Method and system for providing easy access to an e-mail account via a mobile communication network

• US 20040132429A1
• Filed: 11/24/2003
• Published: 07/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Deutschland GmbH (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile Deutschland GmbH (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Gill, Thorsten, Weis, Klaus, Salem, Tarek
• Granted Patent: US 7,409,426 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

The invention relates to a method an a system for providing easy access to an e-mail account, in particular a POP3/SMPT e-mail account, via a mobile communication network (1). According to the invention the method comprises the steps of: providing a mobile terminal (2) having a generic e-mail configuration with at least one default POP3/SMPT server address, setting up a connection to a server (5) identified by the default POP3/SMPT server address via the mobile communication network (1) using a standard POP3/SMPT protocol, in the proxy server (5): evaluating a user identification based on specific information assigned to the user, identifying an user e-mail account assigned to the user identification, setting up a connecting to the identified e-mail account of an e-mail system (8).

Claims

1. Method for providing access to an e-mail account, in particular a POP3/SMPT e-mail account, via a mobile communication network (1), comprising the steps of:

providing a mobile terminal (2) having a generic e-mail configuration with at least one default POP3/SMPT server address,

setting up a connection to a server (5) identified by the default POP3/SMPT server address via the mobile communication network (1) using a standard POP3/SMPT protocol,

in the proxy server (5);

evaluating a user identification based on specific information assigned to the user,

identifying an user e-mail account assigned to the user identification,

setting up a connection to the identified e-mail account of an e-mail system (8).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it also supports IMAP4 protocol and any Internet markup language front end when connected via a mobile communication system.

3. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the specific information comprises an IP-address temporarily assigned to the user'"'"'s MSISDN.

4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the user identification comprises an international mobile subscriber number MSISDN.

5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the user identification comprises an individual identification number.

6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the step of evaluating of the user identification comprises the step of interrogating a database (6) based on the specific information.

7. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the step of identifying the e-mail account comprises the step of retrieving a user name UN and a password PW assigned to the user identification by interrogating a database (7).

8. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the step of setting up a connection to the e-mail account comprises the step of transmitting the e-mail address, the user name UN and the password PW to the e-mail system (8)

9. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an identification and authentication of the user is provided by the authentication procedures of the mobile communication network (1).

10. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that on a identification of a specific e-mail account via UN/PW, the server (5) transparently transmits the message to the addressed e-mail system/account (8).

11. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that on the first access request of a user identification unknown to the server (5), the server (5) automatically creates a new e-mail account for said user identification.

12. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the step of identifying a POP3/SMPT e-mail account comprises the steps of:

Interrogating a data base (7) whether there is already an registered e-mail account for the presented user identification, and

If there is no e-mail account for the user identification,

Creating a new e-mail account in the e-mail system (8),

Storing the user specific parameters for the e-mail account together with the corresponding user identification in the database (7).

13. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a regular registration via any Internet markup language front end when not connected via a mobile communication system is provided by sending a challenge SMS to the MSISDN, the challenge SMS containing a password which then has to be entered at the front end for validation purposes for the registration of a e-mail account.

14. System for providing access to a e-mail account, in particular a POP3/SMPT e-mail account, via a mobile communication network (1), comprising:

a mobile terminal (2) having a generic e-mail configuration with at least one default POP3/SMPT server address,

a server (5) connected to the mobile communication network (1) to which the default POP3/SMPT server address is assigned,

means for evaluating a user identification based on specific information assigned to the user or the mobile terminal (2),

means for identifying an e-mail account assigned to the user identification, and

an e-mail system (8) comprising the identified e-mail account.

15. System according to claim 14, characterized in that the server (5) is part of the e-mail system (8).

16. System according to claim 14, characterized in that the server (5) is part of the mobile communication network (1).

17. System according to claim 14, characterized in that the server (5) is a standalone system.

18. Mobile terminal for providing access to an e-mail account, in particular a POP3/SMPT e-mail account, via a mobile communication network (1), characterized in that it comprises a generic e-mail configuration with at least one default POP3/SMPT server address.

19. Mobile terminal according to claim 18, characterized in that the e-mail configuration includes a default user name UN and password PW.