GB2374488A

GB2374488A - Electronic mail transmission

Info

Publication number: GB2374488A
Application number: GB0109031A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Thomas A Volpe
Original assignee: NCR International Inc
Current assignee: NCR International Inc
Priority date: 2001-04-10
Filing date: 2001-04-10
Publication date: 2002-10-16
Also published as: GB0109031D0

Abstract

A communications network for transmitting an electronic mail message to two or more recipients includes means for generating text in the electronic mail message. Means for generating an attachment file and means for attaching said file to the electronic mail message are also provided, as is means for transmitting said electronic mail message to said at least two recipients. Furthermore, the network includes means for selecting a first sub-set of said recipient to receive the text and the attachment and a second sub-set of said recipient to receive the electronic mail message text only.

Description

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR ELECTRONIC MAIL TRANSMISSION The present invention relates to the transmission of electronic mail (e-mail) over computer networks, and, in particular, to a method of and apparatus for the transmission of e-mail arranged to reduce strain on available network communications bandwidth.

In computer network systems such as local-area networks

("LANs"), wide-area networks ("WANs"), and the Internet and the world-wide web ("WWW") which operates thereon, electronic mail ("e-mail") systems are often utilized to facilitate communication between two or more users of the network. Each user has a unique network address that may be used for routing and identifying purposes in delivering an e-mail message from one user (the"sender") to other users (the "recipients") on the network.

Often an e-mail message contains a relatively small amount of text or other forms of data. One or more additional files of data, called"attachments,"are often attached to the e-mail message. For example, a word processing file or graphic file that is incompatible with the display capabilities of the e-mail system or that is too large to be conveniently displayed by the e-mail application program may be transmitted from the sender to the recipient by attaching it to an e-mail message. The recipients receive the e-mail message plus any attached data files, which may be opened, accessed, or utilized separately from the e-mail message itself.

Such attachments are typically transmitted via the transmission medium of the network"by value,"which means that the actual data of a given attachment is transmitted along with the primary e-mail message (or an attachment may be transmitted independently, with no accompanying e-mail message). One problem with current methods of transmitting email attachments is that, because of the potentially significant size of such attachments, a large amount of network communications bandwidth can be consumed in order to transmit such attachments. Costly network resources may also be required as such message and attachments traverse several nodes or elements of the network on the way from the sender to the recipient node. Additionally, the memory storage devices of local nodes of the network that often store such incoming e-mail messages and their associated attached files may be overloaded by many incoming e-mail messages.

Thus, prior art e-mail systems suffer from several disadvantages. There is, therefore, a need for methods and systems for providing for attachments for e-mail messages that more efficiently utilize processor and communications medium bandwidth and memory storage in a computer communications network.

US 5,781, 901 addresses this problem by locating "attachments" at pre-selected network addresses, which are accessible by the recipients of the e-mail. The e-mail contains a link to the address as opposed to the"attachment" itself. Hence, the system allows access to the attachment without utilising the bandwidth, which would have been required to transmit the attachment to all of the recipients.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a terminal for transmitting an electronic mail message to two or more recipients, the terminal including means for generating text in the electronic mail message; means for generating an attachment file; means for attaching said file to the electronic mail message; means for transmitting said electronic mail message to said at least two recipients and means for selecting a first sub-set of said recipient to receive the text and the attachment and a second sub-set of said recipient to receive the electronic mail message text only.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of transmitting an electronic mail message to two or more recipients, the method including the following steps: a) generating text in the electronic mail message; b) generating an attachment file and attaching said file to the electronic mail message; c) transmitting said electronic mail message to said at least two recipients; and d) selecting a first sub-set of said recipient to receive the text and the attachment and a second sub-set of said recipient to receive the electronic mail message text only.

According to a third aspect of the resent invention there is provided a communications network for transmitting an electronic mail message to two or more recipients, the network including means for generating text in the electronic mail message; means for generating an attachment file; means

for attaching said file to the electronic mail message; means for transmitting said electronic mail message to said at least two recipients and means for selecting a first sub-set of said recipient to receive the text and the attachment and a second sub-set of said recipient to receive the electronic mail message text only.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a networked computer system in accordance with a the present invention; Figure 2 illustrates a user display in accordance with the present invention; and Figure 3 is a flow diagram of a method of sending an electronic mail message in accordance with the present invention.

Referring now to Figure 1, there is illustrated a networked computer system 100, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Networked computer system 100 comprises a plurality of nodes or personal computers ("PCs") 110,120, 130. Personal computer or node 110 comprises a processor 111, memory 112 and a monitor 113.

Nodes 110,120, 130 and other nodes of the network are interconnected via medium 101. Medium 101 may be, for example, a communication channel such as an Integrated Services Digital Network ("ISDN"). As will be understood, various nodes of a networked computer system may be connected through a variety of communication media, including local area networks ("LANs"), plain-old telephone lines ("POTS"), sometimes referred to as public switched telephone networks

("PSTN"), and the like. Various nodes of a network may also constitute computer system users interconnected via a network such as the Internet. As will be appreciated, each user of a network has a unique address or identification within the network. As used herein,"user"may be utilized interchangeably with a node of a network. Thus, each user or node has a particular network address within a given network that uniquely identifies the user or node. Those skilled in the art will understand, however, that this usage is to be distinguished from an actual human user who may also have a unique address, such as an e-mail address, that is not related to the network address of any particular node of the network, since human users can often access e-mail messages from arbitrary nodes within the network. However a human user at a given point in time while using a network uses a particular node having a unique network address as discussed above.

The node processor 111 is preferably a general-purpose programmable processor. As will be appreciated, the various peripherals and components of a node such as those of node 110 may vary from those of other nodes. Thus, node 120 and node 130 may be configured identically to or differently than node 110, as will also be understood. It will further be understood that a node may be implemented on any suitable computer system in addition to personal computer systems.

The system 100 illustrates a network such as a LAN, which may be used to interconnect a variety of users that may communicate with each other, for example with e-mail messages. Attached to the LAN are a plurality of users such as PCs 110, 120, 130. A user may also be connected to the LAN

via a server 140 or other means (not shown). As will be appreciated, system 100 comprises other types of nodes or elements, such as centralised post office server 150 and other routers, servers, and nodes (not shown). As will be appreciated, a post office server 150 is a special type of server typically having a directory of the users or a subset of users on the LAN of which the post office server 150 is attached, and serves as a repository of incoming mail for its users. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, in prior art e-mail techniques, a sending user such as PC 110 desiring to send and e-mail message with one or more attachments to a recipient such as PC 120 transmits the email message plus attachment to the LAN for delivery to PC 120. The message and attachment are stored centrally at post office server 150, which then communicates to PC 120 through the LAN to inform the user of PC 120 that it has received email. When the user of PC 120 selects an option running on a local version of an e-mail application program compatible with LAN 201, the e-mail message and any selected attachment are transmitted from centralised post office server 150 to PC 120 across LAN 101.

Referring to Figure 2, there is illustrated a computer monitor 113, which illustrates a screen 200 as seen by a user utilising a communications system in accordance with the present invention.

As illustrated in Figure2 and 3, a user utilises the

system 100 to send an e-mail, as follows. Firstly a user

opens a new e-mail template 210 (Box 300, within the e-mail () () e system, such as Microsoft/Outlookj. The user then drafts the text of the email in the appropriate field 220 of the

template (Box 310). An attachment 220 is then attached to the e-mail. The user then selects the recipients to receive the e-mail with and those to receive the e-mail without the attachment (Box 300). This is done by entering the e-mail address of recipients to receive the attachment in the"TO" field 240 of the template 210. Recipients who are to receive the e-mail without the attachment are entered in the"NO ATTACHMENTS"field 250 of the template 210. Other recipients can be entered into the CC field 260.

The e-mail is then sent to the recipients by selecting the"SEND"key on the system tool bar (not shown).

Modifications may be incorporated without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A terminal for transmitting an electronic mail message to two or more recipients, the terminal including means for generating text in the electronic mail message; means for generating an attachment file; means for attaching said file to the electronic mail message; means for transmitting said electronic mail message to said at least two recipients and means for selecting a first sub-set of said recipient to receive the text and the attachment and a second sub-set of said recipient to receive the electronic mail message text only.

2. A terminal as claimed in claim 1, comprising an email template with separate fields for recipients who are to receive the attachment and those who are not to receive the attachment.

3. A method of transmitting an electronic mail message to two or more recipients, the method including the following steps: e) generating text in the electronic mail message; f) generating an attachment file and attaching said file to the electronic mail message; g) transmitting said electronic mail message to said at least two recipients; and h) selecting a first sub-set of said recipient to receive the text and the attachment and a second sub-set of said recipient to receive the electronic mail message text only.

4. A communications network for transmitting an electronic mail message to two or more recipients, the network including means for generating text in the electronic mail message; means for generating an attachment file; means for attaching said file to the electronic mail message; means for transmitting said electronic mail message to said at least two recipients and means for selecting a first sub-set of said recipient to receive the text and the attachment and a second sub-set of said recipient to receive the electronic mail message text only.

5. A network as claimed in claim 4, comprising an e-mail template with separate fields for recipients who are to receive the attachment and those who are not to receive the attachment.