Hierarchical org-chart based email mailing list maintenance

• US 20030191806A1
• Filed: 04/08/2002
• Published: 10/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Osterberg, Donald H. Jr., Porter, Daryl Geoffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,734,696 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• 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

Abstract

The present invention is a system, method, and computer program product that provides the capability by which changes in an organization can be automatically reflected in the organization'"'"'s mailing lists and access lists. The email messaging system comprises a mailing list generator operable to receive information relating to an organizational hierarchy and generate from the received information a plurality of mailing lists, at least some of the mailing lists relating to a member of the organizational hierarchy to whom at one other member of the organizational hierarchy reports and an archiver/forwarder operable to receive an email message including an address identifying at least one of the plurality of mailing lists, access the mailing list to obtain email addresses for members of the mailing list, and send the email message to the obtained email addresses.

Claims

1. A method of email messaging using mailing lists comprising the steps of:

receiving information relating to an organizational hierarchy;

extracting from the received information at least identifiers of members of the organizational hierarchy, information relating to positions of the members in the organizational hierarchy, and information relating to email addresses of the members; and

generating a plurality of mailing lists based on the extracted information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of mailing lists comprises:

an identifier of the mailing list corresponding to a first member of the organizational hierarchy; and

a plurality of identifiers of members of the organizational hierarchy who report to the first member.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of identifiers of members of the organizational hierarchy who report to the first member comprises at least one identifier of a second member of the organizational hierarchy to whom at least one other member of the organizational hierarchy reports.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one identifier of the second member of the organizational hierarchy includes an indicator that at least one other member of the organizational hierarchy reports to the second member.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an email message including an identifier of one of the plurality of mailing lists;

accessing the identified mailing list to obtain at least one email address of at least one member of the mailing list; and

sending the email message to the obtained at least one email address.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

generating at least one access list defining permissions for at least some of the plurality of mailing lists.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an email message including an identifier of one of the plurality of mailing lists;

determining that a sender of the email message has permission to send email messages to the identified mailing list using an access list;

accessing the identified mailing list to obtain at least one email address of at least one member of the mailing list; and

sending the email message to the obtained at least one email address.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of:

generating a plurality of aliases, each alias identifying one of the plurality of mailing lists.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an email message including an alias identifying one of the plurality of mailing lists;

determining that a sender of the email message has permission to send email messages to the identified mailing list;

accessing the identified mailing list to obtain at least one email address of at least one member of the mailing list; and

sending the email message to the obtained at least one email address.

10. An email messaging system comprising:

a mailing list generator operable to receive information relating to an organizational hierarchy and generate from the received information a plurality of mailing lists, at least some of the mailing lists relating to a member of the organizational hierarchy to whom at one other member of the organizational hierarchy reports; and

an archiver/forwarder operable to receive an email message including an address identifying at least one of the plurality of mailing lists, access the mailing list to obtain email addresses for members of the mailing list, and send the email message to the obtained email addresses.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the information relating to the organizational hierarchy comprises identifiers of members of the organizational hierarchy, information relating to positions of the members in the organizational hierarchy, and information relating to email addresses of the members.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of mailing lists comprises:

an identifier of the mailing list corresponding to a first member of the organizational hierarchy; and

a plurality of identifiers of members of the organizational hierarchy who report to the first member.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of identifiers of members of the organizational hierarchy who report to the first member comprises at least one identifier of a second member of the organizational hierarchy to whom at least one other member of the organizational hierarchy reports.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one identifier of the second member of the organizational hierarchy includes an indicator that at least one other member of the organizational hierarchy reports to the second member.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the mailing list generator is further operable to generate at least one access list defining permissions for at least some of the plurality of mailing lists.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the archiver/forwarder is further operable to determine that a sender of the email message has permission to send email messages to the identified mailing list using an access list

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the mailing list generator is further operable to generate a plurality of aliases, each alias identifying one of the plurality of mailing lists.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the archiver/forwarder is further operable to receive an email message including an alias identifying one of the plurality of mailing lists, determine that a sender of the email message has permission to send email messages to the identified mailing list, and access the identified mailing list to obtain at least one email address of at least one member of the mailing list.

19. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the plurality of mailing lists comprises:

an identifier of the mailing list corresponding to a first member of the organizational hierarchy; and

at least one identifier of a member of the organizational hierarchy who reports to the first member.

20. A computer program product for performing email messaging using mailing lists, comprising:

a computer readable medium;

computer program instructions, recorded on the computer readable medium, executable by a processor, for performing the steps of

receiving information relating to an organizational hierarchy;

extracting from the received information at least identifiers of members of the organizational hierarchy, information relating to positions of the members in the organizational hierarchy, and information relating to email addresses of the members; and

generating a plurality of mailing lists based on the extracted information.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein at least one of the plurality of mailing lists comprises:

an identifier of the mailing list corresponding to a first member of the organizational hierarchy; and

a plurality of identifiers of members of the organizational hierarchy who report to the first member.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the plurality of identifiers of members of the organizational hierarchy who report to the first member comprises at least one identifier of a second member of the organizational hierarchy to whom at least one other member of the organizational hierarchy reports.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the at least one identifier of the second member of the organizational hierarchy includes an indicator that at least one other member of the organizational hierarchy reports to the second member.

24. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an email message including an identifier of one of the plurality of mailing lists;

accessing the identified mailing list to obtain at least one email address of at least one member of the mailing list; and

sending the email message to the obtained at least one email address.

25. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

generating at least one access list defining permissions for at least some of the plurality of mailing lists.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an email message including an identifier of one of the plurality of mailing lists;

determining that a sender of the email message has permission to send email messages to the identified mailing list using an access list;

accessing the identified mailing list to obtain at least one email address of at least one member of the mailing list; and

sending the email message to the obtained at least one email address.

27. The computer program product of claim 25, further comprising the step of:

generating a plurality of aliases, each alias identifying one of the plurality of mailing lists.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an email message including an alias identifying one of the plurality of mailing lists;

determining that a sender of the email message has permission to send email messages to the identified mailing list;

accessing the identified mailing list to obtain at least one email address of at least one member of the mailing list; and

sending the email message to the obtained at least one email address.