System and method for assisting in remote message server configuration

• US 7,984,484 B1
• Filed: 11/11/2004
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tong, Darick M., Rakowski, Brian D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad; Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wang; Harris C
• Application Number:
  US10/987,125
• Time in Patent Office: 2,441 Days
• Field of Search: 726/3
• US Class Current: 726/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail

Abstract

When a user enters an email address associated with a remote message server account in a configuration area on a display, one or more suggestions for other field inputs are made based on canonical data or historical data from a variety of users. If the user cannot find a desired entry in the suggestions, the user may enter new information. The newly entered information (once validated) improves the prediction capability for subsequent users. A database stores information associated with each email address domain name including one or more remote message server names, one or more username patterns and ranking values. When more than one suggestion for a field is presented to a user, the suggestions are ranked in accordance with the respective ranking values such as by the popularity of a particular configuration.

Claims

1. A method for providing remote message server configuration information, comprising:

receiving an electronic mail address from a user;

identifying, using at least a portion of the electronic mail address received, one or more field suggestions associated with a remote message server configuration field based on stored information;

wherein the one or more field suggestions are identified using only the received electronic mail address and the stored information; and

presenting to the user the one or more field suggestions in a graphical user display, wherein the presenting includes concurrently presenting to the user options for (A) selecting any of the one or more field suggestions and (B) entering a field value for the remote message server configuration field.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored information is based on inputs from a community of users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more field suggestions include at least one field suggestion for a username field.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more field suggestions include at least one field suggestion for a remote message server field.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting includes presenting a plurality of field suggestions in accordance with a ranking function.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the ranking function is based on geographical information.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the ranking function is based on a usage frequency.

8. The method of claim 1, further including:

receiving from the user a modified field value comprising a modification of one of the field suggestions;

validating the modified field value; and

modifying the stored information based on the modified field value.

9. A method for providing remote message server configuration information, comprising:

receiving from a client a request for remote message server configuration information, the request including an electronic mail address;

identifying, using at least a portion of the electronic mail address received, one or more remote message server configuration patterns from a remote message server configuration database using at least a portion of the electronic mail address;

wherein the one or more remote message server configuration patterns are identified using only the received electronic mail address and information from the remote message server configuration database; and

in response to the request, providing to the client a plurality of options to be concurrently presented to a user of the client, the plurality of options comprising options for (A) selecting one of the one or more remote message server configuration patterns, and (B) entering a remote message server configuration field value.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the remote message server configuration database includes information that is based on inputs from a community of users.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more remote message server configuration patterns include at least one field suggestion for a username field.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more remote message server configuration patterns include at least one field suggestion for a remote message server field.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the providing includes providing a plurality of remote message server configuration patterns in accordance with a ranking function.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the ranking function is based on geographical information.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the ranking function is based on a usage frequency.

16. The method of claim 9, further including:

receiving from the user a modified field value corresponding to one of the one or more remote message server configuration patterns;

validating the modified field value; and

modifying the remote message server configuration database based on the modified field value.

17. A client system for providing remote message server configuration information, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing one or programs to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs having instructions for;

receiving an electronic mail address from a user;

obtaining one or more field suggestions identified from a POP configuration database and based on at least a portion of the electronic mail address, the one or more field suggestions associated with a remote message server configuration field;

wherein the one or more field suggestions are identified using only the received electronic mail address and information from the POP configuration database; and

presenting to the user the one or more field suggestions in a graphical user display, wherein the presenting includes concurrently presenting to the user options for (A) selecting any of the one or more field suggestions and (B) entering a field value for the remote message server configuration field.

18. The client system of claim 17, wherein the POP server configuration database includes information based on inputs from a community of users.

19. The client system of claim 17, wherein the remote message server configuration field is a username field.

20. The client system of claim 17, wherein the remote message server configuration field is a remote message server field.

21. The client system of claim 17, further including a ranking function, and

the instructions for presenting are configured to display a plurality of field suggestions in accordance with the ranking function.

22. The client system of claim 21, further including geographical information associated with the user, and

the ranking function includes a geographical component.

23. The client system of claim 21, further including a usage frequency associated with a respective field suggestion, and the ranking function includes a frequency component.

24. The client system of claim 17, further including:

instructions for validating a new field value from the user; and

instructions for modifying the stored information based on the new field value.

25. A server system for providing remote message server configuration information, comprising:

a POP configuration database including one or more configuration patterns associated with a domain;

one or more processors; and

memory storing one or programs to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs having instructions for;

receiving from a client a request for remote message server configuration information, the request including an electronic mail address;

identifying the one or more remote message server configuration patterns using at least a portion of the electronic mail address and the POP configuration database;

wherein the one or more remote message server configuration patterns are identified using only the received electronic mail address and information from the POP configuration database; and

in response to the request, providing to the client a plurality of options to be concurrently presented to a user of the client, the plurality of options comprising options for (A) selecting one of the one or more remote message server configuration patterns, and (B) entering a remote message server configuration field value.

26. The server system of claim 25, wherein the one or more configuration patterns are based on inputs from a community of users.

27. The server system of claim 25, wherein the one or configuration patterns are associated with a username field.

28. The server system of claim 25, wherein the one or configuration patterns are associated with a remote message server field.

29. The server system of claim 25, wherein the instructions for providing include ordering a plurality of field suggestions in accordance with a ranking function.

30. The server system of claim 29, further including geographical information associated with the user, and

the ranking function includes a geographical component.

31. The server system of claim 29, further including a usage frequency associated with a respective field suggestion, and

the ranking function includes a frequency component.

32. The server system of claim 25, wherein the one or more programs further including instructions for:

validating a new field value from a user; and

modifying the remote message server configuration database based on the new field value.

33. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs to be executed by one or more processors, the one or more programs having instructions for:

receiving an electronic mail address from a user;

identifying, using at least a portion of the electronic mail address received, one or more field suggestions associated with a remote message server configuration field based on stored information;

wherein the one or more field suggestions are identified using only the received electronic mail address and the stored information; and

presenting to the user the one or more field suggestions in a graphical user display, wherein the presenting includes concurrently presenting to the user as options for the user to (A) select any of the one or more field suggestions and (B) enter a field value for the remote message server configuration field.

34. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the stored information is based on inputs from a community of users.

35. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the one or more field suggestions include at least one field suggestion for a username field.

36. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the one or more field suggestions include at least one field suggestion for a remote message server field.

37. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 33, further including instructions for presenting a plurality of field suggestions in accordance with a ranking function.

38. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the ranking function is based on geographical information.

39. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the ranking function is based on a usage frequency.

40. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 33, further including:

instructions for receiving from the user a modified field value corresponding to one of the one or more suggested field suggestions;

instructions for validating the modified field value; and

instructions for modifying the stored information based on the modified field value.

41. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs to be executed by one or more processors, the one or more programs having instructions for:

receiving from a client a request for remote message server configuration information, the request including an electronic mail address;

identifying one or more remote message server configuration patterns from a remote message server configuration database using at least a portion of the electronic mail address;

wherein the one or more remote message server configuration patterns are identified using only the received electronic mail address and information from the remote message server configuration database; and

in response to the request, providing to the client a plurality of options to be concurrently presented to a user of the client, the plurality of options comprising options for (A) selecting one of the one or more remote message server configuration patterns, and (B) entering a remote message server configuration field value.

42. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 41, wherein the remote message server configuration database includes information based on inputs from a community of users.

43. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 41, wherein the one or more configuration patterns include at least one field suggestion for a username field.

44. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 41, wherein the one or more configuration patterns include at least one field suggestion for a remote message server field.

45. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 41, further including instructions for ordering a plurality of configuration patterns in accordance with a ranking function.

46. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 45, wherein the ranking function is based on geographical information.

47. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 45, wherein the ranking function is based on a usage frequency.

48. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 41, further including:

instructions for receiving a modification in at least one of the options from the user;

instructions for validating the modification in at least one of the options; and

instructions for modifying the remote message server configuration database based on the modification in at least one of the options.

49. A system for providing remote message server configuration information, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing one or programs to be executed by the one or more processors;

the system including;

means for receiving an electronic mail address from a user;

means for identifying, using at least a portion of the electronic mail address received, one or more first field suggestions associated with a first POP configuration field based on stored information;

wherein the one or more field suggestions are identified using only the received electronic mail address and the stored information; and

means for presenting to the user the one or more first field suggestions in a graphical user display, wherein the means for presenting includes means for concurrently presenting to the user options for (A) selecting any of the one or more first field suggestions and (B) entering a field value for the first POP configuration field.