Email Attachment File System View via Intermediary Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing email systems do not allow for efficient organization and separate access to email attachments, which are unorganized and can only be accessed through the email account, lacking a structured view.
Innovation Solution
An email server software categorizes email attachments based on metadata fields and user-created tags, mapping these categories into a format accessible by an external system, allowing for a file-system view where attachments are organized into folders and files, enabling external access and management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If email attachments are stored and accessed only through email accounts, then email system simplicity is maintained, but attachment organization and accessibility are poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer between the email system and external systems. This intermediary enables attachments to be accessed and organized externally without fundamentally changing the email system's core structure, thus improving accessibility while maintaining relative system simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the email attachment access function from the email system itself by enabling external systems to view and organize attachments separately. This segmentation allows attachments to be accessed through multiple interfaces (email client and external system) without coupling the systems tightly.
2Adaptability or versatility
If email attachments are viewed only within the email client, then system integration is simple, but organization and separate access capability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the attachment categorization system universal by enabling it to serve both the email client and external systems. The same categorization infrastructure supports multiple access interfaces, increasing adaptability without requiring separate organization systems for each interface.
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediary categorization layer is introduced that sits between the email attachments and various access interfaces. This intermediary provides a standardized organization structure that can be accessed by email clients, external systems, or any other interface, thus improving versatility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If attachments are organized by metadata indexing only, then automation is high, but external system compatibility and file-system view capability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mapping intermediary that translates between metadata indexes and external system file-system views. This intermediary layer enables external systems to access attachments through familiar file-system interfaces while the underlying organization remains based on automated metadata indexing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the interface parameters by which attachments are accessed. Instead of requiring external systems to interact with email-specific metadata structures, the system transforms attachment access into file-system-compatible parameter formats, improving external system compatibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and email application enable email attachments to be viewed through a system external to the email application itself in accordance with select categories. The email application creates categories and categorizes the email attachments according to such categories. The email application then maps the categories into a format understandable by the external system for category information and provides the mapped categories to the external system in such format. In response to receiving a request from the external system for the contents of one of the mapped categories and in response to such category having no further subcategories, the email application identifies the email attachments under such category and maps the identified email attachments to file names. The file names are then provided to the external system as the contents of such category. If the external system requests the contents of a category that has further subcategories, the email application maps the subcategories into a format understandable to the external system and provides such subcategories to the external system as the contents of such category.The present invention can be used to provide a file-system view of email attachments. In such case, the email application appears as a file system to the operating system of an email user's computer. The created categories are provided to the operating system as the “folders” in the file system. The email attachments are provided as files within such folders.