Managing team mailbox integrating email repository and content management store services

• US 9,497,152 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2012
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Caldwell, Nicholas, Childs, Benjamin, Chilakamarri, Venkat Pradeep
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Application Number:
  US13/353,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20130191460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,762 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A communication application creates a team mailbox integrating messages from an email repository and documents from a content management store (CMS). The application enables an administrator to define and manage members of the team mailbox with varying privilege status for accessing the team mailbox. Content such as aggregated messages and associated documents are displayed through a unified view to standardize ease of access. The members are enabled to receive messages sent to the team mailbox by others. Policies inherited from email repository, CMS, and/or third party policy providers are enforced within the team mailbox.

Claims

1. A method executed on a computing device for managing a team mailbox, the method comprising:

in response to receiving a configuration, creating the team mailbox;

in response to detecting instructions, managing a membership in the team mailbox integrating services of an email repository and a content management store;

providing a unified view of content associated with the team mailbox through a client interface, the content comprising messages retrieved from the email repository and associated documents retrieved from the content management store that are integrated with the messages such that when the messages are selected, bodies of the messages displayed through the unified view of the client interface include the associated documents;

upon receiving a communication addressed to the team mailbox, group-sending the communication from the team mailbox to the membership using the communication'"'"'s modality; and

providing a reconnect feature through the client interface to enable relocation of team mailbox data in response to a change in an address or a location of the content management store.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying at least one team mailbox policy to the content associated with the team mailbox.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the unified view comprises:

presenting an integrated navigation menu including navigation links to the documents and the messages.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the team mailbox comprises:

receiving properties and settings for the team mailbox;

starting a creation flow using the settings to create the team mailbox;

establishing a link between the content management store and the email repository; and

providing a fault tolerance procedure for at least one error case.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the properties include at least one from a set of:

a name of the team mailbox, a description of the content, and a list of members in the membership.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein managing the membership in the team mailbox comprises:

synchronizing a list of members in the membership between an email repository and a content management store by;

choosing an architecture of the email repository having a master list of user access, and

enforcing changes to the membership according to the master list of user access.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein synchronizing the list of members further comprises at least one from a set of:

using a members list of the content management store in a master-slave configuration;

using a multi-master system including multiple merged lists; and

using a third party membership provider.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the unified view comprises:

aggregating associated messages into conversations.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein providing the unified view further comprises:

integrating associated documents to the conversations.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein providing the unified view further comprises:

displaying a list of conversations expandable to the aggregated messages and integrated documents.

11. A computing device for managing a team mailbox, the computing device comprising:

a memory storing instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor executing a communication application in conjunction with the instructions stored in the memory, wherein the communication application, configured through a client interface, is adapted to;

in response to receiving a configuration, create a team mailbox;

in response to detecting instructions, manage a membership in the team mailbox;

synchronize a list of members in the membership between an email repository and a content management store by;

choosing an architecture of the email repository having a master list of member access, and

enforcing changes to the membership according to the master list of member access;

provide a unified view of messages and associated documents in the team mailbox through the client interface by;

retrieving the messages from the email repository and the associated documents from the content management store;

aggregating associated messages into conversations, wherein the associated messages are determined based on matching context of the messages, and

integrating the associated documents with the messages such that when the messages are selected, bodies of the messages displayed through the unified view of the client interface include the associated documents, wherein the associated documents are determined based on matching member identifiers and context of the messages and the associated documents;

upon receiving a communication addressed to the team mailbox, group-send the communication from the team mailbox to the membership using the communication'"'"'s modality; and

provide a reconnect feature through the client interface to enable relocation of team mailbox data in response to a change in an address or a location of the content management store.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the modalities include at least one from a set of:

text messaging, video conferencing, audio conferencing, and file sharing.

13. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the communication application is further adapted to:

initiate a conversation including the aggregated messages and the integrated documents using a modality different from a currently used modality by the team mailbox.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the communication application is further adapted to:

launch at least one from a set of;

a group instant messenger chat and mass email from within the team mailbox.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the group instant messenger chat includes a chat history view and an associated documents view.

16. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the mass email includes an email message to at least one member in the member list.

17. A computer-readable memory device with instructions stored thereon for managing a team mailbox, the instructions comprising:

in response to receiving a configuration, creating a team mailbox, wherein the configuration includes a location of an associated content management store;

in response to detecting instructions, managing a membership in the team mailbox integrating services of an email repository and the associated content management store;

synchronizing a list of members in the membership between the email repository and the content management store by;

choosing an architecture of the email repository having a master list of user access; and

enforcing changes to the membership according to the master list of user access;

providing a unified view of content associated with the team mailbox through a client interface, the content comprising messages retrieved from the email repository and associated documents retrieved from the content management store that are integrated with the messages such that when the messages are selected, bodies of the messages displayed through the unified view of the client interface include the associated documents;

upon receiving a communication addressed to the team mailbox, group-sending the communication from the team mailbox to the membership using the communication'"'"'s modality;

applying at least one team mailbox policy to the messages and the associated documents; and

providing a reconnect feature through the client interface to enable relocation of team mailbox data in response to a change in an address or a location of the content management store.

18. The computer-readable memory device of claim 17, wherein the instructions further comprise:

determining a set of retention and access policies associated with the team mailbox; and

enforcing the retention and access policies on the messages and the documents.

19. The computer-readable memory device of claim 17, wherein the instructions further comprise:

synchronizing retention and access policies between the email repository and the content management store according to policies of the email repository.

20. The computer-readable memory device of claim 17, wherein the instructions further comprise:

synchronizing retention and access policies between the email repository and the content management store according to policies of the content management store.