SHARED CONTENT SERVER FOR ELECTRONIC MESSAGES
Methods, apparati, and computer-readable media for reducing the total amount of disk space used by multiple recipients of an electronic message in a communications network. The present invention removes the requirement that all recipients ( 35 ) of electronic messages be enabled to receive dynamic content, by moving the responsibility for dealing with dynamic content out of the recipients ( 35 ) and into inbound and outbound servers ( 34, 32 ).
1 . A method for sending electronic messages in a communications network, the method comprising an outbound messaging server performing the steps of:
receiving an outbound message from a client;
sending content contained in the message to a content server;
receiving from the content server at least one content pointer that points to the content as stored by the content server;
adding the content pointer(s) to a message for at least one recipient; and
sending the resulting message(s) to the recipient(s) over the network.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the outbound messaging server includes a standard (“canned”) message in the outbound message before sending the message to the network.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the message contains no attachments.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the message contains at least one attachment.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein no content is included in the message body before the message is sent to the network.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the outbound message is included in the message before the message is sent to the network.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a customized message is included in the message before the message is sent to the network.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the client resides on a desktop device.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the client resides on a mobile device.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the client resides on a laptop device.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the outbound messaging server resides on a mobile device.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the outbound messaging server resides on a desktop device.
13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the outbound messaging server resides on a laptop device.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the outbound messaging server resides on a server device.
15 . A method for reading electronic messages in a communications network, the method comprising an inbound messaging server performing the steps of:
receiving a request from a messaging client to read a message;
examining a header of the message for at least one pointer to message content;
when at least one pointer is present in the header, fetching the message content, using the pointer(s), from a content server; and
sending the message, including the content, to the client.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the client resides on a laptop device.
17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the client resides on a mobile device.
18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the client resides on a desktop device.
19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the inbound messaging server resides on a server.
20 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the inbound messaging server resides on a desktop.
21 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the inbound messaging server resides on a laptop.
22 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the inbound messaging server resides on a mobile device.
23 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the message content includes no attachments.
24 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the message content includes at least one attachment.
25 . At least one computer-readable medium containing computer program instructions for sending electronic messages in a communications network, said instructions directing an outbound messaging server to perform the steps of:
receiving an outbound message from a client;
sending content contained in the message to a content server;
receiving from the content server at least one content pointer that points to the content as stored by the content server;
adding the content pointer(s) to a message for at least one recipient; and
sending the resulting message(s) to the recipient(s) over the network.
26 . At least one computer-readable medium containing computer program instructions for reading electronic messages in a communications network, said instructions directing an inbound messaging server to perform the steps of:
receiving a request from a messaging client to read a message;
examining a header of the message for at least one pointer to message content;
when at least one pointer is present in the header, fetching the message content, using the pointer(s), from a content server; and
sending the message, including the content, to the client.
27 . Apparatus for sending and receiving electronic messages in a communications network, said apparatus comprising:
means for sending electronic messages;
means for receiving electronic messages;
coupled to the sending means, means for determining whether the receiving means is able to receive dynamic content;
coupled to the receiving means, means for ascertaining whether dynamic content is present in the electronic message; and
coupled to the determining means and to the ascertaining means, means for storing content contained in the electronic message.