Download of current portions of email messages

• US 8,990,313 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2008
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Sawhney, Ishdeep
• Primary Examiner(s): Joo, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US12/060,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20090248813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,548 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

In general, this disclosure describes techniques of enabling devices to download only current portions of email messages without downloading historical portions of the email messages. For instance, when an email client generates a reply email message to an original email message, the reply email message includes a current portion and a historical portion. The current portion of the reply email message includes new information and the historical portion of the reply email message includes the original email message. The techniques of this disclosure enable devices to download the current portions of email messages without downloading the historical portions of the email messages.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server, a second email message that is a child email message of a first email message, the second email message including a current portion and a historical portion, the current portion containing content not in the first email message, and the historical portion containing a copy of the first email message;

determining, by the server, that the second email message includes a portion partition header field that identifies a start of the historical portion of the second email message, wherein the portion partition header field indicating one or more of;

a number of bytes in the current portion of the second email message and a number of bytes in the historical portion of the second email message;

after determining that the second email message includes the portion partition header field and that the portion partition header field identifies the start of the historical portion of the second email message, generating, by the server, a truncated email message that includes the current portion of the second email message and excludes the historical portion of the second email message, the current portion of the second email message including content in the second email message up to the start of the historical portion of the second email message; and

transmitting the truncated email message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the truncated email message comprises:

generating the truncated email message such that the truncated email message contains all content in the second email message up to the start of the historical portion of the second email message, thereby removing the historical portion of the second email message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the truncated email message comprises wirelessly transmitting the truncated email message to a wireless handheld device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

storing the first email message in a database;

receiving, at the server after transmitting the truncated email message, a request for the first email message;

retrieving, in response to the request, the first email message from the database; and

transmitting, in response to the request, the historical portion of the second email message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second email message is a reply to the first email message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second email message is a forward of the first email message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the truncated email message comprises transmitting the truncated email message to a device configured for dynamically recovery of the second email message by appending an email message that contains the historical portion of the second email message to the truncated email message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the truncated email message comprises including a truncation header field in the truncated email message that indicates that the truncated email message is a truncation.

9. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions, the computer-readable medium not being a signal in transmission, execution of the instructions by a device causing the device to:

determine, in response to a request to send an outgoing email message, that the outgoing email message includes a current portion and a historical portion;

after determining that the outgoing email message includes the current portion and the historical portion, include a portion partition header field in the outgoing email message, wherein the portion partition header field indicating one or more of;

a number of bytes in the current portion of a second email message and a number of bytes in the historical portion of the second email message;

after including the portion partition header field in the outgoing email message, transmit the outgoing email message to a server, the outgoing email message being a child email message of a first email message, the current portion of the outgoing email message containing content not in the first email message, the historical portion of the outgoing email message containing a copy of the first email message, the portion partition header field indicating a start of the historical portion of the outgoing email message; and

store, in a message cache, the outgoing email message that contains the historical portion of the first email message, whereby the historical portion of the first email message is recovered by retrieving the outgoing email message.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the device receives the request via a network from a client device.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the device receives the request via a user input device connected to the device.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein execution of the instructions by the device causes the device to:

receive an incoming truncated email message associated with a second email message, the second email message being a child email message of a third email message, the second email message including the current portion and the historical portion, the current portion of the second email message containing content not in the third email message and the historical portion of the second email message containing a copy of the third email message, the incoming truncated email message including the current portion of the second email message and excluding the historical portion of the second email message;

recover, after reception of the incoming truncated email message, the second email message; and

cause a presentation device to present the second email message.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein execution of the instructions by the device further causes the presentation device to present the incoming truncated email message.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein execution of the instructions by the device further causes the device to:

store, in the message cache, a fourth email message that contains the historical portion of the second email message; and

recover the second email message by appending the fourth email message that contains the historical portion of the second email message to the incoming truncated email message after reception of the incoming truncated email message.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein execution of the instructions by the device causes the device to automatically recover the second email message.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14,

wherein the incoming truncated email message includes a reference header field that specifies a message identifier;

and

wherein, after the device recovers the second email message, execution of the instructions by the device causes the device to identify the fourth email message that contains the historical portion of the second email message by searching the message cache for the fourth email message that includes a message identifier header field that specifies the message identifier specified by the reference header field of the incoming truncated email message.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein execution of the instructions by the device causes the device to send a request to the server for the second email message.

18. A computing device comprising:

a data storage medium that stores instructions; and

a processor that reads the instructions from the data storage medium and executes the instructions, execution of the instructions by the processor causing the computing device to;

use a portion partition header field in a second email message to identify a start of a historical portion within the second email message, the second email message also including a current portion that contains content not in a first email message, the historical portion of the second email message containing a copy of the first email message, wherein the portion partition header field indicating one or more of;

a number of bytes in the current portion of the second email message and a number of bytes in the historical portion of the second email message;

generate a truncated email message, the truncated email message including the current portion of the second email message and excluding the historical portion of the second email message; and

transmitting the truncated email message.

19. The computing device of claim 18, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor further causing the computing device to:

store the first email message in a database;

receive, at the computing device after transmitting the truncated email message, a request for the first email message;

retrieve, in response to the request, the first email message from the database; and

transmit, in response to the request, the historical portion of the second email message.

20. The computing device of claim 18, wherein generating the truncated email message comprises including a truncation header field in the truncated email message that indicates that the truncated email message is a truncation.