Method and apparatus for minimizing storage of common attachment files in an e-mail communications server

• US 7,908,332 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2008
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malik, Dale W.
• Primary Examiner(s): BHATIA, AJAY M
• Application Number:
  US12/245,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20090030997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• 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

Abstract

The present invention provides an e-mail communications system that minimizes the number of duplicate copies of common attachment files to e-mail communications that are stored in the mail store of an e-mail server. When the e-mail server receives an e-mail attachment file that is larger than a threshold size, the server performs a database search for another copy of the attachment file in the mail store. If another copy is located, the system creates a pointer in the mail store that associates the located attachment file with the e-mail for the additional recipient(s). Attachment files are deleted only after the recipients of the associated e-mail communications delete each of the respective e-mails.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving an email communication using an email server of a recipient, the email server including a Post Office Protocol (POP) server and a mail store, the mail store including a header database and an attachment file database, the method comprising:

receiving from a client computer a selection to download a received email communication from the email server of the recipient; and

retrieving a common attachment file corresponding to the received email communication through a link in the header database to the attachment file database, wherein the common attachment file corresponds to a plurality of separately received email communications being stored within the mail store that reference the common attachment file.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

connecting to the client computer by forming a connection between the client computer and the Post Office Protocol (POP) server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the link in the header database to the attachment file database is to a common attachment section of the attachment file database.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the attachment file database includes the common attachment section and a main attachment section.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing the header database in the mail store; and

extracting an email header information and an email message information for the received email communication from the header database.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the common attachment file includes a header reference number that corresponds to a header stored in the header database, and wherein the common attachment file includes another header reference number that corresponds to another header stored in the header database.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a delete request from the client computer to delete the received email communication.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

deleting a header in the header database that corresponds to the received email communication responsive to detecting the delete request.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

deleting from the common attachment file a header reference number that corresponds to the received email communication in the attachment file database responsive to detecting the delete request.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining whether the common attachment file includes another header reference number.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising deleting the common attachment file from the attachment file database responsive to determining that the common attachment file does not include another header reference number.

12. A method comprising:

connecting to a client computer by forming a connection between the client computer and an email server of a recipient addressee of a received email message, the email server including a mail store, the mail store including a header database and an attachment file database;

detecting a delete request at the email server of the recipient addressee from the client computer to delete a received email communication; and

deleting from a common attachment file, by the email server of the recipient addressee, a header reference number that corresponds to the received email communication in the attachment file database responsive to detecting the delete request, wherein the common attachment file corresponds to a plurality of separately received email communications being stored within the mail store that reference the common attachment file.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

deleting the header from the header database that corresponds to the received email communication responsive to detecting the delete request.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining whether the common attachment file includes another header reference number.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising deleting the attachment file from the attachment file database responsive to determining that the common attachment file does not include another header reference number.

16. A method for retrieving an email communication using an email server of an recipient addressee of the email communication, the email server including a mail store, the mail store including a header database and an attachment file database, the method comprising:

receiving from a client computer a selection to download a received email communication; and

retrieving a common attachment file through a link in the header database to the attachment file database, wherein the common attachment file is common to the received email communication and another separately received email communication.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

detecting a delete request from the client computer to delete the received email communication, and

maintaining the common attachment file in the attachment file database at least when the other received email communication has not been deleted.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the other received email communication is a forward of the received email communication.