Sending messages with limited awareness of recipients

• US 8,990,315 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2010
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhogal, Kulvir S., DeLuca, Lisa Seacat, Peterson, Robert R., Talbot, Mark W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian P
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDWARDS, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US12/720,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20110225245A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,841 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

Methods, apparatus and articles for sending emails to a plurality of recipients comprising a group of blind carbon copied recipients. A graphical user interface (GUI) screen comprising a TO field, a carbon copy field, and at least one blind carbon copy group (BCC-G) field may be provided for entering a list of recipients for the email. The email may be transferred to the recipients such that the identities of a plurality of recipients in the at least one BCC-G field are disclosed only to the recipients within the BCC-G field.

Claims

1. A method for sending emails, comprising:

providing a graphical user interface (GUI) for entering identities of recipients of an email, the GUI comprising;

a TO field; and

a carbon copy (CC) field; and

receiving at least one identity of a TO recipient in the TO field;

receiving at least one identity of a CC recipient in the CC field;

receiving identities of a plurality of blind carbon copy group (BCC-G) recipients in the CC field, wherein the identities of the plurality of BCC-G recipients are visually distinguished from the at least one identity of the CC recipient by a text effect; and

responsive to an input received through the GUI for causing transmission of the email;

sending a first instance of the email to the identified TO and CC recipients of the email, wherein the first instance of the email is configured to disclose the identities of the at least one identity of the CC recipient in the CC field to all recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the first instance of the email is configured to not disclose the identities of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field; and

sending a second instance of the email to each of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the second instance of the email discloses;

(i) the identities of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, (ii) the at least one identity of the TO recipient, and (iii) the at least one identity of the CC recipient to each of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the first and second instances of the email contain the same subject line, body, and attachments, wherein the input received through the GUI causes separate transmission of the first and second instances of the email based on a single email composition comprising the TO, CC, and BCC-G recipients received through the GUI, wherein the first and second instances of the email include different headers reflecting the recipients of each respective instance of the email.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first instance of the email does not include the identities of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the identities of the BCC-G recipients are encrypted in the second email, wherein a plurality of mail servers receiving the first and second emails do not operate under a common protocol, wherein the text effect is at least one of:

underlining, bold face and italics.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving identities of at least one additional BCC-G recipient in the CC field, wherein the at least one additional BCC-G recipient is identified using text effect visually distinguishable from the text effect used to identify the plurality of the BCC-G recipients; and

sending a third instance of the email to each of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the third instance of the email discloses;

(i) the identities of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, (ii) the at least one identity of the TO recipient, and (iii) the at least one identity of the CC recipient to each of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the third instance of the email does not disclose the identities of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the first, second, and third instances of the email contain the same subject line, body, and attachments.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

requiring receipt of a predefined password as a condition to disclose the identities of the plurality of the BCC-G recipients to a respective one of the identified BCC-G recipients providing the predefined password.

5. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code comprising:

computer-readable program code configured to provide a graphical user interface (GUI) for entering identities of recipients of an email, the GUI comprising;

a TO field; and

a carbon copy (CC) field;

computer-readable program code configured to receive at least one identity of a TO recipient in the TO field;

computer-readable program code configured to receive at least one identity of a CC recipient in the CC field;

computer-readable program code configured to receive identities of a plurality of blind carbon copy group (BCC-G) recipients in the CC field, wherein the identities of the plurality of BCC-G recipients are visually distinguished from the at least one identity of the CC recipient by a text effect; and

computer-readable program code configured to, responsive to an input received through the GUI for causing transmission of the email;

send a first instance of the email to the identified TO and CC recipients of the email, wherein the first instance of the email is configured to disclose the identities of the at least one identity of the CC recipient in the CC field to all recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the first instance of the email is configured to not disclose the identities of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field; and

send a second instance of the email to each of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the second instance of the email discloses;

(i) the identities of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, (ii) the at least one identity of the TO recipient, and (iii) the at least one identity of the CC recipient to each of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the first and second instances of the email contain the same subject line, body, and attachments, wherein the input received through the GUI causes separate transmission of the first and second instances of the email based on a single email composition comprising the TO, CC, and BCC-G recipients received through the GUI, wherein the first and second instances of the email include different headers reflecting the recipients of each respective instance of the email.

6. The computer readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the first instance of the email does not include the identities of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the identities of the BCC-G recipients are encrypted in the second email, wherein a plurality of mail servers receiving the first and second emails do not operate under a common protocol, wherein the text effect is at least one of:

underlining, bold face and italics.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, the computer-readable program code further comprising:

computer-readable program code configured to receive identities of at least one additional BCC-G recipient in the CC field, wherein the at least one additional BCC-G recipient is identified using text effect visually distinguishable from the text effect used to identify the plurality of the BCC-G recipients; and

computer-readable program code configured to send a third instance of the email to each of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the third email discloses;

(i) the identities of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, (ii) the at least one identity of the TO recipient, and (iii) the at least one identity of the CC recipient to each of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the third instance of the email does not disclose the identities of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the first, second, and third instances of the email contain the same subject line, body, and attachments.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, the computer-readable program code further comprising:

computer-readable program code configured to require receipt of a predefined password as a condition to disclose the identities of the plurality of the BCC-G recipients to a respective one of the identified BCC-G recipients providing the predefined password.

9. A system, comprising:

at least one client computer configured to display a graphical user interface (GUI) for entering identities of recipients of an email, the GUI comprising;

a TO field; and

a carbon copy (CC) field; and

an email server configured to;

receive at least one identity of a CC recipient in the CC field;

receive identities of a plurality of blind carbon copy group (BCC-G) recipients in the CC field, wherein the identities of the plurality of BCC-G recipients are visually distinguished from the at least one identity of the CC recipient by a text effect; and

responsive to an input received through the GUI for causing transmission of the email;

send a first instance of the email to the identified TO and CC recipients of the email, wherein the first instance of the email is configured to disclose the identities of the at least one identity of the CC recipient in the CC field to all recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the first instance of the email is configured to not disclose the identities of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field; and

send a second instance of the email to each of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the second instance of the email discloses;

(i) the identities of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, (ii) the at least one identity of the TO recipient, and (iii) the at least one identity of the CC recipient to each of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the first and second instances of the email contain the same subject line, body, and attachments, wherein the input received through the GUI causes separate transmission of the first and second instances of the email based on a single email composition comprising the TO, CC, and BCC-G recipients received through the GUI, wherein the first and second instances of the email include different headers reflecting the recipients of each respective instance of the email.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first instance of the email does not include the identities of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the identities of the BCC-G recipients are encrypted in the second email, wherein a plurality of mail servers receiving the first and second emails do not operate under a common protocol, wherein the text effect is at least one of:

underlining, bold face and italics.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the mail server is further configured to:

receive identities of at least one additional BCC-G recipient in the CC field, wherein the at least one additional BCC-G recipient is identified using text effect visually distinguishable from the text effect used to identify the plurality of the BCC-G recipients; and

send a third instance of the email to each of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the third email discloses;

(i) the identities of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, (ii) the at least one identity of the TO recipient, and (iii) the at least one identity of the CC recipient to each of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the third instance of the email does not disclose the identities of the plurality of BCC-G recipients identified in the CC field, wherein the first, second, and third instances of the email contain the same subject line, body, and attachments.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the mail server is further configured to:

require receipt of a predefined password as a condition to disclose the identities of the plurality of the BCC-G recipients to a respective one of the identified BCC-G recipients providing the predefined password.