Automatic document format conversion in an electronic mail system based upon user preference

• US 5,283,887 A
• Filed: 12/19/1990
• Issued: 02/01/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bull HN Information Systems Incorporated Technology Park
• Original Assignee: Bull HN Information Systems Incorporated (Atos SE)
• Inventors: Zachery, Leon
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Von Buhr, Maria N.
• Application Number:
  US07/629,926
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: 395/500, 395/275, 395/800, 358/440, 364/419, 364/DIG. 1, 364/DIG. 2
• US Class Current: 715/210
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression

Abstract

In a data processing system having an electronic mail system for sending documents from a first user to a recipient user and, for each user, a means for creating and editing documents, the documents having differing formats, a method for converting a document having a first format into a document having a second format preferred by the recipient user, using a table of user document format preferences and a document format conversion facility. The user preference table contains, for each user, an entry specifying the document format preferred by the user, and appended to each document to be sent to a recipient user is a tag which includes a field specifying the user to receive the document, and a field specifying the first format of the document. The document format field of the tag of a received document is compared with the preferred document format field of the user preference table entry of the recipient user, and, in response to a difference between the first format and the preferred format, the document conversion facility is used to convert the document from the first format to the preferred format.

Claims

1. In a data processing system having a first local node and a second local node, wherein there is a first user connected from the first local node and having a means for creating and editing documents and a plurality of second user connected from the second local node and having a means for creating and editing documents, and an electronic mail system having a first part residing in the first local node and a second part residing in the second local node and the first and second parts of the electronic mail system being connected between the first local node and the second local node for sending documents from the first user to a second user wherein the documents have differing formats, a method for converting a document sent from the first user to the second user and having a first format into a document having a second format preferred by the second user, comprising the steps of:

in the second local node, storing a table of user document format preferences,

the user preference table containing, for each second user,

an entry containing an identification of the document format preferred by the user, the entry being modifiable by the user;

in the first local node and responsive to a command by the first user to send a document having a first format to the second user,

appending a tag to the document to be sent to the second user, the tag including

a field containing an identification of the second user, and

a field containing an identification of the first format of the document;

in the first part of the electronic mail system in the first local node and responsive to a command by the first user to send the document to the second user,

sending the document to the second part of the electronic mail system in the second local node;

in the second local node,

receiving and storing the document received from the first part of the electronic mail system in an electronic mail file of the second part of the electronic mail system;

reading the identification of the second user from the tag appended to the document;

reading the identification of the first format of the document from the tag appended to the document;

responsive to the identification of the second user from the tag appended to the document,

reading from the user preference table the identification of the document format preferred by the second user;

comparing the identification of the first format of the document and the identification of the document format preferred by the second user; and

in the second local node,

when the identification of the first format of the document is different from the identification of the document format preferred by the second user,

invoking a document conversion facility; and

,

by operation of the document conversion facility, converting the document from the first format to the document format preferred by the second user.