Method and apparatus for minimizing storage of common attachment files in an e-mail communications server
First Claim
1. A method of storing attachment files to e-mail communications received in an e-mail server, comprising:
- responsive to the e-mail server receiving an e-mail communication containing an attachment file, the e-mail server extracting header information from the e-mail communication and storing the e-mail header information in a mail store;
the e-mail server extracting attachment file header information from the attachment file contained in the e-mail communication;
the e-mail server comparing the extracted attachment file header information with attachment file header information from other attachment files previously stored in the mail store to determine whether the attachment files received with the e-mail communications are duplicates of previously stored files;
if an attachment file is a duplicate, the e-mail server storing a link in the mail store between the e-mail header information and the previously stored attachment file; and
then the e-mail server removing the attachment file from the e-mail communication.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides an e-mail communications system that minimizes the number of duplicate copies of common attachment files to e-mail communications that are stored in the mail store of an e-mail server. When the e-mail server receives an e-mail attachment file that is larger than a threshold size, the server performs a database search for another copy of the attachment file in the mail store. If another copy is located, the system creates a pointer in the mail store that associates the located attachment file with the e-mail for the additional recipient(s). Attachment files are deleted only after the recipients of the associated e-mail communications delete each of the respective e-mails.
251 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method of storing attachment files to e-mail communications received in an e-mail server, comprising:
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responsive to the e-mail server receiving an e-mail communication containing an attachment file, the e-mail server extracting header information from the e-mail communication and storing the e-mail header information in a mail store; the e-mail server extracting attachment file header information from the attachment file contained in the e-mail communication; the e-mail server comparing the extracted attachment file header information with attachment file header information from other attachment files previously stored in the mail store to determine whether the attachment files received with the e-mail communications are duplicates of previously stored files; if an attachment file is a duplicate, the e-mail server storing a link in the mail store between the e-mail header information and the previously stored attachment file; and then the e-mail server removing the attachment file from the e-mail communication. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An e-mail communications server comprising:
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an MTA server for receiving e-mail communications from an external network; a mail store for storing e-mail communications received by the MTA server; a POP server for downloading e-mail communications from the mail store to client computers through an internal network; and e-mail attachment file checking software for determining, responsive to the MTA server receiving an e-mail communication containing an attachment file, whether the attachment file in the received e-mail communication is a duplicate of an attachment file that was attached to previously-received e-mail communications in the mail store, wherein the mail store removes duplicate attachment files from e-mail communications and creates links from received e-mail communications to the corresponding attachment files in the mail store after the e-mail attachment file checking software determines that the attachment file in the received e-mail communication is a duplicate of an attachment file in the mail store. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification