Method And System For Removing A Person From An E-Mail Thread

• US 20110213852A1
• Filed: 05/10/2011
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Readshaw, Neil Ian, Radenkovic, Zoran
• Application Number:
  US13/104,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20110213852A1
• 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 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

A method for automatically removing a user from an e-mail thread is provided. An e-mail client receives a reply e-mail message. Responsive to a determination that the reply e-mail message is a message to opt-out of an e-mail thread, the e-mail address of a sender of the reply e-mail message is associated with the e-mail thread to form a listed e-mail address. The listed e-mail address is stored. When a new e-mail message is generated that is part of the e-mail thread, the listed e-mail address is automatically excluded from a list of recipients of the new e-mail.

Claims

1. A method for automatically removing a user from an e-mail thread, the method comprising steps performed by a computer of:

receiving a reply e-mail message at an e-mail client running on the computer;

responsive to a determination by the e-mail client that the reply e-mail message is a message to opt-out of an e-mail thread, associating an e-mail address of a sender of the reply e-mail message to the e-mail thread to form a listed e-mail address;

storing the listed e-mail address;

generating a new e-mail message at the e-mail client, wherein the new e-mail message is part of the e-mail thread; and

excluding, automatically by the e-mail client, the listed e-mail address from a list of recipients of the new e-mail message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a first e-mail message at another e-mail client;

responsive to selecting an opt-out option, generating by the another e-mail client, automatically, the reply e-mail message to the first e-mail message, wherein the reply e-mail message comprises an indication to opt-out of the e-mail thread; and

sending the reply e-mail message to recipients of the first e-mail message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the indication to opt-out of the e-mail thread is in a header field of the reply e-mail message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, associating, and storing steps are performed by the e-mail client without a recipient of the reply e-mail message being aware of the reply e-mail message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein excluding, automatically by the e-mail client, the listed e-mail address from the list of recipients of the new e-mail message comprises:

comparing a list of e-mail addresses of intended recipients of the new e-mail message for the e-mail thread with a list of e-mail addresses of users that have opted out of the email thread; and

deleting e-mail addresses from a list of intended recipients of the new e-mail message that match an email address in the list of e-mail addresses of users that have opted out of the email thread.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the steps of comparing and deleting are performed responsive to receiving a command to send the new e-mail message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the listed e-mail address is stored locally at the computer, and further comprising steps of:

maintaining a first table that relates a unique e-mail thread identifier to a set of message identifiers that make up the e-mail thread; and

maintaining a second table that relates the unique e-mail thread identifier to a set of e-mail addresses associated with people who have chosen to opt-out of the e-mail thread.

8. A computer program product comprising:

a computer recordable medium having computer usable program code for automatically removing a user from an e-mail thread, the computer program product comprising;

computer usable program code for receiving a reply e-mail message at an e-mail client;

computer usable program code, responsive to a determination by the e-mail client that the reply e-mail message is a message to opt-out of an e-mail thread, for associating an e-mail address of a sender of the reply e-mail message to the e-mail thread to form a listed e-mail address;

computer usable program code for storing the listed e-mail address;

computer usable program code for generating a new e-mail message at the e-mail client, wherein the new e-mail message is part of the e-mail thread; and

computer usable program code for excluding, automatically by the e-mail client, the listed e-mail address from a list of recipients of the new e-mail message.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

computer usable program code for receiving a first e-mail message at another e-mail client;

computer usable program code, responsive to selecting an opt-out option, for generating, automatically by the another e-mail client, the reply e-mail message to the first e-mail message, wherein the reply e-mail message comprises an indication to opt-out of the e-mail thread; and

computer usable program code for sending the reply e-mail message to recipients of the first e-mail message.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the indication to opt-out of the e-mail thread is in a header field of the reply e-mail message.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer usable program code for receiving, associating, and storing is executed without a recipient of the reply e-mail message being aware of the reply e-mail message.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer usable program code for excluding, automatically by the e-mail client, the listed e-mail address from the list of recipients of the new e-mail message comprises:

computer usable program code for comparing a list of e-mail addresses of intended recipients of the new e-mail message for the e-mail thread with a list of e-mail addresses of users that have opted out of the email thread; and

computer usable program code for deleting e-mail addresses from a list of intended recipients of the new e-mail message that match an email address in the list of e-mail addresses of users that have opted out of the email thread.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer usable program code for comparing and deleting is executed in response to receiving a command to send the new e-mail message.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the listed e-mail address is stored locally, and wherein the computer usable program code further comprises:

computer usable program code for maintaining a first table that relates a unique e-mail thread identifier to a set of message identifiers that make up the e-mail thread; and

computer usable program code for maintaining a second table that relates the unique e-mail thread identifier to a set of e-mail addresses associated with people who have chosen to opt-out of the e-mail thread.

15. A data processing system for automatically removing a user from an e-mail thread, the data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a communications unit connected to the bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device includes computer usable program code; and

a processor unit connected to the bus, wherein the processor unit executes the computer usable program code to receive a reply e-mail message at an e-mail client;

responsive to a determination by the e-mail client that the reply e-mail message is a message to opt-out of an e-mail thread, associate an e-mail address of a sender of the reply e-mail message to the e-mail thread to form a listed e-mail address;

store the listed e-mail address;

generate a new e-mail message at the e-mail client, wherein the new e-mail message is part of the e-mail thread; and

exclude, automatically by the e-mail client, the listed e-mail address from a list of recipients of the new e-mail message.

16. The data processing system of claim 15, in combination with another data processing system comprising another processor, wherein the another processor executes another computer program code to receive a first e-mail message at another e-mail client at the another data processing system;

responsive to selecting an opt-out option, generate, automatically by the another e-mail client, the reply e-mail message to the first e-mail message, wherein the reply e-mail message comprises an indication to opt-out of the e-mail thread; and

send the reply e-mail message to recipients of the first e-mail message.

17. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the indication to opt-out of the e-mail thread is in a header field of the reply e-mail message.

18. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the computer useable program code to receive, associate, and store is executed without a recipient of the reply e-mail message being aware of the reply e-mail message.

19. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the computer useable program code to exclude, automatically by the e-mail client, the listed e-mail address from the list of recipients of the new e-mail message comprises:

computer useable program code to compare a list of e-mail addresses of intended recipients of the new e-mail message for the e-mail thread with a list of e-mail addresses of users that have opted out of the email thread; and

computer useable program code to delete e-mail addresses from a list of intended recipients of the new e-mail message that match an email address in the list of e-mail addresses of users that have opted out of the email thread.

20. The data processing system of claim 19, wherein the computer useable program code to compare and delete are executed responsive to receiving a command to send the new e-mail message.