Methods and systems for saving draft electronic communications

• US 8,694,589 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2005
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Buchheit, Paul T., Lim, Jing Yee, Singh, Sanjeev
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tammy
• Application Number:
  US11/094,763
• Publication Number:
  US 20060224674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,295 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/206, 709/207, 709/217, 709/226, 707/204, 715/505, 715/507, 713/191
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1446 Point-in-time backing up or restoration of persistent data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Methods and systems for saving draft electronic communications, such as web e-mails, are described herein. One such described method comprises automatically saving a draft web-email in the e-mail web page. A second such described method comprises saving a draft web e-mail in a cookie residing on the client machine. A third such described method comprises automatically saving a draft web e-mail at the host that provides the Web e-mail service. A fourth such described method comprises interacting with a central installed client component to save a draft web e-mail one the user'"'"'s machine at the client side.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

on a client system;

receiving inputs to a web e-mail page, the received inputs including user inputs to a draft e-mail being composed by a user, wherein the web-email page is provided by a host site; and

periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs to the web e-mail page including periodically auto-saving at least some of the user inputs to the draft e-mail;

wherein periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs comprises;

periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs in a cookie.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to compose a web e-mail;

responsive to the request, providing the web e-mail page for composing the web e-mail.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a command to send the web e-mail.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs comprises:

periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs prior to receiving the command to send the web e-mail.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an option to retrieve the saved inputs.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to recover the web e-mail; and

retrieving the saved inputs.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs comprises:

periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs in a markup language document.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs comprises:

periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs to the host.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein auto-periodically saving at least some of the received inputs comprises:

periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs to the client system.

10. The method of claim 1,

wherein periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs comprises:

periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs in a markup language document;

periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs to the host site; and

periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs to the client system.

11. The method of claim 1,

wherein periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs comprises:

periodically determining whether the received inputs are larger than a storage capacity of the cookie; and

responsive to the received inputs being larger than the storage capacity of the cookie, periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs to the host.

12. The method of claim 1,

wherein periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs comprises:

periodically determining whether the received inputs are larger than a storage capacity of the cookie; and

responsive to the received inputs being larger than the storage capacity of the cookie, periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs to the client system.

13. The method of claim 1,

wherein periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs comprises:

periodically determining whether the received inputs are larger than a storage capacity of the cookie; and

responsive to the received inputs being larger than the storage capacity of the cookie, auto-saving a selected portion of the received inputs in the cookie.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs for execution by one or more processors on a client system, the one or more programs comprising:

instructions for receiving inputs to a web e-mail page, the inputs including user inputs to a draft e-mail being composed by a user, wherein the web-email page is provided by a host site; and

instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs to the web e-mail page including periodically auto-saving at least some of the user inputs to the draft e-mail;

wherein the instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs comprise;

instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs in a cookie.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising:

instructions for receiving a request to compose a web e-mail;

instructions for providing the web e-mail page for composing the web e-mail in response to the request.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising:

instructions for receiving a command to send the web e-mail.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs comprise:

instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs prior to receiving the command to send the web e-mail.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising:

instructions for providing an option to retrieve the saved inputs.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising:

instructions for receiving a request to recover the web e-mail; and

instructions for retrieving the saved inputs.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs comprise:

instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs in a markup language document.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs further comprise:

instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the receiving inputs to the host site.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs further comprise:

instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs to the client system.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14,

wherein the instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs comprise:

instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs in a markup language document;

instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs to the host site; and

instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs to the client system.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14,

wherein the instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs comprise:

instructions for periodically determining whether the received inputs are larger than a storage capacity of the cookie; and

instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs to the host site-in response to the received inputs being larger than the storage capacity of the cookie.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs comprise:

instructions for periodically determining whether the received inputs are larger than a storage capacity of the cookie; and

instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs to the client system in response to the received inputs being larger than the storage capacity of the cookie.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14,

wherein the instructions for periodically auto-saving at least some of the received inputs comprise:

instructions for periodically determining whether the received inputs are larger than a storage capacity of the cookie; and

instructions for auto-saving a selected portion of the received inputs in the cookie in response to the received inputs being larger than the storage capacity of the cookie.