Electronic mail management system for operation on a host computer system

• US 5,632,011 A
• Filed: 05/22/1995
• Issued: 05/20/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sterling Commerce, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Landfield, Kent B., Zechmann, Albert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kulik, Paul V.
• Application Number:
  US08/445,855
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.12, 395/200.18, 395/600, 395/829, 395/839, 395/200.16, 395/161
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity

Abstract

Firewall host systems (26), (28) and (30) interface between private networks (14), (16), (18) and a public network (12). The firewall host systems (26), (28) and (30) manage alias databases (21), (25) and (29). The firewall host system (26) communicates updates to its alias database (21) to the firewall host system (28) which redistributes the updates the firewall host system (30). The firewall host system (30) then reinitializes its alias database (29) using the information received from the firewall host system (26) through the firewall host system (28). In addition, each of the firewall host systems (26), (28) and (30) provide a graphical user interface (66) which allows for the proactive maintenance of mail message queues through the provision of a mail message queue display area (68) and a command area (70) and a search area (74).

Claims

1. An electronic mail management system for operation on a host computer system including a message queue storage, the management system comprising:

a graphical user interface operable to access the message queue storage facility and to display information associated with each message present in the message queue storage facility;

a mail command region displayed within the graphical user interface and operable to receive commands operable to manipulate selected messages within the message queue storage facility, the mail command region comprising a queue active command operable when activated to display the status of all processes operating in the host computer system that are presently attempting to send/receive messages present within the message queue storage facility; and

a queue command region displayed within the graphical user interface operable to receive commands affecting the operation of the message queue storage facility.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the mail command region comprises a delete command operable when activated to delete selected messages within the message queue storage facility.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the mail command region comprises a headers command operable when activated to cause header information for the selected messages within the message queue storage facility to be displayed.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the mail command region comprises a reroute command operable when activated to allow a user of the system to readdress and resend a selected message present within the message queue storage facility.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the queue command region comprises a drain command that when activated causes the host computer system to spawn a new process that will attempt to send a message present within the message queue storage facility.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the graphical user interface further comprises a search region operable to allow for entry of a search pattern that when activated will cause messages within the message queue storage facility that match the search pattern to be selected.

7. An electronic mail management system for operation on a host computer system having a message queue storage facility operable to store one or more messages, each message having a subject line and a body, the management system comprising:

a graphical user interface operable to access the message queue storage facility and to display information associated with each message; and

a command region displayed within the graphical user interface and operable to allow an administrator to edit the subject line of a message without accessing the body of the message.

8. An electronic mail management system for operation on a host computer system including a message queue storage, the management system comprising:

a graphical user interface operable to access the message queue storage facility and to display information associated with each message present in the message queue storage facility;

a mail command region displayed within the graphical user interface and operable to receive commands operable to manipulate selected messages within the message queue storage facility, the mail command region comprising a bounce command interface that when activated causes a bounce graphical interface to be displayed, the bounce graphical interface allowing an administrator to rewrite a subject line of a selected message and to prepend textual material to the selected message without accessing a body of the selected message, the bounce graphical interface causing the selected message to be readdressed to an original sender of the selected message and to be reentered into the message queue storage facility for delivery back to the original sender; and

a queue command region displayed within the graphical user interface operable to receive commands affecting the operation of the message queue storage facility.