MESSAGE INDEX SUBDIVIDED BASED ON TIME INTERVALS

• US 20140359029A1
• Filed: 07/03/2013
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Linkedln Corporation
• Inventors: Jagadish, Swaroop, Sebastian, Abraham, Sun, Yun, Das, Shirshanka
• Granted Patent: US 9,514,217 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/316 Indexing structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/328 Management therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

During a storage technique, multiple messages (such as emails) associated with a user of a communication application are received. Then, the multiple messages are stored in a message table associated with the user and the multiple messages are indexed in an index associated with the user. This index may be divided into multiple divisions if a total number of messages stored in the message table exceeds a threshold value, where each division corresponds to messages received during a different time interval.

Claims

1. A computer-system-implemented method for storing information associated with a communication application, the method comprising:

receiving multiple messages associated with a first user of the communication application; and

operating the computer system to;

store the multiple messages in a message table associated with the first user; and

index the multiple messages in an index associated with the first user, wherein the index is divided into multiple divisions if a total number of messages stored in the message table exceeds a threshold value, each division corresponding to messages received during a different time interval.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises accessing one or more of the index sub-divisions to obtain data in response to a query;

and

wherein the one or more of the index sub-divisions are accessed sequentially starting with a temporal sub-division associated with a most-recent time interval until a number-of-messages limit associated with the query is achieved.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the number-of-messages limit is specified by the communication application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the number-of-messages limit specifies a number of query results presented in a document by the communication application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing of the information in the index involves opening the index;

wherein the multiple messages include concurrent messages that are aggregated in a group-commit queue at least while the index is being opened; and

wherein the storing of the multiple messages in the message table and the indexing of the multiple messages occurs as a batch operation.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises delaying the storing of the multiple messages in the message table and the indexing of the multiple messages for a time interval to allow the multiple concurrent messages to aggregate in the group-commit queue after the index is opened.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises conditionally updating a message summary table based on business logic when the multiple messages are stored in the message table.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user has professional interconnections with other users of the communication application as specified by a social graph.

9. A computer-program product for use in conjunction with a computer system, the computer-program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and a computer-program mechanism embedded therein, to store information associated with a communication application, the computer-program mechanism including:

instructions for receiving multiple messages associated with a first user of the communication application; and

instructions for operating the computer system to;

store the multiple messages in a message table associated with the first user; and

index the multiple messages in an index associated with the first user, wherein the index is divided into multiple divisions if a total number of messages stored in the message table exceeds a threshold value, each division corresponding to messages received during a different time interval.

10. The computer-program product of claim 9, wherein the computer-program mechanism further includes instructions for accessing one or more of the index sub-divisions to obtain data in response to a query;

and

wherein the one or more of the index sub-divisions are accessed sequentially starting with a temporal sub-division associated with a most-recent time interval until a number-of-messages limit associated with the query is achieved.

11. The computer-program product of claim 10, wherein the number-of-messages limit is specified by the communication application.

12. The computer-program product of claim 9, wherein the storing of the information in the index involves opening the index;

wherein the multiple messages include concurrent messages that are aggregated in a group-commit queue at least while the index is being opened; and

wherein the storing of the multiple messages in the message table and the indexing of the multiple messages occurs as a batch operation.

13. The computer-program product of claim 12, wherein the computer-program mechanism further includes instructions for delaying the storing of the multiple messages in the message table and the indexing of the multiple messages for a time interval to allow the multiple concurrent messages to aggregate in the group-commit queue after the index is opened.

14. The computer-program product of claim 9, wherein the computer-program mechanism further includes instructions for conditionally updating a message summary table based on business logic when the multiple messages are stored in the message table.

15. The computer-program product of claim 9, wherein the first user has professional interconnections with other users of the communication application as specified by a social graph.

16. A computer system, comprising:

a processor;

memory; and

a program module, wherein the program module is stored in the memory and configurable to be executed by the processor to store information associated with a communication application, the program module including;

instructions for receiving multiple messages associated with a first user of the communication application; and

instructions for operating the computer system to;

store the multiple messages in a message table associated with the first user; and

index the multiple messages in an index associated with the first user, wherein the index is divided into multiple divisions if a total number of messages stored in the message table exceeds a threshold value, each division corresponding to messages received during a different time interval.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the program module further includes instructions for accessing one or more of the index sub-divisions to obtain data in response to a query;

and

wherein the one or more of the index sub-divisions are accessed sequentially starting with a temporal sub-division associated with a most-recent time interval until a number-of-messages limit associated with the query is achieved.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the number-of-messages limit is specified by the communication application.

19. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the storing of the information in the index involves opening the index;

wherein the multiple messages include concurrent messages that are aggregated in a group-commit queue at least while the index is being opened; and

wherein the storing of the multiple messages in the message table and the indexing of the multiple messages occurs as a batch operation.

20. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the program module further includes instructions for conditionally updating a message summary table based on business logic when the multiple messages are stored in the message table.