JP5254607B2 - Supplying email message parts - Google Patents

Abstract

There is provided method, apparatus, article, system for providing a portion of an email. It is first determined whether it is desirable to provide less than all of an email. A portion is selected and is then provided. Selection may be based upon a transfer rate, a message size, and a file format.

Description

  The present invention relates generally to electronic mail messaging.

  Electronic mail has become a central feature of modern life, and users have come to expect to receive electronic mail messages anytime, virtually anywhere. For example, during the course of a day, a user can use an airport desktop computer in the morning, an office desktop computer in the morning, and a cell phone or personal digital assistant in a taxi to the airport. While waiting in the lounge, with a laptop computer over a wireless local area network, over an in-flight phone, over the high-speed internet connection the hotel offers in the hotel room at the end of the day, Each can receive an email.

  Thus, depending on the situation, the user can receive and / or send e-mail messages by various devices at any given time. In addition to the aforementioned end-user devices such as desktop computers, laptop computers, cell phones, personal digital assistants, and the like, e-mail messages typically include various network servers, network switches, hubs , Routers, transmission lines, wireless transmission media, modems, interface cards, and the like. The transfer rates of these devices and / or media can vary by orders of magnitude. For example, a laptop computer modem may be limited to a transfer rate of 56 Kbits per second, and a cable modem can easily supply data at a transfer rate of 1-2 gigabits per second, and T-3 The connection can supply data at transfer rates as high as 40 megabits per second. The complexity and size of email messages has generally increased in proportion to available transfer rates. Early e-mail message systems relied on relatively slow modems, so these e-mail messages were usually limited to short ASCII text documents. On the other hand, modern email messaging systems can utilize high-speed connections to send documents that include complex formatting, audio, graphics, video, and the like. For example, a user can send and / or receive e-mail messages with PowerPoint attachments containing formatted text, images, and animations, or both. As another example, a user with an appropriate license can send and / or receive a feature film as an e-mail message. The size of these files can easily exceed several megabytes and the user may expect to send larger files in the future. Despite the benefits of using a high speed connection to send large information rich email messages, it can be problematic when the same message must be sent over a lower speed connection. For example, a user reading an e-mail message on a laptop computer connected to the Internet via a 14.4K dial-up modem may download a large e-mail message via the modem for an inordinate amount of time. You may have to wait. As another example, a user writing an e-mail message on a laptop computer connected to the Internet via a 14.4 Kbps (K bits per second) dial-up modem attaches a large document to the e-mail message. You may need to wait too long for the email message to be uploaded via the modem. In addition, bottlenecks, heavy traffic, device malfunctions, disconnected transmission lines, magnetic storms, and the like dramatically reduce even the fastest network transfer rates dramatically and often impossible. As a result, the user may have to wait too long to receive an indication of the content of the email message including the attachment. Furthermore, it can be difficult for a user to determine what information is included in an email message without receiving the entire message. For example, conventional email messaging systems typically identify and / or supply the portion of an email message attachment that is relevant to the user unless the entire message is received by the user. I can't. This problem is exacerbated by the many different file formats or file types that can be included in the attachment.

  For example, conventional email messaging systems typically cannot play audio files within email message attachments unless the entire message is received by the user. As another example, traditional email messaging systems typically display a graphics file, such as a movie and / or animation, in an email message attachment unless the entire message is received by the user Can not do it. This issue can be used for files that can be included in attachments, such as Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), Graphics InterchangeGrate format, PN Further exacerbated by a virtually unlimited number of formats, such as (R), Apple Quicktime (R), AVI, and the like.

  E-mail messages are often used to schedule a meeting and distribute materials that may be useful to participants in that meeting. For example, e-mail may be an efficient way to send documents to geographically dispersed participants, such as conference calls, video conferences, and the like. However, for example, if a file containing documents is relatively large and some participants are receiving e-mail over a slow connection, it may be difficult for the participants to receive these documents. Thus, the participant may not be able to receive documents related to the scheduled conference in a timely manner.

  The content of the email message is subject to copyright restrictions, distribution rights, broadcast rights, reproduction rights, publication rights, licensing restrictions, fair use, other restrictions imposed by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and the like. It may also be subject to various digital rights management rules, including: For example, a musician may create a digital representation of a music work in a format, such as the Moving Pictures Expert Group 1 Audio Layer 3 format, commonly referred to as MP3. The musician may wish to distribute the MP3 file widely to the public, but may seek reimbursement for the creative work of composing. As a result, the musician may grant the digital right to use the MP3 file, for example, the right to use the MP3 file only to the listener who purchased the license. On the other hand, a listener may not want to purchase a digital right until the song is previewed (viewed).

  The present invention is directed to addressing, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.

  According to a first aspect, determining whether it is desirable to provide less than all of the email message; selecting a portion of the email message; and Providing the selected portion. According to a second aspect, when executed, a processor accesses an email message for delivery to a remote device and provides less than all of the email messages. Including instructions for determining if desired, selecting a portion of the email message, and supplying the selected portion of the email message to the remote device. An article is provided that includes one or more machine-readable storage media.

  According to a third aspect, it is determined whether it is desirable to supply an interface and less than all of the email message coupled to the interface, selecting a portion of the email message, and An apparatus is provided that includes a control unit adapted to supply the selected portion of the email message. According to a fourth aspect, a first processor-based device adapted to supply an e-mail message and a second processor-based device adapted to receive the e-mail message Determining whether it is desirable to provide less than all of the email message, selecting a portion of the email message, and providing the selected portion of the email message. A system is provided that includes at least one adapted module. According to a fifth aspect, determining that less than all of the email messages have been sent, wherein the email message includes scheduling information indicating a calendar event Associating the e-mail message with the calendar event based on the scheduling information, and providing notification that less than all of the e-mail message has been sent based on the calendar event A method comprising the steps of: According to a sixth aspect, displaying at least one indicator of an event associated with at least one undelivered portion of at least one email message, wherein one of the at least one indicator is selected by a user Monitoring the position and selection status of a pointer controller to detect that the at least one electronic device is responsive to detecting that one of the at least one indicator has been selected by the user. Providing a method of interfacing with the user of a computer system having a graphical user display comprising providing at least one undelivered portion of a mail message and scheduling information associated with the event. .

  According to a seventh aspect, determining whether it is desirable to provide less than all of the email message; selecting at least one portion of the email message; and the email Displaying at least one text string indicative of the at least one part of the message and displaying at least one display of a version of the at least one part of the email message having a reduced resolution. Displaying at least one selection field corresponding to the reduced resolution version of the at least one portion of the at least one email message, wherein one of the at least one selection field is a user To detect that selected by Monitoring the position and selection status of the pointer controller and the selection of the at least one selection field in response to detecting that one of the at least one selection field has been selected by the user A method of interfacing with said user of a computer system having a graphical user display.

  According to an eighth aspect, displaying at least one indicator of a digital rights management rule associated with at least one portion of at least one email message, wherein at least one of the at least one indicator is the Monitoring the position and selection status of a pointer controller to detect that the user has selected, and in response to detecting that at least one of the at least one indicator has been selected by the user Providing a user permission associated with the at least one portion of at least one email message and a display of the digital rights management rules, the user of the computer system having a graphical user display How to interface is provided.

  According to a ninth aspect, displaying at least one text string indicative of at least one portion of at least one email message; and an estimated time of download of the portion of the email message Displaying at least one display; displaying at least one selection field corresponding to the at least one portion of the at least one email message; and one of the at least one selection field comprising the Monitoring the position and selection status of a pointer controller to detect that the user has selected, and in response to detecting that one of the at least one selection field has been selected by the user At least one selection feel Wherein and modifying one appearance is selected, the user and how to interface a computer system having a graphical user display is provided of the.

  According to one embodiment, a method for providing a portion of an email based on transfer rate, message size, and file format is provided. In this embodiment, the method determines whether it is desirable to provide less than all of the email messages and determines that it is desirable to provide less than all of the email messages. In response, determining a format associated with the email message is included. The method of this embodiment also includes selecting a portion of the email message using the determined format and providing the selected portion of the email message. It is also preferred to provide an apparatus that implements the method as well as one or more machine-readable storage media containing instructions that, when executed, allow the processor to perform the method.

  In one embodiment, a method is provided for providing a portion of an email message having a reduced resolution. Determining whether it is desirable to supply less than all of the email message to the method of this embodiment, selecting a portion of the email message, and selecting the email message Includes reducing the resolution of the part. The method of this embodiment also includes providing a portion of the email message with reduced resolution. It is also preferred to provide an apparatus that implements the method as well as one or more machine-readable storage media containing instructions that, when executed, allow the processor to perform the method.

  According to one embodiment, determining whether it is desirable to provide less than all of the email message; selecting at least one portion of the email message; and Displaying at least one text string indicative of the at least one portion of the message; and displaying at least one representation of a version of the at least one portion of the email message having reduced resolution; Displaying at least one selection field corresponding to the reduced resolution version of the at least one portion of the at least one email message, wherein one of the at least one selection field is selected by a user Pointer control to detect selection Monitoring the location and selection status of an error and detecting the selected one of the at least one selection fields in response to detecting that one of the at least one selection fields has been selected by the user A method of interfacing with a user of a computer system having a graphical user display is provided that includes changing one appearance.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for providing notification of an undelivered portion of an email message based on a calendar entry. The method of this embodiment includes determining that less than all of the email messages have been sent, wherein the email message includes scheduling information indicating a calendar event; Associating the email message with a calendar event based on the scheduling information and providing a notification that less than all of the email messages have been received based on the calendar event.

  According to one embodiment, notification of an undelivered portion of an email message based on a determined transfer rate value, a determined value related to the size of the undelivered portion of the email message, and a calendar event. A method of providing is provided. Determining that less than all of the email message has been transferred to the method of this embodiment, wherein the email message includes scheduling information indicating a calendar event; Associating an email message with a calendar event based on the scheduling information. Providing the method of this embodiment with notification that less than all of the email messages have been received based on a calendar event, determining a value associated with the data transfer rate, and email Also included is determining a value related to the size of the undelivered portion of the message. The method of this embodiment further schedules the transfer time of the undelivered portion of the email message based on the determined transfer rate value, the determined value related to the size of the email message, and a calendar event. For example.

  According to one embodiment, a method is provided for interacting with a user of a computer system having a graphical user display. The method of this embodiment displays at least one indicator of an event associated with at least one undelivered portion of at least one email message, and one of the at least one indicator is selected by a user. Monitoring the position and selection status of a pointer controller to detect that, and in response to detecting that one of the at least one indicator has been selected by the user, the at least one email Providing the scheduling information associated with the at least one undelivered portion of the message and the event.

  According to one embodiment, a method for providing a portion of an email message based on digital rights is provided. The method of this embodiment includes determining that the user is authorized to receive less than all of the email message based on at least one digital right associated with the email message; Selecting a portion of the email message to be permitted to receive the selected portion of the email message and providing the selected portion of the email message. It is also preferred to provide an apparatus that implements the method as well as one or more machine-readable storage media containing instructions that, when executed, allow the processor to perform the method. According to one embodiment, displaying at least one indicator of a digital rights management rule associated with at least one portion of at least one email message, wherein at least one of the at least one indicator is the user Monitoring the position and selection status of the pointer controller to detect that the at least one of the at least one indicator has been selected by the user. Providing a user permission associated with the at least one portion of an e-mail message and an indication of the digital rights management rules and the user of the computer system having a graphical user display Over the scan method for is provided.

  According to one embodiment, a method is provided for supplying portions of an email message based on a transfer rate and message size. The method of this embodiment includes determining a value related to the data transfer rate, determining a value related to the size of the email message, and determining a mail transfer criteria. The method of this embodiment may also select a portion of the email message based on the determined transfer rate value, the determined value related to the size of the email message, and the determined mail transfer criteria. included. The method of this embodiment further includes providing a selected portion of the email message. It is also preferred to provide an apparatus that implements the method as well as one or more machine-readable storage media containing instructions that, when executed, allow the processor to perform the method.

  According to one embodiment, displaying at least one text string indicative of at least one portion of at least one email message, and at least an estimated time of download of the portion of the email message Displaying one display, displaying at least one selection field corresponding to the at least one portion of the at least one email message, and one of the at least one selection field being the user Monitoring the position and selection status of a pointer controller to detect selection by the user, and in response to detecting that one of the at least one selection field has been selected by the user The selection of one selection field And a changing one appearance that is a method for the user interfaces with a computer system having a graphical user display is provided.

  It should be appreciated that the present invention can be implemented in computer software. Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments of the invention are shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail herein. However, the description herein of a particular embodiment is not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, that intention is defined by the appended claims. It should be understood that all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives included within the spirit and scope of the present invention are included.

  Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described below. For the sake of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described herein. Of course, in the development of such actual embodiments, a number of implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as following different system-related and business-related constraints from implementation to implementation. . Further, it should be appreciated that such development efforts may be complex and time consuming, but are still routine work for those skilled in the art to benefit from this disclosure. The words and phrases used herein should be understood and interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the understanding of those words and phrases by those skilled in the art. It is intended that a particular definition of a word or phrase, that is, a definition that is different from the normal habitual meaning understood by those skilled in the art, is not implied by the consistent use of that word or phrase herein. To the extent that a word or phrase is intended to have a special meaning, i.e. different from what is understood by those skilled in the art, such a special definition directly provides a special definition of that word or phrase directly. It is explicitly indicated herein in the form of a definition. As described in detail below, the present invention provides an intelligent use of bandwidth available for sending email messages, referred to below as emails according to general usage (various embodiments). According to). For example, in one embodiment of the present invention, the email server uploads and / or downloads email based on environmental factors such as local system connection speed to the remote server. It is possible to determine autonomously whether or not it is necessary. In another embodiment of the present invention, an email server may send an email message based on operating conditions such as local system connection speed to a remote server and scheduled time and / or event. It can autonomously determine whether it must upload, download, or both. In another embodiment of the present invention, the e-mail server may include copyright restrictions, distribution rights, broadcast rights, reproduction rights, publication rights, licensing restrictions, Fair Use, and the like. Based on the digital rights management rules, it can autonomously determine whether an email message must be uploaded and / or downloaded.

  In one embodiment, the user determines which part of the email to send and / or receive, either manually or using automated processing based on selected user preferences. can do. Specifically, the downcast portion of one or more attachments with reduced resolution can be sent and / or received. In another embodiment, the user sends any part of an email related to a scheduled time and / or event, either manually or using automated processing based on selected user preferences. Or receiving, or both. Notify the user or email server to indicate that the undelivered portion of the email message remains, and to complete sending the email message before the scheduled time and / or event Can be given to a user or an email server. In another embodiment, the user sends or receives any part of the email to comply with digital rights management rules, either manually or using automated processing based on selected user preferences. , Or both. The user can also be notified of which choices are possible and which actions have been performed.

  1, 2, and 3 each illustrate a system 100 for practicing one or more embodiments of the present invention. Similar symbols represent similar elements. Specifically, FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 conceptually illustrate an embodiment that includes a plurality of processor-based devices 105 (1-2) coupled to a server 110 by a network 115. . In the illustrated embodiment, processor-based device 105 (1) is a desktop computer and processor-based device 105 (2) is a laptop computer, but in other embodiments these are The processor-based device 105 (1-2) can be any desired type of computer, personal digital assistant, cell phone, and similar devices.

  Server 110 may be in one embodiment a form of processor-based device that is accessible via network 115. In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, as described below, server 110 may provide less than the entire email message to a remote user if desired. In some embodiments, server 110 may be capable of performing tasks such as receiving, queuing, storing, or distributing to one or more users, or combinations thereof. . Without being limited thereto, one or more of the described embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in a conventional email server such as Microsoft® Exchange Server. For the sake of clarity, the potential functions of the server 110 that are not relevant to the present invention are not described in further detail. This is because these tools and / or features are well known to those skilled in the art.

  In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, processor-based devices 105 (1-2) and server 110 are connected to network 115 via one or more communication links 120 (1-3). Communicatively coupled. In various alternative embodiments, links 120 (1-3) are connected to an infrared link, a wireless local area network (LAN) link, a wired LAN connection such as an Ethernet connection, a cellular network link, a circuit board trace. , Wire, cable, radio frequency link, satellite link, and similar links. In addition, any desired protocol can be used for communication between the processor-based device 105 (1-2) and the server 110 over the network 115. For example, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), User Datagram Protocol / Internet Protocol (UDP / IP), File Transfer Protocol or Trivial File Transfer Protocol (FTP / TFTP), and the like Protocol can be used.

  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the server 110 includes an email management module 125, which will be described below in accordance with common usage in the art. One or more e-mail messages can be processed (eg, received, queued, stored, delivered, or combinations thereof). An email 200 that can be processed by the email management module 125 is shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Similar symbols represent similar elements. In the illustrated embodiment, the email 200 includes a header 210, a body 220, and one or more attachments 230. The header 210 generally includes information indicating the recipient of the email (i.e., person1@ibm.com), information indicating the sender (i.e., person2@ibm.com), and information indicating the subject of the email 200 ( For example, test message or teleconference). The body 220 generally includes a message to be communicated. For example, in the email 200 of FIGS. 4, 6, and 7, the text string “This is a test message (this is a test message)”, “This is a test message contenting copying protected material (this Is a test message containing copyright-protected material) "or" Our group will have a teleconferencing ".

  The e-mail 200 shown in the figure also includes an attached file 240 (1-3). In the illustrated embodiment, the attached file 240 (1-3) includes a text document 240 (1), graphics, A file 240 (2) and an audio file 240 (3) are included. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that any number of files and any desired type and / or format of files can be attached to the email 200. Further, it should be appreciated that the email 200 shown in FIGS. 4-8 is exemplary in nature and that other embodiments can include more, fewer, or different elements. For example, email 200 can include only header 210 and body 220. As another example, email 200 may also include routing information that can be used to direct email 200 to a desired destination. The email 200 may also have an associated time field 245 that includes an indication of the time associated with the email 200 (see FIG. 6). In the illustrated embodiment, the associated time field 245 includes a date (Tuesday) and a time (1:00 pm), which may correspond, for example, to the scheduled date and time of the conference. However, the present invention is not limited to the particular format used for the associated time field 245. In alternate embodiments, any desired format can be used for the associated time field 245. For example, the time “January 1,2000 at 12:00 am” may be represented by “1/1/00 at midnight”, “1/1 / 2000-12: 00 am”, and similar expressions thereof. Instead, the email 200 can include a display of events associated with the email 200, such as the conference call shown in the example email 200 of FIG.

  Parts of the email 200 may be subject to one or more digital rights management rules, as indicated by the closed padlock shown in the attachments 240 (1-3) of FIG. For example, the text document 240 (1) may be an original work of a novel, and the copyright of the text document 240 (1) may be owned by an author, a publisher, or the like. As another example, graphics file 240 (2) may be an original work of art, such as a film, movie, animation, photo, image, architectural rendering, or the like. Copyright, broadcast rights, reproduction rights, distribution rights, and these legally similar concepts may be owned by an artist, studio, entity that purchased one or more of the foregoing rights, and the like. As another example, audio file 240 (3) may be a song, a demonstration of spoken language, etc., which may be owned by a composer, musician, or other entity. . The attachments 240 (1-3) can be created using any of the tools / in any of a variety of formats. For example, create text document 240 (1) using Microsoft Word®, Acrobat Distiller®, Power Point®, Lotus WordPro®, or another document creation or publication tool. be able to. Accordingly, the email management module 125, in one embodiment, determines the format of the email 200 and / or attachments 240 (1-3), or both, and then based on the determined format, the associated digital rights. Selected portions of email 200 and / or attachments 240 (1-3) or both, such as attachments 290 (1-3) determined not to violate management rules, can be provided. For example, the email management module 125 can identify at least one chart, table, page, meeting schedule, table of contents, summary, audio clip, or video clip based on the determined format. As another example, graphics file 240 (2) and / or audio file 240 (3) may be moved to Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) format, Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format, or Graphics Interchange Format IF. ) Formats, Portable Network Graphics (PNG) format, Video for Windows (R) format, AVI format, and a variety of proprietary and non-proprietary formats including but not limited to Apple Quicktime (R) format It can be. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the email management module 125 determines the format of at least one portion of the email 200 (including attachments 240 (1-3)), selects the portion of the email 200, and selects the electronic A selected portion of the email 200 can be sent and downcast. In one embodiment, the email management module 125 selects audio files, video files, multimedia files, image files, graphics files, and portions of these similar files and associated digital rights. The attached files 290 (1-3) determined not to violate the management rules can be formed. In one alternative embodiment, the email management module 125 can downcast one or more attachments 240 (1-3), ie, the email management module 125 is an audio file, video Attachments 290 (1) determined to provide files, image files, multimedia files, graphics files, and reduced resolution portions of these similar files and not violate related digital rights management rules ~ 3) can be formed.

  Various document creation or publication tools can create files such as text document 240 (1) in various formats. For example, Microsoft Word® can create a file in a format that can be read by other document creation or publication tools. As another example, Acrobat Distiller (R) can create a file in Portable Document Format (PDF), which can be read using a document reading tool such as Acrobat Reader (R). Graphics file 240 (2) and audio file 240 (3) may also be created and / or read using various tools using any number of desired formats. The format of the attached file 240 (1-3) can be shown in various forms. In one embodiment, the file format can be indicated by a file name extension. For example, a file in PDF format can be indicated by a file name extension “pdf”. As another example, the MP-3 format can be indicated by the file name extension “mp3”. As another example, the JPEG format can be indicated by the file name extension “jpg”. Instead, the format of the attachments 240 (1-3) can be indicated by one or more characters, control characters, character strings, and similar codes thereof, which are shown as attachments 240 (1-3). Can be included. In that case, the format of the attached file 240 (1-3) can be determined by analyzing the portion of the attached file 240 (1-3).

  With reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, the email management module 125 on the server 110 provides the email 200 or selected portions to one or more designated recipients, which recipients are for illustrative purposes. Assume that the user is a processor-based device 105 (1-2). Thus, in this illustrative example, email management module 125 provides at least a selected portion of email 200 to processor-based devices 105 (1-2). However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that in an alternative embodiment, any number of users of any desired processor-based system can be designated as recipients and the portion of email 200 provided by email management module 125. Will understand that you can receive. The portion of the email 200 sent to the user of each processor-based device 105 (1) and 105 (2) is designated below by reference numerals 140 (1) and 140 (2), respectively. Referring to FIG. 2, in one embodiment, email 200 may be associated with one or more calendars 133 (1-2) and 137. For example, header 141, body 142, and attachment 143 can be associated with one or more entries in calendars 133 (1-2) and 137. In various alternative embodiments, calendars 133 (1-2) and 137 may be calendar 133 (1-2) maintained at processor-based device 105 (1-2) or calendar 137 maintained at server 110, respectively. It can be a management module or both. For example, calendar 133 (1-2) may be supplied by a copy of Microsoft Outlook (R) running on processor-based device 105 (1-2). However, in alternative embodiments, any desired scheduling tool and / or calendar tool can be used.

  With reference to FIG. 2, the email management module 125 on the server 110 may provide the email 200 or selected portions to one or more designated recipients, which recipients are for illustrative purposes. Assume that the user is a processor-based device 105 (1-2). Thus, in this illustrative example, email management module 125 provides at least a selected portion of email 200 to processor-based devices 105 (1-2). However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that in an alternative embodiment, any number of users of any desired processor-based system can be designated as recipients and the portion of email 200 provided by email management module 125. Will understand that you can receive. The portion of the email 200 sent to the user of each processor-based device 105 (1) and 105 (2) is designated below by reference numerals 140 (1) and 140 (2), respectively. In various embodiments, the email management module 125 can supply the email 200 via various communication paths 130 (1-2). In the illustrated embodiment, the email management module 125 is configured to send selected portions of the email 200 (designated by reference numeral 140 (1)) along the communication path 130 (1) to the processor based device 105 (1 ), And communication path 130 (1) may include link 120 (3), network 115, and link 120 (1). Email management module 125 may also send selected portions of email 200 (designated by reference numeral 140 (2)) to processor-based device 105 (2) along communication path 130 (2). Communication path 130 (2) can include link 120 (3), network 115, and link 120 (2). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that communication path 130 (1-2) can include one or more intermediate gateways (not shown), routers (not shown), and similar devices. Let's go. In one embodiment, depending on the applicable digital rights, one or more intended recipients of email 200 are not allowed to receive portions of email 200 such as attachments 240 (1-3). There is a case. In order to protect digital rights that may be associated with various parts of the email 200 and also provide information indicative of the protected content of the email 200, the email management module 125, in one embodiment, Only a portion of the email 200 can be transferred along one or more communication paths 130 (1-2). As described in detail below, email management module 125 determines that in one embodiment, a portion of protected email 200 can be provided without violating associated digital rights management rules. be able to. In that case, the email management module 125 selects the portion of the email that has been determined not to violate the relevant digital rights management rules and provides the selected portion.

  As explained above, the data transfer rate along the communication path 130 (1-2) may vary by orders of magnitude. For example, the communication path 130 (1) may consist of a dedicated T-3 connection, which can supply data at a transfer rate as high as 40 megabits per second. Therefore, if the attached file 240 (1-3) attached to the e-mail 200 is large, for example 100 MB, the total time required to transfer the copy 140 (1) remains relatively short, for example 100 MB. In the case of the attached file 240 (1-3), it may remain several seconds. In contrast, communication path 130 (2) may include a dial-up connection such as link 120 (2), which may transfer data at a much lower rate. Therefore, the user may have to wait several hours for the 100 MB attached file 240 (1-3) to be transferred via the communication path 130 (2).

  The long transfer time can be useful to the user, especially if the user does not want to see the entire email 200 or attachments 240 (1-3) (and 290 (1-3) in some embodiments) or both. It can be inconvenient (of course, the user may want to see one or more emails that may be forwarded later from the server 110).

  For example, a user may wish to read a summary of a text document 240 (1), listen to only a portion of an audio file attachment, or view only the first few video clips of a video attachment. is there. As another example, the user may wish to see a selected portion of the attachment 240 (1-3), such as a section or page. Based on viewing the portion of email 200, the user then receives text document 240 (1), an additional selected portion of text document 240 (1), or email 200 or a combination thereof. It can be determined whether or not.

  In the case of large attachments such as audio files, video files, image files, and graphics files, the user must download the entire email to identify the email or the nature of its contents. You may not want to have to. Thus, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the server 110 gives the user a lower resolution version of one or more of the email attachments 240 (1-3). For example, if the attachment is an audio file that may include an MP3 file or WAV file, such as audio file 240 (3), the user receives a complete audio file 240 (3). It may be sufficient to listen to a low resolution clip of a song before determining whether or not. As another example, if the attachment is a video file, which may be a Quicktime® file, such as graphics file 240 (2), the user may enter complete graphics file 240 ( It may be sufficient to view a low-resolution clip of the movie before deciding whether to receive 2).

  In one embodiment, one or more portions of attachments 240 (1-3) may be assigned a higher priority than other portions of attachments 240 (1-3), for example, by a user, for example. In this embodiment, the user may wish to see only the highest priority portion of the attachments 240 (1-3). In order to reduce potential inconvenience for the user and increase the efficiency of the system 100, the email management module 125, in one embodiment, electronically transmits along one or more of the communication paths 130 (1-2). Only the part of the mail 200 can be transferred.

  In one embodiment, the email management module 125 determines the format of the email 200 and / or attachments 240 (1-3) or both, and then one or more of the communication paths 130 (1-2). Along with selected portions of the email 200 and / or attachments 240 (1-3) or both.

  In one embodiment, the email management module 125 determines the format of at least one portion of the email 200 (including attachments 240 (1-3)) and selects the portion of the email 200 to be sent. The selected portion of the email 200 can be downcast, and the downcast portion of the email 200 can be transmitted along one or more of the communication paths 130 (1-2).

  As described in detail below, the email management module 125 can estimate the data transfer rate of the communication path 130 (1-2) and the size of the email 200. In one embodiment, using the estimated data transfer rate and the estimated size of the email 200, estimating the time required to transfer the email 200 along the communication path 130 (1-2). it can.

  In one embodiment, in order to reduce potential inconvenience and increase system efficiency, the email management module 125 may determine the portion of the email 200 based on criteria such as the data transfer rate, the size of the email 200, etc. You can also choose. In one embodiment, this selection process can be performed simultaneously with the selection process described above based on digital rights management rules. However, those skilled in the art may, in an alternative embodiment, select a portion of email 200 based on criteria such as data transfer rate, size of email 200, etc. before the aforementioned selection process based on digital rights management rules. It will be appreciated that this can be done as part of a separate process that occurs in the middle or later. In one embodiment, the e-mail management module 125 may transfer a portion of the e-mail 200 that is transferred along one or more of the communication paths 130 (1-2) to the communication path 130 (1-2). Can be selected by estimating the data transfer rate and the size of the email 200. In one embodiment, using the estimated data transfer rate and the estimated size of the email 200, estimating the time required to transfer the email 200 along the communication path 130 (1-2). it can.

  The email management module 125 can also determine a threshold time, such as the user's maximum preferred time for email 200 transfer, and compare the determined threshold to the estimated email transfer time. For example, the user can select a maximum preferred transfer time of about 1 minute. As another example, the user selects a maximum preferred transfer time of about 0 minutes to force the email management module to provide a reduced copy 140 (2) of all emails 200. be able to. Instead, the threshold time can be the default time. The email management module 125 can send substantially all of the email 200 if the estimated email transfer time is substantially less than a predetermined threshold time. For example, the processor-based device 105 (1) can receive a complete copy 140 (1) of the email 200 that includes a header 141, a body 142, and one or more attachments 143. However, if the estimated email transfer time is substantially longer than the predetermined threshold time and it is not desirable to send the entire email 200, the email management module 125 sends a portion of the email 200. can do. For example, the processor-based device 105 (2) may be a reduced version of the email 200 that includes at least selected portions of a header 144, a body 145, and in some embodiments one or more attachments 146. Copy 140 (2) can be received. 4-8 illustrate an embodiment of a reduced copy 250 that includes a header 260 and a body 270. The header 260 includes information indicating the recipient of the email (ie, person1@ibm.com), information indicating the sender (ie, person2@ibm.com), and information indicating the subject of the email 200 (eg, test). message-reduced copy). The body 270 includes a text string, for example, “This is a reduced copy of the test message”. Further, the main body 270 includes an estimated size of the attached file 240 (1-3), an estimated transfer time of the entire email 200 and / or the attached file 240 (1-3), and similar information thereof. Other information can be included. In one embodiment, the reduced copy 250 may include a selected portion 280 representing the content of one or more of the attachments 240 (1-3). In FIG. 4, the selected portion 280 includes a subset 285 of information contained in the text document 240 (1). Although not shown in FIG. 4, the selected portion 280 can include other information, such as a portion of the graphics file 240 (2) and a portion of the audio file 240 (3). In FIG. 5, the selected portion 280 includes a reduced resolution or downcast version 290 (2) of the graphics file 240 (2) and a reduced resolution version or down of the audio file 240 (3). A cast version 290 (3) is included. Although not shown, the selected portion 280 can include other information, such as a portion of the text document 240 (1). In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the main body 270 may include an additional text character string 286 indicating the contents of the attached files 240 (1 to 3). In this embodiment, the additional text character string 286 includes a character string “text_attachment (text attached file)”, “image_attachment (image attached file)”, and “audio_attachment (audio attached file)”. Although not shown in FIG. 6, the additional text string 286 includes the estimated size of the attached file 240 (1-3), the estimated size of the entire email 200 and / or the attached file 240 (1-3). Other information can be included such as the transfer time and similar information thereof. In an alternative embodiment, the reduced copy 250 includes a downcast portion of one or more attachments 240 (1-3) and a selected portion of one or more attachments 240 (1-3). , And similar parts thereof. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the reduced copy 250 violates the digital rights management rules associated with attachments 240 (1-3), as indicated by the open padlock in attachments 240 (1-3). An unprotected portion that can include the attached files 240 (1 to 3) determined not to be included can be included. For example, e-mail management module 125 may include section 290 (1) of text document 240 (1), downcast version 290 (2) of graphics file 240 (2), and downcast version of audio file 240 (3). It can be determined that 290 (3), and similar versions thereof, can be supplied without violating the digital rights management rules associated with attachments 240 (1-3).

  In the embodiment of FIG. 8, in one embodiment, the main body 270 can also include an additional text string 286 indicating the contents of the attached files 240 (1-3). In the illustrated embodiment, the additional text string 286 includes the strings “text_attachment”, “image_attachment”, and “audio_attachment”. Although not shown, the additional text string 286 includes an estimated size of the attached file 240 (1-3), an estimated transfer time for the entire email 200 and / or the attached file 240 (1-3), And other information, such as similar information thereof. FIG. 9 illustrates one embodiment of text document 240 (1) and selected portion 280 of FIG. In the illustrated embodiment, the text document 240 (1) includes a table of contents 300, a summary 310, and a plurality of charts 320. For example, the text document 240 (1) can be a presentation such as a Power Point presentation. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is not limited to attachments that include a table of contents 300, a summary 310, and a plurality of charts 320. In an alternative embodiment, text document 240 (1) may include one or more pages, meeting dates, audio clips, video clips, sections, chapters, and similar content. In one embodiment, the table of contents 300, the summary 310, and the plurality of charts 320 and all other parts of the text document 240 (1) may be specified by tags that can be inserted by the user. Further, the text document 240 (1) can include background data, setup data, fonts, speaker notes, and similar content thereof.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the selected portion 280 includes a table of contents 300 and a summary 310. Additional attached data 330 may also be included in the selected portion 280. For example, the additional attached data 330 includes information indicating the number of charts 320, the total size of the text document 240 (1), the size of one or more charts 320, the format of the text document 240 (1), and similar information thereof. Can be included. As another example, the additional attachment data 330 can include background data, setup data, fonts, speaker notes, and similar data. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the selected portion 280 can include more or fewer selections of the text document 240 (1). Further, in some embodiments, the format of the selected portion 280 may not be the same as the format of the text document 240 (1). For example, a selected portion 280 of the PDF file, such as the title of the chart 320, can be provided in a Rich Text Format.

  Referring to FIG. 1D, the email management module can provide email in a single session. With reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 1D, and 1E, the email management module 125 “trickles” the email 200 to the processor-based device 105 (2), ie, one, in an alternative embodiment. Or portions of the email 200 can be downloaded continuously in the background during multiple sessions. In one embodiment, the email management module 125 determines which choices are possible, such as downloading a reduced copy 140 (2) or downloading an email 200, and which action has been taken, or both. The user can be notified to indicate The email management module 125 can also queue and / or store the email 200. For example, if the reduced copy 140 (2) has been sent to the processor-based device 105 (2), the email 200 is queued or stored until a faster connection is available. Or both. As noted, higher speed connections are possible depending on connectivity type (eg, T1 line as opposed to telephone line), processor based device type (eg, laptop as opposed to PDA) Computers), and similar devices, may be available for a variety of reasons. In one embodiment, the email management module 125 asks the user to connect to a high speed connection, asks if the user wants to download the email 200, or both, such as a pop-up dialog box, etc. Signals can be supplied periodically.

  In some embodiments, the email management module 125 prompts the user to connect to a high speed connection and / or asks if the user wants to download the email 200 or both. Such a cue can be periodically supplied.

  In some embodiments, email management module 125 can queue and / or store 200. For example, if the reduced copy 140 (2) has been sent to the processor-based device 105 (2), the email 200 is queued or stored until a faster connection is available. Or both. As described in detail herein, the email management module 125 provides a notification indicating that a portion of the email 200 has not been delivered to the intended recipient in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. You can also. For example, the email management module 125 may determine that the current time is about to reach the associated time field 245, the time of the scheduled conference call (FIG. 6). Depending on how close the current time is to the associated time field 245, the email management module 125 may provide notifications of more frequent and / or higher urgency. In one embodiment, the email management module 125 can provide a delay notification if the current time passes the associated time field 245. According to various embodiments, a user can request that undelivered email 200 be downloaded to processor-based device 105 (2). The notification can include giving the user an option to download the email 200, and the user can request to download the email 200 in response to the notification. The email management module 125 can download substantially all of the email 200 to one or more processor-based devices 105 (2). However, in an alternative embodiment, the email management module 125 "trickles" the email 200 to the processor-based device 105 (2), i.e., portions of the email 200 are in one or more sessions. Can be downloaded continuously in the background. In one embodiment, the email management module 125 determines which choices are possible, eg, substantially all downloads of email 200 or trickle downloads of email 200, or what actions have been taken, or The user can be notified to indicate both.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the processor-based device 105 (1-2) can include an email module 160 (1-2), and the email module 160 (1-2) Part of the processing or additional processing can be performed. For example, the email module 160 (1-2) may allow the user to set up preferences regarding how to process email messages. When a user is ready to process an email message, email module 160 (1-2) can send the message to a server 110, such as a POP3 server or an IMAP server, Various flags can be set based on user preferences. The email message can then be processed according to user preferences indicated by these flags, as described in detail below. The e-mail management module 125 and e-mail module 160 (1-2) shown in FIGS. 1-3 are implemented in software, but in other embodiments, the e-mail management module 125 and e-mail module 160 (1-2) can also be implemented by hardware or a combination of hardware and software.

  Although the email management module 125 can supply emails 140 (1-2) in a single session, the email management module 125 is an alternative embodiment to the processor-based device 105 (2). “Trickle download” the email 140 (1-2), ie, portions of the email 140 (1-2) can be downloaded continuously in the background during one or more sessions. In one embodiment, the email management module 125 determines which selection is possible, for example, downloading a reduced copy 140 (2) or a trickle download of a complete copy 140 (1), or what action is taken. The user can be notified to indicate either or both.

  In some embodiments (eg, FIGS. 5 and 7), the email management module 125 can queue and / or store the email 200. In one embodiment, the email management module 125 can store the email 200 until the intended recipient demonstrates that the appropriate digital rights have been obtained. For example, if an unprotected reduced copy 140 (2) has been sent to the processor-based device 105 (2), the email 200 is queued and / or stored. The intended recipient can be prompted to purchase or establish a license to receive the protected portion of the email 200. In one embodiment, the email management module 125 prompts the user to acquire the appropriate digital rights and / or asks if the user wants to download the email 200 or both. Such a cue can be periodically supplied. Alternatively, the email management module 125 can direct the intended recipient to a web site where appropriate digital rights are available.

  In one embodiment, the processor-based device 105 (1-2) can include an email module 160 (1-2), wherein the email module 160 (1-2) Some or additional processing can be performed. For example, the email module 160 (1-2) may allow the user to set up preferences regarding how to process email messages. When a user is ready to process an email message, email module 160 (1-2) can send the message to a server 110, such as a POP3 server or an IMAP server, Various flags can be set based on user preferences. Examples of flags include "Queue send for high speed connection (queue transmission for high speed connection)", "Queue flagged target (s) receive for high speed connection (flag for high speed connection for target reception queue) "Don't download attachments creator tan xKB (do not download attachments larger than xKB)", "Prompt before downloading attachment (s) (prompt before downloading attachments)", and “Prompt before uploading attachment (s) ( The urging files put out a prompt before uploading) "can be included. In one embodiment, the processor-based device 105 (1-2) can include an email module 160 (1-2), wherein the email module 160 (1-2) Some or additional processing can be performed. For example, the email module 160 (1-2) may allow the user to set up preferences regarding how to process email messages. For example, a user can set up a profile that includes information indicating the digital rights that the user is currently acquiring. In various alternative embodiments, the profile or other representation of the digital rights acquired by the user can be stored locally or on a remote device. When a user is ready to process an email message, email module 160 (1-2) can send the message to a server 110, such as a POP3 server or an IMAP server, Various flags can be set based on user preferences. The email message can then be processed according to user preferences indicated by these flags, as described in detail below. The e-mail management module 125 and e-mail module 160 (1-2) shown in FIGS. 1-3 are implemented in software, but in other embodiments, the e-mail management module 125 and e-mail module 160 (1-2) can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software.

  The email message can then be processed according to user preferences indicated by these flags, as described in detail below. The e-mail management module 125 and e-mail module 160 (1-2) shown in FIGS. 1-3 are implemented in software, but in other embodiments, the e-mail management module 125 and e-mail module 160 (1-2) can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software.

  10 and 11 conceptually illustrate a system 400 in which one or more alternative embodiments of the present invention can be implemented. 10 and 11, processor-based device 401 is communicatively coupled to server 405 by public switched data network (PSDN) 410 and network 415. Thus, sending email from the processor-based device 401 to the server 405 can be implemented in the alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 10/11.

  In various alternative embodiments, processor-based device 401 may allow one or more users to create and / or send e-mail 430, or processor-based Device 401 can be an automated mail server that can create and / or send email 430 or both. Email 430 may also have an associated time, such as the associated time shown in associated time field 245 shown in FIG. As discussed in detail above, in one embodiment, email 430 can be associated with calendar 435 using the associated time (FIG. 11).

  In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 10 and 11, processor-based device 401 includes an email management module 420 that can provide a copy of email 430 to server 405. For example, the email management module 420 may have at least a portion of the email 430 (in one embodiment, the email has a reduced resolution, eg, a downcast version of at least a portion of the email, (E-mail is not copyright limited) can be transmitted along the communication path 440 to the server 405, which includes a link 445, a public switched data network (PSDN) 410, a network 415. , And a link 455 can be included.

  As described above, the data transfer rate along the communication path 440 may change by orders of magnitude. For example, if processor-based device 401 is linked to public switched data network (PSDN) 410 via a 14.4 Kbps modem (not shown), a 100 MB attachment to server 405 (not shown) May be undesirable to send. Accordingly, the email management module 420 can transmit only the portion of the email 430 along the communication path 440. Instead, email 430 can be trickle uploaded to server 405 along communication path 440. In one embodiment, as described in detail below, a user can assign a higher priority level to one or more portions of email 430, and this priority level is within email 430. Can be used to select the part to be transmitted. In one embodiment, after sending portions of email 430 along communication path 440, email management module 420 queues or stores email 430 until a faster connection is available, Or both can be done. For example, a user may then connect processor-based device 401 to network 415 via a faster connection, such as Ethernet®, in which case email management module 420 may send email 430. Or the additional portion can be transmitted using the faster connection. Instead, the user may then connect to the network 415 using a different processor-based device 401 (eg, switch from a PDA to a laptop computer) and the processor base that the user uses The device 401 may support higher speed connections, for example. In one embodiment, the email management module 420 asks the user to connect to a high speed connection, asks if the user wants to upload the email 430, or both, such as a pop-up dialog box Signals can be supplied periodically.

  In one embodiment, the email management module 420 asks the user to connect to a high speed connection, asks if the user wants to upload the email 430, or both, such as a pop-up dialog box Signals can be supplied periodically.

  As described in detail below, email management module 420 provides a notification indicating that a portion of email 430 has not been delivered to the intended recipient or server 405 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. You can also For example, the email management module 420 can determine that the current time is about to reach the associated time field 245, ie, the scheduled conference call time. Depending on how close the current time is to the associated time field 245, the email management module 420 can provide more frequent and more urgent notifications. In one embodiment, the email management module 420 can provide a delay notification if the current time passes the associated time field 245. In response to this notification, undelivered email 430 can be uploaded to server 405. In one embodiment, the notification may include giving the user the option to upload email 430 and the user may request to upload email 430 in response to the notification. In one embodiment, email management module 420 can upload substantially all emails 430 to server 405. However, in an alternative embodiment, the email management module 420 “trickles and uploads” the email 430 to the server 405, ie, parts of the email 430 are continuously in the background during one or more sessions. Can be uploaded. In one embodiment, the email management module 420 may determine which selections are possible, eg, substantially all uploads of emails 430 or trickle uploads of emails 430, or what actions have been performed, or The user can be notified to indicate both.

  In one embodiment, after sending the portion of the email 430 (which may be non-copyrighted) along the communication path 440, the email management module 420 determines that the intended recipient is appropriate. Email 430 can be queued and / or stored until an indication that digital rights have been obtained is received. For example, an intended recipient can purchase or establish a license from a third party vendor and then provide a display of the newly acquired license to the email management module 420, which in turn can be emailed. The management module 420 can provide an email containing protected content that has been queued and / or stored. Alternatively, the intended recipient can be an automated email distributor, who can acquire digital distribution rights. Further, in an alternative embodiment, a user with appropriate permissions can change the digital rights associated with email 430.

  In one embodiment, after sending a portion of the email 430 along the communication path 440 (in this case having reduced resolution), the email management module 420 may continue until a faster connection is available. The email 430 can be queued and / or stored. For example, a user may then connect processor-based device 401 to network 415 via a faster connection, such as Ethernet®, in which case email management module 420 may send email 430. Or the additional portion can be transmitted using the faster connection. In one embodiment, the email management module 420 asks the user to connect to a high speed connection, asks if the user wants to upload the email 430, or both, such as a pop-up dialog box Signals can be supplied periodically. FIG. 12 illustrates one embodiment of a method 500 for supplying a portion of an email message based on data transfer rate, email message size, and threshold time. 13 and 14 show another embodiment.

  In the embodiment of FIGS. 12 and 14, a value indicative of the data transfer rate or a value associated therewith is determined (at 510, 710). For example, an e-mail management module, such as e-mail management module 125, 420 or e-mail module 160 (1-2) or a combination thereof, uses one or more data packets received within a period of time. The average data transfer rate can then be determined (at 510, 710). Instead, the email management module can determine the data transfer rate (at 510, 710) using the device profile. For example, the email management module may determine (at 510, 710) that a 14.4 KB modem is being used to transmit data, so the email management module has a data transfer rate of approximately 14.4 Kbps. Can be determined (at 510, 710). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above-described techniques for determining the data transfer rate (at 510, 710) are exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 13 illustrates an embodiment for providing a portion of an email message having a reduced resolution based on data transfer rate, email message size, and threshold time. In the illustrated embodiment, a value indicative of the data transfer rate or a value associated therewith is determined (at 610). For example, an e-mail management module, such as e-mail management module 125, 420 or e-mail module 160 (1-2) or a combination thereof, uses one or more data packets received within a period of time. The average data transfer rate can then be determined (at 610). Instead, the email management module can determine the data transfer rate (at 610) using the device profile. For example, the email management module may determine (at 610) that a 14.4 KB modem is being used to transmit data, and thus the email management module may have a data transfer rate greater than about 14.4 Kbps. It may be determined (at 610) that there may not be. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above-described techniques for determining the data transfer rate (at 610) are exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

  Referring now to FIGS. 12-14, a value indicating the size of the email message or a value associated therewith is also determined (at 520, 620, 720). The email management module can determine the size of the email message (at 520, 620, 720) by determining the number of bits in the email message (at 520, 620, 720). Alternatively, the size of the email message can be determined (at 520, 620, 720) using information that can be sent with the email message. In one alternative embodiment (with respect to FIG. 13), the email management module determines the size of the email message by determining (at 620) the number of bits of at least one file attached to the email message. The indicated value can be determined (at 620). Referring to the flow of FIG. 12, the format of at least one file associated with the email message is determined (at 530). In one embodiment, the email management module 125, 420 or email module 160 (1-2) may determine (at 530) the format of at least one file associated with the email message. For example, an email message attachment may be a file with a file name extension of “doc”, which is created by Microsoft Word® and other document creation tools or publications. Indicates that it can be read by the tool. As another example, an email message attachment may be a file with a file name extension of “pdf”, which is a PDF file created by Acrobat Distiller®. Indicates that there is. Instead, the email management module 125, 420 or email module 160 (1-2) at least associated with the email message by parsing at least a portion of the file in a manner known to those skilled in the art. The format of one file can be determined (at 530).

  In another example (FIG. 13), the e-mail management module 125, 420 or e-mail module 160 (1-2), or a combination thereof, may have at least one file format of MPEG, JPEG, GIF, PNG, Video. For Windows (R), Apple Quicktime (R), AVI, and similar formats can be determined (at 630). In various alternative embodiments, the email management module 125, 420 or email module 160 (1-2), or a combination thereof, uses file type specific plug-ins, transcoders, splitters, etc. The format can be determined (at 630). In one embodiment, email management module 125, 420 or email module 160 (1-2), or a combination thereof, determines the format of at least one file using a filename extension (at 630). be able to.

  Referring to FIGS. 12, 13, and 14, mail transfer criteria are also determined (at 540, 640, and 730). In the previously described embodiments of the present invention, the mail transfer criteria were associated with a mail transfer threshold time, such as a maximum transfer time preferred by the user or a default threshold time. In these embodiments, mail transfer criteria are determined by determining a threshold time using a user preferred maximum transfer time display, such as a user profile, or a default threshold time display (540, 640, At 730). However, the potential mail transfer criteria are not limited to the threshold time. In an alternative embodiment, mail transfer criteria may include various user preferences such as maximum size of attachments, minimum average data transfer rate, time of day, priority level, and their similar criteria.

  After the digital rights management embodiment has been described to the point where transfer criteria steps are described for this embodiment, we return to the embodiments of FIGS. FIG. 15 illustrates one embodiment of a method 800 for providing a portion of an email message based on digital rights management rules. An e-mail management module, such as e-mail management module 125, 420 or e-mail module 160 (1-2) or a combination thereof, is allowed for the user to receive less than all of the e-mail messages Is determined (at 830). As discussed in detail above, the email management module 125 or 420 may include a variety of digital rights, including but not limited to rules governing copyright, distribution, broadcasting, reproduction, publication, licensing, and fair use. User permissions can be determined (at 830) based on management rules. For example, the email management module 125 or 420 determines that the user is not permitted to receive one or more attachments, such as attachments 240 (1-3), based on digital rights management rules ( 830). In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, the user may provide a user profile 1200 (see FIG. 22) that indicates the digital rights associated with the user. For example, the user profile 1200 can include a list 1205 of acquired licenses. The acquired license list 1205 may include the name of the file licensed to the user as well as all other information indicating the user's digital rights. For example, the number of times a file can be recreated and / or distributed on the list of licenses acquired, and the medium on which the file can be recreated and / or distributed , Resolutions allowed in editions distributed to non-licensed owners, whether users are allowed to change digital rights management rules that apply to files, and similar restrictions. In one embodiment, some or all of the information stored in the user profile 1200 can be manually supplied by the user when the user connects to access stored email, or alternatively If this information is stored in advance, it can be made available to devices (eg, server 110) that desire access to the stored information. Some or all of the information stored in the user profile 1200 can be changed. For example, when a new license is acquired, the new license can be added to the list of acquired licenses 1205. Depending on the implementation, user profile 1200 may be pre-stored at any desired location including processor-based devices 105 (1-2), 401, servers 110, 405, and similar devices. For purposes of illustration, user profile 1200 is stored in a convenient location and, if desired, email module 160 (1-2), email management module 420, email management module 125, and the like. Assume that it can be accessed by a suitable device and / or module that contains the object. The email management module 125 or 420 selects (at 840) the portion of the email message so that the user is allowed to receive the selected portion. In one embodiment, the email management module 125 or 420 selects a portion of the email message by accessing (at 805) one or more protected attachments of the email message (840). Can) For example, the email management module 125 or 420 can access (at 805) the protected audio file 240 (3). The email management module 125 or 420 may then determine (at 810) one or more restrictions imposed on the protected attachment. For example, the email management module may determine (at 810) that a protected audio file 240 (3) that does not exceed 30 seconds can be provided to an unauthorized user. The email management module 125 or 420 can select (at 840) a portion of the protected attachment based on the determined limit. For example, the email management module 125 or 420 may select a 30 second long clip of the protected audio file 240 (3). In alternative embodiments, the email management module 125 or 420 can view a lower resolution version of the attachment, a lossy version of the attachment, and / or be distributed by email, or both. Alternatively, other portions of the protected attachment based on the determined restrictions can be selected (at 840), including but not limited to versions that cannot be printed, copied, or transferred.

  As noted above, the email management module 125 or 420 selects portions of the email message based on criteria such as the data transfer rate, the size of the email 200, and similar criteria thereof (840). Can also) FIG. 29 illustrates one embodiment of a method 1700 for selecting an email portion (at 840) based on a data transfer rate, an email message size, and a threshold time. In the illustrated embodiment, a value indicative of the data transfer rate or a value associated therewith is determined (at 1710). For example, an e-mail management module, such as e-mail management module 125, 420 or e-mail module 160 (1-2) or a combination thereof, uses one or more data packets received within a period of time. The average data transfer rate can then be determined (at 1710). Instead, the email management module 125 or 420 can determine the data transfer rate (at 1710) using the device profile. For example, the email management module 125 or 420 may determine (at 1710) that a 14.4 KB modem is being used to transmit data, so the email management module 125 or 420 may have a data transfer rate of It can be determined (at 1710) that there may be no more than about 14.4 KB. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above-described techniques for determining the data transfer rate (at 1710) are exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. A value indicating the size of the email message or a value associated therewith is also determined (at 1720). In one embodiment, the email management module 125 or 420 can determine (at 1720) the size of the email message by determining (at 1720) the number of bits in the email message. Alternatively, the size of the email message can be determined (at 1720) using information that can be sent with the email message. Mail transfer criteria are also determined (at 1730). In the previously described embodiments of the present invention, the mail transfer criteria were associated with a mail transfer threshold time, such as a maximum transfer time preferred by the user or a default threshold time. In these embodiments, mail transfer criteria are determined by determining the threshold time using a user preferred maximum transfer time display, such as a user profile, or a default threshold time display (at 1730). However, the potential mail transfer criteria are not limited to the threshold time. In an alternative embodiment, mail transfer criteria may include various user preferences such as maximum size of attachments, minimum average data transfer rate, time of day, etc.

  Referring to FIGS. 12, 13, 14, and 15, the user can select user profiles 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300 (FIGS. 16, 18, and 100) that indicate user preferences that can be used to determine mail forwarding criteria. 20, 22, and 24). For example, a user can indicate via a user profile that an email must be downloaded that can be downloaded in a pre-selected time (eg, 10 minutes or less). Alternatively, the user must download an email smaller than a preselected size (eg, about 250 KB or less) via the user profile, or a preselected threshold (eg, about It can indicate that an email that can be downloaded at an average rate over 300 Kbps must be downloaded, or both (in some embodiments, eg, in FIG. 20, upload or download email, or You can prompt the user before doing both). The user profile may also indicate that an email with a high priority level must be downloaded (eg, FIGS. 16, 18). The profile can indicate that the user wants to be prompted before uploading and / or downloading the email portion (FIGS. 16, 18, 20). In one embodiment, some or all of the information stored in the user profile can be manually supplied by the user when the user connects to access stored email, or alternatively, If this information has been stored in advance, it can be made available to devices that desire access to the stored information (eg, server 110). Depending on the implementation, the user profile 900 can be pre-stored in any desired location including processor-based devices 105 (1-2), 401, servers 110, 405, and similar devices.

  In some embodiments (FIGS. 16, 18, 20, 22, 24), the user profile must download email that is smaller than a preselected size (eg, less than about 250 KB), Prompt the user before having to download email that can be downloaded at an average rate that exceeds a selected threshold (e.g., about 300 Kbps), and / or uploading and / or downloading email Or a combination of these. In one embodiment, some or all of the information stored in the user profile can be manually supplied by the user when the user connects to access stored email, or alternatively, If this information has been stored in advance, it can be made available to devices that desire access to the stored information (eg, server 110). Depending on the implementation, user profiles can be pre-stored in any desired location including processor-based devices 105 (1-2), 401, servers 110, 405, and similar devices.

  Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other desirable criteria, such as priority levels, can be provided in the user profile and can be used to determine mail forwarding criteria (at 640).

  For purposes of illustration, a user profile is stored in a convenient location and, if desired, suitable devices including email module 160 (1-2), email management module 420, email management module 125, etc. Assume that it can be accessed by modules or both. In one embodiment, when a user is ready to process one or more of the received emails, a message is sent to a server, such as server 110, 405, indicating information contained in the user profile. These servers can set a flag based on user preferences. For example, these flags may cause the server 110, 405 to queue (and in some embodiments maintain) email that is sent and / or received over a high speed connection. Indicate that you must not download attachments larger than the maximum download size indicated in your user profile, prompt you before uploading and / or downloading attachments, etc. it can.

  In one embodiment, when a user is ready to process one or more of the received emails, a message is sent to a server, such as server 110, 405, indicating information contained in the user profile. These servers can set a flag based on user preferences. For example, these flags indicate in the user profile that the server 110, 405 must queue and maintain email that is sent and / or received over a high speed connection. You must not download attachments that are larger than the maximum download size allowed, you must be prompted before uploading and / or downloading attachments, and only files with the required license must be downloaded Can be shown.

  In some embodiments, flags may be used for processor-based devices 105 (1-2), 401, and other devices (not shown) such as third-party proxy servers such as mail servers and their similar devices. ) Can also be set. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other devices, such as proxy servers, may have additional rules for processing email. For example, a mail server may operate according to rules that limit the size of email that can be sent and / or the number of copies. This device rule may in some cases override preferences and / or flags that can be determined according to some embodiments of the present invention. For example, the mail server may, regardless of the preferences that can be indicated by the user profile 900 or the flags that can be set on the processor-based devices 105 (1-2), 401 and other devices, or both, You can refuse to send a copy of a 50 MB email to 100 users.

  Referring to FIGS. 12 and 14, after determining the mail transfer criteria, the determined data transfer rate, the determined size of the electronic message (and the file format in some embodiments), and the mail transfer criteria Based on the email message part is selected (at 550, 740). In one embodiment, the determined data transfer rate and the determined size of the electronic message can be used to estimate the total transfer time of the electronic message. The estimated transfer time can then be compared to a threshold time, and substantially all of the email message can be selected if the estimated transfer time does not exceed the threshold time (550, 740). However, if the estimated transfer time substantially exceeds the threshold time, the portion of the email message can be selected as described in detail above. In one embodiment, the email management module may give the user the option to select a portion of the email message (at 550, 740).

  In the embodiment of FIG. 14, the email portion is selected (at 740) based on the determined data transfer rate, the determined size of the email, and the email transfer criteria. For example, a server and / or one or more clients can automatically select (at 740) an email portion using the aforementioned flag. In one embodiment, the determined data transfer rate and the determined size of the e-mail can be used to estimate the total e-mail transfer time. The estimated transfer time can then be compared to a threshold time, and if the estimated transfer time does not exceed the threshold time, substantially all of the email message can be selected (at 740). ). However, if the estimated transfer time substantially exceeds the threshold time, the email portion can be selected (at 740). In one embodiment, the email management module may also give the user the option to select a portion of the email (at 740). In the embodiment of FIG. 13, the portion of the email message is selected (at 650) based on the determined data transfer rate, the determined size of the electronic message, the file format, and the mail transfer criteria. The determined data transfer rate and the determined size of the email message can be used to estimate the total transfer time of the electronic message. The estimated transfer time can then be compared to a threshold time, and substantially all of the email message can be selected if the estimated transfer time does not exceed the threshold time (at 650). ).

  However, if the estimated transfer time substantially exceeds the threshold time and it is desirable to send only a portion of the email message, as described in detail above, it will be reduced among the email messages. The portion with the resolved resolution can be selected (at 650). In one embodiment, the email management module may give the user the option to select (at 650) a portion of the email message that has a dynamically reduced resolution. For example, the user can select (at 650) a portion of the email message that has a reduced resolution by highlighting the desired portion of the email message. Alternatively, the user can select (at 650) the portion of the email message that has the reduced resolution by specifying the time interval of the audio clip. In another alternative embodiment, the user selects a portion of the email message with reduced resolution by specifying the time interval and / or the number of frames of the graphics clip (650). Can)

  In some embodiments shown in FIGS. 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, dialog boxes 905, 1005, 1105, 1246, and 1305 can be displayed to the user (one embodiment (FIG. 13)). 19), the user can select (at 650) the portion of the email message that has the reduced resolution). However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is not limited to dialog boxes. In alternative embodiments, all desired types of user interfaces, including a graphical user interface or display, may be displayed to the user to provide information to the user and / or receive information from the user. it can. The dialog box may display an email and a list of information related to the email. For example, as shown in the figure, one entry (indicated by the phrase “test message” in the subject field 910, 1010, 1110, 1210, 1310) has an email size of about 3.001 MB. Size fields 915, 1015, 1115, 1215, 1315, and download time fields 920, 1020, 1120, 1220, indicating that the entire email may take about one hour to download at the current connection speed , 1320. Various parts and / or attachments can be displayed in this dialog box. For example, the size field indicates that the header size is approximately 1 KB, and the download time field indicates that the header can take approximately 5 seconds to download at the current connection speed. As another example, the size field indicates that the size of the text_attachment (see FIG. 19 for image_attachment etc.) is approximately 1.0 MB, and the download time field indicates that the text_attachment (image_attachment) is the current Indicates that the download at the connection speed may take about 20 minutes. The e-mail displayed in this dialog box, its parts, or attachments or combinations thereof can be determined in various ways. In one embodiment, the user can determine the emails, portions, or attachments or combinations thereof that are displayed in this dialog box. For example, the user can create an email that includes one or more tags that indicate that the email portion and / or attachments should be displayed in the dialog box. As another example, a user highlights a portion of an email by clicking and dragging the desired portion of the email using a controllable pointer element such as a mouse, joystick, and similar devices. Can be displayed. The user can then indicate that the highlighted portion should be displayed in this dialog box, for example by selecting an option from a drop-down menu using a controllable pointer element. . The email management module can then determine displayable information related to the email, including but not limited to the size of the email portion and / or attachments and the estimated download time. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to embodiments in which the user determines the portion displayed in this dialog box and / or the attachment. In an alternative embodiment, the email management module may determine the portion displayed in this dialog box and / or the attachment. For example, the email management module uses information such as user profile, device profile, file size, connection speed, estimated download time, and similar information to display the portion displayed in this dialog box or Attached files or both can be determined.

  In various embodiments (FIGS. 12-14), the email management module can select (at 550, 650, 740) a portion of the email to be downloaded. For example, based on the user profile, the e-mail management module may indicate that the “test message” “header”, “other message ( "Other message)", and "another message (header message)" can be selected. Alternatively, the user can select the portion of the email that will be downloaded. For example, a user controls a pointer element on a graphical user display with a pointer controller that has a position and selection status that responds to operations by the user, such as a mouse, joystick, and similar devices, and text_attachment ( Alternatively, in one embodiment, image_attachment and sound_attachment) can be selected. For example, the user uses the mouse to click a box in the selection field, thereby causing text_attachment (or image_attachment and sound_attachment in other embodiments, as indicated by a check mark in the selection field. 19) can be selected. However, in one embodiment (FIG. 23), if the user selects a protected attachment, the email management module can override that user selection or reduce resolution as described above. You can choose to supply only the version. According to the embodiment of FIG. 14, the selected portion of the email is provided (at 750) to, for example, a processor-based device and / or server. In one embodiment, the email management module 125 automatically supplies (at 750) the selected portion of the email. In one alternative embodiment, the email management module 125 may give the user an option to instruct the email management module 125 to supply (at 750) a selected portion of the email. For example, the user can dynamically instruct the email management module 125 to provide (at 750) a portion of the email using, for example, a download button (eg, 935) that can be provided. . In various embodiments, the user can click a download button to provide a new download (at 750) or resume a previously paused download. For example, after providing a smaller email, the user may choose to instruct the email management module 125 to provide (at 750) a portion of the larger email. In this embodiment, the portion of the email is provided (at 750) in response to the user selecting to supply the portion (at 750). In one alternative embodiment, a download button can be provided in the email.

  In one embodiment, the email management module can give the user the option of supplying (at 750) a selected portion of the email message. For example, a dialog box can be displayed to the user and the user can choose to provide the selected part (at 750) or the user can supply the selected part (750). You can choose not to). In this embodiment, the selected portion of the email message is provided (750) in response to the user selecting to supply (at 450) the selected portion. In the digital rights embodiment of FIG. 15, selected portions of the email message are provided (at 850) to a processor-based device and / or server, for example, as described in detail above. In one embodiment, the email message is queued and / or stored, eg, on the client or server, after the selected portion of the email message has been provided (at 850). Done. In one embodiment, a user can create an email message on a processor-based device, and the email message is queued and / or stored on the processor-based device. Can be done. Alternatively, the email message can be queued and / or stored at the server, or both. As mentioned above, giving the user one or more notifications, such as a pop-up dialog box, to inform the user that the email message has been queued and / or stored. Can show.

  The email message remains queued until the email management module 125 or 420 determines (at 860) that the intended recipient of the email message has acquired the appropriate digital rights. be able to. In one embodiment, the user selects the appropriate digital rights by selecting a closed key icon associated with the protected file, such as the closed key icon shown in DRM field 1206 of the dialog box of FIG. The process of acquiring can be started. The user can select the closed lock icon, for example, by using a mouse, joystick, and similar devices. In response to the user clicking on the closed lock icon, an acquisition dialog box 2100, such as the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 35, may be displayed to the user. An action button 2110 that can direct the intended recipient to an acquisition dialog box 2100 that directs the intended recipient to a web site where the intended recipient can obtain the appropriate digital rights of the associated attachment, for example, by purchasing a license. , An action button 2120 that can provide a downcast version of the attachment, an action button 2130 that allows the user to end the acquisition process, and the like.

  In one alternative embodiment, the user can change one or more digital rights management rules associated with the portion of the email message. For example, a user can add a digital rights management rule to a file that did not previously have an associated digital rights management rule. In one embodiment, the user selects one or more by selecting an icon associated with the portion of the email message, such as the closed key icon or the open key icon shown in DRM field 1206 of FIG. Multiple digital rights management rules can be changed. The user can select the appropriate icon, for example, by using a mouse, joystick, and similar devices. In response to the user clicking on the icon, a dialog box 2140, such as the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 35, may be displayed to the user. Dialog box 2140 with an action button 2150 that allows an appropriately authorized user to change the digital rights management rules for the associated attachment, allowing the user to exit this process. An action button 2160 or the like that can be used can be included.

  Returning to FIG. 15, when the email management module 125 or 420 determines (at 860) that the intended recipient of the email message has acquired the appropriate digital rights, the email management module 125 or 420 The email message can be provided (at 870). If the email management module 125 or 420 determines (at 860) that the intended recipient has not acquired the appropriate digital rights, the email management module 125 or 420 may determine that the intended recipient is appropriate. Until it is determined that a new digital right has been acquired, the provision of an e-mail message (at 870) can be awaited. In one embodiment, the e-mail management module 125 or 420 may e-mail based on other mail transfer criteria such as the aforementioned data transfer rate, electronic message size, estimated transfer time, threshold time, and the like. A message can also be provided (at 870). The dialog box may also include detail fields 950, 1150 (see FIGS. 17, 21). In one embodiment, the user can choose to view additional information about the attachment (or in one embodiment, one or more attachments). For example, a user can control a pointer element on a graphical user display with a pointer controller that has a position and selection status that responds to user operations, such as a mouse, joystick, and similar devices, and provides details fields The magnifying glass icon shown in (1) can be selected. The email management module uses the determined file format (at 530, 630) to display the detailed information boxes 1400, 1500 that can include information about the attachment, as shown in FIGS. can do.

  In the information box, the file name (“text_attachment”, FIG. 26) or (“image_attachment”, FIG. 27), the file type (“Portable Document Format”, FIG. 26), or (“Graphics Image Format”, FIG. 27), and File summary information 1405, 1505 may be included that may include information such as other desirable information.

  In one embodiment (FIG. 26), the detailed information box also includes information indicating the contents of the attached file. In one illustrated embodiment, this information includes a list of attachment content, as shown in the content field 1410. For example, text attachments may include Summary (Table of Contents), Table of Contents (TOC) (Table of Contents), Chapters 1-3 (Chapter 1-3), and Charts 1-2 (Charts 1-2). is there. The creator of this file can manage which part of the attached file corresponds to the attached content field 1410, eg, Summary, Table of Contents (TOC), Chapters 1-3, and Charts 1-2. It can be specified by using delimiters such as tags, control characters, and similar codes understood by the module. However, the present invention is not limited to delimiters inserted by the creator. In alternative embodiments, the attachment content field 1410 may be determined in any desired manner, including analysis by the email management module and the like.

  It should be understood that regardless of the file shown (image file, text file, etc.), those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention is not limited to image files / text files, etc. In alternate embodiments, any desired type of attachment can be used, including but not limited to the various file types mentioned above. The detailed information box can also include information indicating the size field 1415, 1515 corresponding to each part of the attached file, the page number field 1420 of each part, and the like. In one embodiment, the size field 1415, the page number field 1420, and other desirable information can be determined by the email management module. In an alternative embodiment, the detailed information box 1400 may also include information not shown in FIG. 26, such as estimated download times and estimated transfer rates for each portion of the attachment.

  In one embodiment (FIG. 27), the detailed information box can include information indicating the contents of the attached file. In the illustrated embodiment, this information includes an attachment version field 1510. For example, full size full resolution version of image_attachment, as well as full size reduced resolution version, reduced size reduced resolution (or “thumbnail”) version, reduced size full resolution version , And various downcast versions, including these similar versions, may be available for download. Instead, the color resolution of the attached file portion can be reduced by downcast processing. For example, the color resolution of an image containing 65K colors can be reduced to a grayscale image.

  In one embodiment (FIG. 27), the creator of the file can delimit the portion of image_attachment that is downcast and the downcast process, such as tags, control characters, and similar codes that the email management module can understand. Can be specified by using characters. For example, the creator can select the image_attachment portion such as Section 1 shown in FIG. However, the present invention is not limited to user-defined downcasts. In alternative embodiments, the version field of the attachment can be determined in any desired manner, including analysis by an email management module.

  The detailed information box of FIG. 27 may also include the size of the version in the corresponding size field 1515, with information indicating the estimated download time for the version in the corresponding time field 1520 for each part, and These similar information can also be included. In one embodiment, the size field 1515, the time field 1520, and all other desired information can be determined by the email management module. In an alternative embodiment, the detailed information box 1500 may also include information not shown in FIG. 27, such as estimated transfer rates and similar information thereof.

  The priority level fields 1425, 1525 may also be associated with one or more parts of the attachment. In one embodiment, the priority level fields include high priority 1430, 1530 (indicated by “!”), Low priority 1435, 1535 (indicated by an arrow pointing down), and average priority (blank). At least one of the fields 1437 and 1537). However, one of ordinary skill in the art can indicate any desired number of priority levels in the priority level fields 1425, 1525, indicating the priority level with other symbols or characters, colors, flashing or buzzers, or both. Of course, it should be understood that any desirable form can be shown, including the techniques that draw attention, and the like. The user can tag the email management module to understand the priority level associated with each part (version) of the attachment, eg, Summary, Table of Contents (TOC), Chapters 1-3, and Charts 1-2, It can be specified by using delimiters such as control characters and the like. Alternatively, the user can use the detail information box to interactively select a priority level, such as a mouse, joystick, and the like, with pointers that have a position and selection that responds to operations by the user • The priority level can be specified using the controller. However, the present invention is not limited to priority levels defined by the user. In alternative embodiments, the priority level associated with the portion of the attachment can be determined in any desired manner. For example, the email management module can assign a default priority level to each part of the attachment. The specified priority level and / or assigned priority level can be indicated in the priority level field. Referring to FIGS. 12 and 26, select one or more portions of the attachment corresponding to attachment content field 1410, eg, Summary, Table of Contents (TOC), Chapters 1-3, and Charts 1-2 Can (at 550). In one embodiment, one or more portions of the attachment are selected based on one or more indicators of a size field 1415, a page number field 1420, and a priority level field 1425 (at 550). )be able to. For example, Summary and Chart 1 may be selected (at 550), as indicated by the check mark in selection field 1440. In various alternative embodiments, one or more portions of the attachment may be selected (at 550) by the user, by the author, by the email management module, or in any other desired manner. Further, one or more portions of the attachment are selected in advance, for example by using the user profile 900 (FIG. 16) or dynamically, for example by the user when the dialog box 905 is displayed. (At 550). In an alternative embodiment, one or more portions of the attachment may be selected sequentially (at 550). For example, the user can select Summary (at 550) and select Chapter 1 after viewing Summary (at 550).

  In one embodiment (FIG. 13), one or more portions and / or versions of the attachment can be selected (at 650). In one embodiment, one or more portions and / or versions of the attachment are based on one or more indicators in a size field 1515, a time field 1520, and a priority level field 1525, Can be selected (at 650). For example, Section 1 may be selected (at 650) because of the high priority associated at least in part with Section 1, as indicated by the check mark in selection field 1540. In various alternative embodiments, one or more parts and / or editions of the attachment are selected by the user, by the author, by the email management module, or in any other desired form (at 650). be able to. In addition, one or more parts and / or editions of the attachment are selected in advance, for example by using the user profile 1000 or dynamically, for example by the user when the dialog information box is displayed. (At 650). In an alternative embodiment, one or more portions and / or versions of the attachment may be selected sequentially (at 650). For example, the user can select a thumbnail (at 650) and select Section 1 (at 650) after viewing the thumbnail.

  In various embodiments (FIGS. 12-14), a selected portion of an email message is provided (560, for example, to a processor-based device and / or server, as described in detail above). 660, 750). In one embodiment (see FIG. 12), the email management module may also give the user the option of supplying (at 560) a selected portion of the email message. For example, a dialog box can be displayed to the user and the user can choose to provide the selected portion (at 560) or the user can supply the selected portion (560). You can choose not to). In this embodiment, the selected portion of the email message is provided (at 560) in response to the user selecting to provide the selected portion (at 560). In one embodiment, the user can also select the minimum resolution, section of image, supply of alternative text, and other similar actions.

  In one embodiment (see FIG. 14), the email management module 125 automatically supplies (at 750) a selected portion of the email. In one alternative embodiment, the email management module 125 may give the user an option to instruct the email management module 125 to supply (at 750) a selected portion of the email. For example, as shown in FIG. 25, the user can dynamically send to the email management module 125 to provide (at 750) a portion of the email using, for example, a download button 1335 that can be provided. Can be directed to. In various embodiments, the user can click on the download button 1335 to provide a new download (at 750) or resume a previously paused download. For example, the user may choose to instruct the email management module 125 to provide (at 750) a portion of a larger email message after providing a smaller email (at 750). . In this embodiment, the portion of the email is provided (at 750) in response to the user selecting to supply the portion (at 750). In one alternative embodiment, a download button 1335 can be provided in the email.

  In some embodiments, after the selected portion of the email message has been provided (eg, at 560), the email message is queued or stored, eg, on the client or server, or This is done both. The email message can remain queued until it is desirable to provide a complete email message. Alternatively, the user can request additional selected portions of the email message. In one embodiment, a user can create an email message on a processor-based device, and a selected portion of the email message is sent to a server or another processor-based device or both. Can be supplied (eg, at 560). Email messages are queued or stored on processor-based devices until it is desirable to provide a complete email message or additional portions thereof to a server and / or other processor-based device. Or you can leave both done. Alternatively, the email message can be queued and / or stored on the server until it is desirable to provide a complete email message. As noted above, one or more notifications can be provided to the user indicating that the email message is queued and / or stored.

  In one embodiment, after a selected portion of an email message with reduced resolution is provided (at 660), the email message is queued or stored, eg, on a client or server Or both. The email message can remain queued until it is desirable to provide a complete email message. Alternatively, the user can request additional selected portions of the email message.

  In an alternative embodiment, a user can create an email message on a processor-based device and the selected portion of the email message with reduced resolution is sent to a server or another processor Can be supplied (at 660) to the base device or both. For example, a user can select a section of an email message or one or more attachments, which can be indicated using tags and the like. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, a tag is a special character that can be inserted into a data stream to indicate the beginning and / or end of a portion of the data stream. In one embodiment, tags can be inserted into data content by authors and / or users to indicate, for example, a preview of the data content, a summary of the data content, and the like. If it is desired to provide less than the entire email message, a reduced resolution version of the user selected portion can be provided (at 660).

  Queue the reduced resolution email message on the processor-based device until it is desirable to deliver the complete email message or additional portion thereof to the server and / or another processor-based device Can be stored, stored, or both. Instead, the e-mail message can be queued and / or stored at the server until it is desirable to provide a complete e-mail message, or both. As noted above, one or more notifications can be provided to the user indicating that the email message is queued and / or stored.

  In some embodiments (FIGS. 17, 19, 21, 23, 25), a pause button 940, 1040, 1140, 1240, 1340 may be provided so that the user stops the download in progress. A pause button (eg, 940) can be selected (eg, by clicking using a mouse or other controller). In one alternative embodiment, a pause button can be provided in the email. A progress field (eg, 945) or similar user interface widget can also be provided to indicate how much of the selected portion has been downloaded. For example, this progress field indicates that the test message header has been downloaded, and about 50% of the text_attachment has been downloaded, i.e., about 16% of this email has been downloaded. In one embodiment, after a selected portion of the email is provided, the email is queued and / or stored, for example, on the client or server. The email can remain queued until it is desirable to provide a complete email. In one embodiment, a user can create an email on a processor-based device and a selected portion of the email message is provided to a server and / or another processor-based device. Can. The email is queued and / or stored on the processor-based device until it is desired to provide complete email to the server and / or another processor-based device. Can be left alone. Alternatively, email can be queued and / or stored at the server, or both, until it is desirable to provide complete email. As mentioned above, one or more notifications can be provided to the user indicating that the email is queued and / or stored, or both. In some embodiments, the email message is queued and / or stored, eg, on the client or server, after the selected portion of the email message has been provided. . The email message can remain queued until it is desirable to provide complete email. In one embodiment, a user can create an email message on a processor-based device, and a selected portion of the email message is sent to a server or another processor-based device or both. Can be supplied. The email message is queued or stored on the processor-based device until it is desired to deliver the complete email message to the server and / or another processor-based device, or this You can leave both done. Alternatively, the e-mail message can be queued and / or stored at the server until it is desirable to provide a complete e-mail message. As mentioned above, one or more notifications can be provided to the user indicating that the email is queued and / or stored, or both. One or more email messages or portions thereof may be associated (in one embodiment) with time and / or scheduled events. For example, a user can schedule a meeting and distribute the material to the meeting participants in an email message, which can include one or more attachments. Meeting notifications can also be provided to users who may participate in the meeting. However, as noted above, users may be provided with not all of the email messages and / or attachments. Users may be queued and / or stored on a server and / or other processor-based device or both before the relevant time and / or event, etc. May wish to transfer an undelivered portion of the associated email message. In some embodiments, the association of an email message to a scheduled time and / or event can be indicated by a calendar icon placed in the event field 1050 shown in FIG. . Alternatively, the association of the email message to the scheduled time and / or event was placed in the associated email field 1660 of calendar entry 1665 as shown in FIG. An envelope icon 1655 can indicate this.

  In one embodiment (FIGS. 19, 28), the user can view the current status of portions of the email message. For example, the user selects the calendar icon or envelope icon 1655 of the event field 1050 associated with one or more parts of the email message (eg, using a mouse, joystick, and similar devices). be able to. In response to the user selection, the dialog box 1800 shown in FIG. 30 may be displayed. In one embodiment, the dialog box 1800 displays information including the file name, attachment title, current time, scheduled time and / or event, scheduled download time, and the like. Can do. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that any desired information can be displayed in the dialog box 1800. An edit button 1805 can also be provided in the dialog box 1800. In one embodiment, the user can select the edit button 1805 to be given the option to edit one or more of the entries in the dialog box 1800. For example, the user can choose to change the scheduled download time to a more desirable time. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that, in alternative embodiments, email management modules, servers, and the like can schedule download times. For example, the email management module can automatically schedule transfer times based on factors such as default times, historical usage patterns, connection speeds, and the like. The email management module can also prompt the user to connect on demand.

  Users can be provided with the tools described above to download portions of the email before the time and / or event associated with the email message, but the user will not necessarily use these tools. Not exclusively. Accordingly, a method 1900 may be provided for providing notification of undelivered portions of an email message based on calendar entries. One embodiment of the method 1900 is shown in FIG. In the illustrated embodiment, an email management module, such as the email management module 125, 420 shown in FIGS. 1 and 10-11, determines whether the email portion has been delivered to the intended recipient. (At 1910). For example, the e-mail management module may include one or more e-mail messages associated with one or more processor-based devices, one or more servers, and the like. It can be determined (at 1910) that it has been delivered to the user. In various alternative embodiments, the email management module may access the queue, storage medium, register, flags associated with the email message, markers associated with the email message, and the like, and the like. It can be determined (at 1910) that the portion of the mail message has been delivered to the intended recipient. If the email management module determines (at 1910) that all desired portions of the email message have been delivered to the intended recipient, method 1900 can end (at 1920). If the email management module determines (at 1910) that at least one portion of the email message has not been delivered to the intended recipient, the email management module is associated with the email message. A time and / or event is determined (at 1930). In one embodiment, the associated time and / or event can include the date and time of the conference, telephone call, and the like, which can be accessed by accessing a calendar or email message. Can be determined (at 1930) by accessing the portion of For example, the time field 245 (FIG. 6) can be used to associate an email message with an entry in a calendar or schedule. The email management module can then access the calendar or schedule entry associated with the email message to determine the associated time (at 1930). For example, the associated time can be the date and time of a scheduled meeting, reservation, and the like. The current time can also be determined (at 1940), for example by accessing the clock. The email management module then compares the relevant time with the current time (at 1950) and provides one or more notifications if the current time is determined to be earlier (at 1950) than the relevant time. You can (in 1960). For example, as shown in FIG. 31, the email management module includes information such as the file name, attachments, scheduled time and / or time to event, and the like. A notification 1810 can be provided. In one embodiment, the notification 1810 includes one or more of a download schedule button 1820, an immediate download button 1830, and a reminder button 1840 that allow the user to initiate one or more actions. Buttons can be included. For example, the notification 1810 may include a download schedule button 1820 that allows the user to schedule a download for a later time, an immediate download button 1830 that allows the user to start the download substantially immediately, and a later time. A button 1840 that reminds you after requesting another notification, and the like, can be included.

  In various alternative embodiments, as described above, a user associated with a processor-based device or server, or a user associated with a processor-based device, an automated mail server, and the like Notifications can be provided (at 1960) to intended recipients, such as distributors of e-mail messages that can. In one embodiment, along with this notification, the user may be given the option to receive and / or send an email message immediately or at a scheduled time. If the email management module determines that the current time is later than the associated time (at 1950), a delay notification can be provided (at 1970) and method 1900 can be terminated (at 1920). If a notification has been provided (at 1960), the email management module can determine (at 1910) whether an email has been provided to the intended recipient. For example, the email management module may wait a predetermined amount of time after providing the notification (at 1960) and before determining (at 1910) whether the email has been delivered to the intended recipient. it can. In one embodiment, the frequency of comparing the relevant time with the current time (at 1950) as well as the urgency of the notification can be increased as the difference between the relevant time and the current time decreases. For example, the email management module can provide the emergency notification 1850 shown in FIG. In one embodiment, the emergency notification 1850 can include one or more buttons, such as an immediate download button 1860 that allows the user to initiate a download substantially immediately. In one embodiment, notification 1810 and emergency notification 1850 may be provided only when the difference between the associated time and the current time is less than a preselected value. Pre-selected values and notification frequency and / or urgency can be specified by the user and / or user profile.

  As noted above, in some alternative embodiments, the user may be given the option of receiving and / or sending email messages at scheduled times. FIG. 34 illustrates one embodiment of a method 2000 for scheduling a time period for supplying an email message to intended recipients. In the illustrated embodiment, the user chooses (at 2010) to receive and / or send an email message. The email management module is associated with sending the email message during one or more time periods via one or more communication paths (eg, communication paths 130 (1-2), 440), Connectivity costs can be determined (at 2020), such as subscription costs for Internet connections provided by Internet service providers, costs for telephone calls used for dial-up connections, and the like. The email management module may also determine (at 2030) one or more price points based on the determined connectivity cost. For example, an email management module would cost $ 25.00 in connectivity costs to send an email message over a dial-up connection requiring a long distance call from a gas station on Monday afternoon, It can be determined (at 2030) that the email message is substantially free if it is sent from the home via cable modem that night. Next, the time period for supplying the email message is based on one or more price points and any other criteria such as bandwidth availability, user availability, historical access information, and the like. Can be scheduled (at 2040). In an alternative embodiment, the transfer time may be scheduled (at 2040) based on the estimated transfer time and the difference between the time associated with the email message and the current time. For example, if there is only 10 minutes remaining between the current time and the time of the scheduled event associated with the email message and the estimated transfer time is about 10 minutes, the provision of that email message The time period for can be scheduled (at 2040) substantially immediately.

  FIG. 36 shows a stylized block diagram illustrating a processor-based device 2200 according to one embodiment of the invention. In one embodiment, processor-based device 2200 may represent a portion of processor-based device 105 (1-2), 401, or server 110, 405, or both. The processor-based device 2200 may manage the email management module 125 or email module 160 (1-2) of FIGS. 1-3, or email management within the system 400 of FIGS. 10 and 11, depending on the particular implementation. Configured using a suitable software configuration including module 420.

  The processor-based device 2200 includes a control unit 2210, which may be a processor communicatively coupled to the storage unit 2220 in one embodiment. The software installed on the storage unit 2220 may depend on the features executed by the processor-based device 2200. For example, if processor-based device 2200 represents one of processor-based device 105 (1-2), server 110, processor-based device 401, server 405, storage unit 2220 may have: Email management modules 125, 420 as well as email modules 160 (1-2) may be included. Email management modules 125, 420 and email modules 160 (1-2) may be executable by control unit 2210. Although not shown, in one embodiment, Windows (R), Disk Operating System (R), Unix (R), OS / 2 (R), Linux (R), MAC OS (R), or the like An operating system such as an object can be stored in the storage unit 2220 and made executable by the control unit 2210. The storage unit 2220 may also include device drivers for various hardware components of the processor-based device 2200. In the illustrated embodiment, the processor-based device 2200 includes a display interface 2230. The processor-based device 2200 can display information on the display device 2235 via the display interface 2230. In the illustrated embodiment, a user can enter information via the input interface 2250 using an input device such as a keyboard 2240 and / or a mouse 2245. The control unit 2210 is coupled to a network interface 2260, which can be adapted to receive a local area network card, for example. In alternative embodiments, the network interface 2260 may be a Universal Serial Bus interface or an interface for wireless communication. The processor-based device 2200 communicates with other devices via the network interface 2260. Although not shown, a network protocol stack can be associated with the network interface 2260, one example being a UDP / IP stack or a TCP / IP stack. In one embodiment, both inbound and outbound packets can pass through the network interface 2260 and the network protocol stack. The block diagram of the processor-based device 2200 of FIG. 36 is exemplary in nature and, in alternative embodiments, additional, fewer, or different configurations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Please understand that elements can be used. For example, if the processor-based device 2200 is a computer, additional components such as a system bus or an input / output bus may be included. In other embodiments, various elements of processor-based device 2200 may be interconnected using various buses and controllers. Similarly, depending on the implementation, the processor-based device 2200 can be configured with other desirable variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Various system layers, routines, or modules may be executed by a control unit, such as control unit 2210. The control unit 2210 can include a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, processor card (including one or more microprocessors or controllers), or other control or computing device. The storage devices referred to in this discussion can include one or more machine-readable storage media that store data and instructions. Storage medium includes dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), and flash Semiconductor memory devices such as memory, magnetic disks such as fixed disks, floppy disks or removable disks, other magnetic media including tapes, compact disks (CDs) or digital video disks (DVDs) ), And other forms of memory can be included. The instructions that make up the various software layers, routines, or modules in the various systems can be stored on a number of storage devices. The instructions, when executed by the respective control unit 2210, cause the corresponding system to perform the programmed operation.

  In one embodiment, a method and apparatus is provided for supplying portions of an email message based on transfer rate, message size, and file format. In response to determining whether it is desirable to provide less than all of the e-mail message to this method and determining that it is desirable to provide less than all of the e-mail message, Determining the format associated with the email message is included. The method also includes selecting a portion of the email message using the determined format and providing the selected portion of the email message.

  In one embodiment, a method and apparatus is provided for providing a portion of an email message having a reduced resolution. Determining whether it is desirable to supply less than all of the email message to this method, selecting a portion of the email message, and the resolution of the selected portion of the email message Including reducing. The method also includes providing a portion of the email message that has a reduced resolution.

  In one embodiment, a method and apparatus is provided for providing notification of an undelivered portion of an email message based on a scheduled time. The method includes determining that less than all of the email message has been sent, wherein the email message includes scheduling information indicating a calendar event, and determining that the scheduling information includes Based on associating the email message with a calendar event and providing notification that less than all of the email messages have been sent based on the calendar event.

In one embodiment, a method and apparatus for providing a portion of an email message based on digital rights is provided. This method is related to email messages
Based on at least one digital right toThe entireDetermine that they are allowed to receive less, select the portion of the email message that the user is allowed to receive, and supply the selected portion of the email message For example.
In one embodiment, a method and apparatus is provided for supplying portions of an email message based on transfer rate and message size. The method includes determining a value related to the data transfer rate, determining a value related to the size of the email message, and determining a mail transfer criteria. The method also includes selecting a portion of the email message based on the determined transfer rate value, the determined value associated with the size of the email message, and the determined mail transfer criteria. The method further includes providing a selected portion of the email message. The particular embodiments disclosed above are merely exemplary, as the invention may be modified and practiced in equivalent but different ways apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. further,
No limitations are intended to the configuration or design shown herein other than as described in the appended claims. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is set forth in the appended claims.
For reference, the invention described in the appended claims at the time of filing is shown below.
[A: Invention 1]
Determining whether it is desirable to provide less than all of the email messages;
Selecting a portion of the email message;
Providing the selected portion of the email message.
[A: Invention 2]
In response to determining that it is desirable to provide less than all of the email message, determining a format associated with the email message;
Selecting the portion of the email message based on the determined format.
[A: Invention 3]
Reducing the resolution of the selected portion of the email message, the providing step comprising:
Providing the portion of the email message having a reduced resolution;
A method according to invention 1, comprising:
[A: Invention 4]
The method of claim 3, wherein reducing the resolution of the selected portion of the email message comprises downcasting a portion of at least one file associated with the email message.
[A: Invention 5]
Invention 4 wherein downcasting the at least one file comprises downcasting at least one of an audio file, a video file, a multimedia file, an image file, and a graphics file. The method described in 1.
[A: Invention 6]
Downcasting the at least one file comprises a resolution-reduced version of the at least one file at a reduced size, a resolution-reduced version of the at least one file at a reduced size, the at least one file 6. The method of invention 5, comprising providing at least one of a reduced size and full resolution version of the file and a reduced color resolution version of the at least one file.
[A: Invention 7]
Determining whether it is desirable to provide all of the e-mail message, determining a value related to a data transfer rate; and determining a value related to the size of the e-mail message; And determining a mail transfer criterion.
[A: Invention 8]
Determining whether it is desirable to provide all of the email messages, determining a value associated with a data transfer rate;
Determining a value associated with the size of the email message;
Determining a mail forwarding criterion,
Determining the value associated with the size of the email message is based on at least one chart, table, page, meeting schedule, table of contents, summary, audio clip, or video based on the determined format. A method according to invention 2, comprising the step of identifying a clip.
[A: Invention 9]
Determining the value associated with the size of the email message includes determining the size of the at least one identified chart, table, page, meeting schedule, table of contents, summary, audio clip, and video clip. The method of claim 8, comprising the step of determining an associated value.
[A: Invention 10]
The step of selecting the portion of the email message is the determination related to the size of at least one identified chart, table, page, meeting schedule, table of contents, summary, audio clip, or video clip. 9. The method of claim 8, comprising selecting the at least one identified chart, table, page, meeting schedule, table of contents, summary, audio clip, or video clip based on a measured value.

[A: Invention 11]
Determining the value associated with the data transfer rate comprises determining the value associated with the data transfer rate based on a device profile; or data in at least one received data packet and the 8. The method of invention 7, comprising determining an average data transfer rate based on a time period associated with a received data packet.
[A: Invention 12]
The step of determining the mail transfer criterion is based on at least one of a user input / user profile and a device profile, a threshold time, a default threshold time, a maximum transfer time preferred by the user, a maximum attachment The method of claim 7, comprising determining at least one of a size, a minimum average transfer rate, and a time of day.
[A: Invention 13]
Selecting the portion of the email message includes determining the determined value associated with the data transfer rate and the determined value associated with the size of at least one file associated with the email message; Estimating transfer time using
The method according to claim 12, comprising comparing the threshold time with the estimated transfer time.
[A: Invention 14]
The method of claim 3, wherein selecting the portion of the email message with reduced resolution comprises selecting at least one portion of a file associated with the email message.
[A: Invention 15]
Selecting the portion of the email message having the reduced resolution selecting a reduced resolution;
Selecting a section of the image;
A method according to invention 3, comprising at least one of providing alternative text.
[A: Invention 16]
The method of claim 3, wherein selecting the portion of the email message comprises dynamically selecting the portion of the email message.
[A: Invention 17]
Dynamically selecting the portion of the email message includes selecting at least a portion of the email message that specifies a time interval and a portion of the email message that specifies a number of frames. 17. A method according to invention 16, comprising one.
[A: Invention 18]
Providing the selected portion of the email message transmitting the selected portion of the email message;
And storing the e-mail message.
[A: Invention 19]
Providing the selected portion of the e-mail message includes transmitting the selected portion from a server to a processor-based device and storing the e-mail message at the server; or the selection 19. The method of claim 18, comprising the step of: sending the processed portion from a processor based device to a server and storing the email message at the processor based device.
[A: Invention 20]
Further comprising: providing a user with an option to supply the selected portion; and supplying the selected portion in response to the user selecting to supply the selected portion. The method according to invention 2 or 3.
[A: Invention 21]
The method of claim 2, wherein providing the selected portion of the email message includes at least one of trickle upload and trickle download of the email message.
[A: Invention 22]
The method of claim 2, further comprising providing an additional selected portion of the email message after substantially supplying the selected portion of the email message.
[A: Invention 23]
23. The method of invention 22, wherein providing an additional selected portion of the email message comprises providing the email message.
[A: Invention 24]
Displaying at least one text string indicative of the at least one portion of the email message;
Displaying at least one indication of a priority level of the at least one portion of the email message;
Displaying at least one selection field corresponding to the at least one portion of the at least one email message;
Monitoring the position and selection status of a pointer controller to detect that one of the at least one selection field has been selected by the user;
Further comprising changing the appearance of the selected one of the at least one selection field in response to detecting that one of the at least one selection field has been selected by the user. The method described in 1.
[A: Invention 25]
25. The invention according to invention 24, further comprising the step of displaying at least one of a size field, a page field, and an estimated download time corresponding to the at least one portion of the at least one email message. the method of.
[A: Invention 26]
The method further includes changing the priority level of the at least one portion of the at least one email message in response to detecting that at least one priority level field has been selected by the user. 26. The method according to 25.
[A: Invention 27]
The invention of claim 3, further comprising the step of controlling a pointer element on the graphical user display using a user pointer controller, wherein the pointer controller has a position and selection status in response to an operation by the user. Method.
[A: Invention 28]
Determining a value associated with the data transfer rate;
Determining a value related to the size of the email message;
Determining a mail forwarding criterion,
The step of selecting includes determining the portion of the email message based on the determined transfer rate value, the determined value associated with the size of the email message, and the determined mail transfer criteria. A method according to invention 1, comprising the step of selecting
[A: Invention 29]
29. The method of invention 28, wherein determining the value associated with the data transfer rate comprises determining the value associated with the data transfer rate based on at least one received data packet.
[A: Invention 30]
Determining the value associated with the data transfer rate based on the received data packet uses data in the received data packet and a time period associated with the received data packet. And determining the average data transfer rate.
[A: Invention 31]
29. The method of claim 28, wherein determining the value associated with the data transfer rate comprises determining the value associated with the data transfer rate based on a device profile.
[A: Invention 32]
29. The method of invention 28, wherein determining the mail transfer criteria comprises determining the mail transfer criteria based on at least one of a user input, a user profile, and a device profile.
[A: Invention 33]
Determining the mail transfer criteria includes determining at least one of a threshold time, a maximum attachment size, a minimum average transfer rate, a time, a default threshold time, and a user preferred maximum transfer time. The method according to claim 28.
[A: Invention 34]
The step of selecting the portion of the email message uses the determined value associated with the data transfer rate and the determined value associated with the size of the email message to determine a transfer time. 34. A method according to invention 33, comprising the step of estimating.
[A: Invention 35]
35. The method of invention 34, wherein selecting the portion of the email message comprises comparing the threshold time with the estimated transfer time.
[A: Invention 36]
Providing the selected portion of the email message transmitting the selected portion of the email message;
Storing the e-mail message.
[A: Invention 37]
Providing the selected portion of the e-mail message transmitting the selected portion from a server to a processor-based device;
38. The method of invention 36, comprising storing the email message at the server.
[A: Invention 38]
Providing the selected portion of the e-mail message transmitting the selected portion from a processor-based device to a server;
Storing the e-mail message at the processor-based device.
[A: Invention 39]
29. The method of invention 28, further comprising providing a user with at least one of a display of the selected portion and an option to supply the selected portion.
[A: Invention 40]
40. The method of aspect 39, wherein providing the selected portion comprises providing the selected portion in response to a user selecting to supply the selected portion.
[A: Invention 41]
29. The method of claim 28, wherein providing the selected portion of the email message includes at least one of trickle upload and trickle download of the email message.
[A: Invention 42]
29. The method of claim 28, further comprising providing the email message after substantially providing the selected portion of the email message.
[A: Invention 43]
The step of determining whether it is desirable to provide less than all of the e-mail message is based on at least one digital right associated with the e-mail message, wherein the user Determining to be permitted to receive less,
The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting a portion of the email includes selecting a portion of the email message that the user is permitted to receive.
[A: Invention 44]
Determining that the user is authorized to receive less than all of the email message includes copyright, distribution rights, broadcast rights, reproduction rights, publication rights, licensing restrictions, fair use, and Invention 43 comprising determining that the user is allowed to receive less than all of the email message based on at least one of the restrictions imposed by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The method described in 1.
[A: Invention 45]
According to invention 43, wherein determining that the user is allowed to receive less than all of the email messages comprises accessing at least one of a user input and a user profile. The method described.
[A: Invention 46]
46. The method of invention 45, wherein accessing the user profile comprises accessing the user profile on at least one of a local device and a remote device.
[A: Invention 47]
44. The method of invention 43, further comprising obtaining permission to receive a protected portion of the email message.
[A: Invention 48]
48. The method of invention 47, wherein obtaining the permission comprises obtaining a license to receive the protected portion of the email message.
[A: Invention 49]
48. The method of invention 47, wherein obtaining the permission comprises directing the user to an owner of the digital right for the protected portion of the email message.
[A: Invention 50]
48. The method of invention 47, further comprising providing the protected portion of the email message in response to obtaining the permission.
[A: Invention 51]
44. The method of invention 43, wherein selecting the portion comprises determining a format of at least one file associated with the email message.
[A: Invention 52]
The step of selecting the portion of the email message includes at least one chart, table, page, meeting schedule, table of contents, summary, audio clip, or video clip based on the determined file format. 52. The method according to invention 51, comprising the step of identifying and selecting.
[A: Invention 53]
52. The invention according to claim 51, wherein selecting the portion of the email message comprises reducing the resolution of the at least one file associated with the email message based on the determined file format. the method of.
[A: Invention 54]
Reducing the resolution of the at least one file includes downcasting a portion of at least one of an audio file, a video file, a multimedia file, an image file, and a graphics file. 54. A method according to invention 53.
[A: Invention 55]
44. The method of aspect 43, further comprising determining that it is desirable to receive less than all of the email messages.
[A: Invention 56]
Determining that it is desirable to provide less than all of the email message determining a threshold time;
Determining a value associated with the data transfer rate;
Determining a value related to the size of the email message;
Estimating a transfer time using the determined value associated with the data transfer rate and the determined value associated with the size of the email message;
56. The method of claim 55, comprising comparing the threshold time with the estimated transfer time, and selecting a portion of the email message based on the comparison.
[A: Invention 57]
Providing the selected portion of the e-mail message transmitting the selected portion from a server to a processor-based device;
44. The method of claim 43, comprising storing the email message at the server.
[A: Invention 58]
Providing the selected portion of the e-mail message transmitting the selected portion from a processor-based device to a server;
Storing the e-mail message on the processor-based device.
[A: Invention 59]
When executed, the processor accesses an email message for delivery to a remote device; and
Determining whether it is desirable to provide less than all of the email messages;
Selecting a portion of the email message;
An article comprising one or more machine-readable storage media comprising instructions that enable providing the selected portion of the email message to the remote device.
[A: Invention 60]
The instructions, when executed, determine a format associated with the email message in response to a determination that the processor desirably provides less than all of the email message;
60. The article of invention 59, comprising: selecting a portion of the email message using the determined format.
[A: Invention 61]
When the instructions are executed, a processor reduces the resolution of the selected portion of the email message;
60. The article according to invention 59, wherein the step of providing the portion of the email message having a reduced resolution is enabled.
[A: Invention 62]
64. The article of invention 61, wherein the instructions, when executed, enable a processor to downcast the selected portion of the email message.
[A: Invention 63]
64. The article of invention 61, wherein the instructions, when executed, enable a processor to select a portion of at least one file associated with the email message.
[A: Invention 64]
64. The article of invention 61, wherein the instructions, when executed, enable a processor to select a portion of at least one file associated with the email message based on at least one tag.
[A: Invention 65]
64. The article of invention 61, wherein the instructions enable a processor to dynamically select the portion of the email message when executed.
[A: Invention 66]
When the instructions are executed, the processor determines a value associated with a data transfer rate;
Determining a value associated with the size of the email message;
62. An article according to invention 60 or 61, which enables the step of determining mail transfer criteria.
[A: Invention 67]
The instructions, when executed, cause the processor to use the determined value associated with the data transfer rate and a determined value associated with the size of at least one file associated with the email message. Estimating the transfer time with
68. The article of invention 66, enabling a step of comparing a threshold time with the estimated transfer time.
[A: Invention 68]
62. The article of invention 60 or 61, wherein the instructions, when executed, enable the processor to transfer the selected portion of the email message and store the email message. .
[A: Invention 69]
The instructions, when executed, allow the processor to supply additional selected portions of the email message after substantially supplying the selected portion of the email message. An article according to invention 60.
[A: Invention 70]
The article of invention 60, wherein the instructions, when executed, enable the processor to provide the email message.
[A: Invention 71]
When the instructions are executed, the processor determines a value associated with the data transfer rate;
Determining a value associated with the size of the email message;
Determining mail forwarding criteria,
Selecting a portion of the email message based on the determined data transfer rate, the determined value associated with the size of the email message, and the determined mail transfer criteria. Article according to invention 59, enabling.
[A: Invention 72]
The one or more machine-readable storage media, when executed, cause the processor to perform an average data transfer using at least one received data packet and a time period associated with the received data packet. 72. The article of invention 71 comprising instructions that allow the step of determining a rate.
[A: Invention 73]
The one or more machine-readable storage media, when executed by the processor, based on at least one of a user input, a user profile, and a device profile, a threshold time, a default threshold time, a user 72. The article of invention 71 comprising instructions that enable determining at least one of a preferred maximum transfer time, a maximum attachment size, a minimum average transfer rate, and a time of day.
[A: Invention 74]
The one or more machine-readable storage media, when executed, cause the processor to transfer the estimated transfer at least one of the threshold time, the default threshold time, and a maximum transfer time preferred by the user. 72. The article of invention 71 comprising instructions that allow a step of comparing with time.
[A: Invention 75]
When the one or more machine-readable storage media are executed, the processor sends the stored portion of the email message;
72. The article of invention 71, comprising instructions that enable the step of storing the email message.
[A: Invention 76]
The one or more machine-readable storage media, when executed, provide the e-mail message after the processor has substantially provided the selected portion of the e-mail message. 72. The article of invention 71 comprising instructions to enable.
[A: Invention 77]
When executed, the processor determines, based on at least one digital right associated with the email message, that the user is permitted to receive less than all of the email messages; ,
60. The article of claim 59, comprising instructions that allow the user to select a portion of the email message that the user is permitted to receive.
[A: Invention 78]
12. The invention of claim 11, wherein the one or more machine-readable storage media include instructions that, when executed, allow the processor to access at least one of user input and a user profile. Goods.
[A: Invention 79]
According to invention 77, the one or more machine-readable storage media include instructions that, when executed, allow the processor to obtain permission to receive a protected portion of the email message. The article described.
[A: Invention 80]
The one or more machine-readable storage media, when executed, the processor in response to obtaining the permission to receive the protected portion of the email message in the email message. 80. The article of invention 79, comprising instructions that allow the step of providing a protected portion.
[A: Invention 81]
The one or more machine-readable storage media include instructions that, when executed, allow the processor to direct the user to a digital rights owner for unauthorized portions of the email message. An article according to invention 79.
[A: Invention 82]
The one or more machine-readable storage media, when executed by the processor, is one of at least one of an audio file, a video file, a multimedia file, an image file, and a graphics file. Article according to invention 11, comprising instructions enabling the step of downcasting the part.
[A: Invention 83]
The one or more machine-readable storage media, when executed, the processor determines a threshold time;
Determining a value associated with the data transfer rate;
Determining a value associated with the size of the email message;
Estimating a transfer time using the determined value associated with the data transfer rate and the determined value associated with the size of the email message;
Comparing the threshold time with the estimated transfer time;
78. The article of invention 77, comprising instructions that allow selecting a portion of the email message based on the comparison.
[A: Invention 84]
Determining whether it is desirable to supply an interface and less than all of the email message coupled to the interface, selecting a portion of the email message, and selecting the selected email message; And a control unit adapted to supply the part.
[A: Invention 85]
The control unit determines a format associated with the email message in response to determining that it is desirable to provide less than all of the email message and uses the determined format. 85. Apparatus according to invention 84, adapted to select parts of said email message.
[A: Invention 86]
85. The apparatus of invention 84, wherein the control unit is adapted to reduce the resolution of the selected portion of the email message and provide the portion of the email message having a reduced resolution. .
[A: Invention 87]
The apparatus of claim 86, wherein the control unit is adapted to downcast at least the selected portion of the email message.
[A: Invention 88]
The apparatus of invention 86, wherein the control unit is adapted to select at least one portion of at least one file associated with the email message.
[A: Invention 89]
87. The apparatus of invention 86, wherein the control unit is adapted to select a portion of at least one file associated with the email message based on at least one tag.
[A: Invention 90]
The apparatus of claim 86, wherein the control unit is adapted to dynamically select the portion of the email message.
[A: Invention 91]
87. The invention 85 or 86, wherein the control unit is adapted to determine a value related to a data transfer rate, determine a value related to the size of the email message, and determine a mail transfer criterion. Equipment.
[A: Invention 92]
The control unit estimates a transfer time using the determined value associated with the data transfer rate and a determined value associated with a size of at least one file associated with the e-mail message; 92. The apparatus according to invention 91, adapted to compare time with said estimated transfer time.
[A: Invention 93]
87. Apparatus according to invention 85 or 86, wherein the control unit is adapted to send the selected portion of the email message and store the email message.
[A: Invention 94]
86. The invention according to invention 85, wherein the control unit is adapted to supply additional selected portions of the email message after substantially supplying the selected portion of the email message. apparatus.
[A: Invention 95]
The apparatus of invention 85, wherein the control unit is adapted to provide the electronic mail message.
[A: Invention 96]
The control unit determines a value related to a data transfer rate, determines a value related to the size of the e-mail message, determines a mail transfer criterion, determines the determined transfer rate value, the e-mail The apparatus of invention 84, adapted to select portions of the email message based on the determined value associated with the size of the message and the determined mail transfer criteria.
[A: Invention 97]
Invention 96 adapted to determine the value associated with the data transfer rate using data in a received data packet and a time period associated with the received data packet. The device described in 1.
[A: Invention 98]
The control unit receives user input indicative of a user preference, sets at least one flag based on the received user input, and determines the mail forwarding criteria based on the at least one flag 96. Apparatus according to invention 96, adapted to.
[A: Invention 99]
The control unit is adapted to determine a mail transfer criteria that indicates at least one of a threshold time, a maximum attachment size, a minimum average transfer rate, and a time, and the control unit includes a default threshold time and 99. The apparatus of invention 96, adapted to determine at least one of a user preferred maximum transfer time.
[A: Invention 100]
The control unit is adapted to estimate a transfer time using the determined value associated with the data transfer rate and the determined value associated with the size of the email message; 100. The apparatus of invention 99, wherein a unit is adapted to select the portion of the email message by comparing the threshold time and the estimated transfer time.
[A: Invention 101]
96. The apparatus of invention 96, wherein the control unit is adapted to supply the selected portion of the email message via the interface to at least one of a processor-based device and a server. .
[A: Invention 102]
And further comprising a storage unit, wherein the control unit is adapted to send the selected portion of the email message via the interface and store the email message in the storage unit. An apparatus according to invention 96.
[A: Invention 103]
The control unit is adapted to provide notification of an unselected portion of the email message, wherein the notification initiates transfer of at least the unselected portion of the stored email message 102. The apparatus according to invention 102, comprising:
[A: Invention 104]
In determining whether it is desirable for the control unit to provide less than all of the email messages, a user may select the email message based on at least one digital right associated with the email message. Adapted to determine that it is allowed to receive less than all, and wherein the control unit is adapted to select a portion of the email message that the user is permitted to receive An apparatus according to invention 84, wherein:
[A: Invention 105]
105. The apparatus of invention 104, wherein the control unit is adapted to access at least one of a user input and a user profile via the interface.
[A: Invention 106]
105. The apparatus of invention 104, wherein the control unit is adapted to obtain permission to receive a protected portion of the email message.
[A: Invention 107]
In invention 106, wherein the control unit is adapted to provide the protected portion of the email message in response to obtaining the permission to receive the protected portion of the email message. The device described.
[A: Invention 108]
105. The invention according to invention 104, wherein the control unit is adapted to downcast a portion of at least one of an audio file, a video file, a multimedia file, an image file, and a graphics file. apparatus.
[A: Invention 109]
The control unit determines a threshold time, determines a value related to a data transfer rate, determines a value related to the size of an email message, and determines the determined value related to the data transfer rate and the Using the determined value related to the size of the email message to estimate a transfer time, comparing the threshold time to the estimated transfer time, and based on the comparison, the email message 105. Apparatus according to invention 104, adapted to select parts of
[A: Invention 110]
A first processor-based device adapted to supply an e-mail message; a second processor-based device adapted to receive the e-mail message; and all of the e-mail messages At least one module adapted to determine whether it is desirable to supply less, to select a portion of the email message, and to supply the selected portion of the email message; Including system.
[A: Invention 111]
The at least one module determines a format associated with the email message in response to determining that it is desirable to provide less than all of the email message and uses the determined format 111. The system according to invention 110, wherein the system is adapted to select the portion of the email message.
[A: Invention 112]
111. The system of invention 110, wherein the first processor based device is an email server and the second processor based device is a remote client.
[A: Invention 113]
112. The system according to invention 111, wherein the first processor-based device is a remote client and the second processor-based device is an email server.
[A: Invention 114]
The at least one module determines a value associated with a data transfer rate, determines a value associated with a size of the email message, and determines the determined value associated with the data transfer rate and the email 111. The system of invention 111, adapted to estimate a transfer time using the determined value associated with the size of a message and to compare a threshold time with the estimated transfer time.
[A: Invention 115]
Determining, based on at least one digital right associated with the email message, that a user of the first processor-based device is allowed to receive less than all of the email messages; 111. The system of invention 110, adapted to select portions of the email message that the user is allowed to receive.
[A: Invention 116]
116. The invention 115, wherein the second processor-based device is a server and further includes a network, and the server and the at least one first processor-based device are communicatively coupled via the network. System.
[A: Invention 117]
116. The system of invention 115, wherein the second processor-based device is adapted to queue the email message.
[A: Invention 118]
116. The system of invention 115, further comprising a storage unit, wherein the second processor-based device is adapted to supply the email message to the storage unit.
[B: Invention 119]
Determining that less than all of the email messages have been sent, wherein the email message includes scheduling information indicative of a calendar event;
Associating the email message with the calendar event based on the scheduling information;
Providing notification that less than all of the email messages have been sent based on the calendar event.
[B: Invention 120]
Providing the notification includes determining a time associated with the calendar event;
Determining the current time;

120. The method of invention 119, comprising determining a difference between a time associated with the e-mail message and the current time.
[B: Invention 121]
Providing the notification provides a plurality of notifications having at least one of a supply frequency and an urgency that increase as a difference between the time associated with the email message and the current time decreases. The method of invention 120, comprising steps.
[A: Invention 122]
According to invention 121, providing the plurality of notifications having at least one of the supply frequency and the urgency includes providing the plurality of notifications having a supply frequency determined by a user profile. The method described.
[B: Invention 123]
121. The method of invention 120, wherein providing the notification comprises providing a late notification when the current time has passed the time associated with the email message.
[B: Invention 124]
120. The method of invention 119, further comprising providing the electronic mail message.
[B: Invention 125]
129. The method of invention 124, wherein providing the electronic mail message comprises scheduling a time period for supplying the electronic mail message.
[B: Invention 126]
Scheduling the time period for supplying the e-mail message schedules the time period for supplying the e-mail message based on at least one of a default time, a historical usage pattern, and a connection speed. 126. A method according to invention 125, comprising steps.
[B: Invention 127]
129. The method of invention 124, wherein providing the email message comprises prompting a user to connect on demand.
[B: Invention 128]
125. The method of invention 124, wherein providing the email message comprises determining whether a user has received substantially all of the email message.
[B: Invention 129]
135. The method of invention 124, wherein providing the email message comprises determining connectivity costs.
[B: Invention 130]
129. The method of invention 129, wherein providing the email message comprises determining a price point based on the determined cost of connectivity.
[B: Invention 131]
Determining that less than all of the email messages have been sent accessing at least one of a queue, a storage medium, a register, and a flag;
Using the accessed queue, storage medium, register, or flag to determine that less than all of the email message has been sent to the intended recipient. The method described.
[B: Invention 132]
Determining a value associated with the data transfer rate;
Determining a value associated with a size of an undelivered portion of the email message;
Scheduling a transfer time of the undelivered portion of the email message based on the determined transfer rate, the determined value associated with the size of the email message, and the calendar event; 120. The method of invention 119, comprising:
[B: Invention 133]
Scheduling the transfer time includes estimating a transfer time based on at least one of the determined transfer rate value and the determined value associated with the size of the email message. 132. The method of invention 132, comprising.
[B: Invention 134]
Scheduling the transfer time determining a time associated with the calendar event;
Determining the current time;
134. The method of claim 133, comprising determining a difference between a time associated with the email message and the current time.
[B: Invention 135]
Scheduling the transfer time includes scheduling the transfer time based on the estimated transfer time and the difference between the time associated with the email message and the current time. 134. The method according to 134.
[B: Invention 136]
Determining the value associated with the data transfer rate comprises determining an average data transfer rate using data in a received data packet and a time period associated with the received data packet; 132. The method of invention 132, comprising.
[B: Invention 137]
134. The method of invention 132, wherein determining the value associated with the data transfer rate comprises determining the value associated with the transfer rate based on a device profile.
[B: Invention 138]
Providing the notification provides an option to schedule transfer of the undelivered portion of the email message, an option to initiate transfer of the undelivered portion of the email message, and additional notification later 143. The method of invention 132, comprising providing at least one of the options.
[B: Invention 139]
143. The method of invention 132, further comprising providing the email message.
[B: Invention 140]
140. The method of invention 139, wherein providing the email message comprises providing the email message at the scheduled transfer time.
[B: Invention 141]
140. The method of invention 139, wherein providing the email message comprises providing a user with an option to initiate the transfer.
[C: Invention 142]
Displaying at least one indicator of an event associated with at least one undelivered portion of at least one email message;
Monitoring the position and selection status of a pointer controller to detect that one of the at least one indicator has been selected by a user;
Providing scheduling information associated with the at least one undelivered portion of the at least one email message and the event in response to detecting that one of the at least one indicator has been selected by the user. Interfacing with the user of a computer system having a graphical user display.
[C: Invention 143]
143. The method of invention 142, wherein providing the scheduling information comprises providing at least one of a current time, a scheduled time, a scheduled event, and a scheduled download time.
[C: Invention 144]
Changing the scheduling information associated with the at least one undelivered portion of the at least one email message and the event in response to detecting that one of the at least one indicator has been selected by the user 143. The method of invention 142, further comprising providing an option to do.
[C: Invention 145]
143. The method of invention 142, further comprising displaying a notification related to the at least one undelivered portion of the at least one email message based on the scheduling information.
[C: Invention 146]
The step of displaying the notification includes the option of scheduling the transfer of the at least one undelivered portion of the at least one email message, the transfer of the at least one undelivered portion of the at least one email message. 143. The method of invention 142, comprising providing at least one of an option to start and an option to later provide additional notifications.
[C: Invention 147]
143. The invention 142, further comprising controlling a pointer element on the graphical user display using a user pointer controller, the pointer controller having a position and selection status responsive to an operation by the user. the method of.
[C: Invention 148]
143. The method of invention 142, wherein displaying the at least one indicator of the event comprises displaying at least one of an envelope icon and a calendar icon.
[D: Invention 149]
Determining whether it is desirable to provide less than all of the email messages;
Selecting at least one portion of the email message;
Displaying at least one text string indicative of the at least one portion of the email message;
Displaying at least one display of a version of the at least one portion of the email message having reduced resolution;
Displaying at least one selection field corresponding to the reduced resolution version of the at least one portion of the at least one email message;
Monitoring the position and selection status of a pointer controller to detect that one of the at least one selection field has been selected by a user;
Changing the appearance of the selected one of the at least one selection field in response to detecting that one of the at least one selection field has been selected by the user. A method of interfacing with a user of a computer system having a user display.
[D: Invention 150]
149. The invention of claim 149, further comprising displaying at least one of a size field and a time field corresponding to the reduced resolution version of the at least one portion of the at least one email message. Method.
[D: Invention 151]
Displaying at least one indication of a priority level of the reduced resolution version of the at least one portion of the email message;
An option to change the priority level of the reduced resolution version of the at least one portion of the email message in response to detecting that at least one priority level field has been selected by the user; 150. The method of invention 149, further comprising the step of providing.
[D: Invention 152]
150. The invention 149, further comprising controlling a pointer element on the graphical user display using a user pointer controller, the pointer controller having a position and selection status responsive to an operation by the user. the method of.
[E: Invention 153]
Displaying at least one indicator of a digital rights management rule associated with at least one portion of at least one email message;
Monitoring the position and selection status of a pointer controller to detect that at least one of the at least one indicator has been selected by the user;
In response to detecting that at least one of the at least one indicator has been selected by the user, user authorization and digital rights management rules associated with the at least one portion of the at least one email message Providing a display and interfacing with the user of a computer system having a graphical user display.
[E: Invention 154]
Providing the indication of the user permission includes at least one of an option to acquire one or more digital rights and an option to downcast the at least one portion of the at least one email message. 154. A method according to invention 153, comprising the step of providing.
[E: Invention 155]
In response to detecting that at least one of the at least one indicator has been selected by the user, altering the digital rights management rules associated with the at least one portion of the at least one email message 154. The method of invention 153, further comprising providing an option.
[E: Invention 156]
153. The invention 153, further comprising controlling a pointer element on the graphical user display using a user pointer controller, wherein the pointer controller has a position and selection status responsive to an operation by the user. the method of.
[E: Invention 157]
Displaying the user permission associated with the at least one portion of the at least one e-mail message and the at least one indicator of the display of the digital rights management rules includes a closed key icon and an open key 154. The method of invention 153, comprising displaying at least one of the icons.
[F: Invention 158]
Displaying at least one text string indicative of at least one portion of at least one email message;
Displaying at least one indication of an estimated time of download of the portion of the email message;
Displaying at least one selection field corresponding to the at least one portion of the at least one email message;
Monitoring the position and selection status of a pointer controller to detect that one of the at least one selection field has been selected by the user;
Changing the appearance of the selected one of the at least one selection field in response to detecting that one of the at least one selection field has been selected by the user. A method of interfacing with a user of a computer system having a user display.
[F: Invention 159]
159. The method of invention 158, further comprising displaying a progress field indicating a transferred portion of the at least one portion of the at least one email message.
[F: Invention 160]
Displaying at least one action field corresponding to the at least one portion of the at least one email message, and detecting that one of the at least one action field has been selected by the user 156. The method of claim 158, further comprising monitoring the position and selection status of the pointer controller to do so.
[F: Invention 161]
Initiating or temporarily transferring the at least one portion of the at least one email message in response to detecting that the one of the at least one action field has been selected by the user. 164. The method of invention 160, further comprising stopping.
[F: Invention 162]
158. The invention 158, further comprising controlling a pointer element on the graphical user display using a user pointer controller, the pointer controller having a position and selection status responsive to an operation by the user. the method of.
[F: Invention 163]
159. The method of invention 158, further comprising selecting the at least one portion of the at least one email message using input provided by the user.
[F: Invention 164]
A computer program executed on a computer, comprising program code means adapted to carry out the method according to any of inventions 1 to 58 or the method according to any of inventions 119 to 163.

1 is a diagram illustrating one system for practicing an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating one system for practicing an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating one system for practicing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of an email that can be stored by an email management module. FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of an email that can be stored by an email management module. FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of an email that can be stored by an email management module. FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of an email that can be stored by an email management module. FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of an email that can be stored by an email management module. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of an attached file of an electronic mail such as the electronic mail illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 conceptually illustrates an alternative embodiment of a system in which one or more embodiments of the present invention may be implemented. FIG. 5 conceptually illustrates an alternative embodiment of a system in which one or more embodiments of the present invention may be implemented. FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a method for supplying a portion of an email message according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a method for supplying a portion of an email message according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a method for supplying a portion of an email message according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a method for supplying a portion of an email message according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a user profile, according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a dialog box, according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a user profile, according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a dialog box, according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a user profile, according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a dialog box, according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a user profile, according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a dialog box, according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a user profile, according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a dialog box, according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a detail box, according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a detail box according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a calendar entry, according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a method for supplying a portion of an email message according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of a dialog box that includes scheduling information according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of notification according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of an emergency notification according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a method for providing notification of an undelivered portion of an email message according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a method for supplying an email message according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of an acquisition dialog box and one embodiment of a change dialog box, according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a stylized block diagram illustrating a processor-based device according to one embodiment of the invention.

Claims (19)

A method performed by a server connected to a plurality of processor-based devices over a network, comprising:
Determining from a mail transfer criteria whether the email message includes scheduling information indicating a calendar event and providing less than the entire email message;
Determining a file format or file type of a file attached to the e-mail message in response to determining to provide less than the entire e-mail message;
Selecting a portion of the email message based on the determined file format or file type;
Generating a reduced copy of the email message from the selected portion;
Providing the reduced copy to a processor-based device corresponding to a recipient of the email message;
Determining that less than all of the email messages have been sent;
Associating the email message with the calendar event based on the scheduling information;
Providing notification that less than all of the email messages have been sent based on the calendar event;
Providing the notification includes determining a time associated with the calendar event;
Determining the current time;
Determining a difference between a time associated with the email message and the current time;
Providing a plurality of notifications having at least one of a supply frequency and an urgency that increase as a difference between the time associated with the email message and the current time decreases;
Said method.   The step of providing the plurality of notifications having at least one of the supply frequency and the urgency comprises providing the plurality of notifications having a supply frequency determined by a user profile. The method described in 1.   3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein providing the notification comprises providing a late notification if the current time has passed the time associated with the email message. Reducing the resolution of the selected portion of the email message;
The supplying step comprises:
The method according to claim 1, comprising providing the portion of the email message having the reduced resolution. The method of claim 4 , wherein reducing the resolution comprises downcasting a portion of at least one file associated with the email message. The method of claim 5 , wherein the at least one file is at least one of an audio file, a video file, a multimedia file, an image file, and a graphics file. The downcasting step includes reducing the resolution at a full size of the at least one file, reducing the resolution at a reduced size of the at least one file, and reducing the at least one file. 7. The method of claim 5 or 6 , comprising providing at least one of a full resolution version in size and a reduced color resolution version of the at least one file. Determining from a mail transfer criteria whether to provide less than the whole of the email message,
Determining a value associated with a data transfer rate of the network;
Determining a value associated with the size of the email message;
It said containing and determining based on a server or a value which the processor-based device is associated with the value associated with the transfer rate and the mail transfer criteria for storing the size of claims 1-7 The method according to any one of the above. Determining a value associated with the size of the email message;
9. The method of claim 8 , comprising determining values associated with sizes of the at least one identified chart, table, page, meeting schedule, table of contents, summary, audio clip, and video clip. The step of selecting the portion is based on the determined value associated with the size of at least one identified chart, table, page, meeting schedule, table of contents, summary, audio clip, or video clip. 10. The method of claim 9 , comprising selecting the at least one identified chart, table, page, meeting schedule, table of contents, summary, audio clip, or video clip. Determining a value associated with the data transfer rate;
Determining a value associated with the data transfer rate based on a device profile stored by the server or the processor-based device, or in at least one received data packet over the network The method of claim 8 , comprising determining an average data transfer rate based on data and a time period associated with the received data packet. Based on at least one of a user input / user profile and a device profile stored by the server or the processor-based device for the mail transfer criteria, a threshold time, a default threshold time, a user preference 12. A method according to any preceding claim, comprising selecting from at least one of a maximum transfer time, a maximum attachment file size, a minimum average transfer rate, and a time. The mail transfer criterion is a threshold time,
Determining whether to provide less than the entire email message;
Estimating a transfer time using a value associated with the data transfer rate and a value associated with the size of the email message;
And comparing the said threshold time the estimated transfer time, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12. The supplying step comprises:
Sending the selected portion of the email message from the server to a processor-based device corresponding to a recipient of the email message;
The method according to claim 1, further comprising: storing the entire e-mail message at the server. The supplying step comprises:
Transmitting the selected portion from the server to a receiving processor-based device corresponding to a recipient of the email message and storing the entire email message at the server; or
Sending the selected portion from the sending processor-based device corresponding to the sender of the email message to the server and storing the entire email message at the sending processor-based device comprising a method according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Providing the recipient of the email message with an option to supply the selected portion;
16. The method of any of claims 1-15 , further comprising: supplying the selected portion in response to the recipient selecting to supply the selected portion. 17. A method according to any of claims 1 to 16 , further comprising the step of supplying an additionally selected portion of the email message substantially after the step of supplying.   A computer program for causing a server to execute each step of the method according to claim 1. A server computer connected to a plurality of processor-based devices over a network,
The email message contains scheduling information indicating a calendar event;
It means for determining whether to supply with less than the entire from the mail forwarding criteria of the email message,
Means for determining a file format or file type of a file attached to the email message in response to determining to provide less than the entire email message;
Means for selecting a portion of the email message based on the determined file format or file type;
Means for generating a reduced copy of the email message from the selected portion;
Means for supplying the reduced copy to a processor-based device corresponding to a recipient of the email message;
Means for determining that less than all of the email messages have been sent;
Means for associating the email message with the calendar event based on the scheduling information;
Providing a notification that less than all of the email messages have been sent based on the calendar event;
Means for providing said notification means for determining a time associated with said calendar event;
Means for determining the current time;
Means for determining a difference between a time associated with the email message and the current time;
Means for providing a plurality of notifications having at least one of a supply frequency and an urgency that increase as a difference between the time associated with the email message and the current time decreases. ·Computer.

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