System and method for automatically learning mailbox configuration conventions
First Claim
1. A system for automatically learning mailbox configuration conventions comprising:
- a user system having an email client;
a mailbox interface server operative as an agent between the user system and an electronic mailbox of the user, said mailbox interface server comprisinga validator module that determines a valid set of configuration parameters used for accessing an electronic mailbox of a user within a mail domain after receiving configuration information from the user that is limited in the configuration parameters required for accessing the electronic mailbox wherein the validator module is operative for attempting access to a respective mailbox using a set of estimates for configuration parameters and requesting additional information from the user and generating new sets of potentially valid configuration parameters for reattempting access if an initial access attempt fails;
a learner module that accepts from the validator module a set of configuration parameters determined to be valid and generates configuration conventions for a mail domain wherein the configuration conventions are sets of email expressions formed by symbols that symbolically represent the conventions used by email providers for a set of configuration parameters used for accessing electronic mailboxes and wherein the mailbox interface server is operative for generating a subset of the original sets of possible configuration parameters by using heuristics of likelihood that the configuration parameters are valid for accessing the electronic mailbox for a mail domain; and
a database that stores the configuration conventions for mail domains.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method automatically learns mailbox configuration conventions. The validator module determines a valid set of configuration parameters used for accessing an electronic mailbox of a user within a mail domain after receiving configuration information from the user that is limited in the configuration parameters required for accessing the electronic mailbox. A learner module accepts from the validator module a set of configuration parameters determined to be valid and generates configuration conventions for a mail domain. A database store is the generated configuration conventions. The validator and learner modules can be operative as part of a web server.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A system for automatically learning mailbox configuration conventions comprising:
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a user system having an email client; a mailbox interface server operative as an agent between the user system and an electronic mailbox of the user, said mailbox interface server comprising a validator module that determines a valid set of configuration parameters used for accessing an electronic mailbox of a user within a mail domain after receiving configuration information from the user that is limited in the configuration parameters required for accessing the electronic mailbox wherein the validator module is operative for attempting access to a respective mailbox using a set of estimates for configuration parameters and requesting additional information from the user and generating new sets of potentially valid configuration parameters for reattempting access if an initial access attempt fails; a learner module that accepts from the validator module a set of configuration parameters determined to be valid and generates configuration conventions for a mail domain wherein the configuration conventions are sets of email expressions formed by symbols that symbolically represent the conventions used by email providers for a set of configuration parameters used for accessing electronic mailboxes and wherein the mailbox interface server is operative for generating a subset of the original sets of possible configuration parameters by using heuristics of likelihood that the configuration parameters are valid for accessing the electronic mailbox for a mail domain; and a database that stores the configuration conventions for mail domains. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of automatically learning mailbox configuration conventions comprising the steps of:
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determining within a validator module of a mailbox interface server operative as an agent between a user system and an electronic mailbox of a user a valid set of configuration parameters used for accessing an electronic mailbox of the user after receiving configuration information from the user that is limited in the configuration parameters required for accessing the electronic mailbox; attempting access from the validator module to an electronic mailbox of a user within a mail domain from the estimated sets of configuration parameters that had been generated after receiving configuration information from the user; generating configuration conventions for the mail domain from any configuration parameters that have been determined to be valid for accessing the electronic mailbox wherein the configuration conventions are sets of email expressions formed by symbols that symbolically represent the conventions used by email providers for a set of configuration parameters used for accessing electronic mailboxes; requesting additional information from the user and generating new sets of potentially valid configuration parameters for reattempting access if an initial access attempt fails and generating a subset of the original sets of possible configuration parameters by using heuristics of likelihood that the configuration parameters are valid for accessing the electronic mailbox for a mail domain; and storing the configuration conventions within a database. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A computer-readable medium operative as a mailbox interface server as an agent between a user system and an electronic mailbox of a user comprising:
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a validator module that determines a valid set of configuration parameters used for accessing an electronic mailbox of a user within a mail domain after receiving from the user configuration information that is limited in the configuration parameters required for accessing the electronic mailbox wherein the validator module is operative for attempting access to a respective mailbox using a set of estimates for configuration parameters and requesting additional information from the user and generating new sets of potentially valid configuration parameters for reattempting access if an initial access attempt fails; and a learner module that accepts from the validator module a set of configuration parameters determined to be valid and generates configuration conventions for a mail domain wherein the configuration conventions are sets of email expressions formed by symbols that symbolically represent the conventions used by email providers for a set of configuration parameters used for accessing electronic mailboxes and wherein the mailbox interface server is operative for generating a subset of the original sets of possible configuration parameters by using heuristics of likelihood that the configuration parameters are valid for accessing the electronic mailbox for a mail domain. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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Specification