Method and apparatus for storing email messages
AssigneeTJ²Z Patent Licensing and Tech Transfer, LLC
InventorsKent L. Baker, Timothy J. Ziolkowski
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for saving an email to an electronic storage location is disclosed. A topic identifier located in the email is used to locate a storage location on the electronic storage device for saving the email message. Emails relating to the same topics of interest may be stored in the same storage location.
Claims21
A method of saving an email comprising the steps:
- receiving an email to be saved;
- determining if a project file identifier is associated with the email;
- if the email has a project file identifier associated therewith:
- querying an electronic storage device to locate a storage location on the electronic storage device corresponding to the project file identifier without user input;
- and
- automatically storing information contained in the email to the storage location;
- and
- if the email does not have a project file identifier associated therewith:
- receiving a project file identifier associated with the email via user input after determining that the email does not have a project file identifier associated therewith;
- querying an electronic storage device to locate a storage location on the electronic storage device corresponding to the project file identifier;
- and
- automatically storing information contained in the email to the storage location.
A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
- (A) determine if a storage location identifier exists in at least one of a subject line and a body of an email;
- and
- if the storage location identifier exists:
- (B) automatically query an electronic storage medium to locate a physical storage location on the electronic storage medium based on the storage location identifier;
- and
- (C) automatically store information contained in the email to the physical storage location;
- and
- if the storage location identifier is determined to not exist in the at least one of a subject line and a body of the email:
- (D) receive a user input containing the storage location identifier for the email only after determining that the storage location identifier does not exist;
- and
- (E) perform acts (B) and (C) after receipt of the user input containing the storage location identifier for the email.
A system for distributed file access comprising:
- a remote server having a database for storing emails;
- a computer workstation capable of communication with the remote server, the computer workstation having thereon a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to:
- (A) receive a selection input of a user-selected email in an email folder list;
- (B) determine if the user-selected email comprises an existing storage location identifier;
- (C) prompt a user to input a user-entered storage location identifier for the user-selected email only if the user-selected email is determined to lack the existing storage location identifier;
- (D) determine an email storage location in the database from the user-entered storage location identifier;
- and
- (E) automatically store the user-selected email to the email storage location in the database.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.