System and method for configuring access to electronic mailboxes

• US 8,065,377 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2010
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Roy, Shaibal, Gardner, Darren L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong; Oanh
• Application Number:
  US12/814,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20100287252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/224, 709/219, 709/227, 709/246, 709/217, 709/245
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2871 Implementation details of single intermediate entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method for configuring access to an electronic mailbox based on limited configuration parameters received from a user. A database stores configuration conventions for a mail domain. A mailbox interface module receives configuration information from a user that is limited in the configuration parameters required for accessing the electronic mailbox. The module retrieves configuration conventions for the mail domain from the database and generates sets of potentially valid configuration parameters based on the retrieved configuration conventions and user supplied configuration information for accessing the mailbox.

Claims

1. A communications system comprising:

a processor;

a database cooperating with said processor and configured to store configuration conventions relating to sets of configuration parameters for accessing electronic mailboxes; and

a mailbox interface module cooperating with said processor and configured to communicate with the database and to operate as an agent between a user system and an electronic mailbox of the user, the mailbox interface module configured to

receive limited configuration information from the user that does not provide all necessary configuration parameters for accessing the electronic mailbox,

infer a mailbox domain from the limited configuration information and retrieve configuration conventions for the mailbox domain from the database that represent potentially valid configuration parameters for the mailbox domain,

generate sets of potentially valid configuration parameters to attempt to access the electronic mailbox and based upon the limited configuration information and the retrieved configuration conventions, and

generate a subset of the sets of the potentially valid configuration parameters based upon additional user information when at least one attempt to access the electronic mailbox based upon a set of potentially valid configuration parameters is unsuccessful, the additional user information comprising a protocol used for accessing the electronic mailbox.

2. The communications system according to claim 1, wherein the protocol comprises one of the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) and the Post Office Protocol (POP).

3. The communications system according to claim 1, wherein the mailbox interface module is configured to attempt access to the electronic mailbox and generate new sets of potentially valid configuration parameters if at least one attempt to access the electronic mailbox is unsuccessful.

4. The communications system according to claim 1, further comprising a web service on which the mailbox interface module is operative.

5. The communications system according to claim 1, wherein the limited configuration information received from the user comprises an email address and password.

6. The communications system according to claim 1, and further comprising a mobile device on which the user inputs the limited configuration information.

7. The communications system according to claim 1, wherein the mailbox interface module is also configured to generate a subset of the potentially valid configuration parameters by using heuristics of likelihood of validity.

8. The communications system according to claim 7, wherein the heuristics of likelihood of validity comprise tracking statistics stored within the database about a number of attempts and percentage of successes using the potentially valid configuration parameters for a given mailbox domain.

9. The communications system according to claim 1, wherein the configuration conventions comprise expressions formed by symbols that represent individual configuration parameters.

10. A communications system comprising:

a processor;

a database cooperating with said processor and configured to store configuration conventions relating to sets of configuration parameters; and

a mailbox interface module cooperating with said processor and configured to communicate with the database and to operate as an agent between a user system and an electronic mailbox of the user, the mailbox interface module configured to

receive limited configuration information from the user that does not provide all necessary configuration parameters for accessing the electronic mailbox,

infer a mailbox domain from the limited configuration information,

generate sets of potentially valid configuration parameters based upon the inferred mailbox domain and the limited configuration information, and

generate a subset of the sets of the potentially valid configuration parameters based upon additional user information when at least one attempt to access the electronic mailbox based upon a set of potentially valid configuration parameters is unsuccessful, the additional user information comprising a protocol used for accessing the electronic mailbox.

11. The communications system according to claim 10, wherein the protocol comprises one of the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) and the Post Office Protocol (POP).

12. The communications system according to claim 10, wherein the mailbox interface module is configured to attempt access to the electronic mailbox and generate new sets of potentially valid configuration parameters if at least one attempt to access the electronic mailbox is unsuccessful.

13. The communications system according to claim 10, further comprising a web service on which the mailbox interface module is operative.

14. The communications system according to claim 10, wherein the limited configuration information received from the user comprises an email address and password.

15. The communications system according to claim 10, and further comprising a mobile device on which the user inputs the limited configuration information.

16. The communications system according to claim 10, wherein the mailbox interface module is also configured to generate a subset of the potentially valid configuration parameters by using heuristics of likelihood of validity.

17. The communications system according to claim 16, wherein the heuristics of likelihood of validity comprise tracking statistics stored within the database about a number of attempts and percentage of successes using the potentially valid configuration parameters for a given mailbox domain.

18. The communications system according to claim 10, wherein the configuration conventions comprise expressions formed by symbols that represent individual configuration parameters.

19. A method of using a mailbox interface module to operate as an agent between a user system and an electronic mailbox of the user, the method comprising:

receiving limited configuration information from the user that does not provide all necessary configuration parameters for accessing the electronic mailbox;

inferring a mailbox domain from the limited configuration information;

generating sets of potentially valid configuration parameters based upon the inferred mailbox domain and the limited configuration information; and

generating a subset of the sets of the potentially valid configuration parameters based upon additional user information when at least one attempt to access the electronic mailbox based upon a set of potentially valid configuration parameters is unsuccessful, the additional user information comprising a protocol used for accessing the electronic mailbox.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the protocol comprises one of the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) and the Post Office Protocol (POP).

21. The method according to claim 19, further comprising attempting to attempt access to the electronic mailbox and generating new sets of potentially valid configuration parameters if at least one attempt to access the electronic mailbox is unsuccessful.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein the limited configuration information received from the user comprises an email address and password.

23. The method according to claim 19, further comprising generating a subset of the potentially valid configuration parameters by using heuristics of likelihood of validity.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the heuristics of likelihood of validity comprise tracking statistics stored within the database about a number of attempts and percentage of successes using the potentially valid configuration parameters for a given mailbox domain.