System and method for managing electronic mail messages using a client-based database

• US 6,134,582 A
• Filed: 05/26/1998
• Issued: 10/17/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kennedy, Kevin Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gebremeskel, Yeshi
• Application Number:
  US09/084,597
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 709/219, 709/203, 379/93.01
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Managing electronic mail messages in a client-server environment. A database, stored at the client, maintains a central archive of message-related information in connection with messages located on the server to support current and future message communication operations between the client and the server. Message-related information is retrieved from the server. Based on the message-related information, a determination is made as to whether the message has been downloaded from the server to the local message store located at the client. In response to determining that the message has not been downloaded, the message is downloaded from the server to the local message store. Data fields in the client-based database are populated with the message-related information, and indications are provided in the client-based database that the message is present on the server and that the message has been downloaded. During subsequent client-server sessions, the database is then consulted for managing, the messages. The database also supports efficient management of messages having multiple message parts i.e., message re-assembly.

Claims

1. In a distributed computer system including a server and a client, the client including a local message store and a client-based database, a method for managing electronic mail messages based on message-related information corresponding to each message stored in the client-based database, comprising the steps of:

(A) during a client-server session, retrieving from the server the message-related information corresponding to a message;

(B) based on the message-related information, determining whether the message has been downloaded from the server to the local message store located at the client;

(C) in response to determining that the message has not been downloaded from the server to the local message store,

i. downloading the message from the server to the local message store,

ii. populating data fields in the client-based database with the message-related information,

iii. providing an indication in the client-based database that the message is present on the server, and

iv. providing an indication in the client-based database that the message has been downloaded from the server to the local message store;

(D) repeating the steps (A) through (C) for each remaining message on the server; and

(E) consulting the client-based database for managing the messages during subsequent client-server sessions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of downloading the message from the server to the local message store comprises:

determining whether a size restriction has been set for downloading the message;

in response to determining that a size restriction has been set for downloading the message, determining whether a message size for the message is greater than a predetermined size limit; and

in response to determining that either

     1) a size restriction has not been set for downloading the message or

     2) the message size for the message is not greater than the predetermined size limit, downloading the message from the server to the local message store.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

in response to determining that the message has been downloaded from the server to the local message store, identifying in the client-based database the message-related information corresponding to the message and providing an indication in the client-based database that the message is present on the server.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the client is in a "leave on server" mode, the "leave on server" mode indicating that the message remains on the server after the message has been downloaded from the server to the local message store; and

in response to determining that the client is not in the "leave on server" mode, providing an indication in the client-based database to delete the message and based on the provided indication, deleting the message-related information for the message from the client-based database and the message from the server.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

in response to determining that the client is in the "leave on server" mode, determining whether a time expiration has been set for deleting the message;

in response to determining that a time expiration has been set for deleting the message,

i. determining whether the time has expired for the message, and

ii. in response to determining that the time has expired for the message, providing an indication in the client-based database to delete the message and based on the provided indication, deleting the message-related information for the message from the client-based database and the message from the server.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of determining whether the time has expired for the message comprises comparing a date and time for the message to a preset period of time allowed for the message-related information to remain in the client-based database.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

in response to determining that a time expiration has not been set for deleting the message, determining whether an indication to delete the message has been provided in the client-based database; and

in response to determining that an indication to delete the message has been provided in the client-based database, deleting the message-related information for the message from the client-based database and the message from the server.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of providing an indication to delete the message comprises setting a "delete" flag in the client-based database.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the message-related information comprises a unique identifier for identifyling the message and a session identifler for indicating the order in which the message is downloaded from the server to the client.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the message-related information further comprises a message size and a date and time.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the data fields comprise a unique identification field for storing the unique identifier, a session identification field for storing the session identifier, a message size field for storing the message size, and a date and time field for storing the date and time.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of populating the data fields in the client-based database with the message-related information further comprises the steps of:

populating the unique identification field with the unique identifier;

populating the session identification field with the session identifier;

populating the message size field with the message size; and

populating the date and time field with the date and time.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing an indication in the client-based database that the message is present on the server comprises setting an "on server" flag to a true state in the client-based database.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

clearing a session identifier before each subsequent client-server session; and

changing the "on server" flag from the true state to an unknown state before each subsequent client-server session, the unknown state indicating that the state of the message being present on the server is unknown.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

during each subsequent client-server session, changing the "on server" flag from the unknown state to a false state when the message associated with the message-related information is not present on the server;

providing an indication in the client-based database to delete the message; and

based on the provided indication, deleting the message-related information for the message from the client-based database after each subsequent client-server session has discontinued.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing an indication in the client-based database that the message has been downloaded comprises setting a "download" flag in the client-based database.

17. In a distributed computer system including a server and a client including a local message store and a client-based database, a method for removing from the client-based database message entries for electronic mail messages based on message-related information corresponding to each message stored in the client-based database, comprising the steps of:

(A) consulting the client-based database comprising at least one message entry containing message-related information corresponding to one of a selected message;

(B) determining whether the client is in a "leave on server" mode, the "leave on server" mode indicating that the selected message remains on the server after the selected message has been downloaded from the server to the local message store located at the client;

(C) in response to determining that the client is not in the "leave on server" mode, providing an indication in the corresponding message entry in the client-based database to remove the selected message;

(D) in response to determining that the client is in the "leave on server" mode, determining whether a time expiration has been set for removing the selected message;

(E) in response to determining that a time expiration has been set for removing the selected message,

i. determining whether the time has expired for the selected message, and

ii. in response to determining that the time has expired for the selected message, providing the indication in the corresponding message entry in the client-based database to remove the selected message; and

(F) in response to providing the indication in the corresponding message entry to remove the selected message, removing the corresponding message entry for the selected message from the client-based database and the selected message from the server.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of:

(G) repeating steps (B) through (F) for each remaining message on the server.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of determining whether the time has expired for the selected message comprises comparing a date and time for the selected message to a preset period of time allowed for the corresponding message entry to remain in the client-based database.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of providing an indication to remove the selected message comprises setting a "delete" flag in the corresponding message entry in the client-based database.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the time expiration is set based on user-provided input.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

providing a user-prompted indication in the corresponding message entry in the client-based database to remove the selected message, where the user-prompted indication is not based on the time expiration or the server mode; and

based on the user-prompted indication, removing the corresponding message entry from the client-based database and the selected message from the server.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of removing from the client-based database each message entry that does not have an associated message on the server.

24. In a distributed computer system including a server and a client including a local message store and a client-based database, a method for obtaining selected messages based on message-related information stored in the client-based database, comprising the steps of:

A) storing in the client-based database at least one message entry having a unique identifier, each message entry corresponding to one of the selected messages and containing message-related information for the message;

B) retrieving from the server;

i. a session identifier corresponding to the selected message, the session identifier indicating the order in which the selected message is downloaded from the server to the local message store located at the client, and

ii. a unique identifier corresponding to the message, the unique identifier identifying the message;

C) determining whether the unique identifier for the selected message matches the unique identifier of the corresponding message entry;

D) if the unique identifier for the selected message matches the unique identifier of the corresponding message entry, then;

i. appending the session identifier for the selected message to the corresponding message entry, and

ii. providing an indication in the client-based database that the selected message is present on the server, and

E) if the unique identifier for the selected message does not match the unique identifier of the corresponding message entry, then;

i. downloading the selected message from the server to the local message store,

ii. storing the message-related information in the corresponding message entry, the message related information including;

a) the session identifier for the selected message,

b) the unique identifier for the selected message,

c) a message size for the selected message, and

d) a date and time for the selected message,

iii. providing an indication in the corresponding message entry that the selected message is present on the server, and

iv. providing an indication in the corresponding message entry that the selected message has been downloaded from the server to the local message store.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of repeating the steps B) through E) for each remaining message on the server.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of downloading the message from the server to the local message store comprises:

determining whether a size restriction has been set for downloading the message;

in response to determining that a size restriction has been set for downloading the message, determining whether a message size for the message is greater than a predetermined size limit; and

in response to determining that either

     1) a size restriction has not been set for downloading the message or

     2) the message size for the message is not greater than the predetermined size limit, downloading the message from the server to the local message store.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the steps D) ii. and E) iii. comprise setting an "on server" flag in the client-based database to indicate that the selected message is present on the server.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the step E) iv. comprises setting a "download" flag in the client-based database to indicate that the selected message has been downloaded from the server to the local message store.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of setting a "delete" flag in the client-based database for the corresponding message entry if the time and date for the selected message has expired.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of removing the corresponding message entry from the client-based database and the selected message from the server if a "delete" flag for the corresponding message entry has been set in the client-based database.

31. A method for assembling a message at a client, the message having multiple message parts in a local message store located at the client, comprising the steps of:

(A) in a client-based database, storing a corresponding message entry for each of the message parts of the message, each of the corresponding message entries including;

i. a message group identifier for identifying the message parts for the message,

ii. a message part number for identifying the order of each of the message parts for the message, and

iii. a total parts number for indicating the number of message parts in the message;

(B) identifying in the client-based database each message entry having the same message group identifier;

(C) selecting from the local message store the message parts having the same message group identifier based on the identified message entries in the client-based database; and

(D) assembling at the client the message parts in order based on the message part number for each of the corresponding message entries in the client-based database, the assembled parts forming the message.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the step c) is further based on the total parts number for each of the corresponding message entries in the client-based database, whereby selection of the message parts from the local message store is limited to the total parts number.

33. In a client-server environment, a system for managing electronic mail during a client-server session, comprising:

(A) a server comprising a message and associated message-related information, the associated message-related information including;

i. a unique identifier for identifying the message,

ii. a session identifier for indicating the order in which the message is downloaded from the server during the client-server session,

iii. a message size, and

iv. a date and time for the message; and

(B) a client operative to retrieve the message and the associated message-related information from the server, the client comprising;

i. a local message store operative to store the message retrieved by the client from the server, and

ii. a database operative to store the associated message-related information retrieved by the client from the server,

iii. the database comprising message entries having a plurality of data fields, including;

a. a unique identification field for storing the unique identifier,

b. a session identification field for storing the session identifier,

c. a message size field for storing the message size, and

d. a date and time field for storing the date and time,

wherein the data fields of a selected one of the message entries are populated with the associated message-related information for the message downloaded from the server to the local message store.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the client consults the database for managing messages on the server during subsequent client-server sessions.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the client checks the unique identifier for the message in the subsequent client-server sessions to determine whether a subsequent message associated with the subsequent client-server sessions is to be downloaded from the server to the local message store.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the message includes multiple message parts each message part having a corresponding message entry such that the database comprising the message entries having the plurality of data fields further includes:

a message group field for storing a message group identifier for identifying the message parts for the message;

a message part number field for storing a message part number for identifying the order of each of the message parts for the message; and

a total parts field for storing a total parts number for indicating the number of message parts in the message.

37. The system of claim 33, wherein the database comprising the message entries having the plurality of data fields further includes:

a "delete" flag field for setting a delete flag to mark the message for deletion from the server and associated message-related information for deletion from the database;

an "on server" flag field for setting an "on server" flag to indicate that the message is present on the server; and

a "download" flag field for setting a "download flag" to indicate that the message has been downloaded from the server to the local message store.