Electronic mail apparatus

• US 7,051,075 B1
• Filed: 11/28/2000
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kurosaki, Hiroshi, Machino, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dalencourt, Yves
• Application Number:
  US09/724,191
• Time in Patent Office: 2,002 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/205, 709/207, 709/245, 709/246, 715/752
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

An e-mail apparatus enhancing the ease of operation. The e-mail messages are transmitted based on classification results to reduce the load of a user. The e-mail apparatus facilitates composing a body of a message, selecting registrant data for a prescribed area, selecting attributes and a setting for association with the body of the message, the attributes and the setting for determining a list of recipients of the message according to the registrant data in the prescribed area, and sending the message to the list of recipients.

Claims

1. A method for composing electronic mail message comprising the steps of:

(a) composing a body of a message;

(b) selecting registrant data for a prescribed area;

(c) selecting attributes and a setting for association with the body of the message, the attributes and the setting for automatically determining a list of recipients of the message according to the registrant data in the prescribed area;

(d) sending the message to the list of recipients and wherein the setting is selected from a group consisting of transmitting the message only to destinations identified in the prescribed area;

transmitting the message to destinations identified in the prescribed area plus any additional destinations associated with the attributes; and

transmitting the message only to the additional destinations associated with the attributes.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the attributes are a group name, file name and template.

3. A server for processing electronic mail in communication with clients over a distributed computing network, the server comprising:

(a) a memory storing templates, rules for settings, group names associated with a plurality of registrants, and mail addresses related to the plurality of registrants; and

(b) a processor being in communication with the memory and the distributed computing network, wherein the processor is operative to;

(i) read a setting and a group name from attribute information associated with an electronic mail message;

(ii) determine the plurality of registrants associated with the group name;

(iii) detect destinations in a prescribed region of the electronic mail message;

(iv) classify the plurality of registrants into a first group associated with the group name and a second group not associated with the group name;

(v) determine a list of recipients for the electronic mail message according to a rule associated with the setting, the rule being for determining whether the first and second groups receive the electronic mail message;

(vi) transmit the electronic mail message to the list of recipients and wherein the setting is selected from a group consisting of transmitting the message only to destinations identified in the prescribed area;

transmitting the message to destinations identified in the prescribed area plus any additional destinations associated with the attributes; and

transmitting the message only to the additional destinations associated with the attributes.

4. A server as recited in claim 3, wherein the prescribed region is within the attribute information.

5. A server as recited in claim 3, wherein the electronic mail message includes an attachment, and the processor is further operative to determine a list of recipients for the attachment based upon applying the rule associated with the setting.

6. A server as recited in claim 3, wherein the setting is selected from a plurality of options by a user who composed the electronic mail message, each option having a rule associated therewith.

7. A server as recited in claim 6, the processor is further operative to classify a third group being destinations associated with the group name but not part of the plurality of registrants.

8. A server as recited in claim 7, wherein the rules are selected from the group consisting of:

the list of recipients is the first group;

the list of recipients is the second group; and

the list of recipients is the first and second group with a carbon copy to the third group.

9. An e-mail apparatus comprising:

first means for composing a body of a message;

second means for selecting registrant data for a prescribed area;

third means for selecting attributes and a setting for association with the body of the message, the attributes and the setting for determining, without user intervention, a list of recipients of the message according to the registrant data in the prescribed area; and

fourth means for sending the message to the list of recipients and wherein the setting is selected from a group consisting of transmitting the message only to destinations identified in the prescribed area;

transmitting the message to destinations identified in the prescribed area plus any additional destinations associated with the attributes; and

transmitting the message only to the additional destinations associated with the attributes.

10. An e-mail apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein the first means is a desktop computer.

11. An e-mail apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein the second means is a desktop computer.

12. An e-mail apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein the third means is a desktop computer.

13. An e-mail apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein the first means is a computer in communication with a distributed computing network.