System and method for a communication system

• US 6,147,773 A
• Filed: 11/10/1997
• Issued: 11/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Taylor, David R. P., Lynch-Freshner, Lawrence A., McKinlay, Eric W., Goyal, Dinesh K., Pacheco, Stephen P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, II, Jerome
• Application Number:
  US08/966,613
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: 358/400, 358/402, 358/407, 358/442, 358/405, 395/200.06, 395/200.07, 395/153, 395/161, 395/200.02, 395/200.04, 395/200.01, 395/200.11, 395/200.12, 379/88, 379/89, 379/67, 379/201, 379/142, 379/100.01
• US Class Current: 358/400
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00206 Transmitting or receiving computer data via an image communication device, e.g. a facsimile transceiver H04N1/00236 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/33369 Storage of mode or retrieval of prestored mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/002 Selecting or switching between an image communication channel and a non-image communication channel

Abstract

A method and a structure for providing electronic mail, facsimile transmission and file transfer maintain a data base in which the communication parameters of a local computer are maintained separately from the communication parameters of a remote computer which communicates the local computer. The data base includes an electronic address book in which a method and a structure are provided for specifying person, group, computer, calling card and service data. The person type data includes specification of a preference for data, or facsimile transmission. Service information are efficiently added because of modularly designed application programming interface. A method and a structure are also provided to allow synchronization between files residing on different computers.

Claims

1. A method for efficiently sending information from a computer over a telephone line, comprising the steps of:

providing in a data base a plurality of records each corresponding to a recipient of said information and searchable using the identity of said recipient, each record specifing (i) the area or country code portion of said recipient'"'"'s telephone number; and

(ii) the local portion of said recipient'"'"'s telephone number;

providing in said data base a record of said computer, said record including (i) an access code to a long distance carrier, for use when said computer is in a first location;

(ii) an access code to an outside line, for use when said computer is in a second location, said access code to an outside line being zero or more digits long; and

providing said information to be sent by a process of said computer, specifying to said process which of said first and second locations is the present location of said computer, said process sending said information using a dialing sequence which is (i) said access code to a long distance carrier followed by said area or country code portion of said telephone number and said local portion of said telephone number, when the present location of said computer is said first location; and

(ii) said access code to an outside line followed by said local portion of said telephone number, when the present location of said computer is said second location.

2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing in said data base a record for storing a billing code of a telephone calling card; and

including in said dialing sequence said billing code, when the present location of said second computer is said second location.

3. A method for providing an interface to a data base, for supporting electronic mail transfer between said data base and a plurality of electronic mail service providers, each of said plurality of electronic mail service providers receiving and delivering electronic mail packages of a corresponding predetermined format, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a first method for retrieving from said data base an address template from a plurality of address templates, said address template specifying data fields of an electronic mail address suitable for use with a corresponding electronic mail service provider;

providing a second method for receiving (i) a distribution list specifying a number of recipients; and

(ii) a message to be sent as electronic mail by said corresponding electronic mail service provider, said second method includes, for each recipient in said distribution list, the steps of;

(a) retrieving from said data base values of said data fields;

(b) using values of said data fields to compose an electronic mail address suitable for use with said corresponding electronic mail service provider in accordance with the format of said address template;

(c) combining said message and said electronic mail address to form a package of said corresponding predetermined format;

providing a third method for receiving a package from said corresponding electronic mail provider, said third method extracting a message from said package received; and

providing a fourth method for extracting a distribution list of recipients from said package received.

4. A method as in claim 3, further comprising a fifth method for extracting from said package file attachments to said message in said package received.

5. A method for synchronizing files between a local computer system and a remote computer system, each computer system having a file system, comprising the steps of:

providing a connection between said local computer system and said remote computer system at a first instance of time;

creating at said first instance of time, at each of said local computer system and said remote computer system, a synchronization file containing a list of files and directories of each of said file systems that are to be synchronized;

creating at said first instance of time, at each of said local computer system and said remote computer system, a first snapshot file containing a snapshot of said file system of said local computer system and a second snapshot file containing a snapshot of said file system of said remote computer system;

disconnecting said remote computer system from said local computer system after said first and second files are created;

creating on said local computer system a first delta file to record any changes in the file system of said local computer system after said first instance of time and before a second instance of time, and a second delta file to record any changes to be made in the file system of said remote computer;

creating on said remote computer system a third delta file on said remote computer system to record any changes in the file system of said remote computer system after said first instance of time and before a second instance of time, and a fourth delta file to record any changes to be made in the file system of said local computer system;

connecting said local computer system with said remote computer system at said second instance of time;

transferring from said remote computer system said third and fourth delta files;

integrating said third and fourth delta files into said first and second files respectively to derive a list of files included in said list of said synchronization file which are to be transferred between said local and remote computer systems to achieve file synchronization;

transferring files included in said derived list between said remote and local computer systems;

updating at said local computer system said first and second snapshot files in response to said integrated first and second delta files;

transferring said integrated first and second delta files to said remote computer system; and

updating at said remote computer system said first and second snapshot files in accordance with said integrated first and second delta files.

6. A method as in claim 5, wherein said step of integrating said third and fourth delta files comprises the steps of:

transferring said synchronization file from said remote computer system to said local computer system;

updating said list in said synchronization file of said local computer system to incorporate any changes made on said remote computer system in said list of said synchronization file received from said remote computer system;

filtering said first, second and third and fourth delta files to include only changes in files included in said updated list of said synchronization file in said local computer system; and

deriving from said filtered first, second, third and fourth delta files said list of files to be transferred between said local computer system and said remote computer system.

7. A system for efficiently sending information from a computer over a telephone line, comprising the steps of:

a plurality of records in a data base each corresponding to a recipient of said information and searchable using the identity of said recipient, each record specifying (i) the area or country code portion of said recipient'"'"'s telephone number; and

(ii) the local portion of said recipient'"'"'s telephone number;

a record of said computer in said data base, said recording including (i) an access code to a long distance carrier, for use when said computer is in a first location;

(ii) an access code to an outside line, for use when said computer is in a second location, said access code to an outside line being zero or more digits long; and

means for initiating a process of said computer to send said information, said means specifying to said process which of said first and second locations is the present location of said computer, said process sending said information using a dialing sequence which is (i) said access code to a long distance carrier followed by said area or country code portion of said telephone number and said local portion of said telephone number, when the present location of said computer is said first location; and

(ii) said access code to an outside line followed by said local portion of said telephone number, when the present location of said computer is said second location.

8. A system as in claim 7, further comprising:

a record for storing a billing code of a telephone calling card in said data base; and

wherein said means for initiating a computer process includes in said dialing sequence said billing code, when the present location of said second computer is said second location.

9. A system for providing an interface to a data base, for supporting electronic mail transfer between said data base and a plurality of electronic mail service providers, each of said plurality of electronic mail service providers receiving and delivering electronic mail packages of a corresponding predetermined format, said method comprising the steps of:

means for retrieving from said data base an address template from a plurality of address templates, said address template specifying data fields of an electronic mail address suitable for use with a corresponding electronic mail service provider;

means for receiving (i) a distribution list specifying a number of recipients; and

(ii) a message to be sent as electronic mail by said corresponding electronic mail service provider, said means for receiving comprises;

(a) means for retrieving from said data base, for each recipient in said distribution list, values of said data fields;

(b) means for using values of said data fields to compose an electronic mail address suitable for use with said corresponding electronic mail service provider in accordance with the format of said address template; and

(c) means for combining said message and said electronic mail address to form a package of said corresponding predetermined format;

means for extracting a message from a package received from said corresponding electronic mail provider; and

means for extracting a distribution list of recipients from said package received.

10. A system as in claim 9, further comprising means for extracting file attachments to said message in said package received.

11. A system for synchronizing files between a local computer system and a remote computer system, each computer system having a file system, comprising the steps of:

means for providing a connection between said local computer system and said remote computer system at a first instance of time;

means for creating at said first instance of time, at each of said local computer system and said remote computer system, a synchronization file containing a list of files and directories of each of said file systems that are to be synchronized;

means for creating at said first instance of time, at each of said local computer system and said remote computer system, a first snapshot file containing a snapshot of said file system of said local computer system and a second snapshot file containing a snapshot of said file system of said remote computer system;

means for disconnecting said remote computer system from said local computer system after said first and second files are created;

means for creating on said local computer system a first delta file to record any changes in the file system of said local computer system after said first instance of time and before a second instance of time, and a second delta file to record any changes to be made in the file system of said remote computer;

means for creating on said remote computer system a third delta file on said remote computer system to record any changes in the file system of said remote computer system after said first instance of time and before a second instance of time, and a fourth delta file to record any changes to be made in the file system of said local computer system;

means for connecting said local computer system with said remote computer system at said second instance of time;

means for transferring from said remote computer system said third and fourth delta files;

means for integrating said third and fourth delta files into said first and second files respectively to derive a list of files included in said list of said synchronization file which are to be transferred between said local and remote computer systems to achieve file synchronization;

means for transferring files included in said derived list between said remote and local computer systems;

means for updating at said local computer system said first and second snapshot files in response to said integrated first and second delta files;

means for transferring said integrated first and second delta files to said remote computer system; and

means for updating at said remote computer system said first and second snapshot files in accordance with said integrated first and second delta files.

12. A system as in claim 11, wherein said means for integrating said third and fourth delta files comprises:

means for transferring said synchronization file from said remote computer system to said local computer system;

means for updating said list in said synchronization file of said local computer system to incorporate any changes made on said remote computer system in said list of said synchronization file received from said remote computer system;

means for filtering said first, second and third and fourth delta files to include only changes in files included in said updated list of said synchronization file in said local computer system; and

means for deriving from said filtered first, second, third and fourth delta files said list of files to be transferred between said local computer system and said remote computer system.