Accounting for references between a client and server that use disparate e-mail storage formats

• US 20030229644A1
• Filed: 06/10/2002
• Published: 12/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Thangarathnam, Manikandan, Natarajan, Krishnamurti
• Granted Patent: US 7,031,973 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

In one exemplary implementation, a client receives a record from a server. The record has a server identification key that uniquely identifies the record from any other records. If the record is viewable by a user in one or more folders, there are corresponding one or more associated references that indicate which one of the one or more folders the record is viewable For each of the one or more associated references, one or more new records identical to the received record are created. One or more client identification keys are assigned to the one or more new client records; wherein each of the one or more client identification keys uniquely identifies the one or more new client records. Each of the one or more new client records are synchronized to the record received from the server by mapping the one or more client identification keys to the server identification key.

Claims

1. A method of operating a client, comprising:

receiving a record from a server, the record having a server identification key that uniquely identifies the record from other records, and if the record is viewable by a user in one or more folders, there are corresponding one or more associated references that indicate from which one of the one or more folders the record is viewable;

for each of the one or more associated references, creating one or more new client records;

assigning one or more client identification keys to the one or more new client records;

wherein each of the one or more client identification keys uniquely identifies the one or more new client records; and

synchronizing each of the one or more new client records to the record received from the server by mapping the one or more client identification keys to the server identification key.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising storing the one or more new client records in one or more folders in a client database that mirrors the one or more folders indicated by the one or more associated references for the received record;

and storing the mapping of the one or more client identification keys to the server identification key in a mapping table.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising querying the mapping of the one or more client identification keys to the identification key, to identify each of the one or more new client records that correspond to the same server identification key, if changes are made by a user to the record, the one or more references, and/or one or more new client records.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising querying the mapping of the one or more client identification keys to the identification key, to identify each of the one or more new client records that correspond to the same server identification key, if changes are made by a user to the record, the one or more references, and/or the one or more new client records;

and

re-synchronizing each of the one or more new client records to the record received from the server by mapping the one or more client identification keys to the server identification key, to reflect the changes made by the user.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising constructing a mapping table by storing the mapping of the one or more client identification keys to the server identification key of the record received from the server.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the client is operating a Microsoft®

Outlook®

messaging program and the server is a Lotus Domino/Notes type server.

7. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform the method as recited in claim 1.

8. A method, comprising:

operating an e-mail application program on a client that uses a different storage format than a server for storing records associated with the e-mail application program;

ascertaining server identification keys from records received from the server, the server identification keys uniquely identifying each of the records; and

creating a mapping table that uses the server identification key as a basis to synchronize one or more new client records associated with the records when performing at least one of storing, adding, modifying and deleting the records or the one or more new client records.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein e-mail application program is Microsoft®

Outlook®

application software.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the server is a Lotus Domino/Notes type server.

11. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the records contain one or more references that indicate that the records are viewable by a user in one or more folders.

12. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising storing the one or more new client records in one or more folders and later using the server identification key from the mapping table to identify any of the one or more new records that are related.

13. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform the method as recited in claim 8.

14. A method of operating a client, comprising:

receiving a record from a server associated with an e-mail application program, the record having one or more references indicating folders from which the record can be viewed by a user;

for each of the one or more references, creating one or more corresponding ii new records;

storing the one or more new records in a database resident with the client in folders indicated by the one or more references; and

mapping each of the one or more corresponding new records to the record received from the server.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein mapping each of the one or more corresponding new records to the record received from the server includes ascertaining an identification key from the record and storing the identification key with the new records.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising updating the mapping for each of the one or more corresponding new records to the record received from the server, when the record received from the server or the one or more the new records are moved, deleted, added and/or modified.

17. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform the method as recited in claim 14.

18. A client, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to said processor;

a display coupled to said processor;

at least one input device coupled to said processor;

an e-mail application program connector, coupled to said processor, for receiving a record from a server couple-able thereto, the e-mail application program connector configured to create new records identical to the received record to accommodate for a different storage format used by the client to maintain records than the server, and a mapping table, stored in the memory to synchronize the new records that are identical to the received record, in the event there are changes made to any of the new records or the received record.

19. The client as recited in claim 18, wherein the e-mail application program connector server to interface an e-mail application program containing computer-executable instructions executable by the processor.

20. The client as recited in claim 18, wherein the received record has one or more references indicative of one or more folders in which the record is viewable by a user.

21. A system, comprising:

means for receiving a record from a server, the record having a server identification key that uniquely identifies the record from any other records, and if the record is viewable by a user in one or more folders, there are corresponding one or more associated references that indicate which one of the one or more folders the record is viewable;

for each of the one or more associated references, means for creating one or more new client records that are the same as the record;

means for assigning one or more client identification keys to the one or more new client records;

wherein each of the one or more client identification keys uniquely identifies the one or more new client records; and

means for synchronizing each of the one or more new client records to the record received from the server by mapping the one or more client identification keys to the server identification key.

22. The system as recited in claim 21, further comprising means for storing the one or more new client records in one or more folders in a client database that mirrors the one or more folders indicated by the one or more references received from the server.

23. The system as recited in claim 21, further comprising means for querying the mapping of the one or more client identification keys to the identification key, to identify each of the one or more new client records that correspond to the same server identification key, if changes are made by a user to the record, the one or more references, and/or one or more new client records.

24. The system as recited in claim 21, further comprising means for querying the mapping of the one or more client identification keys to the identification key, to identify each of the one or more new client records that correspond to the same server identification key, if changes are made by a user to the record, the one or more references, and/or the one or more new client records;

and

means for re-synchronizing each of the one or more new client records to the record received from the server by mapping the one or more client identification keys to the server identification key, to reflect the changes made by the user.

25. The system as recited in claim 21, further comprising means for constructing a mapping table by storing the mapping of the one or more client identification keys to the server identification key of the record received from the server.

26. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors of a computer system to:

receive a record from a server, the record having a server identification key that uniquely identifies the record from any other records, and if the record is viewable by a user in one or more folders, there are corresponding one or more associated references that indicate which one of the one or more folders the record is viewable;

for each of the one or more associated references, create one or more new records that are the same as the record,

assign one or more client identification keys to the one or more new client records;

wherein each of the one or more client identification keys uniquely identifies the one or more new client records; and

synchronize each of the one or more new client records to the record received from the server by mapping the one or more client identification keys to the server identification key.

27. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computer system to store the one or more new client records in one or more folders in a client database that mirrors the one or more folders indicated by the one or more references received from the server.

28. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computer system to query the mapping of the one or more client identification keys to the identification key, to identify each of the one or more new client records that correspond to the same server identification key, if changes are made by a user to the record, the one or more references, and/or one or more new client records.

29. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computer system to query the mapping of the one or more client identification keys to the identification key, to identify each of the one or more new client records that correspond to the same server identification key, if changes are made by a user to the record, the one or more references, and/or the one or more new client records;

and

re-synchronize each of the one or more new client records to the record received from the server by mapping the one or more client identification keys to the server identification key, to reflect the changes made by the user.

30. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computer system to construct a mapping table by storing the mapping of the one or more client identification keys to the server identification key of the record received from the server.

31. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors of a computer system to:

operate an e-mail application program on a client that uses a different storage format than a server for storing records associated with the e-mail application program;

ascertain server identification keys from records received from the server, the server identification keys uniquely identifying each of the records; and

create a mapping table that uses the server identification key as a basis to synchronize one or more new client records associated with the records when performing at least one of storing, adding, modifying and deleting the records or the one or more new client records.

32. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 31, wherein the e-mail application program is Microsoft®

Outlook®

application software.

33. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 31, wherein the server is a Lotus Domino/Notes type server.

34. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 31, wherein some of the records has one or more references that indicate that the records are viewable by a user in one or more folders.

35. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 31, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computer system to store the one or more new client records in one or more folders and later using the server identification key from the mapping table to identify any of the one or more new records that are related.

36. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors of a computer system to:

receive a record from a server associated with an e-mail application program, the record having one or more references indicating folders from which the record can be viewed by a user;

for each of the one or more references, create one or more corresponding new records;

store the one or more new records in a database resident with the client in folders indicated by the one or more references; and

map each of the one or more corresponding new records to the record received from the server.

37. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 36, wherein mapping each of the one or more corresponding new records to the record received from the server includes ascertaining an identification key from the record and storing the identification key with the new records.

38. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 36, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computer system to update the mapping for each of the one or more corresponding new records to the record received from the server, when the record received from the server or the new records are moved, deleted, added and/or modified.