Messaging Server Attachment Image Embedding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Electronic messages often lead to overlooked attachments, which can result in important information being missed, and pose a risk of malware transmission, making email communication inefficient and insecure.

Innovation Solution

A messaging server method that receives an electronic message, generates an image of the attachment content, embeds it within the message body, and transmits it along with the original attachment, while performing security checks to prevent malicious content from being embedded.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If attachments are sent as separate files, then the message structure remains simple, but the attachment content may be overlooked and not taken into consideration

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattachment content visibilityVSAvoidmessage structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the attachment content with the message body by generating an image of the attachment and embedding it directly into the message body. This combining approach ensures that the attachment content is immediately visible to recipients without requiring them to open separate files, thereby preventing overlooked information while maintaining a unified message structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a visual copy of the attachment content in the form of an image representation. This image copy is embedded within the message body, allowing recipients to view the attachment content directly in the message without needing to access the original attachment file, thus preventing information loss while keeping the message structure intact.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Reliability

If attachments are transmitted, then complete information can be conveyed, but the risk of spreading malware increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation completenessVSAvoidmalware transmission risk
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the content information from the attachment file and represents it as an image embedded in the message body. This separation allows the information to be conveyed without transmitting the potentially harmful attachment file itself, thus maintaining information completeness while reducing malware transmission risk.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an image representation as an intermediary between the attachment content and the recipient. Instead of directly transmitting the attachment file, the system creates an image copy that serves as a safe mediator, conveying the information without the risks associated with the original attachment file.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If security checks are performed on attachments, then malware transmission is prevented, but the messaging process becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemalware transmissionVSAvoidmessaging process
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs security checks on attachments before generating the image representation. By conducting malware scanning and validation in advance, the system prevents malicious content from being converted into images, thereby blocking malware transmission while maintaining a streamlined messaging process for legitimate attachments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4333400A1Technique for providing electronic messages
Publication Date: 2024.03.06 RETARUS GMBH
  • EP4333400A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4333400A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4333400A1 patent drawing

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to a method of providing electronic messages to a message receiving device. The method is performed by a messaging server. The method comprises: receiving (S210) an electronic message from a message sending device, wherein the electronic message comprises at least one attachment; generating (S230) an image of the content of the at least one attachment; embedding (S240) the image of the content of the at least one attachment in the body of the electronic message; and transmitting (S250) the message with the embedded image along with the attachment to the message receiving device.