System for restructuring selected parts of email messages prior to transmission to plurality of recipients

• US 6,775,689 B1
• Filed: 06/07/2000
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Raghunandan, Hulikunta Prahlad
• Primary Examiner(s): EL HADY, NABIL M
• Application Number:
  US09/588,951
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204-207, 709/232, 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content

Abstract

This invention relates to a method, apparatus and program product for restructuring email messages for transmission to a plurality of recipients by providing transmission control directives and email content segment identifiers supplied by the user, parsing the said directives and email contents, expanding aliases wherever necessary and applying the said directives to restructure the email contents by sending selected segments to selected recipients in identified lists. This invention further includes reordering the selected segments in a defined sequence prior to transmission. This invention also includes merging of selected identified corresponding segments from a plurality of email messages and transmitted to selected recipients in identified recipient lists. The selected merged segments may further be reordered in a defined sequence prior to transmission.

Claims

1. In a computing system, a method for restructuring email messages by transmitting selected parts of the message to a plurality of recipients, characterized in that said method comprises the steps of:

identifying selected body segments of an input email message by means of segment identifiers,

identifying recipients for each of the selected email message body segments by means of respective segment recipient lists included in respective transmission control directives,

parsing said email message to identify the email message body segments,

parsing said transmission control directives to identify the lists of recipients for the respective segments, and

creating an output email message for each respective list of recipients, wherein such an output email message includes one of the selected input email message body segments for its respective recipient list and excludes other ones of the input email message body segments.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of the lists of the recipients includes an alias for the identifying of recipients.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein such a transmission control directives include a directive for excluding one of the recipients from one of the aliases.

4. In a computing system, a method for restructuring email messages by reordering selected parts of the email message prior to transmitting to a plurality of recipients, characterized in that said method comprises the steps of:

identifying selected segments of an input email message body by means of segment identifiers,

providing transmission control directives for the email message, wherein such a transmission control directive includes a recipient list for identifying recipients and a segment ordering list for identifying a defined order of selected ones of the email message body segments,

parsing said email message to identify the email message body segments,

parsing said transmission control directive to identify the lists of recipients and the ordering of the selected segments, and

creating an output email message for each respective list of recipients, wherein such an output email message includes the selected input email message body segments arranged in the order defined by the segment ordering list for its respective recipient list.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein at least one of the lists of said recipients includes an alias for the identifying recipients.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein such a transmission control directive includes a directive for excluding one of the recipients from one of the aliases.

7. In a computing system, a method for constructing email messages by a replying user by merging selected parts from a plurality of received email messages, in defined order, prior to transmitting a reply to a plurality of recipients, identified by recipients lists characterized in that said method comprises the steps of:

identifying selected body segments of selected received email messages by means of segment identifiers, wherein the selected email messages are from respective senders,

extracting the selected body segments from each email message,

merging the selected email body segments into merged output email messages,

appending reply contents within the merged email body segments for each output email message, and

transmitting the merged output email messages including the reply contents, to the senders, wherein responsive to a first transmission control directive from the replying user such transmitted merged output email message to one of the senders includes all the selected body segments of all the selected received messages and responsive to a second transmission control directive from the replying user such a transmitted merged output email message to one of the senders includes only the selected body segments of the message received from the one sender.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said output email message contains merged segments that are reordered in a specified sequence.

9. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein at least one of the lists of the recipients includes an alias for the identifying of recipients.

10. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein such a transmission control directive includes a directive for excluding recipients from one of the aliases.

11. An email transmission apparatus configured to transmit email messages to selected recipients and groups of recipients from identified list or lists of recipients, said apparatus having a central processing unit (CPU), associated memory and storage devices and input and output devices, characterized in that it includes:

an inputting mechanism for obtaining from a user;

i) identification of selected body segments of an input email message and ii) transmission control directives for the email messages, wherein such a transmission control directive includes recipient lists for respective ones of the selected body segments,

a parsing mechanism for identifying the email message body segments and the lists of recipients,

a constructing mechanism for constructing an output email message for each respective list of recipients from the input email message based on the identified input email message body segments and lists of recipients, wherein such an output email message includes one of the selected input email message body segments for its respective recipient list and excludes other ones of the input email message body segments.

12. An email transmission apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein said constructing mechanism comprises means for generating output email messages by selective combination of identified input email segments based on said transmission control directives and identified segments.

13. An email transmission apparatus configured to transmit email messages to selected recipients and groups of recipients from identified list or lists of recipients, said apparatus having a central processing unit (CPU), associated memory and storage devices and input and output devices, characterized in that it includes:

an inputting mechanism for obtaining from a user;

i) identification of selected body segments of an input email message and ii) transmission control directives for the email message, wherein such a transmission control directive includes a recipient list for identifying recipients and a segment ordering list for identifying a defined order of selected ones of the segments,

a parsing mechanism for identifying the email message body segments, the recipient lists and the segment ordering list, and

a constructing mechanism for constructing an output email message for each respective list of recipients from the input email message based on the identified input email message body segments, recipient lists and segment ordering lists, wherein such an output email message includes the selected input email message body segments ranged in the defined order for its respective recipient list.

14. An email transmission apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein said constructing mechanism comprises means for generating output email messages by selective combination of identified input email segments based on said transmission control directives and identified segments, in accordance with rules based on implementation requirements.

15. An email transmission apparatus configured to transmit email messages from a replying user to selected recipients and groups of recipients from identified list or lists of recipients, said apparatus having a central processing unit (CPU), associated memory and storage devices and input and output devices, characterized in that it includes:

an inputting mechanism for obtaining identification of selected email message body segments in selected received email messages, wherein the email messages are from respective senders,

an extracting mechanism for extracting the selected segments from each selected email message,

a merging mechanism for merging the selected segments into merged output email messages,

an appending mechanism for appending reply contents within the merged email segments,

a transmitting mechanism for transmitting the merged output email messages, including the reply contents, to the senders, wherein responsive to a first transmission control directive from the replying user such a transmitted merged output email message to one of the senders includes all selected body segments of all the selected received messages and responsive to a second transmission control directive from the replying user such a transmitted merged output email message to one of the senders includes only the selected body segments of the message received from the one sender.

16. An email transmission apparatus as claimed in claim 15 wherein said merging mechanism comprises means for generating output email messages by selective combination of identified input email segments based on said transmission control directives and identified segments.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer readable code embodied therein for causing a computer to transmit email to a plurality of recipients, characterized in that it includes:

computer readable code devices configured to enable obtaining from a user;

i) identification of selected body segments of an input email message defined by means of segment identifiers, and ii) transmission control directives, wherein such a transmission control directive includes recipient lists for respective ones of the segments,

computer readable code devices for parsing said email message and transmission control directives to identify the input email message body segments and the lists of recipients,

computer readable code devices for constructing an output email message for each respective list of recipients from the input email message based on the identified input email message body segments and lists of recipients, wherein such an output email message includes one of the selected input email message body segments for its respective recipient list and excludes other ones of the input email message body segments.

18. A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer readable code embodied therein for causing a computer to transmit email to a plurality of recipients, characterized in that it includes:

computer readable code devices configured to enable obtaining from a user;

i) identification of selected body segments of an input mail message defined by means of segment identifiers, and ii) transmission control directives for the email message, wherein such a transmission control directive includes a recipient list for identifying recipients and a segment ordering list for identifying a defined order of selected ones of the input email message body segments,

computer readable code devices for parsing said email message segments, said recipient lists and said segment ordering lists,

computer readable code devices for constructing an output email message for each respective list of recipients based on the identified input email message body segments, recipient lists and segment ordering lists, wherein such an output email message includes the selected input email message body segments arranged in the order defined by the segment ordering list for its respective recipient list.

19. A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer readable code embodied therein for causing a computer to transmit email messages from a replying user to a plurality of recipients, characterized in that it includes:

computer readable code devices configured to enable identification of selected email message body segments in selected received email messages, wherein the selected email messages are from respective senders,

computer readable code devices for extracting the selected body segments from each email message,

computer readable code devices for merging the selected email body segments into merged output email messages,

computer readable code devices for appending reply contents within the merged email body segments,

computer readable code devices for transmitting the merged output email messages, including the reply contents, to the senders, wherein responsive to a first transmission control directive from the replying user such a transmitted merged output email message to one of the senders includes all the selected body segments of all the selected received messages and responsive to a second transmission control directive from the replying user such a transmitted merged output email message to one of the senders includes only the selected body segments of the message received from the one sender.