Dynamic indication of email capabilities

• US 20030135561A1
• Filed: 01/15/2002
• Published: 07/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Thorson, Derral Charles, Bodin, William Kress
• Granted Patent: US 7,213,076 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method of email administration including receiving in a transcoding gateway from a sender an email display capability request for a domain, wherein the capability request comprises a domain identification, finding in dependence upon the domain identification, at least one email display capability record for the domain, wherein the email display capability record for the domain comprises display capability attributes describing an email display capability for the domain, and sending at least one of the email display capability attributes to the sender.

Claims

1. A method of email administration comprising the steps of:

receiving in a transcoding gateway from a sender an email display capability request for a domain, wherein the capability request comprises a domain identification;

finding, in dependence upon the domain identification, at least one email display capability record for the domain, wherein the email display capability record for the domain comprises display capability attributes describing an email display capability for the domain; and

sending at least one of the email display capability attributes to the sender.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the email display capability request includes a sender identification identifying the sender, and the method further comprises determining, in dependence upon the sender identification, that the sender is authorized to send email to a connection address in the domain.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein determining that the sender is authorized to send email to a connection address in the domain further comprises finding, in dependence upon the sender identification and in dependence upon the domain identification, at least one sender authorization record, wherein:

the sender authorization record represents authorization for the sender to send email to a connection address in the domain;

the sender authorization record comprises sender authorization attributes including a connection address in the domain; and

finding at least one email display capability record for the domain further comprises finding, in dependence upon the domain identification and in dependence upon the connection address, at least one email display capability record for the domain.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

receiving an email in a transcoding gateway, the email comprising an email address and at least one digital object;

determining, in dependence upon display capability attributes and the email address, whether the digital object is to be transcoded in the transcoding gateway, wherein the determining results in a determination;

forwarding the email, including the digital object, to the email address, if the determination is that the digital object is not to be transcoded in the transcoding gateway; and

if the determination is that the digital object is to be transcoded in the transcoding gateway, carrying out the further steps of;

transcoding the digital object into a transcoded digital object; and

downloading the transcoded digital object to a destination client device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein:

transcoding the digital object further comprises transcoding the digital object into a digital file having a digital format and a file name; and

downloading the transcoded digital object further comprises downloading the digital file to a destination client device at an internet address recorded in an internet address field of a client device record, the client device record having recorded in a mailbox address field in the client device record, a

mailbox address identical to the email address of the email message, and,

recorded in a digital file format code field of the client device record, a digital file format code indicating that the client device represented by the client device record is capable of receiving the digital format of the digital file.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein determining in dependence upon display capability attributes and the email address, whether the digital object is to be transcoded in the transcoding gateway, further comprises finding a capability record having a connection address equal to the email address.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein forwarding the email further comprises forwarding the entire email, including the digital object, to an email client in another transcoding gateway in a client device.

8. A system of email administration comprising:

means for receiving in a transcoding gateway from a sender an email display capability request for a domain, wherein the capability request comprises a domain identification;

means for finding, in dependence upon the domain identification, at least one email display capability record for the domain, wherein the email display capability record for the domain comprises display capability attributes describing an email display capability for the domain; and

means for sending at least one of the email display capability attributes to the sender.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the email display capability request includes a sender identification identifying the sender, and the system further comprises means for determining, in dependence upon the sender identification, that the sender is authorized to send email to a connection address in the domain.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein means for determining that the sender is authorized to send email to a connection address in the domain further comprises means for finding, in dependence upon the sender identification and in dependence upon the domain identification, at least one sender authorization record, wherein:

the sender authorization record represents authorization for the sender to send email to a connection address in the domain;

the sender authorization record comprises sender authorization attributes including a connection address in the domain; and

means for finding at least one email display capability record for the domain further comprises means for finding, in dependence upon the domain identification and in dependence upon the connection address, at least one email display capability record for the domain.

11. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

means for receiving an email in a transcoding gateway, the email comprising an email address and at least one digital object;

means for determining, in dependence upon display capability attributes and the email address, whether the digital object is to be transcoded in the transcoding gateway, wherein the determining results in a determination;

means for forwarding the email, including the digital object, to the email address, if the determination is that the digital object is not to be transcoded in the transcoding gateway, and

if the determination is that the digital object is to be transcoded in the transcoding gateway, means for carrying out the further steps of;

means for transcoding the digital object into a transcoded digital object; and

means for downloading the transcoded digital object to a destination client device.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein:

means for transcoding the digital object further comprises means for transcoding the digital object into a digital file having a digital format and a file name; and

means for downloading the transcoded digital object further comprises means for downloading the digital file to a destination client device at an internet address recorded in an internet address field of a client device record, the client device record having;

recorded in a mailbox address field in the client device record, a mailbox address identical to the email address of the email message, and,

recorded in a digital file format code field of the client device record, a digital file format code indicating that the client device represented by the client device record is capable of receiving the digital format of the digital file.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein means for determining, in dependence upon display capability attributes and the email address, whether the digital object is to be transcoded in the transcoding gateway, further comprises means for finding a capability record having a connection address equal to the email address.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein means for forwarding the email further comprises means for forwarding the entire email, including the digital object, to an email client in another transcoding gateway in a client device.

15. A computer program product of email administration comprising:

a recording medium;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving in a transcoding gateway from a sender an email display capability request for a domain, wherein the capability request comprises a domain identification;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for finding, in dependence upon the domain identification, at least one email display capability record for the domain, wherein the email display capability record for the domain comprises display capability attributes describing an email display capability for the domain; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for sending at least one of the email display capability attributes to the sender.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the email display capability request includes a sender identification identifying the sender, and the computer program product further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining, in dependence upon the sender identification, that the sender is authorized to send email to a connection address in the domain.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining that the sender is authorized to send email to a connection address in the domain further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for finding, in dependence upon the sender identification and in dependence upon the domain identification, at least one sender authorization record, wherein:

the sender authorization record represents authorization for the sender to send email to a connection address in the domain;

the sender authorization record comprises sender authorization attributes including a connection address in the domain; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for finding at least one email display capability record for the domain further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for finding, in dependence upon the domain identification and in dependence upon the connection address, at least one email display capability record for the domain.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving an email in a transcoding gateway, the email comprising an email address and at least one digital object;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining, in dependence upon display capability attributes and the email address, whether the digital object is to be transcoded in the transcoding gateway, wherein the determining results in a determination;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for forwarding the email, including the digital object, to the email address, if the determination is that the digital object is not to be transcoded in the transcoding gateway; and

if the determination is that the digital object is to be transcoded in the transcoding gateway, means, recorded on the recording medium, for carrying out the further steps of;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for transcoding the digital object into a transcoded digital object; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for downloading the transcoded digital object to a destination client device.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for transcoding the digital object further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for transcoding the digital object into a digital file having a digital format and a file name; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for downloading the transcoded digital object further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for downloading the digital file to a destination client device at an internet address recorded in an internet address field of a client device record, the client device record having;

recorded in a mailbox address field in the client device record, a mailbox address identical to the email address of the email message, and,

recorded in a digital file format code field of the client device record, a digital file format code indicating that the client device represented by the client device record is capable of receiving the digital format of the digital file.

20. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining, in dependence upon display capability attributes and the email address, whether the digital object is to be transcoded in the transcoding gateway, further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for finding a capability record having a connection address equal to the email address.

21. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for forwarding the email further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for forwarding the entire email, including the digital object, to an email client in another transcoding gateway in a client device.