Method for continouously processing electronic messages throughout a transition between online and offline states

• US 6,457,879 B1
• Filed: 12/17/1997
• Issued: 10/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wells, Stephen T., Raissipour, David A., Price, Robert M., Thurlow, Scott A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, THONG H
• Application Number:
  US08/992,730
• Time in Patent Office: 1,749 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 709/232, 709/217, 709/226, 709/227, 709/201, 709/206, 345/352, 345/335, 345/327, 370/286, 340/5.6, 395/856, 395/425, 395/800, 395/601, 707/201, 710/17, 710/104, 710/129, 455/517, 702/202, 702/227, 702/229, 714/4, 717/11, 705/27, 348/15
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail

Abstract

An electronic mail (e-mail) application program includes a configurable, e-mail messaging feature for automatically responding to a portable computer'"'"'s transition between online and offline states. The e-mail application program determines the state of a connection between a portable computer and an electronic mail server and processes electronic messages in accordance with the appropriate state. The portable computer'"'"'s transition between an online state and an offline state triggers a user-configurable response, designed to permit the continuation of electronic mail message processing in a manner that accommodates the state change. The e-mail application program responds to such a transition by automatically switching between online and offline modes of operation. The e-mail application program can also respond to such a transition by establishing a secondary connection to a mail server when a primary connection is rendered inoperative. A user may configure various aspects of the invention to respond to a transition in a way that accommodates the user'"'"'s hardware and/or software requirements.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for automatically effecting a switch between online and offline modes of electronic message processing, in response to a computer making a transition between online and offline states, comprising the steps of:

processing electronic messages in accordance with the online mode, the online mode being capable of processing electronic messages in cooperation with a server, when the computer is in the online state, comprising the steps of;

polling the server for a new electronic message,

resolving an electronic message name against an address book on the server,

immediately sending an outgoing electronic message, and

immediately receiving an incoming electronic message;

determining that the computer has made a transition from the online state to the offline state; and

in response to the determination that the computer has made a transition from the online state to the offline state, automatically switching to processing electronic messages in accordance with the offline mode, comprising the steps of;

queuing outgoing electronic messages for subsequent sending;

resolving electronic message names against an address book on the computer; and

suppressing polling of the server for new electronic messages.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the determining step comprises making a determination that the computer has been undocked from a docking station.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the determining step comprises making a determination that the computer has been disconnected from the server.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the online mode is defined by a configuration file, at least a portion of the configuration file being determined by receiving a first input set.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the offline mode is defined by a configuration file, at least a portion of the configuration file being determined by receiving a second input set.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the step of processing electronic messages in accordance with the offline mode further comprises the steps of:

establishing a secondary connection to the server; and

in response to establishing the secondary connection to the server, processing electronic messages in accordance with the online mode.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the secondary connection is a dial-up connection.