Method for reading electronic mail in plain text

• US 7,373,602 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2003
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Pengelly, Robert C. J., Cardenas, Liza, Slugenova, Henrieta, Trenbeath, Brian L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh; Thu
• Application Number:
  US10/446,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20040243926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,812 Days
• Field of Search: 715/501.1, 715522-523, 715/516, 715/752, 715/515, 715/513, 709/526, 709/206
• US Class Current: 715/249
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/154 Tree transformation for tree-structured or markup documents, e.g. XSLT, XSL-FO or stylesheets
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

It may be determined whether text of an electronic mail message is in a format other than plain text. If the text of the electronic mail message is in a format other than plain text, the text may be converted to a plain text format for displaying. If the text of the electronic mail message is in a format other than plain text format and the electronic mail message contains a digital signature, converting the text of the electronic mail message to plain text including breaking the digital signature. Also, a message may be provided to a user to indicates that the electronic mail message is in a format other than plain text format, immediate display of the electronic mail message may be prevented, and an option of viewing the text of the electronic mail message in a non-plain text format or a plain text format may be provided.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of converting text of an electronic mail message to a plain text format, the method comprising:

determining that the text of the electronic mail message is in a format other than plain text, the electronic mail message being received by a recipient from a sender;

determining, in response to determining that the text of the electronic mail message is in the format other than plain text, that the electronic mail message includes a digital signature;

sending, in response to determining that the electronic mail message includes the digital signature, a preview message indicating that the electronic mail message cannot be converted to the plain text format without breaking the digital signature;

determining that an email viewer application is configured to only view messages in the plain text format;

displaying, in response to determining that the email viewer application is configured to only view messages in the plain text format, a message indicating that the electronic mail message cannot be displayed without breaking the digital signature;

receiving, in response to displaying the message indicating that the electronic mail message cannot be displayed without breaking the digital signature, instructions from a user to convert the electronic mail message to the plain text format in order to view the electronic mail message; and

converting, in response to the received instructions, the text of the electronic mail message to the plain text format when the text of the electronic mail message is in the format other than plain text wherein converting the text of the electronic mail message to the plain text format comprises converting the text of the electronic mail message and breaking the digital signature.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the text of the electronic mail message is in a hypertext markup language (HTML) format, converting the text in an HTML format to plain text format; and

when the text of the electronic mail message is in a rich text format (RTF), converting the text in the RTF to plain text format.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising

providing an option of viewing the text of the electronic mail message in one of the following:

an HTML format and a plain text format, when the text of the electronic mail message is in the HTML format; and

providing an option of viewing the text of the electronic mail message in one of the following;

a RTF and a plain text format, when the text of the electronic mail message is in the RTF.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising

displaying the text of the electronic mail message in the plain text format.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising

when attempting to preview or open an electronic mail message having text in a format other than plain text,

providing a message to a user that the electronic mail message is in a format other than plain text format;

and

preventing immediate display of the electronic mail message.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising providing an option of viewing the text of the electronic mail message in one of the following:

a non-plain text format and a plain text format.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising

after the step of converting the text to a plain text format,

providing a message to a user that the text of the electronic mail message has been converted to plain text format;

and

displaying the text of the electronic mail message in plain text format.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising

providing an option of viewing the text of the electronic mail message in a non-plain text format.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising

providing a first tools option to a user, wherein the user can activate or deactivate the step of converting text of the electronic mail message to a plain text format.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising

providing a second tools option to a user, wherein the user can activate or deactivate a step of converting text of a digitally signed electronic mail message to a plain text format.

11. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing a method of converting text of an electronic mail message to a plain text format, said method comprising:

determining that the text of the electronic mail message is in the format other than plain text, the electronic mail message being received by a recipient from a sender;

determining, in response to determining that the text of the electronic mail message is in the format other than plain text, that the electronic mail message includes a digital signature;

sending, in response to determining that the electronic mail message includes the digital signature, a preview message indicating that the electronic mail message cannot be converted to the plain text format without breaking the digital signature;

determining that an email viewer application is configured to only view messages in the plain text format;

displaying, in response to determining that the email viewer application is configured to only view messages in the plain text format, a message indicating that the electronic mail message cannot be displayed without breaking the digital signature;

receiving, in response to displaying the message indicating that the electronic mail message cannot be displayed without breaking the digital signature, instructions from a user to convert the text of the electronic mail message to the plain text format in order to view the electronic mail message; and

converting, in response to the received instructions, the text of the electronic mail message to the plain text format when the text of the electronic mail message is in the format other than plain text wherein converting the text of the electronic mail message to the plain text format comprises converting the text of the electronic mail message and breaking the digital signature.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising:

when the text of the electronic mail message is in a hypertext markup language (HTML) format, converting the text in an HTML format to plain text format; and

when the text of the electronic mail message is in a rich text format (RTF), converting the text in the RTF to plain text format.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, further comprising

providing an option of viewing the text of the electronic mail message in one of the following:

an HTML format and a plain text format, when the text of the electronic mail message is in the HTML format; and

providing an option of viewing the text of the electronic mail message in one of the following;

an RTF and the plain text format when the text of the electronic mail message is in RTF.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising

displaying the text of the electronic mail message in the plain text format.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising

when attempting to preview or open an electronic mail message having text in a format other than plain text,

providing a message to a user that the electronic mail message is in a format other than plain text format;

and

preventing immediate display of the electronic mail message.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising

providing an option of viewing the text of the electronic mail message in a non-plain text format or a plain text format.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising

after the step of converting the text to a plain text format,

providing a message to a user that the text of the electronic mail message has been converted to plain text format;

and

displaying the text of the electronic mail message in plain text format.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising

providing an option of viewing the text of the electronic mail message in a non-plain text format.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising

providing a first tools option to a user, wherein the user can activate or deactivate the step of converting text of the electronic mail message to a plain text format.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising

providing a second tools option to a user, wherein the user can activate or deactivate a step of converting text of a digitally signed electronic mail message to a plain text format.

21. A system for converting text of an electronic mail message to a plain text format, the system comprising:

a memory storage; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to;

determine the text of the electronic mail message is in the format other than plain text;

determine, in response to determining the text of the electronic mail message is in a format other than plain text, the electronic mail message includes a digital signature;

send, in response to determining the electronic mail message includes the digital signature, a preview message indicating that the electronic mail message cannot be converted to the plain text format without breaking the digital signature;

determine that an email viewer application is configured to only view messages in the plain text format;

display, in response to determining that the email viewer application is configured to only view messages in the plain text format, a message indicating that the electronic mail message cannot be displayed without breaking the digital signature;

receive, in response to displaying the message indicating that the electronic mail message cannot be displayed without breaking the digital signature, instructions from a user to convert the text of the electronic mail message to the plain text format in order to view the electronic mail message; and

convert, in response to the received instructions, the text of the electronic mail message to the plain text format when the text of the electronic mail message is in the format other than plain text wherein the processing unit being operative to convert the text of the electronic mail message to the plain text format comprises the processing unit being operative to convert the text of the electronic mail message to the plain text format and breaking the digital signature.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the processing unit is further operative to:

when the text of the electronic mail message is in a hypertext markup language (HTML) format, convert the text in the HTML format to plain text format; and

when the text of the electronic mail message is in a rich text format (RTF), convert the text in the RTF to plain text format.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the processing unit is further operative to:

provide an option of viewing the text of the electronic mail message in one of the following;

an HTML format and a plain text format, when the text of the electronic mail message is in the HTML format; and

provide an option of viewing the text of the electronic mail message in one of the following;

an RTF and a plain text format, when the text of the electronic mail message is in the RTF.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the processing unit is further operative to display the text of the electronic mail message in the plain text format.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the processing unit is further operative to, when attempting to one of the following:

preview an electronic mail message having text in a format other than plain text and open the electronic mail message having text in the format other than plain text;

provide a message to a user that the electronic mail message is in a format other than plain text format; and

prevent immediate display of the electronic mail message.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the processing unit is further operative to provide an option of viewing the text of the electronic mail message in one of the following:

a non-plain text format and a plain text format.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the processing unit is further operative to:

provide a message to a user that the text of the electronic mail message has been converted to plain text format after the processing unit converts the text to a plain text format; and

display the text of the electronic mail message in plain text format.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the processing unit is further operative to provide an option of viewing the text of the electronic mail message in a non-plain text format.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the processing unit is further operative to provide a first tools option to a user, wherein the user can activate or deactivate converting text of the electronic mail message to a plain text format.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the processing unit is further operative to provide a second tools option to a user, wherein the user can activate or deactivate converting text of a digitally signed electronic mail message to a plain text format.