Facilitating the sending of mail from a restricted communications network

• US 9,065,790 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2013
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Elfner, Axel E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pollack, Melvin H
• Application Number:
  US14/047,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20140047052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

The sending of mail from a restricted communications network is facilitated. A communications unit external to the restricted communications network periodically pulls the mail from the restricted communications network and forwards the mail to a receiver. The receiver may be the intended recipient of the mail or an intermediary used to further send the mail to the intended recipient.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

a communications network wherein all ports used thereby for outgoing mail are closed; and

a communications unit external to and in communications with the communications network;

wherein the computer system is configured to perform a method comprising;

accumulating outgoing mail by the communications network into a data structure;

automatically requesting outgoing mail periodically by the communications unit over an open port in the communications network;

verifying the communications unit and checking the data structure for outgoing mail by the communications network in response to an outgoing mail request from the communications unit;

transferring the outgoing mail from the data structure to the communications unit through one or more ports of the communications network other than the closed outgoing mail ports; and

delivering the outgoing mail to the one or more intended recipients.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the transferring comprises pulling the outgoing mail by the communications unit through the one or more ports.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the communications network comprises a firewall configured to close the outgoing mail ports.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the communications network uses a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) for outgoing mail.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the transferring comprises transferring the outgoing mail through the open port.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the delivering comprises forwarding the mail from the communications unit to one or more receivers.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein a receiver of the one or more receivers comprises an intended recipient of the mail.

8. The computer system of claim 6, wherein a receiver of the one or more receivers comprises an intermediary to facilitate forwarding the mail to an intended recipient of the mail.

9. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the forwarding comprises parsing the mail into one or more messages and sending the one or more messages to the one or more receivers.

10. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the manner in which a message is sent to a receiver is dependent on the type of receiver.

11. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium readable by a processor and storing instructions for execution by the processor for performing a method comprising;

accumulating outgoing mail by a communications network into a data structure, wherein all ports used thereby for outgoing mail are closed;

automatically requesting outgoing mail periodically by a communications unit external to the communications network over an open port in the communications network;

verifying the communications unit and checking the data structure for outgoing mail by the communications network in response to an outgoing mail request from the communications unit;

transferring the outgoing mail from the data structure to the communications unit through one or more ports of the communications network other than the closed outgoing mail ports; and

delivering the outgoing mail to the one or more intended recipients.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein transferring comprises pulling the outgoing mail by the communications unit through the one or more ports.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the communications network comprises a firewall configured to close the outgoing mail ports.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the communications network uses a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) for outgoing mail.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the transferring comprises transferring the outgoing mail through the open port.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the delivering comprises forwarding the mail from the communications unit to one or more receivers.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein a receiver of the one or more receivers comprises an intended recipient of the mail.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein a receiver of the one or more receivers comprises an intermediary to facilitate forwarding the mail to an intended recipient of the mail.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the forwarding comprises parsing the mail into one or more messages and sending the one or more messages to the one or more receivers.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the manner in which a message is sent to a receiver is dependent on the type of receiver.