Patent Document ID: 9634977
Application ID: 14015989

Base Claim:
1. A method of addressing private comments to restricted recipients in a context of a public message, the method including: providing a user interface application installed and running within a user computing device that visually distinguishes private comments embedded inline with public comments by tagging of the private comments within a message entry area shared by the private and public comments and uses the tagging of the private comments to link the private comments with the restricted recipients to whom they are directed; receiving input that represents private comments embedded in a public message, which is directed to more recipients than the private comments are directed to, during authoring of the public message; and directing the private comments privately to the restricted recipients when the public message is dispatched.

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Claim 5:
5. The method of claim 1 , further including: formatting the public message without blank spaces where a private comment has been removed, whereby it is not apparent to viewers who are not the restricted recipients of the private comment where the private comment was embedded.