Dial back e-mail system using binary protocol

• US 6,950,854 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2001
• Issued: 09/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: eAcceleration Corporation
• Original Assignee: Eacceleration Software
• Inventors: Ballard, Clinton L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tiv, Backhean
• Application Number:
  US09/878,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20020188687A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218, 709/206, 709/247, 340/7.29, 379/93.24, 379/100.08
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages

Abstract

A sender prepares a message, then transmits an e-mail notice to the receiver and the e-mail message to a forwarding server. The “e-mail notice” is a short message, including a message ID and specifically does not include the complete prepared message. The “e-mail message” is in binary format and also includes the message ID of the corresponding e-mail notice. The receiving user receives the e-mail notice, then contacts the forwarding server to receive the e-mail message corresponding to the message ID within the received e-mail notice.

Claims

1. A method for mail-messaging on a global information network, wherein a user generates a prepared message, the method comprising the steps of:

generating the prepared message at a source location;

commencing a first transmission from the source location to a destination address, the first transmission comprising a mail notice, the mail notice excluding the prepared message, the mail notice comprising a source address, a destination address and a message identifier, the message identifier comprising a code for identifying the prepared message;

packaging at the source location the prepared message and the message identifier for said prepared message into a mail message using a binary formatting protocol;

commencing a second transmission from the source location to a forwarding server, the second transmission comprising the mail message, wherein the second transmission is independent of the first transmission;

receiving the first transmission at the destination address; and

responding at the destination address to the message identifier of the first transmission by establishing a communication path to receive the mail message at the destination address;

wherein the step of responding comprises;

contacting the forwarding server with the message identifier specified within the mail notice in one communication sent from the destination address along one transmission path;

contacting the source address specified within the mail notice in another communication sent from the destination address alone another transmission path; and

determining which one of the source address and the forwarding server respond first to contact with the destination address; and

the method further comprising commencing receipt of a transmission of the mail message in the binary formatting protocol from the one of the source address and forwarding server which responds first to contact with the destination address.

2. The method of claim 1, in which establishing a communication path comprises contacting the forwarding server with the message identifier;

the method further comprising the steps of;

identifying at the forwarding server the mail message corresponding to the message identifier; and

transmitting the mail message from the forwarding server to the destination address using the binary formatting protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of packaging comprises the step of compressing the prepared message.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of suspending contact with the other one of the source address and forwarding server;

and upon successful receipt of the mail message, notifying the sending address and the forwarding server that the mail message has been successfully received.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving contact at the source address from the destination address;

responsive to receiving contact at the source address, determining whether transmission of the mail message from the source location to the forwarding server is incomplete; and

when transmission to the forwarding server is still incomplete, pausing transmission of the mail message from the source location to the forwarding server, and transmitting the mail message from the source location to the destination address using the binary formatting protocol.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

when transmission of the mail message from the source location to the destination address fails, resuming transmission of the mail message from the source location to the forwarding server; and

when transmission of the mail message from the source location to the destination address succeeds, aborting transmission of the mail message from the source location to the forwarding server.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining a tally of bits successfully transmitted to the destination address; and

uploading the tally and the source address to an accounting server which allocates a fee, based upon the tally, to an account corresponding to the source address.

8. A mail-messaging system for managing electronic mail communications over global information network, comprising:

a source computer at which a first user generates a prepared message;

a destination computer which receives the prepared message;

a forwarding computer;

a mail program which processes the prepared message at the source computer to generate a mail notice and a mail message, the mail notice comprising a message identifier corresponding to the prepared message and a source address, the mail notice not including an entirety of the prepared message, the mail message comprising the prepared message in a prescribed format and the message identifier;

means for establishing a first communication link between the source computer and the forwarding server along which the mail message is transmitted in a first transmission;

means for establishing a second communication link between the source computer and the destination computer along which the mail notice is transmitted in a second transmission, wherein the second transmission is an independent transmission different than the first transmission;

a mail receipt program which responds to the mail notice at the destination computer to establish a third communication link to receive the mail message at the destination address using a binary formatting transmission protocol;

means for the destination computer to contact the forwarding server with the message identifier specified within the mail notice in one communication sent from the destination address along one transmission path;

means for the destination computer to contact the source address specified within the mail notice in another communication sent from the destination address along another transmission path; and

means for determining which one of the source address and the forwarding server respond first to contact with the destination address; and

means for commencing receipt of a transmission of the mail message in the binary formatting transmission protocol from the one of the source address and forwarding server which responds first to contact with the destination address.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

means for the destination computer to contact the forwarding server with the message identifier;

means for identifying at the forwarding server the mail message corresponding to the message identifier; and

means for transmitting the mail message from the forwarding server to the destination address using the binary formatting transmission protocol.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

means for suspending contact with the other one of the source address and forwarding server; and

means for notifying the sending address and the forwarding server, upon successful receipt of the mail message, that the mail message has been successfully received.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

means for receiving contact at the source address from the destination address;

means, responsive to receiving contact at the source address, for determining whether transmission of the mail message from the source location to the forwarding server is incomplete; and

means for pausing transmission of the mail message from the source location to the forwarding server when transmission to the forwarding server is still incomplete; and

means for transmitting the mail message from the source location to the destination address using the binary formatting transmission protocol.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

means for resuming transmission of the mail message from the source location to the forwarding server when transmission of the mail message from the source location to the destination address fails; and

means for aborting transmission of the mail message from the source location to the forwarding server when transmission of the mail message from the source location to the destination address succeeds.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

means for determining a tally of bits successfully transmitted to the destination address; and

means for uploading the tally and the source address to an accounting server which allocates a fee, based upon the tally, to an account corresponding to the source address.