Method and computer product for identifying and selecting potential e-mail reply recipients from a multi-party e-mail

• US 20040078488A1
• Filed: 09/25/2003
• Published: 04/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Patrick, Kyle N.
• Application Number:
  US10/671,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20040078488A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

Currently, e-mail systems automatically compose reply e-mail messages by entering the previous sender'"'"'s address as the reply recipient address. The present invention provides a method to permit a recipient of a multi-party e-mail message to select recipients of a reply message by parsing the received message for e-mail addresses and forming a list from which the user can select reply recipients.

Claims

1. A method of selecting recipients of an e-mail message for transmission by a recipient computer in reply to a received e-mail message comprising:

i) storing said received e-mail message in the memory of said recipient computer;

ii) parsing the contents of the said received email for e-mail addresses and forming a list of said parsed e-mail addresses;

iii) displaying said list of parsed e-mail addresses; and

iv) forming a reply e-mail message to recipients selected from said list by said user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said received e-mail message is a multi-party e-mail.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said list of parsed e-mail addresses is displayed in response to an action by a user.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said user action comprises initiating a reply message.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said recipient computer parses said received e-mail message automatically prior to said user action.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said recipient computer parses said received e-mail message automatically upon receipt of said message.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said recipient computer loads and displays said received email for viewing by said user prior to said parsing step.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein prior to said parsing step said user requests a list of potential reply e-mail addresses.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said response message is formed by auto-populating SMTP headers with said list of e-mail addresses

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said response message is formed by auto-populating user interface graphical elements.

11. A computer program product for selecting recipients of an e-mail message for transmission by a recipient computer in reply to a received e-mail message said computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for;

i) storing said received e-mail message in the memory of said recipient computer;

ii) parsing the contents of the said received email for e-mail addresses and forming a list of said parsed e-mail addresses;

iii) displaying said list of parsed e-mail addresses; and

iv) forming a reply e-mail message to recipients selected from said list by said user.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein said received e-mail message is a multi-party e-mail.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein said list of parsed e-mail addresses is displayed in response to an action by a user.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein said user action comprises initiating a reply message.

15. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein said recipient computer parses said received e-mail message automatically prior to said user action.

16. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein said recipient computer parses said received e-mail message automatically upon receipt of said message

17. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein said recipient computer loads and displays said received email for viewing by said user prior to said parsing step.

18. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein prior to said parsing step said user requests a list of potential reply e-mail addresses.

19. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein said response message is formed by auto-populating SMTP headers with said list of e-mail addresses.

20. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein said response message is formed by auto-populating user interface graphical elements.

21. An article comprising:

a computer readable modulated carrier signal;

means embedded in said signal for selecting recipients of an e-mail message for transmission by a recipient computer in reply to a received e-mail message by i) storing said received email message in the memory of said recipient computer;

ii) parsing the contents of the said received email for e-mail addresses and forming a list of said parsed e-mail addresses;

iii) displaying said list of parsed e-mail addresses; and

iv) forming a reply e-mail message to recipients selected from said list by said user.

22. The article of claim 21 wherein said received e-mail message is a multi-party e-mail.

23. The article of claim 21 wherein said list of parsed e-mail addresses is displayed in response to an action by a user.

24. The article of claim 23 wherein said user action comprises initiating a reply message.

25. The article of claim 21 wherein said recipient computer parses said received e-mail message automatically prior to said user action.

26. The article of claim 21 wherein said recipient computer parses said received e-mail message automatically upon receipt of said message.

27. The article of claim 21 wherein said recipient computer loads and displays said received email for viewing by said user prior to said parsing step.

28. The article of claim 21 wherein prior to said parsing step said user requests a list of potential reply e-mail addresses.

29. The article of claim 21 wherein said response message is formed by auto-populating SMTP headers with said list of e-mail addresses.

30. The article of claim 21 wherein said response message is formed by auto-populating user interface graphical elements.