Patent ID: 8510471

Claim:
A method of communicating data items on behalf of a first device to one or more second devices coupled to a communication network via a file processing system in the communication network, the file processing system being interposed between said first device and said one or more second devices, said method comprising: the file processing system intercepting an original data item during an original communication, the original communication having been sent by an originating device to the first device via the file processing system using the communication network; the file processing system associating a unique ID with the original data item; the file processing system caching the original data item and the unique ID to enable the original data item to be referenced using the unique ID; the file processing system sending the unique ID and the original data item to the first device in completing the original communication associated with the original data item, provision of the unique ID to the first device enabling the first device to have the file processing system send the original data item or a processed version thereof on its behalf in subsequent communications; in a subsequent communication by the source to said one or more destinations via the file processing system using the communication network, the file processing system receiving the unique ID from the first device instead of the original data item and a request to send the original data item or a processed version thereof to said one or more second devices; the file processing system using the received unique ID to access the original data item; the file processing system determining whether the one or more second devices are capable of handling a file type associated with the original data item; the file processing system sending to at least one of the one or more second devices capable of handling said file type, on behalf of the first device, either the original data item or a processed data item according to the capabilities of respective ones of the one or more second devices determined by the file processing system; and the file processing system sending to at least one second device not capable of handling said file type, the unique ID and an indication of the file without the original data item itself.