Patent ID: 8364763

Claim:
A method for removing email forwarding duplication, comprising: creating via an email client a first forwarding email to send an email to a recipient list, the email assigned a unique identifier; retrieving via the email client an aggregate recipient list associated with the unique identifier, the aggregate recipient list comprising recipients previously sent the email, the aggregate recipient list being stored on a data storage device, wherein both the aggregate recipient list and the data storage device are commonly accessible to multiple email clients; comparing via the email client the recipient list of the first forwarding email with the aggregate recipient list; identifying a duplicate recipient based on the comparing of the first forwarding email with the aggregate recipient list; removing via the email client the duplicate recipient from the recipient list of the first forwarding email; sending via the email client the first forwarding email to the recipient list, the recipient list having been modified as a result of the removing of the duplicate recipient from the recipient list of the first forwarding email, the recipient list comprising a first recipient and a second recipient; adding recipients of the sent first forwarding email to a same instance of the aggregate recipient list; adding a third recipient to the same instance of the aggregate recipient list in response to the first recipient both receiving and then directly forwarding the first forwarding email in a second forwarding email to the third recipient, wherein the added third recipient is a first instance of the third recipient in the aggregate recipient list; and adding a fourth recipient to the same instance of the aggregate recipient list in response to the second recipient both receiving and then directly forwarding the first forwarding email in a third forwarding email to the fourth recipient, wherein the added fourth recipient is an initial instance of the fourth recipient in the aggregate recipient list.