Methods, apparatus and computer program products for message processing control including selective display of user addresses associated with a group address

• US 6,360,251 B1
• Filed: 06/22/1998
• Issued: 03/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Meguro, Shinichi, Fujita, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): DAVIS, DAVID DONALD
• Application Number:
  US09/102,292
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/217, 709/245
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Message processing control methods, apparatus and computer programming products are provided by assembling a message including a message address portion and a body portion. Message addresses are checked to determine if any are a group address. If so, an associated list of user addresses corresponding to the members of the group is retrieved from an address book database. The retrieved list is added to the message to form a transmit message. On the receiving end of the message processing, the message address and body portions are displayed in a first window responsive to a display request. The lists of addresses may also be selected and displayed in separate, optionally scrollable, windows. Accordingly, the present invention allows ready viewing of both the message and the identity of the members of groups receiving the message.

Claims

1. A method for message processing control comprising the steps of:

obtaining a user message including a message address;

determining if the message address includes a group address;

retrieving a list of user addresses associated with the group address if the message address includes the group address;

generating a transmit message including the user message and the list of user addresses;

receiving a request to display a received message, wherein the received message includes a second user message including a received group address and a second list of user addresses associated with the received group address, and wherein the request to display specifies whether the second list of user addresses is to be displayed with the message;

displaying the received message; and

displaying the second list of user addresses when the received request to display specifies that the second list of addresses is to be displayed.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the received message is the transmit message and the second list of user addresses is the list of user addresses.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the second user message includes a header portion containing the received group address and a body portion.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein said step of displaying the message comprises the step of:

displaying the header portion and the body portion of the second user message in a first window; and

wherein said step of displaying the second list of user addresses comprises the step of displaying the second list of user addresses in a second window if the received request to display specifies that the second list of user addresses is to be displayed.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the step of displaying the second list of user addresses further comprises the step of scrolling the second list of user addresses for display within the second window responsive to a user input.

6. A method according to claim 4 wherein the step of receiving a request to display a received message further comprises the steps of:

receiving a first request; and

then

receiving a second request corresponding to a user initiated selection of a displayed indication of the received group address in the first window so as to provide a request to display which specifies that the second list of user addresses is to be displayed; and

wherein the step of displaying the second header portion and the body portion of the second user message is initiated responsive to the first request and the step of displaying the second list of user addresses is initiated responsive to the second request.

7. A method according to claim 4 wherein the user message further includes a second message address and wherein the message address is the group address and the second message address is a second group address and wherein the step of retrieving the list of user addresses further includes the step of retrieving an additional list of user addresses associated with the second group address and wherein the step of generating a transmit message comprises the step of generating a transmit message including the list of user addresses associated with the group address and the additional list of user addresses associated with the second group address.

8. A method according to claim 4 wherein the received user message includes a second received group address and a third list of user addresses associated with the second received group address, the method further comprising the step of displaying the third list of user addresses in a third window when the request to display specifies that the third list of user addresses is to be displayed.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein the step of receiving a request to display a received message further comprises the steps of:

receiving a first request; and

then

receiving a second request corresponding to a user initiated selection of a displayed indication of the received group address in the first window so as to provide a request to display which specifies that the second list of user addresses is to be displayed;

receiving a third request corresponding to a user initiated selection of a displayed indication of the second received group address in the first window so as to provide a request to display which specifies that the third list of user addresses is to be displayed; and

wherein the step of displaying the second header portion and the body portion of the second user message is initiated responsive to the first request and the step of displaying the second list of user addresses is initiated responsive to the second request and the step of displaying the third list of user addresses in a third window is initiated responsive to the third request.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of retrieving the list of user addresses includes the step of retrieving the list of user addresses from a database in which user addresses associated with group addresses, including the included group address, are stored.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the received message is the transmit message and the second list of user addresses is the list of user addresses.

12. An apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the second user message includes a header portion containing the received group address and a body portion.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said means for displaying the message comprises:

means for displaying the header portion and the body portion of the second user message in a first window; and

wherein said means for displaying the second list of user addresses comprises means for displaying the second list of user addresses in a second window if the received request to display specifies that the second list of user addresses is to be displayed.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the means for displaying the second list of user addresses further comprises means for scrolling the second list of user addresses for display within the second window responsive to a user input.

15. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the means for receiving a request to display a received message further comprises:

means for receiving a first request;

means for receiving a second request corresponding to a user initiated selection of a displayed indication of the received group address in the first window so as to provide a request to display which specifies that the second list of user addresses is to be displayed; and

wherein the means for displaying the second header portion and the body portion of the second user message is responsive to the first request and the means for displaying the second list of user addresses is responsive to the second request.

16. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the user message further includes a second message address and wherein the message address is the group address and the second message address is a second group address and wherein the means for retrieving the list of user addresses farther includes means for retrieving an additional list of user addresses associated with the second group address and wherein the means for generating a transmit message comprises means for generating a transmit message including the list of user addresses associated with the group address and the additional list of user addresses associated with the second group address.

17. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the received user message includes a second received group address and a third list of user addresses associated with the second received group address, the apparatus further comprising means for displaying the third list of user addresses in a third window when the request to display specifies that the third list of user addresses is to be displayed.

18. An apparatus according to claim 17 wherein the means for receiving a request to display a received message further comprises:

means for receiving a first request; and

means for receiving a second request corresponding to a user initiated selection of a displayed indication of the received group address in the first window so as to provide a request to display which specifies that the second list of user addresses is to be displayed;

means for receiving a third request corresponding to a user initiated selection of a displayed indication of the second received group address in the first window so as to provide a request to display which specifies that the third list of user addresses is to be displayed; and

wherein the means for displaying the second header portion and the body portion of the second user message is responsive to the first request and the means for displaying the second list of user addresses is responsive to the second request and the means for displaying the third list of user addresses in a third window is responsive to the third request.

19. A computer program product for message processing control, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer-readable program code means embodied in said medium, said computer-readable program code means comprising;

computer-readable program code that obtains a user message including a message address;

computer-readable program code that determines if the message address includes the group address;

computer-readable program code that retrieves a list of user addresses associated with the group address if the message address includes a group address;

computer-readable program code that generates a transmit message including the user message and the list of user addresses;

computer-readable program code that receives a request to display a received message, wherein the received message includes a second user message including a received group address and a second list of user addresses associated with the received group address, and wherein the request to display specifies whether the second list of user addresses is to be displayed with the message;

computer-readable program code that displays the received message; and

computer-readable program code that displays the second list of user addresses when the received request to display specifies that the second list of addresses is to be displayed.

20. A computer program product according to claim 19 wherein the received message is the transmit message and the second list of user addresses is the list of user addresses.

21. A computer program product according to claim 19 wherein the second user message includes a header portion containing the received group address and a body portion.

22. A computer program product according to claim 21 wherein said computer-readable program code that displays the message comprises:

computer-readable program code that displays the header portion and the body portion of the second user message in a first window; and

wherein said computer-readable program code that displays the second list of user addresses comprises computer-readable program code that displays the second list of user addresses in a second window if the received request to display specifies that the second list of user addresses is to be displayed.

23. A computer program product according to claim 22 wherein the computer-readable program code that displays the second list of user addresses further comprises computer-readable program code that scrolls the second list of user addresses for display within the second window responsive to a user input.

24. A computer program product according to claim 22 wherein the computer-readable program code that receives a request to display a received message further comprises:

computer-readable program code that receives a first request;

computer-readable program code that receives a second request corresponding to a user initiated selection of a displayed indication of the received group address in the first window so as to provide a request to display which specifies that the second list of user addresses is to be displayed; and

wherein the computer-readable program code that displays the second header portion and the body portion of the second user message is responsive to the first request and the computer-readable program code that displays the second list of user addresses is responsive to the second request.

25. A computer program product according to claim 22 wherein the user message further includes a second message address and wherein the message address is the group address and the second message address is a second group address and wherein the computer-readable program code that retrieves the list of user addresses further includes computer-readable program code that retrieves an additional list of user addresses associated with the second group address and wherein the computer-readable program code that generates a transmit message comprises computer-readable program code that generates a transmit message including the list of user addresses associated with the group address and the additional list of user addresses associated with the second group address.

26. A computer program product according to claim 22 wherein the received user message includes a second received group address and a third list of user addresses associated with the second received group address, the apparatus further comprising computer-readable program code that displays the third list of user addresses in a third window when the request to display specifies that the third list of user addresses is to be displayed.

27. A computer program product according to claim 26 wherein the computer-readable program code that receives a request to display a received message further comprises:

computer-readable program code that receives a first request; and

computer-readable program code that receives a second request corresponding to a user initiated selection of a displayed indication of the received group address in the first window so as to provide a request to display which specifies that the second list of user addresses is to be displayed;

computer-readable program code that receives a third request corresponding to a user initiated selection of a displayed indication of the second received group address in the first window so as to provide a request to display which specifies that the third list of user addresses is to be displayed; and

wherein the computer-readable program code that displays the second header portion and the body portion of the second user message is responsive to the first request and the computer-readable program code that displays the second list of user addresses is responsive to the second request and the computer-readable program code that displays the third list of user addresses in a third window is responsive to the third request.

28. An apparatus for message processing control comprising:

means for obtaining a user message including a message address;

means for determining if the message address includes a group address;

means for retrieving a list of user addresses associated with the group address if the message address includes the group address;

means for generating a transmit message including the user message and the list of user addresses;

means for receiving a request to display a received message, wherein the received message includes a second user message including a received group address and a second list of user addresses associated with the received group address, and wherein the request to display specifies whether the second list of user addresses is to be displayed with the message;

means for displaying the received message; and

means for displaying the second list of user addresses when the received request to display specifies that the second list of addresses is to be displayed.

29. An apparatus for message processing control comprising:

a user interface that obtains a user message including a message address;

an address analyzing part that determines if the message address includes a group address and retrieves a list of user addresses associated with the group address if the message address includes the group address;

a transmit message assembling part that generates a transmit message including the user message and the list of user addresses;

a user request analyzing part that receives a request to display a received message, wherein the received message includes a second user message including a received group address and a second list of user addresses associated with the received group address, and wherein the request to display specifies whether the second list of user addresses is to be displayed with the message; and

a display message assembling part that displays the received message on a display and displays the second list of user addresses on the display if the received request to display specifies that the second list of addresses is to be displayed.