METHOD, APPARATUS AND SYSTEM AND FOR REDUCING DOWNLOAD OF REDUNDANT ATTACHMENTS

• US 20100250705A1
• Filed: 03/27/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: WILSON, Nicholas Bryson
• Granted Patent: US 8,527,608 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method, apparatus and system for reducing download of redundant attachments to a communication device from a server is provided. An identifier of an attachment to a message, for transmission from the server to the communication device, is compared with identifiers of attachments already stored in a memory at the communication device. The communication device is caused to retrieve a copy of the attachment from the memory if a match is found between the identifier and the identifiers of attachments already stored in the memory.

Claims

1. A method for reducing download of redundant attachments to a communication device from a server, the method comprising:

comparing an identifier of an attachment to a message, for transmission from said server to said communication device, with identifiers of attachments already stored in a memory at said communication device; and

causing said communication device to retrieve a copy of said attachment from said memory if a match is found between said identifier and said identifiers of attachments already stored in said memory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if no match is found between said identifier and said identifiers of attachments already stored in said memory, said attachment is caused to be transmitted to said communication device from said server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining a list of said identifiers of attachments already stored in a memory at said communication device at, at least one of said communication device and said server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said method is implemented in said communication device, said method further comprising receiving said identifier at said communication device, said identifier received in lieu of said attachment.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising requesting said identifier from said server.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said causing said communication device to retrieve a copy of said attachment from said memory occurs via a processing unit of said communication device.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising requesting said attachment from said server if no match is found between said identifier and said identifiers of attachments already stored in said memory.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said method is implemented in said server, and said causing said communication device to retrieve said copy of said attachment comprises transmitting said identifier and said message to said communication device to trigger retrieval of said copy of said attachment from said memory based on said identifier.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said identifier and said identifiers of attachments already stored in said memory at said communication device comprise a hash of each respective attachment and said attachments already stored in said memory.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating said identifier.

11. A server for reducing download of redundant attachments to a communication device, the server comprising:

a communication interface for communicating with said communication device;

a processing unit in communication with said communication interface, said processing unit enabled to;

compare an identifier of an attachment to a message for transmission from said server to said communication device with identifiers of attachments already stored in a memory at said communication device; and

cause said communication device to retrieve a copy of said attachment from said memory if a match is found between said identifier and said identifiers of attachments already stored in said memory.

12. The server of claim 11, wherein if no match is found between said identifier and said identifiers of attachments already stored in said memory, said attachment is transmitted to said communication device from said server.

13. The server of claim 11, further comprising a server memory for maintaining a list of said identifiers of attachments already stored in said memory at said communication device.

14. The server of claim 11, wherein said processing unit is further enabled to cause said communication device to retrieve said copy of said attachment by transmitting said identifier and said message to said communication device to trigger retrieval of said copy of said attachment from said memory based on said identifier.

15. The server of claim 11, wherein each of said identifier and said identifiers of attachments already stored in a memory at said communication device comprise a hash of each respective said attachment and said attachments already stored in said memory.

16. The server of claim 11, wherein said processing unit is further enabled to generate said identifier.

17. A communication device for reducing download of redundant attachments to said communication device from a server, the communication device comprising:

a communication interface for communicating with said server;

a memory for storing attachments and identifiers of said attachments; and

a processing unit in communication with said communication interface and said memory, said processing unit enabled to;

receive, from said server, via said communication interface, an identifier of an attachment to a message for transmission from said server to said communication device;

compare said identifier with said identifiers of said attachments stored in said memory; and

retrieve a copy of said attachment from said memory if a match is found between said identifier and said identifiers of attachments stored in said memory.

18. The communication device of claim 17, wherein said processing unit is further enabled to maintain a list of said identifiers of attachments stored in said memory.

19. The communication device of claim 17, wherein said processing unit is further enabled to receive, from said server, said identifier in lieu of said attachment.

20. The communication device of claim 17, wherein said processing unit is further enabled to request said identifier from said server.

21. The communication device of claim 17, wherein if no match is found between said identifier and said identifiers of attachments stored in said memory, said processing unit is enabled to retrieve said attachment from said server.

22. The communication device of claim 17, wherein each of said identifier and said identifiers of attachments stored in said memory comprise a hash of each said attachment and said attachments stored in said memory.

23. A system for reducing download of redundant attachments comprising:

a communication device and a server, in communication via a communication network;

said server enabled to;

generate an identifier of an attachment to a message for transmission from said server to said communication device; and

transmit said identifier to said communication device with said message, in lieu of said attachment; and

said communication device enabled to;

receive said identifier with said message;

compare said identifier with identifiers of attachments already stored in a memory at said communication device;

retrieve a copy of said attachment from said memory if a match is found between said identifier and said identifiers of attachments already stored in said memory; and

request said attachment from said server if a match is not found between said identifier and said identifiers of attachments already stored in said memory.

24. A computer readable storage medium storing programming instructions executable on a processor of a computing device, said programming instructions causing said computing device to:

compare an identifier of an attachment to a message, for transmission from a server to a communication device, with identifiers of attachments already stored in a memory at said communication device; and

cause said communication device to retrieve a copy of said attachment from said memory if a match is found between said identifier and said identifiers of attachments already stored in said memory.