Thread based view and archive for simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) clients devices and methods

• US 7,516,186 B1
• Filed: 04/01/2008
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sgro', Antonio Mario, Gianfagna, Leonida, Borghetti, Stefano, Corte, Gianluca Della
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Philip C
• Application Number:
  US12/060,269
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 709/207, 709/232, 715/530, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method for local archiving of e-mail messages in an e-mail client application according to various exemplary embodiments can include generating a mail thread including at least two e-mail messages transmitted and received between a message originator and at least one recipient; appending e-mail identification data into a header of the at least two e-mail messages when transmitted. The method may also include archiving related e-mail messages within the mail thread in an e-mail client application, comprising: searching for the related e-mail messages by identifying each e-mail message having a same message originator field; and merging non-redundant segments of each e-mail message into a single message document hierarchically by response level and timestamp. The method may further include displaying, on a display screen, the single message document according to a conversational view based upon a perspective of the response level of a user within the mail thread.

Claims

1. A method for local archiving of e-mail messages in an e-mail client application, the method comprising:

generating a mail thread including at least two e-mail messages transmitted and received between a message originator and at least one recipient;

appending e-mail identification data into a header of the mail thread of the at least two e-mail messages when transmitted, wherein the e-mail identification data includes at least;

a message originator identification inserted into a message originator identification field;

a message identification inserted into a thread identification field;

a mail timestamp inserted into a thread timestamp field;

a thread level representing a response level of each of the at least two e-mail messages within the mail thread and inserted into a thread level field; and

a thread body interval containing a start line interval and an end line interval representing length of a mail body of one of the at least two e-mail messages within the mail thread and inserted into a thread body field such that the thread body interval is re-calculated when each newly added e-mail message is transmitted;

wherein the thread body field contains at least two thread body intervals;

archiving related e-mail messages within the mail thread in an e-mail client application, comprising;

searching for the related e-mail messages by identifying each of the related e-mail messages having a same message originator identification inserted in the message originator field;

dividing the mail thread into respective segments by analyzing the at least two thread body intervals of the thread body field in the each of the related e-mail messages;

purging redundant segments from the mail thread by analyzing the thread identification field to identify the redundant segments;

merging non-redundant segments of the each of the related e-mail messages into a single message document by ordering the non-redundant segments hierarchically by the response level and the mail timestamp of the each of the related e-mail messages;

storing the single message document within the e-mail client application; and

displaying, on a display screen, the single message document according to a conversational view based upon a perspective of the response level of a user within the mail thread.