System and method of retrieving electronic mail

• US 20050181768A1
• Filed: 02/17/2004
• Published: 08/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: TeamOn Systems Incorporated (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Roy, Shaibal
• Granted Patent: US 8,005,462 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/413
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/10 with dictation recording and playback systems

Abstract

A communications system and method includes a mobile device having a mail user agent. A mobile office platform as a server includes a mail agent that is operative with the mail user agent for accessing one or more electronic mailboxes of the mail user agent using at least one protocol specific connector. The mobile office platform is operative for providing only the n-most recent mail headers of electronic messages to the mail user agent.

Claims

1. A communications system comprising:

a mobile device having a mail user agent; and

a mobile office platform operative with the mail user agent for accessing one or more electronic mailboxes of the mail user agent using at least one protocol specific connector, said mobile office platform operative for providing only the n-most recent mail headers of electronic messages to the mail user agent.

2. A communications system according to claim 1, wherein said mobile office platform is operative to provide only the n-most recent mail headers in a default order of mail headers provided by the electronic mail protocol used for accessing an electronic mailbox.

3. A communications system according to claim 1, wherein said message header comprises a unique identifier (UID) of an electronic mail message.

4. A communications system according to claim 1, wherein said mobile office platform is operative to provide only the n-most recent mail headers in an order based on associative information about the electronic mail provider and/or electronic mailbox to be accessed.

5. A communications system according to claim 4, and further comprising a database associated with said mobile office platform and containing records of associative information for electronic mail providers and/or electronic mailboxes to be accessed.

6. A communications system according to claim 4, wherein said associative information comprises the name of the electronic mail protocol used for accessing an electronic mailbox.

7. A communications system according to claim 4, wherein said associative information comprises the version of the electronic mail protocol used for accessing an electronic mailbox.

8. A communications system according to claim 4, wherein said associative information comprises the name of the electronic mail server.

9. A communications system according to claim 8, wherein the name of the electronic mail server is applicable to a specific electronic mail protocol used for accessing an electronic mailbox.

10. A communications system according to claim 4, wherein said associative information comprises the domain name of an internet service provider used for accessing electronic mailboxes.

11. A communications system according to claim 1, wherein said mobile office platform is operative for downloading an entire message list for one or more electronic mailboxes, sorting the message headers, and extracting only the n-most recent mail messages for delivery to a mail user agent that requested electronic mail.

12. A communications system according to claim 1, wherein said mobile device comprises a wireless device.

13. A communications system according to claim 1, wherein said mail user agent is operative for accessing the mobile office platform using a POP, IMAP or webmail protocol.

14. A communications system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of protocol specific connectors comprise a POP connector for accessing POP mailboxes, an IMAP connector for accessing IMAP mailboxes, or a connector for accessing mail from an Exchange server.

15. A communications system comprising:

a server having a mail agent for accessing one or more electronic mailboxes of a mail user agent using at least one protocol specific connector; and

a database associated with the mail agent and containing associative information about an electronic mail provider and/or electronic mailbox relating to the order in which mail headers are stored and/or retrieved from the electronic mailbox, wherein said mail agent is operative for providing only the n-most recent mail headers of electronic messages to a mail user agent of a mobile device.

16. A communications system according to claim 15, wherein said mail agent is operative to provide only the n-most recent mail headers in a default order of mail headers provided by the electronic mail protocol used for accessing an electronic mailbox.

17. A communications system according to claim 15, wherein said mail agent is operative to provide only the n-most recent mail headers in an order based on associative information about the electronic mail provider and/or electronic mailbox to be accessed.

18. A communications system according to claim 15, wherein said message header comprises a unique identifier (UID) of an electronic mail message.

19. A communications system according to claim 15, wherein said associative information comprises the name of the electronic mail protocol used for accessing an electronic mailbox.

20. A communications system according to claim 15, wherein said associative information comprises the version of the electronic mail protocol used for accessing an electronic mailbox.

21. A communications system according to claim 15, wherein said associative information comprises the name of the electronic mail server.

22. A communications system according to claim 21, wherein the name of the electronic mail server is applicable to a specific electronic mail protocol used for accessing an electronic mailbox.

23. A communications system according to claim 15, wherein said associative information comprises the domain name of an internet service provider used for accessing electronic mailboxes.

24. A communications system according to claim 15, wherein said mobile agent is operative for downloading an entire message list for one or more electronic mailboxes, sorting the message headers and extracting only the n-most recent mail messages for delivery to a mail user agent that requested electronic mail.

25. A communications system according to claim 15, wherein a mail user agent is operative for accessing the mail agent using a POP, IMAP or webmail protocol.

26. A communications system according to claim 15, wherein said plurality of protocol specific connectors comprise a POP connector for accessing POP mailboxes, an IMAP connector for accessing IMAP mailboxes, or a connector for accessing mail from an Exchange server.

27. A method of retrieving electronic mail comprising the steps of:

accessing one or more electronic mailboxes of a mail user agent using at least one protocol specific connector; and

providing to the mail user agent only the n-most recent mail headers of electronic mail messages that had been accessed.

28. A method according to claim 27, and further comprising the step of providing only the n-most recent mail headers in a default order of mail headers provided by the electronic mail protocol used for accessing an electronic mailbox.

29. A method according to claim 27, wherein said message header comprises a unique identifier of an electronic mail message.

30. A method according to claim 27, and further comprising the step of providing only the n-most recent mail headers in an order based on associative information about the electronic mail provider and/or electronic mailbox to be accessed.

31. A method according to claim 30, and further comprising the step of storing associative information within a database.

32. A method according to claim 30, wherein said associative information comprises the name of the electronic mail protocol used for accessing an electronic mailbox.

33. A method according to claim 30, wherein said associative information comprises the version of the electronic mail protocol used for accessing an electronic mailbox.

34. A method according to claim 30, wherein said associative information comprises the name of the electronic mail server.

35. A method according to claim 34, wherein the name of the electronic mail server is applicable to a specific electronic mail protocol used for accessing an electronic mailbox.

36. A method according to claim 31, wherein said associative information comprises the domain name of an internet service provider used for accessing electronic mailboxes.

37. A method according to claim 27, and further comprising the step of downloading an entire message list for one or more electronic mailboxes, sorting the message headers and extracting only the n-most recent mail messages for delivery to the mail user agent.