Patent ID: 7424513
Filing Date: 2008-09-09
Classification: G06Q,H04L,Y10S

Abstract:
1. In a computer system that is network connectable along with one or more other computer systems to a network, a method for determining if an attachment is to be deleted in response to a deletion command requesting deletion of a corresponding electronic message, the method comprising: an act of receiving an electronic message, the electronic message including: an act of storing the message body in a message silo of a database, the message body being stored along with one or more other message items defined in accordance with a message schema; an act of storing the attachment in a document silo of the database; an act of maintaining a link between the attachment in the document silo and the electronic message in the message silo such that the message body and the attachment remain related as electronic message data even though they are stored in different silos; an act of receiving a delete command requesting deletion of the electronic message; an act of deleting the message body in response to and in accordance with the received delete command; an act of automatically referring to the coupling field included in the electronic message in response to the delete command to determine if the attachment data is to be deleted along with the message body or if the attachment data is to be retained based on whether the attachment data is coupled to or decoupled from the message body respectively; and an act of processing the attachment data in accordance with the indication in the coupling field included in the electronic message based on the reference to the coupling field included in the electronic message.