METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF FILES AND MAIL ATTACHMENTS

• US 20070078902A1
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HCL Technologies Limited
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sbragia, Apollonie, Buschi, Giovanni
• Granted Patent: US 7,375,840 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method and system for the management of files and mail attachments. A method for managing files that have been received by a user as an attachment to an e-mail in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes: detaching a file from an e-mail and storing the detached file; creating a system file link with the detached file that includes details relating to a storage location and an identity of the e-mail from which the file was detached; and re-establishing a link between the detached file and the e-mail in response to a request of the user to locate the e-mail.

Claims

1. A method of managing files that have been received by a user as an attachment to an e-mail, the method comprising:

detaching a file from an e-mail and storing the file;

creating a system file link with the detached file that includes details relating to a storage location and an identity of the e-mail from which the file was detached; and

re-establishing a link between the detached file and the e-mail in response to a request of the user to locate the e-mail.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

opening and displaying the e-mail to the user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

continually monitoring the location of the e-mail to enable the re-establishment of the link.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring a change in the location of the e-mail; and

updating the system file with a new location of the e-mail in response to a change in the location of the e-mail.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including an icon with the detached file; and

selecting the icon to re-establish the link between the detached file and the e-mail.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

displaying the e-mail in response to the selection of the icon.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including additional information in the system file relating to at least a file location and name of the detached file.

8. A system for managing files that have been received by a user as an attachment to an e-mail, comprising:

a system for detaching a file from an e-mail;

a system for storing the detached file;

a system for creating a system file link with the detached file that includes details relating to a storage location and an identity of the e-mail from which the file was detached; and

a system for re-establishing a link between the file and the e-mail in response to a request of the user to locate the e-mail.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a system for opening and displaying the e-mail to the user.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a system for continually monitoring the location of the e-mail to enable the re-establishment of the link.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a system for monitoring a change in the location of the e-mail; and

a system for updating the system file with a new location of the e-mail in response to a change in the location of the e-mail.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a system for including an icon with the detached file;

wherein the system for re-establishing is configured to re-establish the link between the detached file and the e-mail in response to a selection of the icon.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a system for opening and displaying the e-mail in response to the selection of the icon.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the system file includes additional information relating to at least a file location and name of the detached file.

15. A computer program comprising instructions for managing files that have been received by a user as an attachment to an e-mail, comprising program code for:

detaching a file from an e-mail and storing the file;

creating a system file link with the detached file that includes details relating to a storage location and an identity of the e-mail from which the file was detached; and

re-establishing a link between the detached file and the e-mail in response to a request of the user to locate the e-mail.