Eliminating redundancy of attachments in email responses

• US 7,756,938 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2007
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jain, Rajat, Edmonds, William M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer; Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, JONATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US11/866,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20090094335A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/232
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads

Abstract

A method, system and computer-usable medium for managing electronic mail (email) attachments. An email message comprising a first recipient list and a first file attachment is received from a sender. A response email is generated, comprising a second recipient list. The first recipient list and the second recipient list are compared and a third recipient list is generated comprising recipients that are listed on the second recipient list, but not on the first. The email response is then transmitted to all recipients that are on the second recipient list but not on the third list, and the email response and the first file attachment is sent to the recipients on the third recipient list.

Claims

1. A computer-implementable method for managing electronic mail (email) attachments, comprising:

receiving an email file from a sender, the email file comprising;

a first recipient list; and

a first file attachment;

generating an email response file comprising a second recipient list;

comparing the first recipient list and the second recipient list to generate a third recipient list comprising recipients that are listed on the second recipient list, but are not listed on the first recipient list;

transmitting the email response file to all recipients on the second recipient list, but not on the third list; and

transmitting the email response file and the first file attachment to recipients on the third recipient list; and

wherein

the receiving, generating comparing, transmitting the email response file to all recipients on the second recipient list, and transmitting the email response file and the first file attachment to recipients on the third recipient list are executed on a hardware processor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the email response file comprises a second file attachment transmitted to the second recipient list.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the received email file comprises an email thread further comprising a plurality of first recipient lists.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of first recipient lists are processed to generate:

a fourth recipient list comprising recipients that are listed on the second recipient list and were not previously sent the first file attachment; and

a fifth recipient list comprising recipients that are listed on the second recipient list and were not previously sent the second file attachment.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the email response and the first file attachment is transmitted to recipients on the fourth recipient list; and

the email response and the second file attachment is transmitted to recipients on the fifth recipient list.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein all recipients on the second recipient list are notified of which recipients were sent the first file attachment and which recipients were sent the second file attachment.

7. A system comprising:

a hardware processor;

a data bus coupled to the hardware processor; and

a computer-usable storage medium embodying computer program code, the computer-usable storage medium being coupled to the data bus, the computer program code managing electronic mail (email) attachments and comprising instructions executable by the hardware processor and configured for;

receiving an email file from a sender, the email file comprising;

a first recipient list; and

a first file attachment;

generating an email response file comprising a second recipient list;

comparing the first recipient list and the second recipient list to generate a third recipient list comprising recipients that are listed on the second recipient list, but are not listed on the first recipient list;

transmitting only the email response file to all recipients on the second recipient list, but not on the third list; and

transmitting the email response file and the first file attachment to recipients on the third recipient list.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the email response file comprises a second file attachment transmitted to the second recipient list.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the received email file comprises an email thread further comprising a plurality of first recipient lists.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of first recipient lists are processed to generate:

a fourth recipient list comprising recipients that are listed on the second recipient list and were not previously sent the first file attachment; and

a fifth recipient list comprising recipients that are listed on the second recipient list and were not previously sent the second file attachment.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the email response and the first file attachment is transmitted to recipients on the fourth recipient list; and

the email response and the second file attachment is transmitted to recipients on the fifth recipient list.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the all recipients on the second recipient list are notified of which recipients were sent the first file attachment and which recipients were sent the second file attachment.

13. A computer-usable storage medium embodying computer program code, the computer program code comprising computer executable instructions configured for:

receiving an email file from a sender, the email file comprising;

a first recipient list; and

a first file attachment;

generating an email response file comprising a second recipient list;

comparing the first recipient list and the second recipient list to generate a third recipient list comprising recipients that are listed on the second recipient list, but are not listed on the first recipient list;

transmitting only the email response file to all recipients on the second recipient list, but not on the third list; and

transmitting the email response file and the first file attachment to recipients on the third recipient list.

14. The computer usable medium of claim 13, wherein the email response file comprises a second file attachment transmitted to the second recipient list.

15. The computer usable medium of claim 14, wherein the received email file comprises an email thread further comprising a plurality of first recipient lists.

16. The computer usable medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of first recipient lists are processed to generate:

a fourth recipient list comprising recipients that are listed on the second recipient list and were not previously sent the first file attachment; and

a fifth recipient list comprising recipients that are listed on the second recipient list and were not previously sent the second file attachment.

17. The computer usable medium of claim 16, wherein:

the email response and the first file attachment is transmitted to recipients on the fourth recipient list; and

the email response and the second file attachment is transmitted to recipients on the fifth recipient list.

18. The computer usable medium of claim 17, wherein the all recipients on the second recipient list are notified of which recipients were sent the first file attachment and which recipients were sent the second file attachment.

19. The computer usable medium of claim 13, wherein the computer executable instructions are deployable to a client computer from a server at a remote location.

20. The computer usable medium of claim 13, wherein the computer executable instructions are provided by a service provider to a customer on an on-demand basis.