Communications system providing message aggregation features and related methods

• US 8,364,769 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2010
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: TeamOn Systems Incorporated (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: McCarthy, Steven J., Gardner, Darren L., Zakharoff, Michael Jack
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Daftuar, Saket K.
• Application Number:
  US12/728,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20100179999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 709/217, 709/219, 709/230, 709/249, 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/204, 709/205, 709/218, 709/232, 709/238, 370/450, 370/349, 370/351, 370/389, 370/395.21, 370/471, 370/473, 370/474, 455/3, 455/8, 455/10, 455/12.1, 455/13.1, 455/13.3, 455/67.3, 455/429, 455/522, 455/412.2, 455/466, 715/57, 715/752
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

A communications system may include a plurality of source message servers for storing messages for delivery to a user, a target message server having a target message box associated therewith, and an aggregation server for periodically aggregating the messages from the source message servers to the target message box for retrieval by the user. The target message server may provide a delivery failure message to the aggregation server based upon a failure to deliver a message to the target message box. As such, the aggregation server may increase a period of sending messages to the target message box based upon a delivery failure message therefrom, and thereafter decrease the period of sending messages to the target message box based upon a successful delivery of a message thereto.

Claims

1. A communications system comprising:

a plurality of source message servers, each comprising a processor, and configured to store electronic mail (e-mail) messages in source message boxes;

a target message server, comprising a processor, and having a target message box associated therewith; and

an aggregation server, comprising a processor, and configured to

store information regarding the source message boxes and the target message box,

aggregate the e-mail messages from the source message servers to the target message server,

change an envelope sender of the e-mail messages to a unique e-mail address of the aggregation server that is different from an address associated with the target message box and the envelope sender,

increase a period of sending e-mail messages to the target message box and update the stored information based upon receipt of an e-mail delivery failure message at the unique e-mail address from the target message box,

decrease the period of sending e-mail messages to the target message box and update the stored information based upon at least one successful e-mail delivery, and

selectively re-send e-mail messages at a period based upon the stored information.

2. The communications system of claim 1 wherein said aggregation server is also configured to execute an intelligent checker module for aggregating the e-mail messages from said source servers to said target message box.

3. The communications system of claim 2 wherein said aggregation server is also configured to execute a software agent module having the unique address associated therewith;

wherein said intelligent checker module is also configured to send the unique address with the e-mail messages to the target message box;

wherein said target message server is configured to send delivery failure messages to the unique address; and

wherein said software agent module is configured to associate the delivery failure messages with the target message box.

4. The communications system of claim 3 wherein said aggregation server is also configured to execute a knowledge base module for cooperating with said software agent module for storing delivery failure information for the target message box;

and wherein said intelligent checker module is also configured to cooperate with said knowledge base module to increase or decrease the period of sending based upon the stored delivery failure information.

5. The communications system of claim 4 wherein said knowledge base module is also configured to cooperate with said software agent module to store the delivery failure information for the target message box based upon a source message box identifier and a message identifier associated therewith.

6. The communications system of claim 1 further comprising a user-associated communications device configured to access the messages from the target message box.

7. The communications system of claim 6 wherein said user-associated communications device comprises a mobile wireless communications device.

8. An electronic mail (e-mail) message aggregation server comprising:

a processor configured to execute an aggregation module for

storing information regarding source message boxes and a target message box,

aggregating e-mail messages stored in the source message boxes on a plurality of source message servers to the target message box

changing an envelope sender of the messages to a unique e-mail address of the e-mail message aggregation server that is different from an address associated with the target message box and the envelope sender,

increase a period of sending e-mail messages to the target message box and update the stored information based upon receipt of at least one e-mail delivery failure message at the unique e-mail address from the target message box,

decrease the period of sending e-mail messages to the target message box and update the stored information based upon at least one successful e-mail delivery, and

selectively re-send e-mail messages at a period based upon the stored information.

9. The e-mail aggregation server of claim 8 wherein said aggregation module comprises:

an intelligent checker module configured to periodically aggregate e-mail messages stored on the plurality of source message servers to the target message box; and

a software agent module having the unique address associated therewith and configured to associate delivery failure messages with the target message box;

said intelligent checker module configured to send the unique address with the e-mail messages to the target message box.

10. The e-mail aggregation server of claim 9 wherein said intelligent checker module is also configured to cooperate with said software agent module to store the delivery failure information for the target message box based upon a source message box identifier and a message identifier associated therewith.

11. An electronic mail (e-mail) message aggregation method comprising:

operating an aggregation server, comprising a processor, to

store information regarding source message boxes and a target message box,

periodically aggregate e-mail messages stored on a plurality of source message servers to a target message box,

change an envelope sender of the messages to a unique e-mail address of the aggregation server that is different from an address associated with the target message box and the envelope sender,

increase a period of sending messages to the target message box and update the stored information based upon receipt of at least one e-mail delivery failure message at the unique e-mail address from the target message box,

decrease the period of sending messages to the target message box and update the stored information based upon at least one successful e-mail delivery, and

selectively re-send e-mail messages at a period based upon the stored information.

12. The method of claim 11

wherein operating the aggregation server further comprises operating the aggregation server to execute an intelligent checker module for aggregating the e-mail messages from the source servers to the target message box.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein operating the aggregation server further comprises operating the aggregation server to execute a software agent module having the unique address associated therewith;

wherein executing the intelligent checker module is also for sending the unique address with the e-mail messages to the target message box; and

wherein executing the software agent module is also for associating the delivery failure messages with the target message box.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein operating the aggregation server further comprises operating the aggregation server to execute a knowledge base module for cooperating with the software agent module for storing delivery failure information for the target message box;

and wherein executing the intelligent checker module is for cooperating with the knowledge base module to increase or decrease the period of sending based upon the stored delivery failure information.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein executing the knowledge base module is for cooperating with the software agent module to store the delivery failure information for the target message box based upon a source message box identifier and a message identifier associated therewith.