METHOD AND PROCESS TO ADD RECIPIENTS TO AN ON-GOING ELECTRONIC MESSAGE THREAD

• US 20080098072A1
• Filed: 10/23/2006
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jones, Angela Richards, Lyle, Ruthie D.
• Application Number:
  US11/551,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20080098072A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

A method, article, and system to implement software for enabling recipients to be added to an electronic message thread, while providing for the new recipient to receive previous messages within the electronic message thread. In addition, members that are currently a part of the message thread are notified of the addition of a new member to the electronic message thread, when they send out a new message, in order to provide the existing member the option to include the new member as a recipient of the new message within the electronic message thread.

Claims

1. A method for enabling recipients to be added to an electronic message thread utilizing a program of instructions executable by a computer, wherein the method comprises:

sending an initial electronic message by an originating sender via a user interface to begin an electronic message thread to one or more recipients;

adding one or more additional recipients to the electronic message thread by the one or more recipients or the originating sender utilizing a user interface;

based on the adding, associating meta-data that when processed updates the address field, with the one or more additional recipients, with all electronic messages from the electronic message thread that are stored on message servers associated with the one or more recipients and the originating sender; and

wherein all information about the one or more additional recipients for the electronic message thread is persisted and aggregated, which facilitates any recipient with access to the electronic message thread to open any electronic message in the electronic message thread and have the latest recipient updates, even if the updates were applied on a later or earlier part of the electronic message thread.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the sending in an electronic message thread comprises sending a series of messages and replies between the originating sender, the one or more recipients and the one or more additional recipients, and between the one or more recipients themselves, and between the one or more recipients and the one or more additional recipients; and

wherein the electronic messages have similar subject matter.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the sending in an electronic message thread comprises sending a series of messages and replies between the originating sender, the one or more recipients and the one or more additional recipients, and between the one or more recipients themselves, and between the one or more recipients and the one or more additional recipients; and

wherein the electronic messages have common address lists.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

in response to the adding, locating, using retraction software, previously sent electronic messages related to an electronic message thread stored on the message servers associated with the one or more recipients and the originating sender.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

in response to the adding, modifying meta-data of the electronic messages that form the electronic message thread;

wherein the meta-data records the changes in the recipient list.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

in response to the adding, modifying meta-data of the electronic messages that form the electronic message thread;

wherein the meta-data is used to record the identity of the one or more recipients or the originating sender that made the modifications.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

in response to the adding, modifying meta-data of the electronic messages that form the electronic message thread;

wherein the meta-data is used to record the timing when the modifications were made.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

in response to the adding of one or more additional recipients, the additional recipients will receive the current electronic message in the electronic message thread.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

in response to the adding of one or more additional recipients, the additional recipients gain access to information previously communicated in the electronic message thread before the additional recipients were added;

wherein the information is presented to the one or more additional recipients by a request from the additional recipients through their user interfaces; and

wherein the information is presented in one or more of the following formats;

a digest or archived version of all previous electronic messages in the electronic message thread in chronological order;

a digest or archived version of all previous electronic messages in the electronic message thread in an order specified by the one or more additional recipients; and

a copy of all previous electronic messages sent separately to the inbox of the one or more additional recipients in chronological order.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

in response to the adding, the one or more recipients are notified of the one or more additional recipients when the one or more recipients opens an electronic message from the electronic message thread.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the notification of the addition of the one or more additional recipients takes the form of at least one of the following;

an icon near the address field on the user interface, wherein the icon expands when the one or more recipients hover over or clicks on the icon with an electronic pointer; and

information attached to the end of the electronic message.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the originating sender and the one or more recipients can control access rights of the one or more additional recipients to add additional recipients to the message thread; and

the access rights are recorded in the meta-data associated with the one or more additional recipients

14. The article of claim 12, wherein:

the electronic message thread comprises a series of messages and replies between the originating sender and the recipients, as well as between the recipients themselves; and

wherein the electronic messages have similar subject matter.

15. The article of claim 12, wherein:

the electronic message thread comprises a series of messages and replies between the originating sender and the recipients, as well as between the recipients themselves; and

wherein the electronic messages have a common address lists.

16. The article of claim 12, wherein:

in response to the addition of the one or more additional recipients, the instructions locate with retraction software previously sent electronic messages related to an electronic message thread stored on the message servers associated with the one or more recipients and the originating sender;

wherein the meta-data including the one or more additional recipients is associated with the previously sent messages.

17. The article of claim 12, wherein:

the instructions notify the one or more recipients in response to the addition of the one or more additional recipients;

wherein the notification of the one or more recipients takes the form of at least one of the following;

an icon near the address field on the user interface, wherein the icon expands when the one or more recipients hover over or clicks on the icon with an electronic pointer; and

information attached to the end of the electronic message.

18. The article of claim 12, wherein:

the instructions, in response to the addition of the one or more additional recipients, modifies the meta-data of the electronic messages that form the electronic message thread;

wherein the modifications facilitated by the instructions comprises at least one of the following;

the meta-data records the changes in the recipient list;

the meta-data is used to record the identity of the one or more recipients or the originating sender that made the modifications; and

the meta-data is used to record the timing when the modifications were made.

19. The article of claim 12, wherein:

the instructions, in response to the addition of the one or more additional recipients, facilitate the one or more additional recipients to gain access to information previously communicated in the electronic message thread before the one or more additional recipients were added;

wherein the information is presented to the one or more additional recipients by a request from the additional recipients through their user interfaces; and

wherein the information is presented in one or more of the following formats;

a digest or archived version of all previous electronic messages in the electronic message thread in chronological order;

a digest or archived version of all previous electronic messages in the electronic message thread in an order specified by the one or more additional recipients; and

a copy of all previous electronic messages sent separately to the inbox of the one or more additional recipients in chronological order.

13. An article comprising machine-readable storage media containing instructions that when executed by a processor enable the processor to manage electronic message threads in a system, wherein the system comprises computer servers, mainframe computers, and user interfaces, and wherein said computer servers and mainframe computers serve as message servers, and wherein said user interfaces further comprise desktop computers, laptop computers, mobile computing devices, and mobile communication devices and, the instructions for facilitating:

in response to an originating sender, initiating an electronic message thread to one or more recipients;

wherein one or more recipients or the originating sender can elect to add one or more additional recipients to the electronic message thread utilizing the instructions via the user interfaces; and

based on addition of the one or more additional recipients to associated meta-data, updating the address field, with the one or more additional recipients, of all electronic messages from the electronic message thread that are stored on the message servers associated with the one or more recipients and the originating sender; and

wherein all information about the one or more additional recipients for the electronic message thread is persisted and aggregated, which facilitates any recipient with access to the electronic message thread to open any electronic message in the electronic message thread and have the latest recipient updates, even if the updates were applied on a later or earlier part of the electronic message thread.

20. A system for managing electronic message threads and enabling additional recipients to be added to a message thread,

wherein the system comprises computing devices and a network;

wherein the computing devices further comprise at least one of the following;

computer servers;

mainframe computers;

desktop computers; and

mobile computing devices; and

wherein at least one of the computing devices is configured to execute electronic software that manages the electronic message threads; and

wherein the electronic software is resident on a storage medium in signal communication with at least one of the computing devices; and

wherein at least one of the computing devices is in signal communication with the network; and

wherein the network further comprises at least one of the following;

local area network (LAN);

wide area network (WAN);

a global network;

the Internet;

an intranet;

wireless networks; and

cellular networks; and

wherein based on the additional recipients, the electronic software updates the address field, with the one or more additional recipients, of all electronic messages from the electronic message thread that are stored on the computing devices associated with one or more recipients and an originating sender of the electronic message thread; and

wherein all information about the one or more additional recipients for the electronic message thread is persisted and aggregated, which facilitates any recipient with access to the electronic message thread to open any electronic message in the electronic message thread and have the latest recipient updates, even if the updates were applied on a later or earlier part of the electronic message thread; and

wherein the one or more recipients and the originating sender are notified of the addition of one or more additional recipients.