System and method for managing mail and file

• US 7,024,458 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2002
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventec Corporation
• Original Assignee: Inventec Corporation
• Inventors: Chan, Yuan-Chau, Kuo, Mei-Chi
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Assistant Examiner(s): NAWAZ, ASAD M
• Application Number:
  US10/060,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20030145058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-207, 709219-226, 709/239, 709/218, 707 1- 10, 707/102, 370/260
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A system and a method for managing mails and files are proposed, which are applied to a network environment e.g. Internet, allowing received mails or files to be classified and systematically stored in a database, according to receiver'"'"'s group, mail subject, file name and type, and/or sender'"'"'s address. This therefore allows an authorized user to efficiently search mails or files from the database in response to receiver'"'"'s group, mail subject, file name and type, and/or sender'"'"'s address provided by the user, so that the desired mails or files can be quickly retrieved.

Claims

1. A method for managing mails and files, for use with a system for managing mails and files in a network environment, allowing received mails and files to be classified and stored according to mail subject, file name, and sender'"'"'s address, wherein mail and file search is efficiently conducted for retrieving inquired mails, wherein the managing system includes a receiving/transmitting module, a processing module, a mail converting module, a file converting module, an accessing module, and a storing module;

the method comprising the steps of;

(1) sending received mails and files via the receiving/transmitting module to the processing module;

(2) separating the mails and files from the receiving/transmitting module, so as to transfer the mails and files to the mail converting module and the file converting module, respectively, via the processing module;

(3) classifying the mails via the mail converting module according to mail subject and/or sender'"'"'s address, and forwarding the classified mails to the accessing module; and

(4) classifying the files via the file converting module according to file name and/or sender'"'"'s address and forwarding the classified tiles to the accessing module; and

(5) assigning and storing the mails via the accessing module into corresponding user groups of a mail database in the storing module, wherein receivers of the mails belong to the user groups, wherein mail administrators of the user groups forward the mails to mail directories of the receivers, allowing the receivers to read the mails the accessing module further for assigning and storing the files from the file converting module into corresponding user groups of a file database in the storing module wherein receivers of the files belong to the user groups wherein file administrators of the user groups forward the files to file directories of the receivers allowing the receivers to retrieve the files;

the accessing module further for verifying authorization of a user who requests for searching a mail or file, according to a user database of the storing module, allowing an index-searching module of the accessing module to search a corresponding mail or file stored in the mail database or the file database of the storing module in response to user group name, mail subject. file name and/or sender'"'"'s address being provided from the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network environment is Internet.

3. A system for managing mails and files, for use in a network environment, allowing received mails and files to be classified and stored according to mail subject or file name and sender'"'"'s address, wherein mail and file search is efficiently conducted for retrieving inquired mails and files;

the system comprising;

a receiving/transmitting module for receiving mails and files from the network environment, and for transmitting mails and files from a mail converting module and a file converting module to the network environment, wherein the received mails and files from the network environment are further forwarded to a processing module by the receiving/transmitting module;

the processing module for separating the mails and files from the receiving/transmitting module, so as to transfer the mails to the mail converting module, and jo transfer the tiles to the file converting module;

the mail converting module for classifying the mails from the processing module, according to mail subject and/or sender'"'"'s address, wherein the classified mails are transmitted by the mail converting module to an accessing module;

the file converting module for classifying the files from the processing module, according to file name and/or sender'"'"'s address, wherein the classified files are transmitted by the file converting module to the accessing module;

the accessing module for assigning and storing the mails from the mail converting module into corresponding user groups of a mail database in a storing module, wherein receivers of the mails belong to the user groups, whefeby wherein mail administrators of the user groups forward the mails to mail directories of the receivers, allowing the receivers to ieads read the mails;

the accessing module further for assigning and storing the files from the file converting module into corresponding user groups of a file database in the storing module, wherein receivers of the files belong to the user groups, whefeby wherein file administrators of the user groups forward the files to file directories of the receivers, allowing the receivers to retrieve the files;

the accessing module further for verifying authorization of a user who requests for searching a mail or file, according to a user database of the storing module, allowing an index-searching module of the accessing module to search a corresponding mail or file stored in the mail database or the file database of the storing module in response to user group name, mail subject, file name and/or sender'"'"'s address being provided from the user;

and the storing module having the mail database, the user database and the file database;

the mail database including a plurality of user groups, and each of the user groups containing a plurality of mail directories for storing mails therein;

the mail database further including a mail index table, allowing a particular mail to be quickly searched out through the use of the mail index table;

the user database for storing users'"'"'data, including user accounts, user authorization and personal information, allowing the accessing module to verify user authorization according to the user database;

the file database including a plurality of user groups, and each of the user groups containing a plurality of file directories for storing files therein;

the file database further including a file index table, allowing a particular file to be quickly searched out through the use of the file index table.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the network environment is Internet.