Selective transmission of an email attachment

• US 7,840,642 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2008
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Naick, Indran, Wilson, Jeffrey Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Philip C
• Assistant Examiner(s): RECEK, JASON D
• Application Number:
  US12/098,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20080189379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709205-206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Methods, devices, systems, and media are disclosed for replacing an email attachment with a call, and forwarding the email with the call to a user for selective display of the attachment by making a call. One embodiment includes receiving an email on a mail server, wherein the email has the email attachment, and removing the email attachment from the email to produce a stripped email. The embodiment further includes storing the email attachment on a server, adding the call to the stripped email, and forwarding the stripped email with the call for displaying to a recipient.

Claims

1. A device for replacing an email attachment associated with an email with a call to code, wherein the code downloads the email attachment upon activation of the call by a recipient of a stripped email, the device comprising:

a detacher to remove the email attachment from the email to create the stripped email;

memory coupled with the detacher to store the email attachment;

a call incorporator to add the call to the stripped email based upon the memory , wherein the call incorporator comprises a call generator to generate code based upon an address associated with the memory, the code being configured to automatically transmit a request for the email attachment in response to execution of the call to the code by an email program associated with the recipient; and

a call generator, associated with the call incorporator, to generate the call to the code based upon an address associated with the memory, wherein the code downloads the email attachment upon activation of the call by the recipient of the stripped email, wherein the code responds to user-defined rules configured for instructing an identity and a location of the email attachment for the recipient, wherein the identity and the location may differ for other recipients.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a router protocol coupled with the call incorporator to format the email to forward to the recipient.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the detacher comprises a data gatherer to determine authentication data to associate with the email attachment, the authentication data to be verified in response to activation of the call and prior to transmitting the email attachment to the recipient.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the storage is associated with an attachment server, an attachment server being responsive to a request associated with activation of the call to transmit the email attachment to the recipient by the code associated with the call.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the attachment server comprises a request interpreter to associate the request with the email attachment.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the attachment server comprises a request authenticator to verify a request associated with activation of the call before transmitting the email attachment to the recipient by the code associated with the call.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the call generator generates a hyperlink based upon an address associated with the storage, wherein the call in the stripped email is the hyperlink.

8. A non-transitory, storage type accessible medium containing instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations for replacing an email attachment associated with an email with a call to code, wherein the code downloads the email attachment upon activation of the call by a recipient of a stripped email, comprising:

receiving the email with the email attachment;

removing the email attachment from the email, and producing the stripped email;

storing the email attachment;

adding the call to the stripped email, wherein adding the call comprises adding code to the email, the code being configured to automatically execute upon display of the email via an email client associated with the recipient, to request transmission of the email attachment;

generating the call to the code, wherein the code downloads the email attachment upon activation of the call by the recipient of the stripped email, wherein the code responds to user-defined rules configured for instructing an identity and a location of the email attachment for the recipient, wherein the identity and the location may differ for other recipients; and

forwarding the stripped email with the call to the recipient.

9. The non-transitory, storage-type, accessible medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise instructions for:

receiving a request for transmission of the email attachment in response to activation of the call; and

transmitting the email attachment to the recipient in response to the request.

10. The non-transitory, storage-type, accessible medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise instructions for authenticating the request prior to transmission of the email attachment.

11. The non-transitory, storage-type, accessible medium of claim 8, wherein storing comprises storing the email attachment in storage associated with an attachment server, the attachment server being configured to transmit the email attachment in response to activation of the call by the recipient.

12. The non-transitory, storage-type, accessible medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise instructions for partitioning a mail server to create an attachment server.

13. A device for replacing an email attachment associated with an email with a call to code, wherein the code downloads the email attachment upon activation of the call by a recipient of a stripped email, the device comprising:

a detacher comprising a data gatherer and a stripped email generator, wherein the data gatherer removes the email attachment from the email to create the stripped email, wherein the detacher is in communication with an attachment server and, optionally, with a partition manager;

memory, located on the attachment server, for storing the email attachment and, optionally, authentication data, wherein the memory is in communication with the detacher;

a call incorporator to add the call to the stripped email based upon the memory ;

a call generator, associated with the call incorporator, to generate the call to the code based upon an address associated with the memory, wherein the code downloads the email attachment upon activation of the call by the recipient of the stripped email, wherein the code responds to user-defined rules configured for instructing an identity and a location of the email attachment for the recipient, wherein the identity and the location may differ for other recipients;

a request authenticator and a request interpreter, in communication with the attachment server, for verifying the recipient may receive the email attachment; and

an attachment transmitter, in communication with the attachment server, for transmitting the email attachment to the recipient.

14. A device for replacing an email attachment associated with an email with a call to code, wherein the code downloads the email attachment upon activation of the call by a recipient of a stripped email, the device comprising:

a detacher to remove the email attachment from the email to create the stripped email;

memory coupled with the detacher to store the email attachment;

a call incorporator to add the call to the stripped email based upon the memory, wherein the call incorporator comprises an icon associator to add a hyperlink to the stripped email, wherein the hyperlink is configured to initiate code associated with the email attachment to transmit the email attachment to the recipient; and

a call generator, associated with the call incorporator, to generate the call to the code based upon an address associated with the memory, wherein the code downloads the email attachment upon activation of the call by the recipient of the stripped email, wherein the code responds to user-defined rules configured for instructing an identity and a location of the email attachment for the recipient, wherein the identity and the location may differ for other recipients.