Server-Side Search Of Email Attachments

• US 20120215786A1
• Filed: 11/11/2011
• Published: 08/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Abbott, Michael J., Jalbert, Christopher P., Koebler, Eric Richard
• Granted Patent: US 8,600,970 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/741
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• 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

An email server receives an email sent to an email account and including one or more attachments. The one or more attachments are extracted from the email into one or more temporary storage elements. Content from the temporary storage elements is indexed. The indexed content is stored along with an identifier of the email in an index corresponding to the email account. The one or more temporary storage elements is disposed of after the indexing.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by an email server, an email sent to an email account and including one or more attachments;

extracting the one or more attachments from the email into one or more temporary storage elements;

indexing content from the one or more temporary storage elements;

storing the indexed content and an identifier of the email in an index corresponding to the email account; and

disposing of the one or more temporary storage elements after the indexing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the temporary storage elements comprise files stored in a file system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the temporary storage elements comprise data stored in volatile memory and wherein the temporary storage elements are streamed from the volatile memory to the email server.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the indexing occurs whenever an email is received, copied, moved, or deleted.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the indexing occurs in response to receiving a search request.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more attachments includes text content.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more attachments further includes at least one of image, video, audio, and executable content.

8. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium storing executable instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving, by an email server, an email sent to an email account and including one or more attachments;

extracting the one or more attachments from the email into one or more temporary storage elements;

indexing content from the one or more temporary storage elements;

storing the indexed content and an identifier of the email in an index corresponding to the email account; and

disposing of the one or more temporary storage elements after the indexing.

9. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the temporary storage elements comprise files stored in a file system.

10. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the temporary storage elements comprise data stored in volatile memory and wherein the temporary storage elements are streamed from the volatile memory to the email server.

11. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the indexing occurs whenever an email is received, copied, moved, or deleted.

12. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the indexing occurs in response to receiving a search request.

13. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the one or more attachments includes text content.

14. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the one or more attachments further includes at least one of image, video, audio, and executable content.

15. A data processing system comprising:

means for receiving, by an email server, an email sent to an email account and including one or more attachments;

means for extracting the one or more attachments from the email into one or more temporary storage elements;

means for indexing content from the one or more temporary storage elements;

means for storing the indexed content and an identifier of the email in an index corresponding to the email account; and

means for disposing of the one or more temporary storage elements after the indexing.

16. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the temporary storage elements comprise files stored in a file system.

17. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the temporary storage elements comprise data stored in volatile memory and wherein the temporary storage elements are streamed from the volatile memory to the email server.

18. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the indexing occurs whenever an email is received, copied, moved, or deleted.

19. The data processing system of claim 18, wherein the indexing occurs in response to receiving a search request.

20. The data processing system of claim 19, wherein the one or more attachments includes text content.

21. The data processing system of claim 20, wherein the one or more attachments further includes at least one of image, video, audio, and executable content.