Method of sending an email to a plurality of recipients with selective treatment of attached files

• US 7,548,952 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Delia, Wayne M, Ma, William A, Ma, William Hsioh-Lien
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue; Larry D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swearingen; Jeffrey R
• Application Number:
  US10/160,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20030225837A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,573 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A method of sending an email message having one or more attached files to a plurality of recipients allows customized treatment of each file as it is being sent to each recipient. Treatments may include different types of encryption, plain text transmission, security classification or user-defined treatments. The invention may be implemented in a client-server configuration with separate client and server programs or in a single integrated email program configuration for use on a single computer. The user is presented with a list of recipients, selects a recipient and then selects a treatment for each file to be used when that file is sent to the selected recipient. This process is repeated for each recipient and each file. A control file is generated by the client program, including the recipient information and the file treatment information for each recipient and each file. The client program sends a single copy of the email message, a single copy of each file and the control file to the server program. The server program reads the control file and prepares individualized emails for each recipient by applying the control file specified treatments for each attached file.

Claims

1. A method of sending an email to a plurality of recipients comprising the steps of:

preparing the email on a client computer;

designating each one of the plurality of recipients on the client computer;

determining if an attachment file is to be attached to the email;

selecting from among a plurality of available treatments a treatment for the attachment file corresponding to each recipient, the plurality of available treatments including at least two different treatments for sending the attachment file and one treatment corresponding to not sending the attachment file, whereby a different treatment may be selected for each recipient from among the plurality of available treatments, the steps of determining if an attachment file is to be attached to the email and selecting a treatment for the attachment file being performed on the client computer;

preparing a control file on the client computer, the control file including information designating the treatment for the attachment file corresponding to each recipient;

sending one copy of the control file, one copy of the email and one copy of the attachment file to a server computer;

reading the control file at the server computer to determine the selected treatment for the attachment file for each recipient; and

sending multiple copies of the email from the server computer, one copy being sent to each recipient with the attachment file being treated by the server according to the information in the control file designating the selected treatment for each recipient.

2. The method of sending an email to a plurality of recipients according to claim 1 wherein the step of selecting a treatment for the attachment file corresponding to each recipient comprises the steps of:

displaying a list of the recipients on the client computer;

displaying a list of available treatments on the client computer; and

selecting a treatment for the file corresponding to each recipient in the displayed list of recipients.

3. The method of sending an email to a plurality of recipients according to claim 2 further including the steps of:

determining if an additional recipient is designated;

displaying a list of available treatments on the client computer; and

selecting a treatment for the file for the additional recipient from the list of available treatments.

4. The method of sending an email to a plurality of recipients according to claim 2 further including the steps of:

determining if an additional file is to be attached;

displaying a list of the recipients on the client computer; and

selecting a treatment for the additional file corresponding to each recipient in the displayed list of recipients.

5. A method of preparing an email on a client computer to be sent to a plurality of recipients comprising:

determining if a file is to be attached to the email;

selecting from among a plurality of available treatments a treatment for the file corresponding to each recipient, whereby a different treatment may be selected for each recipient from among the plurality of available treatments, where the selecting a treatment for the attachment file is performed on the client computer;

preparing a control file on the client computer, the control file including information designating the treatment for each recipient; and

transmitting the control file, the email and the attached file to a server computer.

6. A method of sending a prepared email having at least one attached file from a server computer to a plurality of recipients comprising:

receiving a prepared email having at least one attached file and an associated control file, the control file including information designating a treatment from among a plurality of available treatments for each of the plurality of recipients the plurality of available treatments including at least two different treatments for sending the at least one attached file and one treatment corresponding to not sending the at least one attached file, where the designating a treatment for the at least one attached file occurs on the client computer; and

sending the prepared email to each recipient with the at least one attached file treated according to the designated treatment in the control file, whereby a different designated treatment for the at least one attached file may be used for each different recipient.

7. An email computer program product for sending an email to a plurality of recipients, the email computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein, the email computer program product having;

computer readable program code means for preparing the email on a client computer;

computer readable program code means for designating each one of the plurality of recipients on the client computer;

computer readable program code means for determining if an attachment file is to be attached to the email;

computer readable program code means for selecting from among a plurality of available treatments a treatment for the attachment file corresponding to each recipient, the plurality of available treatments including at least two different treatments for sending the attachment file and one treatment corresponding to not sending the attachment file, whereby a different treatment may be selected for each recipient from among the plurality of available treatments, wherein the selecting occurs on the client computer;

computer readable program code means for preparing a control file on the client computer, the control file including information designating the treatment for the attachment file corresponding to each recipient;

computer readable program code means for sending one copy of the control file, one copy of the email and one copy of the attachment file to a server computer;

computer readable program code means for reading the control file at the server computer to determine the selected treatment for the attachment file for each recipient; and

computer readable program code means for sending multiple copies of the email from the server computer, one copy being sent to each recipient with the attachment file being treated according to the information in the control file designating the selected treatment for each recipient.

8. The email computer program product for sending an email to a plurality of recipients according to claim 7 wherein the computer readable program code means for selecting a treatment for the attachment file corresponding to each recipient comprises:

computer readable program code means for displaying a list of the recipients on the client computer;

computer readable program code means for displaying a list of available treatments on the client computer; and

computer readable program code means for selecting a treatment for the file corresponding to each recipient in the displayed list of recipients.

9. The email computer program product for sending an email to a plurality of recipients according to claim 8 further including:

computer readable program code means for determining if an additional recipient is designated;

computer readable program code means for displaying a list of available treatments on the client computer; and

computer readable program code means for selecting a treatment for the file for the additional recipient from the list of available treatments.

10. The email computer program product for sending an email to a plurality of recipients according to claim 8 further including:

computer readable program code means for determining if an additional file is to be attached;

computer readable program code means for displaying a list of the recipients on the client computer; and

computer readable program code means for selecting a treatment for the additional file corresponding to each recipient in the displayed list of recipients.

11. An email server computer program product for sending a prepared email with at least one attached file to a plurality of recipients, the email server computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein, the email server computer program product having;

computer readable program code means for receiving a prepared email having at least one attached file and an associated control file, the control file including information designating a treatment for each of the plurality of recipients, the designated treatment for each of the plurality of recipients having been previously selected on a client computer from among a plurality of available treatments, the plurality of available treatments including at least two different treatments for sending the file and one treatment corresponding to not sending the file, whereby a different treatment may be designated in the control file for each different recipient from among the plurality of available treatments; and

computer readable program code means for sending the prepared email to each recipient with the at least one attached file treated according to the designated treatment for each recipient in the control file.

12. A computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein to perform method steps for preparing an email on a client computer to be sent to a plurality of recipients, said method steps comprising:

preparing the email on a client computer;

designating each one of the plurality of recipients on the client computer;

determining if an attachment file is to be attached to the email;

selecting from among a plurality of available treatments a treatment for the attachment file corresponding to each recipient, the plurality of available treatments including at least two different treatments for sending the attachment file and one treatment corresponding to not sending the attachment file, whereby a different treatment may be selected for each recipient from among the plurality of available treatments, the steps of determining if an attachment file is to be attached to the email and selecting a treatment for the attachment file being performed on the client computer;

preparing a control file on the client computer, the control file including information designating the treatment for each recipient; and

transmitting the control file, the email and the attached file to a server computer.

13. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for sending a prepared email having at least one attached file from a server computer to a plurality of recipients, said method steps comprising:

receiving a prepared email having at least one attached file and an associated control file from a client computer, the control file including information designating a treatment for each of the plurality of recipients, the designating treatment for each of the plurality of recipients having been previously selected on a client computer from among a plurality of available treatments, the plurality of available treatments including at least two different treatments for sending the file and one treatment corresponding to not sending the file, whereby a different treatment may be designated in the control file for each recipient from among the plurality of available treatments; and

sending the prepared email to each recipient with the at least one attached file treated according to the designated treatment for each recipient in the control file.