Methods and systems for preventing inadvertent transmission of electronic messages

• US 20050135681A1
• Filed: 12/22/2003
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schirmer, Andrew Lewis
• Application Number:
  US10/745,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20050135681A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

The invention provides a methods, systems, and computer software for preventing inadvertent transmission of electronic messages by comparing data in a current electronic message to be sent with data in at least one prior electronic message to determine if at least one condition exists that would indicate that the electronic message is being sent prematurely, and prompting the sender, if at least one condition is identified, that a possible error exists, prompting the sender to confirm sending the electronic message with the possible error prior to sending the message, correcting the possible error automatically or semi-automatically, or a combination thereof.

Claims

1. A method for preventing inadvertent transmission of electronic messages comprising:

comparing data in a current electronic message to be sent with data in at least one prior electronic message to determine if at least one condition exists that would indicate that the current electronic message is being sent prematurely; and

at least one of

prompting the sender, if at least one condition is identified, that a possible error exists, prompting the sender to confirm sending the electronic message with a possible error prior to sending the message, and correcting the possible error automatically or semi-automatically.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising listing each type of the possible errors identified.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising listing at least one common type of error.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising determining if a condition exists that would indicate that the electronic message is being sent prematurely, the condition comprising at least one of:

the electronic message is a Reply or Reply to All and a recipient in TO field of the current electronic message does not match an original message sender or recipient,

the electronic message is a Reply to All and a recipient in CC field of the current electronic message does not match recipients of a previous electronic message upon which the current message builds,

the electronic message is a Reply or Reply to All and a recipient in To or CC fields of the current electronic message was blindly copied in an a previous electronic message upon which the current message builds, and

the electronic message is a Reply or Reply to All and contains an attachment included in a previous electronic message upon which the current message builds.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising determining if a condition exists that would indicate that the electronic message is being sent prematurely, the condition comprising at least one of:

the electronic message is a Forward and does not contain an attachment or history included in a previous electronic message upon which the current message builds,

the electronic message body refers to an attachment but does not include an attachment,

the electronic message is a Reply or Reply to All and contains an attachment or message history included in a previous electronic message upon which the current message builds,

the electronic message is encrypted but at least one prior electronic message to a recipient of the current electronic message was not previously encrypted, and

the electronic message coding appears to be incompatible with at least one recipient of the current electronic message based on coding of at least one prior electronic message to the recipient.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising determining whether a confirmation has been enabled by the sender, and prompting the sender to confirm sending the electronic message with the possible error only if confirmation is enabled.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising determining whether error checking has been enabled by the sender, and comparing the electronic data in the current electronic message with data in at least one prior electronic message only if confirmation and the error checking are enabled.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein a default setting with regard to selective confirmation is set with a user defined preference.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein a default setting with regard to selective confirmation is set with a user defined rule.

10. A system for preventing inadvertent transmission of electronic messages comprising a client device communicatively connected to a mail server and a data store over a communication network, at least one of the client device and the mail server having software associated therewith that when executed performs the method comprising:

comparing data in a current electronic message to be sent with data in at least one prior electronic message to determine if at least one condition exists that would indicate that the current electronic message is being sent prematurely; and

at least one of

prompting the sender, if at least one condition is identified, that a possible error exists, prompting the sender to confirm sending the electronic message with a possible error prior to sending the message, and correcting the possible error automatically or semi-automatically.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the method comprises listing each type of the possible errors identified.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the method comprises listing at least one common type of error.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the method comprises determining if a condition exists that would indicate that the electronic message is being sent prematurely, the condition comprising at least one of:

the electronic message is a Reply or Reply to All and a recipient in TO field of the current electronic message does not match an original message sender or recipient,

the electronic message is a Reply to All and a recipient in CC field of the current electronic message does not match recipients of a previous electronic message upon which the current message builds,

the electronic message is a Reply or Reply to All and a recipient in To or CC fields of the current electronic message was blindly copied in an a previous electronic message upon which the current message builds, and

the electronic message is a Reply or Reply to All and contains an attachment included in a previous electronic message upon which the current message builds.

14. The system of claim 10, comprising determining if a condition exists that would indicate that the electronic message is being sent prematurely, the condition comprising at least one of:

the electronic message is a Forward and does not contain an attachment or history included in a previous electronic message upon which the current message builds,

the electronic message body refers to an attachment but does not include an attachment,

the electronic message is a Reply or Reply to All and contains an attachment or message history included in a previous electronic message upon which the current message builds,

the electronic message is encrypted but at least one prior electronic message to a recipient of the current electronic message was not previously encrypted, and

the electronic message coding appears to be incompatible with at least one recipient of the current electronic message based on coding of at least one prior electronic message to the recipient.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the method comprises determining whether a confirmation has been enabled by the sender, and prompting the sender to confirm sending the electronic message with the possible error only if confirmation is enabled.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the method comprises determining whether error checking has been enabled by the sender, and comparing the electronic data in the current electronic message with data in at least one prior electronic message only if confirmation and the error checking are enabled.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein a default setting with regard to selective confirmation is set with a user defined preference.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein a default setting with regard to selective confirmation is set with a user defined rule.

19. A computer readable medium storing program code that when executed on a computerized device causes the computerized device to perform a method for preventing inadvertent transmission of electronic messages comprising:

comparing data in a current electronic message to be sent with data in at least one prior electronic message to determine if at least one condition exists that would indicate that the current electronic message is being sent prematurely; and

at least one of

prompting the sender, if at least one condition is identified, that a possible error exists, prompting the sender to confirm sending the electronic message with a possible error prior to sending the message, and correcting the possible error automatically or semi-automatically.

20. The medium of claim 19, wherein the method comprises listing each type of the possible errors identified.

21. The medium of claim 19, wherein the method comprises listing at least one common type of error.

22. The medium of claim 19, wherein the method comprises determining if a condition exists that would indicate that the electronic message is being sent prematurely, the condition comprising at least one of:

the electronic message is a Reply or Reply to All and a recipient in TO field of the current electronic message does not match an original message sender or recipient,

the electronic message is a Reply to All and a recipient in CC field of the current electronic message does not match recipients of a previous electronic message upon which the current message builds,

the electronic message is a Reply or Reply to All and a recipient in To or CC fields of the current electronic message was blindly copied in an a previous electronic message upon which the current message builds, and

the electronic message is a Reply or Reply to All and contains an attachment included in a previous electronic message upon which the current message builds.

23. The medium of claim 19, wherein the method comprises determining if a condition exists that would indicate that the electronic message is being sent prematurely, the condition comprising at least one of:

the electronic message is a Forward and does not contain an attachment or history included in a previous electronic message upon which the current message builds,

the electronic message body refers to an attachment but does not include an attachment,

the electronic message is a Reply or Reply to All and contains an attachment or message history included in a previous electronic message upon which the current message builds,

the electronic message is encrypted but at least one prior electronic message to a recipient of the current electronic message was not previously encrypted, and

the electronic message coding appears to be incompatible with at least one recipient of the current electronic message based on coding of at least one prior electronic message to the recipient.

24. The medium of claim 19, wherein the method comprises determining whether a confirmation has been enabled by the sender, and prompting the sender to confirm sending the electronic message with the possible error only if confirmation is enabled.

25. The medium of claim 24, wherein the method comprises determining whether error checking has been enabled by the sender, and comparing the electronic data in the current electronic message with data in at least one prior electronic message only if confirmation and the error checking are enabled.

26. The medium of claim 24, wherein a default setting with regard to selective confirmation is set with a user defined preference.

27. The medium of claim 24, wherein a default setting with regard to selective confirmation is set with a user defined rule.