Method of transmitting an electronic mail message

• US 20040093382A1
• Filed: 11/13/2002
• Published: 05/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Kulkarni, Suhas Sudhakar
• Application Number:
  US10/293,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20040093382A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

A method of transmitting an electronic mail message addressed to a group of recipients using a group alias by temporarily excluding a member from the group alias without modifying the group alias is provided. To perform the present invention, the standard electronic mail message format further includes a field to receive the address of a member for temporarily excluding him from receiving a current message. The group alias is first resolved into a list of individual addresses from which the address to be excluded is located and temporarily removed before transmitting the message to the remaining recipients.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting an electronic mail message comprising:

addressing a plurality of recipients using a group alias;

specifying a first address for excluding from the plurality of recipients;

resolving the group alias into a plurality of addresses corresponding to the plurality of recipients; and

transmitting the message to a remaining plurality of addresses comprising the plurality of addresses excluding the first address, without modifying the group alias.

2. The method recited in claim 1 further comprising:

locating the first address among the plurality of addresses; and

temporarily removing the first address therefrom.

3. The method recited in claim 2 further comprising:

transmitting the first address from a first mail server to a second mail server for validating the first address; and

notifying the first mail server of an outcome of the validation.

4. The method recited in claim 3 further comprising:

determining whether or not to transmit the message to the remaining plurality of addresses based on the outcome of the validation.

5. A computer-readable medium embodying program instructions, the program instructions configured for receiving a first address and a group alias, the group alias is transmitted from a first mail server to a second mail server for resolving the group alias into a plurality of addresses, and transmitting the message to a remaining plurality of addresses comprising the plurality of addresses excluding the first address, without modifying the group alias.

6. The computer-related medium recited in claim 5, wherein the first address is located from the plurality of addresses and temporarily removed therefrom.

7. The computer-related medium recited in claim 6, wherein the program instructions are further configured for validating the first address before transmitting the message to the remaining plurality of addresses.

8. The computer-related medium recited in claim 7, wherein the program instructions are further configured to determine whether or not to transmit the message to the remaining plurality of addresses.

9. The computer-related medium recited in claim 8, wherein the first mail server is also the second mail server.

10. A method of temporarily excluding a first address from a group alias in an electronic mail message comprising:

resolving the group alias into a plurality of addresses;

excluding the first address from the plurality of addresses; and

transmitting the message to a remaining plurality of addresses comprising the plurality of addresses excluding the first address, without modifying the group alias.

11. The method recited in claim 10 further comprising:

locating the first address among the plurality of addresses; and

temporarily removing the first address therefrom.

12. The method recited in claim 11 further comprising:

transmitting the first address from a first mail server to a second mail server for validating the first address; and

notifying the first mail server of an outcome of the validation.

13. The method recited in claim 12 further comprising:

determining whether or not to transmit the message to the remaining plurality of addresses based on the outcome of the validation.

14. An electronic mail message format having a first field for receiving a group alias and for addressing a message to a plurality of recipients, wherein the message format comprises:

a second field for receiving at least a first address for temporarily excluding from the group alias without modifying the group alias, wherein after the group alias is resolved into a plurality of addresses corresponding to the plurality of recipients, the message is transmitted to a remaining plurality of addresses comprising the plurality of addresses excluding the first address.

15. The electronic mail message format recited in claim 14, wherein the first address is located from the plurality of addresses and temporarily removed therefrom.

16. The electronic mail message format recited in claim 15, wherein the first address is transmitted to its destination domain for validation before the message is transmitted to the remaining plurality of addresses.

17. The electronic mail message format recited in claim 16, wherein the first address is displayed as an excluded address in the message received by the remaining plurality of addresses.