SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RESTRICTING REPLIES TO AN ORIGINAL ELECTRONIC MAIL MESSAGE
First Claim
1. A method, in a data processing system, for specifying recipients of an original electronic mail (email) message that may respond to the original email message, comprising:
- providing a user interface through which the original email message may be composed;
receiving a first user input to the user interface specifying one or more email addresses of one or more recipients of the original email message and a content of the original email message;
receiving a second user input selecting a response restriction option to prevent response email messages to the original email message from at least one of the one or more email addresses of the one or more recipients;
adding an indicator of the selected response restriction option to a data structure associated with the original email message; and
transmitting the original email message to one or more computing devices associated with the one or more email addresses of the one or more recipients.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for restricting replies to an original electronic mail message are provided. The system and method may provide a mechanism for allowing a composer of an electronic mail message to specify whether or not responses or replies from particular recipients, e.g., secondary recipients, of an electronic mail message are permitted. The illustrative embodiments provide an interface through which a user may specify, for example, that an electronic mail message that is being composed can only be replied to from electronic mail addresses that are associated with primary recipients of the electronic mail message, e.g., recipients whose electronic mail addresses are in a “TO” field of the electronic mail message. In other illustrative embodiments, the interface provides control mechanisms through which a user may individually specify which recipients of an electronic mail message may or may not reply to the electronic mail message.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method, in a data processing system, for specifying recipients of an original electronic mail (email) message that may respond to the original email message, comprising:
-
providing a user interface through which the original email message may be composed; receiving a first user input to the user interface specifying one or more email addresses of one or more recipients of the original email message and a content of the original email message; receiving a second user input selecting a response restriction option to prevent response email messages to the original email message from at least one of the one or more email addresses of the one or more recipients; adding an indicator of the selected response restriction option to a data structure associated with the original email message; and transmitting the original email message to one or more computing devices associated with the one or more email addresses of the one or more recipients. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:
-
provide a user interface through which the original email message may be composed; receive a first user input to the user interface specifying one or more email addresses of one or more recipients of the original email message and a content of the original email message; receive a second user input selecting a response restriction option to prevent response email messages to the original email message from at least one of the one or more email addresses of the one or more recipients; add an indicator of the selected response restriction option to a data structure associated with the original email message; and transmit the original email message to one or more computing devices associated with the one or more email addresses of the one or more recipients. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. A system, comprising:
-
a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to; provide a user interface through which the original email message may be composed; receive a first user input to the user interface specifying one or more email addresses of one or more recipients of the original email message and a content of the original email message; receive a second user input selecting a response restriction option to prevent response email messages to the original email message from at least one of the one or more email addresses of the one or more recipients; add an indicator of the selected response restriction option to a data structure associated with the original email message; and transmit the original email message to one or more computing devices associated with the one or more email addresses of the one or more recipients.
-
Specification