Server-side search of email attachments

• US 8,600,970 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2011
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Abbott, Michael J., Jalbert, Christopher P., Koebler, Eric Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US13/294,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20120215786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 707/713, 707718-719, 707/769, 707/706, 707/711, 709/203, 709/206, 709210-220, 715/752
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

An email server receives an email sent to an email account and including one or more attachments. The one or more attachments are extracted from the email into one or more temporary storage elements. Content from the temporary storage elements is indexed. The indexed content is stored along with an identifier of the email in an index corresponding to the email account. The one or more temporary storage elements is disposed of after the indexing.

Claims

1. A method of indexing the content of one or more attachments to an email into a searchable email account index of an email account of a user, the method comprising:

receiving the email having one or more attachments, by an email server application running on a data processing system that is coupled to a network, a data store, and a search system, the email addressed to the email account of the user;

generating, by the email server application, an identifier of the email that is unique with respect to the email account of the user;

storing the identifier of the email, the content of the email, and header information of the email in the data store;

extracting, by the search system coupled to the email server application, the content of the one or more attachments from the email into one or more temporary storage elements which include volatile memory and wherein the content is retrieved from the volatile memory to the search system;

generating, by the search system, an index of the extracted content of each of the one or more attachments from the one or more temporary storage elements;

storing the index of the extracted content of each of the one or more attachments and the identifier of the email in the searchable email account index of the user thereby enabling the search system to retrieve, from the data store, the email to which an attachment was attached when the email was received by the email server application, using the identifier of the email; and

disposing of the one or more temporary storage elements after storing the index of the extracted content of each of the one or more attachments in the searchable email account index, thereby disposing of the extracted content of the one or more attachments.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the temporary storage elements comprise files stored in a file system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indexing of the one or more attachments occurs in response to an email being received, copied, moved, or deleted.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the indexing of the one or more attachments and storing of the indexes of the one or more attachments into the searchable email account index occurs in response to receiving a search request and before the search request is satisfied.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more attachments includes text content.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more attachments further includes at least one of image, video, audio, and executable content.

7. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium storing executable instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform a method of indexing the content of one or more attachments to an email into a searchable email account index of an email account of a user, the method comprising:

receiving the email having one or more attachments, by an email server application running on a data processing system that is coupled to a network, a data store, and a search system, the email addressed to the email account of the user;

generating, by the email server application, an identifier of the email that is unique with respect to the email account of the user;

storing the identifier of the email, the content of the email, and header information of the email in the data store;

extracting, by the search system coupled to the email server application, the content of the one or more attachments from the email into one or more temporary storage elements which include volatile memory and wherein the content is retrieved from the volatile memory to the search system;

generating, by the search system, an index of the extracted content of each of the one or more attachments from the one or more temporary storage elements;

storing the index of the extracted content of each of the one or more attachments and the identifier of the email in the searchable email account index of the user thereby enabling the search system to retrieve, from the data store, the email to which an attachment was attached when the email was received by the email server application, using the identifier of the email; and

disposing of the one or more temporary storage elements after storing the index of the extracted content of each of the one or more attachments in the searchable email account index, thereby disposing of the extracted content of the one or more attachments.

8. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the temporary storage elements comprise files stored in a file system.

9. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the indexing of the one or more attachments occurs in response to an email being received, copied, moved, or deleted.

10. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the indexing of the one or more attachments and storing of the indexes of the one or more attachments into the searchable email account index occurs in response to receiving a search request and before the search request is satisfied.

11. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the one or more attachments includes text content.

12. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the one or more attachments further includes at least one of image, video, audio, and executable content.

13. A data processing system configured to index the content of one or more attachments to an email into a searchable email account index of an email account of a user, the system comprising:

an email server application running on a data processing system that is coupled to a network, a data store, and a search system, the email server configured to;

receive the email having one or more attachments, the email addressed to the email account of the user;

generate an identifier of the email that is unique with respect to the email account of the user;

store the identifier of the email, the content of the email, and header information of the email in the data store;

and wherein the search system is configured to;

extract the content of the one or more attachments from the email into one or more temporary storage elements which include volatile memory and wherein the content is retrieved from the volatile memory to the search system;

generate an index of the extracted content of each of the one or more attachments from the one or more temporary storage elements;

store the index of the extracted content of each of the one or more attachments and the identifier of the email in the searchable email account index of the user thereby enabling the search system to retrieve, from the data store, the email to which an attachment was attached when the email was received by the email server application, using the identifier of the email; and

dispose of the one or more temporary storage elements after storing the index of the extracted content of each of the one or more attachments in the searchable email account index, thereby disposing of the extracted content of the one or more attachments.

14. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the temporary storage elements comprise files stored in a file system.

15. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the indexing of the one or more attachments occurs in response to an email being received, copied, moved, or deleted.

16. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the indexing of the one or more attachments and the storing of the indexes of the one or more attachments into the searchable email account index occurs in response to receiving a search request and before the search request is satisfied.

17. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the one or more attachments includes text content.

18. The data processing system of claim 17, wherein the one or more attachments further includes at least one of image, video, audio, and executable content.