Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

David C Whitney

Roman Sherman

Darren Arthur Shakib

Nicolae Surpatanu

Salim Alam

Raman Kumar Sarin

Sridhar Sundararaman

John M Tippett

Peter M Mansour

David Joseph Cornfield

Embodiments provide for storing message rules in a serialized global form on a server for transfer of the data between different servers. Message rules include condition and action data structures, wherein at least the action data structures include global identifiers. A client creates a message object that includes an extended rule with the global identifiers, sets a property on the message object used to identify the object as an extended rule, serializes the message object using a code library, and stores the message object on a message server. Upon execution of a message rule, the rule is desterilized using a copy of the code library and translated into server specific for executing the extended rule on received messages.

Storing message rules in global form for transfer between servers

Embodiments provide for extending the architecture of a legacy messaging system that otherwise communicates message rules to a client as rows in a rule table. Due to architectural limitations of some messaging systems, rules larger than a specified size are prevented from being streamed between a server and a client. Example embodiments provides for extended rules that represent a combination of conditions, actions or exceptions to be performed on messages and are created by a client as message objects. Because they are created by a client as message objects, rather than rows on a table, the extended rules are allowed to be streamed between the client and server, thus extending the architecture of a legacy messaging system. The client also sets a property value on the message object created, thereby allowing the server to identify the message object as including the extended rule. The system, however, still supports legacy clients.

Extended message rule architecture

A handheld client computing system selectively retrieves items, such as email messages, from a server through either a POP transport or an IMAP transport and selectively maintains the items on the client. The retrieval and maintenance is based on predetermined criteria, such as predetermined date, size or keyword information. Initially, the H/PC (handheld personal computer) downloads item identification information from the server on the client/server network and determines which items are not present on the H/PC. Those items located on the server and not on the H/PC are selected for possible downloading to the H/PC. However, before each item is downloaded to the H/PC in its entirety, the H/PC downloads only the header of the selected item. The header information is analyzed to determine whether to download the entire item based on predetermined criteria, such as date information. Once all server-based items are analyzed, and selected items are downloaded, all local copies of items, that do not satisfy the predetermined criteria, are deleted to maintain a sliding or selective view of the server-based items belonging to the client account.

Maintaining a sliding view of server-based data on a handheld personal computer

Maintaining a sliding view of server based data on a handheld personal computer

A clean-up system recaptures part of the memory or secondary storage space on a client device, such as a handheld personal computer. E-mail messages are organized in a hierarchy of folders within a database. Each folder may or may not contain e-mail messages. A user downloads e-mail messages from a server to the client device. The user marks any folders that he wishes to use upon disconnect from the server for off-line use. Upon disconnect from the server, the clean-up system begins with the first e-mail message in the database. A test module determines if the e-mail message is linked to a folder in the service hierarchy to be cleaned-up. If the message is linked to a folder in the service hierarchy to be cleaned-up, an off-line module determines if the folder is marked for off-line use. If the folder is marked for off-line use, the message linked to the folder is retained for later use. If the folder is not marked for off-line use, a delete module deletes the message linked to the folder, recapturing part of the memory or secondary storage space on the client device. This routine is repeated for each and every message within the database.

Database clean-up system

A system and method are described for outputting display information according to a print layout defining a set of display items on a page and relative position assignments for the display items on the page, and a separate and distinct page format describing a physical page and a set of virtual pages on the physical page. Means are provided for selecting the print layout from a set of print layouts and the page format from a set of page formats. After the print layout and page format are selected, a view processor fills the set of pages defined in the page format with print information corresponding to the set of display items described within the selected print layout. A print output generator thereafter generates device-specific display data for rendering the physical page containing the filled set of virtual pages constructed by the view processor according to the print layout and page format and a designated output device.

Method and apparatus for displaying database information according to a

A series of recurring events is represented using a computer system that includes a processor and a storage medium readable by the processor. The series is represented by storing on the storage medium a pattern that represents dates on which events in the series of recurring events occur. The pattern includes a first entry that may identify days of a week on which an event in the series of recurring events may occur, a second entry that may provide a measure of a number of days between events in the series of recurring events, and a third entry that may provide a measure of a number of months between events in the series of recurring events. Indicators that indicate whether each of the first, second or third entries are to be considered in extracting occurrences of the series of recurring events from the pattern are also stored on the storage medium. The indicators may be stored within the entries.

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Bellevue, WA, United States of America

David C Whitney