Generating relational structure for non-relational messages

• US 20060069700A1
• Filed: 09/19/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BLUESPACE SOFTWARE CORP. (STERLING COMPUTERS CORPORATION)
• Original Assignee: BLUESPACE SOFTWARE CORP. (STERLING COMPUTERS CORPORATION)
• Inventors: Marston, Justin, Hatch, Andrew Stuart
• Application Number:
  US11/230,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20060069700A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

A messaging server (112) provides a message store (116) for storing messages in a relational manner. A set of related messages, such as an email string between two or more people, is represented as a message container (200) having relational references to one or more submessages (210, 212, 214). The messaging server (112) processes non-relational messages sent by the server by inserting (516) tags that uniquely identify components within the message. The messaging server (112) also processes tagged or untagged non-relational messages received by the server to create (616, 618) relational counterparts in the message store (116). Relational searches can be executed on the messages in the message store (116) to perform audits or forensic analyses of the messages.

Claims

1. A computerized messaging server in an electronic messaging system, comprising:

a message store module adapted to store using a relational structure components of messages exchanged in the electronic messaging system; and

a structuring module adapted to receive a non-relational message exchanged using the messaging system, to create a relational counterpart of the non-relational message, and to store the relational counterpart in the message store module.

2. The messaging server of claim 1, wherein the structuring module comprises:

a downstream processing module adapted to analyze the non-relational message to produce a set of message components, to examine the message store module to identify any relationships between the message components of the non-relational message and the message components stored in the message store module, and to create new relational data in the message store module to reflect the identified relationships.

3. The messaging server of claim 2, wherein the message store module is further adapted to store a hash value identifying a message component and wherein the downstream processing module is further adapted to generate a hash value from a message component of the non-relational message and determine whether the hash value from the non-relational component matches the hash value identifying the message component in the message store.

4. The messaging server of claim 1, wherein the structuring module comprises:

an upstream processing module adapted to tag the non-relational message with information including unique identifiers for message components within the non-relational message.

5. The messaging server of claim 4, wherein the non-relational message is in one of a plurality of formats and wherein the upstream processing module is further adapted to identify the format of the non-relational message and insert tags specific to the format.

6. The messaging server of claim 1, further comprising:

a searching module adapted to enable relational searches on the components of messages stored in the message store module.

7. A computer program product having a computer-readable medium having computer program instructions recorded thereon for processing messages exchanged using an electronic messaging system, comprising:

a message store module adapted to store using a relational structure components of messages exchanged in the electronic messaging system; and

a structuring module adapted to create a relational counterpart of the non-relational message exchanged using the messaging system, and to store the relational counterpart in the message store module.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the structuring module comprises:

a downstream processing module adapted to analyze the non-relational, message to produce a set of message components, to examine the message store module to identify any relationships between the message components of the non-relational message and the message components stored in the message store module, and to create new relational data in the message store module to reflect the identified relationships.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the message store module is further adapted to store a hash value identifying a message component and wherein the downstream processing module is further adapted to generate a hash value from a message component of the non-relational message and determine whether the hash value from the non-relational component matches the hash value identifying the message component in the message store.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the structuring module comprises:

an upstream processing module adapted to tag the non-relational message with information including unique identifiers for message components within the non-relational message.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the non-relational message is in one of a plurality of formats and wherein the upstream processing module is further adapted to identify the format of the non-relational message and insert tags specific to the format.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising:

a searching module adapted to enable relational searches on the components of messages stored in the message store module.

13. A computer-implemented method of processing messages exchanged using an electronic messaging system, comprising:

providing a data store for storing, using a relational structure, components of messages exchanged in the electronic messaging system;

creating a relational counterpart of a non-relational message exchanged using the messaging system; and

storing the relational counterpart in the message store module.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

analyzing the non-relational message to produce a set of message components;

examining the message store module to identify any relationships between the message components of the non-relational message and the message components stored in the message store module; and

creating new relational data in the message store module to reflect the identified relationships.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data store stores a hash value identifying a message component and further comprising:

generating a hash value from a message component of the non-relational message; and

determining whether the hash value from the non-relational component matches the hash value identifying the message component in the data store.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

tagging the non-relational message with information including unique identifiers for message components within the non-relational message.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the non-relational message is in one of a plurality of formats and further comprising:

identifying the format of the non-relational message and inserting tags specific to the format.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

executing a relational search on the components of messages stored in the data store.