Shared attachments

• US 9,165,285 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2010
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Schultz, Tracy, Paperman, Bram, Swami, Sunil, Steinbok, Nicole, Geffner, Steven, Kohler, Jeffrey, Caldwell, Gary, Yuniardi, Nino, Leonard, Peter, Tamanaha, Eli, Shih, Nina, Jacobsen, Isaac
• Primary Examiner(s): WENG, PEI YONG
• Application Number:
  US12/963,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20120151379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,777 Days
• Field of Search: 715/752
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments

Abstract

When an outgoing communication sent to one or more recipients contains a supported attachment type, a shared workspace that contains a shared version of the original attachment is provisioned. A modified version of the original outgoing communication is delivered to internal recipients including both a link to the shared document and the original attachment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a communication including an attachment addressed to one or more recipients including internal recipients and external recipients;

retrieving recipient-specific metadata of each of the one or more recipients;

sending a provision message for provisioning a shared document workspace that includes a shared version of the attachment accessible to the internal recipients of the one or more recipients based on the recipient-specific metadata;

generating a first modified communication directed to the internal recipients based in part on the communication, wherein the first modified communication includes a link to the shared version of the attachment at the shared document workspace and the attachment for the internal recipients, wherein the link to the shared version of the attachment at the shared document workspace is defined by a message identification specific to a thread associated with the communication and selection of the link to the shared version of the attachment at the shared document workspace operates to access the shared version of the attachment at the shared document workspace;

releasing the first modified communication to the internal recipients including the attachment to assure that the internal recipients who are offline still have access to the attachment and the link to the shared version of the attachment at the shared document workspace; and

releasing the communication to the external recipients including the attachment without the link.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving the recipient-specific metadata based on a recipient identification contained within the communication specific to each of the one or more recipients.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining external recipients to be un-approved to access a shared version of the attachment.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the provision message to a provisioning service for provisioning the shared version of the attachment within the shared document workspace, the provision message comprising the recipient-specific metadata and a copy of the attachment.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising defining the link to the shared version of the attachment according to a communication identification specific to the communication.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining the link to the shared version of the attachment according to a communication identification specific to the communication.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication is selected from a group including:

an e-mail message;

a text message; and

an instant message.

8. A computing device, comprising:

a processing unit;

a system memory connected to the processing unit, the system memory including instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to implement an application configured to provision a shared document workspace in a computing system environment, wherein the application is configured to;

receive a communication addressed to one or more recipients including first metadata and a first attachment;

generate a first modified communication directed to internal recipients based in part on the communication, wherein the first modified communication includes a link to the shared version of the first attachment at the shared document workspace and the first attachment for the internal recipients, wherein the link to the shared version of the first attachment at the shared document workspace is defined by a message identification specific to a thread associated with the communication and selection of the link to the shared version of the first attachment at the shared document workspace operates to access the shared version of the first attachment at the shared document workspace;

retrieve recipient-specific permissions of each of the one or more recipients based on the first metadata to determine the internal recipients;

send a first provision message to a collaboration service including a request to provision the shared document workspace to allow sharing of the first attachment that is a first shared document accessible to the internal recipients of the one or more recipients based on evaluation of the recipient-specific permissions; and

send the first modified communication including the first attachment to assure that the internal recipients who are offline still have access to the first attachment and the first link to the shared version of the first attachment to the internal recipients; and

send the communication to external recipients including the attachment without the link.

9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the communication is selected from a group including:

an e-mail message;

a text message;

an SMS message; and

an instant message.

10. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the first attachment is selected from a group including:

a document file;

a program file; and

a media file.

11. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the communication is an e-mail message received from a client messaging interface configured to analyze content of the e-mail message and insert the first link therein upon evaluation of presence of the first attachment.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein an address of the first link is defined according to an identification specific to the communication.

13. The computing device of claim 8, wherein recipient-specific permissions are retrieved based on a recipient identification contained within the communication specific to each of the one or more recipients.

14. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the application is further configured to release the communication to external recipients based on determined permissions.

15. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the application is further configured to release the communication to external recipients of the one or more recipients including the first attachment and a link to an unsecured shared version of the first attachment.

16. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the application is further configured to:

receive a forwarded version of the communication addressed to at least one other recipient including second metadata, the first attachment, and the first link;

retrieve recipient-specific permissions of the at least one other recipient based on the second metadata;

send a second provision message to the collaboration service including a request to modify access rights to the first shared document to include the at least one other recipient based on an evaluation of the recipient-specific permissions; and

send a second modified communication to the at least one other recipient including the first attachment and the first link.

17. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the application is further configured to:

receive a forwarded version of the communication addressed to at least one other recipient including second metadata, the first attachment, the first link, a second attachment, and a second link to a second shared document at the shared document workspace corresponding to the second attachment;

retrieve recipient-specific permissions of the at least one other recipient based on the second metadata;

send a second provision message to the collaboration service including a request to modify access rights to the first shared document to include the at least one other recipient and a request to provision the second shared document accessible the at least one other recipient based on an evaluation of the recipient-specific permissions; and

send a second modified communication to the at least one other recipient including the first attachment, first link, the second attachment, and the second link.

18. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the application is further configured to periodically retrieve state metadata associated with the shared version of the first attachment and insert the state metadata within the first modified communication.

19. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the state metadata is selected from a group including:

read activity; and

change activity.

20. A computer readable storage hardware having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform steps comprising:

receiving a communication addressed to one or more recipients, wherein the communication includes an attachment wherein the communication is selected from a group including;

an e-mail message, a text message, and an instant message;

retrieving recipient-specific metadata of each of the one or more recipients based on a recipient identification contained within the communication specific to each of the one or more recipients, wherein the recipient-specific metadata including permissions for providing access to a shared document workspace that includes a shared version of the attachment, and the attachment is selected from a group including;

a document file, a program file, and a media file;

sending a provision message for provisioning the shared document workspace to provide access to the shared version of the attachment accessible to internal recipients of the one or more recipients based on the recipient-specific metadata;

generating a first modified communication directed to the internal recipients based in part on the communication, wherein the first modified communication includes a link to the shared version of the attachment at the shared document workspace and the attachment for the internal recipients, wherein the link to the shared version of the attachment at the shared document workspace is defined by a message identification specific to a thread associated with the communication and selection of the link to the shared version of the attachment at the shared document workspace operates to that when selected access the shared version of the attachment at the shared document workspace;

releasing the first modified communication to the internal recipients including the attachment to assure that the internal recipients who are offline still have access to the attachment and the link to the shared version of the attachment at the shared document workspace; and

releasing the communication to external recipients of the one or more recipients including only the attachment and not including the link.