Device and system to facilitate accessing electronic mail from remote user-interface devices
First Claim
1. A data transfer device for transferring electronic mail stored in mailboxes in a plurality of host computers to a remotely located user-interface device, said data transfer device comprising:
- a first communication means for transmitting and receiving information from the user-interface device;
a second communication means for transmitting and receiving information from each one of the plurality of host computers;
mailbox locating means for locating, in said plurality of host computers, a mailbox corresponding to an electronic mail address;
wherein the first communication means receives a received address from the user-interface device and sends the received address to the mailbox locating means to locate a located mailbox corresponding to the received address;
wherein the second communication means transmits a request to receive electronic mail stored in the located mailbox to a host computer which contains the located mailbox and receives the electronic mail stored in the located mailbox in response to the request; and
wherein the second communication means sends the electronic mail to the first communication means for transmission to the user-interface device.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A device, system and process for accessing electronic mail from remotely located user-interface devices is disclosed. The users at the user-interface devices enter the electronic mail address and password, if any, for retrieval of electronic mail from the user'"'"'s mailbox. The device locates one host computer from a plurality of host computers which contains the mailbox corresponding to the electronic mail address. The device then retrieves the electronic mail and transmits the electronic mail to the user-interface device. For large electronic mail messages, the device commences transmission of the electronic mail to the user-interface device while still receiving the electronic mail from the host computer. The device comprises a memory unit which stores domain names and the corresponding host computers which contain the mailbox for those domain names. Domain names not located in the memory unit can be searched through name servers to locate the host computer containing the mailbox.
129 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A data transfer device for transferring electronic mail stored in mailboxes in a plurality of host computers to a remotely located user-interface device, said data transfer device comprising:
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a first communication means for transmitting and receiving information from the user-interface device; a second communication means for transmitting and receiving information from each one of the plurality of host computers; mailbox locating means for locating, in said plurality of host computers, a mailbox corresponding to an electronic mail address; wherein the first communication means receives a received address from the user-interface device and sends the received address to the mailbox locating means to locate a located mailbox corresponding to the received address; wherein the second communication means transmits a request to receive electronic mail stored in the located mailbox to a host computer which contains the located mailbox and receives the electronic mail stored in the located mailbox in response to the request; and wherein the second communication means sends the electronic mail to the first communication means for transmission to the user-interface device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A process for transferring electronic mail from mailboxes in a plurality of host computers to a remotely located user-interface device, said process comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving from the remotely located user-interface device a received address; (b) locating, in said plurality of host computers, a located mailbox corresponding to the received address; (c) transmitting the received address to a host computer which contains the located mailbox with a request to receive the electronic mail stored in the located mailbox; (d) receiving the electronic mail stored in the located mailbox from the host computer; and (e) transmitting the electronic mail stored in the located mailbox to the user-interface device. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A system for communicating electronic mail, said electronic mail being stored in mailboxes contained in one of a plurality of host computers, each host computer permitting access to a mailbox in response to an address and a verification code associated with the mailbox, said system comprising:
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a plurality of user-interface devices remotely located from the plurality of host computers, each user-interface device having means for inputting and transmitting the address and the verification code associated with the mailbox; a data transfer device comprising; a first communication means for transmitting and receiving information from each one of the plurality of user-interface devices; a second communication means for transmitting and receiving information from each one of the plurality of host computers; mailbox locating means for locating, in said plurality of host computers, the mailbox corresponding to the address; wherein when one of the user-interface devices transmits the address and the verification code, the first communication means receives the address and the verification code and sends the address to the mailbox locating means to locate a host computer of the plurality of host computers which contains the mailbox associated with the address; wherein the second communication means transmits the verification code and the address to the host computer with a request to receive electronic mail stored in the mailbox and receives the electronic mail stored in the mailbox in response thereto; and wherein the first communication means sends the electronic mail to the user-interface device which transmitted the address and the verification code.
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Specification