Email attachment management in a computer system

• US 20010047389A1
• Filed: 01/30/2001
• Published: 11/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Schwartz, Jeremy A., Prahlad, Anand, McGuigan, James J., Meno, Randy De
• Granted Patent: US 7,155,481 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

An e-mail management system that includes an e-mail browser having a time variance interface that provides for storage into a storage media of e-mail messages that have been received over time. The time variance interface of the e-mail browser also provides for retrieval, from the storage media, of the e-mail messages corresponding to a user specified date. The retrieved e-mail messages each include an indication of the presence of an accompanying attachment(s) in the e-mail message. An affirmative indication provides the user with an option of retrieving content of the attachment(s) from the storage media such that the content of the attachment(s) is retrieved by the e-mail browser only when specifically requested by the user.

Claims

1. An e-mail management system comprising:

an e-mail browser having a time variance interface that provides for storage into a storage media of e-mail messages that have been received over time, the time variance interface of the e-mail browser also providing for retrieval, from the storage media, of the e-mail messages corresponding to a user specified date; and

the retrieved e-mail messages each including an indication of the presence of an accompanying attachment(s) in the e-mail message, an affirmative indication providing the user with an option of retrieving content of the attachment(s) from the storage media such that the content of the attachment(s) is retrieved by the e-mail browser only when specifically requested by the user.

2. The e-mail management system of

claim 1

wherein the retrieved e-mail messages cause the e-mail browser to appear as it appeared on the user specified date.

3. The e-mail management system of

claim 1

wherein the retrieved e-mail messages create a state of the e-mail browser that corresponds to an earlier state of the e-mail browser as the earlier state appeared on the e-mail browser at the user specified date.

4. The e-mail management system of

claim 1

wherein the storage media is divided into more than one subset of storage media to provide a separate location for the attachment(s) of the e-mail messages that are stored.

5. The e-mail management system of

claim 1

further comprising a retrieval manager module having a master storage and backup map that is used to direct access to the e-mail messages of the storage media such that data in the attachment(s) is retrieved only when specifically requested by the user.

6. A method for an e-mail system to display an e-mail browser with information that corresponds to a state of the e-mail system on a user specified date, the method comprising:

receiving at least one e-mail message in the e-mail system;

storing the at least one e-mail message into a storage media via an organizational scheme that provides a separate storage location for attachment(s), if any, of the at least one email message;

indexing the stored at least one e-mail message according to the date that the at least one e-mail message was originally received and according to the storage location of the at least one e-mail message;

specifying a date on which to view the state of the e-mail system with the e-mail browser; and

retrieving, with the e-mail browser, the stored at least one e-mail messages that correspond to the state of the e-mail system on the specified date, each of the retrieved e-mail messages including an option to retrieve the attachment(s), if any.

7. The method of

claim 6

further comprising selecting the option to retrieve the attachment(s) to thereby retrieve the attachment(s) from the separate storage location of the storage media by the e-mail browser.

8. A method for an e-mail system to display an e-mail browser with information that corresponds to a state of the e-mail system on a user specified date, the method comprising:

receiving at least one e-mail message in the e-mail system;

storing the at least one e-mail message into a first storage media and a second storage media, the first storage media excluding attachment(s) and the second storage media being solely for attachment(s), if any, of the at least one e-mail message;

indexing the stored at least one e-mail messages according to the date the at least one e-mail message was originally received;

specifying a date on which to view the state of the e-mail system with the e-mail browser; and

retrieving, from the first storage media, the stored at least one e-mail messages that correspond to the state of the e-mail system on the specified date, each of the retrieved e-mail messages displayed in the e-mail browser and including an option to retrieve the attachment(s), if any, from the second storage media.

9. The method of

claim 8

further comprising selecting the option to retrieve the attachment(s) of one of the retrieved e-mail messages to thereby transfer data associated with the attachment(s) from the second storage media to the e-mail browser.