Method and apparatus for maintaining a unified view of multiple mailboxes
First Claim
1. A method of presenting a unified view of a first message sent to a first mailbox on a second client using a low cost communication channel and a high cost communication channel, a first client having a second communication channel with a second mailbox and a low cost communication channel with the second client, the second client capable of being coupled in communication with the second mailbox using the high cost communication channel, the method comprising:
- receiving the first message at the first client;
generating a distinguishing identifier for the first message;
sending at least a portion of the first message and the distinguishing identifier to the second mailbox using the second communication channel;
responsive to an action on the first message on the first client, creating a second message including the distinguishing identifier and a description of the action;
sending the second message to the second mailbox using the second communication channel;
selectably updating the unified view of the first message on the second client using either the high cost communication channel or the low cost communication channel.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A unified view of mailboxes is presented. The unified view allows the user to see in one mailbox all actions performed in all mailboxes on a message. One of the clients of a mailbox has both a high cost and a low cost communication channel. When a message is received by a client from its respective mailbox without an identifier, an identifier is generated and a copy of the message is sent to the other mailboxes along with the identifier. When the user performs actions on a message on a client, the identifier for the message and the action is conveyed to the other clients in a message to the other mailboxes. The unified view can be selectably updated either over the high cost communication channel or the low cost communication channel. The presence of two communication channels enables management of the cost of performing the unification. The user can select options to control the unification process and the use of the high cost communication channel.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A method of presenting a unified view of a first message sent to a first mailbox on a second client using a low cost communication channel and a high cost communication channel, a first client having a second communication channel with a second mailbox and a low cost communication channel with the second client, the second client capable of being coupled in communication with the second mailbox using the high cost communication channel, the method comprising:
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receiving the first message at the first client; generating a distinguishing identifier for the first message; sending at least a portion of the first message and the distinguishing identifier to the second mailbox using the second communication channel; responsive to an action on the first message on the first client, creating a second message including the distinguishing identifier and a description of the action; sending the second message to the second mailbox using the second communication channel; selectably updating the unified view of the first message on the second client using either the high cost communication channel or the low cost communication channel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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8. An apparatus for presenting a unified view of a first message sent to a first mailbox on a second client using a low cost communication channel and a high cost communication channel, first client having a second communication channel with a second mailbox and a low cost communication channel with the second client, the second client capable of being coupled in communication with the second mailbox using the high cost communication channel, the method comprising:
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means for receiving the message at the first client; means for generating a distinguishing identifier for the first message; means for sending at least a portion of the first message and the distinguishing identifier to the second mailbox using the second communication channel; means for creating a second message including the distinguishing identifier and a description of the action responsive to an action on the first message on the first client; means for sending the second message to the second mailbox using the second communication channel; and means for selectably updating the unified view of the first message on the second client using either the high cost communication channel or the low cost communication channel. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of presenting a unified view of messages in a first mailbox and a second mailbox, wherein the first mailbox is hosted by a first host and the second mailbox is hosted by a second host, comprising:
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a first client of the first mailbox receiving a first message addressed to the first mailbox; determining whether the first message has been assigned an identifier; if the first message has not been assigned an identifier, then; generating a first identifier that is unique relative to other identifiers assigned to the messages by the first client and a second client of the second mailbox, and sending at least a portion of the first message to the second mailbox; detecting an action taken on the first message by the first client; and in response to detecting the action, transmitting a second message to the second client that includes the first identifier and a description of the action. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification