Patent ID: 7120670
Filing Date: 2006-10-10
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A data communication device comprising: recipient accepting means for accepting designation of one or more e-mail addresses as recipients for an e-mail for each transmission configuration, which includes ‘To’, ‘CC’ and/or ‘BCC’ sending means for sending the e-mail via broadcast transmission to multiple e-mail addresses the designation of which is accepted by the recipients accepting means; storing means for storing in a storage device the multiple e-mail addresses to which the e-mail was sent by the sending means via broadcast transmission; receiving means for receiving a reply e-mail to the e-mail sent via broadcast transmission from one of the multiple e-mail addresses that is not an e-mail address having the ‘BCC’ description to which the e-mail was sent via broadcast transmission by the sending means; address determining means for determining, after said reply e-mail is received, whether an e-mail address having a ‘BCC’ designation is included in the stored addresses to which the e-mail was sent via broadcast transmission from said sending means; and reply e-mail sending means for selectively sending a copy of the reply e-mail received by the receiving means to the e-mail address designated as ‘BCC’ based on the e-mail addresses stored in the storage device in accordance with the result of the determination made by said determining means.