System and method for generating configurations used for accessing electronic mailboxes

• US 8,838,702 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2008
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Gardner, Darren L., Roy, Shaibal
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THU HA T
• Application Number:
  US12/325,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20090083387A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,115 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 709/249, 709203-207, 709/220, 379/345, 379/93.24, 379/93.01, 370/254
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method generates configurations used for accessing electronic mailboxes. A database stores the configuration conventions that are sets of e-mail expressions formed by symbols. A transformer module expands configuration conventions stored in the database to generate configurations based on user supplied context data.

Claims

1. A system for generating configurations used for a user accessing electronic mailboxes comprising:

a storage medium including a database that stores configuration conventions used by email providers for accessing electronic mailboxes; and

a transformer that infers an email domain from a user supplied email address, retrieves relevant configuration conventions from the database and expands the configuration conventions retrieved from the database to generate sets of possible configuration parameters to be tried for accessing an electronic mailbox of the user.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the configuration conventions comprise email expressions formed by symbols.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein said transformer is operative for expanding a symbol into a corresponding value using the user supplied email address.

4. A system according to claim 2, wherein a configuration convention comprises an expression for a server parameter.

5. A system according to claim 2, wherein a configuration convention comprises an expression for a login parameter.

6. A system according to claim 2, wherein a configuration convention comprises an expression for a server port.

7. A system according to claim 2, wherein a configuration convention comprises an expression for an email protocol.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein said transformer is operative for discovering new configuration conventions as context data is received and storing the new configuration conventions within the database.

9. A system for generating configurations used for a user accessing electronic mailboxes comprising:

a storage medium including a database that stores configuration conventions used by email providers for accessing electronic mailboxes; and

a transformer that infers an email domain from a user supplied email address, retrieves relevant configuration conventions from the database and expands the configuration conventions retrieved from the database to generate sets of possible configuration parameters to be tried for accessing an electronic mailbox of the user;

said transformer also being operative for discovering new configuration conventions as an email address is received and storing the new configuration conventions within the database.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the configuration conventions comprise sets of email expressions formed by symbols.

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein said transformer is operative for expanding a symbol into a corresponding value using the user supplied email address.

12. A system according to claim 10, wherein a configuration convention comprises an expression for a server parameter.

13. A system according to claim 10, wherein a configuration convention comprises an expression for a login parameter.

14. A system according to claim 10, wherein a configuration convention comprises an expression for a server port.

15. A system according to claim 10, wherein a configuration convention comprises an expression for an email protocol.

16. A method for generating configurations used for a user accessing electronic mailboxes comprising:

storing, in a storage medium including a database, configuration conventions used by email providers for accessing electronic mailboxes;

inferring, using a transformer, an email domain from a user supplied email address; and

retrieving, using the transformer, relevant configuration conventions from the database and expanding the configuration conventions retrieved from the database to generate sets of possible configuration parameters to be tried for accessing an electronic mailbox of the user.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein storing comprises storing configuration conventions comprising sets of email expressions formed by symbols.

18. A method according to claim 17, further comprising expanding, using the transformer, a symbol into a corresponding value using the user supplied email address.

19. A method according to claim 17, wherein a configuration convention comprises an expression for a server parameter.

20. A method according to claim 17, wherein a configuration convention comprises an expression for a login parameter.

21. A method according to claim 17, wherein a configuration convention comprises an expression for a server port.

22. A method according to claim 17, wherein a configuration convention comprises an expression for an email protocol.

23. A method according to claim 16, further comprising discovering, using the transformer, new configuration conventions as an email address is received and storing the new configuration conventions within the database.