Method and system for removing a person from an e-mail thread

• US 7,979,495 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2007
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Readshaw, Neil Ian, Radenkovic, Zoran
• Primary Examiner(s): Tang; Karen C
• Assistant Examiner(s): ISOM, JOHN W
• Application Number:
  US11/942,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20090132664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/206, 709/207
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

A method for automatically removing a user from an e-mail thread is provided. An e-mail client receives a reply e-mail message. Responsive to a determination that the reply e-mail message is a message to opt-out of an e-mail thread, the e-mail address of a sender of the reply e-mail message is associated with the e-mail thread to form a listed e-mail address. The listed e-mail address is stored. When a new e-mail message is generated that is part of the e-mail thread, the listed e-mail address is automatically excluded from a list of recipients of the new e-mail.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for automatically removing a user from an e-mail thread, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a first e-mail message at an e-mail client, wherein the first e-mail message is part of the e-mail thread;

responsive to selecting an opt-out option, generating, automatically, a reply e-mail message to the first e-mail message, wherein the reply e-mail message comprises an indication to opt-out of the e-mail thread;

sending the reply e-mail message to recipients of the first e-mail message

receiving the reply e-mail message at another e-mail client;

responsive to a determination that the reply e-mail message is a message to opt-out of an e-mail thread, associating an e-mail address of a sender of the reply e-mail message to the e-mail thread to form a listed e-mail address;

storing the listed e-mail address;

generating a new e-mail message, wherein the new e-mail message is part of the e-mail thread;

excluding, automatically, the listed e-mail address from a list of recipients of the new e-mail message; and

specifying at least one permitted e-mail address for at least one individual who is permitted to re-add the listed e-mail address to the list of recipients of the new e-mail message,

wherein the indication to opt-out of the e-mail thread is in an X-header field of the reply e-mail message,

wherein the receiving the reply e-mail message, associating, and storing steps are performed by the another e-mail client without a recipient of the reply e-mail message being aware of the reply e-mail message, wherein the recipient of the reply e-mail message is at the another e-mail client.

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

maintaining a first table that relates a unique e-mail thread identifier to a set of message identifiers that make up the e-mail thread, and a second table that relates the unique e-mail thread identifier to a set of e-mail addresses associated with people who have chosen to opt-out of the e-mail thread.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the excluding, automatically, the listed e-mail address from the list of recipients of the new e-mail message comprises:

comparing a list of e-mail addresses of intended recipients of the new e-mail message for the e-mail thread with a list of e-mail addresses of users that have opted out of the email thread; and

deleting e-mail addresses from a list of intended recipients of the new e-mail message that match an email address in the list of e-mail addresses of users that have opted out of the email thread.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the steps of comparing and deleting are performed responsive to receiving a command to send the new e-mail message.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the listed e-mail address is stored locally.

6. A computer program product comprising:

A non-transitory computer recordable medium having computer usable program code stored thereon for automatically removing a user from an e-mail thread, the computer program product comprising;

computer usable program code for receiving a first e-mail message at an e-mail client, wherein the first e-mail message is part of the e-mail thread;

computer usable program code, responsive to selecting an opt-out option, for generating, automatically, a reply e-mail message to the first e-mail message, wherein the reply e-mail message comprises an indication to opt-out of the e-mail thread;

computer usable program code for sending the reply e-mail message to recipients of the first e-mail message;

computer usable program code for receiving the reply e-mail message at another e-mail client;

computer usable program code, responsive to a determination that the reply e-mail message is a message to opt-out of an e-mail thread, for associating an e-mail address of a sender of the reply e-mail message to the e-mail thread to form a listed e-mail address;

computer usable program code for storing the listed e-mail address;

computer usable program code for generating a new e-mail message, wherein the new e-mail message is part of the e-mail thread;

computer usable program code for excluding, automatically, the listed e-mail address from a list of recipients of the new e-mail message; and

computer usable program code for specifying at least one permitted e-mail address for at least one individual who is permitted to re-add the listed e-mail address to the list of recipients of the new e-mail message,

wherein the indication to opt-out of the e-mail thread is in an X-header field of the reply e-mail message,

wherein the computer usable program code for receiving the reply e-mail message, the computer usable program code for associating, and the computer usable program code for storing are executed by the another e-mail client without a recipient of the reply e-mail message being aware of the reply e-mail message, wherein the recipient of the reply e-mail message is at the another e-mail client.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, further comprising:

computer usable program code for maintaining a first table that relates a unique e-mail thread identifier to a set of message identifiers that make up the e-mail thread, and a second table that relates the unique email thread identifier to a set of e-mail addresses associated with people who have chosen to opt-out of the e-mail thread.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the computer usable program code for excluding, automatically, the listed e-mail address from the list of recipients of the new e-mail message comprises:

computer usable program code for comparing a list of e-mail addresses of intended recipients of the new e-mail message for the e-mail thread with a list of e-mail addresses of users that have opted out of the email thread; and

computer usable program code for deleting e-mail addresses from a list of intended recipients of the new e-mail message that match an e-mail address in the list of e-mail addresses of users that have opted out of the email thread.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer usable program code for comparing and the computer usable program code for deleting is executed in response to receiving a command to send the new e-mail message.

10. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the listed e-mail address is stored locally.

11. A data processing system for automatically removing a user from an e-mail thread, the data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a communications unit connected to the bus;

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

a processor unit connected to the bus, wherein the processor unit executes the computer usable program code to

receive a reply e-mail message at an e-mail client;

responsive to a determination that the reply e-mail message is a message to opt-out of an e-mail thread, associate an e-mail address of a sender of the reply e-mail message to the e-mail thread to form a listed e-mail address;

store the listed e-mail address;

generate a new e-mail message, wherein the new e-mail message is part of the e-mail thread;

exclude, automatically, the listed e-mail address from a list of recipients of the new e-mail message,

maintain a first table that relates a unique e-mail thread identifier to a set of message identifiers that make up the e-mail thread,

maintain a second table that relates the unique e-mail thread identifier to a set of e-mail addresses associated with people who have chosen to opt-out of the e-mail thread;

receive a first e-mail message at the e-mail client;

responsive to selecting an opt-out option, generate, automatically, the reply e-mail message to the first e-mail message, wherein the reply e-mail message comprises an indication to opt-out of the e-mail thread;

send the reply e-mail message to recipients of the first e-mail message; and

specify at least one permitted e-mail address for at least one individual who is permitted to re-add the listed e-mail address to the list of recipients of the new e-mail message,

wherein the indication to opt-out of the e-mail thread is in an X-header field of the reply e-mail message,

wherein the computer useable program code to receive the reply e-mail message, associate, and store is executed at the e-mail client without a recipient of the reply e-mail message being aware of the reply e-mail message, wherein the recipient of the reply e-mail message is at the e-mail client.

12. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the computer useable program code to exclude, automatically, the listed e-mail address from the list of recipients of the new e-mail message comprises:

computer useable program code to compare a list of e-mail addresses of intended recipients of the new e-mail message for the e-mail thread with a list of e-mail addresses of users that have opted out of the email thread; and

computer useable program code to delete e-mail addresses from a list of intended recipients of the new e-mail message that match an email address in the list of e-mail addresses of users that have opted out of the email thread.

13. The data processing system of claim 12, wherein the computer useable program code to compare and the computer usable program code to delete are executed responsive to receiving a command to send the new e-mail message.