Transmitting electronic mail by either reference or value at file-replication points to minimize costs
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for transmitting e-mail over a network, comprising the steps of:
- (a) receiving at a current node in the network an e-mail message to be distributed to at least one recipient, the e-mail message comprising an attachment reference comprising the network address of an attachment stored locally to a previous node of the network;
(b) comparing the expected costs of moving the attachment from the previous node to the at least one recipient by use of the attachment reference, to the costs of moving the attachment locally to the current node plus the expected costs of moving the attachment from the current node to the at least one recipient by use of the attachment reference; and
(c) retrieving a copy of the attachment, storing the attachment locally to the current node, and updating the attachment reference, in accordance with the comparison.
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Abstract
Transmitting e-mail over a network. According to a preferred embodiment, a current node in the network receives an e-mail message to be distributed to at least one recipient. The e-mail message comprises an attachment reference comprising the network address of an attachment stored locally to a previous node of the network. The costs of forwarding the e-mail message given a previous network location of the attachment is compared to the costs of moving the attachment locally to the current node. A copy of the attachment is retrieved, stored locally to the current node, and the attachment reference is updated, in accordance with the comparison.
380 Citations
44 Claims
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1. A method for transmitting e-mail over a network, comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving at a current node in the network an e-mail message to be distributed to at least one recipient, the e-mail message comprising an attachment reference comprising the network address of an attachment stored locally to a previous node of the network; (b) comparing the expected costs of moving the attachment from the previous node to the at least one recipient by use of the attachment reference, to the costs of moving the attachment locally to the current node plus the expected costs of moving the attachment from the current node to the at least one recipient by use of the attachment reference; and (c) retrieving a copy of the attachment, storing the attachment locally to the current node, and updating the attachment reference, in accordance with the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus for transmitting e-mail over a network, comprising:
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(a) means for receiving at a current node in the network an e-mail message to be distributed to at least one recipient, the e-mail message comprising an attachment reference comprising the network address of an attachment stored locally to a previous node of the network; (b) means for comparing the expected costs of moving the attachment from the previous node to the at least one recipient by use of the attachment reference, to the costs of moving the attachment locally to the current node plus the expected costs of moving the attachment from the current node to the at least one recipient by use of the attachment reference; and (c) means for retrieving a copy of the attachment, for storing the attachment locally to the current node, and for updating the attachment reference, in accordance with the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A storage medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions for transmitting e-mail over a network through a current node of the network, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by a processor of the current node, cause the processor to perform the steps of:
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(a) receiving at a current node in the network an e-mail message to be distributed to at least one recipient, the e-mail message comprising an attachment reference comprising the network address of an attachment stored locally to a previous node of the network; (b) comparing the expected costs of moving the attachment from the previous node to the at least one recipient by use of the attachment reference, to the costs of moving the attachment locally to the current node plus the expected costs of moving the attachment from the current node to the at least one recipient by use of the attachment reference; and (c) retrieving a copy of the attachment, storing the attachment locally to the current node, and updating the attachment reference, in accordance with the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A network, comprising:
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(a) a previous node; (b) a current node; and (c) at least one recipient;
wherein;the current node receives an e-mail message to be distributed to the at least one recipient, the e-mail message comprising an attachment reference comprising the network address of an attachment stored locally to the previous node; the current node compares the expected costs of moving the attachment from the previous node to the at least one recipient by use of the attachment reference, to the costs of moving the attachment locally to the current node plus the expected costs of moving the attachment from the current node to the at least one recipient by use of the attachment reference; and the current node retrieves a copy of the attachment, stores the attachment locally to the current node, and updates the attachment reference, in accordance with the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification