Method and system for excluding recipients in an electronic communication system

• US 20050117715A1
• Filed: 12/02/2003
• Published: 06/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trend Micro Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bordia, Aakash
• Granted Patent: US 7,457,841 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.130
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

A system that enables a communications system user to conveniently define entities to be excluded from receiving an electronic communication, such as an electronic mail (“email”) message. An “Exclude” user entry field is provided in a user interface to a communication system. The Exclude field accepts entry of an “exclude set” of entities to be excluded from an email message being processed or defined in a currently accessible graphical user interface window. The disclosed Exclude field is provided in a user interface window together with one or more other user entry fields available for definition and/or review of an “include set” of entities initially designated for receipt of the message. Lists and/or groups may be resolved by determining the destinations they contain either within the client computer system, within a source server computer system, and/or within a destination server computer system.

Claims

1. A method for processing a message for transmission, comprising:

determining an include set of recipient entities, wherein said determining said include set of recipient entities includes displaying at least one destination user input field within a graphical user interface window and inputting said set include set of recipient entities from said at least one destination user input field;

determining an exclude set of recipient entities, wherein said determining said exclude set of recipient entities includes displaying at least one exclude user input field within said graphical user interface window and inputting said set of exclude set of recipient entities from said at least one exclude user input field; and

sending said message to destinations indicated by those recipient entities within said include set of recipient entities, but not to destinations indicated by those recipient entities within said exclude set of recipient entities.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining said include set of recipient entities further comprises displaying at least one carbon copy user input field within said graphical user interface window and inputting at least one of said include set of recipient entities from said at least one carbon copy user input field.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said determining said include set of recipient entities further comprises displaying at least one blind carbon copy user input field within said graphical user interface window and inputting at least one of said include set of recipient entities from said at least one blind carbon copy user input field.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said recipient entities comprises a list identifier, and further comprising resolving said at least one list identifier in a client computer system, wherein said resolving includes determining at least one individual address associated with said at least one list identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said recipient entities comprises a list identifier, and further comprising:

sending said list identifier from a client computer system to a remote server computer system; and

resolving said at least one list identifier at said remote server computer system, wherein said resolving includes determining at least one individual address associated with said at least one list identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said recipient entities comprises a list identifier, and further comprising:

sending said message and said list identifier from a client computer system to a remote server computer system;

sending said exclude set to said remote server computer system;

resolving said at least one list identifier at said remote server computer system, wherein said resolving includes determining at least one individual address associated with said at least one list identifier; and

forwarding said message, from said remote server computer system, to destinations indicated by those recipient entities within said include set of recipient entities, but not to destinations indicated by those recipient entities within said exclude set of recipient entities.

7. A computer program product, wherein said computer program product includes a computer readable medium, said computer readable medium having a computer program for processing a message for transmission stored thereon, said computer program comprising:

program code for determining an include set of recipient entities, wherein said determining said include set of recipient entities includes displaying at least one destination user input field within a graphical user interface window and inputting said set include set of recipient entities from said at least one destination user input field;

program code for determining an exclude set of recipient entities, wherein said determining said exclude set of recipient entities includes displaying at least one exclude user input field within said graphical user interface window and inputting said set of exclude set of recipient entities from said at least one exclude user input field; and

program code for sending said message to destinations indicated by those recipient entities within said include set of recipient entities, but not to destinations indicated by those recipient entities within said exclude set of recipient entities.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein said program code for determining said include set of recipient entities further comprises program code for displaying at least one carbon copy user input field within said graphical user interface window and for inputting at least one of said include set of recipient entities from said at least one carbon copy user input field.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein said program code for determining said include set of recipient entities further comprises program code for displaying at least one blind carbon copy user input field within said graphical user interface window and for inputting at least one of said include set of recipient entities from said at least one blind carbon copy user input field.

10. The computer program product method of claim 7, wherein at least one of said recipient entities comprises a list identifier, and wherein said computer program further comprises program code for resolving said at least one list identifier in a client computer system, wherein said resolving includes determining at least one individual address associated with said at least one list identifier.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein at least one of said recipient entities comprises a list identifier, and said computer program further comprising:

program code for sending said list identifier from a client computer system to a remote server computer system; and

program code for resolving said at least one list identifier at said remote server computer system, wherein said resolving includes determining at least one individual address associated with said at least one list identifier.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein at least one of said recipient entities comprises a list identifier, and said computer program further comprising:

program code for sending said message and said list identifier from a client computer system to a remote server computer system;

program code for sending said exclude set to said remote server computer system;

program code for resolving said at least one list identifier at said remote server computer system, wherein said resolving includes determining at least one individual address associated with said at least one list identifier; and

program code for forwarding said message, from said remote server computer system, to destinations indicated by those recipient entities within said include set of recipient entities, but not to destinations indicated by those recipient entities within said exclude set of recipient entities.

13. A system for processing a message for transmission, said computer program comprising:

means for determining an include set of recipient entities, wherein said determining said include set of recipient entities includes displaying at least one destination user input field within a graphical user interface window and inputting said set include set of recipient entities from said at least one destination user input field;

means for determining an exclude set of recipient entities, wherein said determining said exclude set of recipient entities includes displaying at least one exclude user input field within said graphical user interface window and inputting said set of exclude set of recipient entities from said at least one exclude user input field; and

means for sending said message to destinations indicated by those recipient entities within said include set of recipient entities, but not to destinations indicated by those recipient entities within said exclude set of recipient entities.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said means for determining said include set of recipient entities further comprises means for displaying at least one carbon copy user input field within said graphical user interface window and for inputting at least one of said include set of recipient entities from said at least one carbon copy user input field.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said means for determining said include set of recipient entities further comprises means for displaying at least one blind carbon copy user input field within said graphical user interface window and for inputting at least one of said include set of recipient entities from said at least one blind carbon copy user input field.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one of said recipient entities comprises a list identifier, and further comprising means for resolving said at least one list identifier in a client computer system, wherein said resolving includes determining at least one individual address associated with said at least one list identifier.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one of said recipient entities comprises a list identifier, and further comprising:

means for sending said list identifier from a client computer system to a remote server computer system; and

means for resolving said at least one list identifier at said remote server computer system, wherein said resolving includes determining at least one individual address associated with said at least one list identifier.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one of said recipient entities comprises a list identifier, and further comprising:

means for sending said message and said list identifier from a client computer system to a remote server computer system;

means for sending said exclude set to said remote server computer system;

means for resolving said at least one list identifier at said remote server computer system, wherein said resolving includes determining at least one individual address associated with said at least one list identifier; and

means for forwarding said message, from said remote server computer system, to destinations indicated by those recipient entities within said include set of recipient entities, but not to destinations indicated by those recipient entities within said exclude set of recipient entities.

19. A system for processing a message for transmission, comprising:

program code, stored in a computer readable memory communicably coupled with at least one processor of a computer system, for determining an include set of recipient entities, wherein said determining said include set of recipient entities includes displaying at least one destination user input field within a graphical user interface window and inputting said set include set of recipient entities from said at least one destination user input field;

program code, stored in said computer readable memory, for determining an exclude set of recipient entities, wherein said determining said exclude set of recipient entities includes displaying at least one exclude user input field within said graphical user interface window and inputting said set of exclude set of recipient entities from said at least one exclude user input field; and

program code, stored in said computer readable memory, for sending said message to destinations indicated by those recipient entities within said include set of recipient entities, but not to destinations indicated by those recipient entities within said exclude set of recipient entities.

20. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave, said computer data signal including at least one computer program for processing a message for transmission, said computer program comprising:

program code for determining an include set of recipient entities, wherein said determining said include set of recipient entities includes displaying at least one destination user input field within a graphical user interface window and inputting said set include set of recipient entities from said at least one destination user input field;

program code for determining an exclude set of recipient entities, wherein said determining said exclude set of recipient entities includes displaying at least one exclude user input field within said graphical user interface window and inputting said set of exclude set of recipient entities from said at least one exclude user input field; and

program code for sending said message to destinations indicated by those recipient entities within said include set of recipient entities, but not to destinations indicated by those recipient entities within said exclude set of recipient entities.