WO2002035401A1 - Multi-attachment/email programm - Google Patents

Abstract

A multi-attachment e-mail related invention is described. The invention includes a program that creates a single window within which all operations relating to attaching different files and sending different e-mails to many different recipients can be conducted. The program can be used with both normal e-mail systems and web-base e-mail systems. The program simplifies and speeds the attachment/e-mail operations dramatically, but still allows the conventional method of sending e-mails/attachments. The system realises the function of 'sending different e-mails to different recipients with different attachments' simultaneously.

Description

Multi-Attachment/Email Program

This invention relates to improvements in sending multiple attachments and Emails to different recipients.

For many people, who send and receive Emails every day, it is inconvenient and time-consuming to send different documents as email attachments to different people one after another.

AN EXAMPLE OF THE PROBLEM

It is easy to send an Email with the same attachment to many people with only one "click'^'' of the button. However, it is very hard if different people are to receive different Attachments/Emails. The same procedure has to be repeated many times. The procedure would be:

After getting into an Email system (login), one needs to: Open a window to compose the text, Insert the particular recipient's Email address, Attach the particular file with a series of operations, send, Go back to the previous screen (or wherever else), Then the same procedure has to be repeated for a second recipient.

EXAMPLE 1

Using Hotmail for instance, the procedures are:

1. Login

2. Click the "compose" button

3. Write the recipient's Email address in the relevant area

4. (When you need to attach files,) click '^•Attachments" button 5. "Browse"

6. "Attach to message" button

7. "Done" button

8. Go back to the "compose" mode

9. Compose the text of the Email

10. Then "Send" button.

Note:

Step [3], step [4,5,6,7,8] as a group, and step [9] can be shifted. One can either do step [3] first, or step [4,5,6,7,8] as a group first, or step [9] first.

The above procedure has to be repeated if different Emails with different text/attachments etc. are to be sent to different recipients. This could happen if those receivers are totally irrelevant to each other.

The user has to go in and out of many windows, and click many buttons many times before they can send all the files with different content to different people.

The traditional method for dealing with multi-attachments/Emails is both monotonous and time consuming.

AN EXAMPLE OF THE SOLUTION

The problems mentioned above can be overcome by the present invention, which provides an efficient computer program to deal with multiple Attachments/Emails activities.

By running this program:

• The users can solve the above problems with very simple procedures;

• Users can compose different Email texts at the same time. They do not have to wait to write a second Email until the first one is completed.

• The users still have the option to use the traditional method for attaching/sending files and Emails. The basic technical design of this computer program is to create a single window with many entries where the users enter the details of particular attachments, files, text, and Email addresses for different recipients. The users can select the number of entries they require. The window can be scrolled enabling the users to complete all their operations within one window,

EXAMPLE 2

By running the program, the computer is to create a single window for all operations; for example:

Note: more "rows" or ''entries" are automatically created when the penultimate row is finished.

Row One:

This comprises a series of functional buttons, making the attachment/Email process more convenient.

Column One (Address):

• This is a list of names (potential recipients) linked with relevant email address.

• By clicking the names, the relevant names and email address will automatically appear on the Column Two, and Column Three,

Column Two (Recipient's Name):

• This area can be typed in. or

• Simply ci eated by clicking Column One.

Column Three (Recipient's Email address):

• This area can be typed in, by browsing some specific email address, or • Simply created by clicking Column One.

Column Four (Attachments):

• Files can be browsed into this area.

Column Five (Comments):

• Users can write comments, notes etc. The space in this column is horizontally & vertically scrollable and therefore the text can be any length. In this view, it is similar to traditional emails.

Column Six (Send):

• By clicking the "send" button, the user sends out one piece of information to one recipient.

• By clicking the "send all" button, the user sends out the current information and all information previously entered in the above entries.

• The user has the option to send information to one person, several selected persons, or all.

• The user is able to continue to compose email text while the other emails are being sent out.

The above functions which solve the multi-attachments/Emails problem can be achieved by running the computer program we have successfully developed using mainly Visual Basic, JAVA, and ASP etc.

The realization of the functions provided by our multi-attachment/Email system is not restricted to the computer languages mentioned above. What we have developed are the functions, the technical design, and the format to solve the traditional attachment/email problems by this multi- attachment/Email system, not the programming languages behind the functions.

Claims

The claims defining our computer program invention are as follows:

A multi-attachment/Email program, applicable to both normal Email systems (like Microsoft outlook express) and web-based Email systems (like Yahoo mail and Hotmail), which enables users to send many different Emails with different attachments to different recipients simultaneously with all operations being done within only one window.