Mail server, mobile communication system, and program therefor

• US 7,590,697 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2004
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawano, Shikiko, Ito, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Thu Ha T
• Application Number:
  US10/978,620
• Publication Number:
  US 20050120085A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,779 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/207, 709/204, 370/260, 707/10, 707/100
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• 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

Abstract

The present invention provides a technique for regulating the distribution of bulk and unsolicited e-mails without hampering convenience for both source and destination mail clients as much as possible. According to this technique, if the number of e-mails sent from either of mobile phones 10a to 10c exceeds a predetermined threshold, only e-mails which are addressed to specific mail addresses pre-stored in mail server 30 are disposed of.

Claims

1. A mail server for preventing sending of e-mail from a source mail client to a destination mail client, the mail server comprising:

client information storing means for storing a client identifier assigned to a specific destination mail client in association with an e-mail threshold service identifier, the e-mail threshold service identifier indicative of whether the specific destination mail client subscribes to an e-mail threshold-exceed service;

receiving means for receiving an e-mail sent from a specific source mail client to the specific destination mail client;

counting means for counting a number of e-mails sent by the specific source mail client during a set time period;

threshold-exceeded flag storing means for, in a case that the number of e-mails counted for the specific source mail client exceeds a threshold, storing a threshold-exceeded flag in association with a client identifier assigned to the specific source mail client;

period identifier outputting means for outputting a period identifier indicative of a specific time period;

e-mail managing means for preventing to send the e-mail,

wherein if the number of the e-mails counted for the specific source mail client exceeds the threshold for the specific time period, the threshold-exceeded flag storing means stores the period identifier output by the period identifier outputting means in association with the threshold-exceeded flag; and

wherein the e-mail managing means prevents sending the email

if the threshold-exceeded flag stored in association with the client identifier of the specific source mail client indicates that the threshold has been exceeded,

if the e-mail threshold service identifier of the specific destination mail client indicates that the specific destination mail client subscribes to the e-mail threshold-exceed service, and

if a period identifier output, indicative of a time period when the e-mail is received, by the period identifier outputting means matches the period identifier stored by the threshold-exceeded flag storing means in association with the threshold-exceeded flag.

3. The mail server of claim 1 further comprising:

e-mail storing means for storing an e-mail received by the receiving means in a storage area assigned to a destination mail client to which the e-mail is addressed;

sending means for reading an e-mail stored by the e-mail storing means and sending the e-mail to a destination mail client to which the e-mail is addressed; and

an error notifying means for, if the e-mail is not sent to a destination mail client for a reason other than a specific reason that the e-mail is disposed of by the mail managing means, sending an error message notifying the reason to a source mail client of the e-mail, and if the e-mail is not sent to the destination mail client for the specific reason, sending an error message notifying a reason different from the specific reason to the source mail client of the e-mail.

4. A mail server according to claim 3, wherein:

a reason other than the specific reason is a reason that a storage area assigned to the destination mail client has no space available for storing an e-mail; and

if the e-mail is not sent to the destination mail client for the specific reason, the error notifying means sends an error message to the source mail client notifying the reason that the storage area assigned to the destination mail client has no space available.

2. A mail server for preventing sending of e-mail from a source mail client to a destination mail client, the mail server comprising:

client information storing means for storing a client identifier assigned to a specific destination mail client in association with an e-mail threshold service identifier, the e-mail threshold service identifier indicative of whether the specific destination mail client subscribes to an e-mail threshold-exceed service;

receiving means for receiving an e-mail sent from a specific source mail client to the specific destination mail client;

counting means for counting a number of e-mails sent by the specific source mail client during a set time period;

threshold-exceeded flag storing means for, in a case that the number of e-mails counted for the specific source mail client exceeds a threshold, storing a threshold-exceeded flag in association with a client identifier assigned to the specific source mail client;

period identifier outputting means for outputting a period identifier indicative of a specific time period;

e-mail managing means for preventing the sending means from sending the e-mail if the threshold-exceeded flag stored in association with the client identifier of the specific source mail client indicates that the threshold has been exceeded and if the e-mail threshold service identifier of the specific destination mail client indicates that the specific destination mail client subscribes to the e-mail threshold-exceed service; and

count storing means for storing the number of e-mails counted for the set time period by the counting means in association with a period identifier output at a time of a first count within the set time period by the period identifier outputting means,

wherein

if the period identifier output indicative of a time period when the e-mail is received by the period identifier outputting means does not match the period identifier stored by the count storing means in association with the number of e-mails counted, the counting means clears the number of the e-mails counted and starts to count an e-mail from one, and if both the period identifiers match, the counting means increases the count number of the e- mails by one.

5. A method for preventing sending of e-mail from a source mail client to a destination mail client, the method comprising:

storing a client identifier assigned to a specific destination mail client in association with an e-mail threshold service identifier, the e-mail threshold service identifier indicative of whether the specific destination mail client subscribes to an e-mail threshold-exceed service;

receiving an e-mail sent from a specific source mail client to the specific destination mail client;

counting a number of e-mails sent by the specific source mail client during a set time period;

if the number of e-mails counted for the specific source mail client exceeds a threshold, storing a threshold-exceeded flag in association with a client identifier assigned to the specific source mail client;

outputting a period identifier indicative of a specific time period;

if the number of the e-mails counted for the specific source mail client exceeds the threshold for the specific time period, storing the period identifier output in association with the threshold-exceeded flag; and

preventing the sending of the email;

if the threshold-exceeded flag stored in association with the client identifier of the specific source mail client indicates that the threshold has been exceeded,

if the e-mail threshold service identifier of the specific destination mail client indicates that the specific destination mail client subscribes to the e-mail threshold-exceed service, and

if a period identifier output indicative of a time period when the e-mail is received matches the period identifier stored in association with the threshold-exceeded flag.

7. The method of claim 5

further comprising sending an error message to the specific source mail client,

wherein if the e-mail is not sent to the destination mail client for a reason other than a specific reason that the e-mail is disposed of because the threshold-exceeded flag indicates the threshold has been exceeded, the error message notifying the reason to the specific source mail client of the e-mail, and

wherein if the e-mail is not sent to the destination mail client for the specific reason, the error message notifying a reason different from the specific reason to the specific source mail client of the e-mail.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein:

a reason other than the specific reason is a reason that a storage area assigned to the destination mail client has no space available for storing the e-mail; and

if the e-mail is not sent to the destination mail client for the specific reason, sending the error message to the specific source mail client notifying the reason that the storage area assigned to the specific destination mail client has no space available.

6. A method for preventing sending of e-mail from a source mail client to a destination mail client, the method comprising:

storing a client identifier assigned to a specific destination mail client in association with an e-mail threshold service identifier, the e-mail threshold service identifier indicative of whether the specific destination mail client subscribes to an e-mail threshold-exceed service;

receiving an e-mail sent from a specific source mail client to the specific destination mail client;

counting a number of c-mails sent by the specific source mail client during a set time period;

if the number of c-mails counted for the specific source mail client exceeds a threshold, storing a threshold-exceeded flag in association with a client identifier assigned to the specific source mail client;

outputting a period identifier indicative of a specific time period;

preventing the sending of the e-mail if the threshold-exceeded flag stored in association with the client identifier of the specific source mail client indicates that the threshold has been exceeded and if the e-mail threshold service identifier of the specific destination mail client indicates that the specific destination mail client subscribes to the e-mail threshold-exceed service;

count storing means for storing the number of c-mails counted for the set time period by the counting means in association with a period identifier output at a time of a first count within the set time period by the period identifier outputting means;

if the period identifier output indicative of a time period when the e-mail is received does not match the period identifier stored in association with the number of e-mails counted, assigning to the number of the e-mails counted a value indicative of one; and

if both the period identifiers match, increasing the count number of the e-mails by one.