Attachment Engine Sorting Email Attachments by Attributes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing email systems face difficulties in managing and searching for attachments due to lack of effective sorting based on attachment characteristics, leading to inefficient file retrieval and potential inaccuracies in sorting by message size.
Innovation Solution
An integrated information management system with an email agent, repository, and attachment engine that facilitates sorting attachments by attributes such as name, date, size, type, author, and recipient, and includes features like duplicate filtering and compressed file management, enabling users to organize and display attachments efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If email messages are sorted by total size to find attachments, then sorting can be performed using existing email message attributes, but the results are inaccurate because total email size includes multiple attachments, embedded images, and compressed files rather than individual attachment sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the email message into its constituent parts, specifically separating the attachment files from other email components like embedded images and compressed files. This allows individual attachment sizes to be measured and sorted independently, resolving the inaccuracy of using total email message size for attachment search.
2Ease of operation
If conventional email systems group emails with attachments together, then attachments are consolidated in one location, but no further sorting is performed among attachments based on their characteristics making retrieval difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic sorting capabilities that allow attachments to be reorganized based on user-selected criteria such as file type, size, date, or name. This transforms the static grouping of attachments into a dynamically sortable list, enabling efficient retrieval based on specific characteristics while maintaining ease of operation.
3Loss of information
If batch processes scan emails to remove and save attachments to a separate database, then attachments are separated from emails, but no sorting based on attachment characteristics is implemented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary sorting and organization of attachments based on their characteristics (file type, size, date, name) during the extraction process itself, before the attachments are saved to the database. This preliminary action ensures that attachments are pre-organized in the database, eliminating the need for complex post-processing sorting operations.
4Loss of time
If users manually search through email messages to find specific attachments, then no additional system complexity is required, but search time becomes excessively long especially in email systems with many messages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an attachment engine as an intermediary component that sits between the email storage system and the user interface. This engine automatically extracts, sorts, and indexes attachment information based on user-selected criteria, providing rapid search capabilities without requiring users to manually examine each email message, thus reducing search time while adding controlled system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method to sort attachments in an integrated information management application. The system includes an email agent, and email repository, and an attachment engine. The email agent facilitates organization of email communications within the integrated information management application. The email repository is coupled to the email agent. The email repository stores a plurality of email files and a plurality of email attachments. The email attachments are associated with at least some of the email files. The attachment engine is coupled to the email agent. The attachment engine generates a list of the email attachments within the email repository for visual communication on a display device.