sent. The email is sent to mail relay device 1 via LAN2 (step S1), received by control unit 102 of mail relay device 1, and temporarily stored in outgoing mail waiting unit 104. Next, in mail relay device 1, destination information extraction unit 111 functions to extract the destination (recipient) email address from the outgoing email stored in outgoing mail waiting unit 104. This destination (recipient) email address is sent by destination name etc. acquisition unit 112 to address management server device 10, which queries for destination recognition information (step S2).

In response to the inquiry, the address management server device 10 provides the mail relay device 1 with destination recognition information corresponding to the provided destination email address (step S3). The outgoing email is stored in the outgoing mail waiting unit 104 and is in a waiting state, and the audio file generating unit 121 functions to obtain the destination recognition information provided in step S3 and converts it into audio to generate audio data (audio file) (step S4). The audio file providing unit 122 functions to provide the audio data (audio file) generated in step S4 to the telephone control device 4 via the LAN 7 (step S5).

In the telephone control device 4, the voice file storage processing unit 411 functions to store the voice data (voice file) from the mail relay device 1 in the storage box 404 (step S6). After this, the storage box information providing unit 412 functions to obtain the box number indicating the storage location of the voice data stored in the storage box 404 by the voice file storage processing unit 411, and notifies the mail relay device 1 via the LAN 7 (step S7).

The box number from the telephone control device 4 is acquired by the storage box information acquisition unit 131 and stored in the box information holding unit 106, and this is notified by email to the user who is the sender of the waiting outgoing email (step S8). In this case, the sender's email address can be identified from the outgoing email to be processed, and this can be used to create an email to notify the box number.

The sender of the outgoing e-mail can obtain the box number notified by the mail relay device 1 by using the PC 3 to obtain the e-mail addressed to him/her. When the user obtains the box number notified by the mail relay device 1, the user presses the mail hold button on the telephone terminal 6, and the telephone control device 4 is notified that the mail hold button has been pressed (step S9). In this case, the mail hold button can be assigned in advance to a so-called function key on the telephone terminal 6. Of course, a telephone terminal 6 with a dedicated mail hold button can also be used.

When the telephone control device 4 receives a notification that the mail hold button has been pressed, it connects a telephone line to the telephone terminal 6 via the internal telephone network 5, and the guidance providing unit 413 functions to provide voice guidance (step S10). The voice guidance provided in step S10, for example, prompts the user to enter the box number notified by email.

In response, when the user inputs a box number via the numeric keypad of the telephone terminal 6, the box number is provided to the telephone control device 4 (step S11). In this case, the audio file providing unit 414 functions, and audio data is read from the storage location identified by the box number of the storage box 404 identified by the provided box number, and provided to the telephone terminal 6 (step S12). This allows the user to listen to the destination recognition information of the waiting email to be sent as audio information via the telephone terminal 6.

The user, having heard the destination recognition information in the voice information, decides that there is no problem with the destination and wishes to send the waiting outgoing e-mail. In this case, the user inputs special number information indicating that sending the outgoing e-mail is OK (transmission possible) through the numeric keypad of the telephone terminal 6, and provides it to the telephone control device 4 (step S13). In the telephone control device 4, the special number operation discrimination unit 415 determines the content of the special number, and the transmission control notification unit 416 forms mail control information corresponding to this (Figure 5 (D)) and notifies the mail relay device 1 (step S14). The mail control information is accepted by the transmission control acceptance unit 141 of the mail relay device 1, and this is used by the mail transmission control unit 142 to send the outgoing e-mail waiting to be sent in the outgoing mail waiting unit 104 (step S15).

Let us say that the user, having heard the destination recognition information in the voice information, decides that the destination is incorrect and wishes to cancel the transmission of the waiting outgoing e-mail. The user inputs special number information indicating that the sending of the outgoing e-mail is NG (unsendable) through the numeric keypad of the telephone terminal 6, and provides this to the telephone control device 4 (step S13). In this case, in the telephone control device 4, the special number operation discrimination unit 415 determines the content of the special number, and the transmission control notification unit 416 forms mail control information (FIG. 5 (D)) corresponding to this and notifies the mail relay device 1 (step S14). The mail control information is accepted by the transmission control acceptance unit 141 of the mail relay device 1, and this is used by the mail transmission control unit 142 to cancel the transmission of the outgoing e-mail waiting to be sent in the outgoing mail waiting unit 104 (step S15).

[Effects of the embodiment]
In the system for preventing erroneous e-mail transmission in this embodiment, when an e-mail is sent from PC 3, the mail relay device 1 goes into a transmission standby state, and the destination recognition information of the e-mail can be heard as audio information through the telephone terminal 6. That is, the sender of the e-mail can confirm the destination (destination) of the e-mail by listening to the audio using the telephone terminal 6, not the PC 3. This allows the sender of the e-mail to confirm the destination of the e-mail as objectively and appropriately as possible.

If it is determined as a result of this check that there is no error in the destination of the email waiting to be sent in the mail relay device 1, the mail relay device 1 can be instructed via the telephone terminal 6 to execute the sending of the email, and the email can be sent. Also, if it is determined as a result of this check that the destination of the email waiting to be sent in the mail relay device 1 is incorrect, the mail relay device 1 can be instructed via the telephone terminal 6 to stop sending the email, and the sending of the email can be stopped.

In this way, when an e-mail is sent through PC 3, the recipient can be confirmed by voice via telephone terminal 6, and finally, whether to send the e-mail or cancel the sending can be instructed via telephone terminal 6. Therefore, after sending the e-mail, whether to send or cancel the sending can be instructed via telephone terminal 6, so that an easy-to-use system for preventing erroneous e-mail sending can be realized that is easy to operate.

[Modification]
<Confirming the destination using the smartphone 12>
In recent years, so-called remote work has become widespread, in which people use ICT (Information and Communication Technology) to participate in conferences and meetings from their homes, etc., and to share documents to carry out their work. In this case, for example, a technology called remote desktop is used, and people can use their home PC to operate their company PC and carry out their work. It is also possible to connect to the company's information processing system through the home PC and carry out their work in an information processing environment similar to that of being at the company.

In such a case, if an e-mail is sent using a PC at home, it is possible to send the e-mail via the company's mail relay device 1. However, when at home, the telephone terminal (extension telephone terminal) 6 connected to the company's extension telephone network 5 cannot be used. Therefore, as explained with reference to FIG. 1, if the smartphone 12 that the user uses is registered in the telephone control device 4 and can function as an extension telephone terminal, the recipient recognition information of the recipient of the e-mail can be heard as audio information through the smartphone 12.

In this case, the sending/stopping of email can be controlled with operations similar to those of the embodiment of the email erroneous sending prevention system described with reference to FIG. 7. That is, as described above, for example, if email can be sent using a home PC via the company's mail relay device 1, the processing from step S1 to step S8 in FIG. 7 will be the same operation (processing) even when using a home PC. However, the processing from step S9 onwards is slightly different when using a smartphone 12.

That is, in step S8 of FIG. 7, if a notification email of a box number indicating the storage location of the voice data of the destination recognition information is obtained using a home PC, in step S9, the smartphone 12 is used to access the telephone control device 4. In this case, the telephone control device 4 is accessed by inputting the telephone number (outside telephone number) assigned to the telephone control device 4 and the special number corresponding to the mail hold button (step S9). In this case, the telephone control device 4 recognizes from the telephone number of the smartphone 12 that is the caller that it is a telephone terminal that can function as an internal telephone of its own system, and recognizes that the mail hold button has been pressed using the special number.

After this, the operations (processing) of steps S10 to S13 described with reference to FIG. 7 are performed between the smartphone 12 and the telephone control device 4. After this, as described as steps S14 and S15, in response to an instruction from the smartphone 12, the telephone control device 4 can transmit mail control information to the mail relay device 1 to instruct the smartphone 12 to send or cancel the transmission of a waiting e-mail.

<Checking recipients according to the level of the email sender>
In the above embodiment, the destination identification information is described as consisting of the name of the organization to which the destination belongs, such as the company name, the department to which the destination belongs, and the name of the recipient. However, this is not limited to this. The destination identification information provided as voice information may be changed depending on the level of the sender of the e-mail.

For this reason, for example, an employee management server device is connected to LAN 2 shown in FIG. 1, and the name, email address, date of joining the company, travel history, and history of incidents related to sending emails are stored and managed for each employee. The history of incidents related to sending emails is recorded, for example, by an administrator when a complaint occurs due to sending an email to the wrong destination. Then, those who caused the incident or those whose email addresses were recently registered are registered as low level, and other people are registered as high level and managed in the employee management server device. Also, for example, the first stage destination identification information is only the name of the affiliated organization such as the company name, and the second stage destination identification information is composed of the name of the affiliated organization such as the company name, the affiliated department, and the employee's name.

As a result, when the mail relay device 1 receives an outgoing e-mail and stores it in the outgoing e-mail waiting unit 104, it first refers to the data of the employee management server device described above based on the sender's e-mail address and obtains the level of the user (employee) who uses the e-mail address as his/her own address. If the obtained level is low, the audio file generation unit 121 generates audio data consisting of only the name of the affiliated organization, such as the company name, which is the first stage of destination identification information, and provides this as destination recognition information (audio information). If the obtained level is high, the audio file generation unit 121 generates audio data consisting of the name of the affiliated organization, such as the company name, the affiliated department, and the name, which is the second stage of destination identification information, and provides this as destination recognition information (audio information).

If the destination is confirmed using the destination identification information in the first stage before sending an e-mail, a history of this will be left in the mail relay device 1 or employee management server device. This allows the history to be used as a basis for future level reviews. Of course. If the destination is confirmed using the destination identification information in the second stage before sending an e-mail, the history may be left in the mail relay device 1 or employee management server device.

<Forcible confirmation of destination identification information>
1, the extension numbers of the telephone terminals 6 used by each employee are also registered in the employee management server device. This allows the voice file providing unit 122 of the mail relay device 1 to notify the telephone control device 4 of the extension number of the employee who is the sender of the e-mail along with the voice data. This allows the voice file providing unit 414 of the telephone control device 4 to make an extension call to the telephone terminal 6 specified by the notified extension number, and when the telephone terminal 6 is off-hook, provide destination identification information (voice information) of the destination of the e-mail.

In this case, the sender of the e-mail can be saved the trouble of pressing the mail hold button or entering a box number. However, this is fine if each employee is assigned one telephone terminal. However, in cases where multiple people share one telephone terminal 6, it may be more convenient for the sender of the e-mail to be able to access the telephone control device 4 using an available telephone terminal 6, as explained with reference to FIG. 7.

In the above-described embodiment, the mail relay device 1 converts the destination recognition information, which is text data, into voice data, but this is not limited to the above. The mail relay device 1 may provide the destination recognition information, which is text data, to the telephone control device 4, and the telephone control device 4 may convert the destination recognition information, which is text data, into voice data and store it in the storage box 404.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the address management server device 10 is connected to the IP network 82, but this is not limited to the above. The address management server device 10 can also be connected to the LAN 2 and made available only within the company, for example.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the voice data of the destination recognition information is stored in the storage box 404, and the box number is notified to the sender of the outgoing e-mail by e-mail. However, this is not limited to this. For example, if there is information linking an e-mail address to an extension number in the above-mentioned employee management server device or the above-mentioned address management server, or information linking an e-mail address to a user (employee) inside the telephone control device 4, it is possible to organize this information and store the voice data of the destination recognition information in a storage box specified by the extension number. In this case, if the sender of the outgoing e-mail is notified that the voice data of the destination recognition information has been stored, each user can listen to the voice data of the destination recognition information using the extension number of the telephone terminal 6 they use.

In the above embodiment, the destination recognition information is composed of the name of the organization to which the recipient belongs, such as the company name, the department to which the recipient belongs, and the name of the recipient, but is not limited to this. For example, the destination (recipient) email itself converted into voice data can be used. If there is anything of concern in advance, check information can be notified to confirm the issue. For example, if the destination (TO, CC) contains multiple domains other than the same domain as the sender, a voice message such as "Multiple recipients from different domains are included" can be provided. Also, even if the domains are the same, if a group company is included when the address management server device 10 checks, a voice message such as "Destinations from group companies are included" can be provided.

In the case of e-mails sent using a so-called mailing list, a voice message such as "A mailing list is being used" can be provided. In the case of e-mails sent to people who are not registered in the address management server, a voice message such as "Destination unknown" can be provided. In addition, the mail relay device 1 stores the e-mail sending history of employees, and when sending e-mail to a new destination from this sending history, a voice message such as "This is a new destination" can be provided. In the case of a destination to which e-mail has been sent before, a voice message can be provided informing the user of the e-mail sending interval, such as "This is a destination to which e-mail was sent one year ago."

In this way, various voice messages can be provided in place of or in addition to the destination recognition information, and the sender can listen to and confirm the information about the destination as a voice message to prevent the sender from sending an e-mail to an unintended destination.

[others]
7 corresponds to the email relay device program, and the program for executing the processing performed by the telephone control device 4 corresponds to the telephone control device program. The email relay device program executed by the mail relay device 1 and the telephone control device program executed by the telephone control device 4 constitute an email erroneous transmission prevention program.

Therefore, the functions of each of the units of the mail relay device 1 shown in FIG. 4, the destination information extraction unit 111, the destination name etc. acquisition unit 112, the audio file generation unit 121, and the audio file provision unit 122, can be realized as functions of the control unit 102 by a program executed by the control unit 102. In addition, the functions of each of the units of the storage box information acquisition unit 131, the storage box information notification unit 132, the transmission control acceptance unit 141, and the mail transmission control unit 142, can be realized as functions of the control unit 102 by a program executed by the control unit 102.

Similarly, the functions of the voice file storage processing unit 411 and the storage box information providing unit 412 of the telephone control device 4 shown in FIG. 6 can be realized as functions of the control unit 402 by a program executed by the control unit 402. In addition, the functions of the guidance providing unit 413, the voice file providing unit 414, the special number operation determining unit 415, and the transmission control notifying unit 416 of the telephone control device 4 shown in FIG. 6 can be realized as functions of the control unit 402 by a program executed by the control unit 402.

1...mail relay device 1, 101A, 101B...LAN connection terminal, 101...LAN I/F, 102...control unit, 103...storage device, 104...sent mail waiting unit, 105...audio file storage unit, 106...box information storage unit, 111...destination information extraction unit, 112...destination name etc. acquisition unit, 121...audio file generation unit, 122...audio file provision unit, 131...storage box information acquisition unit, 132...storage box information notification unit, 141...sending control acceptance unit, 142...mail sending control unit, 151T...network connection terminal, 151...network I/F, 2...LAN, 3, 3(1), 3(2), 3(3)...PC, 4...telephone control device, 401T...LAN connection terminal, 401...LAN I/F, 402...control unit, 403...storage device, 404...storage box, 411...audio file storage processing unit, 412...storage box information providing unit, 413...guidance providing unit, 414...audio file providing unit, 415...special number operation discrimination unit, 416...transmission control notification unit, 421T...extension telephone network connection terminal, 421...connection I/F, 5...extension telephone network, 6, 6(1), 6(2), 6(3)...telephone terminal, 7...LAN, 8...wide area network, 81...external telephone network, 82...IP network, 9...mail server device, 10...address management server, 11...base station, 12...smartphone

Claims (5)

An e-mail erroneous transmission prevention system comprising: an e-mail relay device provided between an information terminal and an IP (Internet Protocol) network, relaying e-mail between the information terminal and a mail server device connected to the IP network; and a telephone control device accommodating one or more telephone terminals;
The email relay device
a storage means for storing e-mail to be sent from the information terminal;
a first acquiring means for acquiring destination identification information from an address managing means for managing destination email addresses and destination identification information based on the destination email address of the email to be sent stored in the holding means;
a conversion means for converting the destination recognition information acquired by the first acquisition means into voice data;
a sending means for sending the voice data converted by the conversion means to the telephone control device;
a second acquiring means for acquiring storage location specifying information indicating a storage location of the voice data from the telephone control device;
a notification means for notifying the storage location identification information acquired through the second acquisition means to the information terminal that is the sender of the electronic mail to be sent,
The telephone control device includes:
a storage unit for storing the voice data from the email relay device in a predetermined storage unit;
a notification means for notifying the electronic mail relay device of the storage location identification information that identifies a storage location of the voice data;
and a provision means for, when the storage location identification information is provided from a telephone terminal accommodating the same, providing the telephone terminal with the voice data stored in the storage location identified by the storage location identification information. 2. The system for preventing erroneous e-mail transmission according to claim 1,
The email relay device
a transmission processing means for transmitting the e-mail to be transmitted stored in the holding means to a destination when a transmission instruction for the e-mail to be transmitted is received from the telephone control device,
The telephone control device includes:
a transmission instruction notifying means for notifying the email relay device of the transmission instruction for the email to be sent when information requesting the sending of an email is received from a telephone terminal accommodated in the system. An email relay device of an email erroneous transmission prevention system, which is provided between an information terminal and an IP (Internet Protocol) network and relays emails between the information terminal and a mail server device connected to the IP network, and which is connected to a telephone control device that accommodates one or more telephone terminals,
the telephone control device comprises: a storage means for storing voice data from the email relay device in a predetermined storage means; a notification means for notifying the email relay device of storage location identification information that identifies a storage location of the voice data; and a providing means for, when the storage location identification information is provided from a telephone terminal that accommodates the telephone control device, providing the telephone terminal with the voice data stored in the storage location identified by the storage location identification information;
a storage means for storing e-mail to be sent from the information terminal;
a first acquiring means for acquiring destination identification information from an address managing means for managing destination email addresses and destination identification information based on the destination email address of the email to be sent stored in the holding means;
a conversion means for converting the destination recognition information acquired by the first acquisition means into voice data;
a sending means for sending the voice data converted by the conversion means to the telephone control device;
a second acquiring means for acquiring storage location specifying information indicating a storage location of the voice data from the telephone control device;
a notification means for notifying the information terminal that is the sender of the email to be sent of the storage location identification information acquired through the second acquisition means. A telephone control device of an electronic mail erroneous transmission prevention system, which is configured by connecting an electronic mail relay device provided between an information terminal and an IP (Internet Protocol) network, which relays electronic mail between the information terminal and a mail server device connected to the IP network, and a telephone control device accommodating one or more telephone terminals,
the email relay device comprises: a storage means for storing an email to be sent from the information terminal; a first acquisition means for acquiring destination identification information from an address management means for managing a destination email address and destination identification information based on a destination email address of the email to be sent stored in the storage means; a conversion means for converting the destination identification information acquired by the first acquisition means into voice data; a sending means for sending the voice data converted by the conversion means to the telephone control device; a second acquisition means for acquiring storage location identification information indicating a storage location of the voice data from the telephone control device; and a notification means for notifying the information terminal, which is a sender of the email to be sent, of the storage location identification information acquired through the second acquisition means;
a storage unit for storing the voice data from the email relay device in a predetermined storage unit;
a notification means for notifying the electronic mail relay device of the storage location identification information that identifies a storage location of the voice data;
a provision means for, when the storage location identification information is provided from a telephone terminal containing the telephone control device, providing the telephone terminal with voice data stored in a storage location identified by the storage location identification information. An email erroneous transmission prevention system including an email relay device provided between an information terminal and an IP (Internet Protocol) network, relaying email between the information terminal and a mail server device connected to the IP network, and a telephone control device accommodating one or more telephone terminals, said email relay device being configured to connect said email relay device and a telephone control device being configured to connect said telephone terminal and a mail server device connected to said IP network, said email relay device being configured to connect said telephone control device and a mail server device connected to said telephone terminal and
The electronic mail relay device program includes:
a first acquisition step of acquiring destination identification information from an address management means for managing destination email addresses and destination identification information based on a destination email address of the email to be sent stored in a holding means for storing the email to be sent from the information terminal;
a conversion step of converting the destination recognition information acquired in the first acquisition step into voice data;
a sending step of sending the voice data converted in the conversion means step to the telephone control device;
a second acquisition step of acquiring storage location specifying information indicating a storage location of the voice data from the telephone control device;
a notification step of notifying the storage location specifying information acquired in the second acquisition step to the information terminal that is the sender of the electronic mail to be sent,
The telephone control device program
a storing step of storing the voice data from the email relay device in a predetermined storage means;
a notification step of notifying the email relay device of the storage location identification information that identifies a storage location of the voice data;
and a providing step of, when the storage location identifying information is provided from a telephone terminal accommodating the storage location, providing the telephone terminal with voice data stored in the storage location identified by the storage location identifying information.

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