System and method for configuring access to electronic mailboxes

• US 20050038859A1
• Filed: 02/13/2004
• Published: 02/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: TeamOn Systems Incorporated (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Roy, Shaibal, Gardner, Darren L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,373,386 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2871 Implementation details of single intermediate entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method for configuring access to an electronic mailbox based on limited configuration parameters received from a user. A database stores configuration conventions for a mail domain. A mailbox interface module receives configuration information from a user that is limited in the configuration parameters required for accessing the electronic mailbox. The module retrieves configuration conventions for the mail domain from the database and generates sets of potentially valid configuration parameters based on the retrieved configuration conventions and user supplied configuration information for accessing the mailbox.

Claims

1. A system for configuring access to an electronic mailbox comprising:

a database that stores configuration conventions related to configuration parameters used for accessing an electronic mailbox; and

a mailbox interface module for receiving configuration information from the user that is limited in the configuration parameters required for accessing the electronic mailbox, wherein said mailbox interface module is operative for retrieving configuration conventions for a mailbox domain from the database and generating sets of potentially valid configuration parameters.

2. A system according to claim 1, and further comprising a web service on which the mailbox interface module is operative.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said configuration information received from a user comprises an email address and password.

4. A system according to claim 1, and further comprising a mobile device on which the user inputs the configuration information.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the mailbox interface module is operative for generating a subset configuration parameters by using heuristics of likelihood that a set of configuration parameters are valid.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein the heuristics of likelihood comprise tracking statistics stored within the database about the number of attempts and percentage of successes using a given configuration convention for a mail domain.

7. A system according to claim 5, wherein the interface module is operative for generating a subset of possible configuration parameters using additional user supplied configuration information.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein the additional user supplied configuration information comprises information relating to a standard protocol used for accessing the electronic mailbox.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein said standard protocol comprises one of at least the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) or the Post Office Protocol (POP).

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein the configuration conventions comprise expressions formed by symbols represents individual configuration parameters.

11. A system for configuring access to an electronic mailbox comprising:

a database that stores configuration conventions related to configuration parameters used for accessing an electronic mailbox; and

a mailbox interface module for receiving configuration information from the user that is limited in the configuration parameters required for accessing the electronic mailbox of the user, wherein said electronic mailbox interface module is operative for retrieving configuration conventions for the mailbox domain from the database and generating sets of potentially valid configuration parameters based on the retrieved configuration conventions and attempting access to the electronic mailbox and generating new sets of potentially valid configuration parameters if the attempts for accessing the electronic mailbox of the user from the original sets of possible configuration parameters were unsuccessful.

12. A system according to claim 11, and further comprising a web service on which the mailbox interface module is operative.

13. A system according to claim 11, wherein said configuration information received from a user comprises an email address and password.

14. A system according to claim 11, and further comprising a mobile device on which the user inputs the configuration information.

15. A system according to claim 11, wherein mailbox interface module is operative for generating a subset of possible configuration parameters by using heuristics of likelihood that a set of configuration convention would be valid for accessing the electronic mailbox for a mail domain.

16. A system according to claim 15, wherein the heuristics comprise tracking statistics stored within the database about the number of attempts and percentage of successes using a given configuration convention.

17. A system according to claim 15, wherein the interface module is operative for generating a subset of possible configuration parameters using additional user supplied configuration information.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein the additional user supplied configuration information comprises information relating to a standard protocol used for accessing the electronic mailbox.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein said standard protocol comprises one of at least the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) or the Post Office Protocol (POP).

20. A system according to claim 11, wherein the configuration conventions comprise expressions formed by symbols representing individual configuration parameters.

21. A method of configuring access to an electronic mailbox comprising the steps of:

receiving configuration information from a user that is limited in the configuration parameters required for accessing the electronic mailbox of the user in a mailbox domain;

retrieving configuration conventions related to valid configuration parameters from a database based on the configuration information received from the user; and

generating sets of potentially valid configuration parameters based on the retrieved configuration conventions and the user supplied configuration information.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein the step of receiving configuration information from a user comprises the step of receiving an email address and password.

23. A method according to claim 21, and further comprising the step of retrieving configuration information from a mobile device used by a user.

24. A method according to claim 21, and further comprising the step of generating a subset of possible configuration parameters by using heuristics of likelihood that a set of configuration parameters would be valid for accessing the electronic mailbox.

25. A method according to claim 24, wherein said heuristics comprise tracking statistics about the number of attempts and percentage of successes using a given configuration convention.

26. A method according to claim 25, and further comprising the step of generating a subset of possible configuration parameters by using additional user supplied configuration information.

27. A method according to claim 26, wherein said additional user supplied information comprises information relating to the standard protocol used for accessing the electronic mailbox.

28. A method according to claim 27, wherein said standard protocol comprises one of at least the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) or the Post Office Protocol (POP).

29. A method according to claim 21, and further comprising the step of generating the sets of potentially valid configuration parameters within a web service acting as an agent for the user.

30. A method according to claim 21, wherein the configuration conventions comprise expressions formed by symbols representing individual configuration parameters.

31. A method of configuring access to an electronic mailbox comprising the steps of:

receiving configuration information from a user that is limited in the configuration parameters required for accessing the electronic mailbox of the user in a mailbox domain;

retrieving from a database configuration conventions related to configuration parameters used for accessing the electronic mailbox of the user based on the email address and password;

generating sets of possible configuration parameters for accessing the electronic mailbox of the user based on the retrieved configuration conventions;

attempting access to the email account from the sets of possible configuration parameters; and

generating new sets of possible valid configuration parameters if the attempts for accessing the electronic mailbox of the user from the original sets of possible configuration parameters were unsuccessful.

32. A method according to claim 31, wherein the step of receiving configuration information from a user comprises the step of receiving only an email address and password for accessing the electronic mailbox from the user.

33. A method according to claim 31, and further comprising the step of retrieving configuration information from a mobile device used by a user.

34. A method according to claim 31, and further comprising the step of generating a subset of possible configuration parameters by using heuristics of likelihood that a set of configuration parameters would be valid for accessing the electronic mailbox.

35. A method according to claim 34, wherein said heuristics comprise tracking statistics about the number of attempts and percentage of successes using a given configuration convention.

36. A method according to claim 34, and further comprising the step of generating a subset of possible configuration parameters by using additional user supplied configuration information.

37. A method according to claim 36, wherein said additional user supplied information comprises information relating to the standard protocol used for accessing the electronic mailbox.

38. A method according to claim 37, wherein said standard protocol comprises one of at least the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) or the Post Office Protocol (POP).

39. A method according to claim 31, and further comprising the step of generating the sets of potentially valid configuration parameters within a web service acting as an agent for the user.

40. A method according to claim 31, wherein the configuration conventions comprise expressions formed by symbols representing individual configuration parameters.

41. A computer-readable medium comprising a mailbox interface module for receiving configuration information from the user that is limited in the configuration parameters required for accessing the electronic mailbox of the user and operative for accessing configuration conventions from a database and generating sets of potentially valid configuration parameters based on the retrieved configuration conventions and user supplied configuration information.

42. A computer-readable medium according to claim 41, wherein the configuration conventions comprise expressions formed by symbols representing individual configuration parameters.

43. A computer-readable medium according to claim 41, wherein the mailbox interface module is operative as a web server.