Method, system, and apparatus for configuring network accounts on devices for use therewith

• US 8,959,188 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Montgomery, Gregory, Merlet, Jean-Francois
• Primary Examiner(s): Osman, Ramy M
• Application Number:
  US12/243,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20100082777A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,330 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/223, 709/245, 709220-222, 709/203, 709/227, 709/228, 709/230, 709/217, 709/219, 709/224, 705/4
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/085 Retrieval of network configuration; Tracking network configuration history
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 Checking the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0876 Aspects of the degree of configuration automation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

Creating service accounts involves receiving an account identifier entered by a user via a user interface to initiate registering a user device with a network account. One or more host names are determined based on a domain name portion of the account identifier. The one or more host names need not be preconfigured on the user device. Connections are attempted with each of the one or more host names. Each of the connection attempts uses one or more application protocols associated with a type of the network account. It is determined that at least one of the connection attempts results in a successful connection, and a user account is configured on the user device based on a host and protocol combination associated with the successful connection.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining at a user device one or more host names based, at least in part, on a domain name portion of an account identifier, wherein the one or more host names are assigned to one or more host servers of a service provider that provides an associated service;

determining at the user device to initiate one or more connection attempts for registering a user account for the user device via a communication network to the associated service according to an application protocol with the one or more host names, the connection attempts involving iterating through a plurality of service provider host names and the one or more host names in combination with iterating through a plurality of application protocols and a plurality of ports of the one or more host servers corresponding to the one or more host names;

determining at the user device that at least one of the one or more connection attempts results in at least one successful connection from the user device to the associated service for a first time;

determining to store at the user device a service provider host name, host name, port and application protocol combination associated with the at least one successful connection in a settings database; and

determining to configure a network account of the associated service at the user device based, at least in part, on the stored combination,

wherein the stored combination is used to connect from the user device to the associated service for the user account.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more host names based on a domain name portion of the account identifier comprises:

determining one or more prefixes based on the associated service; and

determining to prefix the domain name portion of the account identifier with the one or more prefixes,

wherein the connection attempts involve port scanning of one or more ports of the one or more host servers known for the application protocol.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

accessing a database of predetermined host names to determine a known service provider host, and one or more known host servers thereof that handle the associated service,

wherein determining the one or more host names is further based on the known service provider host and the one or more known host servers,

wherein the connection attempts involve subsequent port scanning of the one or more ports of the one or more host servers for one or more non-standard port mappings, when there is no successful connection via the one or more ports known for the application protocol.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the connection attempts involve iterating through combinations of the plurality of service provider host names, the one or more host names, the plurality of ports, the plurality of protocols and a plurality of security types, and the method further comprising:

determining to store at the user device a service provider host, host name, port, application protocol, and security type combination associated with the at least one successful connection in the settings database; and

prompting for user confirmation of the port scanning of the one or more host servers for the one or more non-standard port mappings.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the associated service comprises an email service and the account identifier comprises an email address, and one or more non-standard port mappings ports of the one or more host servers discovered via the subsequent port scanning includes one or more ports uncommonly used for emails.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more host names based on the domain name portion of the account identifier comprises:

determining, via a domain name service, one or more mail exchange records associated with the domain name portion of the account identifier; and

determining a simple mail transport protocol (SMTP) host name based on the one or more exchange records, and wherein determining the one or more host names comprises determining the one or more host names based on the SMTP host name.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the one or more host names based on the SMTP host name comprises determining one or more incoming email host names based on a domain name portion of the SMTP host name, wherein the one or more incoming email host names are not preconfigured on the user device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein a domain name portion of the SMTP host name is different than the domain name portion of the account identifier, and wherein determining the one or more host names based on the SMTP host name comprises accessing, based on the SMTP hostname, a database of predetermined service provider host names to determine a known service provider host, and one or more SMTP host servers thereof that handle the associated service.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving account authentication data entered by a user of the user account, wherein determining to initiate the one or more connection attempts further comprises determining to initiate one or more authentication attempts with the one or more host names based on the account authentication data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one successful connection is a plurality of successful connections, the method further comprising:

determining a preferred host name and application protocol combination associated with the plurality of successful connections; and

determining to store the preferred host name and application protocol combination in the settings database.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored combination is used to connect to the associated service for a plurality of user accounts, and the stored combination is used by one or more applications of the user device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining to track at the user device popularity of the one or more host names; and

determining to refine at the user device content and order of the one or more connection attempts based, at least in part, on the popularity.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining at the user device to stop initiating the one or more connection attempts, either when host name and application protocol combinations have been exhausted, or when one server has been determined for each protocol type, or when servers that comply with a predetermined minimum set of protocols is found.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein the port scanning includes synchronization scanning of the one or more ports of the one or more host servers.

15. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus embedded in a user device to perform at least the following,

determine one or more host names based, at least in part, on a domain name portion of an account identifier, wherein the one or more host names are assigned to one or more host servers of a service provider that provides an associated service;

determine to initiate one or more connection attempts for registering a user account for the user device via a communication network to the associated service according to an application protocol with the one or more host names, the connection attempts involving iterating through a plurality of service provider host names and the one or more host names in combination with iterating through a plurality of application protocols and a plurality of ports of the one or more host servers corresponding to the one or more host names;

determine that at least one of the one or more connection attempts results in at least one successful connection from the user device to the associated service for a first time;

determine to store at the user device a service provider host name, host name, port and application protocol combination associated with the at least one successful connection in a settings database; and

determine to configure a network account of the associated service at the user device based, at least in part, on the stored combination,

wherein the stored combination is used to connect from the user device to the associated service for the user account.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein determining the one or more host names based on a domain name portion of the account identifier comprises:

determine one or more prefixes based on the associated service; and

determine to prefix the domain name portion of the account identifier with the one or more prefixes.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

access a database of predetermined host names to determine a known service provider host, and one or more known host servers thereof that handle the associated service,

wherein determining the one or more host names is further based on the known service provider host and the one or more known host servers.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the associated service comprises an email service and the account identifier comprises an email address, and wherein determining the one or more host names based on the domain name portion of the account identifier comprises:

determine, via a domain name service, one or more mail exchange records associated with the domain name portion of the account identifier; and

determine a simple mail transport protocol (SMTP) host name based on the one or more exchange records, and wherein determining the one or more host names comprises determining the one or more host names based on the SMTP host name.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein determining the one or more host names based on the SMTP host name comprises determining one or more incoming email host names based on a domain name portion of the SMTP host name, wherein the one or more host names are not preconfigured on the user device.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to at least perform the following steps:

determining at a user device one or more host names based, at least in part, on a domain name portion of an account identifier, wherein the one or more host names are assigned to one or more host servers of a service provider that provides an associated service;

determining at the user device to initiate one or more connection attempts for registering a user account for the user device via a communication network to the associated service according to an application protocol with the one or more host names, the connection attempts involving iterating through a plurality of service provider host names and the one or more host names in combination with iterating through a plurality of application protocols and a plurality of ports of the one or more host servers corresponding to the one or more host names;

determining at the user device that at least one of the one or more connection attempts results in at least one successful connection from the user device to the associated service for a first time;

determining to store at the user device a service provider host name, host name, port and application protocol combination associated with the at least one successful connection in a settings database; and

determining to configure a network account of the associated service at the user device based, at least in part, on the stored combination,

wherein the stored combination is used to connect from the user device to the associated service for the user account.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein determining the one or more host names based on a domain name portion of the account identifier comprises:

determining one or more prefixes based on the associated service;

determining to prefix the domain name portion of the account identifier with the one or more prefixes, and wherein the apparatus is caused to further perform;

accessing a database of predetermined host names to determine a known service provider host, and one or more known host servers thereof that handle the associated service,

wherein determining the one or more host names is further based on the known service provider host and the one or more known host servers.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the associated service comprises an email service and the account identifier comprises an email address, and wherein determining the one or more host names based on the domain name portion of the account identifier comprises:

determining, via a domain name service, one or more mail exchange records associated with the domain name portion of the account identifier; and

determining a simple mail transport protocol (SMTP) host name based on the one or more exchange records, and wherein determining the one or more host names comprises determining the one or more host names based on the SMTP host name.

23. An apparatus comprising:

means for determining at a user device one or more host names based, at least in part, on a domain name portion of an account identifier, wherein the one or more host names are assigned to one or more host servers of a service provider that provides an associated service;

means for determining at the user device to initiate one or more connection attempts for registering a user account for the user device via a communication network to the associated service according to an application protocol with the one or more host names, the connection attempts involving iterating through a plurality of service provider host names and the one or more host names in combination with iterating through a plurality of application protocols and a plurality of ports of the one or more host servers corresponding to the one or more host names;

means for determining at the user device that at least one of the one or more connection attempts results in at least one successful connection from the user device to the associated service for a first time;

means for determining to store at the user device a service provider host name, host name, port and application protocol combination associated with the at least one successful connection in a settings database; and

means for determining to configure a network account of the associated service at the user device based, at least in part, on the stored combination,

wherein the stored combination is used to connect from the user device to the associated service for the user account.