Email server with proxy caching of unique identifiers

• US 20070073814A1
• Filed: 09/27/2005
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Teamon Systems Incorporated State of Incorporation Delaware
• Inventors: Clarke, David, Kamat, Harshad
• Granted Patent: US 8,296,369 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

An electronic mail (email) server has a database that stores unique identifiers (UID'"'"'s) of electronic messages. A proxy obtains mappings from the database for previously existing UID'"'"'s of electronic messages that have been determined from a polling operation. A cache caches the mappings of UID'"'"'s and the proxy is operative for purging the cache of the previously existing UID'"'"'s after polling.

Claims

1. An electronic mail (email) server comprising:

a database that stores unique identifiers (UID'"'"'s) of electronic messages;

a proxy that obtains mappings from the database for previously existing UID'"'"'s of electronic messages that had been determined from a polling operation;

a cache in which the mappings of UID'"'"'s are cached;

wherein the proxy is operative for purging the cache of the previously existing UID'"'"'s after polling.

2. The email server according to claim 1, wherein said proxy is operative for maintaining the number of cached mappings to below a predetermined number.

3. The email server according to claim 2, wherein said proxy is operative for clearing the cache if the number of cached mappings for MsgId'"'"'s exceeds a predetermined number.

4. The email server according to claim 1, and further comprising a polling engine for polling an electronic mailbox for retrieving and storing UID'"'"'s within the database.

5. The email server according to claim 1, wherein said proxy is operative for caching a message identifier (MsgId) that had not been cached after receiving one of at least a Get, Delete or Move request.

6. A communications system comprising:

a polling engine that polls an electronic mailbox of a user to retrieve unique identifiers (UID'"'"'s) and message identifiers (MsgId'"'"'s) of electronic messages;

a database for storing the UID'"'"'s and MsgID'"'"'s obtained by polling;

at least one cache in which the mappings of UID'"'"'s from the database are cached; and

an email proxy server that obtains mappings from the database for previously existing UID'"'"'s determined from polling, wherein the proxy is operative for purging the cache of the previously existing UID'"'"'s after polling.

7. The communications system according to claim 6, wherein said email proxy server is operative for maintaining the number of cached mappings to below a predetermined number.

8. The communications system according to claim 7, wherein said email proxy server is operative for clearing the cache if the number of cached mappings for MsgId'"'"'s exceeds a predetermined number.

9. The communications system according to claim 6, wherein said database stores Href attributes.

10. The communications system according to claim 6, wherein said email proxy server is operative for caching a MsgId after receiving one of at least a Get, Delete or Move request.

11. An electronic mail (email) processing method, which comprises:

polling an electronic mailbox of a user to retrieve unique identifiers (UID'"'"'s) of electronic messages and mapping those UID'"'"'s that are new;

caching the UID mappings to a cache; and

purging the cache of the previously existing UID'"'"'s after polling.

12. A method according to claim 11, which further comprises maintaining the number of cached mappings to below a predetermined number.

13. A method according to claim 12, which further comprises clearing the cache if the number of cached mappings exceeds a predetermined number.

14. A method according to claim 11, which further comprises caching a Message Identifier (MsgId) after receiving one of at least a Get, Delete or Move request.

15. A method according to claim 11, which further comprises storing UID'"'"'s within a database.

16. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable modules comprising:

a proxy that obtains mappings for new unique identifiers (UID'"'"'s) of electronic messages that had been determined from polling an electronic mailbox;

a cache that caches the mappings of UID'"'"'s of email,

wherein the proxy is operative for purging the cache of the previously existing UID'"'"'s after polling.