Email delivery system using metadata on emails to manage virtual storage

• US 20050267941A1
• Filed: 05/27/2004
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Selligent, Inc. (CM Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: StrongView Systems Incorporated (Selligent, S.A.)
• Inventors: Addante, Frank, McQuillen, Tim, Shaitan, Junior
• Granted Patent: US 7,698,369 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/145 the attack involving the propagation of malware through the network, e.g. viruses, trojans or worms

Abstract

E-mail system which organizes e-mails into queues based on their locations and characterizes the e-mails. Metadata, indicative of the e-mail, is appended to the e-mail. The queues are organized based on the metadata, and processed. The metadata is always stored in local storage; and the message body may be stored in local storage, or in remote storage, depending on how long it will be until the message is sent. A special server manages whether the information is stored in local or remote storage.

Claims

1. An e-mail system comprising:

a memory, storing a plurality of the e-mail, at least number of said e-mails including the data associated with the e-mail which represents a state of processing of the e-mail; and

an e-mail processing element, which reads the e-mail and determines a next action for delivery of the e-mail based at least partly on said metadata.

2. A system as in claim 1, wherein said metadata includes a quality of service guarantee, and said e-mail processing element determines a priority for e-mail processing based on said quality of service guarantee metadata.

3. A system as in claim 1, wherein said metadata indicates a state of asynchronous processing of the e-mail, and said e-mail processing element determines whether the e-mail is ready for delivery based on said state of asynchronous processing.

4. A system as in claim 3, wherein said asynchronous processing is a state of DNS lookup, where said metadata indicates the state of DNS lookup, and said e-mail processing element determines whether the message is ready for sending based on said state of said DNS lookup.

5. A system as in claim 3, wherein said asynchronous processing includes an indication of whether a specified service has been requested for the e-mail.

6. A system as in claim 5, wherein said specified service is an antivirus check.

7. A system as in claim 5, wherein said metadata also includes an indication of whether the service has been completed.

8. A system as in claim 3, wherein said asynchronous processing includes an indication of whether other e-mails need to be sent to recipient before the e-mail prior to this e-mail.

9. A system comprising:

a storage unit, storing a plurality of messages to be electronically sent, each of said messages including associated metadata describing information about the message, said storage unit including local storage which stores a first amount of information describing imminent messages, which are more likely to be sent, and storing a second amount of information, less than said first amount of information, describing non-imminent messages which are less likely to be sent, said storage unit also including remote storage, which stores additional information about said messages; and

a processor, operating to determine information about each message, and to manage an amount of information about the message which is stored locally.

10. A system as in claim 9, wherein each message includes a message body, message routing information, and said metadata.

11. A system as in claim 10, wherein said metadata includes service metadata that describes operations that need to occur to the message.

12. A system as in claim 10, wherein said metadata includes business metadata that defines information about the form of the message.

13. A system as in claim 10, wherein said metadata includes history metadata which describes a history of processing of the message.

14. A system as in claim 10, wherein said processor includes a message handling agent that obtains information about the e-mail from the metadata, and defines information regarding queues of e-mails.

15. A system as in claim 9, wherein said processor operates to determine queues of e-mails, said queues representing e-mails to be sent to locations which have certain common features.

16. A system as in claim 15, wherein said processor further operates to determine a rate of sending to said locations, and to manage the queues based on information indicative of said rate of sending.

17. A system as in claim 9, wherein said metadata represents a priority of sending of the message.

18. A system as in claim 9, wherein said metadata represents a quality of service associated with the message.

19. A system as in claim 9, wherein said metadata represents a virtual identification information about the message.

20. A system as in claim 9, wherein said metadata represents a service to be carried out on the message.

21. A system as in claim 20, wherein said service is a virus scan, and said metadata indicates whether the virus scan is complete.

22. A system as in claim 9, wherein said metadata represents a strategy for resending.

23. A system as in claim 9, wherein said imminent messages are messages are likely to be be sent within a predetermined period, and said non-imminent messages are messages which are less likely to be sent within said predetermined period.

24. A method, comprising:

storing information indicative of a plurality of message information in local storage;

storing other message information in nonlocal storage, including additional information about some of the message information stored in said local storage; and

managing information which is stored in said local storage and said nonlocal storage, such that messages which will be sent imminently have a first amount of information stored in said local storage, and messages which will not be sent imminently have a second amount of information stored in said local storage, where said second amount is less than said first amount.

25. A method as in claim 24, wherein said messages which will be sent imminently are messages which are likely to be sent within a predetermined number of cycles of operation.

26. A method as in claim 24, wherein said local storage stores metadata about the messages as said first amount of information, and stores substantially the complete message in said second amount of information.

27. A method as in claim 26, wherein said metadata includes service metadata that describes operations that need to occur to the message.

28. A method as in claim 26, wherein said metadata includes business metadata that defines information about the form of the message.

29. A method as in claim 26, wherein said metadata includes history metadata which describes a history of processing of the message.

30. A method as in claim 26, further comprising:

obtaining information about the e-mail from the metadata, and

defining information regarding queues of e-mails where each email in the queue has certain common features.

31. A method as in claim 30, further comprising determining a rate of sending to said locations, and to manage the queues based on information indicative of said rate of sending.

32. A method as in claim 26, further comprising using said metadata to represent a priority of sending of the message.

33. A method as in claim 26, further comprising using said metadata to represent a quality of service associated with the message.

34. A method as in claim 26, further comprising using said metadata to represent a virtual identification information about the message.

35. A method as in claim 26, further comprising using said metadata to represent a service to be carried out on the message.

36. A method as in claim 26, further comprising using said metadata to represent a virus scan, and said metadata indicates whether the virus scan is complete.

37. A method as in claim 26, wherein said metadata represents a strategy for resending.