Replacing an email attachment with an address specifying where the attachment is stored

• US 7,054,905 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2000
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Douglas, David C., Perlman, Radia J., Hanna, Stephen R., Anderson, Anne H., Elley, Yassir K., Mullan, Sean J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ENGLAND, DAVID E
• Application Number:
  US09/539,269
• Time in Patent Office: 2,252 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-207, 709/229, 711/216, 713/151, 713/168, 726/22, 726/24
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that replaces an attachment to an email message with a reference to a location where the attachment is stored. Upon receiving the email message, the system examines the email message to determine if the email message includes an attachment. If the email message includes the attachment, the system stores the attachment at a location on a communication network from which the attachment can be retrieved. The system also modifies the email message by replacing the attachment with a reference specifying the location of the attachment, and sends the modified email message to a recipient of the email message. In one embodiment of the present invention, the recipient receives the modified email message and uses the reference specifying the location of the attachment to retrieve the attachment across the communication network.

Claims

1. A method for replacing an attachment to an email message with a reference to a location of the attachment, comprising:

receiving the email message;

examining the email message to determine if the email message includes an attachment; and

if the email message includes the attachment, asking a sender of the email message whether to replace the attachment with a reference specifying the location of the attachment;

if the sender agrees to replace the attachment,

storing the attachment at a location on a communication network from which the attachment can be retrieved,

modifying the email message by replacing the attachment with a reference specifying the location of the attachment on the communication network,

sending the modified email message to a recipient of the email message,

providing proof of receipt of the contents of the attachment, wherein providing proof of receipt involves;

delivering an encrypted version of the attachment,

receiving a receipt for the encrypted version of the attachment, wherein the receipt includes a hash of the encrypted attachment, and

in response to receiving the receipt for the encrypted version, sending the decryption key for the attachment, wherein sending the decryption key for the attachment in response to receiving the receipt for the encrypted version proves reception of the exact contents of the attachment, and

deleting the attachment from the location on the communication network after one of;

receiving a notification that all recipients of the email message have retrieved the attachment, and

receiving a notification that all recipients of the email message have deleted the email message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the modified email message at the recipient; and

using the reference specifying the location of the attachment to retrieve the attachment across the communication network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein retrieving the attachment includes authenticating the recipient to a computer system upon which the attachment is stored.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the email message includes receiving the email message at one of,

an application residing on a computer system belonging to a sender of the email message;

an email server through which the email message is sent;

a firewall that protects at least one trusted computer system from communications across the communication network; and

a gateway that converts the email message from a first format to a second format.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing the attachment to be updated at the location on the communication network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising deleting the attachment from the location on the communication network after at least one of:

an expiration of a time period;

sending a notification to recipients of the email message that the attachment is to be deleted;

receiving a command to delete the attachment from a sender of the email message; and

storing the attachment to archival storage.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication network includes at least one of:

a computer network; and

a telephone network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the attachment is a file.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference specifying the location of the attachment includes a uniform resource locator (URL).

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for replacing an attachment to an email message with a reference to a location of the attachment, the method comprising:

receiving the email message;

examining the email message to determine if the email message includes an attachment; and

if the email message includes the attachment, asking a sender of the email message whether to replace the attachment with a reference specifying the location of the attachment;

if the sender agrees to replace the attachment,

storing the attachment at a location on a communication network from which the attachment can be retrieved,

modifying the email message by replacing the attachment with a reference specifying the location of the attachment on the communication network,

sending the modified email message to a recipient of the email message,

providing proof of receipt of the contents of the attachment, wherein providing proof of receipt involves;

delivering an encrypted version of the attachment,

receiving a receipt for the encrypted version of the attachment, wherein the receipt includes a hash of the encrypted attachment, and

in response to receiving the receipt for the encrypted version, sending the decryption key for the attachment, wherein sending the decryption key for the attachment in response to receiving the receipt for the encrypted version proves reception of the exact contents of the attachment, and

deleting the attachment from the location on the communication network after one of;

receiving a notification that all recipients of the email message have retrieved the attachment, and

receiving a notification that all recipients of the email message have deleted the email message.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving the modified email message at the recipient; and

using the reference specifying the location of the attachment to retrieve the attachment across the communication network.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein retrieving the attachment includes authenticating the recipient to a computer system upon which the attachment is stored.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein receiving the email message includes receiving the email message at one of,

an application residing on a computer system belonging to a sender of the email message;

an email server through which the email message is sent;

a firewall that protects at least one trusted computer system from communications across the communication network; and

a gateway that converts the email message from a first format to a second format.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises allowing the attachment to be updated at the location on the communication network.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises deleting the attachment from the location on the communication network after at least one of:

an expiration of a time period;

sending a notification to recipients of the email message that the attachment is to be deleted;

receiving a command to delete the attachment from a sender of the email message; and

storing the attachment to archival storage.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the communication network includes at least one of:

a computer network; and

a telephone network.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the attachment is a file.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the reference specifying the location of the attachment includes a uniform resource locator (URL).

19. An apparatus that replaces an attachment to an email message with a reference to a location of the attachment, comprising:

an examination mechanism that examines the email message to determine if the email message includes an attachment;

a replacement mechanism, wherein if the email message includes the attachment the replacement mechanism is configured to, ask a sender of the email message whether to replace the attachment with a reference specifying the location of the attachment;

if the sender agrees to replace the attachment the replacement mechanism is further configured to,

store the attachment at a location on a communication network from which the attachment can be retrieved,

modify the email message by replacing the attachment with a reference specifying the location of the attachment on the communication network,

provide proof of receipt of the contents of the attachment, wherein providing proof of receipt involves;

delivering an encrypted version of the attachment,

receiving a receipt for the encrypted version of the attachment, wherein the receipt includes a hash of the encrypted attachment, and

in response to receiving the receipt for the encrypted version, sending the decryption key for the attachment, wherein sending the decryption key for the attachment in response to receiving the receipt for the encrypted version proves reception of the exact contents of the attachment, and

send the modified email message to a recipient of the email message; and

a deletion mechanism that is configured to delete the attachment from the location on the communication network after one of;

receiving a notification that all recipients of the email message have retrieved the attachment, and

receiving a notification that all recipients of the email message have deleted the email message.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

a second receiving mechanism at the recipient that is configured to receive the modified email message; and

a retrieval mechanism at the recipient that is configured to use the reference specifying the location of the attachment to retrieve the attachment across the communication network.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the retrieval mechanism is configured to authenticate the recipient to a computer system upon which the attachment is stored.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the replacement mechanism is located on one of,

an application residing on a computer system belonging to a sender of the email message;

an email server through which the email message is sent;

a firewall that protects at least one trusted computer system from communications across the communication network; and

a gateway that converts the email message from a first format to a second format.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising an updating mechanism that is configured to allow the attachment to be updated at the location on the communication network.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the deletion mechanism is further configured to delete the attachment from the location on the communication network after at least one of:

an expiration of a time period;

sending a notification to recipients of the email message that the attachment is to be deleted;

receiving a command to delete the attachment from a sender of the email message; and

storing the attachment to archival storage.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the communication network includes at least one of:

a computer network; and

a telephone network.

26. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the attachment is a file.

27. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the reference specifying the location of the attachment includes a uniform resource locator (URL).