System and method for restricting distribution of electronic messages

• US 8,423,615 B1
• Filed: 12/06/2006
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Hayes, Barry
• Primary Examiner(s): TODD, GREGORY G
• Application Number:
  US11/567,683
• Time in Patent Office: 2,323 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 726 26- 33, 715/822
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

A method of restricting distribution of electronic messages may include receiving an electronic message, enabling a recipient of the electronic message to compose a related message that includes at least a portion of the message content, and notifying the recipient if the list of proposed recipients is inconsistent with the distribution restriction information embedded in the received electronic message. The message may include message content and embedded distribution restriction information and the composed message may include a list of proposed recipients.

Claims

1. A method of restricting distribution of electronic messages, comprising:

at a client system having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors;

receiving an electronic message, the message including message content and message-specific distribution restriction information;

enabling a recipient of the electronic message to compose a related message that includes at least a portion of the message content, the composed message including a list of proposed recipients; and

in connection with an operation to save a draft of the composed message without initiating transmission of the related message to the list of proposed recipients;

initiating comparison of the list of proposed recipients with the distribution restriction information associated with the received electronic message;

identifying recipients from the list of proposed recipients that violate the distribution restriction; and

notifying the recipient if the list of proposed recipients is inconsistent with the distribution restriction information associated with the received electronic message, notifying including visually highlighting in the list of proposed recipients the identified recipients who violate the distribution restriction.

2. The method of claim 1, including comparing, at the client system, the list of proposed recipients with the distribution restriction information embedded in the received electronic message.

3. The method of claim 1, including sending a request to a remotely located computer to compare the list of proposed recipients with the distribution restriction information embedded in the received electronic message.

4. The method of claim 1, including:

receiving a transmit message operation; and

preventing transmission of the composed message to the list of proposed recipients when the list of proposed recipients is inconsistent with the distribution restriction information embedded in the received electronic message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of proposed recipients is inconsistent with the distribution restriction information embedded in the received electronic message when at least one proposed recipient is not a member of a group defined by the embedded distribution restriction requirement.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein distribution restriction information corresponds to a distribution group selected from the set consisting of all email addresses having a predefined domain name, a predefined list of email addresses, and a group that includes all email addresses having a respective domain name and a respective list of email addresses.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the distribution restriction information corresponds to participants of the received electronic message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating and the notifying are additionally performed when the recipient attempts to send the composed message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating and the notifying are additionally performed when the recipient attempts to add a proposed recipient to the list of proposed recipients.

10. The method of claim 1, further including embedding the distribution restriction information in the composed message.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the notifying includes presenting a list of the identified recipients that violate the distribution restriction.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation to save the draft of the composed message is user initiated.

13. A method of restricting distribution of electronic messages, comprising:

at a client system having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one of more processors;

receiving an electronic message, the message including message content and embedded distribution restriction information;

enabling a recipient of the electronic message to compose a related message that includes at least a portion of the message content, the composed message including a list of proposed recipients;

embedding the distribution restriction information in the composed message; and

in connection with an operation to save a draft of the composed message without initiating transmission of the related message to the list of proposed recipients;

sending at least the list of proposed recipients to a remotely located server to compare the list of proposed recipients with the distribution restriction information associated with the received electronic message and identify recipients from the list of proposed recipients that violate the distribution restriction; and

receiving an error message from the server if the list of proposed recipients in the composed message is inconsistent with the distribution restriction information embedded in the received electronic message, wherein the error message includes information for visually highlighting in the list of proposed recipients the identified recipients who violate the distribution restriction.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the receiving includes receiving a list of recipients who violate the distribution restriction.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the sending includes sending the composed message to the server, and wherein the distribution restriction information is embedded in the composed message.

16. A method of restricting distribution of electronic messages, comprising:

at a system, remotely located from a client, having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one of more processors;

in connection with an operation to save a draft of an electronic message composed at the client and without initiating transmission of the electronic message to a list of proposed recipients;

receiving from the client the list of proposed recipients of the electronic message, distribution restriction information associated with the electronic message, and a request to compare the list of proposed recipients with the distribution restriction information associated with the received electronic message;

comparing the list of proposed recipients with the distribution restriction information associated with the electronic message;

identifying recipients from the list of proposed recipients that violate the distribution restriction; and

sending an error message to the client if the list of proposed recipients in the electronic message is inconsistent with the distribution restriction information associated with the received electronic message, wherein the error message includes information for visually highlighting in the list of proposed recipients the identified recipients who violate the distribution restriction.

17. The method of claim 16, further including identifying recipients, if any, in the list of proposed recipients who violate the distribution restriction.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the error message includes the identified restricted recipients.

19. The method of claim 16, further including receiving the message content of the electronic message, and wherein the distribution restriction information is embedded in the electronic message.

20. The method of claim 16, further including receiving the message content of the electronic message, and sending the electronic message to recipients in the list of proposed recipients that do not violate the distribution restriction.

21. A client system for restricting distribution of electronic messages, comprising:

memory;

one or more processors; and

one or more modules stored in memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the modules comprising;

instructions for receiving an electronic message, the message including message content and embedded distribution restriction information;

instructions for enabling a recipient of the electronic message to compose a related message that includes at least a portion of the message content, the composed message including a list of proposed recipients; and

instructions for processing the composed message in connection with an operation to save a draft of the composed message without initiating transmission of the composed message to the list of proposed recipients, the processing instructions including;

instructions for initiating comparison of the list of proposed recipients with the distribution restriction information associated with the received electronic message;

instructions for identifying recipients from the list of proposed recipients that violate the distribution restriction; and

instructions for notifying the recipient if the list of proposed recipients is inconsistent with the distribution restriction information embedded in the received electronic message, notifying including visually highlighting in the list of proposed recipients the identified recipients who violate the distribution restriction.

22. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs for execution by one or more processors in a client computer system, the one or more programs comprising:

instructions for receiving an electronic message, the message including message content and embedded distribution restriction information;

instructions for enabling a recipient of the electronic message to compose a related message that includes at least a portion of the message content, the composed message including a list of proposed recipients; and

instructions for processing the composed message in connection with an operation to save a draft of the composed message without initiating transmission of the composed message to the list of proposed recipients, the processing instructions including;

instructions for initiating comparison of the list of proposed recipients with the distribution restriction information associated with the received electronic message;

instructions for identifying recipients from the list of proposed recipients that violate the distribution restriction; and

instructions for notifying the recipient if the list of proposed recipients is inconsistent with the distribution restriction information embedded in the received electronic message, notifying including visually highlighting in the list of proposed recipients the identified recipients who violate the distribution restriction.

23. A system for restricting distribution of electronic messages, comprising:

memory;

one or more processors; and

one or more modules stored in memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the modules comprising instructions for processing an electronic message in connection with an operation to save a draft of the electronic message without initiating transmission of the electronic message to a list of proposed recipients, the instructions including;

instructions for receiving from a client remotely located from the system the list of proposed recipients of the electronic message, distribution restriction information associated with the electronic message, and a request to compare the list of proposed recipients with the distribution restriction information associated with the received electronic message;

instructions for comparing the list of proposed recipients with the distribution restriction information associated with the electronic message;

instructions for identifying recipients from the list of proposed recipients that violate the distribution restriction; and

instructions for sending an error message to the client if the list of proposed recipients in the electronic message is inconsistent with the distribution restriction information associated with the received electronic message, wherein the error message includes information for visually highlighting in the list of proposed recipients the identified recipients who violate the distribution restriction.

24. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs for execution by one or more processors in a computer system, the one or more programs comprising:

instructions for processing an electronic message in connection with an operation to save a draft of the electronic message without initiating transmission of the electronic message to a list of proposed recipients, the instructions including;

instructions for receiving, from a client remotely located from the computer system, the list of proposed recipients of the electronic message, distribution restriction information associated with the electronic message, and a request to compare the list of proposed recipients with the distribution restriction information associated with the received electronic message;

instructions for comparing the list of proposed recipients with the distribution restriction information associated with the electronic message;

instructions for identifying recipients from the list of proposed recipients that violate the distribution restriction; and

instructions for sending an error message to the client if the list of proposed recipients in the electronic message is inconsistent with the distribution restriction information associated with the received electronic message, wherein the error message includes information for visually highlighting in the list of proposed recipients the identified recipients who violate the distribution restriction.