# US 12,184,597 B2 · Smart attachment of cloud-based files to communications

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- Number: US 12,184,597 B2
- Document ID: US12184597B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/309,255
- Filed: 2023-04-28
- Published: 2023-08-17
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2015-04-23
- Assignees: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
- Applicants: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
- Inventors: Misbah Uraizee; George Arthur Herbert, III; Steven Lepofsky; Aaron Stolarz; Rebecca Lawler
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12184597B2

## CPC

- H04L 51/08: Annexed information, e.g. attachments
- G06Q 10/10: Office automation; Time management
- G06Q 10/107: Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
- H04L 67/06: specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
- H04L 67/1097: for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

Technologies are presented directed to smart attachment of cloud-based files to communications such as email. A communication service may determine and select automatically between local and cloud versions of synchronized files allowing the recipient of the message to receive a version of the file regardless of whether the sender is offline or online when the attachment was made and in a user-friendly manner to the sender through a single representation.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system for managing electronic communications, the system comprising:
one or more processors;
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors cause the system to perform operations comprising:
in response to detecting inclusion of a locally stored version of an attachment in an outgoing communication, automatically select at least one of the locally stored version and a cloud version of the attachment as a selected version of the attachment based at least in part on the size of the attachment and whether the cloud version is newer than the locally stored version; and
transmit the selected version of the attachment along with the outgoing communication.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the cloud version is newer than the locally stored version, and the cloud version is selected.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the locally stored version is newer than the cloud version, and the locally stored version is selected.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise in response to selecting the cloud version of the locally stored attachment as the selected version of the attachment, provide an indication of a change of version of the selected version of the attachment transmitted along with the outgoing communication.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The system of claim 4, wherein the indication includes changing an icon associated with the outgoing communication.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise in response to the cloud version being automatically selected as the selected version of the attachment, present a selection menu suggesting the cloud version.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein automatically selecting at least one of the locally stored version and the cloud version is further based on content of the attachment.

### Claim 8

A method executed on a computing device to provide smart attachment of cloud-based files to exchanged communications, the method comprising:
detecting inclusion of a locally stored version of an attachment in an outgoing communication;
determining that a cloud version of the attachment is available;
automatically selecting one of the locally stored version and the cloud version of the attachment to be transmitted with the outgoing communication based on the size of the attachment and whether the cloud version of the attachment is newer than the locally stored version; and
transmitting the selected version of the attachment along with the outgoing communication.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the cloud version is newer than the locally stored version, and the cloud version is selected.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the locally stored version is newer than the cloud version, and the locally stored version is selected.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein automatically selecting at least one of the locally stored version and the cloud version is further based on content of the attachment.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising in response to selecting the cloud version of the locally stored attachment as the selected version of the attachment, providing an indication of a change of version of the selected version of the attachment transmitted along with the outgoing communication.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the indication includes changing an icon associated with the outgoing communication.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the indication includes a graphical indication.

### Claim 15 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising in response to the cloud version being automatically selected as the selected version of the attachment, present a selection menu suggesting the cloud version.

### Claim 16

A method executed on a computing device to provide smart attachment of cloud-based files to exchanged communications, the method comprising:
detecting inclusion of a locally stored version of an attachment in an outgoing communication;
determining that a cloud version of the attachment is available; and
transmitting a hybrid of the locally stored version and the cloud version to a recipient system along with the outgoing communication.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the hybrid enables the recipient system to select one of the locally stored version or the cloud version.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the recipient system selects one of the locally stored version or the cloud version based on at least one of a recipient's offline or online status, network capacity, storage capacity, or a recipient's device type.