Email Attachment Routing via Sender Metadata Rules
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face challenges in managing and organizing email attachments due to the overwhelming volume of emails received from various sources, making it difficult to identify and respond to attachments in a timely manner.
Innovation Solution
A file management system that automatically routes email attachments based on sender-defined and user-defined processing rules, using metadata such as sender, domain, tags, and file type to store attachments in specific directories, allowing for efficient organization and synchronization across multiple devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If email attachments are sent from multiple sources, then information communication capability is improved, but user ability to identify and respond to attachments deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments incoming attachments by creating separate subfolders within the user's directory structure. Each subfolder corresponds to a specific sender or sender group, automatically organizing attachments from multiple sources into distinct categories. This segmentation allows users to easily locate and respond to attachments from specific senders without being overwhelmed by a single mixed inbox.
2Productivity
If automatic routing based on metadata is implemented, then attachment organization efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-configuring routing rules that associate specific metadata patterns (sender domains, email addresses, keywords) with target subfolders. These rules are established in advance, allowing the system to automatically route attachments without requiring complex real-time analysis. The mail server or file management system applies these pre-defined rules to automatically create and populate subfolders based on sender information and attachment metadata.
Data Source
AI summary
Attachments received at an email account are processed according to a processing rule that is selected using, for example, a sender's email address, the sender's domain, or metadata in the email. A feature triggers the processing rule that then removes the attachment from the received email and stores the attachment in a rule-indicated directory. Processing rules can be defined by the email sender or by the email recipient. Changes to the attachment can be synchronized across multiple user devices and user accounts using a file sharing application.