Method and apparatus for efficient polling

• US 8,209,388 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2010
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Martin, Daryl Joseph, Hassan, Ahmed E., Sadek, Ahmed
• Primary Examiner(s): Tang, Karen
• Application Number:
  US12/961,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20110078268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

An e-mail distribution server may manage many pull e-mail accounts by periodically, as defined by an interval time, polling associated pull e-mail servers for new mail. If the e-mail distribution server receives an e-mail message destined for a recipient having a pull e-mail account managed by the e-mail distribution server, the e-mail distribution server may recognize an opportunity to poll the pull e-mail server associated with the pull e-mail account sooner than the expiration of the interval time.

Claims

1. At an e-mail distribution server, a method of handling an e-mail message, comprising:

receiving an e-mail message;

sending the e-mail message to a mail server;

determining a recipient e-mail address specified in the e-mail message is associated with a pull e-mail account managed by the e-mail distribution server;

determining a waiting period based on a measured network latency value; and

responsive to the determining and subsequent to a delay of the waiting period, triggering an interruption of management of the pull e-mail account;

wherein the management includes periodically polling the mail server to determine whether new e-mail messages have been received by the pull e-mail server for the pull e-mail account.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining a record including a plurality of e-mail addresses, where each e-mail address of the plurality of e-mail addresses is associated with a pull e-mail account managed by the e-mail distribution server.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the determining comprises locating, in the record, the recipient e-mail address specified in the outgoing e-mail message.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the pull e-mail account is associated with a mobile communication device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the mail server comprises a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol server.

6. An e-mail distribution server comprising a processor adapted to:

receive an e-mail message;

send the e-mail message to a mail server;

determine a recipient e-mail address specified in the e-mail message is associated with a pull e-mail account, where the pull e-mail account is managed by the e-mail distribution server;

determine a waiting period based on a measured network latency value; and

subsequent to a delay of the waiting period, trigger an interruption of management of the pull e-mail account;

wherein the management includes periodically polling the mail server to determine whether new e-mail messages have been received by the pull e-mail server for the pull e-mail account.

7. The e-mail distribution server of claim 6 wherein the processor is further adapted to maintain a record including a plurality of e-mail addresses, where each e-mail address of the plurality of e-mail addresses is associated with a pull e-mail account managed by the e-mail distribution server.

8. The e-mail distribution server of claim 7 wherein the processor is further adapted to locate, in the record, the recipient e-mail address specified in the outgoing e-mail message.

9. The e-mail distribution server of claim 6 wherein the pull e-mail account is associated with a mobile communication device.

10. The e-mail distribution server of claim 6 wherein the mail server comprises a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol server.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when performed by processor in an e-mail distribution server, cause the processor to:

receive an e-mail message;

send the e-mail message to a mail server;

determine a recipient e-mail address specified in the e-mail message is associated with a pull e-mail account, where the pull e-mail account is managed by the e-mail distribution server;

determine a waiting period based on a measured network latency value; and

subsequent to a delay of the waiting period, trigger an interruption of management of a pull e-mail account responsive to determining that a recipient e-mail address specified in the outgoing e-mail message is associated with the pull e-mail account, where the pull e-mail account is managed by the e-mail distribution server;

wherein the management includes periodically polling the mail server to determine whether new e-mail messages have been received by the pull e-mail server for the pull e-mail account.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the instructions further cause the processor to maintain a record including a plurality of e-mail addresses, where each e-mail address of the plurality of e-mail addresses is associated with a pull e-mail account managed by the e-mail distribution server.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein the instructions further cause the processor to locate, in the record, the recipient e-mail address specified in the outgoing e-mail message.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the pull e-mail account is associated with a mobile communication device.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the mail server comprises a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol server.