Patent Application
20140310324
Embodiments of the invention generally relate to automatically sorting and indexing electronic files, and in particular automatically sorting and indexing emails and attachments.
With the continual shift from paper-based communications to electronic communications as a primary means of communication, people are often faced with managing an ever-increasing number of emails (many of which include important attachments). This shift is occurring at both a consumer level and a business level. It is therefore common for users to create electronic filing systems to store important emails and/or attachments. However, organizing emails/attachments can take hours out of already-overwhelming schedules. Further, the number of emails received can be overwhelming, making it an often impossible task to organize and electronically file every email, let alone read each email. Therefore, it is not uncommon for emails and attachments to be lost in a sea of emails.
Many email clients support sub folders, which users can manually create and use to organize emails/attachments (e.g., sub-folders within the user's “Inbox”). Additionally email clients often support search and filter commands that allow users to search for emails by keyword, or to create rules that automatically filter received emails to a destination folder based on user-specified keywords. Users can also save attachments to disk and use the disk filing system to sort and filter the attachments. However, these solutions usually require a measure of user effort and time in sorting, prioritizing and filtering emails, thus making the process cumbersome and inefficient. Further, while a user can configure rules to sort emails to specified folders, the user must manually configure each rule.
Emails with attachments are inevitability larger than standard emails, and therefore are often the biggest contributor to the size of a user's inbox. There is often a limit on how much data can be stored in a user's email inbox (e.g., resource limitations for consumer email products, as well as email storage limitations imposed by businesses). Therefore users are often forced to archive entire folders, or to blindly delete stored data to comply with such restrictions. There can be a risk that important emails/attachments are accidentally deleted, or if a user's inbox is full then they may not be able to receive emails until other emails are deleted (e.g., to free up storage).
In accordance with the disclosed subject matter, systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media are provided for automatically sorting, indexing, extracting and relocating emails to reduce the amount of data stored in a user's electronic inbox.
The disclosed subject matter includes a computerized method for sorting electronic files. The method includes receiving, by a computing device, a set of emails from a folder for an email program. The method includes identifying, by the computing device, a set of nouns from a first email from the set of emails, wherein the first email includes a document attached to the first email, and wherein the set of nouns are identified from (i) the first email, (ii) the document attached to the first email, or both. The method includes sorting, by the computing device, the set of nouns alphabetically. The method includes creating, by the computing device, a file structure on a storage device for storing data from the set of emails. The file structure includes a first folder with a same name as the folder for the email program, and a second folder with a name including the sorted set of nouns. The method includes storing, by the computing device, the document attached to the first email in the second folder.
The disclosed subject matter further includes a computing device for sorting electronic files. The server includes a database. The server also includes a processor in communication with the database, and configured to run a module stored in memory. The module stored in memory is configured to cause the processor to receive a set of emails from a folder for an email program. The module stored in memory is configured to cause the processor to identify a set of nouns from a first email from the set of emails, wherein the first email includes a document attached to the first email, and wherein the set of nouns are identified from (i) the first email, (ii) the document attached to the first email, or both. The module stored in memory is configured to cause the processor to sort the set of nouns alphabetically. The module stored in memory is configured to cause the processor to create a file structure on the database for storing data from the set of emails. The file structure includes a first folder with a same name as the folder for the email program, and a second folder with a name including the sorted set of nouns. The module stored in memory is configured to cause the processor to store the document attached to the first email in the second folder.
The disclosed subject matter further includes a non-transitory computer readable medium. The non-transitory computer readable medium has executable instructions operable to cause an apparatus to receive a set of emails from a folder for an email program. The instructions are further operable to cause an apparatus to identify a set of nouns from a first email from the set of emails, wherein the first email includes a document attached to the first email, and wherein the set of nouns are identified from (i) the first email, (ii) the document attached to the first email, or both. The instructions are further operable to cause an apparatus to sort the set of nouns alphabetically. The instructions are further operable to cause an apparatus to create a file structure on a storage device for storing data from the set of emails. The file structure includes a first folder with a same name as the folder for the email program, and a second folder with a name includes the sorted set of nouns. The instructions are further operable to cause an apparatus to store the document attached to the first email in the second folder.
The techniques described herein automatically sort, index and save to disk emails and/or attachments from an email inbox, or from other specified folders (e.g., located within the inbox). Once stored, the emails can then be removed from the inbox (or folder(s)) to free up space and to allow for better email management. A file structure can be created on a storage device that preserves the existing file structure of the inbox, and adds new folders with names that contain keywords extracted from the emails and/or attachments. The emails and/or attachments are then stored within the appropriate folder based on extracted keywords from the email and/or attachments. Attachments can be identified quicker based on the file structure (e.g., rather than blindly searching through large collections of emails). Automatically indexing and sorting the attachments can improve storage within the email system while providing a user with confidence that important emails and attachments were safely filed to disk for the backed-up folder. Additionally, a user can be sure to not miss important emails due to a lack of storage space within their mailbox.
These and other capabilities of the disclosed subject matter will be more fully understood after a review of the following figures, detailed description, and claims. It is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
Various objectives, features, and advantages of the disclosed subject matter can be more fully appreciated with reference to the following detailed description of the disclosed subject matter when considered in connection with the following drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth regarding the systems and methods of the disclosed subject matter and the environment in which such systems and methods may operate, etc., in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed subject matter. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that the disclosed subject matter may be practiced without such specific details, and that certain features, which are well known in the art, are not described in detail in order to avoid unnecessary complication of the disclosed subject matter. In addition, it will be understood that the embodiments provided below are exemplary, and that it is contemplated that there are other systems and methods that are within the scope of the disclosed subject matter.
Rather than going through a time consuming manual sorting process of electronic data (e.g., emails and/or attachments), the disclosed techniques enable a user to perform a “one click” sorting and indexing of the data. The sorting and indexing results in a file structure stored in a local storage device that both preserves the original file structure and adds new folders within which to store the data based on keywords extracted from the data. The extracted keywords are used to create the new folders, within which emails and/or attachments with similar topics (or subject matter) are grouped.
The communication network 114 can include a network or combination of networks that can accommodate public or private data communication. For example, the communication network 114 can include a local area network (LAN), a cellular network, a telephone network, a computer network, a packet switching network, a line switching network, a wide area network (WAN), any number of networks that can be referred to as an Intranet, and/or the Internet. Such networks may be implemented with any number of hardware and software components, transmission media and network protocols.
Processor 104 can be configured to implement the functionality described herein using computer executable instructions stored in a temporary and/or permanent non-transitory memory such as memory 106. Memory 106 can be flash memory, a magnetic disk drive, an optical drive, a programmable read-only memory (PROM), a read-only memory (ROM), or any other memory or combination of memories. The processor 104 can be a general purpose processor and/or can also be implemented using an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), programmable logic array (PLA), field programmable gate array (FPGA), and/or any other integrated circuit. Similarly, databases 108 and 112 may also be flash memory, a magnetic disk drive, an optical drive, a programmable read-only memory (PROM), a read-only memory (ROM), or any other memory or combination of memories. The remote storage device 110 can execute an operating system that can be any operating system, including a typical operating system such as Windows, Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, Windows RT, Mac OS X, Linux, VXWorks, Android, Blackberry OS, iOS, Symbian, or other OSs. While not shown, the remote storage device 110 can include a processor and/or memory.
The components of system 100 can include interfaces (not shown) that can allow the components to communicate with each other and/or other components, such as other devices on one or more networks, server devices on the same or different networks, or user devices either directly or via intermediate networks. The interfaces can be implemented in hardware to send and receive signals from a variety of mediums, such as optical, copper, and wireless, and in a number of different protocols some of which may be non-transient.
The software in the computing device 102 and/or remote storage device 110 can be divided into a series of tasks that perform specific functions. These tasks can communicate with each other as desired to share control and data information throughout the computing device (e.g., via defined Application Programmer Interfaces (“APIs”)). A task can be a software process that performs a specific function related to system control or session processing. In some embodiments, three types of tasks can operate within the computing devices: critical tasks, controller tasks, and manager tasks. The critical tasks can control functions that relate to the server's ability to process calls such as server initialization, error detection, and recovery tasks. The controller tasks can mask the distributed nature of the software from the user and perform tasks such as monitoring the state of subordinate manager(s), providing for intra-manager communication within the same subsystem (as described below), and enabling inter-subsystem communication by communicating with controller(s) belonging to other subsystems. The manager tasks can control system resources and maintain logical mappings between system resources.
Individual tasks that run on processors in the application cards can be divided into subsystems. A subsystem can be a software element that either performs a specific task or is a culmination of multiple other tasks. A single subsystem can include critical tasks, controller tasks, and manager tasks. Some of the subsystems that run on the computing device can include a system initiation task subsystem, a high availability task subsystem, a shared configuration task subsystem, and a resource management subsystem.
The system initiation task subsystem can be responsible for starting a set of initial tasks at system startup and providing individual tasks as needed. The high availability task subsystem can work in conjunction with the recovery control task subsystem to maintain the operational state of the computing device by monitoring the various software and hardware components of the computing device. Recovery control task subsystem can be responsible for executing a recovery action for failures that occur in the computing device and receives recovery actions from the high availability task subsystem. Processing tasks can be distributed into multiple instances running in parallel so if an unrecoverable software fault occurs, the entire processing capabilities for that task are not lost. User session processes can be sub-grouped into collections of sessions so that if a problem is encountered in one sub-group users in another sub-group will preferably not be affected by that problem.
A shared configuration task subsystem can provide the computing device with an ability to set, retrieve, and receive notification of server configuration parameter changes and is responsible for storing configuration data for the applications running within the computing device. A resource management subsystem can be responsible for assigning resources (e.g., processor and memory capabilities) to tasks and for monitoring the task's use of the resources.
In some embodiments, the computing device can reside in a data center and form a node in a cloud computing infrastructure. The computing device can also provide services on demand such as Kerberos authentication, HTTP session establishment and other web services, and other services. A module hosting a client can be capable of migrating from one server to another server seamlessly, without causing program faults or system breakdown. A computing device in the cloud can be managed using a management system.
As is further described below with reference to
Further, while a particular number of keywords are shown for each email and attachment (e.g., email one 204 has two identified keywords, and attachment one 206 has two identified keywords) any number of keywords can be identified for each email and/or attachment, as is further described below (e.g., based on identification criteria, such as relevance to both the email and attachment). For example, in some embodiments all of the keywords are identified from the attachment (e.g., and therefore none are identified from the email). In some embodiments, all of the keywords are identified from the email (e.g., and therefore none are identified from the attachment).
At step 306, the computing device 102 identifies a set of keywords from the email, the document attached to the email, or both. At step 310, the computing device 102 sorts the set of keywords (e.g., alphabetically). At step 312, the computing device 102 determines whether a folder exists in the file structure (e.g., stored on database 108 and/or database 112) with a name that matches (e.g., partially, or fully) the sorted set of keywords. If the folder does not exist, the method proceeds to step 316, otherwise the method proceeds to step 314. At step 314, the computing device 102 saves the email, attachment, or both in the identified folder. At step 316, the computing device 102 creates a folder that is named based on the sorted set of keywords. The method 300 proceeds to step 314, and the computing device 102 saves the email, attachment, or both in the newly created folder.
Referring to step 302, the emails can be accessed using an interface to the email client. For example, computing device 102 can use the messaging application programming interface (MAPI), which is a messaging architecture and a Component Object Model based application programmer interface for Microsoft Windows. Using an interface to the mail client can allow the computing device 102 to easily read the email client folder and attachments. In some embodiments, the computing device 102 accesses local data (e.g., stored within the computing device 102 itself) to obtain the emails.
Referring further to step 302, the emails can be from a particular folder in the user's mail client (e.g., the user's “Inbox”, a sub-folder from the “Inbox,” and/or the like). The data received can include information indicative of a file structure within the email program folder. For example, the file structure can include the user's “Inbox” as the top level folder in the file structure, and can also include a number of additional sub-folders (and/or nested sub-folders) within the user's “Inbox,” each of which may include associated emails. In some embodiments, the folder is stored in memory 106 and/or database 108. A user can specify the folder, or set of folders, for the computing device 102 to sort and index (e.g., via a graphical user interface). In some embodiments, the program can receive the set of emails from the remote storage device 110 (e.g., if a user is using a web-based email client).
Referring to step 304, each email is processed by the method 300 until all emails are processed. For example, referring to
The computing device 102 next processes email two 208 and attachment two 210. The computing device 102 extracts keywords “project, timeframe, server, code,” and alphabetically sorts the keywords to “code, project, server, timeframe.” Since email two 208 was in the inbox 202, the computing device searches for a folder named “code project server timeframe” in the inbox folder 212. Since the computing device does not find the folder, the computing device creates the code project server timeframe folder 216 as a sub-folder of the inbox folder 212. The computing device stores the attachment two 210 in the code project server timeframe folder 216.
The computing device 102 next processes email three 212 and attachment three 214. The computing device 102 extracts keywords “cost, sale, phone, coupon,” and alphabetically sorts the keywords to “cost, coupon, phone, sale.” Since email three 212 was in the inbox folder 202, the computing device searches for a folder named “cost coupon phone sale” in the inbox folder 212. The computing device 102 identifies cost coupon phone sale folder 214, and stores the attachment three 214 in the cost coupon phone sale folder 408.
Referring further to step 304, in some embodiments the method 300 is configured to only process an email if it has an attachment. Therefore, in some embodiments step 304 checks whether the email from the set of emails includes an attachment. If the email includes an attachment, the method proceeds to step 306. If the email does not include an attachment, step 304 can proceed to analyze remaining emails (e.g., until no emails are left, at which point method 300 proceeds to step 308 and terminates).
Referring further to step 304, the computing device 102 can process emails in sub-folders within the email program folder in a recursive manner. For example, the data received in step 302 can include data indicative of a set of sub-folders in the folder for the email program, as described with reference to step 302. In some embodiments, the method 300 can be configured to search for folders only within a parent folder of the file structure that has a same name as the sub-folder in the email program folder that contained the email. For example,
The file structure 410 differs from the file structure 210 of
Referring to email one 404, the computing device 102 extracts the keywords “cost, sale, phone, coupon” from email one 204 and attachment one 206, and alphabetically sorts the keywords to “cost, coupon, phone, sale.” Since email one 204 was in the inbox 401, the computing device searches for a folder named “cost coupon phone sale” in the inbox folder 212 in the file structure 410. Since it does not find the folder, it creates the cost coupon phone sale folder 214 as a sub-folder of the inbox 212. The computing device stores the attachment one 206 in the cost coupon phone sale folder 214.
The computing device 102 next processes email two 208 and attachment two 210. The computing device 102 extracts keywords “project, timeframe, server, code,” and alphabetically sorts the keywords to “code, project, server, timeframe.” Since email two 208 was in the inbox sub-folder 402, the computing device 102 searches for a folder named “code project server timeframe” in the inbox sub-folder 404. Since it does not find the folder, it creates the code project server timeframe folder 406 as a sub-folder of the inbox sub-folder 404. The computing device stores the attachment two 210 in the code project server timeframe folder 406.
The computing device 102 next processes email three 212 and attachment three 214. The computing device 102 extracts keywords “cost, sale, phone, coupon,” and alphabetically sorts the keywords to “cost, coupon, phone, sale.” Since email three 212 was in the inbox sub-folder 402, the computing device searches for a folder named “cost coupon phone sale” in the inbox sub-folder 404. Since it does not find the folder, it creates the cost coupon phone sale folder 408 as a sub-folder of the inbox sub-folder 404. The computing device stores the attachment three 214 in the cost coupon phone sale folder 408. Note that even though there is a the cost coupon phone sale folder 214 exists in the inbox 212 (e.g., and therefore has a name that includes the keywords identified from email three 212 and attachment three 214), in this example since email three 212 was in inbox sub-folder 402, only the corresponding inbox sub-folder 404 is searched for a folder containing the identified keywords.
Referring to step 306, the number of keywords the computing device 102 identifies can be configurable (e.g., four keywords, five keywords, and/or the like). Further, the type of keyword can be configurable (e.g., nouns, adjectives, etc.). In some embodiments, the keywords can be a preconfigured number of nouns extracted from the email and/or attachment. The computing device 102 can identify each keyword based on a number of times each keyword appears in the email and/or attachment (e.g., by selecting a predetermined number of keywords that have the highest word counts). For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/763,864, entitled “Document Summarization Using Noun and Sentence Ranking,” filed on Feb. 11, 2013, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, generally describes methods of summarizing documents by identifying the most prevalent nouns. The summarization techniques described therein can be used to extract a set of nouns from the emails and attachments. Other techniques can be used to extract the keywords, such as identifying a preconfigured number of the most prevalent words (e.g., excluding articles, etc.), identifying words that are in both the email title and the body of the attachment, and/or other identification techniques.
The computing device 102 can extract the keywords from the email, from the attachment, or from a combination of both. In some embodiments, the keywords are extracted from the body of the attachment. In some embodiments, the keywords are extracted from the title of the email, the body of the email, and/or other portions of the email (e.g., email addresses, etc.). In some embodiments, the keywords are extracted from both the email and the attachment.
Referring to step 310, the computing device 102 can sort the keywords alphabetically, reverse-alphabetically, and/or the like. The computing device can also sort the keywords using other techniques, such as based on the type of word (e.g., such as nouns, verbs, etc.), based on the prevalence of the keyword in the email/attachment, and/or the like. In some embodiments, the computing device 102 sorts the identified keywords in the same manner for each identified set to ensure that multiple folders are not made for the same keywords (e.g., a first folder with keywords in a first order, and a second folder with the same keywords in a different order).
Referring to step 312, the computing device 102 first creates a base file structure on a storage device for storing data from the set of emails. The file structure mirrors that of the email folder and any sub-folders on the email client. Referring to
Referring to step 316, the computing device 102 can be configured to create each new folder within the corresponding folder in the email system that housed the email. The computing device 102 can be configured to not store files in the inbox root folder (e.g., inbox 212 of file structure 210 in
Referring further to step 316, the folders can be named in any manner such that the computing device 102 can identify the folder and use it to store attachments that have the same set of identified keywords. In some embodiments, the folder names can contain the identified, sorted keywords. For example, the folder names can include just the keywords (e.g., as shown in
Referring to step 314, the computing device can store the email, the attachment, or both in the identified (or created) folder. Referring to
Referring further to step 314, the computing device 102 can be configured to name the files (e.g., the emails and/or attachments) according to a naming convention. For example, the computing device 102 can name an email using the subject of the email, using keywords extracted from various fields of the email, etc. As another example, the computing device 102 can name the attachment based on the attachment name, keywords extracted from the attachment, etc. The computing device 102 can resolve identical names using standard techniques. For example, if the computing device 102 determines that the filename already exists, the computing device 102 can create a new file with a “copy” suffix added to filename portion. If the computing device 102 determines that the “copy” suffix already exists, the computing device 102 can append a number after the “copy” suffix, and continue to increase the number until no filename exists with the same filename. For example, if the computing device 102 is creating “The Document.docx” but determines “The Document.docx” exists, then the computing device 102 names the file “The Document Copy.docx.”
In some embodiments, the computing device 102 can be configured to remove a processed (e.g., archived) email and/or its associated attachment from the email client folder. For example, referring to
The subject matter described herein can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structural means disclosed in this specification and structural equivalents thereof, or in combinations of them. The subject matter described herein can be implemented as one or more computer program products, such as one or more computer programs tangibly embodied in an information carrier (e.g., in a machine readable storage device), or embodied in a propagated signal, for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus (e.g., a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple computers). A computer program (also known as a program, software, software application, or code) can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to a file. A program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data, in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.
The processes and logic flows described in this specification, including the method steps of the subject matter described herein, can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform functions of the subject matter described herein by operating on input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performed by, and apparatus of the subject matter described herein can be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit).
Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processor of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. Information carriers suitable for embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of nonvolatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, (e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices); magnetic disks, (e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks); magneto optical disks; and optical disks (e.g., CD and DVD disks). The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.
To provide for interaction with a user, the subject matter described herein can be implemented on a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device, (e.g., a mouse or a trackball), by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well. For example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback), and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.
The subject matter described herein can be implemented in a computing system that includes a back end component (e.g., a data server), a middleware component (e.g., an application server), or a front end component (e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface or a web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the subject matter described herein), or any combination of such back end, middleware, and front end components. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples of communication networks include a local area network (“LAN”) and a wide area network (“WAN”), e.g., the Internet.
It is to be understood that the disclosed subject matter is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The disclosed subject matter is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the disclosed subject matter. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosed subject matter.
Although the disclosed subject matter has been described and illustrated in the foregoing exemplary embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example, and that numerous changes in the details of implementation of the disclosed subject matter may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed subject matter, which is limited only by the claims which follow.
