Data processing system having external terminal and data communication device connected to the same external terminal, and data processing method in the same system

A control method for controlling an information processing terminal connected to a data communication device for performing data communication, said control method comprising:

• a reception step, of receiving data received by the data communication device and information concerning a sender of the received data, from the data communication device;
• a determination step, of determining a priority of the received data, based on address information included in the information concerning the sender, received in said reception step;
• and
• a control step, of performing control so as to vary a form of notification of reception, indicating that the information processing terminal has received the data, according to a determination result in said determination step.

A computer readable program, stored in a storage medium, for implementing a method of controlling an information processing terminal connected to a data communication device for performing data communication, said program comprising:

• code for a reception step, of receiving data received by the data communication device and information concerning a sender of the received data, from the data communication device;
• code for a determination step, of determining a priority of the received data, based on address information included in the information concerning the sender, received in the reception step;
• and
• code for a control step, of performing control so as to vary a form of notification of reception, indicating that the information processing terminal has received the data, according to a determination result in the determination step.

A method of operating a data communication device, comprising the steps of:

• connecting with an external terminal;
• receiving data from a communication partner;
• registering at least one sender which should have high priority;
• identifying whether the received data has high priority, based on whether the sender of the data received in said receiving step has been registered in said registering step when the data is received;
• selecting a proper form of information for specifying that the received data has high priority, in a case where the received data is identified as having high priority;
• and
• notifying the external terminal connected with the data communication device of the information for specifying that the received data has high priority, in the form selected in said selecting step.

A computer readable program, stored in a storage medium, for implementing a method of operating a data communication device connected with an external terminal, said program comprising:

• code for a reception step, of receiving data from a communication partner;
• code for a registering step, of registering at least one sender which should have high priority;
• code for an identification step, of identifying whether the received data has high priority, based on whether the sender of the data received in said receiving step has registered in said registering step when the data is received;
• code for a selection step, of selecting a proper form of information for specifying that the received data has high priority, in a case where the received data is identified as having high priority;
• and
• code for a notification step, of notifying the external terminal connected with the data communication device of the information for specifying that the received data has high priority, in the form selected in the selection step.