MAILBOX POOLING PRE-EMPTING CRITERIA

• US 20070130273A1
• Filed: 01/16/2007
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: HUYNH, Truyen
• Granted Patent: US 8,731,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• 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 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database

Abstract

Mailbox pooling pre-emptive criteria is set forth for use in an adaptive polling system for synchronizing data between a mail server and a mobile communication device. The polling engine stores an indication of the number of messages in the mailbox, the total mailbox size (i.e. the used storage size in bytes), and the last message ID from the last poll. In the next poll, the polling engine retrieves this information from the mailbox and checks against the values stored from the last poll. If the information is the same, then there is no need to compare the message ID list. Whenever either the number of messages in the mailbox or the mailbox size or last message ID has changed, then the full comparison of the message ID list is performed.

Claims

1. In an adaptive polling method for updating e-mails between at least one mail server and a mobile communication device or mobile mailbox of such device, the improvement comprising:

retrieving current pre-emptive criteria from said at least one mail server;

comparing said current pre-emptive criteria to previously stored pre-emptive criteria; and

in the event said current pre-emptive criteria do not equal said previously stored pre-emptive criteria then updating said e-mails between said at least one mail server and mobile communication device or mobile mailbox, and otherwise pre-empting said updating of said e-mails between said at least one mail server and mobile communication device or mobile mailbox; and

wherein said pre-emptive criteria comprise at least one of number of messages in said mailbox and size of said mailbox.

2. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said e-mails are identified by respective message IDs.

3. The improvement of claim 1, wherein the polling method is adapted for updating e-mails between multiple external mail servers and the mobile mailbox of the mobile device;

the retrieving step comprises retrieving current pre-emptive criteria from each of said multiple external mail servers; and

the comparison step comprises comparing said current pre-emptive criteria to previously stored pre-emptive criteria for respective ones of said multiple external servers;

in the event said current pre-emptive criteria do not equal said previously stored pre-emptive criteria for a respective one of said multiple external mail servers then updating said e-mails between said respective one of said multiple external mail servers and said mobile mailbox, or otherwise pre-empting said updating of said e-mails between said respective one of said multiple external mail servers and said mobile mailbox; and

wherein said pre-emptive criteria comprise at least one of number of messages in and size of the mailbox of a respective one of said multiple external mail servers.

4. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said at least one mail server is a POP mail server.

5. A wireless communication system comprising:

a mobile device accessible via a wireless network; and

a polling engine arranged to update e-mails between at least one mail server and at least one of the mobile device and a mobile mailbox of the mobile device, the polling device being capable of communicating with said at least one of the mobile device and mobile mailbox and arranged to retrieve current pre-emptive criteria from said at least one mail server and compare said current pre-emptive criteria to previously stored pre-emptive criteria, and being further arranged to update said e-mails between said at least one mail server and said at least one of the mobile device and mobile mailbox in the event said current pre-emptive criteria do not equal said previously stored pre-emptive criteria or to otherwise pre-empt said updating of said e-mails between said at least one mail server and said at least one of the mobile device and mobile mailbox, and wherein said pre-emptive criteria comprise at least one of number of messages in and size of said mailbox.

6. The wireless communication system of claim 5, wherein said polling engine is arranged to update e-mails between multiple external mail servers and the mobile mailbox of the mobile device;

the polling engine being arranged to retrieve current pre-emptive criteria from each of said multiple external mail servers, compare said current pre-emptive criteria to previously stored pre-emptive criteria for respective ones of said multiple external mail servers, and update said e-mails between said respective one of said multiple external mail servers and said mobile mailbox in the event said current pre-emptive criteria do not equal said previously stored pre-emptive criteria for a respective one of said multiple external mail servers, or to otherwise pre-empt said updating of said e-mails between said respective one of said multiple external mail servers and said mobile mailbox;

wherein said pre-emptive criteria comprise at least one of number of messages in and size of the mailbox of a respective one of said multiple external mail servers.

7. The wireless communication system of claim 6, including a wireless service engine for controlling data communication over said wireless network between said mobile device and said mobile mailbox.

8. The wireless communications system of claim 5, wherein said at least one mail server is a POP mail server.