System and a method for accelerating communication between a client and an email server

• US 7,447,745 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2003
• Issued: 11/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Flash Networks, Ltd. (Constellation Software Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Flash Networks, Ltd. (Constellation Software Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lehavi, Shauli
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn; Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): DENNISON, JERRY B
• Application Number:
  US10/500,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20050108020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,130 Days
• Field of Search: 709206-207, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/426.1, 370/338
• 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 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The communication between a remote email or application program and the server to which it interfaces, such as a mailbox exchange server, is improved. The present invention operates by tricking or controlling the application program in such away that the application program operates as thought it is on-line although in actuality it is off-line. This is accomplished by spoofing the application program and as a result, the application program operates off-line but the user has on-line type experience. More specifically, the present invention replaces the MAPI/RPC as the transport provider while the user is operating the application program in an off-line mode. The data transfer between the email application program and the email server is handled by the present invention in the background. On the server end of the connection, the present invention operates to spoof the server and thus causes the server to operate as though the remote customer is an interactive user presently connected to the domain.

Claims

1. A system for enabling the exchange of data between at least one remote user having a portable device with an email application program running in an off-line mode and an email server communicatively coupled to the portable device over a network, said system comprising:

a client logical module; and

a domain module;

wherein the client logical module is installed in the portable device in association with the email application and the network and is adapted to;

receive user credentials;

detect the generation of an outgoing message generated through the email application program while it is operating in an off-line mode;

transfer the outgoing message over the network toward the domain module;

receive incoming messages from the domain module; and

transfer the incoming messages toward the email application program while the email application program is operating in an off-line mode; and

the domain module communicatively coupled to the client logical module and operating in association with the email server, said domain module being adapted to;

impersonate the remote user, thereby appearing to the email server as though the email application program is connected directly to the email server in an on-line mode;

receive outgoing messages from the client logical module;

transfer the outgoing messages to the email server;

receive incoming messages from the email server; and

provide the received incoming messages to the client logical module in the portable device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network is a TCP/IP network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the application program is an email application program.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the email application program is OUTLOOK.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the domain module is further adapted to impersonate the remote user by performing a login procedure on behalf of the application program, thereby opening a communication session between the client logical module and the server.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the communication session between the the client logical module and the server is a MAPI session.

7. A method for exchanging data between a plurality of remote users, each remote user having a remote portable device running an email application program in an off-line mode, and a server in a domain which is connected to the remote portable device over a TCP/IP network and a domain module, said method comprising the steps of:

sending a login request from at least one of the plurality of remote portable devices running an email application program in an off-line mode to the domain module, wherein the domain module is connected locally to the domain;

in response to receiving the login request, said domain module impersonating the email application program running on the remote portable device by logging into the server serving the email application program running on the remote portable device as it is connected locally to the domain;

opening a communication session between the email application program running on the remote portable device in off-line mode and the server; and

transferring messages between the email application program running on the remote portable device in an off-line mode and the server via the domain module, wherein the email application program appears to operate as though it is on-line with the server.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the remote client includes a client logical module, and the step of sending the login request further comprises the steps of:

receiving credentials from the remote client; and

the client logical module forwarding the login request with the credentials to the domain module.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the server is an exchange server.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the communication between the domain module and the server is using MAPI.

11. A system for enhancing perceived throughput between a plurality of remote users, each remote user having a remote portable device which runs an OUTLOOK application in an off-line mode and communicates over a TCP/IP connection with an exchange server in a domain, said system comprising:

a client logical module; and

a domain module;

wherein the client logical module is installed in the remote portable device in association with the OUTLOOK application and the network, and the client logical modules being adapted to;

receive credentials for a user of the remote portable device;

receive outgoing messages from a remote portable device outbox while the OUTLOOK application is operating in an off-line mode, and to transfer the outgoing messages over the TCP/IP network to the domain module; and

receive messages from the domain module and transfer them to a remote portable device inbox in the OUTLOOK application while the OUTLOOK application is operating in an off-line mode;

a domain module, which is connected at one end to said TCP/IP network and at another end locally to the domain, for each said plurality of remote portable devices, said domain module being adapted to;

impersonate the remote portable device by spoofing the exchange server to operate as though the remote portable devices are connected directly to the domain;

login into the exchange server using the credentials of the user of the remote portable device while the OUTLOOK application is operating in off-line mode;

open a MAPI session for the remote portable devices;

receive messages from the client module of the remote portable devices;

transfer OUTLOOK messages to the exchange server;

receive messages destined to a remote portable devices from the exchange server; and

submit the messages to the appropriate client module of the destined remote portable devices, whereby using said system allows the delivery of messages between the plurality of remote portable devices and the exchange server while in an off-line mode of operation of the OUTLOOK application without having to modify the exchange server.

12. A method for exchanging data between a remote user having a portable device running an application program in an off-line mode, and a server operating within a domain to which the remote client is remotely communicatively coupled via a domain module that is connected locally to the domain, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving credentials for the remote user while the application is running in an off-line mode;

detecting a MAPI formatted message from the application program, while the application is running in an off-line mode, that is directed to the sever;

retrieving and reformatting the message from MAPI format to a proprietary format;

transferring the reformatted message directed to the server to the domain module over a communication channel while the application is running in an off-line mode;

detecting the reception of the reformatted message at the domain module;

reformatting the reformatted message from the proprietary format to the MAPI format to create a MAPI message; and

providing the MAPI message to the server.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

sending a login request to the server;

in response to receiving the login request, emulating the actions that would normally be taken by the application program to login to the server; and

opening a MAPI session between the application program and the exchange server, whereby the application program appears to operate as though it is on-line with the server.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein a MAPI session exists between the application program running on the remote client and the server to facilitate communication of messages, further comprising the steps of:

sending a disconnect request to the server;

in response to receiving the disconnect request, emulating the actions that would normally be taken by the application program to logoff the server; and

closing the MAPI session between the application program and the exchange server.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

detecting a message from the server that is directed to the application program;

reformatting the message from MAPI format to a proprietary format;

transferring the message to the application program over a communication channel;

detecting the reception of the message at the remote client;

reformatting the reformatted message from the proprietary format to the MAPI format to create a MAPI message; and

providing the MAPI message to the application program.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the application program is an email application program and the step of providing the MAPI message to the application program comprises placing the MAPI message into the inbox of the email application program.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the application program is an email application program and the step of detecting a message from the application program comprises detecting a new message in the outbox of the email application program.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the email application program is OUTLOOK, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a profile selection, the profile selection being associated with enabling the off-line operation; and

enabling the off-line operation in conjunction with the profile selection.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the email application program is OUTLOOK, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a profile selection, the profile selection not being associated with enabling the off-line operation; and

disabling the step of detecting a message from the application program that is directed to the server.