Erroneous communication prevention apparatus for electronic mail

Abstract

An electronic mail client includes features for preventing addressing errors in electronic messaging such as those caused by predictive text features. A messaging client tracks addressing parameters including the length of time since each previous addressee has been messaged, the quantity of times selected addressees have been co-addressees on messages, if any, whether the addressees are designated as sensitive and whether the messages contain sensitive subject matter. If a high risk of addressing error is determined, the client delays transmission of the message to permit the user to review the message recipient addresses and correct any erroneous addressees.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12 / 372,647, filed Feb. 17, 2009, (U.S. Pat. No. 9,560,003 issued Jan. 31, 2017), which claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61 / 028,846, filed Feb. 14, 2008, which applications are expressly incorporated herein, in their entireties.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Field[0003]The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for preventing transmitting of electronic mail or messages to erroneous-selected recipients.[0004]2. Description of Related Art[0005]Many programs, both web-based and locally executed, and across platforms such as personal computers, PDAs and cellular phones, use predictive text to reduce the number of keystrokes used to identify the addressee of a communication, Some modalities use voice recognition or otherwise avoid the use of finger-driven input at all. Predictive text systems generally store lists of past address...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent text describes a method for reducing the risk of sending incorrect emails by verifying the frequency of mail sent to a selected address in the past. The system generates a confirmation query if there has been no communication with a designated address for a certain period of time. The user can confirm or correct the address, and the system prevents sending the email if the confirmation is not confirmed. Additionally, the system allows the user to designate sensitive recipients or categories of recipients to further reduce the risk of addressing errors.

Problems solved by technology

With the decreased level of input required to identify a addressee comes an increased risk of the predictive text identifying the wrong addressee.

If the error is not noticed by the human operator addressing the message, the message may be transmitted to the wrong recipient.

Therefore, for users of predictive text features, a message can be all too easily sent to the wrong recipient, resulting in disrupted communications, confusion, embarrassment, breach of confidentiality, or other adverse consequences.

Other email addressing functions may also lead to incorrect addressees being added to a message.

Other addressing errors may be caused by selecting the wrong message to reply to or just unintentionally selecting the wrong addressee for some other reason.

There is no obvious solution to this problem, however, because the speed and convenience that is the purpose of predictive texting and other features is contrary to the purpose of increasing accuracy and reducing risk or error.

It is difficult to conceive of a solution that effectively satisfies these diverse and contrary objectives.

Without consistently correct addressing, the electronic message system, including the messaging client, has no utility or value.

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