Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer conferencing – Demand based messaging
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-11
2001-02-20
Dinh, Dung C. (Department: 2757)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer conferencing
Demand based messaging
C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C713S152000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06192396
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an authoring system for computerized messages such as electronic mail, and specifically to an authoring system for computerized messages that can create messages containing recipient-specific content such that all recipients do not receive the identical version of the message.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current computerized messaging systems provide for the ability to send a computerized message to more than one recipient. Such systems are limited, however, in that each recipient receives the identical message. This is inconvenient, for example, in a situation where it is desired to send a private comment to some but not all of the recipients.
For example, in an electronic mail (“E-mail”) messaging system, the sender authors a text message, with or without attachments, that can be sent to recipients in any of three categories: a “To:” category, a “cc:” category, and a “bcc:” category. As is known, the “To:” category is for the directly-intended recipient or recipients, the “cc:” category is for courtesy-copy recipients who are included for information, and the “bcc:” category is for blind-courtesy-copy recipients who are intended to receive the message without other recipients being aware of their receipt. However, even with the above addressing categories, what is received by each recipient is the entire text of the message and all attachments. Thus, each recipient receives the identical message.
In some situations, the sender wishes to forward some portions of a message only to certain recipients and not to others. For example, a sender may desire to include private comments in the E-mail message, with the private comments being readable only by bcc recipients. However, since current E-mail systems send the identical message to each and every recipient, it is necessary for the sender to create two different E-mail messages, and to select which message is to be sent to which recipient. This arrangement is cumbersome and time-consuming, and inevitably leads to errors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to address the foregoing difficulties in conventional computerized messaging systems by providing an authoring system for computerized messages, such as electronic mail, that contains recipient-specific content.
In one aspect, the invention provides for a sender of computerized messages such as E-mail to select portions of the message or attachments which are sent only to certain recipients. In one embodiment, authoring of an E-mail message in which selected portions of the text or attachments are sent only to certain recipients involves the steps of first creating a message and creating a list of recipients. If no contrary instructions are entered, the entire message will be sent to all recipients. After the author has created the list of recipients, any portion or portions of the message which are to be sent only to certain recipients are selected, such as with a pointing device or with key strokes. A list of available recipients is provided to the sender for selection, such as with a “pop-up” menu. The recipients for the selected text are then selected (or selected ones can be deselected, if desired). Any other portions to be sent only to some recipients are also selected in the same way, and the respective lists of recipients for those portions are designated, resulting in a message in which one or more portions are not sent to all recipients.
As an alternative approach, the author can identify which portions of the message are for which recipients in a different manner. At the beginning of the message, the author can select or list the intended recipient(s) for the initial portion of the message, and then compose that portion. The author then selects which recipients are to receive the following portion, and then composes that following portion. This procedure is continued until the message is complete.
Thus, according to this aspect of the invention, authoring a computerized message that contains recipient-specific content involves composing plural portions of the message, identifying one or more recipients to which at least one portion of the message will be sent, and for each recipient associating at least one portion of the message such that at least one recipient does not receive all portions of the message. This associating may comprise selection of portions and identifying recipients of selected portions, and identification may be by either selection or deselection from the list of recipients. Thereafter, the message may be sent with each recipient receiving only its designated portion or portions of the message.
Other aspects of the invention involve the provision of a pleasing and efficient visual interface between the authoring system and the sender. For example, recipients for the selected portions of the message may appear colored, underlined or otherwise highlighted when the portions of the message that are received by such recipients has received focus by the sender. The portions of the message itself may also appear colored, underlined or otherwise highlighted, even when not in focus, so as to indicate that the highlighted portion has a limited list of recipients. Color coding or some other form of differential highlighting (such as multiple underlining) may also be employed so as to show which different portions of a message are sent to different sets of recipients.
In further aspects, the invention allows the sender to view the respective portions that are actually sent to each recipient. Viewing may be by color coding or differential highlighting as described above. Alternatively, the portions can be viewed in an “as-received” mode such that the sender can view the message as it will be received by each recipient. Thus, the invention allows the sender to view the message with visual cues of the portions that are sent to each recipient.
Conversely, rather than viewing the message, the sender can view recipients, such as by viewing a list of recipients for each selected portion of a message. This aspect of the invention provides the sender with the ability to modify the list of recipients for each portion, and to make such modifications easily.
At the receiving end of the message, a recipient can view received messages with portions highlighted or a recipient list displayed, so that the recipient of private portions of the message can know that one or more others did not receive that portion, and can further know which recipients actually received the private portion.
This brief summary has been provided so that the nature of the invention may be understood quickly. A more complete understanding of the invention can be obtained by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof in connection with the attached drawings.
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patent: 5535323 (1996-07-01), Miller et al.
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patent: 6044376 (2000-03-01), Kurtzman, II
patent: 6115709 (2000-09-01), Gilmour et al.
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Dinh Dung C.
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Ho Chuong
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