Managing electronic mail for an end-user that is unavailable
First Claim
1. A method for selecting a backup contact entity, the method comprising the steps of:
- prior to the sending of an electronic mail (e-mail), a first computer responding to a determination that an e-mail addresses of at least one second end user of a plurality of second end users has been added to an electronic mail (e-mail), by a first end user via the first computer, as a recipient for that electronic mail, by sending an electronic message to a second computer of the at least one second end user, wherein the e-mail addresses of the at least one second end user and the plurality of second end users are included in a ‘
To’
message header field of the e-mail during generation of the email;
receiving, by the first computer, a response to the electronic message, from the second computer, that includes a Boolean value from program code of the second computer, wherein the at least one second end user is associated with a configurable profile that designates a preferred backup third end user for the at least one second end user, wherein the preferred backup third end user is capable of both reading and responding to the email in place of the at least one second user;
the first computer determining if the at least one second user is available to respond to the e-mail based on the Boolean value;
responsive to a determination that i) the at least one second user is not available to respond to the email and that ii) the preferred backup third end user is available to respond to the email, the first computer querying a repository to return to contact information of the preferred backup third end user;
the first computer extracting, from the contact information returned, an email address of the preferred backup third end user;
the first computer adding, to the ‘
To’
message header field of the e-mail, the email address of the preferred backup third end user such that the preferred backup third end user is included a recipient for the e-mail;
the first computer visually indicating, to the first end user, that the ‘
To’
message header field of the e-mail has been modified to include the email address of the preferred backup third end user;
the first computer sending the e-mail to the plurality of second end users and the preferred backup third end user; and
the first computer responding to the e-mail being read by one of the plurality of second end users by deleting the e-mail from each inbox of the plurality of second end users and the preferred backup third end user that received but did not read the e-mail.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A first computer sends an electronic message transparently to a second computer of intended recipients of an electronic mail (e-mail), in response to the e-mail addresses of the intended recipients being entered, by a first end-user on the first computer, into a ‘To’ message header field of the e-mail. The second computer sends a Boolean value to the first computer, wherein one of the intended recipients is not available to respond to the e-mail. The first computer queries a repository to return to the first end-user contact information of backup contact entities to respond the e-mail for the intended recipients that are not available to respond to the e-mail. The first computer sends the e-mail to the backup contact entities that are available to respond to the e-mail. The first computer deletes the e-mail from each inbox of the backup contact entities that received but did not read the e-mail before the intended recipients read the e-mail.
19 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method for selecting a backup contact entity, the method comprising the steps of:
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prior to the sending of an electronic mail (e-mail), a first computer responding to a determination that an e-mail addresses of at least one second end user of a plurality of second end users has been added to an electronic mail (e-mail), by a first end user via the first computer, as a recipient for that electronic mail, by sending an electronic message to a second computer of the at least one second end user, wherein the e-mail addresses of the at least one second end user and the plurality of second end users are included in a ‘
To’
message header field of the e-mail during generation of the email;receiving, by the first computer, a response to the electronic message, from the second computer, that includes a Boolean value from program code of the second computer, wherein the at least one second end user is associated with a configurable profile that designates a preferred backup third end user for the at least one second end user, wherein the preferred backup third end user is capable of both reading and responding to the email in place of the at least one second user; the first computer determining if the at least one second user is available to respond to the e-mail based on the Boolean value; responsive to a determination that i) the at least one second user is not available to respond to the email and that ii) the preferred backup third end user is available to respond to the email, the first computer querying a repository to return to contact information of the preferred backup third end user; the first computer extracting, from the contact information returned, an email address of the preferred backup third end user; the first computer adding, to the ‘
To’
message header field of the e-mail, the email address of the preferred backup third end user such that the preferred backup third end user is included a recipient for the e-mail;the first computer visually indicating, to the first end user, that the ‘
To’
message header field of the e-mail has been modified to include the email address of the preferred backup third end user;the first computer sending the e-mail to the plurality of second end users and the preferred backup third end user; and the first computer responding to the e-mail being read by one of the plurality of second end users by deleting the e-mail from each inbox of the plurality of second end users and the preferred backup third end user that received but did not read the e-mail. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A computer program product for selecting a backup contact entity, the computer program product comprising:
a computer readable storage medium and program instructions stored on the computer readable storage medium, the program instructions comprising; program instructions to, prior to the sending of an electronic mail (e-mail), a first computer respond to a determination that an e-mail addresses of at least one second end user of a plurality of second end users has been added to an electronic mail (e-mail), by a first end user via the first computer, as a recipient for that electronic mail, by sending an electronic message to a second computer of the at least one second end user, wherein the e-mail addresses of the at least one second end user and the plurality of second end users are included in a ‘
To’
message header field of the e-mail during generation of the email;program instructions to receive, by the first computer, a response to the electronic message, from the second computer, that includes a Boolean value from program code of the second computer, wherein the at least one second end user is associated with a configurable profile that designates a preferred backup third end user for the at least one second end user, wherein the preferred backup third end user is capable of both reading and responding to the email in place of the at least one second user; program instructions for the first computer to determine if the at least one second user is available to respond to the e-mail based on the Boolean value; program instructions to respond to a determination that i) the at least one second user is not available to respond to the email and that ii) the preferred backup third end user is available to respond to the email, by the first computer to querying a repository to return to contact information of the preferred backup third end user; program instructions for the first computer to extract from the contact information returned, an email address of the preferred backup third end user; program instructions for the first computer to add, to the ‘
To’
message header field of the e-mail, the email address of the preferred backup third end user such that the preferred backup third end user is included a recipient for the e-mail;program instructions for the first computer to visually indicate, to the first end user, that the ‘
To’
message header field of the e-mail has been modified to include the email address of the preferred backup third end user;program instructions for the first computer to send the e-mail to the plurality of second end users and the preferred backup third end user; and program instructions for the first computer to respond to the e-mail being read by one of the plurality of second end users by deleting the e-mail from each inbox of the plurality of second end users and the preferred backup third end user that received but did not read the e-mail. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A computer system for selecting a backup contact entity, the computer system comprising:
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one or more processors, one or more computer readable memories, one or more computer readable storage media, and program instructions stored on the one or more storage media for execution by the one or more processors via the one or more memories, the program instructions comprising; program instructions to, prior to the sending of an electronic mail (e-mail), a first computer respond to a determination that an e-mail addresses of at least one second end user of a plurality of second end users has been added to an electronic mail (e-mail), by a first end user via the first computer, as a recipient for that electronic mail, by sending an electronic message to a second computer of the at least one second end user, wherein the e-mail addresses of the at least one second end user and the plurality of second end users are included in a ‘
To’
message header field of the e-mail during generation of the email;program instructions to receive, by the first computer, a response to the electronic message, from the second computer, that includes a Boolean value from program code of the second computer, wherein the at least one second end user is associated with a configurable profile that designates a preferred backup third end user for the at least one second end user, wherein the preferred backup third end user is capable of both reading and responding to the email in place of the at least one second user; program instructions for the first computer to determine if the at least one second user is available to respond to the e-mail based on the Boolean value; program instructions to respond to a determination that i) the at least one second user is not available to respond to the email and that ii) the preferred backup third end user is available to respond to the email, by the first computer to querying a repository to return to contact information of the preferred backup third end user; program instructions for the first computer to extract from the contact information returned, an email address of the preferred backup third end user; program instructions for the first computer to add, to the ‘
To’
message header field of the e-mail, the email address of the preferred backup third end user such that the preferred backup third end user is included a recipient for the e-mail;program instructions for the first computer to visually indicate, to the first end user, that the ‘
To’
message header field of the e-mail has been modified to include the email address of the preferred backup third end user;program instructions for the first computer to send the e-mail to the plurality of second end users and the preferred backup third end user; and program instructions for the first computer to respond to the e-mail being read by one of the plurality of second end users by deleting the e-mail from each inbox of the plurality of second end users and the preferred backup third end user that received but did not read the e-mail. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification