Electronic mail notification

• US 7,240,095 B1
• Filed: 02/22/2002
• Issued: 07/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lewis, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Jungwon
• Application Number:
  US10/080,484
• Time in Patent Office: 1,957 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/278, 709/206, 379/93.24, 379/93.01, 455/445, 455/419, 455/466, 455/412.2, 713/156, 713/201, 380/270, 358/402
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A system and method for notifying a subscriber of new email messages located at a post office. The system includes a proxy email client in communication with a post office via an external network, the proxy email client utilizing information from a file containing the subscriber'"'"'s information to access the subscriber'"'"'s email account at the post office, the proxy email client retrieving a portion of an email message from the subscriber'"'"'s account and sending an email notification to the subscriber for alerting the subscriber of the email message at the post office. The system further includes a wireless network in communication with the proxy email client for transmitting the email notification to the subscriber. The method includes establishing communication with a proxy email client via an external network; utilizing a subscriber'"'"'s information contained in a file to access the subscriber'"'"'s email account at the post office; retrieving a portion of an email message by the proxy email client; and sending an email notification to the subscriber for alerting the subscriber of the new email message at the post office.

Claims

1. An apparatus for notifying a subscriber of new email messages located at a post office, comprising:

a wireless proxy email client in communication with a wireless network and a post office via an external network, the wireless proxy email client utilizing information from a file containing the subscriber'"'"'s information to periodically check for new email messages by generating a request to a wireless proxy email server to access the subscriber'"'"'s email account at the post office at the external network, the wireless proxy email client retrieving a portion of an email message from the subscriber'"'"'s account to uniquely identify the email message and determine if the email message is a new email message; and

sending a notification to a wireless device of the subscriber for alerting the subscriber of the new email message at the post office enabling the wireless device to retrieve the new email message directly from the post office.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the file includes information consisting of a subscriber password, subscriber login information, and post office information.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless proxy email server captures the subscriber'"'"'s user profile comprising the subscriber'"'"'s password, login information, and post office information when the subscriber accesses the post office via the wireless network.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the wireless proxy email server stores the captured user profile in the file.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless network includes the wireless proxy email server in communication with the wireless proxy email client.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the wireless proxy server is in communication with a storage device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the file is stored in the storage device.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the portion of the email message retrieved from the post office is stored on the storage device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless network includes an SMS message center.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the wireless proxy email client sends a wireless SMS message notification to a mobile communication device to notify the subscriber of the email message via the SMS message center.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless proxy email client computes a checksum on the portion of the email message that the wireless proxy email client retrieves from the post office.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the computed checksum is stored in the file and is used to determine whether there exists a new email message at the post office.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the portion of the email message retrieved by the wireless proxy email client is a header portion of the email message.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless proxy email client sends a notification via the external network to a paging network for notifying the subscriber of the email message.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the external network includes the Internet.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless proxy email client checks the post office for new email messages at a predetermined periodic rate.

17. A system for notifying a subscriber of new email messages located at a post office, comprising:

a wireless proxy email client in communication with a wireless network and a post office via an external network, the wireless proxy email client utilizing information from a file containing the subscriber'"'"'s information to periodically check for new email messages by generating a request to a wireless proxy email server to access the subscriber'"'"'s email account at the post office, the wireless proxy email client retrieving a portion of a new email message to determine whether the subscriber has been notified of the new email message previously and sending a notification to a wireless device of the subscriber for alerting the subscriber of the new email message at the post office enabling the wireless device to retrieve the new email message directly from the post office if the subscriber has not been notified previously about the new email message.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the file includes information consisting of a subscriber password, subscriber login information, and post office information.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the wireless proxy email server captures the subscriber'"'"'s user profile comprising the subscriber'"'"'s password, login information, and post office information when the subscriber accesses the post office via the wireless network.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the wireless proxy email server stores the captured user profile in the file.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the wireless network further comprises the wireless proxy email server in communication with the wireless proxy email client.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the wireless proxy server is in communication with a storage device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the file is stored in the storage device.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the portion of the email message retrieved from the post office is stored on the storage device.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the wireless network further comprises an SMS message center.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the wireless proxy email client sends a wireless SMS message notification to a mobile communication device to notify the subscriber of the email message via the SMS message center.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the wireless network further comprises an MSC in communication with the SMS message center for delivering the notification to the mobile communication device.

28. The system of claim 17, wherein the wireless proxy email client computes a checksum on the portion of the email message that the wireless proxy email client retrieves from the post office.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the computed checksum is stored in the file and is used to determine whether there exists a new email message at the post office.

30. The system of claim 17, wherein the portion of the email message retrieved by the wireless proxy email client is a header portion of the email message.

31. The system of claim 17, wherein the wireless proxy email client sends a notification via the external network to a paging network for notifying the subscriber of the email message.

32. The system of claim 17, wherein the external network includes the Internet.

33. The system of claim 17, wherein the wireless proxy email client checks the post office for new email messages at a predetermined periodic rate.

34. A method for notifying a subscriber of new email messages located at a post office, comprising:

establishing communication with a wireless proxy email client via an external network;

utilizing a subscriber'"'"'s information contained in a file to periodically check for new email messages by generating a request to a wireless proxy email server to access the subscriber'"'"'s email account at the post office;

retrieving a portion of an email message by the wireless proxy email client from the post office to uniquely identify the email message;

determining whether the subscriber has been previously notified about the email message; and

sending a notification to a wireless device of the subscriber for alerting the subscriber of the email message at the post office about which the subscriber has not been previously notified enabling the wireless device to retrieve the email message directly from the post office.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein sending the notification further comprises sending a wireless email notification.

36. The method of claim 34, further comprising computing a first checksum on the portion of the email message retrieved by the wireless proxy email client.

37. The method of claim 34, further comprising storing the first checksum in the file.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising determining whether the post office contains a new mail message by comparing the first checksum stored in the file with a second checksum computed on an email message at the post office, wherein the second checksum is computed on the portion of the email message retrieved by the wireless proxy email client.

39. The method of claim 34, further comprising capturing a subscriber'"'"'s user profile when the subscriber accesses a wireless network in communication with the wireless proxy email server to retrieve email messages at the post office.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein capturing the subscriber'"'"'s user profile comprises capturing any one of a subscriber password, subscriber login information, and post office information.

41. The method of claim 39, further comprising storing the captured information in a secure file.

42. The method of claim 34, further comprising determining a periodic query rate for checking the post office for new email messages.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising periodically checking the subscriber'"'"'s post office for email messages at the predetermined rate.

44. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

creating a unique email message identifier record; and

storing the record.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein creating the record includes creating a record comprising a field including a checksum of a header portion of the email message retrieved by the wireless proxy email client.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein creating the record includes creating a record comprising a field including a user identification.

47. The method of claim 44, wherein creating the record includes creating a record comprising a field including an ISP domain name.

48. The method of claim 44, wherein creating the record includes creating a record comprising a field including an email message identification header.

49. The method of claim 44, wherein creating the record includes creating a record comprising a field including a user identification.

50. The method of claim 44, wherein creating the record includes creating a record comprising a field including a date on which an email message is received by the post office.

51. The method of claim 44, wherein creating the record includes creating a record comprising a field including a date on which an email message is retrieved by the wireless proxy email client.