Direct access electronic mail (email) distribution and synchronization system with external SMTP server support

• US 8,572,185 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2008
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Gorty, Suryanarayana M., Gardner, Darren L., Williams, Eric N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaw, Peling
• Assistant Examiner(s): RICHARDSON, THOMAS W
• Application Number:
  US12/023,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20080256202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,098 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

A communications system includes a network engine that communicates with a plurality of user subscribed mobile wireless communications devices via a communications network for sending and receiving emails therefrom. A direct access server is operative with the network engine for polling electronic mailboxes of the user belonging to an email source hosted by an email provider and obtaining email from the electronic mailboxes and pushing any email through the network engine to selected user subscribed mobile wireless communications devices. It includes an internal SMTP server that is configured for outgoing email and operative for specifying an SMTP server for communication belonging to an email provider given a SMTP server and protocol combination for the email source of the email provider to which communication is desired such that the internal SMTP server of the direct access server is not used.

Claims

1. A communications system, comprising:

a network engine comprising a processor configured to communicate with a plurality of user subscribed mobile wireless communications devices via a communications network for sending and receiving emails therefrom; and

a direct access server comprising;

an internal SMTP server that is configured for outgoing email, and a database storing configuration information for possible external SMTP servers, a processor configured to;

operate with the network engine to poll electronic mailboxes of the user belonging to an email source hosted by an email provider, obtain email from the electronic mailboxes and push any email through the network engine to selected user subscribed mobile wireless communications devices; and

access said database to retrieve stored configuration information, provision access to one of the electronic mailboxes, using an email address, password and the configuration information for an external SMTP server specified for the email source of the one of the electronic mailboxes such that the internal SMTP server of the direct access server is not used, wherein said database is updated with current configuration information after successful provisioning.

2. The communications system according to claim 1, wherein said direct access server is operative for receiving data regarding a specified SMTP server configuration from a mail provider and automatically using the SMTP server of the email provider for any users to which said direct access server communicates.

3. The communications system according to claim 1, wherein said direct access server is configured for using a SMTP server of an email provider based on data regarding hosted domain mailboxes.

4. The communications system according to claim 1, wherein said direct access server is configured for using a SMTP server of an email provider based on the data determined from the MX record of a domain name.

5. The communications system according to claim 1, wherein said database table comprises data relating to the email server, protocol, SMTP server belonging to the email provider, SMTP port and SMTP server settings belonging to the email provider.

6. A communications system, comprising:

a network engine comprising a processor configured to communicate with a plurality of user subscribed mobile wireless communications devices via a communications network for sending and receiving emails therefrom; and

a direct access server comprising;

an internal SMTP server that is configured for outgoing email, and a database storing configuration information for possible external SMTP servers, a processor including a proxy and SOAP module configured to;

operate with the network engine to poll electronic mailboxes of the user belonging to an email source hosted by an email provider, obtain email from the electronic mailboxes and push any email through the network engine to selected user subscribed mobile wireless communications devices; and

access said database to retrieve stored configuration information, provision access to one of the electronic mailboxes, using an email address, password and the configuration information for an external SMTP server specified for the email source of the one of the electronic mailboxes such that the internal SMTP server of the direct access server is not used, wherein said database is updated with current configuration information after successful provisioning.

7. The communications system according to claim 6, and further comprising a source assignment manager module assigning sources to the proxy for polling.

8. The communications system according to claim 6, and further comprising a database for storing data relating to SMTP servers for outgoing mail wherein said SOAP module is operative for querying, updating and modifying data within the database.

9. The communications system according to claim 6, wherein said direct access server is operative for receiving data regarding a specified SMTP server configuration from a mail provider and automatically using the SMTP server of the email provider for any users to which said direct access server communicates.

10. The communications system according to claim 6, wherein said direct access server is configured for using a SMTP server of an email provider based on data regarding hosted domain mailboxes.

11. The communications system according to claim 6, wherein said direct access server is configured for using a SMTP server of an email provider based on the data determined from the MX record of a domain name.

12. The communications system according to claim 6, wherein said database table comprises data relating to the email server, protocol, SMTP server belonging to the email provider, SMTP port and SMTP server settings belonging to the email provider.

13. A communications method, comprising:

polling electronic mailboxes of a user belonging to an email source hosted by an email provider from a direct access server comprising a processor and an internal SMTP server;

obtaining email at the direct access server from the electronic mailboxes;

pushing email from the direct access server through a communications network to selected user subscribed mobile wireless communications devices by transmitting the emails through a network engine from the direct access server through the network;

accessing a database storing configuration information for possible external SMTP servers;

provisioning access to electronic mailboxes using an email address, password and a specific external SMTP server when the external SMTP server is specified for an email source of one of the electronic mailboxes such that an internal SMTP server associated with the direct access server is not used, and updating the database with current configuration information after successful provisioning.

14. The method according to claim 13, which further comprises receiving data regarding a specified SMTP server configuration from a mail provider and automatically using the SMTP server of the email provider for any users to which said direct access server communicates.

15. The method according to claim 13, which further comprises using a SMTP server of an email provider based on data regarding hosted domain mailboxes.