System and method for informing a user of the arrival of an email at an email server via mobile phone

• US 7,869,795 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2006
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kamfu Wong
• Original Assignee: Kamfu Wong
• Inventors: Wong, Kamfu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly; Nghi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): STERNBANE, LAURENCE J
• Application Number:
  US11/658,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20080318553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,721 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 455/567, 455/415, 455/458, 455/466
• US Class Current: 455/412.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1008 Calls without connection establishment for implicit information transfer or as a service trigger

Abstract

A system and method informs a user of the arrival of an Email at an email server via a phone. The system and method may store a table wherein an Email address for a user is associated with a mobile phone number for the user. The system and method may look up the mobile phone number for the user, as an intended recipient of a new Email, in the table when the new Email arrives at the server. The system and method may then dial the mobile phone number for the user and hang up within a predetermined period of time after getting through. The user is informed that the new Email has arrived at the server by recognizing that the incoming call is from the server.

Claims

1. A system for informing a user of the arrival of an Email at an Email server via a mobile phone, the system comprising:

an Email processing device including a table wherein an Email address for a first user is associated with a mobile phone number for the first user, and a user account for the first user wherein an Email address for a second user is associated with a caller ID for the second user; and

a call informing device in communication with the Email processing device,

wherein the Email processing device is operable to detect if an Email arrives at an Email server, with the first user being an intended recipient of the Email and the second user being a sender of the Email;

wherein the Email processing device is operable to look up the mobile phone number for the first user in the table using the Email address of the intended recipient of the Email;

wherein the Email processing device is operable to look up the caller ID for the second user in the user account using the Email address of the sender of the Email; and

wherein the call informing device is operable to dial the mobile phone number provided by the Email processing device to inform the first user of the arrival of the Email at the Email server along with the caller ID of the second user.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the Email processing device comprises:

an Email monitoring unit for detecting if the Email arrives at the Email server, and outputting Email information if the Email arrives at the Email server;

an Email information reading unit for receiving the Email information output by the Email monitoring unit, reading the Email information to determine the Email address of the intended recipient of the Email and the Email address of the sender of the Email, and outputting the address of the intended recipient of the Email and the Email address of the sender of the Email;

a user mobile phone number corresponding unit for receiving the Email address of the intended recipient of the Email output by the Email information reading unit, looking up the mobile phone number for the first user corresponding to the intended recipient of the Email in the table, and outputting the mobile phone number for the first user to the call informing device; and

an outgoing call number corresponding unit for receiving the Email address of the intended recipient of the Email and the Email address of the sender of the Email output by the Email information reading unit, looking up the user account based on the Email address of the intended recipient of the Email, looking up the caller ID corresponding to the sender of the Email in the user account based on the Email address of the sender of the Email, and outputting the caller ID corresponding to the sender of the Email to the call informing device.

3. A system for receiving an Email via a mobile phone, the system comprising:

an Email processing device including a table wherein an Email address for a first user is associated with a mobile phone number for the first user, and a user account for the first user wherein an Email address for a second user is associated with a caller ID for the second user;

a call informing device in communication with the Email processing device; and

an automatic Email receiving device at a mobile phone of the first user;

wherein the Email processing device is operable to detect if an Email arrives at an Email server, with the first user being an intended recipient of the Email and the second user being a sender of the Email;

wherein the Email processing device is operable to look up the mobile phone number for the first user in the table using the Email address of the intended recipient of the Email;

wherein the Email processing device is operable to look up the caller ID for the second user in the user account using the Email address of the sender of the Email;

wherein the call informing device is operable to dial the mobile phone number provided by the Email processing device to inform the intended recipient of the arrival of the Email at the Email server along with the caller ID of the sender;

wherein the automatic Email receiving device is operable to detect an incoming call;

wherein the automatic Email receiving device is operable to look up the sender or the Email address of the sender in a caller ID table based on the caller ID of the sender;

wherein the automatic Email receiving device is operable to display the sender or the Email address of the sender on a display of the mobile phone of the first user;

wherein the automatic Email receiving device is operable to prompt the first user prior to downloading the Email from the Email server to the mobile phone; and

wherein the automatic Email receiving device is operable to download the Email to the mobile phone if the first user presses a preset key on the mobile phone.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the Email processing device comprises:

an Email monitoring unit for detecting if the Email arrives at the Email server, and outputting Email information if the Email arrives at the Email server;

an Email information reading unit for receiving the Email information output by the Email monitoring unit, reading the Email information to determine the Email address of the intended recipient of the Email and the Email address of the sender of the Email, and outputting the Email address of the intended recipient of the Email and the email address of the sender of the Email;

a user mobile phone number corresponding unit for receiving the Email address of the intended recipient of the Email output by the Email information reading unit, looking up the mobile phone number for the first user corresponding to the intended recipient of the Email in the table, and outputting the mobile phone number for the first user to the call informing device;

an outgoing call number corresponding unit for receiving the Email address of the intended recipient of the Email and the Email address of the sender of the Email output by the Email information reading unit, looking up the user account based on the Email address of the intended recipient of the Email, looking up the caller ID corresponding to the sender of the Email in the user account based on the Email address of the sender of the Email, and outputting the caller ID corresponding to the sender of the Email to the call informing device; and

wherein the automatic Email receiving device comprises;

a sender corresponding unit for looking up the sender or the Email address of the sender in a caller ID table based on the caller ID of the sender, and outputting sender information on the sender;

a notifying unit for receiving the sender information output by the sender corresponding unit, notifying the user of the arrival of the Email at the Email server, and displaying the sender or the Email address of the sender on a display of a mobile phone of the first user;

a control unit for receiving a download command from the first user and outputting a control signal for downloading the Email; and

an automatic downloading unit for receiving the sender information output by the sender corresponding unit and the control signal output by the control unit, and automatically accessing the Email processing device to download the Email from the server to the mobile phone.

5. A method for informing a user of the arrival of an Email at an Email server via a mobile phone, the method comprising:

associating an Email address for a first user with a mobile phone number for the first user and storing the Email address and the mobile phone number in the table;

setting up a user account for the first user wherein an Email address for a second user is associated with a caller ID for the second user;

detecting if an Email arrives at an Email server;

if the Email arrives at the Email server;

using the Email address of the first user as an intended recipient of the Email to look up the mobile phone number for the first user in the table;

using the Email address of the second user as a sender of the Email to look up the caller ID for the second user in the user account;

dialing the mobile phone number for the first user to inform the first user of the arrival of the Email and to send the caller ID corresponding to the sender to mobile phone of the first user, and hanging up automatically within a preset time.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein if the Email address of the sender does not correspond to a caller ID in the user account, dialing the mobile phone number for the first user with a preset caller ID.

7. A method for receiving an Email via a mobile phone, the method comprising:

associating an Email address for a first user with a mobile phone number for the first user and storing the Email address and the mobile phone number in the table;

setting up a user account for the first user wherein an Email address of a second user is associated with a caller ID for the second user;

detecting if an Email arrives at an Email server;

if the Email arrives at the Email server;

using the Email address of the first user as an intended recipient of the Email to look up the mobile phone number for the first user in the table;

using the Email address of the second user as a sender of the Email to look up the caller ID for the second user in the user account;

dialing the mobile phone number for the first user with the caller ID corresponding to the second user;

judging if an incoming call to a mobile phone of the first user is coming from an Email processing device and, if so, looking up the sender or the Email address for the sender corresponding to the caller ID of the incoming call;

displaying the sender or the Email address of the sender on a display of the mobile phone of the first user;

prompting the first user prior to downloading the Email from the Email server to the mobile phone; and

downloading the Email to the mobile phone if the first user presses a preset key on the mobile phone.