METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EFFICIENT POLLING

• US 20110078268A1
• Filed: 12/07/2010
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Sadek, Ahmed, HASSAN, Ahmed E., MARTIN, Daryl
• Granted Patent: US 8,209,388 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 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

An e-mail distribution server may manage many pull e-mail accounts by periodically, as defined by an interval time, polling associated pull e-mail servers for new mail. If the e-mail distribution server receives an e-mail message destined for a recipient having a pull e-mail account managed by the e-mail distribution server, the e-mail distribution server may recognize an opportunity to poll the pull e-mail server associated with the pull e-mail account sooner than the expiration of the interval time.

Claims

1. At an e-mail distribution server, a method of handling an e-mail message, said method comprising:

receiving an e-mail message;

sending said e-mail message to a mail server;

determining that a recipient e-mail address specified in said e-mail message is associated with a pull e-mail account managed by said e-mail distribution server; and

responsive to said determining, triggering an interruption of management of said pull e-mail account.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining a record including a plurality of e-mail addresses, where each e-mail address of said plurality of e-mail addresses is associated with a pull e-mail account managed by said e-mail distribution server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining comprises locating, in said record, said recipient e-mail address specified in said outgoing e-mail message.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said pull e-mail account is associated with a mobile communication device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising delaying said triggering by a predetermined waiting period.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said predetermined waiting period is based on a measured network latency value.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said mail server comprises a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol server.

8. An e-mail distribution server comprising a processor adapted to:

receive an e-mail message;

send said e-mail message to a mail server;

determine that a recipient e-mail address specified in said e-mail message is associated with a pull e-mail account, where said pull e-mail account is managed by said e-mail distribution server; and

trigger an interruption of management of said pull e-mail account.

9. The e-mail distribution server of claim 8 wherein said processor is further adapted to maintain a record including a plurality of e-mail addresses, where each e-mail address of said plurality of e-mail addresses is associated with a pull e-mail account managed by said e-mail distribution server.

10. The e-mail distribution server of claim 8 wherein said processor is further adapted to locate, in said record, said recipient e-mail address specified in said outgoing e-mail message.

11. The e-mail distribution server of claim 8 wherein said pull e-mail account is associated with a mobile communication device.

12. The e-mail distribution server of claim 8 wherein said processor is further adapted to delay said triggering by a predetermined waiting period.

13. The e-mail distribution server of claim 12 wherein said predetermined waiting period is based on a measured network latency value.

14. The e-mail distribution server of claim 8 wherein said mail server comprises a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol server.

20. The e-mail distribution server of claim 8 wherein said mail server comprises a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol server.

15. A computer readable medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when performed by processor in an e-mail distribution server, cause said processor to:

receive an e-mail message;

send said e-mail message to a mail server;

determine that a recipient e-mail address specified in said e-mail message is associated with a pull e-mail account, where said pull e-mail account is managed by said e-mail distribution server; and

trigger an interruption of management of a pull e-mail account responsive to determining that a recipient e-mail address specified in said outgoing e-mail message is associated with said pull e-mail account, where said pull e-mail account is managed by said e-mail distribution server.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein said instructions further cause said processor to maintain a record including a plurality of e-mail addresses, where each e-mail address of said plurality of e-mail addresses is associated with a pull e-mail account managed by said e-mail distribution server.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein said instructions further cause said processor to locate, in said record, said recipient e-mail address specified in said outgoing e-mail message.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein said pull e-mail account is associated with a mobile communication device.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein said instructions further cause said processor to delay said triggering by a predetermined waiting period.