E-mail utility to lock reply recipients field
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorJEFF K. WILSON
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and systems are provided for locking the reply recipients field of an e-mail to ensure that reply e-mails or forwarded e-mails include the original recipients of the e-mail. In some embodiments a reply e-mail or forwarded e-mail that does not include the locked recipients will be prevented from being sent. In other embodiments copies of the reply/forwarded e-mail will be sent to the locked recipients even though they do not appear on the distribution list.
Claims20
A method of locking a distribution list of a reply e-mail, the method comprising:
- associating a locked distribution list to a first e-mail;
- sending the first e-mail to e-mail addresses on the locked distribution list;
- wherein said first e-mail and the locked distribution list are configured so that the reply e-mail must include the locked distribution list.
A software product comprising an electronically readable medium including a program of instructions, wherein the program of instructions upon being executed on a device causes the device to:
- associate a locked distribution list to a first e-mail;
- send the first e-mail to e-mail addresses on the locked distribution list;
- wherein said first e-mail and the locked distribution list are configured so that the reply e-mail must include the locked distribution list.
A system configured for locking a distribution list of a reply e-mail, the system comprising:
- an electronically readable storage medium configured to store an e-mail application program;
- a user input device responsive to user inputs for associating a locked distribution list to a first e-mail;
- a data interface unit configured to be connected to a network for sending the first e-mail to e-mail addresses on the locked distribution list;
- wherein said first e-mail and the locked distribution list are configured so that the reply e-mail must include the locked distribution list.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.