Data upload via electronic communications

Abstract

Techniques are described for using electronic communications to enable users to supply data to an online service, such as a fee-based online search functionality service that provides user-specific data searching capabilities. The electronic communications may, for example, be email communications, and may be used to supply data in various manners, such as based on the communications' body contents and/or file attachments. In addition, users may configure various types of data analysis or manipulation operations to be performed on data supplied via electronic communications. After a user's data has been supplied to and optionally manipulated by the online service in a configured manner, that user (or others to whom that user provides access) may access that data from the online service in various manners, including by using one or more data retrieval access interfaces that are distinct from an electronic communication address used to supply the data.

1 - 26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 providing, by one or more computing systems of a search service for user-supplied data, a first user of the search service with a first electronic communication address for use in supplying data associated with the first user to the search service;   receiving, by the one or more computing systems and via use of the first electronic communication address, data for the search service to store for later searching by the first user, wherein the receiving of the data includes receiving one or more electronic communications that are sent to the first electronic communication address and that include the received data as contents of the one or more electronic communications;   storing, by the one or more computing systems, the received data in a manner associated with the first user; and   providing, by the one or more computing systems and after receiving a search request supplied on behalf of the first user via a search interface provided by the search service, search results that are based on the stored data.   
     
     
         28 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 27  further comprising, before the receiving of the one or more electronic communications, receiving configuration information from the first user that indicates a first type of data manipulation operation and associating the first type of data manipulation operation with the first electronic communication address, and wherein the providing of the search results further includes providing search results that are based in part on use of the first type of data manipulation operation. 
     
     
         29 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 28  further comprising providing, by the one or more computing systems and to the first user, a second electronic communication address having a second type of data manipulation operation that is distinct from the first type of data manipulation operation, and providing, using additional stored data sent to the search service via use of the second electronic communication address, additional search results that are based on the additional stored data and on use of the second type of data manipulation operation. 
     
     
         30 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 28  wherein the first type of data manipulation operation includes updating numeric data for the first user in accordance with one or more mathematical functions, and wherein the method further comprises applying the first type of data manipulation operation to the received data before the providing of the search results. 
     
     
         31 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 27  wherein the received one or more electronic communications further include a first instruction associated with a first type of data manipulation operation, and wherein the method further comprises performing, by the one or more computing systems and based on the included first instruction, the first type of data manipulation operation on the received data before the providing of the search results. 
     
     
         32 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 31  further comprising:
 receiving, by the one or more computing systems, one or more additional electronic communications that are sent to the first electronic communication address and that include a second instruction associated with a second type of data manipulation operation that is distinct from the first type of data manipulation operation; and 
 performing, by the one or more computing systems and based on the included second instruction, the second type of data manipulation operation on additional data contents of the received additional electronic communications; 
 and wherein the providing of the search results includes providing additional search results based on the additional data contents after the performing of the second type of data manipulation operation. 
 
     
     
         33 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 27  further comprising receiving multiple electronic communications for the first user that include multiple different groups of data contents, and generating multiple distinct search indexes that each correspond to one of the multiple different groups of data contents, and wherein the providing of the search results includes using one of the generated search indexes. 
     
     
         34 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 27  wherein the search service further provides a second search interface that is available to receive additional search requests via programmatic use by executing programs using a defined API (application programming interface) of the search service, and wherein the method further comprises:
 receiving the search request via one or more interactions by the first user with a user interface that accesses the search interface; 
 receiving a second search request on behalf of the first user via one or more interactions with the second search interface by one or more executing programs; and 
 supplying second search results to the first user from the stored data in response to the second search request. 
 
     
     
         35 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 27  wherein at least one of the received electronic communications has at least one attached document, and wherein the storing of the received data includes storing contents of the at least one attached document. 
     
     
         36 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 27  wherein at least one of the received electronic communications includes a reference to data stored externally to the at least one received electronic communication, wherein the method further comprises retrieving the data stored externally, and wherein the storing of the received data includes storing the retrieved data. 
     
     
         37 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 27  wherein the received electronic communications include at least one of email communications, text message communications, or communications posted to an electronic account of the first user that is accessible by other users. 
     
     
         38 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 27  wherein the received one or more electronic communications include multiple electronic communications sent by multiple distinct entities. 
     
     
         39 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium with stored contents that cause a computing system of an online service to perform automated operations including:
 providing, by the computing system, a first user of the online service with a first electronic communication address that is for use in supplying data associated with the first user to the online service and that is associated with a first type of data manipulation operation;   receiving, by the computing system, one or more electronic communications sent to the first electronic communication address;   storing, by the computing system, data contents of the received one or more electronic communications in a manner associated with the first user; and   providing, by the computing system and after receiving a request supplied regarding the first user via a first data retrieval interface provided by the online service, a response including data that is based on the stored data contents and on the first type of data manipulation operation.   
     
     
         40 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 39  wherein the online service is a search service that provides data retrieval capabilities for user-supplied data to multiple additional users of the search service that are distinct from the first user, and wherein the automated operations further include, for each additional user of the multiple additional users:
 providing an electronic communication address to the additional user that is distinct from any other electronic communication addresses provided to any other users of the search service; 
 storing data contents that are received via one or more additional communications sent to the electronic communication address provided to the additional user, the stored data contents being associated with the additional user and being stored distinctly from other data contents stored for any other users of the search service; and 
 in response to a search request received on behalf of the additional user, providing a response that includes a portion of the stored data contents associated with the additional user and not any other data contents stored for any other users of the search service. 
 
     
     
         41 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 39  wherein the stored contents include software instructions that, when executed, program the computing system to perform the automated operations, including providing the first data retrieval interface for interactive use by users of the online service, and receiving the request via one or more interactions by the first user with a user interface. 
     
     
         42 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 39  wherein the stored contents include software instructions that, when executed, program the computing system to perform the automated operations, including providing the first data retrieval interface for programmatic use by executing programs using a defined API (application programming interface) of the online service, and receiving the request via a search request that is programmatically supplied by an executing program on behalf of the first user. 
     
     
         43 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 39  wherein the automated operations further include receiving configuration information from the first user that indicates the first type of data manipulation operation, and associating the first type of data manipulation operation with the first electronic communication address before the receiving of the one or more electronic communications. 
     
     
         44 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 39  wherein the first type of data manipulation operation includes updating numeric data stored for the first user in accordance with one or more mathematical functions, and wherein the automated operations further include applying the first type of data manipulation operation to the data contents of the received one or more electronic communications before the providing of the response. 
     
     
         45 . A computing system, comprising:
 one or more hardware processors of one or more computing systems; and   one or more memories with stored instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more hardware processors, provide an online service that uses electronic communications from users to supply data to the online service and that has a separate search interface for use in data retrieval from the online service, including:
 associating a first electronic communication address provided by the online service with a first user of the online service for use in supplying data associated with the first user to the online service; 
 receiving one or more electronic communications that are sent to the first electronic communication address, wherein the one or more electronic communications include at least one of an email communication or an electronic text communication; 
 storing data contents of the received electronic communications in a manner associated with the first user; and 
 providing, in response to a search request supplied via a search interface provided by the online service, a response that is based on the stored data contents. 
   
     
     
         46 . The system of  claim 45  wherein the providing of the online service further includes, for each additional user of multiple additional users of the online service:
 providing an electronic communication address to the additional user that is distinct from any other electronic communication addresses provided to any other users of the online service; 
 storing data contents that are received via one or more additional communications sent to the electronic communication address provided to the additional user, the stored data contents being associated with the additional user; and 
 in response to a search request received on behalf of the additional user, providing a response that includes a portion of the stored data contents associated with the additional user.