Method, Apparatus, and System for Adding Electronic Mail Attachment

• US 20140317210A1
• Filed: 06/30/2014
• Published: 10/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Song, Liyan, Yin, Yu
• Granted Patent: US 9,584,452 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• 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 method comprising: executing an operation on a file; obtaining a mail editing task list; determining at least one mail editing task; and sending an attachment adding instruction to a mail editing apparatus that generates the mail editing task to instruct the mail editing apparatus to add the file as an attachment of a mail corresponding to the mail editing task. Through the embodiments of the present invention, when a user executes an operation on a file, a current mail editing task list can be automatically obtained, and the file is used as an attachment of a mail corresponding to at least one determined mail editing task.

Claims

1. A method for adding an electronic mail attachment, comprising:

executing an operation on a file;

obtaining a mail editing task list, wherein the mail editing task list comprises at least one mail editing task, and wherein the mail editing task comprises information used for locating a mail editing window corresponding to the mail editing task;

determining at least one mail editing task; and

sending an attachment adding instruction to a mail editing apparatus that generates the mail editing task, wherein the attachment adding instruction comprises information used for locating a mail editing window corresponding to the mail editing task, and wherein the file or an obtaining address of the file to either instruct the mail editing apparatus to add the file to a mail that is edited in the mail editing window corresponding to the mail editing task, or add the obtaining address of the file to the mail, so that a mail sending server for sending the mail or a mail receiving server for receiving the mail obtains the file according to the obtaining address and adds the file to the mail.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information used for locating the mail editing window corresponding to the mail editing task comprises a window identifier for identifying the mail editing window.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mail editing task further comprises an identifier for identifying the mail editing apparatus, and wherein before the sending an attachment adding instruction to a mail editing apparatus that generates the mail editing task, the method further comprises determining the mail editing apparatus according to the identifier of the mail editing apparatus.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the mail editing apparatus comprises a mail editor, wherein sending the attachment adding instruction to the mail editing apparatus that generates the mail editing task comprises sending the attachment adding instruction to the mail editor by invoking an application programming interface (API) of the mail editor, wherein interface parameters of the API comprise the window identifier and the file, and wherein the mail editor is configured to add the file to a mail that is edited in the mail editing window identified by the window identifier.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the mail editing apparatus comprises a mail editor, wherein the mail editing task further comprises an identifier for identifying the mail editor, wherein sending the attachment adding instruction to the mail editing apparatus that generates the mail editing task comprises:

sending the attachment adding instruction to the mail editor by invoking an application programming interface (API) of an operating system, wherein interface parameters of the API of the operating system comprise the identifier of the mail editor and the window identifier;

determining, by the operating system, the mail editor according to the identifier of the mail editor; and

sending the attachment adding instruction to the mail editor by invoking an API of the mail editor, wherein interface parameters of the API of the mail editor comprise the window identifier and the file, and wherein the mail editor to add the file to a mail that is edited in the mail editing window identified by the window identifier.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein before determining the at least one mail editing task, the method further comprises displaying the mail editing task list for a user to perform selection, and wherein a data item of the displayed mail editing task list comprises at least one of a recipient, a mail title, and a mail content summary.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein displaying the mail editing task list comprises:

displaying a dialog box or a menu; and

displaying the mail editing task list on an interface of the dialog box, in a main window of the dialog box, or in the menu.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operation on the file comprises one of the following operations:

downloading a network file, editing a file, saving an edited file, and selecting a locally saved file.

9. A method for adding an electronic mail attachment, comprising:

starting an editing operation for a mail;

creating a mail editing task corresponding to the mail, wherein the mail editing task is one item in a mail editing task list, and wherein the mail editing task comprises information used for locating a mail editing window for editing the mail;

receiving an attachment adding instruction sent by a file operation apparatus, wherein the attachment adding instruction comprises information used for locating a mail editing window corresponding to a mail editing task that is determined from the mail editing task list, and either a file or an obtaining address of the file; and

either adding the file to a mail that is edited in the mail editing window corresponding to the determined mail editing task, or adding the obtaining address of the file to the mail, so that a mail sending server for sending the mail or a mail receiving server for receiving the mail obtains the file according to the obtaining address and adds the file to the mail.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the information used for locating the mail editing window corresponding to the mail editing task comprises a window identifier for identifying the mail editing window.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein creating the mail editing task comprises:

invoking, by a mail editing apparatus, an application programming interface (API) provided by an operating system; and

creating, in a register, a key of the mail editing task corresponding to the mail, wherein a key name of the key comprises an identifier for identifying the mail editing apparatus and the window identifier, and a key value of the key is null, or a key value of the key comprises at least one of a recipient, a mail title, and a mail content summary.

12. An apparatus for adding an electronic mail attachment, comprising:

a file operation unit configured to execute an operation on a file;

a task obtaining unit configured to obtain a mail editing task list, wherein the mail editing task list comprises at least one mail editing task, and wherein the mail editing task comprises information used for locating a mail editing window corresponding to the mail editing task;

a task determining unit configured to determine at least one mail editing task; and

an instruction sending unit configured to send an attachment adding instruction to a mail editing apparatus that generates the mail editing task, wherein the attachment adding instruction comprises information used for locating a mail editing window corresponding to the mail editing task and either the file or an obtaining address of the file, to instruct the mail editing apparatus to add the file or the obtaining address of the file to a mail that is edited in the mail editing window corresponding to the mail editing task.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the mail editing task further comprises an identifier for identifying the mail editing apparatus, and wherein the instruction sending unit is further configured to determine the mail editing apparatus according to the identifier of the mail editing apparatus.

14. An apparatus for adding an electronic mail attachment, comprising:

a mail editing operation starting unit configured to start an editing operation for a mail;

a task creating unit configured to create a mail editing task corresponding to the mail and add the mail editing task to a mail editing task list, wherein the mail editing task comprises information used for locating a mail editing window for editing the mail;

an instruction receiving unit configured to receive an attachment adding instruction sent by a file operation apparatus, wherein the attachment adding instruction comprises information used for locating a mail editing window corresponding to a mail editing task that is determined from the mail editing task list, and either a file or an obtaining address of the file; and

an attachment adding unit configured to add the file or the obtaining address of the file to a mail that is edited in the mail editing window corresponding to the determined mail editing task.

15. A system for adding an electronic mail attachment, comprising:

a file operation apparatus comprising;

a file operation unit configured to execute an operation on a file;

a task obtaining unit configured to obtain a mail editing task list, wherein the mail editing task list comprises at least one mail editing task, and wherein the mail editing task comprises information used for locating a mail editing window corresponding to the mail editing task;

a task determining unit configured to determine at least one mail editing task; and

an instruction sending unit configured to send an attachment adding instruction to a mail editing apparatus that generates the mail editing task, wherein the attachment adding instruction comprises information used for locating a mail editing window corresponding to the mail editing task, and either the file or an obtaining address of the file, thereby instructing the mail editing apparatus to add the file or the obtaining address of the file to a mail that is edited in the mail editing window corresponding to the mail editing task; and

a mail editing apparatus comprising;

a mail editing operation starting unit configured to start an editing operation for a mail;

a task creating unit configured to create a mail editing task corresponding to the mail and add the mail editing task to a mail editing task list, wherein the mail editing task comprises information used for locating a mail editing window for editing the mail;

an instruction receiving unit configured to receive an attachment adding instruction sent by a file operation apparatus, wherein the attachment adding instruction comprises information used for locating a mail editing window corresponding to a mail editing task that is determined from the mail editing task list, and either a file or an obtaining address of the file; and

an attachment adding unit configured to add the file or the obtaining address of the file to a mail that is edited in the mail editing window corresponding to the determined mail editing task.