Method, device and email system for providing public email

• US 9,391,929 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2013
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Su, Bai Jian, Zhang, Jun Jing, Zhang, Peng, Zheng, Jun Song
• Primary Examiner(s): Hussain, Imad
• Application Number:
  US13/922,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20130346520A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,118 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• 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

Abstract

A method, device, and system for providing public email are disclosed. The method may include receiving an email. In response to receiving an email marked as public, the method may include acquiring information about public recipients. The method may also include sending the email marked as public to the public recipients and recipients specified in the email marked as public. According to one embodiment, email marked as public can be provided conveniently and timely without increasing the overburden of the email system.

Claims

1. A method for providing public email, comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, an email;

in response to receiving an email marked as public, acquiring, by the one or more processors, information about public recipients;

sending, by the one or more processors, the email marked as public to the public recipients and recipients specified in the email marked as public.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

acquiring, as the public recipients, information about recipients of emails having a same root email as the received email marked as public.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

storing the email marked as public into a public email box; and

recording, in an email information list, an email ID, a root email ID, recipients of the received email, and its storage address in the public email box, wherein if the received email is not marked as public, its storage address in the public email box is null;

wherein determining the root email ID includes;

if the received email does not carry with a parent email ID, it is not an email produced through reply or forward, and its email ID is just the root email ID;

if the received email carries with a parent email ID, it is an email produced through reply or forward, a root email ID in a corresponding record of its parent email in the email information list is used as its root email ID.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein acquiring information about public recipients comprises:

combining all recipients of emails having the same root email ID as the received email marked as public in the email information list to produce the public recipients.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein acquiring information about public recipients comprises:

combining all recipients of emails having the same root email ID as the received email marked as public in the email information list and having non-null storage addresses in the public email box to produce the public recipients.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein, in response to receiving a consolidation selection by a recipient of the email after receiving the email marked as public, searching the email information list for all emails having the same root email ID as the received email marked as public and having non-null storage addresses in the public email box, and looking up the public email box for contents of those emails, which are then consolidated into the content of the current email.

7. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

storing the email marked as public into the public email box;

in response to receiving the email, recording an email ID, a parent email ID, recipients of the received email, and a storage address of the received email in the public email box at a corresponding node of a tree stored in a tree storage unit;

wherein if the received email is not marked as public, the storage address of the received email in the public email box is null;

if the received email does not carry with the parent email ID, then the email ID, recipients of said received email, and the storage address of the received email in the public email box are recorded at a root node of a new tree;

if the received email carries with a parent email ID, then the email ID, parent email ID, recipients of the received email, and the storage address of the received email in the public email box are recorded at a child node of a node having the parent email ID as its email ID.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein acquiring information about public recipients comprises:

providing a public recipient record list corresponding to a tree in the tree storage unit, wherein in response to adding a new node to the tree in the tree storage unit, recipients recorded at the new node are combined into the public recipient record list corresponding to the tree;

based on a tree in the tree storage unit where a node corresponding to the parent email ID of the received email marked as public locates, acquiring the public recipients from a public recipient record list corresponding to that tree.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein acquiring information about public recipients comprises:

providing a public recipient record list corresponding to a tree in the tree storage unit, wherein in response to adding a new node to the tree in the tree storage unit, which has a non-null storage address in the public email box recorded thereon, recipients recorded at the new node are combined into the public recipient record list corresponding to the tree;

based on a tree in the tree storage unit where a node corresponding to the parent email ID of the received email marked as public locates, acquiring the public recipients from a public recipient record list corresponding to that tree.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein in response to selecting consolidation by a recipient of the email after receiving the email marked as public, a tree in the tree storage unit where the node of the email locates is searched for all emails having non-null storage addresses in the public email box, and the public email box is looked up for contents of those emails, which are then consolidated into the content of the current email.

11. A device for providing public email, comprising:

a computer processor; and

a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions configured to;

receive an email;

in response to receiving an email marked as public, acquire information about public recipients; and

send the email marked as public to the public recipients and recipients specified in the email marked as public.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the computer program instructions are configured to acquire, as the public recipients, information about recipients of emails having the same root email as the received email marked as public.

13. The device according to claim 12, further comprising computer program instructions configured to:

store the email marked as public into a public email box; and

record, in an email information list, an email ID, a root email ID, recipients of the received email, and a storage address of the received email in the public email box, wherein if the received email is not marked as public, the storage address of the received email in the public email box is null;

the root email ID is determined as follows;

if the received email does not carry with a parent email ID, it is not an email produced through reply or forward, and the email ID of the received email is just the root email ID;

if the received email carries with a parent email ID, it is an email produced through reply or forward, a root email ID in a corresponding record of its parent email in the email information list is used as the root email ID.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the computer program instructions are configured to combine all recipients of emails having the same root email ID as the received email marked as public in the email information list to produce the public recipients.

15. The device according to claim 13, wherein the computer program instructions are configured to combine all recipients of emails having the same root email ID as the received email marked as public in the email information list and having non-null storage addresses in the public email box to produce the public recipients.

16. The device according to claim 13, further comprising computer program instructions configured to:

in response to selecting consolidation by a recipient of the email after receiving the email marked as public, search the email information list for all emails having the same root email ID as the received email marked as public and having non-null storage addresses in the public email box, and look up the public email box for contents of those emails, and consolidate those contents into the content of the current email.

17. The device according to claim 12, further comprising computer program instructions configured to:

store the email marked as public into the public email box;

in response to receiving the email, record an email ID, a parent email ID, recipients of the received email, and a storage address of the received email in the public email box at a corresponding node of a tree stored in a tree storage unit;

wherein if the received email is not marked as public, the storage address of the received email in the public email box is null;

if the received email does not carry with the parent email ID, then the email ID, recipients of the received email, and the storage address of the received email in the public email box are recorded at a root node of a new tree;

if the received email carries with a parent email ID, then the email ID, parent email ID, recipients of the received email, and the storage address of the received email in the public email box are recorded at a child node of a node having the parent email ID as its email ID.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein a public recipient record list corresponding to a tree in the tree storage unit is provided, wherein in response to adding a new node to the tree in the tree storage unit, recipients recorded at the new node are combined into the public recipient record list corresponding to the tree;

and

based on the tree in the tree storage unit where a node corresponding to the parent email ID of the received email marked as public locates, acquire the public recipients from the public recipient record list corresponding to that tree.

19. The device according to claim 17, wherein a public recipient record list corresponding to a tree in the tree storage unit is provided, wherein in response to adding a new node to the tree in the tree storage unit, which has a non-null storage address in the public email box recorded thereon, recipients recorded at the new node are combined into the public recipient record list corresponding to the tree;

and

based on the tree in the tree storage unit where a node corresponding to the parent email ID of the received email marked as public locates, acquire the public recipients from the public recipient record list corresponding to that tree.

20. The device according to claim 17, further comprising computer program instructions configured to:

in response to selecting consolidation by a recipient of the email after receiving the email marked as public, search a tree in the tree storage unit where the node of the email locates for all emails having non-null storage addresses in the public email box, and look up the public email box for contents of those emails, and consolidate those contents into the content of the current email.

21. A system for providing public email, comprising:

a device for providing public email, the device including;

a computer processor;

a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions configured to;

receive an email;

in response to receiving an email marked as public, acquire information about public recipients;

send the email marked as public to the public recipients and recipients specified in the email marked as public; and

an email client device configured to communicate with the device for providing public email.