Patent ID: 8073822
Filing Date: 2011-12-06
Classification: G06Q,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for the storage-efficient management of electronic messages, comprising: in a system comprising an email server and an archive server, receiving a first email message at the archive server from the email server; decomposing at the archive server the first email message into a first basic structure and file attachments attached to the first email message; selecting a file attachment attached to the first email message; determining if the selected file attachment is an additional email message containing further file attachments; if the selected file attachment is an email message containing further file attachments, decomposing the selected file attachment into an additional basic structure for a corresponding email message and further file attachments attached to the corresponding email message; recursively performing the selecting, determining and decomposing steps using each file attachment and further file attachment as the selected file attachment until the first email message is decomposed into the basic structure, additional basic structures and file attachments not containing further file attachments; calculating at the archive server a new unique identification code for each one of the file attachments not containing further file attachments; calculating at the archive server a hash value for each one of the file attachments with an identification code based on the content of that file attachment; storing the file attachments not containing further file attachments as files with respective identification codes and hash values for which no file with an identical hash value already exists in storage; adding at the archive server the new unique identification code and incrementing a reference counter for file attachments not containing further file attachments for whose hash value a file already exists in the storage; storing by the archive server the first basic structure, wherein the first basic structure is stored with references to additional basic structures for email messages attached to the first basic structure and any file attachments not containing additional file attachments attached to the first email message; storing by the archive server each additional basic structure with a references to additional basic structures for email messages attached to the additional email message corresponding to the email message being stored and with references to any file attachments not containing further file attachments attached to the additional email message corresponding to the additional basic structure being stored.