KR20060127102A - Serving part of an e-mail message - Google Patents

Abstract

There is provided method, apparatus, article, system for providing a portion of an email. It is first determined whether it is desirable to provide less than all of an email. A portion is selected and is then provided. Selection may be based upon a transfer rate, a message size, and a file format.

Description

Providing part of an e-mail message {PROVIDING A PORTION OF AN ELECTRONIC MAIL MESSAGE}

The present invention relates generally to electronic mail messaging.

E-mail has become an important feature of modern life and users want to be able to receive e-mail messages anytime and virtually anywhere. For example, during a day's journey, a user can send e-mail messages from a home desktop computer in the early morning, from an office desktop computer in the morning, through a cell phone or personal digital assistant in a taxi to the airport. While waiting in the lounge, you can receive in a hotel room via a wireless local area network (WLAN) on a laptop computer, on a plane phone on the flight, or via a high-speed Internet connection provided by the hotel at the end of the day.

Thus, depending on the circumstances, e-mail messages may be sent and / or received by a wide variety of devices at any given point in time. In addition to the aforementioned end-user devices, such as desktop computers, laptop computers, cell phones, PDAs, and the like, e-mail messages typically have various network servers, network switches, hubs, routers, transmission lines. , Wireless transmission media, modems, interface cards, and so forth. The transmission rates of these devices and / or media can vary in many classes. For example, a laptop computer's modem can be limited to a 56 Kb / s transfer rate, a cable modem can easily provide data at a transfer rate of 1-2 Mb / s, and a T-3 connection can reach 40 Mb. It can also provide data at transfer rates as high as / s. The complexity and size of e-mail messages have been increased in proportion to the available transmission speed. Since early e-mail message systems relied on relatively slow modems, such e-mail messages were typically limited to short ASCII text documents. Modern electronic mail messaging systems, on the other hand, may use high-speed connections to transmit documents including complex formatting, audio, graphics, video, and the like. For example, a user can send and / or receive e-mail messages to which a PowerPoint document containing formatted text, images, and animations is attached. As yet another embodiment, a user with appropriate licenses may send and / or receive a feature length movie as an e-mail message. The size of these files can easily exceed several megabytes, and users may expect to transfer much larger files in the future.

Despite the advantages of using high speed connections, sending large amounts of information-rich e-mail messages can be problematic if the same messages are to be sent by lower speed connections. For example, a user reading e-mail messages on a laptop computer connected to the Internet via a 14.4K dial-up modem may have to wait too long for a large e-mail message to be downloaded through the modem. . As another example, a user who is composing electronic messages on a laptop computer connected to the Internet via a 14.4 K bits per second (Kbps) dial-up modem may want to attach a large document to the email message, but You may have to wait too long for messages to be uploaded via the modem. In addition, bottlenecks, excessive traffic, device malfunctions, damaged transmission lines, magnetic storms, etc., can even seriously and often unpredictably reduce the transmission speed of full-speed networks. Thus, the user may have to wait a considerable amount of time to receive any indication of the content of the e-mail message, including any attachments. In addition, it may be difficult to determine what information is included in the e-mail message without the user receiving the entire message. For example, existing e-mail messaging systems typically cannot identify and / or provide relevant portions of e-mail message attachments if the entire message has not been received by the user. This problem is exacerbated by the majority of different file formats or file types that may be included in the attachments.

For example, existing e-mail messaging systems typically cannot play audio files of e-mail message attachments if the entire message has not been received by the user. As another embodiment, existing e-mail messaging systems typically cannot display graphical files, such as films and / or animations, among e-mail message attachments if the entire message was not received by the user. . This problem can be used for files that can be included in attachments, such as Moving Picture Experts Croup (MPEG), Joint Photographic Experts Croup (JPEG), Graphics Interchange Format (GIF), Portable Network Graphics (PNG), Video for is exacerbated by the fact the infinite formats such as Windows, Apple Quicktime ^®, AVI.

E-mail messages are often used to schedule meetings and distribute materials that may be useful to meeting participants. For example, electronic mail can be an efficient way to send documents to participants, such as teleconferences, video conferences, and the like, which are scattered geographically. However, for example, if the files containing the documents are relatively large and the participants are receiving an e-mail message over a slow connection, it may be difficult for some participants to receive these documents. Thus, participants may not receive timely documents for the scheduled meeting. The content of the e-mail message also includes copyright restrictions, distribution rights, broadcast rights, playback rights, publishing rights, licensing restrictions, fair use, other restrictions imposed by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, etc. It may be subject to various digital rights management (DRM) rules. For example, a musician may create a digital representation of a piece of music in a Moving Pictures Expert Group 1 Audio Layer 3 format, commonly known as MP3. The musician may want to distribute MP3 files to a wider audience, but he / she may also want to be rewarded for the creative work of composing music. Thus, the musician may grant digital rights to use the MP3 file, for example, permission to use the MP3 file only to licensed listeners. The listener, on the other hand, may not purchase digital rights until he / she has demonstrated the work.

The present invention is directed to solving or at least reducing the effects of one or more of the problems described above.

 According to a first aspect, there is provided a method comprising: determining whether it is desirable to provide a portion of an entire e-mail message; Selecting a portion of an e-mail message; And providing a selected portion of the e-mail message.

According to a second aspect, when executed, the processor is enabled to: access an e-mail message for delivery to a remote device; To determine whether it is desirable to provide a portion of the entire e-mail message; To select a portion of the e-mail message; A product is provided having one or more machine-readable storage media including instructions for providing a selected portion of an electronic mail message to a remote device.

According to a third aspect, there is provided an interface comprising: an interface; And a control unit coupled to the interface, determining whether it is desirable to provide a portion of the entire e-mail message; Select a portion of an e-mail message; An apparatus is provided having a control unit, adapted to provide a selected portion of an e-mail message.

According to a fourth aspect, a first processor-based device is adapted to provide an e-mail message; A second processor-based device adapted to receive an e-mail message; And determining whether it is desirable to provide a portion of the entire e-mail message; Select a portion of an e-mail message; A system is provided having one or more modules adapted to provide a selected portion of an e-mail message.

According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a method comprising: determining if an e-mail message has been sent, but not all, comprising scheduling information indicating a calendar event; Associating an e-mail message with a calendar event based on the scheduling information; And providing a notification that a not all but an e-mail message has been sent, based on the calendar event.

According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a method for interfacing with a user of a computer system having a graphical user display, comprising: displaying one or more indicators of an event associated with one or more undelivered portions of one or more e-mail messages; Monitoring the position and selection status of the pointer controller to detect that one of the one or more indicators has been selected by the user; And in response to detecting that one of the one or more indicators has been selected by the user, providing scheduling information and an event associated with one or more undelivered portions of the one or more e-mail messages.

According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a method for interfacing with a user of a computer system having a graphical user display, comprising: determining whether it is desirable to provide a portion of an entire e-mail message; Selecting one or more portions of the e-mail message; Displaying one or more text strings indicating one or more portions of the e-mail message; Displaying one or more indications of versions of one or more portions of the e-mail message with reduced resolution; Displaying one or more selection fields corresponding to reduced resolution versions of one or more portions of the one or more e-mail messages; Monitoring the position and selection state of the pointer controller to detect that one of the one or more selection fields has been selected by the user; And in response to detecting that one of the one or more selection fields has been selected by the user, changing the appearance of the selected one of the one or more selection fields.

According to an eighth aspect, there is provided a method for interfacing with a user of a computer system having a graphical user display, the method comprising: displaying one or more indicators of a digital rights management (DRM) rule associated with one or more portions of one or more e-mail messages; Monitoring the position and selection status of the pointer controller to detect that one or more of the one or more indicators have been selected by the user; And in response to detecting that one or more of the one or more indicators have been selected by the user, providing an indication of user rights and DRM rules associated with one or more portions of the one or more e-mail messages.

According to a ninth aspect, there is provided a method for interfacing with a user of a computer system having a graphical user display, the method comprising: displaying one or more text strings indicating one or more portions of one or more e-mail messages; Displaying one or more instructions for an expected time to download a portion of the e-mail message; Displaying one or more selection fields corresponding to one or more portions of the one or more e-mail messages; Monitoring the position and selection state of the pointer controller to detect that one of the one or more selection fields has been selected by the user; And in response to detecting that one of the one or more selection fields has been selected by the user, changing the appearance of the selected one of the one or more selection fields.

According to one embodiment, a method is provided for providing a portion of an e-mail message based on transmission speed, message size, and file format. The method of this embodiment is further configured to determine whether it is desirable to provide a portion of the entire email message, and in response to determining that it is desirable to provide a portion of the entire email message, the format associated with the email message. And determining. The method of this embodiment also includes selecting a portion of the email message using the determined format and providing the selected portion of the email message. In addition to an apparatus for implementing the method, it is also desirable to provide a product having one or more machine-readable storage media containing instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to perform the method.

In one embodiment, a method is provided for providing a portion of an e-mail message with reduced resolution. The method of this embodiment includes determining whether it is desirable to provide a portion of the entire email message, selecting a portion of the email message, and reducing the resolution for the selected portion of the email message. Include. The method of this embodiment also includes providing a portion of the e-mail message with reduced resolution. In addition to an apparatus for implementing the method, it is also desirable to provide a product having one or more machine-readable storage media containing instructions that, when executed, enable a processor to perform the method.

According to one embodiment, a method for interfacing with a user of a computer system with a graphical user display, the method comprising: determining whether it is desirable to provide a portion of an entire e-mail message; Selecting one or more portions of the e-mail message; Displaying one or more text strings indicating one or more portions of the e-mail message; Displaying one or more instructions for a version of one or more portions of the e-mail message with reduced resolution; Displaying one or more selection fields corresponding to reduced resolution versions of one or more portions of the one or more e-mail messages; Monitoring the position and selection state of the pointer controller to detect that one of the one or more selection fields has been selected by the user; And in response to detecting that one of the one or more selection fields has been selected by the user, changing the appearance of the selected one of the one or more selection fields.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for providing notification of an undelivered portion of an e-mail message based on a calendar entry. The method of this embodiment includes determining that an e-mail message has been sent, but not all, comprising scheduling information indicating a calendar event, associating an e-mail message with a calendar event based on the scheduling information, and Based on the calendar event, providing a notification that not all of the e-mail messages have been received.

According to one embodiment, a method is provided for providing notification for an undelivered portion of an e-mail message based on the determined transfer rate value, a determination value associated with the size of the undelivered portion of the e-mail message, and a calendar event. . The method of this embodiment includes determining that an e-mail message has been sent, but not all, indicating a calendar event and associating the e-mail message with the calendar event based on the scheduling information. The method of this embodiment includes providing a notification that an e-mail message has been received, but not all, based on a calendar event, determining a value associated with the data transfer rate, and the size of the undelivered portion of the e-mail message. Determining the associated value. The method of this embodiment further includes scheduling a transmission time for the undelivered portion of the electronic mail message based on the determined transmission rate value, the determination value associated with the size of the electronic mail message, and the calendar event.

According to one embodiment, a method is provided for interfacing with a user of a computer system having a graphical user display. The method of this embodiment includes displaying one or more indicators for an event associated with one or more undelivered portions of one or more e-mail messages, the location of the pointer controller to detect that one of the one or more indicators has been selected by the user. Monitoring the selection state, and in response to detecting that one of the one or more indicators has been selected by the user, providing scheduling information and an event associated with one or more undelivered portions of the one or more e-mail messages. do.

According to one embodiment, a method is provided for providing a portion of an e-mail message based on digital rights. The method of this embodiment includes determining, based on one or more digital rights associated with an e-mail message, that the user is authorized to receive a portion of the entire e-mail message, wherein the user receives the selected portion of the e-mail message. Selecting a portion of the e-mail message to be authorized, and providing the selected portion of the e-mail message. It is also desirable to provide an apparatus for implementing the method and one or more machine-readable storage media containing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the method.

According to one embodiment, a method for interfacing with a user of a computer system with a graphical user display, the method comprising: displaying one or more indicators of digital rights management (DRM) rules associated with one or more portions of one or more e-mail messages; Monitoring the position and selection status of the pointer controller to detect that one or more of the one or more indicators have been selected by the user; And in response to detecting that one or more of the one or more indicators have been selected by the user, providing an indication of user authorization and DRM rules associated with one or more portions of the one or more e-mail messages.

According to one embodiment, a method is provided for providing a portion of an e-mail message based on transmission speed and message size. The method of this embodiment includes determining a value associated with a data transfer rate, determining a value associated with a size of an electronic mail message, and determining mail transfer criteria. The method of this embodiment also includes selecting a portion of the electronic mail message based on the determined transmission rate value, the determination value associated with the size of the electronic mail message, and the determined mail transmission criteria. The method of this embodiment further includes providing a selected portion of the e-mail message. It is also desirable to provide an apparatus for implementing the method and a product having one or more machine-readable storage media comprising instructions which, when executed, enable a processor to perform the method.

According to one embodiment, a method for interfacing with a user of a computer system having a graphical user display, the method comprising: displaying one or more text strings indicating one or more portions of one or more e-mail messages; Displaying one or more instructions for an expected time to download a portion of the e-mail message; Displaying one or more selection fields corresponding to one or more portions of the one or more e-mail messages; Monitoring the position and selection state of the pointer controller to detect that one of the one or more selection fields has been selected by the user; And in response to detecting that one of the one or more selection fields has been selected by the user, changing the appearance of the selected one of the one or more selection fields.

It will be appreciated that the present invention may be implemented in computer software.

In the following, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings.

1A-1C illustrate a system for implementing various embodiments of the present invention.

2A-2E illustrate various embodiments of email that may be stored by an email management module.

3 shows one embodiment of an attachment to an email, such as the email shown in FIG. 2A.

4A and 4B conceptually illustrate other embodiments of a system that can implement one or more embodiments of the present invention.

5A-5C and 6 illustrate embodiments of a method for providing a portion of an e-mail message, respectively, in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.

7A, 8A, 9A, 10A, and 11A show exemplary embodiments of a user profile, respectively, in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.

7B, 8B, 9B, 1OB and 11B each show an exemplary embodiment of a dialog box, in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.

12 shows one exemplary embodiment of a detail box, according to one embodiment of the invention.

13 shows another exemplary embodiment of a detail box, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

14 illustrates one embodiment of a calendar entry, according to one embodiment of the invention.

15 illustrates one embodiment of a method for providing a portion of an e-mail message, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

16 shows one embodiment of a dialog box containing scheduling information, according to one embodiment of the invention.

17 shows one embodiment of notification according to one embodiment of the present invention.

18 illustrates one embodiment of urgent notification, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

19 illustrates one embodiment of a method for providing notification for an undelivered portion of an electronic mail message, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

20 illustrates one embodiment of a method for providing an e-mail message, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

21 illustrates one embodiment of an acquisition dialog box and one embodiment of a change dialog box according to an embodiment of the present invention.

22 shows a stylized block diagram drawn in the form of a processor-based device, in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.

Although the present invention may allow various modifications and other forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown as examples in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but rather, all changes, equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. And alternatives.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below. For clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. In the development of any such practical embodiment, a number of implementation-specific decisions must be made in order to realize the specific goals of the developers, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from implementation to implementation. In addition, while such development efforts can be complex and time consuming, it will nevertheless be understood that it is a practice undertaken for those skilled in the art to take advantage of this manual. The words and phrases used herein are to be understood and interpreted to have a meaning consistent with those words and phrases understood by those skilled in the art. Specific definitions of terms and phrases, that is, definitions different from ordinary and customary meanings understood by those skilled in the art, are not implied by the consistent use of the terms or phrases herein. To the extent that a term or phrase has a special meaning, that is, a meaning that is not understood by those skilled in the art, such special definition will be explicitly described in a clear manner that directly and explicitly provides a special definition for that term or phrase. .

As will be described in detail below, the present invention provides for intelligent use of bandwidth that can be used to transmit e-mail messages (according to various embodiments), referred to below as e-mails, in accordance with a common use. to provide. For example, in one embodiment of the invention, the e-mail server determines whether the e-mail should be uploaded and / or downloaded based on environmental factors such as the speed of connection to the remote server of the local system. It may be determined automatically. In another embodiment of the present invention, an e-mail server is required to upload and / or download an e-mail message based on the connection speed to a remote server of the local system and operating conditions such as a scheduled time and / or event. May be automatically determined. In another embodiment of the present invention, the e-mail server is subject to DRM rules such as copyright restrictions, distribution rights, broadcast rights, playback rights, publication right, licensing restrictions, fair use, and the like. Based on these, it may be automatically determined whether the e-mail should be uploaded and / or downloaded.

In one embodiment, the user may determine which portions of the e-mail are sent and / or received, either manually or using an automated process based on selected user preferences. In particular, a downcasted portion of one or more attachments with reduced resolution may be transmitted and / or received. In another embodiment, a user may use an automated process, either manually or based on the selected user's preferences, to determine which portions of the e-mail associated with the scheduled time and / or event are sent and / or received. It may be. The user or email server then indicates that an undelivered portion of the email message remains and requests that the user or email server complete the transmission of the email message prior to the scheduled time and / or event. A notification may be provided. In yet another embodiment, a user may determine which portions of the e-mail are sent and / or received to comply with DRM rules, either manually or using an automated process based on selected user preferences. The user may also be provided with notifications of what choices are available and what actions were taken.

1A, 1B, and 1C illustrate a system 100 for implementing one or more embodiments of the present invention, respectively. Similar reference numerals represent similar elements. In particular, FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C conceptualize embodiments that include a plurality of processor-based devices 105 (1-2) coupled to server 110 by network 115. To illustrate. In the illustrated embodiments, the processor-based device 105 (1) is a desktop computer and the processor-based device 105 (2) is a laptop computer, but in other embodiments, these processor-based devices 105 (1-2)) may be any type of computer, PDA, cellular telephone, or the like that is preferable.

Server 110 may be a form of processor-based device that, in some embodiments, can be accessed via network 115. As discussed below in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention, server 110 provides a remote user with a portion of the entire e-mail message, if desired. In some embodiments, server 110 may be capable of performing tasks such as receiving, queuing, storing, and / or distributing to one or more users. . It is to be so limited, but the embodiments of one or more of the description of the present invention, the prior art, such as Microsoft ^® Exchange Server - can be implemented in the mail server. For the sake of clarity, the potential functionality of the server 110 unrelated to the present invention will not be elaborated since such tools and / or specifications are well known to those skilled in the art.

In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C, processor-based devices 105 (1-2) and server 110 are connected through one or more communication links 120 (1-3). Is communicatively coupled to the network 115. In various other embodiments, the links 120 (1-3) may include infrared links, wireless local area network (WLAN) links, wired LAN connections such as Ethernet connections, cellular network links, circuit board traces. , Wires, cables, radio frequency links, satellite links, and the like. In addition, any suitable protocol may be used for communication between the server 110 and the processor-based devices 105 (1-2) via the network 115. For example, transmission control protocol / Internet protocol (TCP / IP), user datagram protocol / Internet protocol (UDP / IP), file transfer protocol or trivial file transfer protocol (FTP / TFTP), and the like may be used.

In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C, server 110 processes (eg, processes) one or more e-mail messages, referred to hereinafter as e-mails, in accordance with common use in the industry. , Receiving, queuing, storing, and / or forwarding). An e-mail 200 that can be processed by the e-mail management module 125 is shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, and 2E. Like reference numerals refer to like elements. In the illustrated embodiment (s), the e-mail 200 includes a header 210, a body 220, and one or more attachments 230. The header 210 is generally the recipient of the email (ie, personl@ibm.com), the sender (ie, person2@ibm.com), and the subject of the email 200 (eg, test message). Or Teleconference). Body 220 generally includes a message that is being delivered. For example, in the email 200 of FIGS. 2A, 2C, and 2D, the body may be a text string ("This is a test message", "This is a test message containing copyright protected material" or "Our group will). have a teleconference ").

In addition, the e-mail message 200 shown in the figures may, in the illustrated embodiment, include a text document 240 (1), a graphics file 240 (2), and an audio file 240 (3). Include attachments 240 (1-3). However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that any suitable number of files, as well as any suitable type and / or format of files, may be attached to e-mail 200. Additionally, the e-mail 200 illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2E is merely exemplary in nature, and in other embodiments, the e-mail 200 includes more, fewer, or different elements. You should know that you can. For example, the e-mail 200 may include only the header 210 and the body 220. As another example, the e-mail 200 may also include routing information that may be used to direct the e-mail 200 to a given destination. E-mail 200 may also have an associated time field 245 containing a time indication associated with e-mail 200 (see FIG. 2C). In the illustrated embodiment, the associated field 245 includes, for example, a Tuesday and a time (1: OOpm) corresponding to the scheduled day and time of the meeting. However, the present invention is not limited to any one particular format used for the associated field 245. In other embodiments, any desired format for field 245 may be used. For example, the time "January 1, 2000 at 12:00 am" may be expressed as "1/1/00 at midnight", "1/1/2000-12:00 am", or the like. Alternatively, the e-mail 200 may include an indication of an event associated with the e-mail 200, such as a teleconference pointed out in the example e-mail 200 shown in FIG. 2C. .

Portions of the e-mail message 200 may be subject to one or more DRM rules, as indicated by the closed padlocks indicated in the attachments 240 (1-3) of FIG. 2D. It may be. For example, text document 240 (1) may be the original of a novel, and copyright for text document 240 (1) may be owned by the author, publisher, and the like. For other embodiments, graphics file 240 (2) may be an art original, such as film, film, animation, photography, image, architectural rendering, or the like. Copyright, broadcast rights, playback rights, distribution rights, etc. may be owned by the artist, studio, entity that purchased one or more of the rights, and the like. For yet another embodiment, the audio file 240 (3) may be a musical piece, oral performance, or the like, which may be owned by a composer, musician, or other entity. Attachments 240 (1-3) may be created using various tools / in various formats. For example, text documents (240 (1)) can be produced using ^{Microsoft Word ®, Acrobat Distiller ®,} Power Point ®, Lotus WordPro ®, or any other document creation tool or published. Thus, the email management module 125, in one embodiment, determines the format of the email 200 and / or the attachments 240 (1-3) and then based on the determined format, Provide selected portions of e-mail 200 and / or attachments 240 (1-3), such as attachments 290 (1-3) that are determined not to violate the associated DRM rules. For example, the email management module 125 may identify one or more charts, tables, pages, agendas, tables of contents, summaries, audio clips, or video clips based on the determined format. . For another embodiment, the graphics file 240 (2) and / or audio file 240 (3) may include moving picture experts group (MPEG) formats, joint photographic experts group (JPEG) format, graphics interchange (GIF). Format may be formed into a variety of proprietary and non-exclusive formats, including, but not limited to, one of the following formats, the Portable Network Graphics (PNG) format, the Video for Windows ^® format, the AVI format, and the Apple Quicktime ^® format. . Accordingly, in one embodiment, email management module 125 determines and sends the format for one or more portions of email 200 (including attachments 240 (1-3)). Select a portion of the e-mail 200 for, and downcast the selected portion of the e-mail 200. In one embodiment, the email management module 125 selects portions of an audio file, a video file, a multimedia file, an image file, a graphic file, etc., to determine attachments 290 (determined not to violate the associated DRM rules). 1-3)). In another embodiment, the email management module 125 may downcast one or more attachments 240 (1-3), that is, the email management module 125 may be an audio file, a video. Reduced resolution portions of files, image files, multimedia files, graphics files, etc. may be provided to form attachments 290 (1-3) that are determined not to violate the associated DRM rules.

Various document generation or publishing tools can generate files, such as text document 240 (1), in a wide variety of formats. For example, Microsoft Word ^® can create files in a format that can be read by other document generation or publishing tools. For another embodiment, Acrobat Distiller ^® may produce files in PDF (Portable Document Format) documents can be read using a reading tools such as Acrobat Reader ^®. Graphic file 240 (2) and audio file 240 (3) may also be created and / or read using various tools employing any number of preferred formats. The format of the attachments 240 (1-3) may be indicated in various ways. In one embodiment, a filename extension may indicate the file format. For example, files in PDF format may be indicated by a file name extension of "pdf". For another embodiment, files in MP-3 format may be indicated by the filename extension of "mp3". For yet another embodiment, files in JPEG format may be indicated by the filename extension of "jpg". Alternatively, the format of the attachments 240 (1-3) may be indicated by one or more characters, control characters, strings, or the like that may be included in the attachments 240 (1-3). The format of the attachments 240 (1-3) may then be determined by parsing a portion of the attachment 240 (1-3).

Referring again to FIGS. 1A and 1C, the e-mail management module 125 on the server 110 may display the e-mail 200 or selected portion of the processor-based systems 105 (1) for illustrative purposes. -2) to one or more directed recipients that are assumed to be users. Thus, in this embodiment, the email management module 125 provides at least a selected portion of the email 200 to the processor-based devices 105 (1-2). However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that in other embodiments, any number of users of any desired processor-based systems may be directed as recipients and receive portions of the email 200 provided by the email management module 125. It will be appreciated that it may be received. The portion of the e-mail 200 that is sent to the user of each processor-based device 105 (1) and 105 (2) is hereinafter referred to by reference numbers 140 (1) and 140 (2), respectively. Is indicated. Referring to FIG. 1B, in one embodiment, the email 200 may be associated with one or more calendars 133 (1-2), 137. For example, header 141, body 142, and attachments 143 may be associated with one or more entries of calendars 133 (1-2), 137. In various other embodiments, the calendars 133 (1-2) and 137 are held on the server 110 and / or calendars held on the processor-based devices 105 (1-2), respectively. It may be a calendar management module 137 held in. For example, calendars 133 (1-2) may be provided by copies of Microsoft Outlook ^® running on processor-based devices 105 (1-2). However, in other embodiments, any desired scheduling and / or calendar tool may be used.

In connection with FIG. 1B, the e-mail management module 125 on the server 110 may send the e-mail 200 or selected portion to processor-based systems 105 (1-2) for illustrative purposes. To one or more indicated recipients that are assumed to be users of. Thus, in this exemplary embodiment, the email management module 125 provides at least a selected portion of the email 200 to the processor-based devices 105 (1-2). However, those skilled in the art will, in other embodiments, receive any number of e-mail 200 portions provided by e-mail management module 125 in which any number of users of any desired processor-based systems can be directed as recipients. You can see that you can. The portion of the e-mail 200 that is sent to the user of each processor-based device 105 (1) and 105 (2) is hereinafter referred to by reference numerals 140 (1) and 140 in FIG. 1B, respectively. Is indicated by (2)). In various embodiments, the email management module 125 can provide the email 200 via various communication paths 130 (1-2). In the illustrated embodiments, the e-mail management module 125 sends the e-mail 200 portion (as indicated by reference numeral 140 (1)) along the communication path 130 (1) to the processor-based device. Communication path 130 (1) may include a link 120 (3), a network 115, and a link 120 (1). The e-mail management module 125 may also send selected portions of the e-mail 200 (indicated by reference numeral 140 (2)) along the communication path 130 (2) to the processor-based device 105 (2). ), The communication path 130 (2) may include a link 120 (3), a network 115, and a link 120 (2). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that communication paths 130 (1-2) (not shown) may include one or more intermediate gateways, routers (not shown), and the like. In one embodiment, according to applicable digital rights, one or more intended recipients of the e-mail message 200 may select portions of the e-mail message 200, such as attachments 240 (1-3). It may not be authorized to receive. To protect digital rights that may be associated with various portions of the e-mail message 200 and may also provide certain information indicative of the protected content of the e-mail 200, the e-mail management module 125 ) May, in one embodiment, deliver only a portion of the e-mail 200 along one or more of the communication paths 130 (1-2). As discussed in detail below, the email management module 125 may determine, in one embodiment, that a portion of the protected email message 200 may be provided without violating the associated DRM rules. It may be. The email management module 125 may then select the email portion determined to not violate the associated DRM rules and provide the selected portion.

As described above, the data transfer rate along the communication paths 130 (1-2) may vary in many classes. For example, communication path 130 (1) may be comprised of a dedicated T-3 connection capable of providing data at a high transmission rate of 40 Mb / s. Thus, even if the attachments 240 (1-3) attached to the e-mail 200 are large, for example 100 MB, the total time required to transfer the copy 140 (1) is relatively short, For example, 100 MB attachments 240 (1-3) may be several seconds. In contrast, communication path 130 (2) may include a dial-up connection, such as link 120 (2), which can transmit data at much lower speeds. Thus, a user may have to wait several hours while 100MB attachments 240 (1-3) are being transmitted over communication path 130 (2).

In particular, if the user does not want to see the entire email 200 and / or attachments 240 (1-3; and in some embodiments, 290 (1-3)), a long transfer time may be It may be inconvenient (the user may naturally want to see one or more e-mails that may be sent sequentially from server 110).

For example, a user may want to read a summary of attachment 240 (1), listen to only a fragment of an audio file attachment, or view only the first few minutes of a video clip of a video attachment. For other embodiments, the user may wish to see only selected portions of attachment 240 (1-3), such as sections or pages. Based on reviewing a portion of the e-mail 200, the user may then add attachments 240 (1), an additional optional portion of the attachment 240 (1), and / or the entire e-mail 200. It can be determined whether or not to receive).

For large attachments, such as audio, video, image, and graphic files, the user may not want to download the entire email to identify the features of the email or the contents of the email. Thus, according to one embodiment of the present invention, server 110 provides a user with a lower resolution version of one or more of email attachments 240 (1-3). For example, if the attachment is an audio file, such as attachment 240 (2), which may include an MP3 or WAV file, the user may determine whether to receive the complete attachment 240 (2). Just listen to the low-resolution clip of the song before. In another embodiment, if the attachment is a video file, such as attachment 240 (3), which may be a Quicktime ^® file, before the user determines whether to receive the complete attachment 240 (3). You just need to watch the reduced resolution clip of the movie.

In one embodiment, one or more portions of attachment 240 (1-3) are assigned a higher priority than other portions of attachments 240 (1-3), for example, by a user. May be In this embodiment, the user may want to watch only the highest priority portions of attachments 240 (1-3).

To reduce the potential inconvenience for the user and increase the efficiency of the system 100, the email management module 125, in one embodiment, follows one or more of the communication paths 130 (1-2). Only part of the e-mail 200 may be sent.

In one embodiment, these mail management modules 125 determine the format of the email 200 and / or attachments 240 (1-3), and then the email 200 and / or attachments. Provide a selected portion of 240 (1-3) along one or more of communication paths 130 (1-2).

In one embodiment, e-mail management module 125 determines one or more formats of e-mail 200 (including attachments 240 (1-3)) and determines the e-mail ( Select a portion 200, downcast the selected portion of the email 200, and send the downcast portion of the email 200 along one or more of the communication paths 130 (1-2). do.

As discussed in detail below, the e-mail management module 125 may predict the data transfer rate and the size of the e-mail 200 for the communication paths 130 (1-2). In one embodiment, the predicted data transfer rate and the predicted size of the e-mail 200 may be used to predict the time required to transmit the e-mail 200 along the communication paths 130 (1-2). It may be.

In one embodiment, to reduce potential inconvenience and increase the efficiency of the system, the e-mail management module 125 may e-mail based on other criteria such as data transfer rate, size of the e-mail 200, and the like. A portion of the message 200 may be selected. In one embodiment, this selection process may occur concurrently with the above-described selection process based on DRM rules. However, those skilled in the art will, in other embodiments, select a portion of the email message 200 based on DRM rules based on other criteria such as data transfer rate, size of the email 200, and the like. It will be appreciated that it may occur prior to the selection process described above, as part of an individual process that occurs during the selection process described above, or after the selection process described above. In one embodiment, the e-mail management module 125 determines the communication paths 130 (by estimating the data transfer rate and the size of the e-mail 200 for the communication paths 130 (1-2). It is also possible to select a portion of the e-mail message 200 to be sent along with one or more of 1-2)). In one embodiment, the predicted data transfer rate and the predicted size of the e-mail 200 may be used to predict the time required to transmit the e-mail 200 along the communication paths 130 (1-2). It may be.

In addition, the e-mail management module 125 determines a threshold time, such as a user's maximum preferred time for sending the e-mail 200, and determines the determined threshold for the predicted e-mail. It can also be compared with transmission time. For example, the user can select a maximum desired transmission time of about one minute. For another embodiment, the user may select a maximum desired transfer time of about 0 minutes to force the email management module to provide a reduced copy 140 of all emails 200. . Alternatively, the threshold time may be a default time.

If the predicted e-mail transmission time is actually less than a predetermined threshold time, the e-mail management module 125 may transmit virtually all of the e-mail 200. For example, processor-based device 105 (1) includes a complete copy 140 of e-mail message 200, including a header 141, a body 142, and one or more attachments 143. (1)) may be received. However, if the estimated mail delivery time is actually greater than a predetermined threshold time and it is undesirable to send the entire email 200, the email management module 125 may send a portion of the email 200. . For example, the processor-based device 105 (2) includes an header 144, a body 145, and in some embodiments at least selected portion of one or more attachments 146. A reduced copy 140 (2) of the message 200 may also be received. 2A-2E illustrate embodiments of a reduced copy 250 that includes a header 260 and a body 270. Header 260 includes the recipients of the email (ie, personl@ibm.com), the sender (ie, person2@ibm.com), and the subject of the email 200 (eg, test message-reduced). contains information indicating copy). Body 270 includes a text string, eg, "This is a reduced copy of the test message." In addition, body 270 may have a predicted size of attachments 240 (1-3), an estimated transmission for the entire email 200, and / or for attachments 240 (1-3). It may also include other information, such as time. In one embodiment, reduced copy 250 may include selected portion 280 that represents the contents of one or more of attachments 240 (1-3). In FIG. 2A, selected portion 280 includes a subset 285 of information included in text document attachment 240 (1). Although not shown in FIG. 2A, the selected portion 280 may include other information, such as portions of the graphic attachment 240 (2) and portions of the audio attachment 240 (3). In FIG. 2B, the selected portion 280 is a reduced resolution or downcast version 290 (2) of the graphic attachment 240 (2) and a reduced resolution or downcast version () of the audio attachment 240 (3). 290 (3)). Although not indicated, the selected portion 280 may include other information, such as portions of text attachment 240 (1).

In the embodiment of FIG. 2C, body 270 may also include an additional text string 286 indicating the contents of attachments 240 (1-3). In this embodiment, the additional text string 286 includes strings that are "text_attachment", "image_attachment", and "audio_ attachment". Although not shown in FIG. 2C, the additional text string 286 may include the expected size of attachments 240 (1-3), the full email 200, and / or the attachments 240 (1-1). Other information, such as the estimated transmission time for 3)). In other embodiments, reduced copy 250 also includes downcast portions of one or more attachments 240 (1-3), selected portions of one or more attachments 240 (1-3), and the like. can do.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2D, reduced copy 250 is attached 240 (1-3), as indicated by poen padlocks open at attachments 290 (1-3). May include an unprotected portion 280, which may include attachments 290 (1-3) that are determined to not violate the DRM rules associated with. For example, the email management module 125 may include a section 290 (1) of the text document 240 (1), a thumbnail of the graphic attachment 240 (2), Determine whether reduced resolution clip 290 (3), etc., of audio attachment 240 (3) can be provided without violating the DRM rules associated with attachments 240 (1-3). It may be.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2E, in an additional embodiment, body 270 may also include an additional text string 286 indicating the contents of attachments 240 (1-3). In the illustrated embodiment, the additional text string 286 includes the strings "text_attachment", "image_attachment", and "audio_attachment". Although not shown, the additional text string 286 may include the expected size of the attachments 240 (1-3), the full email 200, and / or the attachments 240 (1-3). It may also include other information, such as predicted transmission time for. 3 illustrates one embodiment of attachment 240 (1) and selected portion 280 of FIG. 2A. In the illustrated embodiment, attachment 240 (1) includes a table of contents 300, a summary 310, and a number of charts 320. For example, attachment 240 (1) may be a presentation, such as a Power Point presentation. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to attachments including a table of contents 300, a summary 310, and multiple charts. In other embodiments, attachment 240 (1) may include one or more pages, agendas, audio clips, video clips, sections, chapters, and the like. In one embodiment, the table of contents 300, summary 310, and multiple charts 320, as well as any other portions of attachment 240 (1), may be inserted by the user. May be indicated by Additionally, attachment 240 (1) may include background data, setup data, fonts, speaker notes, and the like.

In the illustrated embodiment, the selected portion 280 includes a table of contents 300 and a summary 310. The selected portion 280 may also include additional attachment data 330. For example, additional attachment data 330 may include the number of charts 320, the total size of attachment 240 (1), the size for one or more charts 320, the format of attachment 240 (1). It may also include information indicating such. For yet another embodiment, the additional attachment data 330 may include background data, configuration data, fonts, speaker capacities, and the like. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the selected portion 280 may include more or fewer selections from attachment 240 (1). Furthermore, in some embodiments, the format of the selected portion 280 may not be the same as the format of the attachment 240 (1). For example, selected portions 280 of the PDF file, such as the title of chart 320, may be provided in Rich Text Format (RTF).

1A-1C, an e-mail management module may provide e-mail in a single session. Referring back to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C, the e-mail management module 125 may, in other embodiments, refer to the e-mail 200 as "trickle download", ie, one. Portions of the e-mail 200 may be continuously downloaded to the processor-based device 105 (2) in the background during the above sessions. In one embodiment, the e-mail management module 125 may be used to make certain choices, such as downloading a reduced copy 140 (2) or trickle downloading the e-mail 200. The user may be notified to indicate whether it is possible and / or what actions have occurred. The e-mail management module 125 may queue and / or store the e-mail 200. For example, if the reduced copy 140 (2) is sent to the processor-based device 105 (2), the e-mail 200 may be queued and queued until a higher speed connection is available. And / or may be stored. As mentioned, the higher the reasons for the various reasons, including the type of connection (e.g., the T1 line compared to the telephone line), the type of processor-based device (e.g. laptop computer compared to the PDA), and the like. Speed connections may be available. In one embodiment, the email management module 125 asks the user to connect to a fast connection and / or asks if the user wishes to download the email 200. It is also possible to periodically provide reminders, such as a box.

In some embodiments, the email management module 125 asks the user to connect to a fast connection and / or asks if the user wants to download the email 200, such as a popup dialog box. You can also provide reminders periodically.

In some embodiments, email management module 125 may queue and / or store email 200. For example, if the reduced copy 140 (2) is sent to the processor-based device 105 (2), the email 200 may queue and / or wait until a higher speed connection is available. Or may be stored.

As discussed herein, the email management module 125 may also provide a notification indicating that a portion of the email 200 was not delivered to the intended recipient, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Can be. For example, the e-mail management module 125 may determine that the current time is approaching the associated time 245, that is, the time of the scheduled teleconference (FIG. 2C). Depending on how close the current time is to the associated time 245, the email management module 125 may provide notifications more frequently and / or more urgently. In one embodiment, if the current time exceeds the associated time 245, the e-mail management module 125 may provide a late notice.

According to various embodiments, a user may request that undelivered email 200 be downloaded to processor-based devices 105 (2). The notification may include providing the user with an option to download the e-mail 200, and the user may request that the e-mail 200 be downloaded in response to the notification. The e-mail management module 125 may download virtually all of the e-mail 200 to one or more of the processor-based device 105 (2). However, in other embodiments, the e-mail management module 125 may “trickle download” the e-mail 200 to the processor-based device 105 (2), ie, in the background during one or more sessions. It is also possible to download portions of the mail 200 in succession. In one embodiment, the e-mail management module 125 may be used in which options, for example, downloading virtually all of the e-mail 200 or trickle downloading the e-mail 200. , And / or notify the user to indicate what actions have occurred.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2C, processor-based devices 105 (1-2) include e-mail modules 160 (1-2) capable of performing some of the processes or additional processes. You may. For example, due to e-mail modules 160 (1-2), a user may set preferences regarding how e-mail messages should be handled. When the user is ready for processing e-mail messages, the e-mail modules 160 (1-2) are sent to a server 110, such as a POP3 or IMAP server 110, with various flags set to user preferences. It can also send a message that can be set based on The e-mail messages can then be processed according to user preferences indicated by the flags, as discussed in detail below. The modules 125, 160 (1-2) illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C are implemented in software, but in other implementations, the modules 125, 160 (1-2) may be in hardware or in hardware and software. It can also be implemented in combination.

Although email management module 125 may provide email 140 (1-2) in a single session, email management module 125 may, in other embodiments, provide a "trickle download". Continually download mail 140 (1-2), ie portions of email 140 (1-2), in the background for one or more sessions, to processor-based device 105 (2) have. In one embodiment, the e-mail management module 125 is adapted to download certain options, for example, downloading a reduced copy 140 (2) or trickle downloading the e-mail 140 (1). The user may be notified to indicate whether it can be used and / or what actions have occurred.

In some embodiments (eg, FIGS. 2B and 2D), the email management module 125 may queue and / or store the email 200. In one embodiment, the email management module 125 may store the email 200 until the intended recipient verifies that appropriate digital rights have been obtained. For example, if a reduced unprotected copy 140 (2) has been sent to processor-based device 105 (2), email 200 may be queued and / or stored and the intended recipient may It may be urged to purchase or enact a license to receive protected portions of the mail 200. In one embodiment, the email management module 125, such as a popup dialog box, asking the user to obtain appropriate digital rights and / or asking whether the user wishes to download the email 200, You can also provide reminders periodically. Alternatively, the email management module 125 may direct the intended recipient to a web site where appropriate digital rights can be obtained.

In one embodiment, processor-based devices 105 (1-2) may include e-mail modules 160 (1-2) capable of performing some of the processes or additional processes. have. For example, due to e-mail modules 160 (1-2), a user may set preferences regarding how e-mail messages should be handled. When the user is ready to process e-mail messages, the e-mail modules 160 (1-2), to the server 110, such as a POP3 or IMAP server 110, have various flags preferred by the user. Messages may be sent that can be set based on these fields. Examples of flags include "Queue send for high speed connection", "Queue flagged target (s) receive for high speed connection", "Don't download attachments greater than xKB", "Prompt before downloading attachment (s)", and " Prompt before uploading attachment (s) ".

In one embodiment, processor-based devices 105 (1-2) may include e-mail modules 160 (1-2) capable of performing some of the processes or additional processes. have. For example, due to e-mail modules 160 (1-2), a user may set preferences regarding how e-mail messages should be handled. For example, a user may set up a profile that includes information indicating digital rights currently acquired by the user. In various other embodiments, a profile or other indications of digital rights obtained by the user may be stored locally or on a remote device. When the user is ready for processing e-mail messages, the e-mail modules 160 (1-2) are sent to a server 110, such as a POP3 or IMAP server 110, with various flags set to user preferences. It can also send a message that can be set based on The e-mail messages may then be processed according to the user preferences indicated by the flags, as discussed in detail below. The modules 125, 160 (1-2) illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C are implemented in software, but in other implementations, the modules 125, 160 (1-2) may be hardware or hardware and software. It can also be implemented in combination.

The e-mail messages may then be processed according to the user preferences indicated by the flags, as discussed in detail below. The modules 125, 160 (1-2) illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C are implemented in software, but in other implementations, the modules 125, 160 (1-2) may be hardware or hardware and software. It can also be implemented in combination.

4A and 4B conceptually illustrate a system 400 that may implement one or more other embodiments of the present invention. 4A and 4B, the processor-based device 401 is communicatively coupled to the server 405 by a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 410 and the network 415. Thus, the transmission of e-mails from the processor-based device 401 to the server 405 may be implemented in other embodiments shown in FIGS. 4A / 4B.

In various other embodiments, processor-based device 401 enables one or more users to generate and / or send e-mail 430, and processor-based device 401 may e-mail. It may also be an automated mail server capable of generating and / or transmitting 430. E-mail 430 may also have an association time, such as the association time indicated in association time field 245 shown in FIG. 2C. As discussed in detail above, in one embodiment, the email 430 may be associated with the calendar 435 using the association time (FIG. 4B).

In the illustrated embodiments of FIGS. 4A and 4B, the processor-based device 401 includes an email management module 420 that can provide a server 405 with a copy of the email 430. do. For example, the email management module 420 may include at least a portion of the email 430 (in one embodiment, the email has a reduced resolution, for example, at least a portion of the email). Has a downcast version of, and in some embodiments, this email is not copyright limited), link 445, PSTN 410, link 450, network 415, and link ( It may also transmit to the server 410 along a communication path 440, which may include 455.

As discussed above, the data transfer rate along the communication path 440 may vary in many classes. For example, if processor-based device 401 (not shown) is linked to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 410 via a 14.4 Kbps modem, sending a 100 MB attachment (not shown) to server 405 is possible. It may not be desirable. Thus, the email management module 420 may transmit only a portion of the email 430 along the communication path 440. Alternatively, email 430 may be trickle uploaded to server 405 along communication path 440. In one embodiment, a user may assign a priority level to one or more portions of email 430, which priority level is to be sent in email 430, as discussed in detail below. It can also be used to select parts. In one embodiment, after transmitting a portion of the email 430 along the communication path 440, the email management module 420 may send the email 430 until a faster connection is available. May be queued and / or stored. For example, the user may later connect the processor-based device 401 to the network 415 via a high speed connection, such as Ethernet, and then the email management module 420 may be connected to a higher speed. The connection can be used to send e-mail 430 or additional portions thereof. Alternatively, the user may later connect to the network 415 using a different processor-based device 401 (eg, switching from a PDA to a laptop computer), in which case the processor-based used by the user. The device 401 may, for example, support a high speed connection. In one embodiment, the email management module 420 sends reminders, such as a popup dialog box, requesting the user to connect to a fast connection and / or asking whether the user wishes to upload the email 430. It may be provided periodically.

In one embodiment, the email management module 420 sends reminders, such as a popup dialog box, requesting the user to connect to a fast connection and / or asking whether the user wishes to upload the email 430. It may be provided periodically.

As will be described in detail below, the e-mail management module 420 is intended to be a recipient of a intended portion of the e-mail 430, i. E. Server 405, in accordance with one embodiment (s) of the present invention. A notification may also be provided indicating that the message has not been delivered. For example, the email management module 420 can determine that the current time is approaching the associated time 245, that is, the time of the scheduled teleconference. Depending on how close the current time is to association time 245, email management module 420 may provide notifications more frequently and more urgently. In one embodiment, the e-mail management module 420 may provide a late notification if the current time exceeds the association time 245. In response to the notification, undelivered email 430 may be uploaded to server 405. In one embodiment, the notification can include providing the user with an option to upload the email 430, and the user can request that the email 430 be uploaded in response to the notification. . In one embodiment, the email management module 420 may upload virtually all of the email 430 to the server 405. However, in other embodiments, the e-mail management module 420 may send a "trickle upload" e-mail 430, i.e., portions of the e-mail 430 in the background during one or more sessions. 405 may be uploaded continuously. In one embodiment, the e-mail management module 420 determines which options are available, for example, uploading virtually all of the e-mail 430 or trickle uploading the e-mail 430; And / or notify the user to indicate what actions have occurred.

In one embodiment, after transmitting a portion of the email 430 (which may be non-copyright) along the communication path 440, the email management module 420, the email management module 420 ) May queue and / or store e-mail 430 until it receives an indication that the intended recipient has obtained the appropriate digital rights. For example, the intended recipient may purchase or legislate a license from a third party's vendor and then provide the email management module 420 with an indication of the newly acquired license, thereby providing an email management module. 420 may provide queuing and / or stored email that includes protected content. Alternatively, the intended recipient may be an automated email distributor capable of acquiring digital distribution rights. Further, in other embodiments, a properly authorized user may change the digital rights associated with email 430.

In one embodiment, after transmitting a portion of the email 430 (in this case, with reduced resolution) along the communication path 440, the email management module 420 uses a faster connection. E-mail 430 may be queued and / or stored until possible. For example, after a user later connects the processor-based device 401 to the network 405 via a high speed connection, such as Ethernet, the email management module 420 may use a higher speed connection. May send e-mail 430 or an additional portion thereof. In one embodiment, the email management module 420 sends reminders, such as a popup dialog box, requesting the user to connect to a fast connection and / or asking whether the user wishes to upload the email 430. It may be provided periodically.

5A illustrates one embodiment 500 of a method for providing a portion of an e-mail message based on the data transfer rate, the size of the e-mail message, and the threshold time. 5B and 5C illustrate other embodiments.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 5A and 5C, a value indicative of or associated with the data transfer rate is determined (blocks 510, 710). For example, an email management module, such as email management modules 125 and 420 and / or email modules 160 (1-2) may use one or more data packets received in time. The average data transfer rate can be determined (blocks 510, 710). Alternatively, the email management module may use the device profile to determine the data transfer rate (blocks 510, 710). For example, the email management module may determine that a 14.4 KB modem is being used to transmit data (blocks 510, 710), such that the email management module may exceed about 14.4 Kbps data transfer rate. It may be determined that it cannot be (blocks 510, 710). Those skilled in the art should appreciate that the techniques described above (at 510, 710) for determining the data transfer rate are exemplary and are not intended to limit the invention.

5B illustrates an embodiment for providing an e-mail message portion having a reduced resolution based on the data transfer rate, the size of the e-mail message, and the threshold time. In the illustrated embodiment, a value indicating a data transfer rate or associated with the data transfer rate is determined (block 610). For example, an email management module, such as email management modules 125 and 420 and / or email modules 160 (1-2), may receive one or more data packets received during a time period. Average data transfer rate can be determined (block 610). Alternatively, the email management module may use the device profile to determine the data transfer rate (block 610). For example, the email management module may determine that a 14.4 KB modem is being used to transmit data (block 610), such that the email management module may not exceed about 14.4 Kbps data transfer rate. A determination may also be made (block 610). Those skilled in the art should appreciate that the techniques described above for determining the data transfer rate (block 610) are exemplary and are not intended to limit the invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 5A-5C, a value indicating the size of the e-mail message or associated with the size of the e-mail message is also determined (blocks 520, 620, 720). The e-mail management module may determine the size of the e-mail message by determining the number of bits of the e-mail message (blocks 520, 620, 720). Alternatively, the size of the e-mail message may be determined using information that may be sent with the e-mail message (blocks 520, 620, 720). In another embodiment (associated with FIG. 5B), the e-mail management module determines a number of bits of one or more files attached to the e-mail message (block 620), thereby indicating a value indicating the size of the e-mail message. It may be determined (block 620).

Referring to the flow of FIG. 5A, the format of one or more files associated with the e-mail message is determined (block 530). In one embodiment, e-mail management modules 125 and 420 and / or e-mail modules 160 (1-2) may determine the format of one or more files associated with the e-mail message (block 530). For example, an attachment to an e-mail message may be a file with a filename extension of "doc" that indicates that the file was created by Microsoft Word ^® , which can be used for other document creation or publication tools. May be read by. For yet another embodiment, the attachment to the e-mail message may have a filename extension of "pdf" indicating that the file is a PDF file created by Acrobat Distiller ^® . Alternatively, the email management modules 125, 420 and / or email modules 160 (1-2) may be parsed by parsing at least a portion of the file in a manner known to those skilled in the art. A format of one or more files associated with the email message may be determined (block 530). In another embodiment (FIG. 5B), the email management modules 125, 420 and / or email modules 160 (1-2) are at 630, the format of one or more files being MPEG, It can also be determined as JPEG, GIF, PNG, Video for Windows ^® , Apple Quicktime ^® , AVI, or the like. In various other embodiments, the email management modules 125, 420 and / or email modules 160 (1-2) may be file-type-specific plug-in, transcoder, A splitter or the like may be used to determine the file format (block 630). In one embodiment, email management modules 125 and 420 and / or email modules 160 (1-2) may use file name extensions to determine the format of one or more files (block 630). ).

5A, 5B, and 5C, mail transmission criteria are also determined (blocks 540, 640, 740). In the previously discussed embodiments of the present invention, mail delivery criteria were associated with a mail delivery threshold time, such as the user's maximum desired delivery time or default threshold time. In these embodiments, mail delivery criteria are determined by determining a threshold time using an indication of the user's maximum desired transmission time or an indication of a default threshold time, such as a user profile (blocks 540, 640, 740). . However, potential mail delivery criteria are not limited to the threshold time. In other embodiments, mail delivery criteria may include various user preferences, such as maximum size of attachment, minimum average data transfer rate, time of day, priority level, and the like.

The embodiments of FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C will return after the digital rights management (DRM) embodiment has been discussed to the point where the steps of transmission criteria for that embodiment are discussed. 6 illustrates one embodiment of a method 800 for providing a portion of an e-mail message based on digital rights management (DRM) rules. The email management module, such as the email management modules 125 and 420 and / or the email modules 160 (1-2), has been authorized to receive a portion of the entire email message. Determine (block 830). As discussed in detail above, the email management module 125 or 420 includes, but is not limited to, rules governing copyright, distribution, broadcast, playback, publishing, licensing, and fair use. May be determined based on various DRM rules (block 830). For example, the email management module 125 or 420 may determine, based on the DRM rules, that the user is not authorized to receive one or more attachments, such as the attachments 240 (1-3). It may be (block 830).

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, a user may provide a user profile 1200 (see FIG. 10A) indicating digital rights associated with the user. For example, user profile 1200 may include a list of acquired licenses 1205. The obtained license list 1205 may include not only the names of the licensed files to the user, but also any other information indicating the digital rights of the user. For example, the license list obtained is allowed at multiple points in time over which files may be played and / or distributed, in media over which files may be played and / or distributed, and versions distributed to non-license holders. Resolution, whether the user is authorized to change the DRM rules applied to the file, and so forth. In one embodiment, some or all of the information stored in the user profile 1200 may be provided manually by the user when the user connects to access stored e-mails, or alternatively, the information may be If previously stored, it may be made available to the device (eg, server 110) that wishes to access the stored information.

Some or all of the information stored in the user profile 1200 may be changed. For example, as new licenses are obtained, new licenses may be added to the obtained license list 1205. Depending on the implementation, the user profile 1200 may be stored in advance at any desired location, including processor-based devices 105 (1-2), 301, servers 110, 405, and the like. For example purposes, the user profile 1200 is stored in a convenient location and, if desired, includes email modules 160 (1-2, 420), email management module 125, and the like. It is assumed that it can be accessed by the device and / or module. E-mail management module 125 or 420 selects a portion of the e-mail message such that the user is authorized to receive the selected portion (block 820). In one embodiment, the e-mail management module 125 or 420 may select a portion of the e-mail message by accessing one or more protected attachments attached to the e-mail message (block 805). 820). For example, the email management module 125 or 420 can access the protected audio attachment 240 (3) (block 805). The email management module 125 or 420 may then determine one or more restrictions imposed on the protected attachments (block 810). For example, the email management module may determine (at 810) that only 30 seconds of the protected audio attachment 240 (3) can be provided to an unauthorized user. The email management module 125 or 420 may then select a portion of the attachment to be protected based on the determined limits (block 830). For example, the email management module 125 or 420 may select a 30-second-long clip of the protected audio attachment 240 (3). In other embodiments, the email management module 125 or 420 may be viewed and / or distributed by lower resolution versions of the attachment, missing versions of the attachment, and email, but may be printed, copied, Or other portions of the protected attachment may be selected based on the determined limitations, including but not limited to versions that may not be delivered (block 820).

As discussed above, the e-mail management module 125 or 420 may select a portion of the e-mail message based on other criteria, such as data transfer rate, size of the e-mail 200, and so on (block 840). . 15 illustrates one embodiment 1700 of a method for selecting a portion of an e-mail message (block 840) based on the data transfer rate, the size of the e-mail message, and the threshold time. In the illustrated embodiment, a value indicative of or associated with the data transfer rate is determined (block 1710). For example, an email management module, such as email management modules 125 and 420 and / or email modules 160 (1-2) may use one or more data packets received in time. The average data transfer rate may be determined (block 1710). Alternatively, the email management module 125 or 420 may use the device profile to determine the data transfer rate (block 1710). For example, the email management module 125 or 420 may determine that a 14.4 KB modem is being used to transmit the data (block 1710), and thus the email management module 125 or 420 may determine the data. It may be determined that the transmission rate cannot exceed about 14.4 Kbps (block 1710). Those skilled in the art should appreciate that the techniques described above for determining the data transfer rate (block 1710) are exemplary and are not intended to limit the invention.

A value indicating the size of the e-mail message or associated with the size of the e-mail message is also determined (block 1720). In one embodiment, the e-mail management module 125 or 420 may determine the size of the e-mail message by determining the number of bits of the e-mail message (block 1720) (block 1720). Alternatively, the size of the e-mail message may be determined using information that can be sent with the e-mail message (block 1720).

Mail delivery criteria are also determined (block 1730). In the previously discussed embodiments of the present invention, mail delivery criteria were associated with a mail delivery threshold time, such as the user's maximum desired delivery time or default threshold time. In these embodiments, mail transmission criteria are determined by determining the threshold time using an indication of the user's maximum desired transmission time or an indication of a default threshold time, such as a user profile (block 1730). However, potential mail delivery criteria are not limited to the threshold time. In other embodiments, mail delivery criteria may include various user preferences, such as maximum size of attachment, minimum average data transfer rate, time of day, and the like.

Referring now to FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, and 6, a user may define a user profile 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300 that indicates user preferences that may be used to determine mail delivery criteria; 8A, 9A, 10A, and 11A). For example, a user may, via the user profile, indicate that e-mails that can be downloaded within a predetermined time period (eg, within 10 minutes) should be downloaded. Alternatively, the user profile indicates that e-mails smaller than a predetermined size (eg, about 250 KB or less) should be downloaded and / or at an average rate above a certain threshold (eg, about 300 Kbps). It may also indicate that emails that can be downloaded should be downloaded (in some embodiments—eg, in FIG. 9A, the user may be prompted before the email is uploaded and / or downloaded). You can also). The user profile may also indicate that e-mails with high priority levels should be downloaded (eg, FIGS. 7A, 8A). The profile may indicate that the user wants to be prompted before uploading and / or downloading portions of the email (FIGS. 7A, 8A, 9A). In one embodiment, some or all of the information stored in the user profile may be provided manually by the user when the user connects to access stored e-mails, or alternatively, the information may be provided in advance. If stored, it may be made available to the device (eg, server 110) that wishes to access the stored information. Depending on the implementation, the user profile 600 may be stored in advance at any desired location, including processor-based devices 105 (1-2), 401, servers 110, 405, and the like.

In some embodiments (FIGS. 7A, 8A, 9A, 10A, and 11A), the user profile is that emails that are smaller than a predetermined size (eg, about 250 KB or less) must be downloaded. E-mails that can be downloaded at an average rate greater than a predetermined threshold (eg, about 300 Kbps) must be downloaded, and / or the user must be prompted before the e-mail can be uploaded and / or downloaded. May be instructed. In one embodiment, some or all of the information stored in the user profile may be provided manually by the user when the user connects to access stored e-mails or, alternatively, the information may be stored in advance. If so, it may be made available to the device (eg, server 110) that wants to access the stored information. Depending on the implementation, the user profile 600 may be stored in advance at any desired location, including processor-based devices 105 (1-2), 401, servers 110, 405, and the like.

Those skilled in the art should appreciate that any desired other criteria, such as priority level, etc., may be provided in the user profile and used to determine mail delivery criteria (block 630).

For example purposes, the user profile is stored in a convenient location and, if desired, includes an appropriate device and / or including email modules 160 (1-2), 420, email management module 125, and / or the like. Or it is assumed that it can be accessed by the module. In one embodiment, when the user is ready to process one or more of the received e-mails, a message indicating the information contained in the user profile is sent to the server, such as servers 110, 405. The server may set flags based on user preferences. For example, flags may indicate that the servers 110, 405 should queue (and in some embodiments retain) e-mails to be sent and / or received over high speed connections, the maximum indicated in the user profile. It may also indicate that attachments larger than the download size should not be downloaded, prompts to upload and / or download attachments, and the like.

In one embodiment, when the user is ready to process one or more of the received e-mails, the servers indicating the information contained in the user profile may set flags based on user preferences. May be sent to a server, such as 110, 405. For example, flags may indicate that servers 110 and 405 must queue and retain e-mails to be sent and / or received over high-speed connections, not to download attachments larger than the maximum download size indicated in the user profile. It may also indicate that it should not, to prompt before uploading and / or downloading attachments, to download only files with the necessary licenses, and so on.

In some embodiments, the flags are used in processor-based devices 105 (1-2), 401 and other devices (not shown), such as third party proxy servers, eg, mail servers, and the like. It may be set. However, those skilled in the art should appreciate that other devices, such as proxy servers, may have additional rules for handling e-mails. For example, a mail server may operate according to rules that limit the size and / or number of email copies that can be sent. Device rules may in some cases invalidate preferences and / or flags that may be determined in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. For example, the server may be configured with flags that may be set in the preferences and / or processor-based devices 105 (1-2), 401 and other devices that may be indicated by the user profile 600. Regardless, you may refuse to send copies of 50MB email to 100 users.

Referring again to FIGS. 5A and 5C, if mail delivery criteria have been determined, next, the determined data transfer rate, the size of the determined e-mail message, (and the file format in some embodiments), and the mail transfer Based on the criteria, a portion of the email message is selected (blocks 550, 740). In one embodiment, the determined data transfer rate and the determined size of the electronic mail message may be used to predict the total transmission time for the electronic message. The predicted transmission time may then be compared with the threshold time, and if the estimated transmission time does not exceed the threshold time, virtually all of the e-mail messages may be selected (blocks 550, 740). However, if the estimated transmission time actually exceeds the threshold time, as described in detail above, a portion of the e-mail message may be selected. In one embodiment, the e-mail management module may provide the user with the option to select a portion of the e-mail message (blocks 550, 740).

In the embodiment of FIG. 5C, based on the determined data transfer rate, the size of the determined e-mail, and mail delivery criteria, a portion of the e-mail is selected (block 740). For example, the server and / or one or more clients may automatically select a portion of the e-mail using the flags described above (block 740). In one embodiment, the determined data transfer rate and the determined e-mail size may be used to predict the total transfer time for the e-mail. The predicted transmission time may then be compared with the threshold time, and if the estimated transmission time does not exceed the threshold time, virtually all of the e-mail may be selected (block 740). However, if the expected transmission time actually exceeds the threshold time, a portion of the e-mail may be selected (block 740). In one embodiment, the email management module may also provide the user with the option to select a portion of the email (block 740).

In the embodiment of FIG. 5B, based on the determined data transfer rate, the determined size of the electronic message, the file format, and the mail transmission criteria, a portion of the electronic mail message is selected (block 650). The determined data transfer rate and the determined size of the electronic mail message may be used to predict the total transmission time for the electronic message. Then, the estimated transmission time is compared with the threshold time, and if the estimated transmission time does not exceed the threshold time, virtually all of the e-mail messages may be selected (block 650).

However, if the expected transmission time actually exceeds the threshold time and it is desirable to send only a portion of the e-mail message, as described in detail above, a portion of the e-mail message with reduced resolution may be selected. In one embodiment, the e-mail management module may also provide the user with the option to select a portion of the e-mail message with the dynamically reduced resolution (block 650). For example, the user may select a portion of the email message with reduced resolution by highlighting a portion of the email message (block 650). Alternatively, the user may select a portion of the e-mail message with reduced resolution by specifying the time period of the audio clip (block 650). In another embodiment, the user may select a portion of the e-mail message by specifying the time period and / or frame number of the graphic clip (block 650).

In some embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 7B, 8B, 9B, 10B, and 11B, dialog boxes 905, 1005, 1105, 1246, 1305 may be displayed to the user (one embodiment (FIG. 5B, 8B), the user may select a portion of the e-mail message with reduced resolution (block 650). However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the dialog box. In other embodiments, any desired type of user interface, including a graphical user interface or display, may be displayed to the user to provide information to and / or to receive information from the user. The dialog box may display a list of emails and information associated with the emails. For example, as shown in the figures, one entry (indicated by the phrase “test message” in the subject fields 910, 1010, 1110, 1210, 1310) has an e-mail size of about 3.001 MB. Size fields 915, 1015, 1115, 1215, and 1315, indicating that the download time field 920, 1020, and 1120 may take about one hour to download the entire e-mail at the current connection speed. , 1220, 1320). Various parts and / or attachments may also be displayed in a dialog box. For example, the size field indicates that the size of the header is about 1 KB, and the download time field indicates that it may take about 5 seconds to download the header at the current connection speed. For another embodiment, the size field indicates that the size of text_attachment (image_attachment, etc.-see FIG. 8B) is about 1.OMB, and the download time field is about 20 to download text_attachment (image_attachment) at the current connection speed. Indicate that it may take a minute.

E-mails, portions thereof, and / or attachments displayed in a dialog box can be determined in various ways. In one embodiment, the user may determine the e-mails, portions, and / or attachments displayed in the dialog box. For example, a user may create an email that includes one or more tags that indicate which email portions and / or attachments should be displayed in a dialog box. For other embodiments, the user may highlight portions of the email by clicking and dragging at certain portions of the email using controllable pointer elements, such as a mouse, joystick, and the like. The user may then indicate that the highlighted portion should be displayed in the dialog box, for example by selecting an option from the drop-down menu using a controllable pointer element. The e-mail management module may then determine displayable information associated with the e-mails, including but not limited to the size of the e-mail portions and / or attachments and the estimated download time. . However, those skilled in the art should appreciate that the present invention is not limited to embodiments in which the user determines the portions and / or attachments displayed in the dialog box. In other embodiments, the email management module may determine the portions and / or attachments displayed in the dialog box. For example, the email management module may use information such as user profile, device profile, file size, connection speed, estimated download time, etc. to determine the portions and / or attachments displayed in the dialog box.

In various embodiments (FIGS. 5A-5C), the e-mail management module may select portions of e-mails to be downloaded (blocks 550, 650, 740). For example, based on the user profile, the e-mail management module may display the "header" of "test message", as indicated by the X-marks in the selection fields 930, 1030, 1130, 1230, 1330. It is also possible to select "header" of "other message", and "another message". Alternatively, the user may select the portions of the e-mail to be downloaded. For example, a user may control a pointer element on a graphical user display with a pointer controller having a position and selection state that responds to manipulation by the user, such as a mouse, joystick, or the like, and thus the text_attachment (or image_attachment and sound_attachment in one embodiment). You can also select). For example, the user may select the text_attachment (or image_attachment and sound_attachment in other embodiments-FIG. 8B), as indicated by the check-mark in the selection field, by clicking the box in the selection field using the mouse. However, in one embodiment (FIG. 1OB), if the user selects a protected attachment, the email management module may, as discussed above, invalidate the user selection or provide only a reduced resolution version.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 5C, next, a selected portion of the email (block 750) is provided to the processor-based device and / or server, for example. In one embodiment, the email management module 125 automatically provides a selected portion of the email (block 750). In another embodiment, the email management module 125 may provide the user with the option to instruct the email management module 125 to provide the selected portion of the email (block 750). . For example, the user may dynamically instruct the email management module 125 to provide portions of the email using a download button (eg, 935) that may be provided (block 750). In various embodiments, the user may click in the download button to provide a new download or resume a previously interrupted download (block 750). For example, the user may decide to instruct the email management module 125 to provide a portion of the bulk email (block 750) after the smaller emails are provided (block 750). In this embodiment, a portion of the e-mail is provided (block 750) in response to the user determining to provide the portion (block 750). In another embodiment, a download button may be provided within the email.

In one embodiment, the e-mail management module may provide the user with the option to provide the selected portion of the e-mail message (block 750). For example, a dialog box may be displayed to the user and the user may decide to provide the selected portion (block 750) or the user may decide not to provide the selected portion (block 750). In this embodiment, the selected portion of the e-mail message is provided (block 450), in response to the user determining to provide the selected portion (block 750).

In the embodiment of the digital rights of FIG. 6, a selected portion of the electronic mail message (block 850) is provided to the processor-based device and / or server, for example, as discussed in detail above. In one embodiment, the e-mail message is queued and / or stored at a client or server, for example, after a selected portion of the e-mail message is provided (block 850). In one embodiment, a user can create an e-mail message on a processor-based device and the e-mail message can remain queued and / or stored on the processor-based device. Alternatively, the e-mail message may be queued and / or stored at the server. As discussed above, one or more notifications may be provided to the user, such as a popup dialog box, etc. indicating that the e-mail message is queued and / or stored.

The e-mail message may remain queued until the e-mail management module 125 or 420 (block 860) determines that the intended recipient of the e-mail message has obtained the appropriate digital rights. In one embodiment, the user may initiate the process of obtaining appropriate digital rights by selecting a locked lock icon associated with the protected file, such as the locked lock icons shown in DRM field 1206 of FIG. 10B. It may be. The user may select the locked lock icon using, for example, a mouse, joystick, or the like. In response to the user clicking on the locked lock icon, an acquisition dialog box 2100, such as the example embodiment shown in FIG. 21, may be displayed to the user. Acquisition dialog box 2100 provides an action button that can direct the intended recipient to a website where the intended recipient can obtain appropriate digital rights for the associated attachment, for example, by purchasing a license. 2110, an action button 2120 that can provide a downcast version of the attachment, an action button 2130 that allows the user to exit the acquisition process, and the like.

In another embodiment, a user may change one or more DRM rules associated with a portion of an e-mail message. For example, a user may add DRM rules to a file that did not previously have an associated DRM rule. In one embodiment, a user may change one or more DRM rules by selecting an icon associated with a portion of an e-mail message, such as the locked lock or open lock icons shown in DRM field 1206 of FIG. 10B. . The user may, for example, select an appropriate icon using a mouse, joystick, or the like. In response to the user clicking the icon, a dialog box 2140, such as the example embodiment shown in FIG. 21, may be displayed to the user. Dialog box 2140 may include an action button 2150 that allows a properly authorized user to change the DRM rules for the associated attachment, an action button 2160 that allows the user to leave the process, and the like. have.

Returning to FIG. 6, if the email management module 125 or 420 determines that the intended recipient of the email message has obtained the appropriate digital rights (block 860), the email management module 125 or 420 may send the email. The message may be provided (block 870). If the email management module 125 or 420 determines that the intended recipient has not obtained the appropriate digital rights (block 860), the email management module 125 or 420 may determine that the intended recipient has obtained the appropriate digital rights. It may wait to provide an e-mail message until the e-mail management module 125 or 420 determines that it has done (block 870). In one embodiment, the e-mail management module 125 or 420 is configured to send e-mail based on other mail transmission criteria, such as the data transmission speed, size of the electronic message, estimated transmission time, threshold time, and the like. The message may be provided (block 870).

The dialog box may also include detail fields 950 and 1050 (see FIGS. 5A and 7A; FIGS. 5B and 8B). In one embodiment, a user may decide to look at additional information about an attachment (or in one embodiment, one or more attachments). For example, the user may select the magnifying glass icon shown in the detail field by controlling the pointer element on the graphical user display with a pointer controller having a position and selection state in response to the operation by the user, such as a mouse, joystick, or the like. . The e-mail management module may use the determined (blocks 530, 630) file format to display detailed information boxes 1400, 1500 that may include information about attachments, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. It may be.

The information box stores this information as a file name ("text_attachment"-FIG. 12) or ("image_ attachment"-FIG. 13), file type ("Portable Document Format"-FIG. 12) or ("GIF (Graphics Image Format)". 13), and file summary information 1405, 1505, which may be included as any other desirable information.

In one embodiment (FIG. 12), the detail information box also includes information indicating the contents of the attachment. In one illustrated embodiment, this information includes a list of the contents of the attachment, as indicated in the content field 1410. For example, the text_attachment may include Summary, Table of Contents (TOC), Chapters 1-3, and Charts 1-2. The author of the file uses delimiters, such as tags, control characters, and the like, which can be understood by the email management module, so that certain parts of the attachment may be attached to the content field 1410 of the attachment, for example, It can also indicate whether it corresponds to Summary, Table of Contents (TOC), Chapters 1-3, and Charts 1-2. However, the present invention is not limited to author-inserted delimiters. In other embodiments, the content field 1410 of the attachment may be determined in any desired manner, including parsing by the e-mail management module, and the like.

Regardless of the illustrated file (image file, text file, etc.), it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to image files / text files and the like. In other embodiments, any desired type of attachment may be used, including but not limited to the various file types discussed above.

The detail information box may also include information indicating corresponding size fields 1415, 1515, page count fields 1420, 1520, etc. of each part of the attachment. In one embodiment, the size field 1415, page count field 1420, and any other desired information may be determined by the email management module. In other embodiments, the detail information box 1400 may also include information not shown in FIG. 12, such as predicted download time, predicted transmission rate, and the like for each portion of the attachment.

In one embodiment (FIG. 13), the detail information box may include information indicating the contents of the attachment. In the illustrated embodiment, this information includes the version field 1510 of the attachment. For example, a full-size, full-resolution version of image_attachment, as well as a full-size, reduced resolution version, reduced size, reduced resolution (or "thumbnail") version, reduced size, full resolution version Various downcast versions may also be used for download, including and the like. Alternatively, the color resolution for portions of the attachments may be reduced by the downcast process. For example, the color resolution of an image that includes 65K colors may be reduced to a grey-scale image.

In one embodiment (FIG. 13), the author of the file uses delimiters, such as tags, control characters, and the like, which can be understood by the email management module, as well as portions of the image attachment to be downcast. It may also direct the downcasting process. For example, the author may select a section of image_attachment, such as Section 1 shown in FIG. However, the present invention is not limited to user-defined downcasting. In other embodiments, the version field of the attachment may be determined in any desired manner, including parsing by the email management module, and the like.

The detail information box of FIG. 13 includes information indicating the size of the version in the corresponding size field 1515 and includes information indicating the estimated download time of the version in the corresponding time field 1520 of each part. Expression In one embodiment, the size field 1515, the time field 1520, and any other desired information may be determined by the email management module. In other embodiments, the detail information box 1500 can also include information not shown in FIG. 13, such as the predicted transmission rate and the like.

Priority level fields 1425 and 1525 may also be associated with one or more portions of the attachment. In one embodiment, the priority level fields are high priority 1430, 1530 (indicated by "!"), Low priority 1435, 1535 (indicated by the down arrow), and average priority. 1414, 1537 (indicated by the blank field). However, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any desired number of priority levels may be indicated in the priority level field 725, which may be other symbols or characters, colors, flashing and / or beeping. It should be appreciated that the present invention may be directed in any desired manner, including attracting techniques such as beeping. The user can understand the priority level associated with each part (version) of the attachment, for example, Summary, Table of Contents (TOC), Chapters 1-3, and Charts 1-2, by the email management module. May be indicated using delimiters, such as tags, control characters, and the like. Alternatively, the user instructs the priority level using a pointer controller that has a position and selection state in response to manipulation by the user, such as a mouse, joystick, etc., to interactively select the priority level using the details box. You may. However, the present invention is not limited to user-defined priority levels. In other embodiments, the priority level associated with portions of the attachment may be determined in any manner desired. For example, the email management module may assign a default priority level to each part of the attachment. The indicated and / or assigned priority level may then be indicated in the priority level field.

5A and 12, next, one or more portions of the attachment corresponding to the contents 1410 of the attachment, for example, Summary, Table of Contents (TOC), Chapters 1-3, and Charts 1-2 may be selected (block 550). In an embodiment, one or more portions of the attachment may be selected based on one or more indicators of the size fields 1415, page count fields 1420, and priority level fields 1425 (block 550). For example, Summary and Chart 1 may be selected (block 550), as indicated by the check mark in selection field 740. In various other embodiments, one or more portions of the attachment may be selected by the user, author, email management module, or in any other desired manner (block 550). In addition, one or more portions of the attachment may be dynamically selected, for example, using a user profile 900 (FIG. 7A) or by the user, for example, when the dialog information box 905 is displayed ( Block 550). In other embodiments, one or more portions of the attachment may also be selected sequentially (block 550). For example, the user may select Summary (block 550), review the Summary, and select Chapter 1 (block 550).

In one embodiment (FIG. 5B), one or more portions and / or versions of the attachment may next be selected (block 650). In one embodiment, one or more portions and / or versions of the attachment are selected based on one or more indicators of size fields 1015, time fields 1020, and priority level fields 1025. It may also be (block 650). For example, Section 1 may be selected (block 650), at least in part due to the high priority associated with Section 1, as indicated by the checkmark in section field 1540. In various other embodiments, one or more portions and / or versions of the attachment may be selected by the user, author, email management module, or in any other desired manner (block 650). In addition, one or more portions and / or versions of the attachment may be dynamically selected (eg, block) by the user in advance, for example using the user profile 1000 or when the dialog information box is displayed (block, for example). 650). In other embodiments, one or more portions and / or versions of the attachment may also be selected sequentially (block 650). For example, the user may select a thumbnail (block 650), look at the thumbnail and select Section 1 (block 650).

In various embodiments (FIGS. 5A-5C), selected portions of the e-mail message (blocks 560, 660, 750) are, for example, processor-based device and / or server, as discussed in detail above. Is provided. In one embodiment (see FIG. 5A), the e-mail management module may also provide an option for providing a selected portion of the e-mail message to the user (block 560). For example, a dialog box may be displayed to the user and the user may decide to provide the selected portion (block 560) or the user may decide not to provide the selected portion (block 560). In this embodiment, the selected portion of the e-mail message is provided (block 560) in response to the user determining to provide the selected portion (block 560). In one embodiment, the user may select the minimum resolution, section of the image, provision of other text, and other similar actions.

In one embodiment (see FIG. 5C), the email management module 125 automatically provides a selected portion of the email (block 750). In another embodiment, the email management module 125 may provide the user with the option to instruct the email management module 125 to provide the selected portion of the email (block 750). . For example, a user may provide, for example, a portion of an email (block 750) using a download button 1335, which may be provided, as shown in FIG. 11B. Dynamic indication may be made to 125. In various embodiments, a user may click download button 1335 to provide a new download or resume a previously interrupted download (block 750). For example, a user may decide to instruct the email management module 125 to provide a portion of a large email (block 750) after smaller emails are provided (block 750). In this embodiment, a portion of the email is provided (block 750) in response to the user determining to provide the portion (block 750).

In some embodiments, the e-mail message is queued and / or stored at, for example, a client or server after the selected portion of the e-mail message is provided (eg, block 560). The e-mail message may remain queued until it is desirable to provide a complete e-mail message. Alternatively, the user may request additional optional portions of the e-mail message. In one embodiment, a user can create an e-mail message on a processor-based device and a selected portion of the e-mail message can be provided to a server and / or another processor-based device (eg, block 560). The e-mail message may remain queued and / or stored on the processor-based device until it is desirable to provide the complete e-mail message or additional portion thereof to the server and / or other processor-based device. . Alternatively, the e-mail message may remain queued and / or stored on the server until it is desirable to provide a complete e-mail message. As discussed above, one or more notifications may be provided to the user indicating that the e-mail message is queued and / or stored.

The e-mail message may, in one embodiment, be queued and / or stored at a client or server, for example, after a selected portion of the e-mail message with reduced resolution is provided (block 660). The e-mail message may remain queued until it is desirable to provide a complete e-mail message. Alternatively, the user may request additional optional portions of the e-mail message.

In another embodiment, a user may create an e-mail message on a processor-based device and a selected portion of the e-mail message with reduced resolution may be provided to a server and / or another processor-based device (block 660). ). For example, a user may select sections or one or more attachments of an e-mail message, which may be indicated with tags or the like. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, tags are special characters that can be inserted to indicate the start and / or end of portions of a data stream. In one embodiment, tags may be inserted in the data content by the creator and / or user to, for example, indicate an overview of the data content, a summary of the data content, and the like. If it is desired to provide a portion of the entire e-mail message, a reduced resolution version of the user selection sections may be provided (block 660).

The reduced resolution e-mail message remains queued and / or stored in the processor-based device until it is desirable to provide the complete e-mail message or an additional portion thereof to the server and / or other processor-based device. You can keep it. Alternatively, the e-mail message may remain queued and / or stored on the server until it is desirable to provide a complete e-mail message. As discussed above, one or more notifications may be provided to the user indicating that the e-mail message is queued and / or stored.

In some embodiments (FIGS. 7B, 8B, 9B, 10B, 11B), a stop button (such as by clicking with a mouse or other controller) to stop a download in progress (eg, by clicking with a mouse or other controller). For example, a stop button 540 may be provided to select 940. In another embodiment, a stop button may be provided in the email. A progress field (eg, 945) or similar user interface prop may be provided to indicate how much of the selected portions have been downloaded. For example, the progress field indicates that the header of the test message has been downloaded and that about 50% of the text_attachment has been downloaded, that is, about 16% of the email has been downloaded.

In one embodiment, the e-mail is queued and / or stored at, for example, a client or server after the selected portion of the e-mail is provided. The e-mail may remain queued until it is desirable to provide full e-mail. In one embodiment, a user can create an email on a processor-based device and a selected portion of the email can be provided to a server and / or other processor-based device. The e-mail may remain queued and / or stored on the processor-based device until it is desirable to provide complete e-mail to the server and / or other processor-based device. Alternatively, the e-mail may remain queued and / or stored on the server until it is desirable to provide complete e-mail. As discussed above, one or more notifications may be provided to the user indicating that the e-mail is queued and / or stored.

In some embodiments, the e-mail message is queued and / or stored at, for example, a client or server after the selected portion of the e-mail message is provided. The e-mail message may remain queued until it is desirable to provide a complete e-mail message. In one embodiment, a user can create an e-mail message on a processor-based device, and a selected portion of the e-mail message can be provided to a server and / or a processor-based device. The e-mail message may remain queued and / or stored on the processor-based device until it is desirable to provide the complete e-mail message to the server and / or other processor-based device. Alternatively, the e-mail message may remain queued and / or stored on the server until it is desirable to provide a complete e-mail message. As discussed above, one or more notifications may be provided to the user indicating that the e-mail message is queued and / or stored.

One or more (in one embodiment) of the e-mail messages or portions thereof may be associated with a time and / or scheduled event. For example, a user may schedule a meeting and distribute materials to meeting participants in an e-mail message that may include one or more attachments. Meeting notices may also be provided to users who can join the meeting. However, as discussed above, not all e-mail messages and / or attachments may be provided to users. A user may wish to send undelivered portions of associated e-mail messages, such as portions that may be queued and / or stored at a server and / or other processor-based device, prior to the associated time and / or event. In some embodiments, the association of the e-mail message with the scheduled time and / or event may be indicated by a calendar icon located in the event field 1150, shown in FIG. 9B. Alternatively, the association of the e-mail message with the scheduled time and / or event is placed in an envelope icon 1655 located in the associated e-mail field 1560 of the calendar entry 1665, as shown in FIG. 14. May be indicated.

In one embodiment (FIGS. 9B and 14), the user may look at the current state of the portions of the e-mail message. For example, a user may select a calendar icon or envelope icon 1655 of the event field 1150 associated with one or more portions of the e-mail message (eg, with a mouse, joystick, etc.). In response to the user selection, a dialog box 1800 may be displayed, as shown in FIG. 16. In one embodiment, the dialog box 1800 may display information including the file name, title of the attachment, current time, scheduled time and / or event, scheduled download time, and the like. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that any desired information may be displayed in the dialog box 1800. An edit button 1805 may also be provided in the dialog box 1800. In one embodiment, the user may select the edit button 1805 to be provided with the option to edit one or more of the entries in the dialog box 1800. For example, the user may choose to change the scheduled download time to a more desirable time. Those skilled in the art should also appreciate that in other embodiments, an e-mail management module, server, or the like may schedule the download time. For example, the e-mail management module may automatically schedule the transmission time based on factors such as default times, historical usage patterns, connection speeds, and the like. The e-mail management module may also prompt the user to connect on demand.

The above tools may be provided to the user for downloading portions of the e-mail message prior to the time and / or event associated with the e-mail message, although the user may not always use these tools. Thus, a method 1900 may also be provided for providing a notification for an undelivered portion of an e-mail message based on a calendar entry. One embodiment of the method 1900 is shown in FIG. 19. In the illustrated embodiment, an email management module, such as the email management modules 125 and 410 shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, determines whether a portion of the email has been delivered to the intended recipient. Determine (block 1910). For example, the e-mail management module may determine that not all of the e-mail messages have been delivered to one or more users associated with one or more processor-based devices, one or more servers, and the like (block 1910). In various other embodiments, the e-mail management module accesses a queue, storage medium, register, flag associated with the e-mail message, a marker associated with the e-mail message, and the like, such that a portion of the e-mail message is sent to the intended recipient. It may be determined that it was delivered (block 1910). If the e-mail management module determines that all desirable portions of the e-mail message have been delivered to the intended recipient (block 1910), the method 1900 may end (block 1920).

If the email management module determines that one or more portions of the email message have not been delivered to the intended recipient (block 1910), the email management module determines the time and / or event associated with the email message (block 1930). In one embodiment, the associated time and / or event may include the date and time of the meeting, telephone number, etc., which may be determined by accessing a calendar or by accessing a portion of an e-mail message ( Block 1930). For example, time field 245 (FIG. 2C) can be used to associate an e-mail message with an entry in a calendar or schedule. The e-mail management module may then access a calendar or schedule entry associated with the e-mail message to determine the associated time (block 1930). For example, the associated time can be the date and time of a scheduled meeting, appointment, or the like. For example, by accessing the clock, the current time can also be determined (block 1940).

The e-mail management module may then compare the current time with the associated time (block 1950), and if it is determined that the current time is earlier than the associated time (block 1950), provide one or more notifications (block 1960). For example, as shown in FIG. 17, the e-mail management module may provide a notification 1810, which may include information such as file name, attachment, scheduled time and / or duration until event, and the like. . In one embodiment, notification 1810 may include one or more buttons 1820, 1830, 1840 that allow a user to initiate one or more actions. For example, notification 800 may include a SCHEDULE DOWNLOAD button 1820 that allows a user to schedule a download for a later time, a DOWNLOAD NOW button 1830 that allows the user to actually initiate a download immediately, It may also include a REMIND ME button 1840 or the like for requesting another notification later.

In various other embodiments as described above, the notification is an email message that can be to an intended recipient, such as a user associated with a processor-based device or server, or a user associated with a processor-based device, automated mail server, or the like. It may be provided to the distributor (block 1960). In one embodiment, with the notification, the user may be provided with the option to receive and / or send the e-mail message immediately or at a scheduled time. If the e-mail management module determines that the current time is after the associated time (block 1950), an late notification may be provided (block 1970) and the method 1900 may end (block 1920).

Once the notification is provided (block 1920), the email management module can determine whether the email has been provided to the intended recipient (block 1910). For example, the e-mail management module may wait a predetermined time after a notification is provided (block 1960) before determining whether the e-mail message has been delivered to the intended recipient (block 1910). In one embodiment, as the difference between the associated time and the current time decreases, the urgency of the notifications may increase as well as the frequency with which the associated time and the current time are compared (block 1950). For example, the e-mail management module may provide an urgent notification 1850, as shown in FIG. 18. In one embodiment, urgent notification 1850 may include one or more buttons 1860, such as a DOWNLOAD NOW button 1860, which allows a user to initiate a download virtually immediately. In one embodiment, only notifications 1810, 1850 may be provided when the difference between the associated time and the current time is less than a predetermined value. The frequency and / or urgency of the notifications as well as the predetermined values may be specified by the user and / or user profile.

As mentioned above, in some other embodiments, a user may be provided with the option to receive and / or transmit an e-mail message at a scheduled time. 20 illustrates one embodiment of a method 2000 for scheduling time for providing an e-mail message to an intended recipient. In the illustrated embodiment, the user determines to receive and / or send an e-mail message (block 2010). The e-mail management module is an Internet service associated with sending an e-mail message during one or more time periods through one or more communication paths (eg, communication paths 130 (1-2), 440). Connection costs may be determined, such as a subscription cost of an internet connection provided by the provider, a phone call cost used for dial-up connection, and the like (block 2020).

The e-mail management module may also determine one or more price points for pricing based on the determined connection costs (block 2030). For example, the e-mail management module may cost $ 25.00 to send an e-mail message from a gas station on a Monday afternoon, over a dial-up connection requiring long distance calls, but after that evening It may be determined that if it is sent over the cable modem from home, it will actually be free (block 2030). Next, a time period for providing an e-mail message may be scheduled based on one or more incentive retail prices as well as any other desired criteria, such as bandwidth availability, user availability, historical access information, and the like. (Block 2040). In other embodiments, the transmission time may be scheduled based on the estimated transmission time and the difference between the current time and the time associated with the e-mail message (block 2040). For example, if only 10 minutes remain between the current time and the time of the scheduling event associated with the e-mail message, and the estimated transmission time is about 10 minutes, the time period for providing the e-mail message may be actually scheduled immediately ( Block 2040).

22 shows a stylized block diagram of a processor-based device 2200, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, processor-based device 2200 may represent portions of processor-based devices 105 (1-2, 401) and / or servers 110, 405. Apparatus 2200 has or has a suitable software configuration, including email management module 125 or email modules 160 (1-2) of FIGS. 1A-1C, depending on the particular implementation. 4A, FIG. 4B is configured to have an email management module 420 of the system 400.

The apparatus 2200 has a control unit 2210, in one embodiment, the control unit 2210 can be a processor that is communicatively coupled to the storage unit 2220. The software installed in the storage unit 2220 may depend on the specifications to be performed by the device 2200. For example, if the device 2200 represents one of the processor-based devices 105 (1-2), 110, 401, 405, the storage unit 2220 is configured for the e-mail management modules 125, 420. ) As well as email modules 160 (1-2). E-mail management modules 125, 420 and e-mail modules 160 (1-2) may be executable by control unit 2210. Although not shown, in one embodiment, the operating system, such as Windows ^® , Disk Operating System ^® , Unix ^® , OS / 2 ^® , Linux ^® , MAC OS ^®, and the like, is stored in the storage unit 2220 to control unit 2210. It should be appreciated that it can be executed by). The storage unit 2220 can also include device drivers for various hardware components of the device 2200.

In the illustrated embodiment, the device 2200 includes a display interface 2230. The device 800 may display information on the display device 2235 through the display interface 2230. In the illustrated embodiment, a user may enter information via input interface 2245 using an input device, such as keyboard 2240 and / or mouse 2245. The control unit 2210 is coupled to a network interface 2260, for example a local area network (LAN) card, which may be adapted to receive. In another embodiment, the network interface 2260 may be a universal serial bus (USB) interface or an interface for wireless communication. Device 2200 communicates with other devices via network interface 2260. Although not shown, network interface 2260 may be associated with a network protocol stack, which embodiment is a UDP / IP or TCP / IP stack. In one embodiment, both inbound and outbound packets may be forwarded through network interface 2260 and the network protocol stack.

The apparatus 2200 block diagram of FIG. 22 is illustrative in nature, and in other embodiments, it can be appreciated that additional, fewer, or different components may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Should be For example, if device 2200 is a computer, device 2200 may include additional components such as a system bus or an I / O bus. In other embodiments, the various elements of the apparatus 800 may be interconnected using various buses and controllers. Likewise, depending on the implementation, the device 2200 may be configured with other desirable changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Various system layers, routines, or modules may be executed in control units, such as control unit 2210. The control unit 2210 may include a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor (DSP), processor card (including one or more microprocessors or controllers), or other control or computing devices. Storage devices referred to in this discussion may include one or more machine-readable storage media for storing data and instructions. Storage media are semiconductor memory devices such as DRAMs or SRAMs (dynamic or static random access memories), erasable and programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable and programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs) and flash memories. field; Magnetic disks such as fixed, floppy or removable disks; Other magnetic media including tape; And different forms of memory, including optical media such as compact disks (CDs) or digital video disks (DVDs). Instructions that make up the various software layers, routines, or modules in the various systems may be stored in separate storage devices. The instructions, when executed by the individual control unit 2210, cause the corresponding system to perform the programmed operations.

In one embodiment, a method and apparatus are provided for providing a portion of an e-mail message based on a presented transmission speed, message size, and file format. The method includes determining whether it is desirable to provide a portion of an entire email message, and in response to determining that it is desirable to provide a portion of the entire email message, determining a format associated with the email message. Steps. The method also includes selecting a portion of the email message using the determined format and providing the selected portion of the email message.

In one embodiment, a method and apparatus are provided for providing a portion of an e-mail message with reduced resolution. The method includes determining whether it is desirable to provide a portion of the entire e-mail message, selecting a portion of the e-mail message, and reducing the resolution of the selected portion of the e-mail message. The method also includes providing a portion of the e-mail message at reduced resolution.

In one embodiment, a method and apparatus are provided for providing notification for an undelivered portion of an e-mail message based on a scheduled time. The method includes determining whether an e-mail message has been sent, including scheduling information indicative of a calendar event, as an e-mail message, rather than all, and associating an e-mail message with a calendar event based on the scheduling information. And, based on the calendar event, providing a notification that not all but an e-mail message has been sent.

In one embodiment, a method and apparatus are provided for providing a portion of an e-mail message based on digital rights. The method includes determining, based on one or more digital rights associated with an e-mail message, that the user is authorized to receive a portion of the entire e-mail message, selecting a portion of the e-mail message that the user is authorized to receive, And providing the selected portion of the e-mail message.

In one embodiment, methods and apparatus are provided for providing a portion of an e-mail message based on transmission speed and message size. The method includes determining a value associated with a data transfer rate, determining a value associated with a size of an electronic mail message, and determining mail transfer criteria. The method also includes selecting a portion of the electronic mail message based on the determined transmission rate value, the determination value associated with the size of the electronic mail message, and the determined mail transmission criteria. The method further includes providing a selected portion of the e-mail message.

The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent ways apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Also, unless stated in the following claims, it is not limited to the details of construction or design shown herein. Thus, apparently, the specific embodiments described above may be altered or modified and all such changes are considered to be within the scope and spirit of the invention. Thus, the protection sought here is described in the following claims.

Claims (164)

Determining whether it is desirable to provide a portion of the entire e-mail message; Selecting a portion of the e-mail message; And Providing a selected portion of the e-mail message. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in response to determining that it is desirable to provide a portion of the entire email message, determining a format associated with the email message; And Selecting a portion of the e-mail message based on the determined format. The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing the resolution for a selected portion of the e-mail message, And providing the portion of the email message at reduced resolution. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein reducing the resolution for a selected portion of the email message comprises downcasting a portion of one or more files associated with the email message. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein downcasting the one or more files comprises downcasting one or more of an audio file, a video file, a multimedia file, an image file, and a graphics file. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein downcasting the one or more files comprises: a full size of the one or more files, a reduced resolution version, a reduced size of the one or more files, a reduced resolution version, and a reduced size of the one or more files. Providing one or more of a size, a full resolution version, and a reduced color resolution version of the one or more files. 4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein determining whether it is desirable to provide all of the electronic mail messages comprises: determining a value associated with a data transfer rate; Determining a value associated with a size of the e-mail message; And determining mail delivery criteria. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether it is desirable to provide all of the electronic mail messages comprises: determining a value associated with a data transfer rate; Determining a value associated with a size of the e-mail message; And determining mail transmission criteria, Determining a value associated with the size of the e-mail message may include identifying one or more charts, tables, pages, agendas, tables of contents, summaries, audio clips, or video clips based on the determined format. Method comprising the steps. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining a value associated with the size of the e-mail message comprises determining a value associated with the size of the one or more identified charts, tables, pages, agendas, tables of contents, summaries, audio clips, and video clips. A method comprising the steps of: The method of claim 8, wherein selecting a portion of the email message is based on a determination value associated with the size of the one or more identified charts, tables, pages, agendas, tables of contents, summaries, audio clips, and video clips. Selecting one or more identified charts, tables, pages, agendas, tables of contents, summaries, audio clips or video clips. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining a value associated with the data transmission rate comprises: determining, based on a device profile, a value associated with the data transmission rate, data of one or more received data packets and the received data packet. Determining an average data transfer rate based on a time period associated with the. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the mail transmission criteria is based on one or more of user input, user profile, and device profile: a threshold time, a default threshold time, a user's maximum desired transmission time, a maximum attachment size, Determining at least one of a minimum average transfer rate, and time of day. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein selecting a portion of the e-mail message comprises: predicting a transmission time using a decision value associated with the data transfer rate and a decision value associated with the size of one or more files associated with the e-mail message. ; And comparing the threshold time with the predicted transmission time. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting a portion of the email message with reduced resolution comprises selecting portions of one or more files associated with the email message. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting a portion of the email message with reduced resolution comprises one or more of selecting a reduced resolution, selecting a section of an image, and providing other text. How to. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting the portion of the email message comprises dynamically selecting the portion of the email message. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein dynamically selecting the portion of the email message comprises selecting a portion of the email message specifying a time period and selecting the portion of the email message specifying a number of frames. A method comprising one or more of the steps. 4. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein providing a selected portion of the email message comprises: transmitting the selected portion of the email message; And storing the e-mail message. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein providing the selected portion of the e-mail message comprises: transmitting the selected portion from a server to a processor-based device and storing the e-mail message on the server or storing the selected portion in a processor-. Transmitting from the based device to a server and storing the email message on the processor-based device. 4. The method of claim 2 or 3, further comprising: providing an option for providing the selected portion to a user; And in response to the user determining to provide the selected portion, providing the selected portion. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein providing a selected portion of the e-mail message comprises one or more of trickle uploading and trickle downloading the e-mail message. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing an additional selection portion of the email message after providing the selected portion of the email message. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein providing additional optional portions of the email message comprises providing the email message. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: displaying one or more text strings indicating one or more portions of the e-mail message; Displaying at least one indication of a priority level for at least one portion of the e-mail message; Displaying one or more selection fields corresponding to the one or more e-mail messages; Monitoring a position and a selection state of a pointer controller to detect that one of the one or more selection fields has been selected by the user; And in response to detecting that one of the one or more selection fields has been selected by the user, changing the appearance of the selected one of the one or more selection fields. 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising displaying one or more of a size field, a page field, and an estimated download time corresponding to one or more portions of the one or more e-mail messages. 26. The method of claim 25, further comprising changing a priority level for one or more portions of the one or more email messages in response to detecting that one or more priority level fields have been selected by the user. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising controlling a pointer element on the graphical user display with a user pointer controller having a position and a selection state in response to an operation by a user. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a value associated with a data transfer rate; Determining a value associated with a size of an e-mail message; And determining mail transmission criteria, The selecting step includes selecting a portion of the email message based on the determined transmission rate value, a determination value associated with the size of the email message, and the determined mail transmission criteria. . 29. The method of claim 28, wherein determining the value associated with the data transfer rate comprises determining a value associated with the data transfer rate based on one or more received data packets. 30. The method of claim 29, wherein determining a value associated with the data rate based on the received data packet comprises determining an average data rate using data of the received data packet and a time period associated with the received data packet. How to equip. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein determining the value associated with the data rate comprises determining a value associated with the rate based on a device profile. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein determining mail transmission criteria comprises determining the mail transmission criteria based on one or more of a user input, a user profile, and a device profile. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein determining the mail transmission criteria comprises determining one or more of a threshold time, a maximum attachment size, a minimum average transmission speed, a time of day, a default threshold time, and a user's maximum desired transmission time. How to. 34. The method of claim 33, wherein selecting the portion of the e-mail message comprises estimating a transmission time using a decision value associated with the data transmission rate and a decision value associated with the size of the e-mail message. 35. The method of claim 34, wherein selecting the portion of the e-mail message comprises comparing the threshold time with the predicted transmission time. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein providing a selected portion of the email message comprises: transmitting the selected portion of the email message; And storing the e-mail message. 37. The method of claim 36, wherein providing a selected portion of the e-mail message comprises transmitting the selected portion from a server to a processor-based device and storing the e-mail message on the server. 37. The method of claim 36, wherein providing a selected portion of the e-mail message comprises transmitting the selected portion from a processor-based device to a server and storing the e-mail message on the processor-based device. Way. 29. The method of claim 28, further comprising providing a user with one or more of an indication of the selected portion and an option for providing the selected portion. 40. The method of claim 39, wherein providing the selected portion comprises providing the selected portion in response to the user determining to provide the selected portion. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein providing the selected portion of the email message comprises one or more of trickle uploading and trickle downloading the email message. 29. The method of claim 28, further comprising providing the email message after providing the selected portion of the email message. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether it is desirable to provide a portion of the entire e-mail message is to authorize the user to receive a portion of the entire e-mail message based on one or more digital rights associated with the e-mail message. And determining a portion of the email message, wherein selecting the portion of the email message is authorized for receipt by the user. 44. The method of claim 43, wherein determining that the user is authorized to receive a portion of an entire e-mail message comprises: copyright, distribution rights, broadcast rights, playback rights, publishing rights, licensing restrictions, fair use, and digital rights management (DRMCA). Determining, based on the limitations imposed by the Rights Millennium Copyright Act, that the user is authorized to receive a portion of the entire e-mail message. 44. The method of claim 43, wherein determining that the user is authorized to receive a portion of an entire e-mail message comprises accessing one or more of a user input and a user profile. 46. The method of claim 45, wherein accessing the user profile comprises accessing the user profile of one or more of a local device and a remote device. 44. The method of claim 43, further comprising obtaining authorization to receive a protected portion of the e-mail message. 48. The method of claim 47, wherein obtaining the authorization comprises obtaining a license for receiving a protected portion of the e-mail message. 48. The method of claim 47, wherein obtaining the authorization comprises directing the user to an owner of digital rights for the protected portion of the e-mail message. 48. The method of claim 47, further comprising providing a protected portion of the e-mail message in response to obtaining the authorization. 44. The method of claim 43, wherein selecting the portion comprises determining a format of one or more files associated with the e-mail message. 53. The method of claim 51, wherein selecting a portion of the e-mail message comprises identifying one or more charts, tables, pages, agendas, tables of contents, summaries, audio clips, or video clips based on the determined file format. A method comprising the steps of: 53. The method of claim 51, wherein selecting the portion of the email message comprises reducing the resolution of one or more files associated with the email message based on the determined file format. 54. The method of claim 53, wherein reducing the resolution of the one or more files comprises downcasting a portion of one or more of an audio file, a video file, a multimedia file, an image file, and a graphics file. 44. The method of claim 43, further comprising determining that it is desirable to receive a portion of the entire e-mail message. 56. The method of claim 55, wherein determining that it is desirable to provide not all of the e-mail messages further comprises: determining a threshold time; Determining a value associated with a data transfer rate; Determining a value associated with a size of the e-mail message; Predicting transmission time using the determination value associated with the data transmission rate and the determination value associated with the size of the e-mail message; Comparing the threshold time with the predicted transmission time; And based on the comparison, selecting a portion of the email message. 44. The method of claim 43, wherein providing a selected portion of the e-mail message comprises transmitting the selected portion from a server to a processor-based device and storing the e-mail message on the server. 44. The method of claim 43, wherein providing the selected portion of the e-mail message comprises transmitting the selected portion from a processor-based device to a server and storing the e-mail message on the processor-based device. Way. When executed, enable the processor to access an e-mail message for delivery to a remote device; Determine whether it is desirable to provide a portion of the entire e-mail message; Select a portion of the e-mail message; And one or more machine-readable storage media comprising instructions for providing a selected portion of the e-mail message to the remote device. 60. The computer-readable medium of claim 59, wherein the instructions, when executed, additionally, in response to determining that it is desirable to provide a portion of the entire e-mail message, the processor may determine the format associated with the e-mail message. To be present; A product that enables the selection of a portion of the email message using the determined format. 60. The computer-readable medium of claim 59, wherein the instructions when executed cause the processor to: reduce the resolution for the selected portion of the e-mail message; Wherein the portion of the e-mail message can be provided at a reduced resolution. 62. The article of claim 61, wherein the instructions, when executed, enable a processor to downcast the selected portion of the e-mail message. 62. The product of claim 61, wherein the instructions, when executed, enable a processor to select portions of one or more files associated with the email message. 62. The product of claim 61, wherein the instructions, when executed, enable the processor to select portions of one or more files associated with the email message based on one or more tags. 62. The article of claim 61, wherein the instructions, when executed, enable a processor to dynamically select a portion of the e-mail message. 62. The apparatus of claim 60 or 61, wherein the instructions, when executed, enable the processor to determine a value associated with a data transfer rate; Determine a value associated with a size of the e-mail message; A product that allows to determine mail delivery criteria. 67. The computer-readable medium of claim 66, wherein the instructions, when executed, enable the processor to predict the transmission time using a determination value associated with the data transfer rate and a determination value associated with the size of one or more files associated with the email message. and; A product that enables a comparison of a threshold time with the predicted transmission time. 62. The article of claim 60 or 61, wherein the instructions, when executed, enable the processor to send the selected portion of the email message and to store the email message. 61. The product of claim 60, wherein the instructions, when executed, enable the processor to provide an additional selection portion of the email message after providing the selected portion of the email message. 61. The article of claim 60, wherein the instructions, when executed, enable the processor to provide the e-mail message. 60. The computer-readable medium of claim 59, wherein the instructions when executed cause the processor to: determine a value associated with a data transfer rate; Determine a value associated with the size of the e-mail message; Determine mail delivery criteria; And select a portion of the electronic mail message based on the determined transmission rate value, a determination value associated with the size of the email message, and the determined mail transmission criteria. 72. The computer-readable medium of claim 71, wherein the one or more machine-readable storage media, when executed, are configured to cause the processor to determine an average data transfer rate using data of one or more received data packets and a time period associated with the received data packets. Product to make. 72. The computer-readable medium of claim 71, wherein the one or more machine-readable storage media, when executed, cause the processor to: based on one or more of a user input, a user profile, and a device profile, a threshold time, a default threshold time, a user's A product that enables determining one or more of a maximum desired transmission time, a maximum attachment size, a minimum average transmission speed, and a time of day. 72. The computer-readable medium of claim 71, wherein the one or more machine-readable storage media, when executed, cause the processor to: transmit the one or more of the threshold time, the default threshold time, and the user's maximum desired transmission time to the predicted transmission. Products that allow you to compare with time. 72. The computer-readable medium of claim 71, wherein the one or more machine-readable storage media, when executed, causes the processor to: send the selected portion of the e-mail message; Instructions for enabling the storage of the email message. The computer-readable medium of claim 71, wherein the one or more machine-readable storage media include instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to provide the electronic mail message after providing the selected portion of the electronic mail message. product. 60. The computer-readable medium of claim 59, wherein when executed, cause the processor to determine that the user is authorized to receive a portion of the entire e-mail message based on one or more digital rights associated with the e-mail message; Instructions for enabling the user to select a portion of the e-mail message that is authorized to receive. The article of claim 11, wherein the one or more machine-readable storage media include instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to access one or more of a user input and a user profile. 78. The article of claim 77, wherein the one or more machine-readable storage media include instructions that, when executed, enable the processor to obtain authorization to receive a protected portion of the e-mail message. 80. The computer-readable medium of claim 79, wherein the one or more machine-readable storage media, when executed, is configured to cause the processor to, in response to obtaining authorization to receive a protected portion of the email message: A product that contains instructions that enable you to provide a protected part. 80. The computer-readable medium of claim 79, wherein the one or more machine-readable storage media, when executed, cause instructions to cause the processor to direct the user to an owner of digital rights for an unauthorized portion of the e-mail message. Containing products. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the one or more machine-readable storage media, when executed, enable the processor to downcast a portion of one or more of an audio file, a video file, a multimedia file, an image file, and a graphics file. A product containing instructions for doing so. 78. The computer-readable medium of claim 77, wherein the one or more machine-readable storage media, when executed, enable the processor to determine a threshold time; Determine a value associated with the data transfer rate; Determine a value associated with a size of the e-mail message; A decision value associated with the data transmission rate and a decision value associated with the size of the e-mail message make it possible to predict the transmission time; Allow the threshold time to be compared with the predicted transmission time; Based on the comparison, instructions for selecting a portion of the email message. interface; And A control unit coupled to the interface, determining whether it is desirable to provide a portion of the entire e-mail message; Select a portion of the e-mail message; And a control unit adapted to provide a selected portion of the e-mail message. 85. The apparatus of claim 84, wherein the control unit is further configured to: in response to determining that it is desirable to provide a portion of the entire e-mail message, determine the format associated with the e-mail message; And adapted to select a portion of the e-mail message using the determined format. 85. The apparatus of claim 84, wherein the control unit is further configured to: reduce resolution for a selected portion of the e-mail message; And adapted to provide a portion of the e-mail message at reduced resolution. 87. The apparatus of claim 86, wherein the control unit is adapted to downcast at least a selected portion of the e-mail message. 87. The apparatus of claim 86, wherein the control unit is adapted to select one or more portions of one or more files associated with the email message. 87. The apparatus of claim 86, wherein the control unit is adapted to select a portion of one or more files associated with the email message based on one or more tags. 87. The apparatus of claim 86, wherein the control unit is adapted to dynamically select a portion of the e-mail message. 87. The apparatus of claim 85 or 86, wherein the control unit is further configured to: determine a value associated with a data transfer rate; Determine a value associated with a size of the e-mail message; An apparatus adapted to determine mail delivery criteria. 92. The apparatus of claim 91, wherein the control unit is further configured to predict a transmission time using a determination value associated with the data transfer rate and a determination value associated with a size of one or more files associated with the email message; And an apparatus adapted to compare a threshold time with said predicted transmission time. 87. The apparatus of claim 85 or 86, wherein the control unit is adapted to send the selected portion of the email message and to store the email message. 86. The apparatus of claim 85, wherein the control unit is adapted to provide an additional selection portion of the email message after providing the selected portion of the email message. 86. The apparatus of claim 85, wherein said control unit is adapted to provide said e-mail message. 85. The apparatus of claim 84, wherein the control unit determines a value associated with a data transfer rate; Determine a value associated with the size of the e-mail message; Determine mail delivery criteria; And adapted to select a portion of the electronic mail message based on the determined transmission rate value, a determination value associated with the size of the email message, and the determined mail transmission criteria. 97. The apparatus of claim 96, wherein the control unit is adapted to determine a value associated with the data transfer rate using data of one or more received data packets and a time period associated with the received data packet. 97. The apparatus of claim 96, wherein the control unit receives a user input indicating user preferences; Set one or more flags based on the received user input; And adapted to determine the mail transmission criteria based on the one or more flags. 100. The apparatus of claim 96, wherein the control unit is adapted to determine mail transmission criteria indicating one or more of a threshold time, a maximum attachment size, a minimum average transmission speed, and a time, wherein the control unit is configured to determine a default threshold time and a user's value. An apparatus adapted to determine one or more of the maximum desired transmission times. 100. The apparatus of claim 99, wherein the control unit is adapted to predict a transmission time using a decision value associated with the data transmission rate and a decision value associated with a size of the e-mail message, wherein the control unit is configured to predict the threshold time and the prediction. And adapted to select a portion of the e-mail message by comparing the transmitted time. 97. The apparatus of claim 96, wherein the control unit is adapted to provide the selected portion of the e-mail message to one or more of a processor-based device and a server via the interface. 98. The apparatus of claim 96, further comprising a storage unit, The control unit transmits the selected portion of the e-mail message via the interface; And adapted to store the e-mail message in the storage unit. 107. The apparatus of claim 102, wherein the control unit is adapted to provide a notification for an unselected portion of the email message, wherein the notification includes an action button for initiating transmission of at least the unselected portion of the stored email message. Device. 85. The apparatus of claim 84, wherein the control unit is further configured to determine whether or not it is desirable to provide a portion of an entire e-mail message, based on one or more digital rights associated with the e-mail message. Adapted to determine that it is authorized to receive a portion of the control unit, wherein the control unit is adapted to select a portion of the e-mail message that the user is authorized to receive. 107. The apparatus of claim 104, wherein the control unit is adapted to access one or more of user input and user profile via the interface. 107. The apparatus of claim 104, wherein the control unit is adapted to obtain authorization to receive a protected portion of the e-mail message. 107. The apparatus of claim 106, wherein the control unit is adapted to provide a protected portion of the e-mail message in response to obtaining authorization to receive the protected portion of the e-mail message. 105. The method of claim 104, And the control unit is adapted to downcast a portion of one or more of an audio file, a video file, a multimedia file, an image file, and a graphic file. 107. The apparatus of claim 104, wherein the control unit determines a threshold time; Determine a value associated with the data transfer rate; Determine a value associated with a size of the e-mail message; Predict a transmission time using the decision value associated with the data transmission rate and the decision value associated with the size of the e-mail message; Compare the threshold time with the predicted transmission time; And adapted to select a portion of the e-mail message based on the comparison. A first processor-based device adapted to provide an e-mail message; A second processor-based device adapted to receive the e-mail message; And one or more modules adapted to determine whether it is desirable to provide the, but not all, e-mail message, select a portion of the e-mail message, and provide a selected portion of the e-mail message. 117. The computer-readable medium of claim 110, wherein the one or more modules are further configured to: determine a format associated with the e-mail message in response to determining that it is desirable to provide a portion of the entire e-mail message; A system adapted to select a portion of the e-mail message using the determined format. 119. The system of claim 110, wherein the first processor-based device is an e-mail server and the second processor-based device is a remote client. 117. The system of claim 111, wherein the first processor-based device is a remote client and the second processor-based device is an email server. 112. The apparatus of claim 111, wherein the control unit determines a value associated with a data transfer rate; Determine a value associated with a size of the e-mail message; Predict a transmission time using a decision value associated with the data transfer rate and a decision value associated with a size of one or more files associated with the email message; A system adapted to compare a threshold time with the predicted transmission time. 117. The method of claim 110, further comprising: based on one or more digital rights associated with the e-mail message, determining that a user of the first processor-based device is authorized to receive a portion of an entire e-mail message; And adapted to select a portion of the e-mail message the user is authorized to receive. 116. The system of claim 115, wherein the second processor-based device is a server, further comprising a network, wherein the server and the one or more first processor-based devices are communicatively coupled via the network. 116. The system of claim 115, wherein the second processor-based device is adapted to queue the e-mail message. 116. The apparatus of claim 115, further comprising a storage unit, And said second processor-based device is adapted to provide said e-mail message to said storage unit. Determining that not all but an e-mail message has been sent, the scheduling information indicating a calendar event; Associating the e-mail message with the calendar event based on the scheduling information; And based on the calendar event, providing a notification that the but not all e-mail message has been sent. 119. The method of claim 119, wherein providing the notification comprises: determining a time associated with the calendar event; Determining a current time; And determining a difference between a time associated with the e-mail message and the current time. 124. The method of claim 120, wherein providing a notification comprises providing a plurality of notifications having one or more of a frequency and urgency of increasing as the difference between the e-mail message and the current time decreases. . 126. The method of claim 121, wherein providing a plurality of notifications having one or more of the frequency and urgency of providing comprises providing the plurality of notifications with a frequency of serving as determined by a user profile. 123. The method of claim 120, wherein providing the notification comprises providing an late notification if the current time exceeds a time associated with the email message. 119. The method of claim 119, further comprising providing the email message. 124. The method of claim 124, wherein providing the email message comprises scheduling a time period for providing the email message. 126. The method of claim 125, wherein scheduling a time period for providing the e-mail message comprises: scheduling a time period for providing the e-mail message based on one or more of a default time, a historical usage pattern, and a connection speed. Method of providing. 124. The method of claim 124, wherein providing the e-mail message comprises prompting a user to connect on demand. 124. The method of claim 124, wherein providing the email message comprises determining whether a user has actually received all of the email message. 124. The method of claim 124, wherein providing the e-mail message comprises determining a connection cost. 129. The method of claim 129, wherein providing the email message comprises determining an attractive retail price based on the determined connection cost. 119. The method of claim 119, wherein determining that not all of the e-mail messages have been sent comprises accessing one or more of a queue, a storage medium, a register, and a flag; And using the accessed queue, storage medium, register, or flag to determine that the not all e-mail message has been sent to an intended recipient. 119. The method of claim 119, further comprising: determining a value associated with a data transfer rate; Determining a value associated with a size of an undelivered portion of the e-mail message; And scheduling a transmission time for an undelivered portion of the email message based on the determined transmission rate value, a determination value associated with the size of the email message, and the calendar event. 134. The method of claim 132, wherein scheduling the transmission time comprises predicting the transmission time based on one or more of the determined transmission rate value and a determination value associated with the size of the e-mail message. 134. The method of claim 133, wherein scheduling the transmission time comprises: determining a time associated with the calendar event; Determining a current time; And determining a difference between a time associated with the e-mail message and the current time. 134. The method of claim 134, wherein scheduling the transmission time comprises scheduling the transmission time based on the estimated transmission time and the difference between the current time and the time associated with the e-mail message. 134. The method of claim 132, wherein determining the value associated with the data rate includes determining the average data rate using data in a received data packet and a time period associated with the received data packet. 134. The method of claim 132, wherein determining the value associated with the data rate comprises determining a value associated with the rate based on a device profile. 134. The method of claim 132, wherein providing the notification comprises: options for scheduling the transmission of the undelivered portion of the email message, options for initiating the transmission of the undelivered portion of the email message, and later additional notifications. Providing one or more of the options for providing. 134. The method of claim 132, further comprising providing the email message. 139. The method of claim 139, wherein providing the email message comprises providing the email message at the scheduled transmission time. 139. The method of claim 139, wherein providing the email message comprises providing a user with an option to initiate the transmission. A method for interfacing with a user of a computer system having a graphical user display, the method comprising: Displaying one or more indicators of events associated with one or more undelivered portions of the one or more e-mail messages; Monitoring the position and selection status of a pointer controller to detect that one of the one or more indicators has been selected by the user; In response to detecting that one of the one or more indicators has been selected by the user, providing the event and scheduling information associated with one or more undelivered portions of the one or more e-mail messages. 142. The method of claim 142, wherein providing the scheduling information comprises providing one or more of a current time, a scheduled time, a scheduled event, and a scheduled download time. 146. The computer-readable medium of claim 142, further comprising: in response to detecting that one of the one or more indicators has been selected by the user, modifying the scheduling information and the event associated with the one or more undelivered portions of the one or more e-mail messages. Further comprising providing an option. 142. The method of claim 142, further comprising displaying a notification associated with one or more undelivered portions of the one or more e-mail messages based on the scheduling information. 144. The method of claim 142, wherein displaying the notification further comprises: an option for scheduling transmission of one or more undelivered portions of the one or more email messages, and initiating transmission of one or more undelivered portions of the one or more email messages. Providing one or more of an option for, and an option for providing further notification later. 142. The method of claim 142, further comprising controlling a pointer element on the graphical user display with a user pointer controller having a position and a selection state responsive to manipulation by the user. 146. The method of claim 142, wherein displaying one or more indicators of the event comprises displaying one or more of an envelope icon and a calendar icon. A method for interfacing with a user of a computer system having a graphical user display, the method comprising: Determining whether it is desirable to provide a portion of the entire e-mail message; Selecting one or more portions of the e-mail message; Displaying one or more text strings indicating one or more portions of the e-mail message; Displaying one or more instructions for a version of one or more portions of the e-mail message with reduced resolution; Displaying one or more selection fields corresponding to reduced resolution versions of one or more portions of the one or more e-mail messages; Monitoring the position and selection status of a pointer controller to detect that one of the one or more selection fields has been selected by the user; And in response to detecting that one of the one or more selection fields has been selected by the user, changing the appearance of the selected one of the one or more selection fields. 148. The method of claim 149, further comprising displaying one or more of a size field and a time field corresponding to a reduced resolution version of one or more portions of the one or more e-mail messages. 149. The method of claim 149, further comprising: displaying at least one indication of a priority level of a reduced resolution version of at least one portion of the e-mail message; And in response to detecting that one or more priority level fields have been selected by the user, providing an option to change the priority level of the reduced resolution version of the one or more portions of the e-mail message. . 148. The method of claim 149, further comprising controlling a pointer element on the graphical user display with a user pointer controller having a position and a selection state responsive to manipulation by the user. A method for interfacing with a user of a computer system having a graphical user display, the method comprising: Displaying one or more indicators of a digital rights management (DRM) rule associated with one or more portions of the one or more email messages; Monitoring the position and selection status of a pointer controller to detect that one or more of the one or more indicators have been selected by the user; And in response to detecting that one or more of the one or more indicators have been selected by the user, providing an indication of user authorization associated with the one or more portions of the one or more e-mail messages and the DRM rule. . 153. The method of claim 153, wherein providing an indication of user authorization comprises providing one or more of an option for obtaining one or more digital rights and an option for downcasting one or more portions of the one or more e-mail messages. How to equip. 153. The method of claim 153, wherein in response to detecting that one or more of the one or more indicators have been selected by the user, providing an option to change the DRM rule associated with one or more portions of the one or more email messages. Further comprising steps. 153. The method of claim 153, further comprising controlling a pointer element on the graphical user display with a user pointer controller having a position and a selection state responsive to manipulation by the user. 153. The method of claim 153, wherein displaying one or more portions of the one or more e-mail messages and one or more indicators for an indication of user authorization associated with the DRM rule comprises: displaying one or more of a locked lock icon and an open lock icon Method of providing. A method for interfacing with a user of a computer system having a graphical user display, the method comprising: Displaying one or more text strings indicating one or more portions of the one or more e-mail messages; Displaying at least one indication of a predicted time for downloading a portion of said e-mail message; Displaying one or more selection fields corresponding to one or more portions of the one or more e-mail messages; Monitoring the position and selection status of a pointer controller to detect that one of the one or more selection fields has been selected by the user; And in response to detecting that one of the one or more selection fields has been selected by the user, changing the appearance of the selected one of the one or more selection fields. 158. The method of claim 158, further comprising displaying a progress field indicating a portion of the one or more portions of the one or more e-mail messages that were transmitted. 158. The method of claim 158, further comprising: displaying one or more action fields corresponding to one or more portions of the one or more e-mail messages; And monitoring the position and selection state of the pointer controller to detect that one of the one or more action fields has been selected by the user. 161. The method of claim 160, further comprising initiating or stopping the transmission of one or more portions of the one or more email messages in response to detecting that one of the one or more action fields has been selected by the user. . 158. The method of claim 158, further comprising controlling a pointer element on the graphical user display with a user pointer controller having a position and a selection state responsive to manipulation by the user. 158. The method of claim 158, further comprising selecting one or more portions of the one or more e-mail messages using input provided by the user. 164. A computer program comprising program code means adapted to, when executed on a computer, perform the method of any one of claims 1-58 or the method of any one of claims 119-163.

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