SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ACCOUNT SETUP FOR MOBILE DEVICES, SUCH AS AN E-MAIL ACCOUNT SETUP

• US 20090093242A1
• Filed: 05/05/2008
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Penwala, Murtaza, Bhalekar, Aniruddha
• Granted Patent: US 9,083,815 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions

Abstract

A mobile communication device includes a display configured to provide a graphical user interface, a memory configured to store computer program instructions and a communication-setup database having setup information associated with each of a plurality of different communication account types, and a processor configured to execute the computer program instructions to provide a communication-setup client via the graphical user interface. The communication-setup client enables a user to perform an initial setup of a plurality of different communication account types on the mobile communication device, and subsequent easy access to the communication-setup database to provide access to a specific desired communications client within a limited amount of clicks or data entries.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a display configured to provide a graphical user interface;

a memory configured to store computer program instructions and a communication-setup database having setup information associated with each of a plurality of different communication account types,

a processor configured to execute the computer program instructions to provide a communication-setup client via the graphical user interface,

wherein the communication-setup client is configured to enable a user to perform an initial setup of a plurality of different communication account types on the mobile communication device, and configured to access the communication-setup database to determine the setup information required for each of the plurality of different communication account types during the initial setup.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the communication-setup database includes a plurality of different sets of setup information, each set of setup information being associated with a different one of the plurality of different communication account types.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of different communication account types are e-mail account types and each set of setup information includes a plurality of the following pieces of setup information:

an incoming e-mail server address, an incoming e-mail server protocol, an incoming e-mail server port, an outgoing e-mail server address, an outgoing e-mail server protocol, an outgoing e-mail server port, an option indicating to use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) when communicating with the incoming e-mail server, an option indicating to use SSL when communicating with the outgoing e-mail server, an option indicating whether the outgoing e-mail server requires authentication, an option indicating how often to check the incoming e-mail server for new e-mail, or an option indicating an amount of new e-mail to retrieve when there is new e-mail on the incoming e-mail server.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of different communication account types are e-mail account types that are associated with a plurality of different incoming mail server addresses in the communication-setup database.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of different communication account types are e-mail account types that correspond to a plurality of different e-mail service providers including at least two or more of:

AOL/AIM Mail, Gmail, Windows Live Hotmail, Outlook/Exchange/ActiveSync, and Yahoo.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of different communication account types are e-mail account types and the communication-setup client is configured to receive setup information including only a password and at least a portion of an e-mail address from the user during the setup of each of the plurality of different e-mail account types.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 6, wherein:

the communication-setup client prevents e-mail account setup information other than the password and the at least the portion of the e-mail address from being displayed by the graphical user interface during the initial setup of the plurality of different e-mail account types; and

the communication-setup client prevents e-mail account setup information other than the password and the at least the portion of the e-mail address from being entered by the user during the initial setup of the plurality of different e-mail account types.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the setup of the plurality of different communication account types sets up a plurality of different communication accounts on the mobile communication device, wherein the communication-setup client is configured to launch a communications client subsequent to the initial setup of each of the plurality of different communication account types, wherein the communications client is configured to perform a communication with the plurality of communication accounts;

and

wherein the communication-setup client is configured to store the setup information accessed from the communication-setup database and the setup information received from the user in a communications client database that is configured to be accessed by the communications client when the communications client performs the communication with the plurality of communication accounts.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 8, wherein the plurality of different communication accounts are e-mail accounts and the communication is an e-mail communication.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 8, wherein editing of the setup information stored for each of the plurality of communication accounts in the communications client database subsequent to the initial setup of each of the plurality of different communication account types is enabled.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein:

the communication-setup database includes a first portion which is permanently stored in the memory in form that is unalterable by the user; and

the communication-setup client is configured to receive from the user additional setup information for additional communication account types and store the additional setup information for the additional communication account types in a second portion of the communication-setup database.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of different communication account types includes at least one of an e-mail account type, a blog account type, an instant-messaging account type, and a social-networking account type.

13. A method, comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface on a mobile communication device;

storing computer program instructions and a communication-setup database in a memory of the mobile communication device, the communication-setup database having setup information associated with each of a plurality of different communication account types;

executing the computer program instructions by a processor to provide an communication-setup client via the graphical user interface; and

performing an initial setup of a plurality of different communication account types on the mobile communication device using the communication-setup client, including accessing the communication-setup database to determine the setup information required for the plurality of different communication account types.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the communication-setup database includes a plurality of different sets of setup information, each set of setup information being associated with a different one of the plurality of different communication account types.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of different communication account types are e-mail account types and each set of setup information includes a plurality of the following pieces of setup information:

an incoming e-mail server address, an incoming e-mail server protocol, an incoming e-mail server port, an outgoing e-mail server address, an outgoing e-mail server protocol, an outgoing e-mail server port, an option indicating to use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) when communicating with the incoming e-mail server, an option indicating to use SSL when communicating with the outgoing e-mail server, an option indicating whether the outgoing e-mail server requires authentication, an option indicating how often to check the incoming e-mail server for new e-mail, or an option indicating an amount of new e-mail to retrieve when there is new e-mail on the incoming e-mail server.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of different communication account types are e-mail account types that are associated with a plurality of different incoming mail server addresses in the communication-setup database.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of different communication account types are e-mail account types that correspond to a plurality of different e-mail service providers including at least two of:

AOL/AIM Mail, Gmail, Windows Live Hotmail, Outlook/Exchange/ActiveSync, and Yahoo.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of different communication account types are e-mail account types and the method further comprises:

receiving setup information including only a password and at least a portion of an e-mail address from the user during the setup of each of the plurality of different e-mail account types.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

preventing e-mail account setup information other than the password and the at least the portion of the e-mail address from being displayed by the graphical user interface during the initial setup of the plurality of different e-mail account types; and

preventing e-mail account setup information other than the password and the at least the portion of the e-mail address from being entered by the user during the initial setup of the plurality of different e-mail account types.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the initial setup of the plurality of different communication account types sets up a plurality of different communication accounts on the mobile communication device, the method further comprises:

launching a communications client subsequent to the initial setup of each of the plurality of different communication account types, wherein the communications client is configured to perform a communication with the plurality of communication accounts; and

storing the setup information accessed from the communication-setup database and the setup information received from the user in a communications client database that is configured to be accessed by the communications client when the communications client performs the communication with the plurality of communication accounts.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the plurality of different communication accounts are e-mail accounts and the communication is an e-mail communication.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising editing by the user the setup information stored for each of the plurality of communication accounts in the communications client database subsequent to the initial setup of each of the plurality of different communication account types.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the communication-setup database includes a first portion which is permanently stored in the memory in a form that is unalterable by the user, the method further comprising:

receiving from the user additional setup information for additional communication account types; and

storing the additional setup information for the additional communication account types in a second portion of the communication-setup database.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of different communication account types includes at least one of an e-mail account, type, a blog account type, an instant-messaging account type, and a social-networking account type.

25. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a processor, the instructions which when executed cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface on a mobile communication device;

providing a communication-setup client via the graphical user interface; and

performing an initial setup of a plurality of different communication account types on the mobile communication device using the communication-setup client, the initial setup including determining setup information required for the plurality of different communication account types, the determination being made by accessing a communication-setup database which has respective setup information associated with each of the plurality of different communication account types.