Method and Apparatus for Determining Whether an Email Message is Ready for Transmission

• US 20080250112A1
• Filed: 06/13/2008
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Walker, Keith Raymond, Handy-Bosma, John Hans, Chen, Yen-Fu, Selvage, Mei Yang, Tannenbaum, Alan Richard
• Application Number:
  US12/138,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20080250112A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code to analyze an email message using a policy to form a result in response to detecting a request to send an email message. A determination is made as to whether the result indicates that the email message is complete. An alert is generated if a determination is present that indicates that the email message is incomplete.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for transmitting email messages, the computer implemented method comprising:

responsive to detecting a request to send an email message, analyzing the email message using a policy to form a result;

determining whether the result indicates that the email message is incomplete; and

generating an alert if a determination is present that indicates that the email message is incomplete.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending the email message to a recipient if a determination indicating that the email message is complete is present.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the policy comprises a template, wherein the template identifies user configured rules for analyzing the email message.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the policy further comprises at least one of key words, key phrases, and patterns for use in determining whether the email message is complete.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing step comprises:

determining whether selected information should be present using the policy; and

determining whether the selected information is present in the email message if the selected information should be present based on the policy.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the missing information comprises a file.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the missing information further comprises at least one of an address, a phone number, and a name.

8. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code for transmitting email messages, the computer program product including;

computer usable program code, responsive to detecting a request to send an email message, for analyzing the email message using a policy to form a result;

computer usable program code for determining whether the result indicates that the email message is incomplete; and

computer usable program code for generating an alert if a determination is present that indicates that the email message is incomplete.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 further comprising:

computer usable program code for sending the email message to a recipient if a determination indicating that the email message is complete is present.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the policy comprises a template, wherein the template identifies user configured rules for analyzing the email message.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the policy further comprises at least one of key words, key phrases, and patterns for use in determining whether the email message is complete.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer usable program code, responsive to detecting a request to send an email message, for analyzing the email message using a policy to form a result comprises:

computer usable program code for determining whether selected information should be present using the policy; and

computer usable program code for determining whether the selected information is present in the email message if the selected information should be present based on the policy.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the missing information comprises a file.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the missing information further comprises at least one of an address, a phone number, and a name.

15. A data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a communications unit connected to the bus;

a memory connected to the bus, wherein the storage device includes a set of computer usable program code; and

a processor unit connected to the bus, wherein the processor unit executes the set of computer usable program code to analyze the email message using a policy to form a result in response to detecting a request to send an email message;

determine whether the result indicates that the email message is incomplete; and

generate an alert if a determination is present that indicates that the email message is incomplete.

16. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the processor unit further executes the computer usable code to send the email message to a recipient if a determination indicating that the email message is complete is present.

17. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the processor unit further executes the computer usable code, wherein the policy comprises a template, and wherein the template identifies user configured rules for analyzing the email message.

18. The data processing system of claim 17, wherein the policy further comprises at least one of key words, key phrases, and patterns for use in determining whether the email message is complete.

19. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the processor unit further executes the computer usable code to determine whether selected information should be present using the policy;

and determine whether the selected information is present in the email message if the selected information should be present based on the policy.

20. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the missing information comprises a file.