Managing team mailbox integrating email repository and content management store services

• US 9,984,358 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2016
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• 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:
  US15/285,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20170024698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• 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 to be displayed through a client interface, the content comprising messages retrieved from the email repository and documents retrieved from the content management store, wherein the messages and the documents are searchable within the team mailbox;

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

in response to a detecting a new location of one or both of the email repository and the content management store, reconnecting the team mailbox to the new location to relocate the content associated with the team mailbox.

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:

providing to be displayed an integrated navigation menu including navigation links to the messages and documents.

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

receiving properties and settings for the team mailbox, 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.

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

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

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a link between the email repository and the content management store during creation of the team mailbox.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a fault tolerance procedure for at least one error case during creation of the team mailbox.

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

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.

9. The method of claim 8, 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.

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

aggregating associated messages into conversations.

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

integrating associated documents to the conversations, wherein the associated documents are integrated within a message of the conversation.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein providing the unified view further comprises:

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

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

a communication interface configured to facilitate communication among the computing device, an email repository, and a content management store;

a memory storing instructions; and

a processor coupled to the communication interface and the memory, wherein the processor configured to;

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

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

provide a unified view of content associated with the team mailbox to be displayed through a client interface, the content comprising messages retrieved from the email repository and documents retrieved from the content management store through the communication interface, wherein the messages and the documents are searchable within the team mailbox;

aggregate one or more of the messages into a conversation within the unified view, wherein the aggregated messages have a matching context;

integrate one or more of the documents to the conversation, wherein the integrated documents have a matching member identifier and a matching context to the aggregated messages;

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

in response to a detecting a new location of one or both of the email repository and the content management store, reconnect the team mailbox to the new location to relocate the content associated with the team mailbox.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the modality of the communication includes one of text messaging, video conferencing, audio conferencing, and file sharing.

15. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

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

16. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

launch a group instant messenger chat from within the team mailbox, wherein the group instant messenger chat includes a chat history view and an associated documents view.

17. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

launch a mass email from within the team mailbox, wherein the mass email includes an email message to at least one member in the member list.

18. 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 to be display through a client interface, the content comprising messages retrieved from the email repository and documents retrieved from the content management store, wherein the messages and the documents are searchable within the team mailbox;

limiting access to the messages and the documents based on a set of retention and access policies associated with the team mailbox;

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

in response to a detecting a new location of one or both of the email repository and the content management store, reconnecting the team mailbox to the new location to relocate the content associated with the team mailbox.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

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

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

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