Apparatus and method for downlevel date file messaging

• US 6,411,990 B1
• Filed: 01/22/1999
• Issued: 06/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unify Inc. (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Information And Communication Networks, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Shaffer, Shmuel, Beyda, William Joseph, Bonomo, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/235,570
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/206, 709/217, 709/219, 709/313, 709/328, 709/329, 707/104, 707/200, 707/203, 707/501
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

A system and method for sending an electronic message in a compatible messaging format are presented. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a file, such as a data file, is automatically examined in the context of its application, and the lowest available file format level that preserves the data integrity is selected. An alternate version of this file, such as an unformatted text-only file, that preserves the content of the message may also be created and sent.

Claims

1. A method for sending an electronic message, said method comprising steps of:

determining an application used to create at least a portion of a first electronic message;

determining a version of said application that supports a feature associated with said first electronic message;

creating a second electronic message, wherein said second electronic message is formatted in the determined version of said application; and

creating a third electronic message, wherein said third electronic message is a predetermined version of said portion of said first electronic message.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising examining said feature of the portion of the first electronic message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said portion of said first electronic message is an attachment of said first electronic message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the version of the application is an earlier version of said application used to create said portion of said first electronic message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said third electronic message is a text-only version of said portion of said first electronic message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said first electronic message is an e-mail.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said first electronic message is a voice mail.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said first electronic message is a multimedia message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said determined version supports at least a predetermined amount of features.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said determined version meets a predetermined criteria.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said predetermined criteria is a network requirement.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said determined version is an earliest version of a plurality of versions that meet said predetermined criteria.

13. A system for sending an electronic message, comprising:

means for determining an application used to create at least a portion of a first electronic message;

means for determining a version of said application that supports a feature associated with said first electronic message;

means for creating a second electronic message, wherein said second electronic message is formatted in the determined version of said application; and

means for creating a third electronic message, wherein said third electronic message is a predetermined version of said portion of said first electronic message.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said determined version meets a predetermined criteria.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein said determined version is a most rudimentary version of a plurality of versions that that meet said predetermined criteria.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein said means for determining said version comprises:

means for maintaining a list of versions of said application, said list of versions indicative of features supported by said versions;

means for examining said list of versions for support for multiple features associated with said first electronic message, including said feature.

15. A system for sending an electronic message, comprising:

a processor configured to determine an application used to create at least a portion of a first electronic message, said processor also determining a version of said application that supports a feature associated with said first electronic message, said processor also creating a second electronic message, wherein said second electronic message is formatted in the determined version of said application, and said processor also creating a third electronic message, wherein said third electronic message is a predetermined version of said portion of said first electronic message; and

a memory coupled to said processor, said memory configured to provide said processor with instructions.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the version of said application is an earlier version of said application used to create at least portion of said first electronic message.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein said third electronic message is a text-only version of said portion of said first electronic message.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein said determined version supports at least a predetermined amount of features.

25. The system of claim 15, wherein said processor, in said determining said version, determines an earliest version of said application that supports said feature and that is no older than a predetermined earliest allowable version.

19. A computer program product for sending an electronic message, comprising:

computer code determining an application used to create at least a portion of a first electronic message;

computer code determining a version of said application that supports a feature associated with said first electronic message;

computer code creating a second electronic message, wherein said second electronic message is formatted in the determined version of said application;

computer code creating a third electronic message, wherein said third electronic message is a predetermined version of said portion of said first electronic message; and

computer-readable media that stores said computer codes.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable media is selected from the group consisting of CD-ROM, floppy disk, tape, flash memory, system memory, hard drive, and data signal embodied in a carrier wave.

21. A method for receiving an electronic message, the method comprising:

receiving an electronic message;

determining whether a first version of an application may be used to open a second version of said application, wherein said second version of said application is associated with an attachment of said electronic message; and

displaying said electronic message with a default version if said first version of said application may not be used to open said second version of said application.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising displaying said electronic message with said second version if said first version of said application may be used to open said second version of said application.

26. In an information processing system, a method for electronic communication, said method comprising:

receiving an indication that a first electronic document is desired to be sent;

wherein said first electronic document is associated with a first format, and a plurality of versions are available for said first format;

determining a version of said first format, of said plurality of versions, that supports at least one feature associated with said first electronic document, without requiring that the determined version be a version already associated with said first electronic document;

creating a second electronic document according to said determined version of said first format; and

sending said second electronic document.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein said determining step comprises determining as said determined version a most rudimentary version of said first format that supports said at least one feature.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein said plurality of versions includes only versions no lower than a predetermined minimum version requirement, and any version lower than said predetermined minimum version requirement is not available.

29. The method according to claim 26, further comprising creating a third electronic document according to a predetermined format, wherein said sending step comprises sending said third electronic document.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the sending step comprises sending an electronic mail message that includes said second and third electronic documents as attachments.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein said electronic mail message includes indication that said second electronic document is preferred over said third electronic document.

32. The method according to claim 26, wherein said version determining step comprises determining as said determined version a version that supports at least a predetermined amount of all features associated with said first electronic document.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein said predetermined amount includes less than all features associated with said first electronic document.

34. The method according to claim 26, wherein said version determining step comprises:

maintaining a list of versions of said first format, said list of versions indicative of features supported by individual versions of said list of versions; and

examining said list of versions for said at least one feature to determine said determined version.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein said first format is associated with a software application for editing and saving said first electronic document, and said versions of said list of versions are each associated with versions of said software application.

36. The method according to claim 34, wherein said list of versions is maintained on a centralized database that resides in a server on a network.

37. The method according to claim 26, wherein said at least one feature includes a plurality of text-formatting features.

38. The method according to claim 26, further comprising, prior to said determining step, receiving said first electronic document.

39. The method according to claim 26, wherein said first format is a file format associated with a software application for editing said first electronic document, and said determined version of said first format is associated with a version of said software application.

40. In an information processing environment, a method for receiving electronic communication sent according to claim 26, the method for receiving comprising:

receiving an electronic message;

determining that the received electronic message includes an information represented using a first formatting and a second formatting;

determining whether an available version of an application may be used to open said information represented using said first formatting; and

if not, opening said information represented using second formatting.

41. The method according to claim 40, wherein said determining step includes automatically determining, based on an indication within said electronic message, that said information represented using said first formatting is preferred over said information represented using said formatting.