Storage model for maintaining structured document fidelity

• US 8,412,784 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2009
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Birkby, Dana B., Galata, Alexey, Sundaram, Naresh, Batthish, Karim M., Morada, Vinayak
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ashok
• Assistant Examiner(s): Desrosiers, Evans
• Application Number:
  US12/396,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20100228827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,491 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression

Abstract

Architecture that introduces storage of an extra (skeleton) property of a document as well as default document properties on a server. In a specific messaging implementation, a MIME skeleton property is stamped on an arriving MIME messages. An incoming MIME message is shredded and all content that is currently saved to MAPI properties continues to be saved. The remaining message content that is not saved to the MAPI properties is stored in the skeleton property. The skeleton property includes all body part headers and any body part content that was not saved as a property on the item by the server. On retrieval of this message by a MIME client, the MIME message is regenerated in full fidelity by using the default set of properties in combination with the skeleton (or extra) property and the stored body content.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented message system, comprising:

a processor for executing computer-executable instructions; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions for;

deconstructing a received MIME (multi-purpose Internet mail extensions) message that is to be stored in a mailbox configured for access by a MIME client, wherein the message is deconstructed into a set of properties that can be retrieved by a non-MIME client and a MIME property that is not included in the set of properties;

storing the set of properties and the MIME property in association with storing the message in the mailbox, the set of properties storing message data that is supported by the non-MIME client, the MIME property storing message data that was not stored in the set of properties; and

reconstructing the message to full fidelity using the MIME property and the set of properties in response to the MIME client accessing the mailbox and retrieving the message.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the message is deconstructed into MAPI (messaging application programming interface) properties; and

the MIME property stores message data which is not saved as a MAPI property.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores computer-executable instructions for:

determining message data to be stored in the MIME property.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the MIME property stores message data comprising body part headers not stored in the set of properties.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the MIME property stores message data comprising top level message headers and body part content not stored in the set of properties.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores computer-executable instructions for:

discarding the MIME property when conversion of parts of the message cannot be performed.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores computer-executable instructions for:

modifying the MIME property based on a change to the message data stored in the set of properties made by the non-MIME client.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores computer-executable instructions for:

leaving the MIME property unchanged based on a change to the message data stored in the set of properties made by the non-MIME client.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the MIME property is saved in a new property on the MIME message; and

a message header is stored to the new property.

10. A computer-implemented message system, comprising:

a processor for executing computer-executable instructions; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions for;

storing a set of MAPI (messaging application programming interface) properties and a MIME (multi-purpose Internet mail extensions) property in association with a received MIME message as part of deconstruction of the MIME message based on the set of MAPI properties, the MIME property including message data that was not stored as a MAPI property;

determining message data to be stored in the MIME property; and

reconstructing the MIME message to full fidelity using the MIME property and the set of MAPI properties when retrieving the MIME message for a MIME client.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the memory further stores computer-executable instructions for:

discarding the MIME property when conversion of parts of the MIME message cannot be performed.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the MIME message is deconstructed as a MAPI item; and

the MAPI item is stored with the set of MAPI properties and with the MIME property as an extra property of the MAPI item.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the MIME property includes top level message headers, body part headers, and body part content not saved as MAPI properties.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the memory further stores computer-executable instructions for:

modifying the MIME property, deleting the MIME property, or leaving the MIME property unchanged based on a change to a MAPI property made by a non-MIME client.

15. A computer-implemented method of managing messages, comprising:

deconstructing a received MIME (multi-purpose Internet mail extensions) message that is to be stored in a mailbox configured for access by a MIME client, wherein the message is deconstructed into a set of properties that can be retrieved by a non-MIME client and a MIME property that is not included in the set of properties;

storing the set of properties and the MIME property in association with storing the message in the mailbox, the set of properties storing message data that is supported by the non-MIME client, the MIME property storing message data that was not stored in the set of properties; and

reconstructing the message to full fidelity using the set of properties and all or a subset of the message data stored in the MIME property in response to the MIME client accessing the mailbox and retrieving the message.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining message data to be stored in the MIME property.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising processing a transport message header for top level headers of the message to reduce storage footprint of the MIME property.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the MIME property stores top level message headers, body part headers, and body part content not saved as MAPI (messaging application programming interface) properties.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising validating the MIME property by modifying the MIME property, deleting the MIME property, or leaving the MIME property unchanged based on a change to the message data stored in the set of properties made by the non-MIME client.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the message is deconstructed into MAPI (messaging application programming interface) properties; and

the MIME property for stores message data which is not saved as a MAPI property.

21. A computer-readable storage device storing computer-executable instructions implementing the method of claim 15.