Systems and methods for mapping e-mail records between a client and server that use disparate storage formats

• US 7,428,544 B1
• Filed: 06/10/2002
• Issued: 09/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Thangarathnam, Manikandan, Natarajan, Krishnamurti
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Uyen T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHECHTMAN, CHERYL MARIA
• Application Number:
  US10/170,041
• Time in Patent Office: 2,297 Days
• Field of Search: 707/101, 707/201, 707/3, 707/10, 707/100, 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• 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 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

An e-mail application program operating on a client stores e-mail records in a hierarchical database. The client is linked to a server that stores e-mail records in a flat database. The e-mail records stored in the hierarchical database are mapped to the e-mail records stored in the flat database and vice versa. The mapped e-mail records are then stored in a mapping table.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

operating an e-mail application program on a client wherein e-mail records are stored in a hierarchical database;

linking the client to a server wherein the server stores e-mail records in a flat database; and

creating a mapping table that associates email records stored in the hierarchical database with corresponding e-mail records stored in the flat database.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a hierarchical database uses folders and subfolders to store the e-mail records.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the flat database uses a single folder to store the e-mail records.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

ascertaining a server identification key for an e-mail record from the flat database;

creating one or more new client records that correspond to the e-mail record from the flat database;

assigning one or more client identification keys to each of the one or more new client records; and

mapping each of the client identification keys to the server identification key.

5. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform the method as recited in claim 1.

6. A method, comprising:

in a client, storing a server identification key and one or more client identification keys that correspond to the server identification key in a mapping table, wherein the server identification key uniquely identifies a server record from an e-mail server database and each of the one or more client identification keys uniquely identify client records stored in an e-mail client database that are related to the server record from the e-mail server database, wherein one of the e-mail sever database or the e-mail client database is a flat database while the other is a hierarchical database.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, replicating a change made to one or more of the client records stored in the e-mail client database, by using the mapping to locate the corresponding server record;

and sending a message to notify the server database of the change to the server record.

8. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising adding one or more additional fields to the mapping table that indicates whether a folder is associated with a client record.

9. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising adding one or more additional fields to the mapping table that indicates whether a folder is associated with a client record;

and

if there is no folder associated with the client record, then not replicating any changes made to the client record.

10. A system, comprising:

means for operating an e-mail application program on a client wherein e-mail records are stored in a hierarchical database;

means for linking the client to a server wherein the server stores e-mail records in a flat database;

means for mapping the e-mail records stored in the hierarchical database to the e-mail records stored in the flat database and vice versa; and

means for storing the mapping in a mapping table.

11. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein a hierarchical database uses folders and subfolders to store the e-mail records.

12. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the flat database uses a single folder to store the e-mail records.

13. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the mapping of the e-mail records stored in the hierarchical database to the e-mail records stored in the flat database and vice versa, further comprises:

means for ascertaining a server identification key for an e-mail record received from the flat database;

means for creating one or more new client records that correspond to the e-mail record received from the flat database;

means for assigning one or more client identification keys to each of the one or more new client records; and

means for mapping each of the client identification keys to the server identification key.

14. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors of a computer system to:

operate an e-mail application program on a client wherein e-mail records are stored in a hierarchical database;

link the client to a server wherein the server stores e-mail records in a flat database;

map the e-mail records stored in the hierarchical database to the e-mail records stored in the flat database and vice versa; and

store the mapping in a mapping table.

15. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 14, wherein the hierarchical database uses folders and subfolders to store the e-mail records.

16. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 14, wherein the flat databases uses a single folder to store the e-mail records.

17. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 14, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computer system to:

ascertain a server identification key for an e-mail record from the flat database;

create one or more new client records that correspond to the e-mail record from the flat database;

assign one or more client identification keys to each of the one or more new client records; and

map each of the client identification keys to the server identification key.