Systems and methods for automatic archiving, sorting, and/or indexing of secondary message content

Abstract

In email and messaging systems, it's often difficult—and sometimes nearly impossible—to locate a particular URL link that was sent to you (or that you sent to someone else). This problem can become worse as time passes and it becomes more and more difficult to remember the time and/or context in which you sent or received the particular URL link. This disclosure relates to apparatuses, methods, and computer readable media to permit computing devices to utilize a single, integrated communications platform that may automatically index and archive message data (including “secondary message content,” such as: file attachments; URL links to other files and/or webpages embedded in the original message; and text and/or other media information located on the webpages that are linked out to by the links embedded in the original message, etc.) from messages in a variety of communications formats and received over a variety of communications protocols.

1 . A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processing units to:
 receive a first message in a first communications format;   parse the first message based, at least in part, on the first communications format, to extract one or more characteristics;   apply a first set of rules to the one or more characteristics;   discover a first secondary message content item based, at least in part, on the application of the first set of rules to the one or more characteristics;   store the first secondary message content item in a database;   store one or more key content items associated with the first secondary message content item in the database;   index the one or more key content items; and   associate the one or more indexed key content items and the first secondary message content item with the first message in the database.   
     
     
         2 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the computer executable instructions further cause the one or more processing units to:
 store a first contemporaneous data item associated with the first secondary message content item in the database; and   associate the first contemporaneous data item with the one or more indexed key content items and the first secondary message content item in the database.   
     
     
         3 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 2 , wherein the computer executable instructions further cause the one or more processing units to:
 index the first contemporaneous data item.   
     
     
         4 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the computer executable instructions further cause the one or more processing units to:
 receive, from a first client application, a first query for content associated with the first secondary message content item; and   generate a result set comprising at least one of the following: the first message; the first secondary message content item; and the one or more key content items associated with the first secondary message content item.   
     
     
         5 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 4 , wherein the result set is sorted based, at least in part, on a preference of a user of the first client application. 
     
     
         6 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 2 , wherein the computer executable instructions further cause the one or more processing units to:
 receive, from a first client application, a first query for content associated with the first secondary message content item; and   generate a result set comprising at least one of the following: the first message; the first secondary message content item; the one or more key content items associated with the first secondary message content item; and the first contemporaneous data item associated with the first secondary message content item.   
     
     
         7 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the first secondary message content item comprises at least one of the following: an attachment to the first message; a document associated with the first message; and a URL link from the first message. 
     
     
         8 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions to store one or more key content items associated with the first secondary message content item in the database further comprise instructions to crawl a webpage associated with the first secondary message content item. 
     
     
         9 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein the instructions to store one or more key content items associated with the first secondary message content item in the database further comprise instructions to store one or more media items from the webpage associated with the first secondary message content item. 
     
     
         10 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 4 , wherein:
 the first secondary message content item comprises a URL link, and   the one or more key content items associated with the first secondary message content item comprise at least one of the following: a path address of the URL link; a contemporaneous capture of the URL link target webpage or web-accessible file; and a clipping of text or media from the URL link target webpage or web-accessible file.   
     
     
         11 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:
 receiving a first message in a first communications format;   parsing the first message based, at least in part, on the first communications format, to extract one or more characteristics;   applying a first set of rules to the one or more characteristics;   discovering a first secondary message content item based, at least in part, on the application of the first set of rules to the one or more characteristics;   storing the first secondary message content item in a database;   storing one or more key content items associated with the first secondary message content item in the database;   indexing the one or more key content items; and   associating the one or more indexed key content items and the first secondary message content item with the first message in the database.   
     
     
         12 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 storing a first contemporaneous data item associated with the first secondary message content item in the database; and   associating the first contemporaneous data item with the one or more indexed key content items and the first secondary message content item in the database.   
     
     
         13 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 indexing the first contemporaneous data item.   
     
     
         14 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 receiving, from a first client application, a first query for content associated with the first secondary message content item; and   generating a result set comprising at least one of the following: the first message; the first secondary message content item; and the one or more key content items associated with the first secondary message content item.   
     
     
         15 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 14 , wherein the result set is sorted based, at least in part, on a preference of a user of the first client application. 
     
     
         16 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 receiving, from a first client application, a first query for content associated with the first secondary message content item; and   generating a result set comprising at least one of the following: the first message; the first secondary message content item; the one or more key content items associated with the first secondary message content item; and the first contemporaneous data item associated with the first secondary message content item.   
     
     
         17 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein the first secondary message content item comprises at least one of the following: an attachment to the first message; a document associated with the first message; and a URL link from the first message. 
     
     
         18 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein the act of storing one or more key content items associated with the first secondary message content item in the database further comprises crawling a webpage associated with the first secondary message content item. 
     
     
         19 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 18 , wherein the act of storing one or more key content items associated with the first secondary message content item in the database further comprises storing one or more media items from the webpage associated with the first secondary message content item. 
     
     
         20 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 14 , wherein:
 the first secondary message content item comprises a URL link, and   the one or more key content items associated with the first secondary message content item comprise at least one of the following: a path address of the URL link; a contemporaneous capture of the URL link target webpage or web-accessible file; and a clipping of text or media from the URL link target webpage or web-accessible file.   
     
     
         21 . A system, comprising:
 a memory; and   one or more processing units, communicatively coupled to the memory, wherein the memory stores instructions to configure the one or more processing units to:
 receive a first message in a first communications format; 
 parse the first message based, at least in part, on the first communications format, to extract one or more characteristics; 
 apply a first set of rules to the one or more characteristics; 
 discover a first secondary message content item based, at least in part, on the application of the first set of rules to the one or more characteristics; 
 store the first secondary message content item in a database; 
 store one or more key content items associated with the first secondary message content item in the database; 
 index the one or more key content items; and 
 associate the one or more indexed key content items and the first secondary message content item with the first message in the database. 
   
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the one or more processing units to:
 store a first contemporaneous data item associated with the first secondary message content item in the database;   index the first contemporaneous data item; and   associate the indexed first contemporaneous data item with the one or more indexed key content items and the first secondary message content item in the database.   
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the one or more processing units to:
 receive, from a first client application, a first query for content associated with the first secondary message content item; and   generate a result set comprising at least one of the following: the first message; the first secondary message content item; and the one or more key content items associated with the first secondary message content item.   
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the first secondary message content item comprises at least one of the following: an attachment to the first message; a document associated with the first message; and a URL link from the first message. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the instructions to store one or more key content items associated with the first secondary message content item in the database further comprise instructions to crawl a webpage associated with the first secondary message content item.