Caching and exposing pre-send data relating to the sender or recipient of an electronic mail message

• US 9,305,289 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2012
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Roic, Alessio, Engen, Del Kirk, Yagi, Fumiaki, Gibbons, Graham D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Baturay, Alicia
• Application Number:
  US13/608,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20120331081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Technologies are described herein for caching and exposing pre-send data relating to the sender or recipient of an e-mail message. A mail client program is configured to cache recipient and configuration mail tips at a client computer. The configuration mail tips may be retrieved from a server computer and cached when the mail client program is started. Recipient mail tips may be retrieved and cached as each recipient of an e-mail message is identified. When subsequent e-mail messages are created, cached mail tips for an e-mail recipient are utilized instead of retrieving the mail tips from the server computer. The cached mail tips may be updated after a predefined period of time has elapsed. The cached mail tips may also be utilized when the client program is offline or unable to establish a connection to the server computer.

Claims

1. One of an optical disk, a magnetic storage device or a solid state memory device having computer executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive a command to compose an electronic mail (e-mail) message with recipient data;

resolve the recipient data into a valid resolved recipient e-mail address;

query a web service for a recipient mail tip corresponding to the resolved recipient e-mail address;

cache the recipient mail tip with a time stamp indicating a time at which the recipient mail tip is cached;

determine whether a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the recipient mail tip was cached;

retrieve and cache an updated recipient mail tip based on determining whether a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the recipient mail tip was cached;

determine whether the resolved recipient e-mail address is displayed; and

display the updated recipient mail tip with the e-mail message based on determining whether the resolved recipient e-mail address is displayed.

2. The optical disk, magnetic storage device or solid state memory having computer instructions stored thereon of claim 1, wherein resolving the recipient data into the valid resolved recipient e-mail address comprises consulting a directory service.

3. The optical disk, magnetic storage device or solid state memory having computer instructions stored thereon of claim 1, wherein resolving the recipient data into the valid resolved recipient e-mail address comprises utilizing a nickname cache of stored information of previously sent e-mail messages.

4. The optical disk, magnetic storage device or solid state memory having computer instructions stored thereon of claim 1, wherein resolving the recipient data into the valid resolved recipient e-mail address comprises utilizing one of a client computer address book or a server computer global address book.

5. The optical disk, magnetic storage device or solid state memory having computer instructions stored thereon of claim 1, the computer executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

query the web service for a configuration mail tip corresponding to a property of a sender of the e-mail message; and

display the configuration mail tip based on determining whether the resolved recipient e-mail address is displayed.

6. The optical disk, magnetic storage device or solid state memory having computer instructions stored thereon of claim 1, the computer executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to prevent the display of the updated recipient mail tip with the e-mail message based on determining that the resolved recipient e-mail address is not displayed.

7. The optical disk, magnetic storage device or solid state memory having computer instructions stored thereon of claim 1, the computer executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

determine whether the recipient mail tip applies to the resolved recipient e-mail address of the e-mail message; and

retrieve the recipient mail tip based on determining whether the recipient mail tip applies to the resolved recipient e-mail address of the e-mail message.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at a computer executing an electronic mail (e-mail) application, a command to compose an electronic mail message with recipient data;

resolving the recipient data into a valid resolved recipient e-mail address;

querying a web service for a recipient mail tip corresponding to the resolved recipient e-mail address;

caching the recipient mail tip with a time stamp indicating a time at which the recipient mail tip is cached;

determining whether a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the recipient mail tip was cached;

retrieve and cache an updated recipient mail tip based on determining whether a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the recipient mail tip was cached;

determining whether the resolved recipient e-mail address is displayed; and

displaying the updated recipient mail tip with the e-mail message based on determining whether the resolved recipient e-mail address is displayed.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein resolving the recipient data into the valid resolved recipient e-mail address comprises consulting a directory service.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein resolving the recipient data into the valid resolved recipient e-mail address comprises utilizing a nickname cache of stored information of previously sent e-mail messages.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein resolving the recipient data into the valid resolved recipient e-mail address comprises utilizing one of a client computer address book or a server computer global address book.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

querying the web service for a configuration mail tip corresponding to a property of a sender of the e-mail message; and

displaying the configuration mail tip based on determining whether the resolved recipient e-mail address is displayed.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

preventing the display of the updated recipient mail tip with the e-mail message based on determining that the resolved recipient e-mail address is not displayed.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether the recipient mail tip applies to the resolved recipient e-mail address of the e-mail message; and

retrieving the recipient mail tip based on determining whether the recipient mail tip applies to the resolved recipient e-mail address of the e-mail message.

15. An apparatus comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when loaded into a processor and executed, cause the processor to:

receive a command to compose an electronic mail (e-mail) message with recipient data;

resolve the recipient data into a valid resolved recipient e-mail address;

query a web service for a recipient mail tip corresponding to the resolved recipient e-mail address;

determine whether the recipient mail tip applies to the resolved recipient e-mail address of the e-mail message;

retrieve the recipient mail tip based on determining whether the recipient mail tip applies to the resolved recipient e-mail address of the e-mail message;

store the recipient mail tip in a cache with a time stamp indicating a time at which the recipient mail tip is cached;

determine whether a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the recipient mail tip was cached;

retrieve and cache an updated recipient mail tip based on determining whether a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the recipient mail tip was cached;

determine whether the resolved recipient e-mail address is displayed; and

display the updated recipient mail tip with the e-mail message based on determining whether the resolved recipient e-mail address is displayed.

16. The apparatus comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein resolving the recipient data into the valid resolved recipient e-mail address comprises consulting a directory service.

17. The apparatus comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein resolving the recipient data into the valid resolved recipient e-mail address comprises utilizing a nickname cache of stored information of previously sent e-mail messages.

18. The apparatus comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein resolving the recipient data into the valid resolved recipient e-mail address comprises utilizing one of a client computer address book or a server computer global address book.

19. The apparatus comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the computer-executable instructions that, when loaded into the processor and executed, cause the processor to:

query the web service for a configuration mail tip corresponding to a property of a sender of the e-mail message; and

display the configuration mail tip based on determining whether the resolved recipient e-mail address is displayed.

20. The apparatus comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the computer-executable instructions that, when loaded into the processor and executed, cause the processor to:

prevent the display of the updated recipient mail tip with the e-mail message based on determining that the resolved recipient e-mail address is not displayed.