SMTP extension for email delivery failure
First Claim
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1. A computing system including an email system connected to an email network using the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) protocol, the computing system comprising:
- an extended alternate recipient parameter in the SMTP protocol within a self-rerouting email message that specifies alternate recipients to be used in case the email system cannot deliver the self-rerouting email message to an original recipient, and to automatically attempt to forward the self-rerouting email message to the alternate recipients in case the self-rerouting email message cannot be delivered to the original recipient.
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Abstract
The present invention provides in a computing system including an email system connected to an email network using the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) protocol, a method for specifying alternate email recipients comprising:
- specification of alternate recipients by the sender of an email message to be used in case the mail system can not deliver the message to the original recipient,
- delivery of the message to the specified alternate recipients by the email system in case it is unable to deliver to the original recipient.
The instant invention also provides a system and computer program product for carrying out the above method.
52 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A computing system including an email system connected to an email network using the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) protocol, the computing system comprising:
- an extended alternate recipient parameter in the SMTP protocol within a self-rerouting email message that specifies alternate recipients to be used in case the email system cannot deliver the self-rerouting email message to an original recipient, and to automatically attempt to forward the self-rerouting email message to the alternate recipients in case the self-rerouting email message cannot be delivered to the original recipient.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. In a computing system including an email system connected to an email network using the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) protocol, a method for specifying alternate email recipients comprising:
- providing an extended alternate recipient parameter in the SMTP protocol that makes an email message a self-rerouting email message that specifies alternate recipients to be used in case the email system cannot deliver the self-rerouting email message to the original recipient and attempting to deliver the self re-routing email message to the specified alternate recipients in case the email system is unable to deliver to the original recipient.
- View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A computer program product comprising computer readable program code stored on computer readable storage medium embodied therein for causing a computer to send email to alternate email recipients in case of inability to deliver to an original recipient comprising:
- computer readable program code configured for extending the SMTP protocol within an email message to enable the sender to specify alternate recipients of the email message to be used in case the mail system cannot deliver the email message to the original recipient thereby making the email message a self-rerouting email message, and to cause the mail system to attempt to deliver the self-rerouting email message to the specified alternate recipients in case it is unable to deliver to the original recipient.
- View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
Specification