Method and apparatus for minimizing storage of common attachment files in an e-mail communications server
AssigneeAT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
InventorDale W. Malik
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention provides an e-mail communications system that minimizes the number of duplicate copies of common attachment files to e-mail communications that are stored in the mail store of an e-mail server. When the e-mail server receives an e-mail attachment file that is larger than a threshold size, the server performs a database search for another copy of the attachment file in the mail store. If another copy is located, the system creates a pointer in the mail store that associates the located attachment file with the e-mail for the additional recipient(s). Attachment files are deleted only after the recipients of the associated e-mail communications delete each of the respective e-mails.
Claims17
A method of storing an attachment file of an e-mail communication received in an e-mail server, comprising the steps of:
- (a) extracting header information from the e-mail communication and storing the e-mail header information in a mail store;
- (b) extracting header information from the received attachment file;
- (c) comparing the extracted attachment file header information with header information from attachment files previously stored in the mail store to determine whether the received attachment file is a duplicate of a previously stored attachment file;
- and
- (d) if the received attachment file is a duplicate of a previously stored attachment file, storing a link between the e-mail header information and the previously stored attachment file;
- and
- (e) if the received attachment file is not a duplicate of a previously stored attachment file, storing the attachment file and storing a link between the e-mail header information and the received attachment file.
An e-mail communications server comprising:
- (a) an MTA server for receiving e-mail communications from an external network;
- (b) a mail store for storing e-mail communications received by the MTA server;
- (c) a POP server for downloading e-mail communications from the mail store to client computers through an internal network;
- and
- (d) e-mail attachment file checking software for determining whether attachment files in received e-mail communications are duplicates of attachment files in the mail store, wherein the mail store removes duplicate attachment files from e-mail communications and creates links from received e-mail communications to the corresponding attachment files in the mail store.
A method of storing an e-mail communication containing an attachment file received in an e-mail server, comprising the steps of:
- (a) searching a database of previously stored attachment files for a duplicate of the attachment file from the received e-mail communication;
- (b) if a duplicate of the attachment file is located by the search, removing the attachment file from the e-mail communication, and creating a link from the e-mail communication to the duplicate of the attachment file in the database;
- and
- (c) if a duplicate of the attachment file is not located by the search, separating the attachment file from the e-mail communication and storing the attachment file in the database, and creating a link from the e-mail communication to the corresponding attachment file stored in the database.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.