System for automatically distributing selected mail item to selected user associated with office location within physical office floor plan in data processing system

• US 5,564,018 A
• Filed: 11/15/1993
• Issued: 10/08/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Flores, David, Lachman, Lawrence M., Vega-Toro, Guillermo, Johnson, William J., Smith, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEKY, MOUSTAFA M
• Application Number:
  US08/152,756
• Time in Patent Office: 1,058 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200, 395/153, 395/156, 395/157, 395/159, 395/200.02, 345/118, 345/119, 345/149, 345/156, 358/402, 370/110.1, 379/100
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

A method and system for the efficient distribution of electronic mail items within a distributed data processing system having multiple users enrolled therein wherein each user utilizes a computer or terminal device having a unique address. After selecting an individual electronic mail item for distribution an intuitive graphic representation of a group of unique addresses is displayed within a user'"'"'s terminal device. The intuitive graphic representation may take one of several forms including a two or three dimensional graphic representation of an office floor plan which identifies the occupants of each office, or a photographic image of one or more users. In response to a graphic selection by the user of a particular graphic representation, or portion thereof, an identified electronic mail item is then automatically distributed to the user whose unique address is associated with that graphic representation or portion thereof. In one embodiment an electronic mail item is displayed as a miniature graphic representation or "icon" and is thereafter automatically distributed in response to a relocation of that icon to a position overlying the graphic representation or portion thereof, utilizing well known "drag and drop" techniques.

Claims

1. A method for efficient distribution of electronic mail items within a distributed data processing system to a group of selected users, said distributed data processing system having a plurality of users enrolled therein and storing unique pictorial data and associated unique address for each of said plurality of users, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting for distribution an electronic mail item from a plurality of electronic mail items within said distributed data processing system, each of said plurality of electronic mail items represented by a displayed miniature graphic representation;

(b) displaying said unique pictorial data for at least some of said plurality of users as a representative of the associated unique addresses within said data processing system, said unique pictorial data comprising a graphic representation of a physical office floor plan including office locations associated with each of a plurality of unique addresses, each office location having a user'"'"'s name displayed in association therewith;

(c) graphically relocating said displayed miniature graphic representation of said selected electronic mail item to a point overlying a unique pictorial data representative of a particular one of said plurality of unique addresses;

(d) automatically distributing said selected electronic mail item to said particular one of said plurality of unique addresses by identifying a unique address associated with unique pictorial data; and

(e) repeating steps (b), (c) and (d) for each user in said group of users.

2. A system for efficient distribution of electronic mail items within a distributed data processing system to a group of selected users, said distributed data processing system having a plurality of users enrolled therein and storing unique pictorial data and associated unique address for each of said plurality of users, comprising:

(a) means for selecting for distribution an electronic mail item from a plurality of electronic mail items within said distributed data processing system, each of said plurality of electronic mail items represented by a displayed miniature graphic representation;

(b) means for displaying said unique pictorial data for at least some of said plurality of users as a representative of the associated unique addresses within said data processing system, said unique pictorial data comprising a graphic representation of a physical office floor plan including office locations associated with each of a plurality of unique addresses, each office location having a user'"'"'s name displayed in association therewith;

(c) means for graphically relocating said displayed miniature graphic representation of said selected electronic mail item to a point overlying a unique pictorial data representative of a particular one of said plurality of unique addresses;

(d) means for automatically distributing said selected electronic mail item to said particular one of said plurality of unique addresses by identifying a unique address associated with unique pictorial data; and

(e) means for repeating steps (b), (c) and (d) for each user in said group of users.