System and method for configuring access to electronic mailboxes

• US 7,373,386 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2004
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Roy, Shaibal, Gardner, Darren L.
• Primary Examiner(s): DUONG, OANH L
• Application Number:
  US10/778,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20050038859A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/224, 709/219, 709/227, 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2871 Implementation details of single intermediate entities
• 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 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• 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 for configuring access to an electronic mailbox based on limited configuration parameters received from a user. A database stores configuration conventions for a mail domain. A mailbox interface module receives configuration information from a user that is limited in the configuration parameters required for accessing the electronic mailbox. The module retrieves configuration conventions for the mail domain from the database and generates sets of potentially valid configuration parameters based on the retrieved configuration conventions and user supplied configuration information for accessing the mailbox.

Claims

1. A system for configuring access to an electronic mailbox comprising:

a data store for storing configuration conventions related to configuration parameters used for accessing an electronic mailbox; and

a mailbox interface module for receiving configuration information from a user that is limited in the configuration parameters required for accessing the electronic mailbox of the user, wherein said electronic mailbox interface module is operative for retrieving configuration conventions for a mailbox domain from the data store and generating original sets of possible configuration parameters based on the received configuration information and the stored configuration conventions, the stored configuration conventions are sets of email expressions formed by symbols that symbolically represent the stored configuration conventions used by email providers for the configuration parameters used for accessing the electronic mailbox of the user and operative with the data store for storing the configuration conventions, and attempting access to the electronic mailbox and generating new sets of potentially valid configuration parameters if attempts for accessing the electronic mailbox of the user from the original sets of possible configuration parameters were unsuccessful,

wherein the mailbox interface module is operative for generating a subset of the original sets of possible configuration parameters by using heuristics of likelihood that the configuration conventions are valid for accessing the electronic mailbox for a mail domain, and the heuristics comprises tracking statistics stored within the data store about a number of attempts and percentage of successes using the configuration conventions.

2. The system according to claim 1, and further comprising a web service on which the mailbox interface module is operative.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said configuration information received from the user comprises an email address and password.

4. The system according to claim 1, and further comprising a mobile device on which the user inputs the configuration information.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the interface module is operative fro generating the subset of possible configuration parameters using additional user supplied configuration information.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the additional user supplied configuration information comprises information relating to a standard protocol used for accessing the electronic mailbox.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein said standard protocol comprises one of at least the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) or the Post Office Protocol (POP).

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the configuration conventions comprise expressions formed by symbols representing individual configuration parameters.

9. A method of configuring access to an electronic mailbox comprising the steps of:

receiving configuration information from a user that is limited in configuration parameters required for accessing the electronic mailbox of the user in a mailbox domain;

retrieving from a database configuration conventions related to the configuration parameters used for accessing the electronic mailbox of the user based on an email address and password wherein the configuration conventions comprise sets of email expressions formed by symbols that symbolically represent the configuration conventions used by email providers for the configuration parameters used for accessing the mailbox of the user and operative with the database for storing the configuration conventions;

generating original sets of possible configuration parameters for accessing the electronic mailbox of the user based on the retrieved configuration conventions;

attempting access to the mailbox of the user from the original sets of possible configuration parameters;

generating new sets of possible valid configuration parameters if attempts for accessing the electronic mailbox of the user from the original sets of possible configuration parameters were unsuccessful; and

generating a subset of the original sets of possible configuration parameters by using heuristics of likelihood that the configuration conventions are valid for accessing the electronic mailbox for a mail domain, and the heuristics comprises tracking statistics stored within the data store about a number of attempts and percentage of successes using the configuration conventions.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of receiving configuration information from the user comprising the step of receiving only an email address and password for accessing the electronic mailbox from the user.

11. The method according to claim 9, and further comprising the step of retrieving configuration information from a mobile device used by the user.

12. The method according to claim 9, and further comprising the step of generating a subset of possible configuration parameters by using additional user supplied configuration information.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said additional user supplied information comprises information relating to the standard protocol used for accessing the electronic mailbox.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said standard protocol comprises one of at least the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) or the Post Office Protocol (POP).

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the configuration conventions comprises the step of generating the sets of potentially valid configuration parameters within a web service acting as an agent for the user.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein the configuration conventions comprises expressions formed by symbols representing individual configuration parameters.

17. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions, when executed by one or more processors, for performing a method of configuring access to an electronic mailbox, the method comprising:

receiving configuration information from a user that is limited in configuration parameters required for accessing the electronic mailbox of the user in a mailbox domain;

retrieving from a database configuration conventions related to the configuration parameters used for accessing the electronic mailbox of the user based on an email address and password wherein the configuration conventions comprise sets of email expressions formed by symbols that symbolically represent the configuration conventions used by email providers for the configuration parameters used for accessing the mailbox of the user and operative with the database for storing the configuration conventions;

generating original sets of possible configuration parameters for accessing the electronic mailbox of the user based on the retrieved configuration conventions;

attempting access to the mailbox of the user from the original sets of possible configuration parameters;

generating new sets of possible valid configuration parameters if attempts for accessing the electronic mailbox of the user from the original sets of possible configuration parameters were unsuccessful; and

generating a subset of the original sets of possible configuration parameters by using heuristics of likelihood that the configuration conventions are valid for accessing the electronic mailbox for a mail domain, and the heuristics comprises tracking statistics stored within the data store about a number of attempts and percentage of successes using the configuration conventions.

18. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the configuration conventions comprises expressions formed by symbols representing individual configuration parameters.

19. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the mailbox interface module is operative as a web server.