E-mail synchronization between heterogeneous mail servers

• US 7,024,457 B1
• Filed: 02/17/2000
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 2J California, Inc., j2 Cloud Services, LLC (Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: J2 Global, Inc.
• Inventors: Newman, Robert D., Schleicher, Sanford
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THU HA T
• Application Number:
  US09/505,674
• Time in Patent Office: 2,238 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/217, 709/207, 709/238, 709/203, 709/248, 707/201, 707/10, 455/412, 379/88.13, 379/88.17, 379/67.1, 379/100.08
• US Class Current: 709/206
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A method or system for synchronizing e-mail messages for a user, particularly for POP3 protocols. E-mail messages addressed to the user are received at an e-mail control at a local server, from an external e-mail server. The e-mail control stores each e-mail message in a consolidated e-mail storage at the local server. The e-mail control stores a message identifier for each e-mail message, in a message identifier storage at the local server. It is determined whether an e-mail message in the consolidated e-mail storage has been deleted from the external e-mail server, and if so, then the e-mail message is deleted from the consolidated e-mail storage.

The invention provides for forward and/or reverse synchronization of e-mail messages. Optionally, the step of determining includes comparing message identifiers in the message identifier storage to message identifiers in e-mail received from the external e-mail server. Alternatively, the step of determining includes comparing the message identifiers of e-mail on the external e-mail server to the message identifiers in the message identifier storage, or, comparing the message identifiers in the message identifier storage to the message identifiers of e-mail in the consolidated e-mail storage.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing e-mail messages for a user, comprising:

(A) receiving, at an e-mail control at a local server, a plurality of e-mail messages addressed to the user, from an external e-mail server;

(B) storing, by the e-mail control, each e-mail message of the plurality of e-mail messages, in a consolidated e-mail storage at the local server that reflects a last updated combined e-mail for the user;

(C) storing, by the e-mail control, a message identifier for each e-mail message, in a message identifier storage at the local server;

(D) determining whether an e-mail message in the consolidated e-mail storage has been deleted from the external e-mail server by comparing message identifiers in the message identifier storage to message identifiers in e-mail received from the external e-mail server, and if so, then deleting the e-mail message from the consolidated e-mail storage of the local server;

performing (A), (B), (C), and (D) for at least one next external e-mail server; and

responsive to a user command, providing e-mail messages from the consolidated e-mail storage, to the user.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the consolidated e-mail storage includes storage for e-mail associated with other users.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the local server connecting to the external e-mail server, as the user.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising requesting, from the external e-mail server, e-mail messages for the user.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the determining includes comparing message identifiers of e-mail on the external e-mail server to message identifiers in the message identifier storage, and if a message identifier for an e-mail in the consolidated storage no longer has a counterpart on the external server then said e-mail is removed from the local server.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the determining includes comparing message identifiers in the message identifier storage to message identifiers of e-mail in the consolidated e-mail storage.

7. A method for synchronizing e-mail messages for a user, comprising:

(A) a local server connecting to an external e-mail server, as the user; and

requesting e-mail messages for the user;

(B) receiving, at an e-mail control at the local server, a plurality of e-mail messages addressed to the user, from the external e-mail server;

(C) storing, by the e-mail control, each e-mail message of the plurality of e-mail messages, in a consolidated e-mail storage at the local server that reflects a last updated, combined e-mail for the user, wherein the consolidated e-mail storage includes storage for e-mail associated with other users;

(D) storing, by the e-mail control, a message identifier for each external e-mail message, in a message identifier storage at the local server;

(E) determining whether an e-mail message in the consolidated e-mail storage has been deleted from the external e-mail server, including comparing message identifiers in the message identifier storage to message identifiers in e-mail received from the external e-mail server; and

if so, then deleting the e-mail message from the consolidated e-mail storage;

(F) responsive to a user command, providing e-mail messages from the consolidated e-mail storage, to the user; and

(G) wherein steps (B), (C) (D) and (E) are performed for at least one next external e-mail server.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the determining includes comparing message identifiers of e-mail on the external e-mail server to message identifiers in the message identifier storage.

9. A system for synchronizing e-mail messages for a user, comprising:

(A) an e-mail control at a local server, for receiving a plurality of e-mail messages addressed to the user, from a plurality of external e-mail servers;

(B) consolidated e-mail storage at the local server, accessed by the e-mail control, having each e-mail message of the plurality of e-mail messages and that reflects a last updated combined e-mail for the user;

(C) message identifier storage at the local server, accessed by the e-mail control, having a message identifier for each external e-mail message; and

(D) the consolidated e-mail storage having at least two states, including a first state having at least one e-mail message which has been deleted from one of the external e-mail servers; and

a second state having no e-mail message which has been deleted from said one of the external e-mail servers wherein one of the two states is determined on a basis of compared message identifiers in the message identifier storage to message identifiers in e-mail received from an external e-mail server and wherein the system includes a user command for providing e-mail message from the consolidated e-mail storage, to the user.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the consolidated e-mail storage includes storage for e-mail associated with other users.

11. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the local server is connected to the external e-mail server via a POP3 connection, as the user.

12. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the e-mail messages that are received from the external e-mail server, are e-mail messages for the user.

13. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein one of the two states is determined on the basis of compared message identifiers of e-mail on the external e-mail server to message identifiers in the message identifier storage.

14. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the state one of the two states is determined on the basis of compared message identifiers of e-mail on the external e-mail server to message identifiers of e-mail in the consolidated e-mail storage.

15. A system for synchronizing e-mail messages for a user, comprising:

(A) an e-mail control at a local server, for receiving a plurality of e-mail messages addressed to the user, from an external e-mail server;

(B) consolidated e-mail storage at the local server, accessed by the e-mail control, having each e-mail message of the plurality of e-mail messages and that reflects a last updated, combined e-mail for the user;

(C) message identifier storage at the local server, accessed by the e-mail control, to store a message identifier for each external e-mail message;

(D) the consolidated e-mail storage having at least two states, including a first state having at least one e-mail message which has been deleted from the external e-mail server; and

a second state having no e-mail message which has been deleted from the external e-mail server;

(E) wherein there are provided a plurality of external e-mail servers having e-mail messages for the user;

(F) a user command for providing e-mail messages from the consolidated e-mail storage, to the user;

(G) wherein the consolidated e-mail storage includes storage for e-mail associated with other users; and

(H) wherein one of the two states is determined on the basis of compared message identifiers in the message identifier storage to message identifiers in e-mail received from the external e-mail server.

16. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein one of the two states is determined on the basis of compared message identifiers of e-mail on the external e-mail server to message identifiers in the message identifier storage.

17. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein one of the two states is determined on the basis of compared message identifiers in the message identifier storage to message identifiers of e-mail in the consolidated e-mail storage.