System and method for providing plurality of prioritized email domain names

• US 9,083,669 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2011
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Gardner, Darren, Hanson, David Jaray, Sanjel, Rupak
• Primary Examiner(s): TANG, KAREN C
• Application Number:
  US13/635,158
• Publication Number:
  US 20130007177A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• Field of Search: 709/207, 709/206, 709/217
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/37 E-mail addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]

Abstract

The system and method are for provisioning an electronic mail (email) account for allowing access to an electronic mailbox to retrieve email. A mobile office platform includes a configuration module and a communications module which are operative for accessing an electronic mailbox. The communications module is to receive email address parameters of the user and transmit a domain name system (DNS) query to the Internet for returning mail exchange (MX) records, including email domain names, corresponding to the email address parameters of the user. The configuration module is to process returned MX records to determine candidate configuration parameters for accessing the email account of the user to retrieve user email. The configuration module is to determine candidate configuration parameters based upon expanding a plurality of prioritized email domain names of the returned MX records.

Claims

1. A system for provisioning an electronic mail (email) account of a user for allowing access to an electronic mailbox to retrieve email comprising:

a mobile office platform operative as an agent between the user and electronic mailbox of the user and comprising a processor and a memory and defining a communications module and a configuration module that are operative for accessing the electronic mailbox;

the communications module configured to receive email address parameters of a user and transmit a domain name system (DNS) query to the Internet for returning mail exchange (MX) records, including email domain names, corresponding to the email address parameters of the user;

the configuration module configured to process returned MX records to determine candidate configuration parameters for accessing the email account of the user to retrieve user email; and

the configuration module configured to determine candidate configuration parameters based upon expanding a plurality of prioritized email domain names of the returned MX records and including a first preference mail domain and a second preference mail domain based upon relative geographic proximity.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein access to the electronic mailbox is from a wireless communication device.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the prioritized email domain names include multiple parts;

and the configuration module is configured to determine candidate configuration parameters by expanding the multiple parts of the plurality of prioritized email domain names of the returned MX records.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the multiple parts are respectively defined to comprise at least one of a user ID, email protocol and email server name pattern.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the configuration module is configured to attempt access to the email account of the user based upon the determined candidate configuration parameters.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the configuration module is configured to attempt access to the email account of the user based upon five or less candidate configuration parameters.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the configuration module is configured to update heuristics used for determining candidate configuration parameters based upon successful candidate configuration parameters.

8. A method of provisioning an electronic mail (email) account for allowing access to an electronic mailbox to retrieve email, the method comprising:

receiving email address parameters of a user and transmitting a domain name system (DNS) query to the Internet for returning mail exchange (MX) records, including email domain names, corresponding to the email address parameters of the user;

processing returned MX records to determine candidate configuration parameters for accessing the email account of the user to retrieve user email; and

determining candidate configuration parameters based upon expanding a plurality of prioritized email domain names of the returned MX records and including a first preference mail domain and a second preference mail domain based upon relative geographic proximity.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein access to the electronic mailbox is from a wireless communication device.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the prioritized email domain names include multiple parts;

and determining candidate configuration parameters includes expanding the multiple parts of the plurality of prioritized email domain names of the returned MX records.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the multiple parts are respectively defined to comprise at least one of a user ID, email protocol and email server name pattern.

12. A method according to claim 8, further comprising attempting to access the email account of the user based upon the determined candidate configuration parameters.

13. A method according to claim 8, further comprising attempting access to the email account of the user based upon five or less candidate configuration parameters.

14. A method according to claim 8, further comprising updating heuristics used for determining candidate configuration parameters based upon successful candidate configuration parameters.

15. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program code embedded therein, said computer-readable program code configured to be executed to implement provisioning an electronic mail (email) account for allowing access to an electronic mailbox to retrieve email, comprising:

receiving email address parameters of the user and transmitting a domain name system (DNS) query to the Internet for returning mail exchange (MX) records, including email domain names, corresponding to the email address parameters of a user;

processing returned MX records to determine candidate configuration parameters for accessing the email account of the user to retrieve user email; and

determining candidate configuration parameters based upon expanding a plurality of prioritized email domain names of the returned MX records and including a first preference mail domain and a second preference mail domain based upon relative geographic proximity.