E-Mail Proxy

• US 20160072746A1
• Filed: 11/13/2015
• Published: 03/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Halahmi, Erez, Fuchs, Eran
• Granted Patent: US 9,577,970 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method for processing an e-mail message addressed to an e-mail client is disclosed. The method comprises receiving at a mail server an e-mail message addressed to the e-mail client, the e-mail message including an attachment which is characterized by a size; reducing the size of the attachment to create a reduced size attachment; preparing a formatted message, which includes the reduced size attachment and a link to the attachment, wherein the attachment is downloadable from the mail server using the link; and delivering the formatted message to the e-mail client for display on a computational device.

Claims

1-18. -18. (canceled)

19. An e-mail proxy for supporting selective downloading of a multi-part e-mail message to an e-mail client operated by a user from an e-mail server, the multi-part e-mail message including at least one attachment, the email proxy communicating between the email server and the email client, the e-mail proxy comprising:

at least one processor operably connected to a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that when executed by the at least one processor perform the following;

retrieving information of the at least one attachment for the multi-part e-mail message from the e-mail server;

downloading the at least one attachment of the multi-part email message from the email server;

preparing a formatted message for sending to the e-mail client, the formatted message containing a link to the at least one downloaded attachment, wherein the attachment is not sent to the e-mail client;

sending the formatted message to the e-mail client; and

upon receiving an indication from the email client that the attachment is required, sending the requested attachment to the e-mail client.

20. The e-mail proxy of claim 19, wherein the attachment information includes the entirety of the multi-part e-mail message, wherein preparing the formatted message further comprises the separating the multi-part e-mail message into a plurality of portions, including at least a first portion containing the attachment.

21. The e-mail proxy of claim 20, wherein the multi-part e-mail message includes a text part, wherein preparing a formatted message further comprises separating the multi-part e-mail message into a second portion containing the text-part, and wherein preparing the formatted message includes adding the second portion to said formatted message.

22. The e-mail proxy of claim 19, wherein requesting the at least one attachment by said e-mail client further comprises selecting said link by the user from said formatted message.

23. The e-mail proxy of claim 19, wherein downloading the at least one attachment from the email server for viewing by the user is performed in a streamed manner.

24. The e-mail proxy of claim 23, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further perform:

providing a Web browser for interacting with the user; and

displaying the attachment by the Web browser, wherein downloading the attachment is performed according to HTTP.

25. The e-mail proxy of claim 19, wherein the attachment information is a header for the attachment.

26. The e-mail proxy of claim 19, wherein downloading the attachment from the email server is performed in parallel to preparing a formatted message.

27. The e-mail proxy of claim 19, wherein the attachment information is a header for the attachment, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further perform:

downloading the attachment to the client in a streamed manner for viewing by the user.

28. The e-mail proxy of claim 19, wherein the attachment is encoded, and wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further perform:

decoding the at least one attachment to reduce the size of the attachment.

29. An e-mail proxy for supporting selective downloading of a multi-part e-mail message to an e-mail client operated by a user, the downloading being from an e-mail proxy of the multi-part e-mail message received at an e-mail server, the e-mail client being in communication with the e-mail proxy in place of the e-mail server, the e-mail proxy comprising:

at least one processor operably connected to a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that when executed by the at least one processor perform the following;

retrieving the multi-part e-mail message from the e-mail server;

separating the multi-part e-mail message into a plurality of portions;

parsing at least one header from the plurality of portions according to at least one user preference;

preparing a formatted message for sending to the e-mail client, the formatted message containing at least information of the plurality of portions but not the entirety of the multi-part e-mail message; and

sending the formatted message to the e-mail client, wherein the e-mail client is allowed to selectively access the plurality of portions.

30. The e-mail proxy of claim 29, wherein the plurality of portions includes at least a first portion containing the attachment.

31. The e-mail proxy of claim 30, wherein separating the multi-part e-mail message includes separating the multi-part e-mail message into a second portion containing the text-part, and wherein preparing the formatted message includes adding the second portion to said formatted message.