Reducing errors in sending file attachments

• US 9,361,933 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Malik, Nadeem, Pearsall, Katherine J., Roberts, Steven L., Smadi, Mithkal M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Teng, Louis
• Application Number:
  US13/617,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20130013624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/14 Details of searching files based on file metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00188 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised devices recording or reproducing contents to/from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00195 using a device identifier associated with the player or recorder, e.g. serial numbers of playback apparatuses or MAC addresses
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00362 the key being obtained from a media key block [MKB]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00492 wherein content or user data is encrypted
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00528 wherein each title is encrypted with a separate encryption key for each title, e.g. title key for movie, song or data file
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00536 wherein encrypted content data is subjected to a further, iterated encryption, e.g. interwoven encryption

Abstract

Provided is a technology to scan a document for file attachments, generate alternative file names corresponding to a particular attachment, determine whether or not the particular file attachment is the latest version of a file or has a name and/for file path that could he confused with the name and/or path of another file. In the event one or more of the above conditions is met, techniques are also provided to verify that the file attachment is the desired file and, if necessary, to select an alternative file for attachment.

Claims

1. A method, comprising;

detecting, by a hardware processor, a first file to be transmitted in conjunction with an electronic mail (email) message;

generating, by the processor, a regular expression, including one or more metacharacters, corresponding to a name associated with the first file;

generating, by the processor, a list of alternative file names based upon the regular expression, wherein each listed file corresponds to a different alternative file of a plurality of possible alternative files;

enabling the selection of one of an alternative file selected from the list, wherein the alternative file is different than the first file;

in response to a selecting of the alternative file, replacing, by the processor, the first file with an alternative file; and

transmitting, to a receiving party, the electronic mail message with the alternative file rather that the first file.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising

transmitting the first file and the electronic mail message to the receiving party in response to no selection of an alternative file.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the possible alternative files have a different value of a date/time attribute than the first file.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the possible alternative files each have a different version number than the first file.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the regular expression is generated based upon the name of the first file.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the regular expression conforms to conventions of directory names and the extensions of a platform on which the first file is stored.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium; and

logic, stored on the computer-readable storage medium and executed on the processor, for;

detecting a first file to be transmitted in conjunction with an electronic mail (email) message;

generating a regular expression, including one or more metacharacters, corresponding to a name associated with the first file;

generating a list of alternative file names based upon the regular expression, wherein each listed file name corresponds to a different alternative file of a plurality of possible alternative files;

enabling the selection of one of an alternative file selected from the list, wherein the alternative file is different than the first file;

in response to a selecting of the alternative file, replacing the first file with an alternative file; and

transmitting, to a receiving party, the electronic mail message with the alternative file rather than the first file.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, the logic further comprising logic for

transmitting the first file and the electronic mail message to the receiving party in response to no selection of an alternative file.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the possible alternative files have a different value of a date/time attribute than the first file.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the possible alternative files each have a different version number than the first file.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the regular expression is generated based upon the name of the first file.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the regular expression conforms to conventions of directory names and file extensions of a platform on which the first file is stored.

13. An computer programming product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium; and

logic, stored on the computer-readable storage medium for execution on a processor, for;

detecting a first file to be transmitted in conjunction with an electronic mail (email) message;

generating a regular expression, including one or more metacharacters, corresponding to a name associated with the first file;

generating a list of alternative file names based upon the regular expression, wherein each listed file name corresponds to a different alternative file of a plurality of possible alternative files;

enabling the selection of one of an alternative file selected from the list, wherein the alternative file is different than the first file;

in response to a selecting of the alternative file, replacing the first file with an alternative file; and

transmitting, to a receiving party, the electronic mail message with the alternative file rather than the first file.

14. The computer programming product of claim 13, the logic further comprising logic for

transmitting the first file and the electronic mail message to the receiving party in response to no selection of an alternative file.

15. The computer programming product of claim 13, wherein the possible alternative files have a different value of a date/time attribute than the first file.

16. The computer programming product of claim 13, wherein the possible alternative files each have a different version number than the first file.

17. The computer programming product of claim 13, wherein the regular expression is generated based upon the name of the first file.