Method for transmitting messages in a network

• US 7,747,689 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2004
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Uecker, Rainer
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Rupal D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fan, Hua
• Application Number:
  US10/574,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20070041359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,156 Days
• Field of Search: 709206-207
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for transmitting messages in a network via data terminals connected thereto. This method comprises the following steps: sending a message to be relayed from a sender data terminal to an assigned first mail processing device assigning a unique identifier to the message which indicates that a message to be relayed is in the sender data terminal or in the first mail processing device; evaluating the identifier by the first mail processing device based on data present therein concerning the entry of a message at an address data terminal from the past, and in response to the evaluation result, transmitting in a triggered or blocked manner the message or parts thereof to the address data terminal. The invention also relates to a data terminal and network that carry out the inventive method using mail processing devices.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting messages in a network via data terminals connected thereto, comprising:

sending a message to be relayed from a sender data terminal to an assigned first mail processing device assigned to the sender data terminal;

assigning a unique identifier to the message that indicates that a message to be relayed is on the sender data terminal, or in the first mail processing device, wherein the identifier comprises a plurality of subidentifiers, each of which is assigned to at least one message element contained in a relayed message;

sending a test message including the subidentifiers from the first mail processing device to a second mail processing device assigned to a recipient address data terminal;

evaluating in the second mail processing device the test message sent by the first mail processing device, the evaluating configured to process each subidentifier in the test message relative to data present in the second mail processing device indicative of respective message elements previously relayed to the recipient address data terminal;

sending an evaluation-result of the test message from the second mail processing device to the first mail processing device, said evaluation-result of the test message indicating to the first mail processing device to transmit message elements, evaluated as not previously relayed to the recipient address data terminal, to the second mail processing device, and further indicating to block message elements, evaluated as previously relayed to the recipient address data terminal, from being transmitted to the second mail processing device;

transmitting or blocking a transmission of respective ones of the message elements to the second mail processing device in response to the evaluation-result of the test message, wherein said transmitting or blocking of respective ones of the message elements in response to the evaluation-result of the test message is configured to suppress a duplicative reception by the recipient address data terminal of a message element present in a message previously received by the recipient address data terminal, and is further configured to ensure that an amended message element of a message element present in the previously received message is transmitted to the recipient address data terminal, wherein a notification of the blocked transmission is forwarded to the sender data terminal and/or recipient address data terminal if the transmission is blocked on the basis of the evaluation results; and

relaying to the recipient address data terminal respective message elements transmitted from the first mail processing device to the second mail processing device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identifier is evaluated on a mail server in the network.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identifier and/or the relevant subidentifier indicates the date and time of creation of the original message where these differ from the time of transmission, and/or an e-mail address of an original sender if this differs from the e-mail address of the sender, and/or the contents of the message or of the respective message element.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein there is a data terminal for executing the method and having a mail processing device that is designed such that an identifier for a message based on data present concerning the entry of messages at an address data terminal from the past is evaluated in an evaluation unit, and such that, based on the evaluation result, transmission of a message to the address data terminal is triggered or blocked.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the mail-processing device forms part of a mail server, which is integrated in the data terminal.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein a memory unit for storing data concerning the entry of messages at a different data terminal.

7. A network, comprising:

a sending module configured to send a message to be relayed from a sender data terminal to a first mail processing device assigned to the sender data terminal;

an assigning module configured to assign a unique identifier to the message that indicates that a message to be relayed is on the sender data terminal, or in the first mail processing device, wherein the identifier comprising a plurality of subidentifiers, each of which is assigned to at least one message element contained in a relayed message;

a test message sensing module configured to send a test message including the subidentifiers from the first mail processing device to a second mail processing device assigned to a recipient address data terminal;

an evaluator configured to evaluate in the second mail processing device the test message sent by the first mail processing device, the evaluating configured to process each subidentifier in the test message relative to data present in the second mail processing device indicative of respective message elements previously relayed to the recipient address data terminal;

a sending module configured to send an evaluation-result of the test message from the second mail processing device to the first mail processing device, said evaluation-result of the test message indicating to the first mail processing device to transmit message elements, evaluated as not previously relayed to the recipient address data terminal, to the second mail processing device, and further indicating to block message elements, evaluated as previously relayed to the recipient address data terminal, from being transmitted to the second mail processing device;

a module configured to transmit or to block a transmission of respective ones of the message elements to the second mail processing device in response to the evaluation-result message, wherein the transmission or block of respective ones of the message elements in response to the evaluation-result of the test message is configured to suppress a duplicative reception by the recipient address data terminal of a message element present in a message previously received by the recipient address data terminal, and is further configured to ensure that an amended message element of the message element present in said previously received message is transmitted to the recipient address data terminal, wherein a notification of the blocked transmission is forwarded to the sender data terminal and/or recipient address data terminal if the transmission is blocked on the basis of the evaluation results; and

a module configured to relay to the recipient address data terminal respective message elements transmitted from the first mail processing device to the second mail processing device.

8. The network according to claim 7, wherein the mail-processing device forms part of a mail server.

9. The network according to claim 8, further comprising a memory unit for storing previously relayed message elements.