File identification and retrieval in directories for categorized files

• US 8,285,763 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Accapadi, Jos Manuel, Khatwani, Umesh G.
• Primary Examiner(s): FILIPCZYK, MARCIN R
• Application Number:
  US12/339,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20090100008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 707/737, 707/822, 707/828, 707/999.002, 707/999.205, 709/201, 715/700, 715/764
• US Class Current: 707/828
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/164 File meta data generation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A system and program code are provided for marking a file. Responsive to a file being received, the file is stored in a directory in a file system. An indicia is associated with the file and the directory. The file is displayed using the indicia as a marked file and the directory is displayed using the indicia as a marked directory.

Claims

1. A data processing system for marking a file, the data processing system comprising:

a bus system;

a communications system connected to the bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes a set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to store the file in a directory in a file system in response to receiving the file as an attachment to an email;

associate an indicia with the file and the directory, wherein the indicia comprises an abbreviated identifier, an indicator, and at least one of a background of color, an icon text color, and an icon text background color;

automatically store the file with the indicia identified in a policy database;

edit the indicia in response to receiving a command to edit the indicia;

display the file using the indicia as a marked file; and

display the directory using the indicia as a marked directory.

2. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to display the marked file stored within the marked directory in response to a selection of the marked directory.

3. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to search the file system to locate the indicia;

and retrieve contents of the file system that contain the indicia in response to locating the indicia.

4. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein the indicia is further selected from an options menu associated with the file.

5. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to correlate, using a policy database, an originator of the email with the file.

6. The data processing system of claim 5, wherein the indicia is further associated with the originator.

7. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein editing the indicia comprises editing the indicator to specify at least one of “

urgent,”

“

unread,”

“

needs review,” and

“

come back to later”

in response to receiving a command to edit the indicia.

8. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium including computer usable program code for marking objects, the computer program product including;

computer usable program code for storing a file in a directory in a file system in response to receiving the file as an attachment to an email;

computer usable program code for associating an indicia with the file and the directory, wherein the indicia comprises an abbreviated identifier, an indicator, and at least one of a background of color, an icon text color, and an icon text background color;

computer usable program code for automatically storing the file with the indicia identified in a policy database;

computer usable program code for editing the indicia in response to receiving a command to edit the indicia;

computer usable program code for displaying the file using the indicia as a marked file; and

computer usable program code for displaying the directory using the indicia as a marked directory.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, further including:

computer usable program code for displaying the marked file stored within the marked directory in response to a selection of the marked directory.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, further including:

computer usable program code for searching the file system to locate the indicia; and

computer usable program code for retrieving contents of the file system that contain the indicia in response to locating the indicia.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein associating the indicia with the file and the directory is determined using the policy database.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the indicia is further selected from an options menu associated with the file.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, further including:

computer usable program code for correlating, using the policy database, an originator of the email with the file.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the indicia is further associated with the originator.

15. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein editing the indicia comprises editing the indicator to specify at least one of “

urgent,”

“

unread,”

“

needs review,” and

“

come back to later”

in response to receiving a command to edit the indicia.

16. A computer implemented method for marking objects, the computer implemented method comprising:

storing, in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, a file in a directory in a file system in response to receiving the file as an attachment to an email;

associating, with a processor, an indicia with the file and the directory, wherein the indicia comprises an abbreviated identifier, an indicator, and at least one of a background of color, an icon text color, and an icon text background color;

automatically store the file with the indicia identified in a policy database on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium;

edit, with the processor, the indicia in response to receiving a command to edit the indicia;

displaying, on one or more display units, the file using the indicia as a marked file; and

displaying, on the one or more display units, the directory using the indicia as a marked directory.