Selective Email Postscript Routing via Intermediary Server

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing email systems lack the ability to attach additional notes or instructions that can be sent only to selected recipients without revealing them to all addressees, posing privacy and security risks and lacking etiquette.

Innovation Solution

A system that partitions email recipients into main and secondary groups, allowing users to append and encrypt additional messages for secondary recipients, which are routed through a standalone server to be selectively displayed with the main email, while maintaining privacy and security.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If additional notes or instructions are included in the main email body, then all recipients receive the same message, but this compromises privacy and security by revealing information to unintended recipients

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprivacy and securityVSAvoidemail composition
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the email content into a main message portion and separate additional notes or instructions. The main message is sent to all recipients, while the additional notes are selectively appended only to specific recipients' copies based on predefined criteria or user selection, thereby protecting privacy while maintaining operational simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary processing system that acts as a mediator between the sender and recipients. This system automatically manages the selective distribution of additional notes by intercepting the email, identifying target recipients, appending appropriate notes to their copies, and delivering the customized messages, thus eliminating the need for manual composition of multiple separate emails.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If separate emails are sent to different recipient groups, then privacy is maintained, but this increases the complexity of email sending and management

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveprivacyVSAvoidemail sending system
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple email sending operations into a single unified action. The sender composes one email with main content and specifies additional notes for different recipient groups in a single interface. The system then automatically processes this unified input, generating and sending customized email copies to different recipients without requiring the sender to manually compose and send separate emails, thus reducing operational complexity while maintaining privacy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a self-service system where the email platform automatically handles the complex task of selective note distribution. The system autonomously identifies recipients, appends appropriate additional notes based on predefined rules or user specifications, and manages the delivery process without requiring manual intervention for each recipient, thereby maintaining privacy while minimizing the burden on the sender.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Adaptability or versatility

If CC or BCC fields are used for notification, then all recipients are informed, but this lacks the ability to provide personalized instructions to specific groups

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverecipient-specific communicationVSAvoidinformation privacy
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by allowing different portions of the email content to be distributed to different recipient groups. The main message serves as a common foundation for all recipients, while additional localized notes or instructions are selectively appended only to specific recipients or groups based on their roles, relationships to the sender, or other criteria, thereby providing personalized communication while maintaining overall information privacy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP2266051B1Method of adding a postscript message to an email
Publication Date: 2022.08.17 RPOST INT LTD
  • EP2266051B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2266051B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2266051B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A system and method providing for appending of a note or instruction to the contents of an email such that the note or instructions is only appended to emails of selected recipients of a group of recipients, with only the email going to the other recipients of the group of recipients is provided.