Electronic mail transmission with selective file attachment
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorTakeshi Watanabe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mailing apparatus is operated to associate an attachment file with TO addresses. Then, the mailing apparatus creates e-mail destined for the TO addresses each including the body text and the TO addresses, together with e-mail destined for the CC/BCC addresses including the body text and the CC/BCC addresses. Further, the mailing apparatus appends the attachment files to the e-mail destined for the TO addresses, whereas it does not append the attachment files to the e-mail destined for the CC/BCC addresses. Instead, it appends a message to the latter to indicate the attachment files have been attached to the e-mail destined for the TO addresses.
Claims20
An electronic-mail (e-mail) transmission apparatus, comprising:
- means for accepting designation of one or more e-mail addresses;
- means for accepting body text that is common to e-mail destined for each of said e-mail addresses;
- means for accepting one or more attachment files to be attached to the e-mail;
- means for associating at least one subset of e-mail addresses with each of said attachment files, each said subset including at least one of said e-mail addresses;
- means for creating e-mail destined for a given one of said subset of said e-mail addresses, including said body text together with one or more of said attachment files associated with a given one of the e-mail addresses;
- and
- means for transmitting each said e-mail.
A mail server apparatus adapted for accepting from a mail client apparatus at least one e-mail address, a body text common to e-mail destined for each said e-mail address and one or more attachment files to be attached to the e-mail, and for transmitting the e-mail, comprising:
- address-attachment file associating means for associating at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address with each of said attachment files, each said subset including one or more of said at least one e-mail address;
- e-mail creating means for creating e-mail destined for a given one of said subset of said at least one e-mail address, each e-mail including said body text with at least one of said attachment files associated with a given one of said at least one e-mail address;
- and
- e-mail transmitting means for transmitting each said e-mail.
A mail client apparatus adapted for outputting to a mail server apparatus at least one e-mail address, a body text that is common to e-mail destined for each said e-mail address and at least one attachment file to be attached to said e-mail, thereby enabling the mail server apparatus to accept at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address, each said subset including at least one of said at least one e-mail address, and said attachment file, to create said e-mail destined for a given one of said at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address, each said e-mail including said body text together with at least one of said attachment files associated with a given one of said at least one e-mail address, and to transmit said e-mail, comprising:
- address designation accepting means for accepting designation of at least one e-mail address;
- body text accepting means for accepting a body text that is common to e-mail destined for each of said at least one e-mail address;
- and
- attachment file accepting means for accepting at least one attachment file to be attached to said e-mail.
An e-mail transmission method, comprising the steps of:
- (a) accepting designation of at least one e-mail address;
- (b) accepting a body text common to e-mail destined for each of said at least one e-mail address;
- (c) accepting at least one attachment file for attachment to the e-mail;
- (d) associating at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address with said at least one attachment file, each said subset including said at least one e-mail address;
- (e) creating e-mail destined for a given one of said at least one subset, including said accepted body text together with one or more of said attachment files associated with a given one of said at least one e-mail address;
- and
- (f) transmitting each said e-mail.
A computer readable storage medium for storing a program that is executable by the computer to carry out method steps of:
- (a) accepting designation of at least one e-mail address;
- (b) accepting a body text common to e-mail destined for each of said at least one e-mail address;
- (c) accepting at least one attachment file to be attached to said e-mail;
- (d) associating at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address with each of said at least one attachment file, each said subset including at least one of said at least one e-mail address;
- (e) creating e-mail destined for a given one said subset, each said e-mail including said accepted body text together with said at least one attachment file associated with a given one of said at least one e-mail address;
- and
- (f) transmitting said e-mail.
A computer readable storage medium for storing a program adapted for use in a mail server apparatus for causing the mail server apparatus to accept from a mail client apparatus at least one e-mail address, a body text common to e-mail destined for each of said at least one e-mail address and at least one attachment file to be attached to the e-mail, and to transmit the e-mail using them, said program being executable by the computer to carry out method steps of:
- associating at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address with each of said at least one attachment file, each said subset including at least one of said at least one e-mail address;
- creating e-mail destined for a given one said subset of said at least one e-mail address, each said e-mail including said body text with at least one of said at least one attachment file associated with a given one of said at least one e-mail address;
- and
- transmitting each said e-mail.
A computer readable storage medium for storing a program adapted for use in a mail client apparatus for causing the mail client apparatus to output to a mail server apparatus at least one e-mail address, a body text common to e-mail destined for each of said at least one e-mail address and at least one attachment file to be attached to the e-mail, thereby enabling the mail server apparatus to accept at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address, each said subset including at least one said at least one e-mail address, and said at least one attachment file, to create e-mail destined for a given one said at least one subset of said at least one e-mail address, each said e-mail including said body text with at least one said at least one attachment file associated with a given one of said at least one e-mail address, and to transmit each said e-mail, the program being executable by the computer to carry out method steps of:
- accepting designation of at least one e-mail address;
- accepting a body text common to e-mail destined for each said at least one e-mail address;
- and
- accepting at least one attachment file for attachment to the e-mail.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.