Data communication device, data communication method and data communication program that can send reply to blind carbon copy recipients and computer-readable recording medium storing said program

A data communication method for use with a data communication device, comprising the steps of:

• 1) accepting designation of one or more e-mail addresses as recipients for an e-mail for each transmission configuration, which includes ‘To’, ‘CC’ and/or ‘BCC’;
• 2) sending the e-mail via broadcast transmission to multiple e-mail addresses the designation of which is accepted at step 1;
• 3) storing in a storage device the multiple e-mail addresses to which the e-mail was sent via broadcast transmission at step 2;
• 4) receiving a reply e-mail to the e-mail sent via broadcast transmission from one of the multiple e-mail addresses that is not an e-mail address having the ‘BCC’ description to which the e-mail was sent via broadcast transmission at step 2;
• 5) determining, after said reply e-mail is received, whether an e-mail address having a ‘BCC’ description is included in the stored addresses to which the e-mail was sent via broadcast transmission at step 2;
• and
• 6) selectively sending a copy of the reply e-mail received at the receiving step to an e-mail address designated as ‘BCC’ based on the e-mail addresses stored in the storage device, in accordance with the result of the determination made in step 5.

A computer program product stored in a computer-readable medium used for data communication processing, said computer program product including instructions to execute the following steps:

• 1) accepting designation of one or more e-mail addresses as recipients for an e-mail for each transmission configuration, which includes ‘To’, ‘CC’ and/or ‘BCC’;
• 2) sending the e-mail via broadcast transmission to multiple e-mail addresses the designation of which is accepted at step 1;
• 3) storing in a storage device the multiple e-mail addresses to which the e-mail was sent via broadcast transmission at step 2;
• 4) receiving a reply e-mail to the e-mail sent via broadcast transmission from one of the multiple e-mail addresses that is not an e-mail address having the ‘BCC’ description to which the e-mail was sent via broadcast transmission at step 2;
• 5) determining, after said reply e-mail is received, whether an e-mail address having a ‘BCC’ description is included in the stored addresses to which the e-mail was sent via broadcast transmission at step 2;
• and
• 6) selectively sending a copy of the reply e-mail received at the receiving step to an e-mail address designated as ‘BCC’ based on the e-mail addresses stored in the storage device,in accordance with the result of the determination made in step 5.