Method and system for excluding recipients in an electronic communication system

• US 7,457,841 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2003
• Issued: 11/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Trend Micro Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bordia, Aakash
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SING, SIMON P
• Application Number:
  US10/726,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20050117715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,820 Days
• Field of Search: 379/100.08, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

A system that enables a communications system user to conveniently define entities to be excluded from receiving an electronic communication, such as an electronic mail (“email”) message. An “Exclude” user entry field is provided in a user interface to a communication system. The Exclude field accepts entry of an “exclude set” of entities to be excluded from an email message being processed or defined in a currently accessible graphical user interface window. The disclosed Exclude field is provided in a user interface window together with one or more other user entry fields available for definition and/or review of an “include set” of entities initially designated for receipt of the message. Lists and/or groups may be resolved by determining the destinations they contain either within the client computer system, within a source server computer system, and/or within a destination server computer system.

Claims

1. A method for processing a message for transmission, comprising:

determining an include set of recipient entities, wherein said determining said include set of recipient entities includes displaying at least one destination user input field within a graphical user interface window and inputting said include set of recipient entities from said at least one destination user input field;

determining an exclude set of recipient entities, wherein said determining said exclude set of recipient entities includes displaying at least one exclude user input field within said graphical user interface window and inputting said exclude set of recipient entities from said at least one exclude user input field;

assigning, by a source server system, a difference between said include set of recipient entities and said exclude set of recipient entities to a new include set of recipient entities;

transmitting said new include set of recipient entities and said exclude set of recipient entities to a destination server system;

determining, by said destination server system, a result of a difference operation between said new include set of recipient entities and said exclude set of recipient entities; and

sending, by said destination server system, said message to destinations indicated by those recipient entities within said result of said difference operation between said new include set of recipient entities and said exclude set of recipient entities.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining said include set of recipient entities further comprises displaying at least one carbon copy user input field within said graphical user interface window and inputting at least one of said include set of recipient entities from said at least one carbon copy user input field.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said determining said include set of recipient entities further comprises displaying at least one blind carbon copy user input field within said graphical user interface window and inputting at least one of said include set of recipient entities from said at least one blind carbon copy user input field.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one of said recipient entities in said include set of recipient entities comprises a list identifier, and further comprising resolving said list identifier in said source server system, wherein said resolving includes determining at least one individual address associated with said list identifier.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of said recipient entities in said exclude set of recipient entities comprises a second list identifier, and further comprising:

resolving said second list identifier at said destination server system, wherein said resolving includes determining at least one individual address associated with said second list identifier.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a second one of said recipient entities in said include set of recipient entities comprises a third list identifier, and further comprising:

resolving said third list identifier at said destination server system, wherein said resolving includes determining at least one individual address associated with said third list identifier.