US6839741B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Facility for distributing and providing access to electronic mail message attachments
Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc
•
Filing: 1998-09-29
•
Granted: 2005-01-04
•
Expires: 2018-09-29
Abstract
Abstract A facility stores attachments for electronic mail messages so that the messages may be transmitted to the intended recipients without the attachments. The recipients may then review and/or download the attachments by contacting the facility. This facility is especially useful in instances wherein the attachments are large. The facility eliminates the need to store multiple copies of the attachment throughout a system; thus consuming a great deal of memory space. In addition, the facility prevents the recipient from extensive delays that are often associated with downloading email messages that contain large attachments via a dial-up connection with a low transmission rate. The facility may be realized as a server and may be a web server so as to provide access to the attachments via an IP network.
Inventors
- 👤 Peter Ming Tsai
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 13:30
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06Q; G06Q10/00; G06Q10/10; H; H04; H04L; H04L51/00; H04L51/06; H04L51/063; H04L51/07; H04L51/08; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99931; Y10S707/99939
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 75
Claim 1
Independent Claim
131 words
In a data processing environment having a first device and a second device, a method comprising the steps of: receiving an electronic mail message for a recipient at the first device; wherein said electronic mail message includes text and an attachment; removing the attachment from the electronic mail message at the first device and storing the attachment on the first device; controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment including providing access to the attachment only to user identifications on an access control list; sending the text of the electronic mail message from the first device to the recipient at the second device; and transmitting the stored attachment to the recipient only if the recipient corresponds to one of the user identifications on the access control list.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
131 words
In a data processing environment having a first device and a second device, a method comprising the steps of: receiving an electronic mail message for a recipient at the first device; wherein said electronic mail message includes text and an attachment; removing the attachment from the electronic mail message at the first device and storing the attachment on the first device; controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment including providing access to the attachment only to user identifications on an access control list; sending the text of the electronic mail message from the first device to the recipient at the second device; and transmitting the stored attachment to the recipient only if the recipient corresponds to one of the user identifications on the access control list.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of notifying the recipient of the attachment.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 2 wherein notifying the recipient of the attachment comprises adding information to the text of the electronic mail message prior to sending the text.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 3 wherein the information that is added to the text includes a uniform resource location (URL) for the attachment.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of converting the attachment into a hypertext document.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of converting the attachment into a hypertext markup language (HTML) document.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the first device is a web server.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the first device and the second device are interconnected by a local area network.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 8 wherein the electronic mail message originates from outside the local area network.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: receiving a request at the first device from the recipient to access the attachment; and in response to the request from the recipient, providing the recipient with access to the attachment.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of downloading the attachment from the second device to the first device.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 11 wherein the attachment is downloaded only upon request by the recipient.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the email is sent from a sender and wherein the step of removing the attachment is performed transparently relative to the sender.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 1 wherein controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment further comprises the recipient providing a password assigned to the attachment in order to access or download the attachment from the first device.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 1 wherein controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment further comprises the recipient providing an attachment code used to identify and locate the attachment in order to access or download the attachment from the first device.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
128 words
In a system having an electronic mail service that permits the transfer of electronic mail messages with a first computer system and a second computer system, a method comprising the steps of: storing an attachment for an electronic mail message on the first computer system; controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment including providing access to the attachment only to user identifications on an access control list; sending the electronic mail message without the attachment from a sender to at least one recipient on the second computer system; and enabling the recipient to remotely access the attachment on the first computer system from the second computer system only if the recipient corresponds to one of the user identifications on the access control list.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
128 words
In a system having an electronic mail service that permits the transfer of electronic mail messages with a first computer system and a second computer system, a method comprising the steps of: storing an attachment for an electronic mail message on the first computer system; controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment including providing access to the attachment only to user identifications on an access control list; sending the electronic mail message without the attachment from a sender to at least one recipient on the second computer system; and enabling the recipient to remotely access the attachment on the first computer system from the second computer system only if the recipient corresponds to one of the user identifications on the access control list.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of using the file transfer protocol (FTP) to transfer the attachment from the sender to the first computer system.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 16 wherein the electronic mail message is from the sender to multiple recipients and wherein the multiple recipients are enabled to remotely access the attachment on the first computer system based on said access control options.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 16 wherein the first computer system is part of an Internet Protocol (IP) network and the recipient communicates with the first computer system via the internet protocol.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 16 wherein the first computer system is a web server.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of converting the attachment into a format that is viewable by a web browser.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 16 wherein the step of storing the attachment comprises storing the attachment as one or more web pages.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of downloading the attachment to the recipient from the first computer system.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of manipulating the electronic mail message to notify the recipient of the attachment.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 16 wherein controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment further comprises the recipient providing a password assigned to the attachment in order to access or download the attachment from the first device.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 16 wherein controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment further comprises the recipient providing an attachment code used to identify and locate the attachment in order to access or download the attachment from the first device.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
157 words
In a system having a first device, a second device, a web server and an electronic mail service for transferring electronic mail messages, a method, comprising the steps of: generating an electronic mail message from a sender to a recipient at the first device, wherein the electronic mail message includes a textual portion and an attachment; storing the attachment on the web server; controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment including providing access to the attachment only to user identifications on an access control list; adding a notification of the attachment into the electronic mail message at the web server; sending the textual portion of the electronic mail message along with the notification from the server to the sender at the second device; and facilitating access by the recipient to the attachment on the web server only if the recipient corresponds to one of the user identifications on the access control list.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
157 words
In a system having a first device, a second device, a web server and an electronic mail service for transferring electronic mail messages, a method, comprising the steps of: generating an electronic mail message from a sender to a recipient at the first device, wherein the electronic mail message includes a textual portion and an attachment; storing the attachment on the web server; controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment including providing access to the attachment only to user identifications on an access control list; adding a notification of the attachment into the electronic mail message at the web server; sending the textual portion of the electronic mail message along with the notification from the server to the sender at the second device; and facilitating access by the recipient to the attachment on the web server only if the recipient corresponds to one of the user identifications on the access control list.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 27 wherein the attachment is stored as one or more web pages on the web server.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 27 wherein the second device includes a web browser and wherein the web browser is used by the recipient to access the attachment at the web server.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 27 wherein controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment further comprises the recipient providing a password assigned to the attachment in order to access or download the attachment from the first device.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 27 wherein controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment further comprises the recipient providing an attachment code used to identify and locate the attachment in order to access or download the attachment from the first device.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
148 words
In a system having a first computer, an electronic mail server and a second computer, wherein the second computer is a client of the electronic mail server, a method comprising the steps of: sending an email from the first computer toward the second computer, wherein said email includes both text and an attachment; receiving the email at the electronic mail server; stripping the attachment off the email and storing it at the electronic mail server; controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment including providing access to the attachment only to user identifications on an access control list; forwarding the text of the email from the electronic mail server to the second computer; and providing the second computer with access to the attachment on the electronic mail server only if the recipient corresponds to one of the user identifications on the access control list.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
148 words
In a system having a first computer, an electronic mail server and a second computer, wherein the second computer is a client of the electronic mail server, a method comprising the steps of: sending an email from the first computer toward the second computer, wherein said email includes both text and an attachment; receiving the email at the electronic mail server; stripping the attachment off the email and storing it at the electronic mail server; controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment including providing access to the attachment only to user identifications on an access control list; forwarding the text of the email from the electronic mail server to the second computer; and providing the second computer with access to the attachment on the electronic mail server only if the recipient corresponds to one of the user identifications on the access control list.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 32 further comprising the step of converting the attachment into a format that is viewable by a web browser.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 32 wherein the step of providing the second computer with access to the attachment comprises allowing a user of the second computer to view the contents of the attachment.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 32 wherein the step of providing the second computer with access to the attachment comprises downloading the attachment from the server to the second computer.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 32 wherein controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment further comprises the recipient providing a password assigned to the attachment in order to access or download the attachment from the first device.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 32 wherein controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment further comprises the recipient providing an attachment code used to identify and locate the attachment in order to access or download the attachment from the first device.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
139 words
In a data processing environment having a first device and a second device, a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising the steps of: receiving an electronic mail message for a recipient at the first device, wherein said electronic mail message includes text and an attachment; removing the attachment from the electronic mail message at the first device and storing the attachment on the first device; controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment including providing access to the attachment only to user identifications on an access control list; sending the text of the electronic mail message from the first device to the recipient at the second device; and transmitting the stored attachment to the recipient only if the recipient corresponds to one of the user identifications on the access control list.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
139 words
In a data processing environment having a first device and a second device, a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising the steps of: receiving an electronic mail message for a recipient at the first device, wherein said electronic mail message includes text and an attachment; removing the attachment from the electronic mail message at the first device and storing the attachment on the first device; controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment including providing access to the attachment only to user identifications on an access control list; sending the text of the electronic mail message from the first device to the recipient at the second device; and transmitting the stored attachment to the recipient only if the recipient corresponds to one of the user identifications on the access control list.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
17 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 36 wherein the method further comprises notifying the recipient of the attachment.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
29 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 39 wherein notifying the recipient of the attachment comprises adding information to the text of the electronic mail message prior to sending the text.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
23 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 40 wherein the information that is added to the text includes a uniform resource location for the attachment.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
21 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 36 wherein the method further comprises the step of converting the attachment into a hypertext document.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
24 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 36 wherein the method further comprises the step of converting the attachment into a hypertext markup language (HTML) document.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
14 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 36 wherein the first device is a web server.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
17 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 44 wherein the attachment is stored as one or more web pages.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
45 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 36 wherein the method further comprises the steps of: receiving a request at the first device from the recipient to access the attachment; and in response to the request from the recipient, providing the recipient with access to the attachment.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
25 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 36 wherein the method further comprises the step of downloading the attachment from the second device to the first device.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
29 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 36 wherein the email is sent from a sender and wherein the step of removing the attachment is performed transparently relative to the sender.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
42 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 38 wherein controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment further comprises the recipient providing a password assigned to the attachment in order to access or download the attachment from the first device.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
46 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 38 wherein controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment further comprises the recipient providing an attachment code used to identify and locate the attachment in order to access or download the attachment from the first device.
Claim 56
Dependent Claim
136 words
In a system having an electronic mail service that permits the transfer of electronic mail messages with a first computer system and a second computer system, a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising the steps of: storing an attachment for an electronic mail message on the first computer system; controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment including providing access to the attachment only to user identifications on an access control list; sending the electronic mail message without the attachment from a sender to at least one recipient on the second computer system; and enabling the recipient to remotely access the attachment on the first computer system from the second computer system only if the recipient corresponds to one of the user identifications on the access control list.
Claim 57
Dependent Claim
136 words
In a system having an electronic mail service that permits the transfer of electronic mail messages with a first computer system and a second computer system, a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising the steps of: storing an attachment for an electronic mail message on the first computer system; controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment including providing access to the attachment only to user identifications on an access control list; sending the electronic mail message without the attachment from a sender to at least one recipient on the second computer system; and enabling the recipient to remotely access the attachment on the first computer system from the second computer system only if the recipient corresponds to one of the user identifications on the access control list.
Claim 58
Dependent Claim
35 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 51 wherein the electronic mail message is from the sender to multiple recipients and wherein the multiple recipients are enabled to remotely access the attachment on the first computer system.
Claim 59
Dependent Claim
27 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 51 wherein the method further comprises the step of converting the attachment into a format that is viewable by a web browser.
Claim 60
Dependent Claim
23 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 51 wherein the step of storing the attachment comprises storing the attachment as one or more web pages.
Claim 61
Dependent Claim
43 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 51 wherein the method further comprises the step of downloading the attachment to the recipient from the first computer system only if each of the recipients correspond to one of the user identifications on the access control list.
Claim 62
Dependent Claim
42 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 51 wherein controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment further comprises the recipient providing a password assigned to the attachment in order to access or download the attachment from the first device.
Claim 63
Dependent Claim
46 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 51 wherein controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment further comprises the recipient providing an attachment code used to identify and locate the attachment in order to access or download the attachment from the first device.
Claim 64
Dependent Claim
115 words
A server computer system, comprising: a detector for detecting that an email to a client includes an attachment; a stripper for stripping the attachment from the email; a storage for storing the attachment that has been stripped from the email; and an interface for enabling the client to access the server computer system based on access control options, wherein the server computer system provides controlled access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment including providing access to the attachment only to user identifications on an access control list and transmitting the stored attachment to the recipient only if the recipient corresponds to one of the user identifications on the access control list.
Claim 65
Dependent Claim
115 words
A server computer system, comprising: a detector for detecting that an email to a client includes an attachment; a stripper for stripping the attachment from the email; a storage for storing the attachment that has been stripped from the email; and an interface for enabling the client to access the server computer system based on access control options, wherein the server computer system provides controlled access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment including providing access to the attachment only to user identifications on an access control list and transmitting the stored attachment to the recipient only if the recipient corresponds to one of the user identifications on the access control list.
Claim 66
Dependent Claim
14 words
The server computer system of claim 56 wherein the system is a web server.
Claim 67
Dependent Claim
26 words
The server computer system of claim 56 further comprising a converter for converting the attachment into one or more web pages for storage in the storage.
Claim 68
Dependent Claim
22 words
The server computer system of claim 56 wherein the interface is an Internet Protocol (IP) interface that interfaces with an IP network.
Claim 69
Dependent Claim
44 words
The server computer system of claim 56 , the controlled access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment further comprising the recipient providing a password assigned to the attachment in order to access or download the attachment from the first device.
Claim 70
Dependent Claim
48 words
The server computer system of claim 56 , the controlled access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment further comprising the recipient providing an attachment code used to identify and locate the attachment in order to access or download the attachment from the first device.
Claim 71
Independent Claim
80 words
A method of providing electronic mail, the method comprising: detaching an attachment from an electronic mail message; transmitting the electronic mail message without the attachment to a user; and controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment including providing access to the attachment only to user identifications on an access control list; and transmitting the stored attachment to the recipient only if the recipient corresponds to one of the user identifications on the access control list.
Claim 72
Independent Claim
80 words
A method of providing electronic mail, the method comprising: detaching an attachment from an electronic mail message; transmitting the electronic mail message without the attachment to a user; and controlling access to the stored attachment for authorized recipients of the attachment including providing access to the attachment only to user identifications on an access control list; and transmitting the stored attachment to the recipient only if the recipient corresponds to one of the user identifications on the access control list.
Claim 73
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method according to claim 64 , further comprising: assigning a password to the attachment, wherein the password is required for access to the attachment.
Claim 74
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method according to claim 64 , further comprising: assigning an attachment code to the attachment to identify and locate the attachment.
Claim 75
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method according to claim 64 , further comprising: specifying a list of users authorized to access the attachment, wherein the user is denied access if the user is not on the list.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2008-01-04 | 2008-07-05 | 2009-01-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2012-01-04 | 2012-07-05 | 2013-01-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2016-01-04 | 2016-07-05 | 2017-01-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |