Electronic mail server

• US 20030046353A1
• Filed: 05/28/2002
• Published: 03/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Afilias PLC.
• Original Assignee: Afilias PLC.
• Inventors: Leung, David, Lam, Jimmy, Chung, Edmon
• Granted Patent: US 7,136,901 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/32 containing non-Latin characters, e.g. Chinese domain names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing

Abstract

An electronic mail server is provided to facilitate e-mail communication over a network. The electronic mail server includes an account name database and an account name processor in communication with the account name database for providing a response to a message received over the network. Typically, the message includes an e-mail account name label comprising at least one account name character (having an account name character set type), with the character set type including a non-ASCII compatible character set. The account name database includes a number of database records, each identifying an e-mail account name comprising at least one record character having a record character set type, and a record character set identifier identifying the record character set type. The account name processor includes a correlation processor and a response processor. The correlation processor is configured to determine the correlation between the received e-mail account name/label and the respective e-mail account names in accordance with the associated character set type. The response processor is in communication with the correlation processor and provides the response to the message in accordance with the correlation indication.

Claims

1. An electronic mail server for facilitating e-mail communication over a network, the electronic mail server comprising:

an account name database including a plurality of database records, each said record being associated with an e-mail account and including an e-mail address name comprising at least one record character having a record character set type, and a record character set identifier identifying the record character set type;

a message database; and

an account name processor in communication with the account name database and the message database for processing at least one e-mail message received from a network device over the network, the e-mail message including an e-mail address comprising at least one e-mail address character, one of the address characters being a member of a non-ASCII character set, the account name processor including;

a correlation processor configured to correlate the received e-mail address with one of the e-mail accounts; and

a response processor in communication with the correlation processor for directing the received e-mail message to the message database in accordance with an outcome of the correlation.

2. The electronic mail server according to claim 1, wherein the correlation processor is configured to negotiate the character set with the network device, and to identify the one e-mail account from the received e-mail address and the negotiated character set.

3. The electronic mail server according to claim 1, wherein the received e-mail address includes a character set identifier identifying the character set, and the correlation processor is configured to identify the one e-mail account from the received e-mail address and the identified character set.

4. The electronic mail server according to claim 1, wherein the one e-mail account has associated therewith a plurality of the e-mail address names, each said e-mail address name comprising an e-mail address alias for the one e-mail account and being associated with one of the character set types, and the correlation processor is configured to perform the correlation operation by querying the e-mail address aliases with the received e-mail address.

5. A method for facilitating e-mail communication, comprising the steps of:

at an e-mail server receiving an e-mail message from a network device, the e-mail message including an e-mail address comprising at least one e-mail address character, one of the address characters being a member of a non-ASCII character set, the e-mail server maintaining at least one e-mail account having an e-mail address name associated with the e-mail account;

correlating the received e-mail address with one of the e-mail accounts; and

directing the received e-mail message to a message database in accordance with an outcome of the correlation.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising, prior to the message receiving step, the step of negotiating with the network device a character set for an e-mail message.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the negotiating step comprises providing the network device with an indication of available character sets, and receiving from the network device an indication of a selected one of the available character sets.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the received e-mail address includes a character set identifier identifying the character set, the e-mail server maintains a plurality of database records, each said record being associated with a respective one of the e-mail accounts and including an e-mail address name comprising at least one record character having a record character set type, and a record character set identifier identifying the records character set type, and the correlation step comprises querying the database records with the received e-mail address and the receiver character set identifier.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein the e-mail server maintains a plurality of database records, each said record being associated with respective one of the e-mail accounts and including an e-mail address name comprising at least one record character having a record character set type, and a record character set identifier identifying the record character set type, the correlated one e-mail account has associated therewith a plurality of the e-mail address names, each said e-mail address name comprising an e-mail address alias for the correlated one e-mail account and being associated with one of the character set types, and the correlating step comprises querying the e-mail address aliases with the received e-mail address.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein the e-mail message comprises a header portion and a data portion, the header portion including the e-mail address, and the message receiving step comprises receiving the header portion and a pointer to the data portion.

11. An electronic message comprising:

a header portion including an e-mail address, the e-mail message including a recipient e-mail address comprising at least one e-mail address character, one of the address characters being a member of a non-ASCII character set; and

a data portion associated with the header portion.