Electronic mail transmission with selective file attachment

• US 6,327,612 B1
• Filed: 12/22/1998
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Watanabe, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): WILEY, DAVID ARMAND
• Application Number:
  US09/219,107
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205-206, 709/232, 709/238, 707/10, 707/200, 340/506, 340/825.08, 358/402, 345/335, 455/500
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A mailing apparatus is operated to associate an attachment file with TO addresses. Then, the mailing apparatus creates e-mail destined for the TO addresses each including the body text and the TO addresses, together with e-mail destined for the CC/BCC addresses including the body text and the CC/BCC addresses. Further, the mailing apparatus appends the attachment files to the e-mail destined for the TO addresses, whereas it does not append the attachment files to the e-mail destined for the CC/BCC addresses. Instead, it appends a message to the latter to indicate the attachment files have been attached to the e-mail destined for the TO addresses.

Claims

1. An electronic-mail (e-mail) transmission apparatus, comprising:

means for accepting designation of one or more e-mail addresses;

means for accepting body text that is common to e-mail destined for each of said e-mail addresses;

means for accepting one or more attachment files to be attached to the e-mail;

means for associating at least one subset of e-mail addresses with each of said attachment files, each said subset including at least one of said e-mail addresses;

means for creating e-mail destined for a given one of said subset of said e-mail addresses, including said body text together with one or more of said attachment files associated with a given one of the e-mail addresses; and

means for transmitting each said e-mail.

2. The e-mail transmission apparatus of claim 1, further comprising first means for appending a message to e-mail without at least one of said attachment files attached thereto in order to indicate existence of said attachment files.

3. The e-mail transmission apparatus of claim 1, further comprising first means for displaying an address for displaying each of said subsets of said e-mail addresses in association with a message indicating each of said attachment files associated with said subsets.

4. The e-mail transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

said means for accepting designation accepts designation of one or more e-mail addresses identifying primary recipients of the e-mail (TO addresses), and/or designation of one or more e-mail addresses identifying secondary recipients of the e-mail (secondary addresses);

said means for associating associates a primary one of said subsets of said e-mail addresses including said TO addresses only and/or a secondary one of said subsets of said e-mail addresses including said secondary addresses only with each of said accepted attachment files; and

said means for creating e-mail creates e-mail destined for a given one of said TO addresses and including said accepted body text together with one or more of said attachment files associated with said TO addresses, and/or e-mail each being destined for a given one of said secondary addresses and including said accepted body text together with one or more of said attachment files associated with said secondary addresses.

5. The e-mail transmission apparatus of claim 4, wherein:

said means for accepting accepts one or more attachment files accepts one or more attachment files to be attached to e-mail that is destined for said TO addresses;

said address-attachment file associating means associates said TO addresses with said accepted attachment files; and

said means for creating e-mail creates e-mail destined for a given one of said TO addresses and including said body text together with said attachment files associated with said TO addresses, and/or e-mail destined for a given one of said secondary addresses and including said accepted body text.

6. The e-mail transmission apparatus of claim 5, further comprising second means for appending a message operative where said attachment files have been attached to e-mail destined for said TO addresses, for appending a message to each said e-mail destined for said secondary addresses, thereby indicating that said attachment files have been attached to the e-mail destined for said TO addresses.

7. The e-mail transmission apparatus of claim 5, further comprising second means for displaying an address for displaying said TO addresses together with said secondary addresses, and for displaying messages indicating said attachment files associated with said displayed TO addresses.

8. A mail server apparatus adapted for accepting from a mail client apparatus at least one e-mail address, a body text common to e-mail destined for each said e-mail address and one or more attachment files to be attached to the e-mail, and for transmitting the e-mail, comprising:

address-attachment file associating means for associating at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address with each of said attachment files, each said subset including one or more of said at least one e-mail address;

e-mail creating means for creating e-mail destined for a given one of said subset of said at least one e-mail address, each e-mail including said body text with at least one of said attachment files associated with a given one of said at least one e-mail address; and

e-mail transmitting means for transmitting each said e-mail.

9. A mail client apparatus adapted for outputting to a mail server apparatus at least one e-mail address, a body text that is common to e-mail destined for each said e-mail address and at least one attachment file to be attached to said e-mail, thereby enabling the mail server apparatus to accept at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address, each said subset including at least one of said at least one e-mail address, and said attachment file, to create said e-mail destined for a given one of said at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address, each said e-mail including said body text together with at least one of said attachment files associated with a given one of said at least one e-mail address, and to transmit said e-mail, comprising:

address designation accepting means for accepting designation of at least one e-mail address;

body text accepting means for accepting a body text that is common to e-mail destined for each of said at least one e-mail address; and

attachment file accepting means for accepting at least one attachment file to be attached to said e-mail.

10. An e-mail transmission method, comprising the steps of:

(a) accepting designation of at least one e-mail address;

(b) accepting a body text common to e-mail destined for each of said at least one e-mail address;

(c) accepting at least one attachment file for attachment to the e-mail;

(d) associating at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address with said at least one attachment file, each said subset including said at least one e-mail address;

(e) creating e-mail destined for a given one of said at least one subset, including said accepted body text together with one or more of said attachment files associated with a given one of said at least one e-mail address; and

(f) transmitting each said e-mail.

11. The e-mail transmission method of claim 10, wherein:

said step (a) accepts designation of at least one e-mail address identifying primary recipients of the e-mail (TO addresses), and/or designation of at least one e-mail address identifying secondary recipients of the e-mail (secondary addresses);

said step (d) associates a primary one of said at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address including said TO addresses only and/or a secondary one of said at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address including said secondary addresses only with each of said at least one attachment file; and

said step (e) creates e-mail destined for a given one of said TO addresses and including said body text together with one or more of said at least one attachment file associated with said TO addresses, and/or e-mail each being destined for a given one of said secondary addresses and including said accepted body text together with said at least one attachment file associated with said secondary addresses.

12. A computer readable storage medium for storing a program that is executable by the computer to carry out method steps of:

(a) accepting designation of at least one e-mail address;

(b) accepting a body text common to e-mail destined for each of said at least one e-mail address;

(c) accepting at least one attachment file to be attached to said e-mail;

(d) associating at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address with each of said at least one attachment file, each said subset including at least one of said at least one e-mail address;

(e) creating e-mail destined for a given one said subset, each said e-mail including said accepted body text together with said at least one attachment file associated with a given one of said at least one e-mail address; and

(f) transmitting said e-mail.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the program is executable by the computer to carry out an additional method step of:

appending a message to any e-mail without at least one of said at least one attachment file attached thereto in order to indicate the existence of said at least one attachment file.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the program is executable by the computer to carry out an additional method step of:

displaying each of said at least one subset associated with a message indicating each of said at least one attachment file associated with said subset.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein:

said step (a) accepts designation of at least one e-mail address identifying primary recipients of the e-mail (TO addresses), and/or designation of at least one e-mail address identifying secondary recipients of the e-mail (secondary addresses);

said step (d) associates a primary one of said at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address including said TO addresses only and/or a secondary one of said at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address including said secondary addresses only with each of said at least one attachment file; and

said step (e) creates e-mail destined for a given one of said TO addresses and including said body text together with at least one of said at least one attachment file associated with said TO addresses, and/or e-mail destined for a given one of said secondary addresses and including said body text together with at least one of said at least one attachment file associated with said secondary addresses.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein:

step (c) accepts at least one attachment file to be attached to the e-mail destined for said TO addresses;

said step (d) associates said TO addresses with said at least one attachment file; and

said step (e) creates e-mail destined for a given one of said TO addresses and including said body text together with said at least one attachment file associated with said TO addresses, and/or e-mail destined for a given one of said secondary addresses including said body text.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the program is executable by the computer, in a case where said at least one attachment file has been attached to the e-mail destined for said TO addresses, to carry out an additional method step of:

appending a message to each said e-mail destined for said secondary addresses in order to indicate that said at least one attachment file has been attached to e-mail destined for said TO addresses.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the program is executable by the computer to carry out an additional method step of:

displaying said TO addresses together with said secondary addresses, and displaying messages indicating said at least one attachment file in association with said displayed TO addresses.

19. A computer readable storage medium for storing a program adapted for use in a mail server apparatus for causing the mail server apparatus to accept from a mail client apparatus at least one e-mail address, a body text common to e-mail destined for each of said at least one e-mail address and at least one attachment file to be attached to the e-mail, and to transmit the e-mail using them, said program being executable by the computer to carry out method steps of:

associating at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address with each of said at least one attachment file, each said subset including at least one of said at least one e-mail address;

creating e-mail destined for a given one said subset of said at least one e-mail address, each said e-mail including said body text with at least one of said at least one attachment file associated with a given one of said at least one e-mail address; and

transmitting each said e-mail.

20. A computer readable storage medium for storing a program adapted for use in a mail client apparatus for causing the mail client apparatus to output to a mail server apparatus at least one e-mail address, a body text common to e-mail destined for each of said at least one e-mail address and at least one attachment file to be attached to the e-mail, thereby enabling the mail server apparatus to accept at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address, each said subset including at least one said at least one e-mail address, and said at least one attachment file, to create e-mail destined for a given one said at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address, each said e-mail including said body text with at least one said at least one attachment file associated with a given one of said at least one e-mail address, and to transmit each said e-mail, the program being executable by the computer to carry out method steps of:

accepting designation of at least one e-mail address;

accepting a body text common to e-mail destined for each said at least one e-mail address; and

accepting at least one attachment file for attachment to the e-mail.