Enhanced email—distributed attachment storage

• US 7,257,639 B1
• Filed: 07/25/2001
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Teodosiu, Dan, Watanabe, Ryoji, Li, Lily C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky; Moustafa
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOLD, AVI M
• Time in patent office: 2211 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/217, 709/219, 709/232
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Messages including annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/22 Mailbox-related details computer aided management of electronic mail G06Q10/10

Abstract

A sender email client, in response to a request to send an email with attachment, determines whether a recipient of the email has distributed storage separate from an incoming email server of the recipient for storing email attachments. If so, a location server is consulted for the distributed storage'"'"'s network address and its availability is determined. The send request is then serviced accordingly. An email service, in response to receiving an email with attachment, determines whether a recipient of the email has distributed storage for storing email attachments. If so, its network address and availability are likewise determined. The attachments are forwarded to the recipient'"'"'s distributed storage for storage, when it becomes available. An email recipient client, in response to a request to access an email attachment, retrieves the attachment from the recipient'"'"'s distributed storage or the incoming email server, as appropriate.

Claims

1. A method for servicing email at a client of a sender of an email comprising:

receiving a request at the client of the sender to send the email to a recipient, the email containing a main body and one or more attachments and the recipient having an incoming email server for receiving at least a portion of the email;

determining at the client of the sender whether the recipient has a corresponding distributed storage separate from the incoming email server;

determining at the client of the sender an availability of the distributed storage based on determining the recipient has a corresponding distributed storage;

if the recipient has the available corresponding distributed storage;

sending the main body of the email from the client of the sender to the incoming email server of the recipient; and

sending the one or more attachments of the email from the client of the sender to the corresponding distributed storage;

otherwise, sending the main body of the email and the one or more attachments from the client of the sender to the incoming email server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining whether the recipient has a corresponding distributed storage separate from the incoming email server comprises querying a recipient email distributed storage location server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a network address of the distributed storage for storing email attachments and querying a recipient email distributed storage location server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the availability comprises pinging the recipient'"'"'s email distributed storage using said determined network address.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the main body of the email and the one or more attachments of the email to the incoming email server of the recipient if the recipient has distributed storage but the distributed storage is not available.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the main body of the email and the one or more attachments of the email to the incoming email server of the recipient if the recipient does not have the distributed storage.

7. A method for servicing email at a server comprising:

receiving at the server an email on behalf of a recipient, the email including a main body and one or more attachments;

transmitting a query to a storage location server;

responsive to the transmitting, if the recipient has a distributed storage, separate from the email server, for storing email attachments, receiving from the storage location server a network address of the distributed storage corresponding to the recipient, otherwise receiving a first indication that the recipient does not have a distributed storage;

receiving periodically a second indication for indicating availability of the distributed storage to receive the one or more attachments; and

sending the one or more attachments of the email to the recipient'"'"'s distributed storage for email attachments based on receiving the network address and the second indication.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the recipient includes an incoming email server separate from the distributed storage and wherein responsive to receiving the first indication, sending the main body and the one or more attachments of the email to the incoming email server.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the network address is received from the storage location server and wherein the second indication is received responsive to pinging the recipient'"'"'s email distributed storage using the network address.

10. A method for servicing email at a client of a recipient of an email comprising:

receiving at the client of the recipient of the email a request from a user in a peer-to-peer communication system to access an attachment of an email;

determining accessibility of a distributed storage;

determining if the attachment is stored in said distributed storage; and

if the distributed storage is accessible and contains the attachment, retrieving the attachment from the distributed storage, otherwise retrieving the attachment from an incoming email server, the incoming email server being separate from the distributed storage.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said determining accessibility of the distributed storage comprises pinging the distributed storage for email attachments.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said retrieving the attachment further comprises retrieving the attachment from the distributed storage for storing email attachments if the distributed storage for storing email attachments is accessible, and the attachment is stored in the distributed storage for storing email attachments.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein retrieving the attachment further comprises retrieving the attachment from an incoming email server of the user if the distributed storage for storing email attachments is accessible, and the attachment is not stored in the distributed storage for storing email attachments.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein retrieving the attachment further comprises attempting to retrieve the attachment from an incoming email server of the user if the distributed storage for storing email attachments is not accessible.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of executable programming instructions that, when executed, perform the following steps for servicing email at a client of a sender of an email;

receiving a request to send an email to a recipient in a peer-to-peer communication system, the email containing a body and one or more attachments;

identifying an incoming email server corresponding to the recipient;

identifying a distributed storage of the recipient separate from the incoming email server;

determining availability of the distributed storage to receive the one or more attachments; and

transmitting the email based at least in part on the results of said determination; and

a processor coupled to the storage medium to execute the programming instructions.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said programming instructions are further configured to send the one or more attachments of the email to the recipient'"'"'s distributed storage, if the recipient has distributed storage for storing email attachments, and the distributed storage is available to accept said one or more attachments.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said programming instructions are further configured to send an instruction to the recipient'"'"'s distributed storage to submit a request for the one or more attachments of the email, if the recipient has distributed storage for storing email attachments, and the distributed storage is available to accept said one or more attachments.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said programming instructions are further configured to send the one or more attachments of the email to the recipient'"'"'s distributed storage for email attachments upon receipt of a request from the recipient'"'"'s distributed storage for the one or more attachments of the email.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said programming instructions are further configured to retry to send the one or more attachments of the email to the recipient'"'"'s distributed storage in accordance with a retry policy, if the recipient has distributed storage and the distributed storage is not immediately available to accept said one or more attachments.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said programming instructions are further configured to send the one or more attachments of the email to the incoming email server of the recipient if the recipient has distributed storage and the distributed storage is not available to accept said one or more attachments.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said programming instructions are further configured to send the one or more attachments of the email to the incoming email server of the recipient if the recipient does not have distributed storage for email attachments.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of executable programming instructions that, when executed, perform the following steps for servicing email at a client in a peer-to-peer communication system;

receiving at the client an email, from a server, on behalf of a recipient, the email including a main body and one or more attachments;

determining whether the recipient of the email has distributed storage, separate from the server, for storing email attachments by querying a recipient email distributed storage location server;

determining a network address of the recipient'"'"'s distributed storage for storing email attachments, if the recipient has such distributed storage;

periodically determining whether the recipient'"'"'s distributed storage is available to receive the one or more attachments upon determining the network address; and

sending the one or more attachments of the email to the recipient'"'"'s distributed storage for email attachments for storage, upon determining that the recipient'"'"'s distributed storage for email attachments is available to accept email attachments; and

a processor coupled to the storage medium to execute the programming instructions.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said programming instructions are further configured to send an instruction to the recipient'"'"'s distributed storage for email attachments, instructing the recipient'"'"'s distributed storage for email attachments to submit a request for the one or more attachments of the email.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said programming instructions are further configured to enable the apparatus to send the one or more attachments of the email to the recipient'"'"'s distributed storage for email attachments upon receipt of a request from the recipient'"'"'s distributed storage for the one or more attachments of the email.

25. An apparatus comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of executable programming instructions that, when executed perform the following steps for servicing email, from a server, at a client of a recipient

receiving a request from a user to access an attachment of an email;

determining whether a distributed storage, separate from the server, for storing email attachments for the user is accessible;

determining whether the attachment is stored in said distributed storage if said distributed storage is accessible; and

accessing said attachment of said email at said distributed storage if the distributed storage is accessible and contains the attachment, otherwise accessing the attachment at an incoming email server; and

a processor coupled to the storage medium to execute the programming instructions.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the programming instructions are further configured to ping the user'"'"'s distributed storage for email attachments to determine whether the user'"'"'s distributed storage for email attachments is accessible.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the programming instructions are further configured to perform the servicing of said request by retrieving the attachment from the user'"'"'s distributed storage for storing email attachments if the user'"'"'s distributed storage for storing email attachments is accessible, and the attachment is stored in the user'"'"'s distributed storage for storing email attachments.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the programming instructions are further configured to perform the servicing of said request by retrieving the attachment from an incoming email server of the user if the user'"'"'s distributed storage for storing email attachments is accessible, and the attachment is not stored in the user'"'"'s distributed storage for storing email attachments.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the programming instructions are further configured to perform the servicing of said request by attempting to retrieve the attachment from an incoming email server of the user if the user'"'"'s distributed storage for storing email attachments is not accessible.