System and method for e-mail notification

• US 20080177844A1
• Filed: 01/19/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: McCarthy, Mary, Noll, Roland, Pettit, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,682,981 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

A method to deliver a notification of receipt of an e-mail includes associating a set-top box identifier with at least one e-mail account. Through a mail server external to an IPTV network, it is determined whether an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account. In response to determining that an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account, an e-mail delivery notification is generated and transmitted to the e-mail delivery notification to a set-top box device identified by the set-top box identifier.

Claims

1. A method for delivering a notification of receipt of an e-mail, the method comprising:

associating a set-top box identifier with at least one e-mail account;

determining through a mail server external to an IPTV network whether an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account; and

in response to determining that an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account, generating an e-mail delivery notification and transmitting the e-mail delivery notification to a set-top box device identified by the set-top box identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set-top box identifier is linked to an IPTV account identifier, and wherein the associating of the set-top box identifier with the least one e-mail account includes associating the IPTV account identifier with the at least one e-mail account.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of whether an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account comprises:

generating and transmitting a further e-mail notification request to the mail server, the further e-mail notification request instructing the mail server to determine whether an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account; and

receiving information from the external mail server to indicate that an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the associating of the set-top box identifier with at least one e-mail account comprises obtaining an e-mail account identifier for the at least one e-mail account.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the further e-mail notification request comprises the e-mail account identifier.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the associating of the set-top box identifier with at least one e-mail account comprises obtaining an e-mail account virtual password.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the further e-mail notification request comprises the e-mail account virtual password.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising authenticating that the further e-mail notification request is a valid request and is received from a valid set-top box device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a registration request from a user associated with a set-top box device to associate an e-mail account with the set-top box device associated with the user.

10. A system to deliver a notification of receipt of an e-mail, the system comprising:

an identity management module to;

receive an e-mail notification request from a set-top box device forming part of an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) network, the e-mail notification request referencing a set-top box identifier to identify the set-top box device; and

associate the set-top box identifier with at least one e-mail account;

an e-mail access module to;

determine through a mail server external to the IPTV network whether an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account;

a notification message generator module to;

generate an e-mail delivery notification, in response to determining that an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account; and

a message transfer module to;

transmit the e-mail delivery notification to the set-top box device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the set-top box identifier is linked to an IPTV account identifier, and wherein the identity management module is to associate the set-top box identifier with the least one e-mail account by associating the IPTV account identifier with the at least one e-mail account.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the e-mail access module is to:

generate and transmit a further e-mail notification request to the mail server external to the IPTV network, the further e-mail notification request instructing the mail server to determine whether an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account; and

receive information from the mail server to indicate that an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the identity management module is to obtain an e-mail account identifier for the at least one e-mail account.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the e-mail access module is to generate the further e-mail notification request by including the e-mail account identifier in the further e-mail notification request.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the identity management module is to generate an e-mail account virtual password.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the e-mail access module is to generate the further e-mail notification request by including the e-mail account virtual password in the further e-mail notification request.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the mail server is to authenticate that the further e-mail notification request is a valid request generated for a valid set-top box device.

18. The system of claim 10, further comprising a registration module to receive a registration request from a user associated with a set-top box device, the registration request associating an e-mail account with the set-top box device associated with the user.

19. A system to deliver a notification of receipt of an e-mail, the system comprising a notification server and a mail server, wherein the notification server comprises:

an identity management module to;

associate a set-top box identifier with at least one e-mail account;

an e-mail access module to;

determine through a mail server external to an IPTV network whether an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account;

a notification message generator module to;

generate an e-mail delivery notification, in response to determining that an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account; and

a message transfer module to;

transmit the e-mail delivery notification to a set-top box device identified by the set-top box identifier; and

wherein the mail server is to;

determine whether an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the e-mail access module is to:

generate a further e-mail notification request to be transmitted to the mail server external to instruct the mail server to determine whether an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account; and

receive information from the mail server to indicate that an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account; and

wherein the mail server is to;

receive the further e-mail notification request; and

provide information to the notification message generator module to indicate that an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the identity management module is to obtain an e-mail account identifier for the at least one e-mail account.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the e-mail access module is to generate the further e-mail notification request by including the e-mail account identifier in the further e-mail notification request.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the identity management module is to generate an e-mail account virtual password.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the e-mail access module is to generate the further e-mail notification request by including the e-mail account virtual password in the further e-mail notification request.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the mail server is to determine whether an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account by extracting the e-mail account identifier and the e-mail account virtual password from the further e-mail notification request.

26. A mail server to deliver a notification of receipt of an e-mail, the mail server being configured to:

receive a further e-mail notification request from a notification system;

extract an e-mail account identifier and an e-mail account virtual password from the further e-mail notification request;

access an e-mail account associated with the e-mail account identifier to determine whether an e-mail has been received for the e-mail account; and

provide information to the notification server that an e-mail has been received for the e-mail account.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the mail server is to authenticate that the further e-mail notification request is a valid request generated for a valid set-top box device.

28. A tangible machine-readable medium storing:

instructions to receive an e-mail notification request from a set-top box device forming part of an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) network, the e-mail notification request comprising a set-top box identifier to identify the set-top box device;

instructions to associate the set-top box identifier with at least one e-mail account;

instructions to determine through a mail server external to the IPTV network whether an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account; and

instructions to, in response to determining that an e-mail has been received for the at least one e-mail account, generate an e-mail delivery notification and transmitting the e-mail delivery notification to the set-top box device.