System for the distribution and storage of electronic mail information

• US 5,940,823 A
• Filed: 11/10/1997
• Issued: 08/17/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Arnold, Gordon K., Schreiber, Robert W., Miles, Robert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lintz, Paul R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Colbert, Ella
• Application Number:
  US08/966,523
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/102, 707/200, 364/225.4, 395/200.36, 379/93.24
• US Class Current: 707/741
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/956 Hierarchical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A system and method for distribution and storage of electronic mail information is disclosed. The system comprises: a server; a status rendezvous procedure (102) residing on the server; and a distribution storage facility comprising a distribution management system (112) residing on the server; and a container management system (114) residing on the server. The method for distribution and storage of electronic mail information comprises the following steps: (1) receiving inbound information from a first remote connection, the inbound information comprising a distribution; (2) processing the distribution, the processing resulting in the distribution being stored in memory; (3) writing the distribution to a storage medium; (4) paging the distribution from the storage medium into memory; (5) passing a part of the distribution in memory to at least a second remote connection; and (6) determining an intended recipient in response to the presence of a reported recipient.

Claims

1. A system for distribution and storage of electronic mail information comprising:

a server;

a status rendezvous procedure residing on said server; and

a distribution storage facility comprising;

a distribution management system (DMS) residing on said server; and

a container management system (CMS) residing on said server wherein said status rendzvous procedure comprises;

means for receiving a status message having incomplete recipient information;

means for initiating a candidate list of a plurality of candidates, said candidates selected according to an identification in said status message;

means for preparing a search list of object identifiers;

means for eliminating non-matching candidates; and

means for selecting a matching candidate.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a database operatively connected to said server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said search list comprises an elimination rate and a weight for each of said object identifiers;

wherein said candidate list comprises a score for each of said candidates.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said means for preparing a search list comprises:

means for creating a list of said object identifiers;

means for calculating said elimination rate for each of said object identifiers;

means for sorting said object identifiers in descending elimination rate order; and

means for establishing said weight for each of said object identifiers.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein said means for performing elimination comprises:

means for selecting one of said object identifiers based on the elimination rate;

means for determining a matching attribute for said selected object identifier;

means for raising said score by said weight for said candidates having a value matching said matching attribute for said selected object identifier;

means for eliminating said candidates not matching said matching attribute for said selected search attribute; and

means for bypassing said candidates not having a value for said matching attribute.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein said means for selecting a matching candidate comprises:

means for counting the number of candidates having a highest non-zero score; and

means for selecting a candidate having a highest non-zero score when only one candidate has a highest non-zero score.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said DMS receives information into memory as a distribution and for delivering said distribution from memory to a remote connection;

and

wherein said distribution comprises a plurality of body parts.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said distribution comprises:

at least one object; and

at least one attribute;

wherein said objects and attributes are related as a double-linked, parent-linked list using relative offsets.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said DMS writes said received information to memory as a distribution in a hierarchial format, and said DMS coagulates said distribution in memory, the result of said coagulation being a double-linked, parent-linked list in a linear format.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said CMS system writes said distribution to a storage medium as a plurality of files.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said plurality of files comprises:

a DSTAVL file;

a first SUBAVL file;

a PRDATA file for each of the body parts in the distribution.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said plurality of files further comprises:

at least one ILDATA file; and

at least one OLDATA file.

13. A method for distribution and storage of electronic mail information comprising:

receiving inbound information from a first remote connection, said inbound information comprising a distribution;

processing said distribution, said processing resulting in the distribution being stored in memory;

writing said distribution to a storage medium;

paging said distribution from said storage medium into memory;

passing a part of said distribution in memory to at least a second remote connection; and

determining an intended recipient in response to the presence of a reported recipient wherein said step of determining an intended recipient in response to the presence of a reported recipient comprises;

receiving a status message having incomplete reported recipient information;

preparing a candidate list of a plurality of candidates, said candidates selected according to an idnetification in said status message;

preparing a search list of object identifiers;

eliminating non-matching candidates;

selecting a matching candidate;

wherein said search list comprises an elimination rate and a weight of each of said object identifiers; and

wherein said candidate list comprises a score for each of said candidates.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said distribution comprises:

at least one object; and

at least one attribute;

wherein said objects and attributes are related as a double-linked, parent-linked list.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of processing said distribution comprises:

creating a empty distribution in memory;

filling said empty distribution in memory with said distribution.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of writing said distribution to a storage medium comprises:

coagulating said distribution in memory into a linear format;

selecting a directory to store said distribution, said selection based on a distribution identification number;

writing said distribution in linear format to a storage medium;

writing at least one permanent data file comprising a body part for said distribution.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of preparing a candidate list comprises:

creating an empty candidate list; and

filling said empty candidate list with identifying information for each of said candidates.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of preparing a search list of object identifiers comprises:

creating a list of said object identifiers;

calculating said elimination rate for each of said object identifier;

sorting said object identifiers in descending elimination rate order; and

establishing said weight for each of said object identifiers.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of performing elimination comprises:

selecting one of said object identifiers based on the elimination rate;

determining a matching attribute for said selected object identifier;

raising said score by said weight for said candidates having a value matching said matching attribute for said selected object identifier;

eliminating said candidates not matching said matching attribute for said selected object identifier; and

bypassing said candidates not having a value for said matching attribute.

20. A computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for enabling distribution and storage of electronic mail information comprising:

computer readable program code for implementing a status rendezvous procedure; and

computer readable program code for implementing a distribution storage facility wherein said distribution storage facility comprises;

a distribution management system (DMS); and

a container management system (CMS);

wherein said computer readable program code for implementing a status rendezvous procedure comprises;

computer readable program code for receiving a status message having incomplete recipient information;

computer readable program code for initiating a candidate list of a plurality of candidates, said candidates selected according to an identification in said status message;

computer readable program code for preparing a search list of object identifiers;

computer readable program code for eliminating non-matching candidates; and

computer readable program code for selecting a matching candidate.

21. The computer readable program code of claim 20, wherein said computer readable program code for preparing a search list comprises:

an elimination rate and a weight for each of said object identifiers; and

wherein said candidate list comprises a score for each of said candidates.

22. The computer readable program code of claim 21, wherein said computer readable program code for preparing a search list of object identifiers further comprises:

computer readable programn code for creating a list of said object identifiers;

computer readable program code for calculating said elimination rate for each of said object identifiers;

computer readable program code for sorting said object identifiers in descending elimination rate order; and

computer readable program code for establishing said weight for each of said object identifiers.

23. The computer readable program code of claim 21, wherein said computer readable programn code for eliminating non-matching candidates further comprises:

computer readable program code for selecting one of said object identifiers based on the elimination rate;

computer readable program code for determining a matching attribute for said object identifier;

computer readable program code for raising said score by said weight for candidates having a value matching said matching attribute for said object identifier;

computer readable program code for eliminating said candidates not matching said matching attribute for said selected search attribute; and

computer readable program code for bypassing said candidates not having a value for said matching attribute.

24. The computer readable program code of claim 21, wherein said computer readable program code for selecting a matching candidate further comprises:

computer readable program code for counting the number of candidates having a highest non-zero score; and

computer readable program code for selecting a candidate having a highest non-zero score when only one candidate has a highest non-zero score.