Method and system to enable email services for mobile devices

• US 20060190530A1
• Filed: 07/26/2004
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV
• Inventors: Gruneberg, Lutz Wolfgang, Ergezinger, Siegfried
• Granted Patent: US 7,983,658 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4523 using lightweight directory access protocol [LDAP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4555 Directories for electronic mail or instant messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• 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: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

The invention is a method and a system, which allows the integration of email-enabled devices into a carrier service network without the need for user individual configuration of the devices. A system with an email proxy and a database is provided for handling email requests from a terminal. The network address of the terminal is used to retrieve email configuration settings from the database, whereupon the email proxy is able to communicate with an email server using the retrieved email configuration settings.

Claims

1. System for handling email requests from a terminal (1), the system comprising an email proxy (5,6) and a database (9,10), the email proxy (5,6) being arranged to communicate with the database (9,10), wherein the email proxy (5,6) is arranged to detect a network address of the terminal (1) and retrieve email configuration settings from the database (9,10) using the network address of the terminal (1), the email proxy (5,6) further being arranged to communicate with an email server (7) using the email configuration settings.

2. System according to claim 1, wherein the email configuration settings include

a name of the email server (7), and

a username and a password for accessing the email server (7).

3. System according to claim 2, wherein the email configuration settings further include

a full name of a user, and

an email address of the user.

4. System according to claims 1, wherein the database (9,10) comprises a mapping of the network address of the terminal (1) to an identity of a user.

5. System according to claim 4, wherein

a first database (9) comprises the mapping of the network address of the terminal (1) to the identity of the user, and

a second database (10) comprises the email configuration settings.

6. System according to claim 1, wherein

a first email proxy (5) is used to handle email requests for retrieving email messages, and

a second email proxy (6) is used to handle email requests for sending email messages.

9. A terminal (1) for use with a system of claim 1, the terminal (1) being provisioned with default configuration settings for sending or retrieving email messages, the default configuration settings being the same for mobile terminals within a network, wherein the mobile terminal is arranged to send or retrieve email messages using the default configuration settings.

7. Email retrieval proxy (5) for handling email retrieval requests from a terminal (1), the email retrieval proxy (5) being arranged to detect a network address of the terminal (1) and retrieve email configuration settings from a database (9,10) using the network address of the terminal (1), the email retrieval proxy (5) further being arranged to forward the email retrieval request to an email server (7) using the email configuration settings, retrieve a requested email message from the email server (7) and forward the requested email message to the terminal (1).

8. Email sending proxy (6) for handling email sending requests from a terminal (1), the email sending proxy (6) being arranged to detect a network address of the terminal (1) and retrieve email configuration settings from a database (9,10) using the network address of the terminal (1), the email sending proxy (6) further being arranged to modify the email sending request using the email configuration settings and forward the modified email sending request to an email server (7) using the email configuration settings.

10. Method for handling email requests from a terminal (1) in an email proxy (5,6), the method comprising the steps of

detecting a network address of the terminal (1);

retrieving email configuration settings from a database (9, 10) using the network address of the terminal (1);

communicating with an email server (7) using the email configuration settings.

11. Method according to claim 10, wherein the email configuration settings include

a name of the email server (7), and

a username and a password for accessing the email server (7).

12. Method according to claim 11, wherein the email configuration settings further include

a full name of a user, and

an email address of the user.

13. Method according to claims 10, wherein the database (9, 10) comprises a mapping of the network address of the terminal (1) to an identity of a user.

14. Method according to claim 13, the method comprising the steps of

retrieving from a first database (9) information about the mapping of the network address of the terminal (1) to the identity of the user;

retrieving from a second database (10) the email configuration settings.

15. Method according to claim 10, wherein

a first email proxy (5) is used to handle email requests for retrieving email messages, and

a second email proxy (6) is used to handle email requests for sending email messages.