Network Working Group                                          T. Hansen
Request for Comments: 3938                             AT&T Laboratories
Updates: 3458                                               October 2004
Category: Standards Track


                     Video-Message Message-Context

Status of this Memo

   This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
   Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
   improvements.  Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
   Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
   and status of this protocol.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2004).

Abstract

   The Message-Context header defined in RFC 3458 describes the context
   of a message (for example: fax-message or voice-message).  This
   specification extends the Message-Context header with one additional
   context value: "video-message".

   A receiving user agent (UA) may use this information as a hint to
   optimally present the message.

1.  Introduction

   Email messages can be used to convey many different forms of
   messages, and the user will interact with different types in
   different ways.  As explained in RFC 3458 [1], the "message context"
   of the message conveys information about the way the user expects to
   interact with the message, such as which icon to display.  RFC 3458
   then registers the message contexts for a "voice-message", "fax-
   message", "pager-message", "multimedia-message", "text-message", and
   "none".

2.  Video Message

   One form of email is a message that consists mostly of a video
   stream.  Examples of services that send video email are those
   connected to cell phones that capture video streams, and video email
   services that use webcams attached to a PC.  These email messages
   currently consist of two flavors, both of which can be properly
   considered a video message:

   1. those that embed the video stream internally within the message as
      a body part, and

   2. those whose video stream is stored on a third party's video
      server.

   However, none of the existing message contexts properly identify such
   video messages.  This specification extends the Message-Context
   header with one additional context value: video-message.

3.  IANA Considerations

3.1.  Message-Context

   As specified in RFC 3458 [1], this document registers "video-message"
   in the "Internet Message Context Types" repository.

   Message-Context class name:
      video-message

   Summary of the message class:
      Indicates a message whose primary content is a video mail message.
      The primary content is video data.  The context is usually a
      message recorded on a video camera, or a message whose primary
      purpose is to contain an external reference to a message recorded
      on a video camera.

   Person & email address to contact for further information:
      Tony Hansen, tony+msgctxt@maillennium.att.com.

4.  Security Considerations

   This header is intended to be an indicator of message context only.
   As such, it is only a hint and requires no behavior on the part of a
   message user agent.

5.  Normative References

   [1]  Burger, E., Candell, E., Eliot, C., and G. Klyne, "Message
        Context for Internet Mail", RFC 3458, January 2003.

6.  Author's Address

   Tony Hansen
   AT&T Laboratories
   200 Laurel Ave.
   Middletown, NJ  07748
   USA

   EMail: tony+msgctxt@maillennium.att.com

7.  Full Copyright Statement

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2004).

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