Transmitting electronic mail by either reference or value at file-replication points to minimize costs

Claim 3

The method of claim 1, wherein: the network comprises a plurality of communication segments over which attachments may be transmitted; and the costs of the comparison of step (b) are calculated in accordance with the following cost equation: Cost=Σ {(Audience/(Readers+1))∩Segment}*(Transversals.andgate.Segment)*Segment Cost!; wherein: Audience is the number of recipients of the at least one recipient; Readers is the number of recipients that read the attachment; Segment is a communication segment; Transversals is the number of Segments required to be crossed to move an attachment to another Segment; and Segment Cost is the cost associated with an attachment crossing a particular Segment.

Claim 4

The method of claim 2, wherein a communication segment is either a local-area network (LAN) subnet or a wide-area network (WAN) link.

Claim 5

The method of claim 2, wherein the (Audience/(Readers+1) term of the cost equation is estimated based on the history of recipient interest in messages sent by the sender of the attachment.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a plurality of LANs interconnected by WAN links.

Claim 7

The method of claim 1, wherein the attachment reference comprises a uniform resource locator.

Claim 8

The method of claim 1, wherein: the network comprises a plurality of LANs interconnected by WAN links; the current node is a post office server of a LAN of the plurality of LANs and is for interfacing via a WAN link with post office servers of other LANs.

Claim 9

The method of claim 1, wherein: the at least one recipient comprises a plurality of recipients; the attachment reference is relatively small in size compared to the attachment; and the attachment is a file comprising data.

Claim 10

The method of claim 1, wherein: the network comprises a plurality of LANs interconnected by WAN links; and the costs of the comparison of step (b) include costs of transmitting an attachment across LAN communications segments and WAN links.

Claim 11

The method of claim 9, wherein the costs of the comparison of step (b) ignore attachment file size.

Claim 12

The method of claim 1, wherein the costs of the comparison of step (b) are calculated based on the history of recipient interest in messages sent by the sender of the attachment.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein: the network comprises a plurality of communication segments over which attachments may be transmitted; and the costs of the comparison of means (b) are calculated in accordance with the following cost equation: Cost=Σ {(Audience/(Readers+1))∩Segment}*(Transversals.andgate.Segment)*Segment Cost!; wherein: Audience is the number of recipients of the at least one recipient; Readers is the number of recipients that read the attachment; Segment is a communication segment; Transversals is the number of Segments required to be crossed to move an attachment to another Segment; and Segment Cost is the cost associated with an attachment crossing a particular Segment.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 13, wherein a communication segment is either a local-area network (LAN) subnet or a wide-area network (WAN) link.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the (Audience/(Readers+1) term of the cost equation is estimated based on the history of recipient interest in messages sent by the sender of the attachment.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the network comprises a plurality of LANs interconnected by WAN links.

Claim 19

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the attachment reference comprises a uniform resource locator.

Claim 20

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein: the network comprises a plurality of LANs interconnected by WAN links; the current node is a post office server of a LAN of the plurality of LANs and is for interfacing via a WAN link with post office servers of other LANs.

Claim 21

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein: the at least one recipient comprises a plurality of recipients; the attachment reference is relatively small in size compared to the attachment; and the attachment is a file comprising data.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein: the network comprises a plurality of LANs interconnected by WAN links; and the costs of the comparison of means (b) include costs of transmitting an attachment across LAN communications segments and WAN links.

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the costs of the comparison of means (b) ignore attachment file size.

Claim 24

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the costs of the comparison of means (b) are calculated based on the history of recipient interest in messages sent by the sender of the attachment.

Claim 25

A storage medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions for transmitting e-mail over a network through a current node of the network, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by a processor of the current node, cause the processor to perform the steps of: (a) receiving at a current node in the network an e-mail message to be distributed to at least one recipient, the e-mail message comprising an attachment reference comprising the network address of an attachment stored locally to a previous node of the network; (b) comparing the expected costs of moving the attachment from the previous node to the at least one recipient by use of the attachment reference, to the costs of moving the attachment locally to the current node plus the expected costs of moving the attachment from the current node to the at least one recipient by use of the attachment reference; and (c) retrieving a copy of the attachment, storing the attachment locally to the current node, and updating the attachment reference, in accordance with the comparison.

Claim 26

A storage medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions for transmitting e-mail over a network through a current node of the network, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by a processor of the current node, cause the processor to perform the steps of: (a) receiving at a current node in the network an e-mail message to be distributed to at least one recipient, the e-mail message comprising an attachment reference comprising the network address of an attachment stored locally to a previous node of the network; (b) comparing the expected costs of moving the attachment from the previous node to the at least one recipient by use of the attachment reference, to the costs of moving the attachment locally to the current node plus the expected costs of moving the attachment from the current node to the at least one recipient by use of the attachment reference; and (c) retrieving a copy of the attachment, storing the attachment locally to the current node, and updating the attachment reference, in accordance with the comparison.

Claim 27

The storage medium of claim 23, wherein: the network comprises a plurality of communication segments over which attachments may be transmitted; and the costs of the comparison of step (b) are calculated in accordance with the following cost equation: Cost=Σ {(Audience/(Readers+1))∩Segment}*(Transversals.andgate.Segment)*Segment Cost!; wherein: Audience is the number of recipients of the at least one recipient; Readers is the number of recipients that read the attachment; Segment is a communication segment; Transversals is the number of Segments required to be crossed to move an attachment to another Segment; and Segment Cost is the cost associated with an attachment crossing a particular Segment.

Claim 28

The storage medium of claim 24, wherein a communication segment is either a local-area network (LAN) subnet or a wide-area network (WAN) link.

Claim 29

The storage medium of claim 24, wherein the (Audience/(Readers+1) term of the cost equation is estimated based on the history of recipient interest in messages sent by the sender of the attachment.

Claim 30

The storage medium of claim 23, wherein the network comprises a plurality of LANs interconnected by WAN links.

Claim 31

The storage medium of claim 23, wherein the attachment reference comprises a uniform resource locator.

Claim 32

The storage medium of claim 23, wherein: the network comprises a plurality of LANs interconnected by WAN links; the current node is a post office server of a LAN of the plurality of LANs and is for interfacing via a WAN link with post office servers of other LANs.

Claim 33

The storage medium of claim 23, wherein: the at least one recipient comprises a plurality of recipients; the attachment reference is relatively small in size compared to the attachment; and the attachment is a file comprising data.

Claim 34

The storage medium of claim 23, wherein: the network comprises a plurality of LANs interconnected by WAN links; and the costs of the comparison of step (b) include costs of transmitting an attachment across LAN communications segments and WAN links.

Claim 35

The storage medium of claim 31, wherein the costs of the comparison of step (b) ignore attachment file size.

Claim 36

The storage medium of claim 23, wherein the costs of the comparison of step (b) are calculated based on the history of recipient interest in messages sent by the sender of the attachment.

Claim 37

A network, comprising: (a) a previous node; (b) a current node; and (c) at least one recipient; wherein: the current node receives an e-mail message to be distributed to the at least one recipient, the e-mail message comprising an attachment reference comprising the network address of an attachment stored locally to the previous node; the current node compares the expected costs of moving the attachment from the previous node to the at least one recipient by use of the attachment reference, to the costs of moving the attachment locally to the current node plus the expected costs of moving the attachment from the current node to the at least one recipient by use of the attachment reference; and the current node retrieves a copy of the attachment, stores the attachment locally to the current node, and updates the attachment reference, in accordance with the comparison.

Claim 38

A network, comprising: (a) a previous node; (b) a current node; and (c) at least one recipient; wherein: the current node receives an e-mail message to be distributed to the at least one recipient, the e-mail message comprising an attachment reference comprising the network address of an attachment stored locally to the previous node; the current node compares the expected costs of moving the attachment from the previous node to the at least one recipient by use of the attachment reference, to the costs of moving the attachment locally to the current node plus the expected costs of moving the attachment from the current node to the at least one recipient by use of the attachment reference; and the current node retrieves a copy of the attachment, stores the attachment locally to the current node, and updates the attachment reference, in accordance with the comparison.

Claim 39

The network of claim 34, further comprising: a plurality of communication segments over which attachments may be transmitted; wherein: the costs of said comparing are calculated in accordance with the following cost equation: Cost=Σ {(Audience/(Readers+1))∩Segment}*(Transversals.andgate.Segment)*Segment Cost!; wherein: Audience is the number of recipients of the at least one recipient; Readers is the number of recipients that read the attachment; Segment is a communication segment; Transversals is the number of Segments required to be crossed to move an attachment to another Segment; and Segment Cost is the cost associated with an attachment crossing a particular Segment.

Claim 40

The network of claim 35, wherein a communication segment is either a local-area network (LAN) subnet or a wide-area network (WAN) link.

Claim 41

The network of claim 35, wherein the (Audience/(Readers+1) term of the cost equation is estimated based on the history of recipient interest in messages sent by the sender of the attachment.

Claim 42

The network of claim 34, wherein the network comprises a plurality of LANs interconnected by WAN links.

Claim 43

The network of claim 34, wherein the attachment reference comprises a uniform resource locator.

Claim 44

The network of claim 34, wherein: the network comprises a plurality of LANs interconnected by WAN links; the current node is a post office server of a LAN of the plurality of LANs and is for interfacing via a WAN link with post office servers of other LANs.

Claim 45

The network of claim 34, wherein: the at least one recipient comprises a plurality of recipients; the attachment reference is relatively small in size compared to the attachment; and the attachment is a file comprising data.

Claim 46

The network of claim 34, wherein: the network comprises a plurality of LANs interconnected by WAN links; and the costs of said comparing include costs of transmitting an attachment across LAN communications segments and WAN links.

Claim 47

The network of claim 42, wherein the costs of said comparing ignore attachment file size.

Claim 48

The network of claim 34, wherein the costs of said comparing are calculated based on the history of recipient interest in messages sent by the sender of the attachment.