Systems and methods for remotely updating e-mail message status information for messages forwarded from a host system e-mail account across a firewall to a wireless handheld device

• US 20030055902A1
• Filed: 09/14/2001
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: EarthLink Incorporated, University of Leeds
• Original Assignee: EarthLink Incorporated
• Inventors: Amir, Elan, Hanay, John
• Application Number:
  US09/952,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20030055902A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

Systems and methods for remotely updating e-mail message status information for messages forwarded from a desktop e-mail account to a wireless handheld device are provided. The systems and methods of the present invention consist of a software solution that enables users of wireless handheld appliances to: access corporate e-mail by forwarding incoming e-mail messages from the user'"'"'s corporate account to the handheld appliance; act upon the received e-mail messages at the handheld appliance; and to have the system update the status of the acted upon messages at the user'"'"'s corporate e-mail account.

Claims

1. A method for updating e-mail status information of an e-mail received at an e-mail account associated with a host system on a local area network separated from a wireless wide area network by a firewall, the method comprising:

receiving an incoming e-mail message at the e-mail account associated with the host system;

forwarding a copy of the incoming e-mail message to a handheld appliance via the wireless wide area network;

processing the forwarded copy of the e-mail message at the handheld appliance;

sending updated status information regarding the processed e-mail to the e-mail account associated with the host system;

updating the status information of the incoming e-mail message on the host system to reflect the change in status of the processed e-mail.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein forwarding a copy of the incoming e-mail message to a handheld appliance further comprises the steps of:

forwarding the copy of the incoming e-mail message to a mail server;

storing the copy of the incoming e-mail message on the mail server;

downloading the stored e-mail message to a handheld appliance in response to a user command from the handheld appliance.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein forwarding the copy of the incoming e-mail message to a mail server further comprises encrypting the message to be forwarded using a standard encryption scheme.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the encryption scheme is triple DES encryption.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the e-mail message to be forwarded contains address information of a sender of the e-mail message and wherein forwarding a copy of the incoming e-mail message further comprises repackaging the e-mail to be forwarded such that the address information of the sender is preserved.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the mail server is a POP3 server.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the mail server is an IMAP server.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the mail server maintains status information regarding the forwarded e-mail and wherein sending updated status information regarding the processed e-mail to the e-mail account associated with the host system further comprises:

sending e-mail status information for the e-mail processed on the handheld appliance to the mail server;

updating the e-mail status information on the mail server;

forwarding the updated e-mail status information to the e-mail account associated with the host system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein forwarding the updated e-mail status information to the e-mail account associated with the host system further comprises:

generating an e-mail status message containing message identification and updated status information at the mail server;

sending the e-mail status message to the host system; and

updating the e-mail status information of the incoming e-mail message on the host system in accordance with the updated status information contained in the e-mail status message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the handheld appliance maintains status information regarding the forwarded e-mails, and wherein sending updated status information regarding the processed e-mail to the e-mail account further comprises:

sending e-mail status information for the e-mail processed on the handheld appliance to the host system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the forwarded e-mail message comprises one or more of reading, deleting, replying to, forwarding, or printing the forwarded e-mail message.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the handheld appliance comprises one or more wireless devices selected from a group consisting of:

a portable computer;

a cellular phone;

a personal digital assistant;

an electronic organizer;

or a two-way pager.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the status information is an e-mail read status indicator.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the status information is an e-mail delete status indicator.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the status information is an e-mail reply status indicator.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the status information is an e-mail forward status indicator.

17. A computer system for updating e-mail status information for forwarded e-mail messages, the system comprising:

a host system capable of sending and receiving e-mail messages;

a firewall separating the host system from a wide area network;

a handheld appliance;

a forwarding mail agent that forwards a copy of incoming e-mails from the host system across the firewall to the handheld appliance;

a remote access e-mail client located on the handheld appliance that processes e-mail messages;

wherein the remote access e-mail client forwards updated status information for e-mails processed on the handheld appliance to the host system.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the handheld appliance comprises one or more wireless devices selected from a group consisting of:

a portable computer;

a cellular phone;

a personal digital assistant;

an electronic organizer;

or a two-way pager.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the remote access e-mail client manages multiple user e-mail accounts.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the forwarding mail agent is located on the host system.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the forwarding mail agent is located on a server connected to the host system by a local area network;

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the forwarding mail agent receives the updated status information from the handheld appliance and updates status information of the incoming e-mail on the host system.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the updated status information is an e-mail read status indicator.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the updated status information is an e-mail delete status indicator.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the updated status information is an e-mail reply status indicator.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein the updated status information is an e-mail forward status indicator.

27. A computer system for updating e-mail status information for forwarded e-mail messages, the system comprising:

a host system capable of sending and receiving e-mail messages;

a firewall separating the host system from a wide area network;

a handheld appliance;

a proxy mail server;

a forwarding mail agent that forwards a copy of incoming e-mails from the host system across the firewall to an account on the proxy mail server;

a remote access e-mail client located on the handheld appliance that processes e-mail messages;

a proxy mail server component that, in response to a triggering mechanism, downloads the forwarded e-mail messages from the account on the proxy mail server component to the remote access e-mail client;

wherein updated status information for e-mails processed on the handheld appliance is forwarded to the host system.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the handheld appliance comprises one or more wireless devices selected from a group consisting of:

a portable computer;

a cellular phone;

a personal digital assistant;

an electronic organizer;

or a two-way pager.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the remote access e-mail client manages multiple user e-mail accounts.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the forwarding mail agent is located on the host system.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein the forwarding mail agent is located on a server connected to the host system by a local area network;

32. The system of claim 27, wherein the forwarding mail agent receives the updated status information from the handheld appliance and updates status information of the incoming e-mail on the host system.

33. The system of claim 27, wherein the proxy mail server is a POP3 server.

34. The system of claim 27, wherein the proxy mail server is an IMAP server.

35. The system of claim 27, wherein the updated status information is forwarded from the handheld appliance to the proxy mail server, and then forwarded to the host system.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the proxy mail server component receives the updated status information, and generates an updated status e-mail that is forwarded to the host system.

37. The system of claim 27, wherein the triggering mechanism is a user command from the handheld appliance.

38. The system of claim 27, wherein the triggering mechanism is an automated mechanism on the host system.

39. The system of claim 27, wherein the triggering mechanism is a mechanism on the proxy server.

40. A method of remotely accessing an incoming e-mail message received at an e-mail account associated with a host system on a local area network separated from a wireless wide area network by a firewall, the method comprising:

receiving the incoming e-mail message at the e-mail account associated with the host system;

forwarding a copy of the incoming e-mail to a mail server located outside the firewall;

storing the incoming e-mail message at the mail server;

downloading the e-mail message from the mail server to a handheld appliance in response to a command from the handheld appliance.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein forwarding a copy of the incoming e-mail message to a mail server further comprises encrypting the message to be forwarded using a standard encryption scheme.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the encryption scheme is triple DES encryption.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein the e-mail message to be forwarded contains address information of a sender of the e-mail message and wherein forwarding a copy of the incoming e-mail message further comprises repackaging the e-mail to be forwarded such that the address information of the sender is preserved.

44. The method of claim 40, wherein the mail server is a POP3 server.

45. The method of claim 40, wherein the mail server is an IMAP server.

46. The method of claim 40, wherein the handheld appliance comprises one or more wireless devices selected from a group consisting of:

a portable computer;

a cellular phone;

a personal digital assistant;

an electronic organizer;

or a two-way pager.