Electronic routing slips for inter-organizational electronic mail

• US 20060041628A1
• Filed: 08/23/2004
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Muller, Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/924,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20060041628A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

A system and method for separating inter-organizational email from the intra-organizational processing of that email are described. An email message is received by an email client program executing at a client computing system. A route operation is selected for the email message. A routing slip is generated in response to the route operation. The routing slip includes an electronic representation of the email message and can be sent to other members of an organization bearing this representation. Each recipient of the routing slip can access the email message through the electronic representation. Information that becomes part of the routing slip remains separate from the contents of the email message. To reply to the email message, an unroute operation restores the email message from the routing slip. A reply to the email message can then be sent without any of the information in the routing slip appearing the reply.

Claims

1. A method for separating an email message from intra-organizational communications used to process that email message, the method comprising:

receiving a first email message by an email client program executing at a client computing system;

selecting a route operation for the first email message; and

generating, in response to selecting the route operation, a second email message having therein an electronic representation of the first email message through which content of the first email message can be accessed by a viewer of the second email message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing an electronic record corresponding to the first email message in a database in response to the route operation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic representation included in the second email message includes a link to the electronic record stored in the database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic representation included in the second email message includes a file that is attached to the second email message.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting an unroute operation for the routing slip to restore the first email message.

6. A computing system, comprising:

a processor;

memory; and

an electronic mail (email) client program stored in the memory and executed by the processor, the email client program receiving a first email message and generating a second email message having therein an electronic representation of the first email message in response to a selection of a route operation for the first email message,

wherein content of the first email message is accessible by a viewer of the second email message through the electronic representation.

7. The computing system of claim 6, further comprising an electronic record corresponding to the first email message for storing in a database in response to the route operation.

8. The computing system of claim 6, wherein the electronic representation included in the second email message includes a link for accessing the electronic record in the database.

9. The computing system of claim 6, wherein the electronic representation included in the second email message includes a file that is attached to the second email message.

10. The computing system of claim 6, wherein the email client program restores the first email message in response to a selection of an unroute operation for the routing slip.

11. An apparatus for separating an email message from intra-organizational communications used to process that email message, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a first email message by an email client program executing at a client computing system;

means for selecting a route operation for the first email message; and

means for generating, in response to the selecting of the route operation, a second email message having therein an electronic representation of the first email message through which content of the first email message can be accessed by a viewer of the second email message.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising means for storing an electronic record corresponding to the first email message in a database in response to the route operation.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the electronic representation included in the second email message includes a link to the electronic record stored in the database.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the electronic representation included in the second email message includes a file that is attached to the second email message.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising means for selecting an unroute operation for the routing slip to restore the first email message.

16. A computer program product for use with a computer system, the computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having embodied therein program code comprising:

program code for receiving a first email message by an email client program executing at a client computing system;

program code for selecting a route operation for the first email message; and

program code for generating, in response to the selecting of the route operation, a second email message having therein an electronic representation of the first email message through which content of the first email message can be accessed by a viewer of the second email message.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising program code for storing an electronic record corresponding to the first email message in a database in response to the route operation.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the electronic representation included in the second email message includes a link to the electronic record stored in the database.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the electronic representation included in the second email message includes a file that is attached to the second email message.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising program code for selecting an unroute operation for the routing slip to restore the first email message.

21. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave for use with a computer system having a display and capable of generating a user interface through which a user may interact with the computer system, the computer data signal comprising:

program code for receiving a first email message by an email client program executing at a client computing system;

program code for selecting a route operation for the first email message; and

program code for generating, in response to the selecting of the route operation, a second email message having therein an electronic representation of the first email message through which content of the first email message can be accessed by a viewer of the second email message.

22. The computer data signal of claim 21, further comprising program code for storing an electronic record corresponding to the first email message in a database in response to the route operation.

23. The computer data signal of claim 21, wherein the electronic representation included in the second email message includes a link to the electronic record stored in the database.

24. The computer data signal of claim 21, wherein the electronic representation included in the second email message includes a file that is attached to the second email message.

25. The computer data signal of claim 21, further comprising program code for selecting an unroute operation for the routing slip to restore the first email message.