Local Email Archive Store for Fast Retrieval

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing email archive systems face issues such as slow retrieval times for archived emails, limited user access when offline, and inadequate support for email features like previewing archived content, leading to a suboptimal user experience.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a local email archive store on the user's client computer that intercepts requests for archived emails, allowing for faster access and enabling features like displaying archived content in a preview pane, managing local archive store size, and updating email properties, while also backfilling the local store to improve performance and availability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If emails are archived on a remote server, then storage requirements for the email system are reduced, but retrieval times increase and user access is limited when offline

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage requirementsVSAvoidretrieval times

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the email storage system into two segments: a remote archive server for long-term storage and a local cache on the user's client computer for frequently accessed emails. This segmentation allows the system to maintain reduced overall storage requirements while providing fast local retrieval for commonly needed emails, thus resolving the contradiction between storage reduction and retrieval speed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by proactively caching archived emails from the remote server to the local storage before they are actually needed. The email client monitors usage patterns and pre-loads emails that are likely to be accessed soon, thereby reducing retrieval times when users actually need them without requiring permanent storage of all archived emails locally.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Quantity of substance

If emails are archived on a remote server, then storage requirements are reduced, but user access is limited when offline

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage requirementsVSAvoidoffline access

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments email access into online and offline modes by maintaining both remote archive storage and local cache storage. When offline, users can still access emails that have been cached locally, providing reliable offline access without requiring permanent local storage of all emails, thus maintaining the storage reduction benefit while improving offline availability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The local cache acts as an intermediary between the remote archive server and the user. It stores copies of archived emails locally, allowing users to access emails offline when the remote server is unavailable. This intermediary layer provides reliability for offline access while the system maintains reduced overall storage requirements by only caching frequently accessed emails locally.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Loss of time

If a local email archive store is implemented, then retrieval times are reduced and offline access is enabled, but device storage space is consumed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveretrieval timesVSAvoiddevice storage space

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the email archive into remote and local portions, storing only frequently accessed emails locally while maintaining the full archive remotely. This segmentation reduces local device storage consumption while providing fast retrieval for commonly needed emails, balancing the trade-off between retrieval speed and storage space.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of caching all archived emails locally, the system implements partial caching by selectively storing only those emails that are frequently accessed or likely to be needed soon. This partial action approach reduces local storage requirements while still providing the performance benefits of fast local retrieval for the most important emails.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

4Loss of time

If archived emails are stored locally, then offline access and fast retrieval are enabled, but support for email features is inadequate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveretrieval timesVSAvoidfeature support

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The email client application serves multiple functions: it manages the local cache of archived emails, provides fast retrieval, enables offline access, and maintains full support for email features through its integration with the remote archive server. The client acts as a universal interface that combines local caching benefits with comprehensive feature support, resolving the contradiction between fast local access and feature versatility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS8156188B1Email archive server priming for a content request

Publication Date: 2012.04.10 EMC IP HLDG CO LLC

AI summary

An email archive system and associated techniques are described. Archived emails may be stored locally on a user's client computer in a local archive store. The email archive system and associated techniques may interact with an email message system and an email client application.