Web-based electronic mail server apparatus and method using full text and label indexing

• US 6,718,321 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2001
• Issued: 04/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Wobber, Edward P., Birrell, Andrew D., Schroeder, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOFIZ, APU M
• Application Number:
  US09/999,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20030135555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,155 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/2, 707/3, 707/4, 707/7, 707/10, 707/100, 707/101, 707/102, 707/104.1, 345/326, 345/840, 705/26, 705/28, 705/50, 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

In a computerized distributed mail system, a plurality of client computers are connected to each other via a network. Each client computer is configured to execute client mail application programs. A mail service system is also connected to the network. The system is for executing server mail programs on server computers. The mail service system includes an index server for storing mail messages in message files, and for storing a full-text index of the mail messages. In addition, the system includes means for accessing the mail messages by the plurality of client computers by searching the full-text index using queries.

Claims

1. An apparatus for accessing and organizing electronic mail messages, comprising:

a first memory storing mail messages;

means for adding and removing labels associated with mail messages, including system means for automatically adding and removing labels to and from mail messages by the system, and user means for adding labels to and removing labels from mail messages in accordance with user commands;

a second memory storing a full-text index of the mail messages stored in the first memory and for storing a label index denoting mail messages associated with the labels;

means for updating the full-text index and the label index when messages are added to the first memory, and means for updating the label index when labels are added to and removed from messages;

means for accessing the mail messages using queries composed on client computers connected to the first and second memories by a network the queries searching the full-text index and the label index to locate mail messages satisfying the queries, the mail messages satisfying the queries including messages stored in the first memory prior to at least a subset of the queries being composed on the client computers; and

means for sending the located mail messages to the client computers over the network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the full-text index comprises a set of entries for distinct words in the mail messages, each entry specifying locations of the corresponding word in the mail messages.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the full-text index comprises a set of entries for distinct words in the mail messages, each entry specifying mail messages in which the corresponding word is located.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the label index comprises a set of entries for distinct labels in the mail messages, each entry specifying mail messages to which the corresponding label has been added.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 including means for maintaining a label state for each of a plurality of users, each label state representing all active labels associated with a respective user of the plurality of users.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for adding and removing labels leaves the mail messages unchanged and stores information concerning the labels associated with a mail message in the label index.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each mail message includes a header and a body, and further including means for parsing the header and the body into words, means for associating a unique location with each parsed word, and storing the words and their associated unique locations in the second memory as the full-text index.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the words and their associated locations are stored first according to a collating order of the words, and second according to a collating order of the unique locations.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the messages are parsed into words according to predetermined word separators.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first memory is partitioned into a plurality of files, and each mail message is uniquely identified by a message identification.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the unique message identification includes a file identification identifying one of the plurality of files and a message number.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 further including means for merging a label log file with the plurality of files.

13. A method for accessing and organizing electronic mail messages, comprising the steps of:

storing mail messages in a first memory;

storing a full-text index of the mail messages in a second memory;

adding and removing labels associated with mail messages and storing the labels and locations associated with the labels in a third memory including automatically adding and removing labels to and from mail messages by the system, and adding and removing labels to and from mail messages in accordance with user commands;

storing a label index denoting mail messages associated with the labels;

updating the full-text index and the label index when messages are added to the first memory;

updating the label index when labels are added and removed to and from messages;

accessing the mail messages using queries composed on client computers connected to the first and second memories by a network, the queries searching the full-text index and the label index to locate mail messages satisfying the queries, the mail messages satisfying the queries including messages stored in the first memory prior to at least a subset of the queries being composed on the client computers; and

sending the located mail messages to the client computers over the network.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the full-text index comprises a set of entries for distinct words in the mail messages, each entry specifying locations of the corresponding word in the mail messages.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the full-text index comprises a set of entries for distinct words in the mail messages, each entry specifying mail messages in which the corresponding word is located.

16. The method of any of claim 13 wherein the label index comprises a set of entries for distinct labels in the mail messages, each entry specifying mail messages to which a label, corresponding to the label index entry, has been added.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein each entry of the label index specifies locations within one or more mail messages to which a label, corresponding to the label index entry, has been added.

18. The method of claim 13, further including maintaining a label state for each of a plurality of users, each label state representing all active labels associated with a respective user of the plurality of users.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein said adding and removing of labels associated with messages leaves the messages unchanged and stores information concerning the labels associated with a message in the label index.

20. The method of claim 13 further including the steps of partitioning the first memory into a plurality of files, and uniquely identifying each mail message by a message identification.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the unique message identification includes a file identification identifying one of the plurality of files and a message number.

22. The method of claim 20 further including merging a label log file with the plurality of files.

23. The method of claim 13 wherein each mail message includes a header and a body, and further including the steps of parsing the header and the body into words, associating a unique location with each parsed word, and storing the words and their associated unique locations in the second memory as the full-text index.

24. The method of claim 23 further including storing the words and their locations associated first according to a collating order of the words, and second according to a collating order of the unique locations.

25. The method of claim 23 further including parsing the messages into words according to predetermined word separators.