Method of sending an email to a plurality of recipients with selective treatment of attached files

• US 20030225837A1
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Delia, Wayne M., Ma, William Hsioh-Lien, Ma, William A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,548,952 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A method of sending an email message having one or more attached files to a plurality of recipients allows customized treatment of each file as it is being sent to each recipient. Treatments may include different types of encryption, plain text transmission, security classification or user-defined treatments. The invention may be implemented in a client-server configuration with separate client and server programs or in a single integrated email program configuration for use on a single computer. The user is presented with a list of recipients, selects a recipient and then selects a treatment for each file to be used when that file is sent to the selected recipient. This process is repeated for each recipient and each file. A control file is generated by the client program, including the recipient information and the file treatment information for each recipient and each file. The client program sends a single copy of the email message, a single copy of each file and the control file to the server program. The server program reads the control file and prepares individualized emails for each recipient by applying the control file specified treatments for each attached file.

Claims

1. A method of sending an email to a plurality of recipients comprising the steps of:

determining if a file is to be attached to the email;

selecting a treatment for the file corresponding to each recipient; and

sending the email to each recipient with the attached file treated according to the selected treatment for each recipient.

2. The method of sending an email to a plurality of recipients according to claim 1 wherein the step of selecting a treatment for the file corresponding to each recipient comprises the steps of:

displaying a list of the recipients;

displaying a list of available treatments; and

selecting a treatment for the file corresponding to each recipient in the displayed list of recipients.

3. The method of sending an email to a plurality of recipients according to claim 2 further including the steps of:

determining if an additional recipient is designated;

displaying a list of available treatments; and

selecting a treatment for the file for the additional recipient from the list of available treatments.

4. The method of sending an email to a plurality of recipients according to claim 2 further including the steps of:

determining if an additional file is to be attached;

displaying a list of the recipients; and

selecting a treatment for the additional file corresponding to each recipient in the displayed list of recipients.

5. The method of sending an email to a plurality of recipients according to claim 1 wherein the steps of determining if a file is to be attached to the email, selecting a treatment for the file and sending the email are all performed on a single computer.

6. The method of sending an email to a plurality of recipients according to claim 1 wherein:

the steps of determining if a file is to be attached to the email and selecting a treatment for the file are performed on a client computer; and

the step of sending the email to each recipient is performed on a server computer.

7. The method of sending an email to a plurality of recipients according to claim 6 further including the steps of:

preparing a control file on the client computer, the control file including information designating the treatment for each recipient;

sending the control file, the email and the attached file to the server computer; and

reading the control file at the server computer to determine the selected treatment for each recipient.

8. A method of preparing an email on a client computer to be sent to a plurality of recipients comprising:

determining if a file is to be attached to the email;

selecting a treatment for the file corresponding to each recipient;

preparing a control file on the client computer, the control file including information designating the treatment for each recipient; and

transmitting the control file, the email and the attached file to a server computer.

9. A method of sending a prepared email having at least one attached file from a server computer to a plurality of recipients comprising:

receiving a prepared email having at least one attached file and an associated control file, the control file including information designating a treatment for each of the plurality of recipients; and

sending the prepared email to each recipient with the at least one attached file treated according to the designated treatment in the control file.

10. An email computer program product for sending an email to a plurality of recipients, the email computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code means for determining if a file is to be attached to the email;

computer readable program code means for selecting a treatment for the file corresponding to each recipient; and

computer readable program code means for sending the email to each recipient with the attached file treated according to the selected treatment for each recipient.

11. The email computer program product for sending an email to a plurality of recipients according to claim 10 wherein the computer readable program code means for selecting a treatment for the file corresponding to each recipient comprises:

computer readable program code means for displaying a list of the recipients;

computer readable program code means for displaying a list of available treatments; and

computer readable program code means for selecting a treatment for the file corresponding to each recipient in the displayed list of recipients.

12. The email computer program product for sending an email to a plurality of recipients according to claim 11 further including:

computer readable program code means for determining if an additional recipient is designated;

computer readable program code means for displaying a list of available treatments; and

computer readable program code means for selecting a treatment for the file for the additional recipient from the list of available treatments.

13. The email computer program product for sending an email to a plurality of recipients according to claim 11 further including:

computer readable program code means for determining if an additional file is to be attached;

computer readable program code means for displaying a list of the recipients; and

computer readable program code means for selecting a treatment for the additional file corresponding to each recipient in the displayed list of recipients.

14. The email computer program product for sending an email to a plurality of recipients according to claim 10 further including:

computer readable program code means for preparing a control file, the control file including information designating the treatment for each recipient;

computer readable program code means for sending the control file, the email and the attached file from a client computer to a server computer; and

computer readable program code means for reading the control file to determine the selected treatment for each recipient.

15. An email client computer program product for preparing an email to be sent to a plurality of recipients, the email client computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code means for determining if a file is to be attached to the email;

computer readable program code means for selecting a treatment for the file corresponding to each recipient;

computer readable program code means for preparing a control file on a client computer, the control file including information designating the treatment for each recipient; and

computer readable program code means for transmitting the control file, the email and the attached file to a server computer.

16. An email server computer program product for sending a prepared email with at least one attached file to a plurality of recipients, the email server computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code means for receiving a prepared email having at least one attached file and an associated control file, the control file including information designating a treatment for each of the plurality of recipients; and

computer readable program code means for sending the prepared email to each recipient with the at least one attached file treated according to the designated treatment in the control file.

17. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for sending an email to a plurality of recipients, said method steps comprising:

determining if a file is to be attached to the email;

selecting a treatment for the file corresponding to each recipient; and

sending the email to each recipient with the attached file treated according to the selected treatment for each recipient.

18. The program storage device of claim 17 wherein the method step executable by the machine of selecting a treatment for the file corresponding to each recipient includes the steps of:

displaying a list of the recipients;

displaying a list of available treatments; and

selecting a treatment for the file corresponding to each recipient in the displayed list of recipients.

19. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for preparing an email on a client computer to be sent to a plurality of recipients, said method steps comprising:

determining if a file is to be attached to the email;

selecting a treatment for the file corresponding to each recipient;

preparing a control file on the client computer, the control file including information designating the treatment for each recipient; and

transmitting the control file, the email and the attached file to a server computer.

20. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for sending a prepared email having at least one attached file from a server computer to a plurality of recipients, said method steps comprising:

receiving a prepared email having at least one attached file and an associated control file, the control file including information designating a treatment for each of the plurality of recipients; and

sending the prepared email to each recipient with the at least one attached file treated according to the designated treatment in the control file.