System and method for automatically identifying and attaching related documents

• US 7,296,060 B2
• Filed: 12/24/1998
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Walsh, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, THONG H
• Application Number:
  US09/220,910
• Publication Number:
  US 20020107924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,246 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/265, 709/218, 709/219, 709/217, 709/203, 709/236, 707/101, 707/200, 707/3, 707/501, 707/10, 707/500, 702/108, 379/88.17, 379/88.23, 345/733, 700/87, 705/408, 715/716, 715/835
• US Class Current: 709/208
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A system and method for attaching a related document to a primary document which includes at least one word. The system includes a processor determining whether the plurality of words in the primary document includes an indicator that the related document should be attached to the primary document. If an indicator is detected, the related document is then attached to the primary document for further processing. The processor may also identify at least one of a filename and a location of the related document to provide further functionality. Thus, the present invention substantially reduces the likelihood of the primary document being unintentionally processed without the related document attached thereto.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

processing a primary document in a computer system to locate an un-selected indicator;

identifying a secondary document associated with said located un-selected indicator by said computer system; and

attaching said secondary document to said primary document to encapsulate said secondary document within said primary document.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said unselected indicator includes at least one word, and wherein said identifying said secondary document is performed as a function of said at least one word.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said unselected indicator includes a plurality of words, and wherein said identifying said secondary document is performed as a function of said plurality of words within a predetermined proximity of said un-selected indicator included in said plurality of words.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

associating a predetermined word with at least one of a filename and a location of said secondary document,

wherein said primary document includes said predetermined word, and wherein identifying at least one of said filename and said location of said secondary document is performed as a function of said predetermined word.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said un-selected indicator includes at least one of a plurality of predetermined words, a plurality of predetermined characters, and a plurality of predetermined phrases.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein processing said primary document to locate said un-selected indicator is performed using syntactic processing.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said primary document includes an e-mail message.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising sending said e-mail message and said secondary document attached thereto to a recipient via a communications device.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending said primary document and said secondary document attached thereto to a printing device.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending said primary document and said secondary document attached thereto to a recipient via facsimile.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said secondary document is attached to said primary document at a first instance, said first instance being determined as a function of user input.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising adding at least one additional indicator to said un-selected indicator as a function of a user input.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying said secondary document comprises using natural language processing techniques.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said using natural language processing techniques, comprises at least one of:

using word association processing; and

using probability matching.

15. A document preparation system, comprising:

a first storage device to store a primary document;

a second storage device to store a secondary document;

a third storage device to store an indicator; and

a processor coupled to said first storage device, said second storage device and said third storage device, said processor to process said primary document to locate an un-selected indicator, identify said secondary document associated with said located un-selected indicator, and attach said secondary document to said primary document to encapsulate said secondary document within said primary document.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein said secondary document has a filename and a location, wherein said primary document includes at least one word, and wherein said processor determines at least one of said filename and said location of said secondary document as a function of at least one of a user input and said at least one word.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein a predetermined word is associated with at least one of said filename and said location of said secondary document, wherein said primary document includes said predetermined word, and wherein said processor identifies at least one of said filename and said location of said secondary document as a function of said predetermined word.

18. The system according to claim 15, wherein said un-selected indicator includes at least one of a plurality of predetermined words, a plurality of predetermined characters, and a plurality of predetermined phrases.

19. The system according to claim 15, wherein said processor determines if said primary document includes said indicator using syntactic processing.

20. A document preparation system, comprising:

a storage device;

a set of instructions stored on the storage device; and

a processor to execute said set of instructions to perform a method to identify a secondary document having an un-specified location relative to a primary document, said method comprising;

processing said primary document to locate an un-selected indicator;

identifying a secondary document associated with said located un-selected indicator; and

attaching said secondary document to said primary document to encapsulate said secondary document within said primary document.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein said secondary document has a filename and a location, wherein said primary document includes at least one word, and wherein said processor determines at least one of said filename and said location of said secondary document as a function of at least one of a user input and said at least one word.

22. The system according to claim 20, wherein said un-selected indicator includes at least one of a plurality of predetermined words, a plurality of predetermined characters, and a plurality of predetermined phrases.

23. The system according to claim 20, wherein said processor determines if said primary document includes said indicator using syntactic processing.

24. A method comprising:

processing a primary document to locate an un-selected indicator, said primary document having a list of at least one address;

identifying an address of said recipient associated with said located un-selected indicator; and

attaching said address of said recipient to said list of said at least one address to encapsulate said address of said recipient within said primary document.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein said un-selected indicator includes at least one of a plurality of predetermined words, a plurality of predetermined characters, and a plurality of predetermined phrases.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein said primary document includes at least one address corresponding to at least one recipient to receive said primary document, further comprising attaching said address of said recipient to said list of said at least one address.

27. A document preparation system comprising:

a storage device storing a set of instructions;

a processor executing said set of instructions to identify an unspecified address of a recipient of a primary document, said primary document including a list of at least one address corresponding to at least one recipient to receive said primary document, by;

processing said primary document to locate an un-selected indicator, said primary document having a list of at least one address;

identifying an address of said recipient associated with said located un-selected indicator; and

attaching said address of said recipient to said list of said at least one address to encapsulate said address of said recipient within said primary document.

28. A method comprising:

processing a primary document to locate an un-selected indicator;

identifying a secondary document associated with said located un-selected indicator; and

automatically encapsulating said secondary document within said primary document upon identifying said secondary document.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein said identifying said secondary document associated with said located un-selected indicator comprising:

determining a filename of said secondary document; and

determining a location of said secondary document.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein said identifying said secondary document associated with said located un-selected indicator further comprising:

using syntactic processing of said primary document.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein said identifying said secondary document associated with said located un-selected indicator further comprising:

using a user input.

32. The method of claim 28 wherein said identifying said secondary document associated with said located un-selected indicator further comprising:

using a user selection.

33. The method of claim 28 wherein said processing said primary document to locate an un-selected indicator comprising:

using syntactic processing of said primary document.

34. The method of claim 28 wherein said processing said primary document to locate an un-selected indicator comprising:

processing said primary document to locate one of a plurality of pre-determined words.

35. The method of claim 28 wherein said processing said primary document to locate an un-selected indicator comprising:

processing said primary document to locate one of a plurality of pre-determined phrases.

36. The method of claim 28 wherein said processing said primary document to locate an un-selected indicator comprising:

processing said primary document to locate one of a plurality of pre-determined characters.