System and method for provisioning an email account using mail exchange and address records
First Claim
1. A system for provisioning a new electronic mail (email) account for allowing access to an electronic mailbox from a remote device to retrieve email, the system comprising:
- a processor and a memory coupled thereto defining a communications module and a configuration module; and
a database containing relevant configuration conventions comprising sets of email expressions formed by symbols symbolically representing the conventions used by email service providers for a set of configuration parameters;
said communications module configured toreceive email address parameters comprising at least an email address;
transmit a domain name system (DNS) query to the Internet for returning, at a same time, mail exchange (MX) and address (A) records, the query including a user domain based on the email address;
said configuration module further configured todetermine whether any MX or A records exist based on the user domain,determine a mail server for an email domain of the new email account based on at least one of the MX and A records returned in the query, the mail server determined without attempting to validate all possible email domains,generate sets of possible configuration parameters for attempting access to an electronic mailbox by using heuristics of likelihood of whether a set of configuration parameters would be valid for accessing the electronic mailboxdetermine when no MX and A records exist based upon the query, email cannot be delivered to or retrieved from the new email account based on the entered email address parameters, andindicate that incorrect email address parameters have been entered and provisioning of the new email account cannot begin until correct email address parameters are entered.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for provisioning an electronic mail (email) account of a user for allowing access to an electronic mailbox from a remote device to retrieve email includes a communications module that receives email address parameters entered by the user and transmits a domain name system (DNS) query to the Internet for returning mail exchange (MX) and address (A) records corresponding to the entered email address parameters of the user. A configuration module processes any returned MX and A records to determine whether the email address parameters entered by the user are valid before attempting to provision the email account of the user.
31 Citations
11 Claims
-
1. A system for provisioning a new electronic mail (email) account for allowing access to an electronic mailbox from a remote device to retrieve email, the system comprising:
-
a processor and a memory coupled thereto defining a communications module and a configuration module; and a database containing relevant configuration conventions comprising sets of email expressions formed by symbols symbolically representing the conventions used by email service providers for a set of configuration parameters; said communications module configured to receive email address parameters comprising at least an email address; transmit a domain name system (DNS) query to the Internet for returning, at a same time, mail exchange (MX) and address (A) records, the query including a user domain based on the email address; said configuration module further configured to determine whether any MX or A records exist based on the user domain, determine a mail server for an email domain of the new email account based on at least one of the MX and A records returned in the query, the mail server determined without attempting to validate all possible email domains, generate sets of possible configuration parameters for attempting access to an electronic mailbox by using heuristics of likelihood of whether a set of configuration parameters would be valid for accessing the electronic mailbox determine when no MX and A records exist based upon the query, email cannot be delivered to or retrieved from the new email account based on the entered email address parameters, and indicate that incorrect email address parameters have been entered and provisioning of the new email account cannot begin until correct email address parameters are entered. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
-
-
6. A method of provisioning a new electronic mail (email) account for allowing access to an electronic mailbox from a remote device to retrieve email, which comprises:
-
receiving email address parameters comprising at least an email address; transmitting a domain name system (DNS) query to the Internet and returning, at a same time, mail exchange (MX) and address (A) records, the query including a user domain based on the email address; retrieving from a database relevant configuration conventions comprising sets of email expressions formed by symbols symbolically representing the conventions used by email providers for a set of configuration parameters; determining whether any MX or A records exist based on the user domain; determining a mail server for an email domain of the new email account based on at least one of the MX and A records returned in the query, the mail server determined without attempting to validate all possible email domains; generate sets of possible configuration parameters for attempting access to an electronic mailbox by using heuristics of likelihood of whether a set of configuration parameters would be valid for accessing the electronic mailbox; determining when no MX and A records exist based upon the query, email cannot be delivered to or retrieved from the new email account based on the entered email address parameters; and indicating that incorrect email address parameters have been entered and provisioning of the new email account cannot begin until correct email address parameters are entered. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for executing instructions for provisioning a new electronic mail (email) account, which comprise:
-
receiving email address parameters comprising at least an email address; transmitting a domain name system (DNS) query to the Internet and returning, at a same time, MX and address (A) records corresponding to the email address parameters; retrieving from a database relevant configuration conventions comprising sets of email expressions formed by symbols symbolically representing the conventions used by email providers for a set of configuration parameters; determining whether any MX or A records exist based on the user domain; determining a mail server for an email domain of the new email account based on at least one of the MX and A records returned in the query, the mail server determined without attempting to validate all possible email domains; generate sets of possible configuration parameters for attempting access to an electronic mailbox by using heuristics of likelihood of whether a set of configuration parameters would be valid for accessing the electronic mailbox; determining when no MX and A records exist based upon the query, email cannot be delivered to or retrieved from the new email account based on the entered email address parameters; and indicating that incorrect email address parameters have been entered and provisioning of the new email account cannot begin until correct email address parameters are entered.
-
Specification