AU2001100135A4 - Method and apparatus for preserving page layout of an electronic mail message - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Applicant: TELEMATIC COMMUNICATIONS PTY LTD Invention Title: METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRESERVING PAGE LAYOUT OF AN ELECTRONIC MAIL MESSAGE The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 2 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRESERVING PAGE LAYOUT OF AN ELECTRONIC MAIL MESSAGE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for transmitting electronic mail (referred to below as email), or particular but by no means exclusive application in transmitting email between distinct email software applications.

Existing email systems carry both text and non-text information, the latter including binary files such as multimedia files with graphics, sound and video. The key components of existing email systems include: 1) an email client, for retrieving, reading, preparing and sending email messages. Depending on its configuration, an email client can also provide storage of sent and received emails; 2)an email server, for routing and storing email messages; and 3) email client-to-server and server-toserver communications, which may be based on internet standards such POP, IMAP and SMTP or on proprietary methods.

Standards (such as MIME) have been created for internet mail whereby non-text information can be encoded, attached to and carried by email messages. In addition, the MIME standard when used with web page layout standards such as HTML provides the means of encapsulating an email containing page layout information and embedded multimedia content.

The use of HTML in web applications typically requires the use of a web browser application to retrieve and to display or playback information that is stored on a web server. When reading a web page, the browser first requests the transfer of page layout (which includes textual content) information in HTML from the web server.

3 Once the browser has interpreted the page layout information, it requests from the server other content including multimedia files specified in the page layout.

Multimedia content natively supported by the browser is displayed or played by internal browser functions. Any content not natively supported by the browser is typically displayed or played by installed software, which are called by the browser either as a plugin or integrated application, or as an external application.

Some HTML browsers have the capacity to read and display a MIME encapsulated file containing both page layout and multimedia content in a single computer file. Such a file can be stored on a server or in local storage. This file type is known as MHTML. MHTML has been used as the basis for multimedia email delivery whereby the multimedia email message is created and encoded by an application into a MHTML file. For multimedia email, the MHTML file is then delivered as an attachment to an email. When received by an email client, it is necessary to open the attachment using a web browser application to read the multimedia email.

The use of a browser brings an additional level of complexity to the reading of an email. It is functionally preferable to read or playback a multimedia email within an email application in the same way as reading any other item of email. The viewing of a multimedia email within a browser is a different, more personal experience compared with that of viewing it using a browser. This could be compared with the difference between the personal nature of reading a letter and the impersonal nature of a magazine or newspaper.

As email was initially developed as a text based messaging system, support for plain text messages is ubiquitous.

4 Nevertheless, support for attachments is now also very widespread, with MIME encapsulation being a widely supported standard for internet email.

It is important to note that the level of MIME support varies greatly from email system to email system. For example MIME multipart mixed (typically used for attachments) is more widely implemented then for MIME multipart related (typically used for embedded media).

However, at least some basic level of MIME support is common in existing systems.

Support for page layout and formatting also varies greatly. Although most email applications support HTML there is varying degree of support depending on the email application. Basic HTML support is common. Where HTML support is limited the email client's ability to display or play embedded multimedia content is usually limited as a result to that natively supported. Existing email clients do not generally call external applications for displaying or playing back non-native embedded multimedia content. However, the ability to embed common bitmap files are commonly supported by existing email systems.

For internet email systems one possible method, using existing standards, of delivering multimedia email is for the use of HTML for page layout with MIME encapsulation to deliver multimedia content within the email message. The key difference between a MIME encoded HTML formatted message and an MHTML file is that the former can conceptually be used by an email system with HTML and MIME capabilities for multimedia email whereas the MHTML as previously explained is for display in a web browser. How successfully this will be depends on how extensive and consistently the features are supported.

It has been found, however, that the variability of MIME 5 and HTML support in available email systems when coupled with server storage manipulation (discussed below) mean that multimedia email cannot be achieved easily without adding functionality to present email systems.

The completeness and consistency of the email message so delivered will depend on the level of support of each type of email system. Some email systems can present the email as sent whilst others, limited by its capabilities, may only display some part of the email correctly. Where the email system fails to correctly display a MIME encapsulated multimedia email, the multimedia content typically is presented as individual attachments which can be accessed individually.

The inability to correctly present a MIME encoded HTML formatted multimedia email also has implications for an email systems ability to reply to and to forward such emails. Additionally, the way in which an email system stores a message also has a large bearing on the systems ability to reply to or forward multimedia emails. For example, Microsoft Exchange, a widely used email server platform translates and stores internet formatted emails to a proprietary format. Another example is Eudora, an email client, which stores by breaking down the email into its constituent parts. In both these cases the HTML page layout information can be either modified by the systems during storage or reinterpreted by the email system when it is recalled from storage for use in a reply to the sender or to be forwarded to a third party.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides, therefore, a method of preserving the page layout or format of an electronic mail message, comprising: forming a data record indicative of said layout; and 6 appending said record as an attachment to said mail message; whereby said layout of said mail message can be reconstructed from said record upon receipt of said message.

Thus, the problem of reinterpretation of multimedia email layout is avoided because the page layout information is transmitted as an attachment. Existing email systems can and does translate received page layout information into a format native to each system for storing messages and often discarding the original layout information, but the integrity of attachments is protected as email systems do not modify attachments but rather store attachments in their file systems. The email message may already have one or more attachments, in which case the page layout attachment will constitute an additional attachment.

As an attachment with guaranteed integrity, this information can be used to recreate the presentation of the multimedia email as intended by its author, bypassing any inconsistencies introduced through varying degrees of HTML or MIME support or caused by interpretive aspects of email storage systems. The multimedia mail application can use this protected information when viewing, replying or forwarding a multimedia email.

The page layout record may comprise a complete or partial record of said email.

Thus, the page layout record may be indicative of merely the page layout in the strict formatting sense (but without the actual content of the message), or it may be indicative of the entire message, including both the formatting and the content of the message.

Preferably said page layout record comprises

HTML.

7 Alternatively, said page layout record may comprise a variant of HTML, such as XHTML or the like.

The page layout record may also be further encoded or compressed to save transmission or storage requirements.

Preferably the method includes encoding said mail message in HTML or the like, so that said mail message can be transmitted in HTML encoded format with said page layout record appended as an attachment to said mail message.

The present invention also provides a system for preserving the page layout or format of an electronic mail message, comprising: a page layout encoder for forming a data record indicative of said layout; and message manipulation means for appending said record as an attachment to said mail message; wherein said layout of said mail message can be reconstructed from said record upon receipt of said message.

The page layout record may comprise a complete or partial record of said email.

Preferably said page layout encoder is operable to form said page layout record in HTML. Alternatively, said page layout encoder may be operable to form said page layout record in a variant of HTML, such as XHTML or the like.

The system may also include means for further encoding or compressing said page layout record to save transmission or storage requirements.

Preferably the system also includes a mail message encoder for encoding said mail message in HTML or the like, so 8 that said mail message can be transmitted in HTML encoded format with said page layout record appended as an attachment to said mail message. The mail message encoder and the page layout encoder may be provided as a single encoder.

Data packages formed using the above system and method also form part of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a multimedia email application for creating and preserving page layout of an electronic mail message.

The multimedia email application is used in conjunction with an email client.

The email client is a user application that can communicate with an email server (a server application) to receive and send emails. The server resolves and routes emails from the email client to destination servers, each of which acts as a local server for an email's intended receipient. (Separate email servers may, in fact, be used for sending and receiving mail respectively, but this is immaterial for the present discussion, and reference is made below to a single server. It will be understood, however, that the disclosure is not limited to any particular number of servers.) When retrieving emails, the email client requests email messages from the server's message store using the message format stored by the server. Depending on the protocol used between the client and the server, and on any application settings, the retrieved message can be stored by the client, the server or both. Importantly, the formatting of the message received may depend on the way that it has been stored on the server.

9 When sending an email the client prepares email messages and transfers messages to the email server for on transmission. The settings on the email server can also control its ability to carry HTML formatted and MIME encoded email as well. These functions are generally incorporated as a server setting that can be turned on.

The email client has a user interface, and functionality to permit the displaying of incoming messages, the preparation of outgoing messages, the accessing of previously sent or received emails and accessing of address book functions. Common email clients provide APIs for enhancements and a MAPI interface to enable third party applications to send email using the client as a MAPI host system.

In this embodiment, the multimedia email application is implemented either as an integral part of the host email client by using the API sockets and the MAPI interface provided, or as a separate program by using only the MAPI interface.

The multimedia email application has an editor that can accept and format text input. Page layout capabilities can be both inputted by the user and predefined through the use of layout templates. Multimedia content is added by capturing through the computer system's attached peripherals or inserted from files created by other applications.

On sending of a multimedia email, the multimedia email application encodes the message as HTML and transfers the HTML encoded message and multimedia content to the MAPI interface, together with a copy of the page layout information (which is preferably encoded, compressed or both encoded and compressed) for MAPI encapsulation and transmission by the email client application.

10 When retrieving, replying or forwarding an email, the multimedia email application uses the copy of the layout information to ensure that the layout of the original multimedia email is maintained by the system.

In an alternative embodiment, a separate multimedia email application can be used to interface directly to the email server, in which case the multimedia email application would also perform MAPI encapsulation and message transmission in addition to other capabilities provided by the host system such as address book integration.

Alternatively, a server application could be used to provide a similar function to ensure that requests for multimedia email is supplied with correctly formatted email using the protected copy of the layout information.

Modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention may be readily effected by those skilled in the art. It is to be understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described by way of example hereinabove.

Claims (4)

1. A method of preserving the page layout or format of an electronic mail message, comprising: forming a data record indicative of said layout; and appending said record as an attachment to said mail message; whereby said layout of said mail message can be reconstructed from said record upon receipt of said message.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said page layout record comprises a complete or partial record of said email.

3. A system for preserving the page layout or format of an electronic mail message, comprising: a page layout encoder for forming a data record indicative of said layout; and message manipulation means for appending said record as an attachment to said mail message; wherein said layout of said mail message can be reconstructed from said record upon receipt of said message.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein said page layout encoder is operable to form said page layout record in a variant of HTML, such as XHTML or the like. A data package formed using the method of claim 1 or claim 2 or the system of claim 3 or claim 4. 12 Dated this 5th day of July 2001 TELEMATIC COMMUNICATIONS PTY LTD By their Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK Fellows Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia