JP2018041206A - Mail data management device, mail data management method, and mail data management program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To decrease a storage capacity required for storing e-mails.SOLUTION: A mail data management device includes: a mail data storage part capable of storing data about e-mails; a thread determination part determining whether or not one or more e-mails are included in the same thread; a mail data decomposition part which decomposes mail data composing an e-mail into first partial data included in thread data stored to a mail data storage part every thread including the e-mail and a second partial data individually stored to the mail data storage part every e-mail; and a data size adjusting part which creates thread data smaller in data size than a sum total of the data size of the e-mails included at least in the thread on the basis of the first partial data related to the e-mails included in the thread every thread.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10A

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a mail data management device that can store received mail data.

  In recent years, electronic mail systems have been widely used. The number and size of e-mails transmitted and received using an e-mail system tends to increase, and a storage device (storage) with a huge size is required to store (save) such e-mails. Also, as the number of stored emails increases, it may take time to acquire (browse, search, etc.) data related to emails.

  Techniques relating to such e-mail management are described in the following patent documents, for example.

  Patent Document 1 describes a search system in which each part constituting an e-mail is individually stored using a plurality of databases, and an e-mail corresponding to a search condition is searched for each database.

  Patent Document 2 describes a technology related to a mail system that centrally manages mails of the same content transmitted to a plurality of people using a shared mailbox. The mail system disclosed in Patent Literature 2 reduces the storage capacity required for storing mails by controlling the storage in the shared mailbox so that the mail text with the same content is not stored repeatedly.

JP 2009-128973 A JP 2009-200999 A

  A technique for compressing data is known as a technique for reducing the storage capacity required for storing e-mails. However, there is a problem that it takes time to compress data, and time is also required for a decompression process when reading the compressed data. Therefore, when electronic mail data is simply compressed, processing performance such as browsing and searching for the electronic mail may be reduced. That is, with respect to storing and managing e-mails, there is a problem of reducing the data size and suppressing a decrease in data reading performance.

  On the other hand, the system described in Patent Document 1 uses an individual database according to information to be searched in order to improve the search of mail data. With the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the storage capacity required for storing mail data may not be reduced. Further, in the system of Patent Document 2, the number of emails that are subject to centralized management is limited. In such a system, it may be difficult to reduce the storage capacity required for storing mail that is not subject to centralized management.

  The technology according to the present disclosure has been developed in view of the above circumstances. That is, the present disclosure has as one of its main objects to provide a mail data management device and the like that can suppress a decrease in mail data reading performance while reducing the storage capacity required for storing mail data.

  In order to achieve the above object, a mail data management device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a mail data storage unit capable of storing data related to email and whether or not one or more emails are included in the same thread. A thread determination unit for determining the mail, mail data constituting the electronic mail, first partial data included in thread data stored in the mail data storage unit for each thread including the electronic mail, and the electronic Based on the first partial data relating to the electronic mail included in the thread, for each thread, the mail data decomposing unit that is stored in the mail data storage unit individually for each mail and decomposed into the second partial data The thread data having a data size smaller than at least the total data size of the e-mails included in the thread Comprising a data size adjustment unit which formed, the.

  In addition, in the mail data management method according to an aspect of the present disclosure, an information processing apparatus including a mail data storage unit capable of storing data related to an e-mail includes whether one or more e-mails are included in the same thread. And determining the mail data constituting the e-mail individually for each e-mail and the first partial data included in the thread data stored in the mail data storage unit for each thread including the e-mail. And the second partial data stored in the mail data storage unit, and for each thread, based on the first partial data related to the electronic mail included in the thread, at least the electronic included in the thread This is a method for creating the thread data having a data size smaller than the sum of the mail data sizes.

  The object is also achieved by a mail data management apparatus having the above configuration, a computer program that implements the mail data management method by a computer, a computer-readable recording medium in which the computer program is stored, and the like. The

  According to the technology according to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress a decrease in mail data reading performance while reducing a storage capacity required for storing mail data.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a mail data management device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a specific example of the operation (storing of mail) of the mail data management apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a specific example of the operation (request processing) of the mail data management device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a sample (specific example) of the received mail. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of the related data table. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of mail stored in the mailbox. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a mail data management device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a specific example of the operation (mail storage) of the mail data management apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a specific example of the operation (request processing) of the mail data management device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a mail data management device according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating another functional configuration of the mail data management device according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a hardware device capable of realizing the mail data management device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

  Hereinafter, embodiments capable of realizing a mail data management device and the like according to the present disclosure will be described in detail. The configuration of the mail data management device described in each of the following embodiments is an exemplification, and the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The division (for example, division by a functional unit) of the component which comprises the mail data management apparatus in each following embodiment is an example which can implement | achieve a mail data management apparatus. The implementation of the mail data management apparatus is not limited to the following examples, and various configurations are assumed. That is, the components constituting the mail data management device in each of the following embodiments may be further divided. In addition, one or more components constituting the mail data management device in each of the following embodiments may be integrated.

  The mail data management device described below may be configured using a single device (physical or virtual device), or a system using a plurality of separated devices (physical or virtual devices) ( It may be realized as a mail data management system. When the mail data management device is constituted by a plurality of devices, each device may be connected to be communicable via a wired network, a wireless network, or a communication network (communication line) appropriately combining them. Such a communication network may be a physical communication network or a virtual communication network. The hardware configuration capable of realizing the mail data management device described below or its components will be described later.

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the technology according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, an e-mail (including data constituting the e-mail) may be simply described as “mail” (the same applies to the following embodiments).

[Constitution]
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the mail data management device 1 is connected to a mail server 2 and a mail client 3 so that they can communicate with each other using an appropriate communication network.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the mail data management apparatus 1 will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the mail data management apparatus 1 includes a mail reception unit 101, a thread determination unit 102, a related mail management unit 103, a thread data acquisition unit 104, a mail data decomposition unit 105, a compression unit 106, and a storage unit 107. And a mailbox 108. In addition, the mail data management device 1 includes a development unit 109, a mail data combination unit 110, an acquisition unit 111, and a response unit 112.

  Among the above-described components included in the mail data management device 1, one or more components may be integrated, or one or more components may be further disassembled. The constituent elements included in the mail data management apparatus 1 may be connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other using an appropriate communication method. Connection lines connecting the components shown in FIG. 1 represent a specific example of the connection relationship between the components. Each component is not limited to the connection relationship indicated by the connection line, and may appropriately communicate (including exchange of data and commands) with other components. Hereinafter, each component will be described.

  The mail receiving unit 101 receives mail from the mail server 2. The mail receiving unit 101 may receive an e-mail from the mail server 2 using, for example, SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol).

  The thread determination unit 102 determines whether one or more electronic mails are the same thread (whether they are included in the same thread).

  The related mail management unit 103 manages a mail related to the received mail for each received mail. The related mail management unit 103 holds information that associates mails using a related mail table (described later), for example. The related mail management unit 103 may be configured to provide the thread determination unit 102 with information included in the related mail table.

  The thread data acquisition unit 104 acquires thread data related to the same thread as a certain mail (thread including the mail).

  The thread data is data generated from at least a part of each mail included in the same thread. Each thread is associated with at least one thread data. For example, it is assumed that mail A, mail B, and mail C are included in one thread. In this case, the thread data is generated from at least a part of the mail A, at least a part of the mail B, and at least a part of the mail C. The thread data is subjected to predetermined processing (for example, compression processing, extraction of common part and difference part, etc.) for reducing the size of at least part of mail A, at least part of mail B, and at least part of mail C. Data generated by execution may be included.

  The mail data decomposing unit 105 decomposes the mail into a compressed part and an uncompressed part. The compression portion is a portion where compression processing is executed in data constituting a certain mail. That is, the data size of the compressed portion is reduced by the compression process. The compressed partial data of the mails included in the same thread is compressed together for each thread and constitutes the thread data. Hereinafter, the data of the compressed part may be referred to as compressed part data. The non-compressed portion is a portion that does not execute compression processing in data constituting a certain mail. Hereinafter, the data of the partially compressed portion may be referred to as uncompressed portion data.

  The compression unit 106 performs a compression process on the compressed partial data. The compression unit 106 may appropriately select an appropriate compression algorithm. Further, the compression unit 106 may execute archive processing together with data compression processing. The compression unit 106 can combine a plurality of data (for example, compressed partial data of a plurality of mails) into a single data by, for example, the archiving process. The compression process and the archiving process can be realized using, for example, a currently known technique.

  The compression unit 106 may be configured to execute a process of updating or generating thread data using data obtained by compressing the compressed partial data. As a specific example, a case where a certain mail (mail A) is included in a thread (thread X) is assumed. For example, the compression unit 106 may update the thread data of the thread X so as to include data obtained by compressing the compressed partial data of the mail A. For example, the compression unit 106 may add data obtained by compressing the compressed portion of the mail A to the thread data of the thread X. For example, the compression unit 106 may temporarily expand the thread data of the thread X, add the compressed portion of the mail A, and then compress the thread data of the thread X again. For example, the compression unit 106 may execute compression of the compressed part of the mail A and addition to the thread data of the thread X using an archive command.

  When a certain mail (for example, mail A) is not included in any thread (that is, when mail A is the starting point of a new thread), the compression unit 106 uses data obtained by compressing the compressed portion of the mail. Thread data related to a new thread may be generated.

  The data size of the thread data generated (or updated) as described above is smaller than the sum of the data sizes of all mails included in the thread. This is because the compression unit 106 compresses the compressed partial data of each mail, thereby reducing the data size.

  The storage unit 107 stores mail in a mail box 108 (described later). For example, when a certain mail is included in a certain thread, the storage unit 107 may store the uncompressed portion of the mail and the thread data including the compressed portion of the mail in the mail box 108 separately.

  The mail box 108 stores (saves) mail. The mailbox may be realized using, for example, a file system and a file, or may be realized using a database. When the mailbox 108 is realized using a file system, for example, each mail may be stored as one file. The thread data may be stored as one file for each thread. The mail stored (saved) in the mail box 108 may be given unique identification information (ID: Identifier) that can identify each mail. Hereinafter, the identification information may be described as “uid”.

  The expansion unit 109 executes a process of expanding the mail data compressed by the compression unit 106. For example, the expansion unit 109 may expand the entire thread data including the compressed partial data of each mail. For example, the expansion unit 109 may expand only the compressed partial data related to a specific mail in the thread data.

  The mail data combining unit 110 combines the compressed partial data and the uncompressed partial data to generate the original mail. Specifically, the mail data combining unit 110 combines the uncompressed partial data with the data obtained by decompressing the compressed partial data (compressed) included in the thread data for a certain mail, thereby combining the original mail. Generate.

  The acquisition unit 111 acquires data related to the stored mail from the mail box 108. Specifically, the acquisition unit 111 may be configured to acquire uncompressed partial data of each mail and thread data related to a thread including the mail from the mail box 108.

  The response unit 112 receives various requests from the mail client 3 and responds to the requests. For example, the response unit 112 may be configured to transmit and receive requests and responses to and from the mail client 3 using IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol).

  The outline of the mail server 2 and the mail client 3 that are communicably connected to the mail data management apparatus 1 will be described below.

  The mail server 2 may be a general electronic mail server capable of executing a transfer process related to electronic mail using, for example, SMTP. The mail data management apparatus 1 can receive an e-mail from the mail server 2 using, for example, SMTP. The mail server 2 may be realized by, for example, a dedicated device (electronic mail appliance) or may be realized by a physical or virtual information processing device (computer or the like). The mail data management device 1 and the mail server 2 may be realized using the same device (or system).

  The mail client 3 may be a general e-mail client, for example, and receives e-mail from the mail data management apparatus 1 using, for example, IMAP. The mail client 3 may be realized by an information processing device having a communication function (or an application program executed in the information processing device).

  The communication protocol used among the mail data management device 1, the mail server 2, and the mail client 3 is not limited to the above, and may be selected as appropriate.

[Operation]
The operation of the mail data management apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. About each step in each flowchart illustrated below, in the range which does not affect operation | movement, an execution order may be replaced and one or more steps may be performed in parallel. This is the same in the following embodiments.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in which the mail data management apparatus 1 receives mail from the mail server 2 and stores it in the mail box 108.

  The mail receiving unit 101 receives mail from the mail server 2 (step S201). The mail receiving unit 101 may provide the received mail data to the thread determination unit 102.

  The thread determination unit 102 determines whether the received mail is part of a thread that is already managed. That is, the thread determination unit 102 determines whether the received mail is included in the same thread as other mail that has already been received.

  The thread determination unit 102 uses, for example, “Message-Id” and “In-Reply-To” included in the mail header of the received mail to determine whether the received mail is part of a thread. (Whether or not included in a certain thread).

  “Message-Id” in the mail header is data indicating identification information capable of specifying a certain mail. Further, “In-Reply-To” in the mail header is data indicating to which mail a certain mail is a reply. In general, “Message-Id” regarding the original mail (reply mail) can be set in “In-Reply-To”.

  If the mail header of the received mail does not include “In-Reply-To”, the thread determination unit 102 may process the received mail as a new thread. That is, in this case, the thread determination unit 102 may process the received mail as a starting point of a new thread.

  When “In-Reply-To” is included in the mail header of the received mail, the thread determination unit 102 sets “Message-Id” of the other mail (mail data to which another “uid” is assigned). To see if it is the same. If the “In-Reply-To” included in the mail header of the received mail and the “Message-Id” of other mail are the same, the thread determination unit 102 is the same thread (the same Included in the thread). If “In-Reply-To” included in the mail header of the received mail is not the same as “Message-Id” of other mail data, the received mail may be processed as a new thread. Note that the thread determination unit 102 can execute the above determination using a related table managed by the related mail management unit 103.

  If the received mail is a part of a thread (included in a thread) (YES in step S203), the thread data acquisition unit 104 acquires thread data related to the thread (step S204). As described above, the thread data includes data obtained by compressing the compressed partial data of each mail included in the thread.

  The mail data decomposition unit 105 decomposes the mail received by the mail receiving unit 101 into compressed partial data and uncompressed partial data (step S205).

  As described above, the compression process is not performed on the uncompressed partial data. Therefore, access (for example, search, classification, browsing, etc.) related to uncompressed partial data can be executed without being affected by the processing time caused by the compression and decompression processing. Therefore, the mail data decomposing unit 105 decomposes a part that is referred to at a relatively high frequency in accessing a mail into uncompressed partial data. Further, the mail data decomposition unit 105 decomposes a part other than the uncompressed partial data (the remaining part in the mail text) into compressed partial data.

  In many cases, it is considered that the user can determine whether or not the mail should be further browsed by browsing the part of the mail text that is relatively close to the head. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the mail data decomposition unit 105 decomposes, for example, a part of the mail header and the mail body into uncompressed partial data.

  For example, the mail data decomposing unit 105 may decompose the following part of the data constituting the mail into uncompressed partial data. That is, for example, the mail data decomposing unit 105 includes, for example, a specific part (for example, the first N lines or N bytes (N is a natural number)) of the mail header and the mail body (mail body part) in the data constituting the mail, You may decompose | disassemble into uncompressed partial data. The specific part of the mail body can be appropriately set based on, for example, knowledge obtained through experiments or test operations. The mail data decomposition unit 105 is not limited to the above. For example, when the received mail is in a multi-part format defined by, for example, MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions), the mail header and the specific part are displayed as an uncompressed part. It may be broken down into data. The parts included in the uncompressed partial data may be set as appropriate. As such a part, typically, the first part in the mail body part may be selected. If the received mail includes an attached file, the mail data decomposing unit 105 may decompose parts other than the mail header and the attached file into uncompressed partial data. As described above, by decomposing the compressed partial data and the non-compressed partial data, it is possible to reduce the storage capacity required for storing (storing) a certain mail and to suppress a decrease in reading performance for the mail. it is conceivable that.

  The compression unit 106 compresses the compressed partial data decomposed by the mail data decomposition unit 105 (step S206). In step S204, when the thread data related to the thread including the received mail is acquired, the compression unit 106 may compress the acquired thread data by adding the compressed partial data.

  The storage unit 107 stores the uncompressed partial data decomposed from the received mail and thread data including the compressed compressed data in the mail box 108 (step S207).

  With the above operation, the mail data management apparatus 1 can disassemble the mail received from the mail server 2 and store it in the mail box 108.

  Hereinafter, processing in which the mail data management apparatus 1 returns a response to the mail client 3 in response to a request from the mail client 3 will be described with reference to a flowchart illustrated in FIG.

  The response unit 112 receives an information acquisition request (request) from the mail client 3 (step S301). Such a request may be, for example, a request for reading a part of a certain mail (for example, a header) or a request for reading all of a certain mail. Such a request may include, for example, a command defined by IMAP.

  When the received request is a request for acquiring only a mail header (in step S302 [only mail header]), the acquiring unit 111 executes the process of step S303. That is, the acquisition unit 111 acquires an uncompressed portion of the mail designated by the request from the mail box 108 (step S303). Specifically, for example, the response unit 112 may request the acquisition unit 111 to acquire information on the mail header, and the acquisition unit 111 may extract an uncompressed portion of the mail in response to the request.

  As a modified example of the above, even when the received request is a request for acquiring data other than the header portion included in the uncompressed portion of the mail body, the acquiring unit 111 may execute the process in step S303. For example, in the case of IMAP, it is possible to acquire a part of the mail using the “FETCH” command or the like.

  The response unit 112 returns a response including the data acquired in step S <b> 303 to the mail client 3.

  On the other hand, when the received request is a request for acquiring the entire mail (in step S302, [entire mail data]), the acquiring unit 111 executes the process of step S304. That is, the acquisition unit 111 acquires, from the mail box 108, the uncompressed portion of the mail specified by the request and thread data related to the thread that includes the mail (step S304). In this case, the response unit 112 may request the acquisition unit 111 to acquire information on the entire mail. The acquisition unit 111 may supply the acquired thread data to the expansion unit 109.

  The expansion unit 109 expands thread data (step S305). Specifically, the expansion unit 109 extracts the compressed partial data related to the mail designated by the request from the thread data and expands the compressed data. The decompressing unit 109 may extract the compressed partial data related to the mail designated by the request after decompressing the thread data.

  The mail data combining unit 110 combines the uncompressed partial data related to the mail specified by the request and the compressed partial data extracted from the expanded thread data, and restores the original mail (step S306). The mail data combining unit 110 may supply the restored mail to the response unit 112.

  The response unit 112 returns a response including the mail restored in step S306 to the mail client 3 (step S309).

  As a modification of the above, even when the received request is a request for acquiring partial data included in the compressed partial data in the mail body, the mail data management device 1 executes the processes in steps S304 to S306. Good. In this case, in step S <b> 309, the response unit 112 may receive the part (for example, part of the mail body part) received and specified in the request against the mail client 3.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the association table held in the association mail management unit 103 and the email stored in the mailbox 108 will be described using a specific example. In the following specific example, it is assumed that five mails of mail 1 to mail 5 as illustrated in FIG. 4 are received. FIG. 4 illustrates a part of the headers of the mails 1 to 5. In FIG. 4, appropriate data may be appropriately set in the portion where the hidden character (“*”) is displayed. Each mail may have a uid set at the timing when the mail is received or stored in the mail box 108. In the following, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that uid1 to uid5 are set for each mail illustrated in FIG. In the following specific example, it is assumed that the mailbox 108 is realized using a file system.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a specific example of a related table included in the related mail management unit 103 when mails of uid1 to uid5 are stored in the mail box 108. In FIG. 5, the uid attribute (column) is set with a uid capable of identifying the mail in the mailbox. In the Message-Id attribute (column), the value of Message-Id provided in the mail specified by the uid attribute is set. In the In-reply-to attribute (column), the value of In-reply-to provided in the mail specified by the uid attribute is set. In the prev-id attribute (column), the uid of the mail that is the reply source of the mail specified by the uid attribute is set. Also, in the Thread-Id attribute (column), Thread-Id, which is an ID (Identifier: identification information) that can specify a thread including a mail specified by the uid attribute, is set.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the arrangement of mails in the mail box 108 when mails of uid1 to uid5 are stored in the mail box 108.

  The mail data management apparatus 1 (mail receiving unit 101) receives the mail of uid1 from the mail server 2. Since the uid1 mail does not include the “In-Reply-To” header, the mail data management device 1 (thread determination unit 102) indicates that the uid1 mail is a new thread (that is, the uid1 mail is new). Is the starting point of the thread). The mail data management apparatus 1 assigns “thr1” as the identification information (“Thread-ID”) of the thread and registers it in the related data table of the related mail management unit 103 (501 in FIG. 5).

  The mail data management apparatus 1 (mail data decomposition unit 105) decomposes the uid1 mail into compressed partial data and uncompressed partial data. The mail data management device 1 decomposes, for example, a mail header and a specific part (for example, the first N lines) of a mail body (mail body part) into uncompressed part data, and converts the remaining part of the mail body into compressed part data. It may be broken down into The mail data management apparatus 1 (compression unit 106) compresses the compressed partial data and generates thread data of thr1. The mail data management apparatus 1 (storage unit 107) stores the uid1 mail (uncompressed part sentence data and thr1 thread data) in the mail box 108.

  Through the above process, the configuration of the mail box 108 illustrated in FIG. 6 (“mailbox1 / # msg / thr1” (thread data) and “mailbox1 / # msg / uid1” file) is created. “Mailbox 1” illustrated in FIG. 6 is a mailbox that stores, for example, mail corresponding to a mail account of a certain user, and can be realized as a directory (folder) in the file system. “Thr1” illustrated in FIG. 6 is a file including thread data of a thread whose thread ID (Thread-Id) is “thr1”. “Uid1” illustrated in FIG. 6 is a file including uncompressed partial data regarding the mail of uid1.

  The mail data management apparatus 1 receives the mail of uid2 from the mail server 2. The uid2 mail includes an In-Reply-To header whose value matches the Message-Id of uid1 (FIG. 4). Therefore, the mail data management device 1 (thread determination unit 102) determines that the uid1 mail and the uid2 mail are the same thread (included in the same thread). That is, the mail data management apparatus 1 (thread determination unit 102) determines that the mail of uid2 is included in the thread of thr1 (Thread-Id is thr1). In response to the determination, the mail data management apparatus 1 updates the related data table (502 in FIG. 5). Further, the mail data management apparatus 1 (thread data acquisition unit 104) acquires thread data related to thr1 from the mail box 108.

  The mail data management device 1 (mail data decomposing unit 105) decomposes the uid2 mail into uncompressed partial data and compressed partial data, like the uid1 mail. The mail data management device 1 (mail data decomposition unit 105) compresses the compressed partial data related to the mail of uid2 and the thread data of thr1 together. For example, the mail data management apparatus 1 (mail data decomposition unit 105) uses a known compression command (or a combination of a compression command and an archive command) to combine one thread data file and one compressed partial data file of uid2. It is possible to compress to match. In this case, for example, the mail data management apparatus 1 (mail data decomposition unit 105) expands the thread data and extracts the compressed partial data file related to the mail of uid1, and the file and the compressed partial data file of uid2 May be compressed again.

  The mail data management apparatus 1 registers mail related to uid2 (uncompressed partial data and thread data including compressed partial data related to uid2 mail data) in the mail box 108.

  Through the above processing, “mailbox1 / # msg / thr1” is updated in the configuration of the mail box 108 illustrated in FIG. 6, and a file “mailbox1 / # msg / uid2” is created.

  The mail data management device 1 receives the mail of uid3 from the mail server 2. Since the uid3 mail does not include the “In-Reply-To” header, the mail data management apparatus 1 (thread determination unit 102) uses the uid3 mail as a new thread (that is, the uid3 mail This is the starting point of a new thread. The mail data management apparatus 1 assigns “thr2” as the identification information (“Thread-Id”) of the thread and registers it in the related data table of the related mail management unit 103 (503 in FIG. 5). Hereinafter, the mail data management device 1 can execute the same process as the above-described uid1 mail for the uid3 mail. With this process, the configuration of the mail box 108 illustrated in FIG. 6 (“mailbox1 / # msg / thr2” (thread data) and “mailbox1 / # msg / uid3” file) is created.

  The mail data management device 1 receives the mail of uid 4 from the mail server 2. The uid4 mail includes an In-Reply-To header whose value matches the Message-Id of uid3 (FIG. 4). Therefore, the mail data management apparatus 1 (thread determination unit 102) determines that the uid4 mail and the uid3 mail are the same thread (included in the same thread). That is, the mail data management apparatus 1 (thread determination unit 102) determines that the mail of uid4 is included in the thread of thr2 (Thread-Id is thr2). In response to the determination, the mail data management apparatus 1 updates the related data table (504 in FIG. 5). Further, the mail data management apparatus 1 (thread data acquisition unit 104) acquires thread data related to thr2 from the mail box 108. Hereinafter, the mail data management apparatus 1 can execute the same process as the above-described uid2 mail for the uid4 mail. The same applies to uid5 mail. As a result of the processing, “mailbox1 / # msg / thr2” is updated in the configuration of the mailbox 108 illustrated in FIG. 6, and files “mailbox1 / # msg / uid4” and “mailbox1 / # msg / uid5” are created. Is done.

  Since the mail data management device 1 configured as described above compresses data of each mail included in the thread for each thread, the data can be efficiently compressed. Further, the mail data management device 1 stores a specific part (for example, the first N lines) of the mail header part and the mail body part of each mail in the mailbox as uncompressed partial data that is not subjected to compression processing. That is, the mail data management device 1 can provide an uncompressed data portion of each mail without being affected by the processing time related to data compression and decompression. Thereby, the mail data management apparatus 1 can maintain the response time with respect to the mail client 3, for example.

  As described above, the mail data management device 1 configured as described above can suppress a decrease in mail data reading performance while reducing the storage capacity required for storing the mail data. This is because the mail data management device 1 decomposes each mail into uncompressed data that is not subjected to compression processing and compressed data that is subjected to compression processing, and compresses and manages the compressed partial data. . Also, the mail data management device 1 does not compress the compressed partial data of each mail individually, but compresses them collectively for each thread containing each mail.

  Regarding mail with a large capacity (data size), it is generally considered that the capacity (data size) of the data part of the mail body (mail body part) is large. Since the mail data management apparatus 1 can compress the mail body portion, a mail having a particularly large capacity is compressed. Further, the mail client 3 can provide a list display, a summary display, and the like using the information of the uncompressed partial data. That is, the mail data management apparatus 1 can provide the mail client 3 with data necessary for list display, summary display, and the like without performing decompression processing on the compressed data (compressed partial data). For this reason, the mail data management apparatus 1 can maintain response performance equivalent to that when the entire mail data is uncompressed.

  From the viewpoint of compression efficiency, when all mails are compressed together as one data (for example, as one file), it is possible to efficiently compress the data (that is, the compression efficiency becomes high). ). However, in this case, the development process may take a long time (the development process becomes inefficient). For example, in order to acquire data related to one mail, there is a possibility that compressed data including all mails is expanded. On the other hand, when each mail is compressed individually, the compression efficiency is low, although the time required for the expansion process is shorter than when all mails are compressed as one file.

  On the other hand, in general, when a mail is replied, the original mail (reply mail) is often cited. That is, it is considered that there are many common parts in mail included in a series of threads. The mail data management apparatus 1 considers such characteristics and compresses mail included in the thread for each thread. Thereby, the mail data management apparatus 1 can achieve high compression efficiency as compared with the case where each mail is individually compressed. Further, the mail data management apparatus 1 can execute the expansion process in a shorter time than when all mails are compressed as one data. Because, in general, the size of the compressed data of the mail included in each thread is smaller and the number of included mails is smaller than the compressed data size of all the mails combined into one. Because. In general, since mail is frequently manipulated for each thread (for example, referring to mail for each thread, etc.), the mail data management apparatus 1 responds efficiently to such requests. Is possible.

[Modification]
Hereinafter, modifications of the mail data management device 1 will be described. The configuration of the mail data management device 1 in this modification may be the same as that in the first embodiment.

  In this modification, some operations of the expansion unit 109, the mail data combination unit 110, and the response unit 112 are different from those of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the difference will be described.

  When providing the mail body data including the compressed partial data in response to the request from the mail client 3, the response unit 112 in the present modification first sends the uncompressed partial data acquired via the acquisition unit 111 to the mail client. 3 is provided. Since the response unit 112 can provide the uncompressed partial data without executing the decompression process, the mail data management device 1 in the present modification can maintain a response time for the mail client 3, for example. is there.

  In addition, the decompressing unit 109 and the mail data combining unit 110 in the present modification execute, for example, processing related to decompressing and combining the compressed partial data in parallel with the provision of the uncompressed partial data in the response unit 112. That is, the mail data management apparatus 1 in this modification can execute the provision of the uncompressed partial data and the restoration of the entire mail data including the compressed partial data in parallel. Thereby, the mail data management apparatus 1 in this modification can suppress a decrease in turnaround time including provision of the entire mail data to the mail client 3.

<Second Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the technology according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Constitution]
As illustrated in FIG. 7, the mail data management device 7 in this embodiment includes a difference confirmation unit 701 instead of the mail data decomposition unit 105 in the mail data management device 1. The mail data management device 7 includes a difference management unit 702 instead of the compression unit 106 in the mail data management device 1. The mail data management device 7 includes a difference combining unit 703 instead of the mail data combining unit 110 in the mail data management device 1. Hereinafter, a difference from the mail data management apparatus 1 in the first embodiment will be described.

  The difference confirmation unit 701 confirms (identifies) a common part (common part) and a different part (difference part) for one or more mails included in the same thread. For example, the difference confirmation unit 701 may specify a common part in the mail body part as a common part for all mails included in the same thread. In this case, the difference part may include a mail header part and a part other than the common part in the mail body part. Hereinafter, data of a common part in one or more mails included in the same thread may be referred to as common part data. In addition, data other than the common partial data may be described as differential partial data.

  The difference management unit 702 manages the relationship between the difference part confirmed by the difference confirmation part 701 and the common part. Specifically, for example, the difference management unit 702 may generate thread data for each thread by using a common part of each mail included in the thread. Further, the difference management unit 702 may generate the difference partial data by removing the common part data from the received mail data. The difference management unit 702 may also manage information (arrangement information) that can specify the position where the common part is included (position where the common part is arranged in the data of each mail) for each mail. Such arrangement information includes, for example, a uid that can identify a mail, a thread-Id of a thread that includes the mail, and information that can identify one or more locations where common parts are disposed in the mail (for example, a mail body). For example, an offset from the beginning of the portion).

  The difference management unit 702 may store the difference partial data regarding each mail and the thread data individually in the mailbox via the storage unit 107.

  The difference combining unit 703 refers to the difference management unit 702 and combines the difference part and the common part to restore the original mail data.

  Other components in FIG. 7 may be the same as those in the first embodiment.

[Operation]
The operation of the mail data management apparatus 7 will be described with reference to the flowcharts illustrated in FIGS. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in which the mail data management apparatus 1 receives mail from the mail server 2 and stores it in the mail box 108.

  Steps S201 to S204 and Step S207 in FIG. 8 may be the same as Steps S201 to S204 and Step S207 illustrated in FIG. 2 described in the first embodiment.

  The mail data management device 7 (difference confirmation unit 701) confirms (identifies) a common part and a difference part between the received mail and other mails included in the same thread as the mail (step S801).

  The mail data management apparatus 7 (difference confirmation unit 701) may specify the common part and the difference part by the following method, for example. As one of such methods, the mail data management device 7 may check whether, for example, the common partial data included in the thread data is included in the received mail. When the received mail includes the same data as the thread data, the data is specified as the common part, and the other data is specified as the difference part. As another method, for example, the mail data management device 7 may check a common part and a difference part between the received mail and all other mails included in the same thread as the mail. In this case, for example, the mail data management device 7 restores all other mails included in the same thread as the received mail once, and extracts the common part and the difference part between the restored mails and the received mail. You may specify. Without being limited to the above, the mail data management device 7 uses other appropriate methods to check the common part and the difference part between the received mail and other mails included in the same thread as the mail. Good.

  When the received mail is the starting point of a new thread (NO in step S203), in step S801, the difference confirmation unit 701 shares a part of the mail (typically, for example, the mail body part). You may specify as a part suitably and may specify the remaining part as a difference part.

  The difference confirmation unit 701 may provide the confirmed difference part and common part to the difference management unit 702.

  The mail data management device 7 (difference management unit 702) may generate thread data including the common part confirmed in step S801 (step S802). Further, the difference management unit 702 may generate the difference partial data of the mail by removing the common part data (thread data) from the mail data included in the thread. The data size of the thread data created in step S802 is smaller than the sum of the data sizes of all mails included in the thread. This is because the difference management unit 702 removes an overlapping portion that is commonly included in each mail, thereby reducing the data size. For example, when the common part D is included in mail A, mail B, and mail C, only one common part D needs to be included in the thread data. By eliminating the duplication of the common part D using the thread data, the mail data management device 7 can reduce the size of the data stored in the mail box 108.

  The difference management unit 702 may update the arrangement information that can identify the position where the common part is included for each mail based on the common part and the difference part confirmed in step S801.

  Hereinafter, processing in which the mail data management device 7 returns a response to the mail client 3 in response to a request from the mail client 3 will be described with reference to a flowchart illustrated in FIG.

  Step S301, step S302, and step S309 in FIG. 9 may be the same as step S301, step S302, and step S309 illustrated in FIG. 3 described in the first embodiment.

  When the received request is a request for acquiring a header part of a mail (in step S302 [only mail header]), the mail data management device 7 (acquisition unit 111) obtains difference partial data regarding the mail from the mail box 108. Is acquired (step S901).

  When the received request is a request for acquiring the entire mail ([entire mail data] in step S302), the mail data management device 7 (acquiring unit 111) specifies the difference partial data of the requested mail and the specified mail. The thread data of the thread including the mail is acquired (step S901). The thread data includes common part data related to the requested mail.

  The mail data management device 7 (difference combining unit 703) acquires the original mail from the common partial data and the differential partial data acquired in step S902 (step S903). For example, the difference combining unit 703 may restore the original mail by referring to the arrangement information managed by the difference management unit 702 and combining the difference partial data and the common partial data. Specifically, the difference management unit 702 can restore the original mail by, for example, arranging the difference partial data at a specific location in the common partial data indicated by the arrangement information.

  The mail data management device 7 configured as described above can manage the mail for each thread and manage the common part and the difference part of each mail, thereby reducing the storage capacity required for storing the mail. The reason is that the mail data management device 7 decomposes each mail included in the same thread into a common part and a difference part, stores the common part as thread data, and stores only the difference part for each mail. It is. Thereby, the mail data management apparatus 7 can remove an overlapping part from each mail included in the same thread. By removing the overlapping part (common part), the capacity (data size) of each mail stored in the mail box 108 is reduced. In other words, the mail data management device 7 can store, in the mail box 108, data of a minimum size (data of the difference part) from which duplicate parts are removed for each mail included in the same thread. Thereby, the mail data management device 7 can reduce the storage capacity required for storing the mail data.

  Further, similarly to the first embodiment, the mail data management device 7 can individually store, for example, the mail header of each mail as difference partial data. Therefore, the mail data management device 7 can provide the mail client 3 with data necessary for list display, summary display, and the like without performing the process of combining the common partial data and the difference data. For this reason, the mail data management device 7 can maintain response performance (response time) equivalent to the case where the entire mail data is not divided. As described above, the mail data management device 7 can suppress a decrease in mail data reading performance.

[Modification]
Hereinafter, modifications of the mail data management device 7 will be described. The configuration of the mail data management device 7 in this modification may be the same as that in the second embodiment.

  In this modification, some operations of the difference management unit 702 and the difference combination unit 703 are different from those of the second embodiment. Hereinafter, the difference will be described.

  The difference management unit 702 in this modification compresses thread data for each thread. The difference management unit 702 in this modification stores the compressed thread data in the mail box 108 via the storage unit 107. A specific compression algorithm may be selected as appropriate.

  The difference combination unit 703 in this modification example acquires compressed thread data from the mail box 108 via the acquisition unit 111 and expands the thread data.

  According to this modification, the mail data management device 7 compresses the thread data of each thread, so that the size of the data related to the mail stored in the mail box 108 can be further reduced.

<Third Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The third embodiment is a basic embodiment common to the above embodiments.

  As illustrated in FIG. 10A, the mail data management apparatus 10 in the present embodiment includes a mail data storage unit 1001, a thread determination unit 1002, a mail data decomposition unit 1003, and a data size adjustment unit 1004. These constituent elements constituting the mail data management apparatus 10 may be communicably connected using an appropriate communication method. Hereinafter, each component will be described.

  The mail data storage unit 1001 is configured to be able to store data related to mail. As will be described later, for example, the mail data storage unit 1001 may store data related to a thread in which each mail is included. The mail data storage unit 1001 may store individual data for each mail separately from the data related to the thread. The mailbox 108 in each of the above embodiments is considered to be an example of realization of the mail data storage unit 1001. For example, the mail data storage unit 1001 may have the same configuration as the mail box 108 in each of the above embodiments, and may be able to execute the same processing.

  The thread determination unit 1002 is configured to determine whether one or more mails are included in the same thread. For example, the thread determination unit 1002 refers to data (for example, “Message-Id”, “In-Reply-To”, etc.) set in the mail header of each mail, and each mail is included in the same thread. It may be determined whether or not. The thread determination unit 1002 in each of the above embodiments is considered to be an example of realizing the thread determination unit 102, for example. The thread determination unit 1002 may have the same configuration as the thread determination unit 102 in each of the above embodiments, and may be able to execute the same processing.

  The mail data decomposition unit 1003 decomposes mail data constituting the mail into first partial data and second partial data. The first partial data is, for example, data included in thread data, which is data associated with a thread including the mail. Such thread data may be stored in the mail data storage unit 1001 individually for each thread, for example. The second partial data is, for example, individual data for each mail, and may be stored in the mail data storage unit 1001 for each mail.

  Both the compressed partial data in the first embodiment and the common partial data in the second embodiment are considered to be examples of the first partial data. The uncompressed partial data in the first embodiment and the differential partial data in the second embodiment are both considered to be examples of the second partial data.

  The mail data decomposition unit 105 in the first embodiment is considered to be an example of the mail data decomposition unit 1003. For example, the mail data decomposing unit 1003 may have the same configuration as the mail data decomposing unit 105 in the first embodiment, and may be capable of executing the same processing. Similarly, the difference confirmation unit 701 and the difference management unit 702 in the second embodiment are considered to be examples of the mail data decomposition unit 1003. The mail data decomposition unit 1003 may have the same configuration as the difference confirmation unit 701 and the difference management unit 702 in the second embodiment, for example, and may be able to execute the same processing.

  For each thread, the data size adjustment unit 1004 is based on at least a part of the first partial data regarding the mail included in the thread, and at least a thread having a data size smaller than the sum of the data sizes of the mail included in the thread Configured to create data.

  For example, the data size adjustment unit 1004 may create thread data for each thread by compressing the first partial data related to each mail included in the thread. As a result, the size of the first partial data regarding each mail included in the thread is reduced. Therefore, the data size adjustment unit 1004 can create thread data having a data size smaller than the sum of the data sizes of the mails included in the thread.

  For example, the data size adjusting unit 1004 may extract, for each thread, a common part common to each mail included in the thread as first partial data, and create thread data including the extracted common part. Thereby, the data size adjustment unit 1004 can create thread data having a data size smaller than the sum of the data sizes of the mails included in the thread. In addition, the data size adjustment unit 1004 can reduce the data size of the mail stored in the mail data storage unit 1001 by removing the common part included in the thread data from each mail.

  The compression unit 106 in the first embodiment is considered to be an example of the data size adjustment unit 1004. The data size adjustment unit 1004 may have the same configuration as the compression unit 106 in the first embodiment, for example, and may be able to execute the same processing.

  Similarly, the difference confirmation unit 701 and the difference management unit 702 in the second embodiment are considered to be examples of the data size adjustment unit 1004. For example, the data size adjustment unit 1004 may have the same configuration as the difference confirmation unit 701 and the difference management unit 702 in the second embodiment, and may be able to perform the same processing.

  The mail data management apparatus 10 may further include an acquisition unit 1005, a mail data combination unit 1006, and a response unit 1007, as illustrated in FIG. 10B.

  The acquisition unit 1005 is configured to acquire, from a mail data storage unit 1001, at least one of thread data related to a thread including the mail and second partial data related to the mail for a certain mail. For example, the acquisition unit 111 in each of the above embodiments is considered to be one example of the acquisition unit 1005. The acquisition unit 1005 may have the same configuration as the acquisition unit 111 in each of the above embodiments, and may be able to execute the same processing.

  The mail data combining unit 1006 is configured to generate (restore) the original mail based on the thread data acquired by the acquiring unit 1005 for the mail and the second partial data. For example, when the thread data includes data obtained by compressing the first partial data related to a certain mail, the mail data combining unit 1006 expands the thread data to extract the first partial data, and extracts the extracted first data. The original mail may be restored by combining the partial data and the second partial data. For example, when a common part common to each mail included in a thread is included in the thread data, the mail data combining unit 1006 appropriately combines the common part and the second mail data, thereby Mail may be restored.

  The expansion unit 109 and the mail data combining unit 110 in the first embodiment are considered to be one implementation example of the mail data combining unit 1006. In this case, the mail data combining unit 1006 may have the same configuration as the expansion unit 109 and the mail data combining unit 110 in the first embodiment, and may be able to execute similar processing. In addition, the difference management unit 702 and the difference combining unit 703 in the second embodiment are considered to be one implementation example of the mail data combining unit 1006. In this case, the mail data combining unit 1006 may have the same configuration as the difference management unit 702 and the difference combining unit 703 in the second embodiment, and may be able to execute the same processing.

  The response unit 1007 is configured to provide at least a part of a mail designated by a request from, for example, a mail client. Specifically, the response unit 1007 provides at least a part of the second partial data acquired by the acquisition unit 1005 or mail data related to the mail restored by the mail data combining unit in response to the request. At least a portion (which may include the first partial data). The response unit 112 in each of the above embodiments is considered to be an example of realization of the response unit 1007. The response unit 1007 may have the same configuration as the response unit 112 and may be able to execute the same processing.

  The mail data management apparatus 10 configured as described above can suppress a decrease in mail data reading performance while reducing the storage capacity required for storing mail data.

  The reason is as follows. The mail data management device 10 divides the mail into first partial data and second partial data. Further, the mail data management device 10 creates thread data having a data size smaller than the sum of the data sizes of mails included in the thread, for each thread including the mail, based on the first partial data. Thereby, the mail data management apparatus 10 can reduce the data size of the mail stored in the mail data storage unit 1001 for each thread. That is, the mail data management apparatus 10 can reduce the storage capacity required for storing mail data.

  In addition, the first partial data regarding each mail is stored in the mail data storage unit for each thread as thread data regarding a thread including the mail. On the other hand, the second partial data relating to each mail is individually recorded in the mail data storage unit for each mail. For example, the mail data management apparatus 10 extracts the first partial data from the thread data of the thread containing the mail and combines it with the second partial data related to the mail to restore the entire mail data related to the mail. To do. Thus, for example, the mail data management apparatus 10 can resolve the second partial data by disassembling a portion (for example, a header portion) that is read relatively frequently in response to a request from the mail client as the second partial data. Can be used to respond to the request. In other words, the mail data management apparatus 10 can quickly respond to a request without restoring the entire mail data, and therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in mail data reading performance.

<Configuration of hardware and software program (computer program)>
Hereinafter, a hardware configuration capable of realizing each of the above-described embodiments will be described.

  In the following description, the mail data management devices (1, 7, 10) described in the above embodiments are collectively referred to as “mail data management device”. In addition, each component of the mail data management device may be simply referred to as “component of the mail data management device”.

  The mail data management device described in the above embodiments may be configured by one or a plurality of dedicated hardware devices. In that case, each component shown in each of the above drawings (FIGS. 1, 7, 10A, and 10B) includes hardware (an integrated circuit or a storage device on which processing logic is mounted) that is partially or fully integrated. It may be realized using an appliance or the like configured using.

  When the mail data management device is realized by dedicated hardware, the components of the mail data management device may be realized by, for example, a circuit configuration capable of providing each function. Such a circuit configuration includes, for example, an integrated circuit such as SoC (System on a Chip), a chip set realized using the integrated circuit, and the like. In this case, the data held by the constituent elements of the mail data management device is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) area integrated as SoC, a flash memory area, or a storage device (semiconductor storage device or the like) connected to the SoC. ) May be stored. In this case, a well-known communication bus or the like may be employed as a communication line for connecting each component of the mail data management apparatus. Further, the communication line connecting each component may be connected between each component by peer-to-peer.

  Further, the above-described mail data management apparatus includes a general-purpose hardware device 1100 (for example, a computer) illustrated in FIG. 11 and various software programs (computer programs) executed by the hardware device 1100. It may be configured. In this case, the mail data management device may be configured by a combination of one or more appropriate number of general-purpose hardware devices 1100 and software programs.

  An arithmetic device 1101 in FIG. 11 is an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a microprocessor. For example, the arithmetic device 1101 may read various software programs stored in a nonvolatile storage device 1103 to be described later into the memory 1102 and execute processing according to the software programs. For example, the function of each component of the mail data management device in each of the above embodiments may be realized using a software program executed by the arithmetic device 1101.

  The memory 1102 is a memory device such as a RAM that can be referred to from the arithmetic device 1101, and stores software programs and various data. Note that the memory 1102 may be a volatile memory.

  The non-volatile storage device 1103 is a non-volatile storage device (storage device) such as a magnetic disk drive or a semiconductor storage device using a flash memory. The nonvolatile storage device 1103 can store various software programs, data, and the like. For example, a program capable of realizing each component of the mail data management device may be stored in the nonvolatile storage device 1103. For example, the mail box 108 and the mail data storage unit 1001 in each of the above embodiments may store (store) mail data in the nonvolatile storage device 1103.

  The drive device 1104 is, for example, a device that processes reading and writing of data with respect to a recording medium 1105 described later.

  The recording medium 1105 is an arbitrary recording medium capable of recording data, such as an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, and a semiconductor flash memory. For example, a program capable of realizing each component of the mail data management apparatus may be recorded in the recording medium 1105.

  The network interface 1106 is a device that controls transmission and reception of communication data with the communication network. The network interface 1106 may include, for example, one or more communication ports, and may transmit / receive communication data to / from the communication network via the communication ports. For example, the mail data management apparatus described above may be connected to the mail server 2 and the mail client 3 via a communication network connected via the network interface 1106.

  Each component of the hardware device 1100 illustrated in FIG. 11 may be connected to be communicable with each other using, for example, an appropriate communication method (communication bus or the like).

  The mail data management apparatus according to the present disclosure described with the above-described embodiments as an example, or a component thereof, for example, can implement the functions described in the above-described embodiments with respect to the hardware apparatus 1100 illustrated in FIG. It may be realized by supplying a simple software program.

  More specifically, for example, the technology related to the present disclosure may be realized by causing the arithmetic device 1101 to execute a software program supplied to the hardware device 1100. In this case, an operating system running on the hardware device 1100, middleware such as database management software, network software, and virtual environment infrastructure may execute a part of each process.

  In each embodiment described above, each unit illustrated in each of the above drawings can be realized as a software module, which is a function (processing) unit of a software program executed by the hardware described above. However, the division of each software module shown in these drawings is a configuration for convenience of explanation, and various configurations can be assumed for implementation. When each component of the mail data management apparatus illustrated in each of FIGS. 1, 7, 10A, and 10B is realized as a software module, for example, even if these software modules are stored in the nonvolatile storage device 1103, FIG. Good. These software modules may be read into the memory 1102 when the arithmetic device 1101 executes each process. In addition, these software modules may be configured to transmit various data to each other by an appropriate method such as shared memory or inter-process communication. With such a configuration, these software modules are connected so as to communicate with each other.

  Further, the software program may be recorded on the recording medium 1105. In this case, the software program may be configured to be stored in the non-volatile storage device 1103 through the drive device 1104 as appropriate at the time of shipment or operation of the mail data management device.

  Note that the various software programs described above may be installed in the hardware device 1100 using an appropriate jig (tool) in a manufacturing stage before shipment or a maintenance stage after shipment. Various software programs may be installed in the hardware device 1100 by a general procedure at present, such as a method of downloading from the outside via a communication line such as the Internet. In such a case, the technology relating to the present disclosure can be regarded as being configured by a code constituting the software program or a computer-readable recording medium on which the code is recorded. In this case, the recording medium is not limited to a medium independent of the hardware device 1100, and includes a recording medium in which a software program transmitted via a LAN or the Internet is downloaded and stored or temporarily stored.

  In addition, the constituent elements of the mail data management apparatus described above include a virtual environment in which the hardware apparatus 1100 illustrated in FIG. 11 is virtualized and various software programs (computer programs) executed in the virtual environment. It may be configured. In this case, the components of the hardware device 1100 illustrated in FIG. 11 are provided as virtual devices in the virtual environment. In this case as well, the technology related to the present disclosure can be realized by the same configuration as that in the case where the hardware device 1100 illustrated in FIG. 11 is configured as a physical device.

  The present disclosure has been described above as an example applied to the exemplary embodiment described above. In each of the above embodiments, the example in which the technology related to the present disclosure is applied to the mail data management device (1, 7, 10) has been described. For example, the mail data management method according to the present disclosure can be realized by operating the mail data management apparatus (1, 7, 10) in each of the above embodiments. Note that the present disclosure may be realized as a system including a plurality of devices.

  The technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the scope described in the above-described embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to such embodiments. In such a case, new embodiments to which such changes or improvements are added may also be included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. Embodiments combining the above-described embodiments and specific examples are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, an embodiment obtained by combining the above-described embodiment with a new embodiment obtained by changing or improving the above-described embodiment may also be included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. This is clear from the matters described in the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mail data management apparatus 2 Mail server 3 Mail client 101 Mail receiving part 102 Thread determination part 103 Related mail management part 104 Same thread data acquisition part 105 Mail data decomposition part 106 Compression part 107 Storage part 108 Mailbox 109 Expansion part 110 Mail data Combining unit 111 Acquisition unit 112 Response unit 701 Difference confirmation unit 702 Difference management unit 703 Difference combination unit 1001 Mail data storage unit 1002 Thread determination unit 1003 Mail data decomposition unit 1004 Data size adjustment unit 1005 Acquisition unit 1006 Mail data combination unit

Claims (10)

A mail data storage unit capable of storing data related to e-mail;
A thread determination unit that determines whether one or more of the emails are included in the same thread;
The mail data constituting the electronic mail includes first partial data included in thread data stored in the mail data storage unit for each thread including the electronic mail, and the mail data individually for each electronic mail. A mail data decomposition unit that is stored in the storage unit and decomposes into second partial data;
Data for creating the thread data having a data size smaller than the total sum of the data sizes of the e-mails included in the thread based on the first partial data regarding the e-mails included in the thread for each thread A mail data management device comprising a size adjustment unit; An information processing apparatus having a mail data storage unit capable of storing data related to e-mails determines whether one or more e-mails are included in the same thread,
The mail data constituting the electronic mail includes first partial data included in thread data stored in the mail data storage unit for each thread including the electronic mail, and the mail data individually for each electronic mail. Stored in the storage unit and decomposed into second partial data,
For each thread, mail that creates the thread data with a data size smaller than at least the total data size of the email included in the thread, based on the first partial data regarding the email included in the thread Data management method. In a computer with a mail data storage unit that can store data related to email,
A process of determining whether one or more e-mails are included in the same thread;
The mail data constituting the electronic mail includes first partial data included in thread data stored in the mail data storage unit for each thread including the electronic mail, and the mail data individually for each electronic mail. Processing stored in the storage unit and decomposed into second partial data;
A process of creating the thread data having a data size smaller than the total sum of the data sizes of the e-mails included in the thread based on the first partial data regarding the e-mails included in the thread for each thread And a mail data management program to execute. The mail data decomposition unit decomposes the mail data constituting the electronic mail into the first partial data which is a compressed part and the second partial data which is a non-compressed part,
The data size adjustment unit
If it is determined that the email is included in a thread, the first partial data related to the email is added to the thread data related to the thread and compressed,
The mail data management according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that the electronic mail is not included in any thread, new thread data including data obtained by compressing the first partial data related to the electronic mail is generated. apparatus. A response unit that accepts a request to read at least a part of the email stored in the email data storage unit;
It is possible to acquire at least one of the second partial data related to the electronic mail specified by the request and the thread data related to a thread including the electronic mail specified by the request from the mail data storage unit. An acquisition unit;
Expanding the acquired thread data to acquire the first partial data related to the electronic mail specified by the request, and combining the acquired first partial data and the second partial data A mail data combining unit capable of restoring the mail data constituting the electronic mail specified by the request,
The response unit provides at least a part of the second partial data acquired by the acquisition unit or configures the electronic mail restored by the mail data combining unit in response to the request Provide at least part of the email data,
The mail data management device according to claim 4. The mail data decomposition unit decomposes a mail header part and a part from the head to a specific position in the mail body part of the mail data constituting the electronic mail as the first partial data, and 6. The mail data management device according to claim 4, wherein the remaining part of the body part is decomposed as the second partial data. The response unit configures the email executed by the mail data combining unit when providing at least a part of the mail data constituting the email restored by the mail data combining unit in response to the request In parallel with the process of restoring the mail data to be executed, the process of providing the second partial data related to the electronic mail is executed.
The mail data management device according to claim 5. When it is determined that the email is included in a certain thread, the mail data decomposition unit converts the email data constituting the email into the email and one or more other emails included in the thread. The first partial data that is a common part between the first partial data and the second partial data that is a non-common part,
The data size adjustment unit
If it is determined that the e-mail is included in a thread, the thread data related to the thread including the first partial data related to the e-mail is created, and the e-mail is not included in any thread. The mail data management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if it is determined, the thread data including at least a part of mail data constituting the electronic mail is created. A response unit that accepts a request to read at least a part of the email stored in the email storage unit;
It is possible to acquire at least one of the second partial data related to the electronic mail specified by the request and the thread data related to a thread including the electronic mail specified by the request from the mail data storage unit. An acquisition unit;
The e-mail specified by the request by combining the first partial data related to the e-mail specified by the request and the second partial data included in the acquired thread data A mail data combining unit capable of restoring the mail data constituting
The response unit provides at least a part of the second partial data acquired by the acquisition unit or configures the electronic mail restored by the mail data combining unit in response to the request Provide at least part of the email data,
The mail data management device according to claim 8. The mail data disassembling unit converts a part common to all other emails included in the same thread as the email from the email body part of the email data constituting the email to the first partial data. The mail data management device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the remaining part of the mail body part is decomposed as the second partial data.

Images