Download of Current Portions of Email Messages

• US 20090248813A1
• Filed: 04/01/2008
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sawhney, Ishdeep
• Granted Patent: US 8,990,313 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 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

In general, this disclosure describes techniques of enabling devices to download only current portions of email messages without downloading historical portions of the email messages. For instance, when an email client generates a reply email message to an original email message, the reply email message includes a current portion and a historical portion. The current portion of the reply email message includes new information and the historical portion of the reply email message includes the original email message. The techniques of this disclosure enable devices to download the current portions of email messages without downloading the historical portions of the email messages.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a server, an original email message that is a child email message of a second email message, the original email message including a current portion and a historical portion, the current portion containing content not in the second email message and the historical portion containing a copy of the second email message;

generating, at the server, a truncated email message that includes the current portion of the original email message and excludes the historical portion of the original email message; and

transmitting the truncated email message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the truncated email message comprises:

determining whether the original email message includes a portion partition header field that indicates a start of the historical portion of the original email message; and

generating, when it is determined that the original email message includes the portion partition header field, the truncated email message such that the truncated email message contains all bytes of the original email message up to the start of the historical portion of the original email message, thereby removing the historical portion of the original email message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the truncated email message comprises:

determining whether the original email message includes a string indicative of a start of the historical portion of the original email message; and

generating, when the original email message includes the string, the truncated email message such that the truncated email message includes portions of the original email message that precede the string and does not include portions of the original email message that follow the string.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the truncated email message to comprises wirelessly transmitting the truncated email message to a wireless handheld device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

storing the original email message in a database;

receiving, at the server after transmitting the truncated email message, a request for the original email message;

retrieving, in response to the request, the original email message from the database; and

transmitting, in response to the request, the historical portion of the original email message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the original email message is a reply to the second email message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the original email message is a forward of the second email message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the truncated email message comprises transmitting the truncated email message to a device that dynamically recovers the original email message by appending an email message that contains the historical portion of the original email message to the truncated email message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the truncated email message comprises including a truncation header field in the truncated email message that indicates that the truncated email message is a truncation.

10. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to:

receive an incoming truncated email message associated with a first email message this is a child email message of a second email message, the first email message including a current portion and a historical portion, the current portion containing content not in the second email message and the historical portion containing a copy of the second email message, the incoming truncated email message including the current portion of the first email message and excluding the historical portion of the first email message;

recover, after reception of the incoming truncated email message, the first email message; and

cause a presentation device to present the first message.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the device to:

add, in response to a request to send an outgoing email message this is a child email message of a third email message, the outgoing email message including a current portion, a historical portion, and a “

portion partition”

header field that indicates a start of the historical portion of the outgoing email message, the current portion of the outgoing email message containing content not in the second email message and the historical portion of the outgoing email message containing a copy of the second email message; and

transmit the outgoing email message to a server that generates an outgoing truncated email message that contains the current portion of the outgoing email message and excludes the historical portion of the email message and transmits the outgoing truncated email message to a client device.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the device to receive the request via a network from a client device.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the device to receive the request via a user input device connected to the device.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the device to cause a presentation device to present the truncated email message.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 10,

wherein the instructions further cause the device to store, in a message cache, an email message that contains the historical portion of the first email message;

and

wherein the instructions that cause the device to recover the first email message cause the device to recover, after reception of the incoming truncated email message, the first email message by appending the email message that contains the historical portion of the first email message to the incoming truncated email message.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the device to automatically recover the first email message.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15,

wherein the incoming truncated email message includes a reference header field that specifies a message identifier;

and

wherein, when the device recovers the first email message, the instructions cause the device to identify the email message that contains the historical portion of the first email message by searching the message cache for an email message that includes a message identifier header field that specifies the message identifier specified by the reference header field of the incoming truncated email message.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions that cause the device to recover the first email message comprise instructions that cause the device to cause the device to send a request to the server for the first email message.

19. A communication system comprising:

a first email server;

a second email server;

a first client device;

a second client device; and

a network that facilitates communication between the first email server, the second email server, and the sending client device;

wherein the first client device comprises;

a network interface that enables the sending client device to send data on the network;

an incoming message module that receives a first email message;

an interface presentation module that receives a command from a user to send a second email message that includes a current portion and a historical portion that includes the first email message,

wherein the second email message is related to the first email message by a relationship selected from a group consisting of;

(i) the second email message is a reply to the first email message; and

(ii) the second email message is a forward of the first email message;

an outgoing message module that includes a “

portion partition”

header field that indicates a start of the historical portion of the second email message; and

a transmission module that causes the network interface of the first client device to send the second email message to the first email server via the network;

wherein the first email server sends the second email message to the second email server;

wherein the second email server comprises;

a network interface that enables the second email server to receive data from the network and to send data on the network;

an incoming message module that receives the second email message;

a truncation module that;

(1) determines whether the second email message includes the “

portion partition”

header field; and

(2) generates, when it is determined that the second email message includes the “

portion partition”

header field, a truncated email message that includes all of the second email message prior to the start of the historical portion of the second email message;

a transmission module that causes the network interface of the second email server to forward the truncated email message to the second client device;

wherein the second client device comprises;

a presentation device that is capable of displaying data;

a message cache that is capable of storing email messages;

an incoming message module that receives the truncated email message and stores the truncated email message in the message cache;

an interface presentation module that causes the presentation device to present an interface that displays the truncated email message;

a message recovery module that;

(i) determines whether the truncated email message includes a reference header field that specifies a message identifier;

(ii) determines, when it is determined that the truncated email message includes the reference header field that specifies the message identifier, whether the message cache stores an email message that includes a message identifier header field that specifies a message identifier that is equal to the message identifier specified by the reference header field of the truncated email message;

(iii) appends, when it is determined that the message cache stores the email message that includes the message identifier header field that specifies the message identifier that is equal to the message identifier specified by the reference header field of the truncated email message, the stored email message to the truncated email message, thereby reassembling the second email message;

(iv) sends, when it is determined that the message cache does not store the email message that includes the message identifier header field that specifies the message identifier that is equal to the message identifier specified by the reference header field of the truncated email message or when it is determined that the truncated email message does not include the reference header field that specifies the message identifier, a request for the second email message; and

(v) receives, in response to the request for the second email message, the second email message;

wherein after the message recovery module recovers the second email message, the interface presentation module causes the presentation device to display the second email message.

20. The system of claim 19,

wherein the system further comprises a third email server;

wherein the network further facilitates communication between the first email server, the second email server, the third email server, and the sending client device;

wherein when the second server forward the truncated email message to the second client device, the second server forwards the truncated email message to the third server via the network; and

wherein when the third email server receives the truncated email message, the third email server wirelessly transmits the truncated email message to the second client device.