Criteria-Based Email Recipient Selection System
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Senders of electronic mail often face difficulties in conveniently specifying large or dynamic lists of recipients, as existing methods are limited to pre-specified distribution lists or require manual entry of email addresses, which is time-consuming and inflexible.
Innovation Solution
A digital processing system that allows senders to specify criteria for determining recipients, querying an enterprise data store to identify matching recipients based on pre-defined fields, comparison operators, and values, enabling flexible and automated recipient selection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If senders use pre-specified distribution lists or manual entry of email addresses, then the email system maintains simplicity in recipient specification, but the time required to specify recipients increases and flexibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by allowing senders to specify recipient criteria using natural language or simple parameters, and the system automatically resolves these criteria to identify matching recipients from the enterprise data store, eliminating the need for manual address entry or pre-specified distribution lists
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary component (email server or client software) that acts as a mediator between the sender's simple criteria specification and the complex recipient identification process, automatically querying the enterprise data store and resolving criteria to recipient lists
2Adaptability or versatility
If senders use pre-specified distribution lists, then the process is simple, but the system lacks flexibility to target dynamic or custom recipient groups
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides universality by enabling multiple recipient specification methods (pre-specified distribution lists, manual entry, and criteria-based automatic identification) within a single email system, allowing users to choose the most appropriate method for each situation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamics by allowing recipient lists to be dynamically generated based on criteria that can adapt to changing business needs, such as department changes, location changes, or role changes, without requiring manual updates to distribution lists
3Measurement precision
If manual entry of email addresses is required, then precision in recipient identification can be maintained, but the time and effort required increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-organizing enterprise data (employee information, departments, locations, roles) in a structured data store with defined relationships, enabling fast and accurate criteria-based queries without requiring manual address entry at the time of sending
Data Source
AI summary
Specifying desired list of recipients in electronic mails. According to an aspect, a digital processing system receives a criteria for determining the recipients of an email communication, and in response queries an enterprise data store to identify a set of recipients matching the received criteria. The digital processing system then forwards the email communication to the identified set of recipients. In one embodiment the digital processing system is an email server and in another embodiment is a end user system, used by a user to compose the email communication.