U.S. patent application number 11/925815 was filed with the patent office on 2008-10-23 for system and method for pushing encrypted information between a host system and a mobile data communication device.
This patent application is currently assigned to RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED. Invention is credited to Barry J. Gilhuly, Mihal Lazaridis, Gary P. Mousseau, Steven M. Rahn, Anh Ngoc Van.
Application Number | 20080263224 11/925815 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 22206285 |
Filed Date | 2008-10-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080263224 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gilhuly; Barry J. ; et
al. |
October 23, 2008 |
System and Method for Pushing Encrypted Information Between a Host
System and a Mobile Data Communication Device
Abstract
A redirector scheme operable to redirect messages from a
plurality of messaging hosts disposed in a wide-area data network,
wherein each messaging host is operable to receive messages for a
set of users. In one embodiment, a redirector system comprises,
inter alia: a plurality of receive agents and a corresponding
plurality of send agents, wherein each pair of receive and send
agents interacts together as a redirector agent with respect to a
corresponding messaging host; means for automatically detecting
arrival of a data item at the redirector agent from the
corresponding messaging host for a particular user served by the
corresponding messaging host; and means for processing at least a
portion of an instance of the data item for transmission to a
mobile data communication device associated with the particular
user.
Inventors: |
Gilhuly; Barry J.;
(Waterloo, CA) ; Van; Anh Ngoc; (Brantford,
CA) ; Rahn; Steven M.; (Elora, CA) ; Mousseau;
Gary P.; (Waterloo, CA) ; Lazaridis; Mihal;
(Waterloo, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
RESEARCH IN MOTION;ATTN: GLENDA WOLFE
BUILDING 6, BRAZOS EAST, SUITE 100, 5000 RIVERSIDE DRIVE
IRVING
TX
75039
US
|
Assignee: |
RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
Waterloo
CA
|
Family ID: |
22206285 |
Appl. No.: |
11/925815 |
Filed: |
October 27, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
09928983 |
Aug 13, 2001 |
|
|
|
11925815 |
|
|
|
|
09401868 |
Sep 23, 1999 |
6701378 |
|
|
09928983 |
|
|
|
|
09087623 |
May 29, 1998 |
6219694 |
|
|
09401868 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
709/242 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 29/06 20130101;
H04W 24/00 20130101; H04W 4/12 20130101; H04W 12/033 20210101; H04L
63/0428 20130101; Y10S 707/99952 20130101; H04W 8/18 20130101; H04W
80/04 20130101; H04W 12/037 20210101; H04W 4/02 20130101; H04M
3/4211 20130101; H04W 4/00 20130101; H04L 51/14 20130101; H04L
69/329 20130101; H04L 67/04 20130101; G06Q 10/109 20130101; H04L
51/04 20130101; H04L 67/02 20130101; H04L 67/26 20130101; H04L
67/42 20130101; H04W 4/16 20130101; H04W 88/04 20130101; H04L
51/066 20130101; H04M 2203/353 20130101; H04L 67/2819 20130101;
H04L 51/063 20130101; H04L 67/2814 20130101; H04L 51/08 20130101;
H04L 67/327 20130101; H04L 51/38 20130101; H04M 3/4872 20130101;
H04W 8/245 20130101; H04W 8/26 20130101; G06Q 10/107 20130101; H04L
67/16 20130101; H04L 63/083 20130101; H04L 67/18 20130101; H04W
40/00 20130101; H04L 67/1095 20130101; H04L 51/28 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
709/242 |
International
Class: |
G06F 15/173 20060101
G06F015/173 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 25, 2000 |
CA |
PCT/CA00/01108 |
Claims
1. A redirector system operable to redirect messages from a
plurality of messaging hosts disposed in a wide-area data network,
wherein each messaging host is operable to receive messages for a
set of users, the redirector system comprising: a plurality of
receive agents and a corresponding plurality of send agents,
wherein each pair of receive and send agents interacts together as
a redirector agent with respect to a corresponding messaging host;
means for automatically detecting arrival of a data item at the
redirector agent from the corresponding messaging host for a
particular user served by the corresponding messaging host; and
means for processing at least a portion of an instance of the data
item for transmission to a mobile data communication device
associated with the particular user.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/401,868, filed Sep. 23, 1999,
entitled "System and Method for Pushing Information from a Host
System to a Mobile Data Communication Device", which is a
continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
09/087,623, filed May 29, 1998, entitled "System and Method for
Pushing Information from a Host System to a Mobile Data
Communication Device". Both of these applications are assigned to
the assignee of the instant application and are incorporated in
their entirety herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention is directed toward the field of
redirecting information between a host system and a mobile data
communication device.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Present systems and methods for replicating information from
a host system to a user's mobile data communication device are
typically "synchronization" systems in which the user's data items
are warehoused (or stored) at the host system for an indefinite
period of time until the user synchronizes the mobile device to the
host system. In these types of systems and methods, when
replication of the warehoused data items to the mobile device is
desired, the user typically places the mobile device in an
interface cradle that is electrically connected to the host system
via some form of local, dedicated communication, such as a serial
cable or an infrared or other type of wireless link. Software
executing on the mobile data communication device then transmits
commands via the local communications link to the host system to
cause the host to begin transmitting the user's data items for
storage in a memory bank of the mobile device.
[0006] In these synchronization schemes, the mobile unit "pulls"
the warehoused information from the host system in a batch-mode
each time the user desires to replicate information between the two
devices. Thus, the two systems (host and mobile) maintain the same
data items only after a user-initiated synchronization
sequence.
[0007] A general problem with these synchronization systems is the
fact that the data in the mobile device is only current at the
moment of synchronization with the host. Five minutes later a new
message could be sent to the user, but the user would not receive
that message until the next time the systems are synchronized.
Thus, a user may fail to respond to an emergency update or message
because the user only periodically synchronizes the system, such as
once per day.
[0008] Other problems with these systems include: (1) the amount of
data to be reconciled between the host and the mobile device can
become large if the user does not "synchronize" on a daily or
hourly basis, leading to bandwidth difficulties, particularly when
the mobile device is communicating via a wireless packet-switched
network; and (2) reconciling large amounts of data, as can accrue
in these batch-mode synchronization systems, can require a great
deal of communication between the host and the mobile device, thus
leading to a more complex, costly and energy-inefficient
system.
[0009] Thus, there is a general need in this field for a more
automated, continuous, efficient, flexible, and reliable system of
ensuring that user data items are replicated (in real time) at the
user's mobile device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] A system and method for pushing information from a host
system to a mobile data communication device upon sensing a
triggering event is provided. A redirector program operating at the
host system enables a user to continuously redirect certain
user-selected data items from the host system to the user's mobile
data communication device upon detecting that one or more
user-defined triggering events has occurred. The redirector program
operates in connection with event generating applications and
repackaging systems at the host system to configure and detect a
particular user-defined event, and then to repackage the
user-selected data items in an electronic wrapper prior to pushing
the data items to the mobile device.
[0011] Using the redirector program, the user can select certain
data items for redirection, such as E-mail messages, calendar
events, meeting notifications, address entries, journal entries,
personal reminders etc. Having selected the data items for
redirection, the user can then configure one or more event triggers
to be sensed by the redirector program, which then initiates
redirection of the user data items upon sensing one or more of the
event triggers. These user-defined trigger points (or event
triggers) may be external events, internal events or networked
events. Once an event has triggered redirection of the user data
items, the host system then repackages these items in a manner that
is transparent to the mobile data communication device, so that
information on the mobile device appears similar to information on
the user's host system.
[0012] The redirector program also provides a set of
software-implemented control functions for determining the type of
mobile data communication device and its address, for programming a
preferred list of message types that are to be redirected, and for
determining whether the mobile device can receive and process
certain types of message attachments, such as word processor or
voice attachments. The mobile device control functions are
initially set by the user of the mobile device at the host system.
These functions can then be altered on a global or per message
basis by transmitting a command message from the mobile device to
the host system.
[0013] In an alternative embodiment, the redirector program
executes on a network server, and the server is programmed to
detect numerous redirection event triggers over the network from
multiple user desktop computers coupled to the server via a
local-area-network ("LAN"). The server can receive internal event
triggers from each of the user desktops via the network, and can
also receive external event triggers, such as messages from the
users' mobile data to communication devices. In response to
receiving one of these triggers, the server redirects the user's
data items to the proper mobile data communication device. This
alternative configuration could also include an Internet or
Intranet-located web server including the redirector program that
could be accessible through a secure Web page or other user
interface. In this configuration, the redirector program could be
located on an Internet Service Provider ("ISP") system or an
Application Service Provider ("ASP") system, and the user would
configure (and reconfigure) the program controls over an Internet
connection to the ISP or ASP system.
[0014] In another embodiment, the redirector program operates at
both the host system and at the user's mobile data communication
device. In this configuration, the user's mobile device operates
similarly to the host system described below, and is configured in
a similar fashion to push certain user-selected data items from the
mobile device to the user's host system (or some other computer)
upon detecting an event trigger at the mobile device. This
configuration provides two-way pushing of information from the host
to the mobile device and from the mobile device to the host.
[0015] A primary advantage of the present invention is that it
provides a system and method for triggering the continuous and
real-time redirection of user-selected data items from a host
system to a mobile data communication device. Other advantages of
the present invention include: (1) flexibility in defining the
types of user data to redirect, and in defining a preferred list of
message types that are to be redirected or preferred senders whose
messages are to be redirected; (2) flexibility in configuring the
system to respond to numerous internal, external and networked
triggering events; (3) transparent repackaging of the user data
items in a variety of ways such that the mobile data communication
device appears as though it were the host system; (4) integration
with other host system components such as E-mail, TCP/IP, keyboard,
screen saver, Web pages and certain programs that can either create
user data items or be configured to provide trigger points; and (5)
the ability to operate locally on a user's desktop system or at a
distance via a network server or through a secure Internet
connection.
[0016] A method of redirecting data items from a messaging host
system to a user's mobile device in accordance with an aspect of
the invention comprises the steps of detecting a new data item for
the user at the messaging host system, forwarding a copy of the new
data item to a redirector host system, determining whether the new
data item should be redirected from the redirector host system to
the user's mobile device, and if the new data item should be
redirected, then encrypting the new data item to form an encrypted
new data item and packaging the encrypted new data item into an
electronic envelope and transmitting the electronic envelope to the
user's mobile device. A new data item is preferably also stored in
a user's inbox coupled to the messaging host system. New data items
may be detected at the host system by determining whether a new
data item has been received at the messaging host system for a
particular user and checking a forwarding file coupled to the
messaging host system to determine whether the particular user's
data items should be redirected to the redirector host system. A
set of filtering rules, which are preferably remotely configurable
by a user, may be applied by the redirector host system in
determining whether a new data item should be redirected to the
user's mobile device. A configurable activation/deactivation switch
is also preferably provided for turning on/off the operation of the
redirector host system for a particular user.
[0017] At the user's mobile device, the steps of receiving the
electronic envelope, extracting the encrypted new data item from
the electronic envelope and decrypting the encrypted new data item
to recover the new data item are performed. The decrypting step may
comprise the step of using a cipher algorithm and a decryption key
to decrypt the encrypted new data item. The decryption key may be
generated at the redirector host system and forwarded to the mobile
device using a secure communications link, such as by using
Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) over Secure Sockets Layer
(SSL) protocol or a serial connection between the redirector host
system and the device. At the redirector host system, the
encrypting step may similarly involve a cipher algorithm and an
encryption key, which may be generated and stored at the redirector
host system. The encryption and decryption keys may instead be
generated at a computer system associated with the mobile device or
even at the mobile device itself. Public key cryptographic
operations are also contemplated.
[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the data items are E-mail
messages, and the messaging host system is an E-mail host system.
In a further embodiment, the messaging host system is an Internet
Service Provider.
[0019] According to another embodiment, a method of redirecting
E-mail messages from a messaging host system to a user's wireless
mobile device comprises the steps of detecting an E-mail message
for the user at the messaging host system, forwarding a copy of the
E-mail message from the messaging host system to a wireless
redirector host system, receiving the forwarded E-mail message at
the wireless redirector host system and applying a set of
user-defined filtering rules that determine whether or not to
redirect the E-mail to the user's wireless mobile device via a
wireless network coupled to the wireless redirector host system,
and if the filtering rules determine that the E-mail message is of
the type that should be redirected, then encrypting the E-mail
message to form an encrypted E-mail message and redirecting the
encrypted E-mail message to the user's wireless mobile device by
packaging the encrypted E-mail message in an electronic envelope
that includes a wireless network address of the user's wireless
mobile device.
[0020] A system for redirecting data items from a network to a
user's wireless mobile device in accordance with an aspect of the
invention comprises a messaging host system coupled to the network
for receiving data items associated with a particular user and for
forwarding the received data items to a predetermined address on
the network and a redirector host system associated with the
predetermined address for receiving the forwarded data items from
the messaging host system and for encrypting and redirecting those
data items to the user's wireless mobile device. The messaging host
system may include a sendmail program for receiving and
transmitting user data items and a forwarding file containing a
list of authorized users of the system, and the predetermined
address to which the messaging host system will forward each user's
data items. The redirector host system preferably comprises an
encryption module that encrypts the forwarded data items from the
messaging host system, and the mobile device preferably comprises a
decryption module. Encryption and decryption keys used by these
modules may be generated and distributed via any of the mechanisms
described above.
[0021] A still further embodiment of the invention relates to a
method of operating a host system configured to redirect E-mail
messages from the Internet to a user's wireless mobile device, the
method comprising the steps of receiving an E-mail message from the
Internet for a particular user, accessing a user profile database
to determine whether the particular user is an authorized user of
the host system, if the user is an authorized user, then accessing
a filter rules database to apply a set of user-defined filtering
rules to the E-mail message that dictate whether the E-mail message
is the type of message that the user wants to have redirected to
its wireless mobile device, and if the E-mail message clears the
filtering rules, then encrypting the E-mail message and repackaging
the encrypted E-mail message into an electronic envelope including
the address of the user's wireless mobile device and forwarding the
electronic envelope to a wireless gateway system for transmission
onto a wireless data network associated with the user's wireless
mobile device.
[0022] A method for redirecting messages between an ISP host system
and a plurality of mobile data communication devices in accordance
with another preferred embodiment comprises the steps of
configuring redirection settings for one or more mobile device
users at the host system, receiving incoming messages directed to a
first address at the ISP host system from a plurality of message
senders, in response to the redirection setting, continuously
encrypting and redirecting the incoming messages from the ISP host
system to the mobile data communication device via a redirector
host system, receiving encrypted outgoing messages generated and
encrypted at the mobile communications device at the redirector
host system, decrypting the received encrypted outgoing messages to
recover the outgoing messages, configuring address information of
the outgoing messages so that the first address is used as an
originating address of the outgoing messages, and transmitting the
configured outgoing messages to message recipients.
[0023] A further inventive method of redirecting electronic data
items from a host system associated with a user to the user's
mobile data communication device comprises the steps of configuring
an external redirection event at the host system, wherein the
external redirection event is the host system sensing whether the
user is in the physical vicinity of the host system, receiving
electronic data items at the host system, and if the host system
senses that the user is not in the physical vicinity of the host
system, then continuously encrypting the electronic data items and
redirecting the encrypted data items to the user's mobile data
communication device until the host system senses that the user is
in the vicinity of the host system. The sensing may be achieved by
a heat sensor detecting a lack of heat emitted by the user, by a
motion sensor detecting a lack of motion by the user, or by removal
of the mobile device from a mobile device cradle connected to the
host system for example.
[0024] In a system for redirecting data items between a host system
and a mobile communications device through a redirector system, a
novel method of key distribution comprises the steps of generating
an encryption key for encrypting data items to be redirected to the
mobile device, generating a decryption key for decrypting encrypted
and redirected data items received at the mobile device, and
forwarding the decryption key to the mobile device using a secure
communications link. The steps of generating the encryption key and
generating the decryption key may be performed at the redirector
system, at the host system, at a computer system operatively
connected to the host system or at the device. The encryption key
and the decryption key may both be private keys, or the encryption
key may be a public key and the decryption may be a private key of
a key pair. Data items to be sent from the mobile device may be
encrypted at the device using a second encryption key and decrypted
when received at the redirector system using a second decryption
key.
[0025] In a related embodiment, a key distribution system in a
system for redirecting data items between a host system and a
mobile communications device through a redirector system comprises
means for generating an encryption key for encrypting data items
prior to redirection to the mobile device, means for generating a
decryption key for decrypting encrypted and redirected data items
received at the mobile device, and means for forwarding the
decryption key to the mobile device using a secure communications
link.
[0026] These are just a few of the many advantages of the present
invention, as described in more detail below. As will be
appreciated, the invention is capable of other and different
embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications
in various respects, all without departing from the spirit of the
invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description of the
preferred embodiments set forth below are to be regarded as
illustrative in nature and not restrictive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] The present invention satisfies the needs noted above as
will become apparent from the following description when read in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
[0028] FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing the redirection of user
data items from a user's desktop PC (host system) to the user's
mobile data communication device, where the redirector software is
operating at the user's desktop PC;
[0029] FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing the redirection of user
data items from a network server (host system) to the user's mobile
data communication device, where the redirector software is
operating at the server;
[0030] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the interaction of the
redirector software with other components of the host system in
FIG. 1 (the user's desktop PC) to enable the pushing of information
from the host system to the user's mobile data communication
device;
[0031] FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the steps carried out by the
redirector software operating at the host system;
[0032] FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the steps carried out by the
mobile data communication device to interface with the redirector
software operating at the host system;
[0033] FIG. 6 is a system diagram showing the redirection of user
data items from a user's host system to the user's mobile data
communication device, where the redirector software is operating at
the wireless redirector host system;
[0034] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the interaction of the
redirector software with other components of the host system in
FIG. 6 to enable the pushing of information from the host system to
the user's mobile data communications device;
[0035] FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the steps carried out by the
redirector software operating at the wireless redirector host
system.
[0036] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the interaction of the
redirector send agent software with other components of the host
systems to enable the pushing of information from the host system
to the user's mobile data communications device;
[0037] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the interaction of the
redirector receive agent software with other components of the host
systems to enable the pushing of information to the Internet from
the user's mobile data communications device;
[0038] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the steps carried out by the
redirector receive agent operating at the redirector agent host
server in the case of redirecting E-mail messages with
domain-massaging and tag line customisation;
[0039] FIG. 12 is a hierarchical view of an example of the
different types of domains, represented by sites, which can
interface with a single redirector system;
[0040] FIG. 13 is a system diagram showing the redirection of user
data items from a user's host system to the user's mobile data
communication device, where the redirector software encrypts
redirected data items;
[0041] FIG. 14 is a system diagram similar to FIG. 13, but showing
the redirector software as part of an integrated
messaging/redirection host system;
[0042] FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the interaction of
redirector software with other components of the messaging host
system in FIG. 14 to enable the pushing of information from the
host system to the user's mobile data communications device and
from the device to the host system;
[0043] FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing the interaction of
distributed redirector agent software components with other
components of the host system, including multiple domain systems
hosted by a service provider that operates the redirector
software;
[0044] FIG. 17 is a hierarchical view of an example of different
types of domains, represented by sites, which can interface with a
single integrated redirector system;
[0045] FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the interaction of an
integrated messaging/redirection software with other components of
an external host system to enable the pushing of information from
the host system to the user's mobile data communications device
through the integrated messaging/redirection system; and
[0046] FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a variation of the system
in FIG. 18, wherein the redirector software shares messaging
components with the messaging system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0047] Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is an example system
diagram showing the redirection of user data items (such as message
A or C) from a user's desktop PC (host system) 10A to the user's
mobile data communication device 24, where the redirector software
12 is operating at the user's PC 10A. As used in this application,
the term "host system" refers to the computer where the redirector
software is operating. In the preferred embodiment, the host system
is a user's desktop PC 10A. Alternatively, however, the host system
could be a network server (10B, see FIG. 2) connected to the user's
PC via a local-area network ("LAN"), or it could be a Web server
(240, see FIG. 6) operating through a secure network connection or
operating at an external ISP, or the host system could be any other
system that is capable of communicating with the user's desktop
PC.
[0048] Message A in FIG. 1 represents an internal message sent from
desktop 26 to the user's host system 10A via LAN 14. Message C in
FIG. 1 represents an external message from a sender that is not
directly connected to LAN 14, such as the user's mobile data
communication device 24, some other user's mobile device (not
shown), or any user connected to the Internet 18. Message C also
represents a command message from the user's mobile data
communication device 24 to the host system 10A. As described in
more detail in FIG. 3, the desktop host system 10A preferably
includes, along with the typical hardware and software associated
with a workstation or desktop computer, the redirector program 12,
a TCP/IP subsystem 42, a primary message store 40, an E-mail
subsystem 44, a screen saver subsystem 48, and a keyboard subsystem
46.
[0049] In FIG. 1, the host system 10A is the user's desktop system,
typically located in the user's office. The desktop host system 10A
is connected to a LAN 14, which also connects to other computers
26, 28 that may be in the user's office or elsewhere. The LAN 14,
in turn, is connected to a wide area network ("WAN") 18, preferably
the Internet, which is defined by the use of the Transmission
Control Protocol/internet Protocol ("TCP/IP") to exchange
information, but which, alternatively, could be any other type of
WAN. The connection of the LAN 14 to the WAN 18 is via high
bandwidth link 16, typically a T1 or T3 connection. The WAN 18 in
turn is connected to a variety of gateways 20, via connections 32.
A gateway forms a connection or bridge between the WAN 18 and some
other type of network, such as an RF wireless network, cellular
network, satellite network, or other synchronous or asynchronous
land-line connection.
[0050] In the example of FIG. 1, a wireless gateway 20 is connected
to the Internet for communicating via wireless link 22 to a
plurality of wireless mobile data communication devices 24. Also
shown in FIG. 1 is machine 30, which could be a FAX machine, a
printer, a system for displaying images (such as video) or a
machine capable of processing and playing audio files, such as a
voice mail system.
[0051] The present invention includes the ability to redirect
certain message attachments to such an external machine 30 if the
redirector program configuration data reflects that the mobile
device 24 cannot receive and process the attachments, or if the
user has specified that certain attachments are not to be forwarded
to mobile device 24, even if such device can process those
attachments. By way of example, consider an E-mail sent to a user
that includes three attachments--a word processing document, a
video clip and an audio clip. The redirection program 12 could be
configured to send the text of the E-mail to the remote device 24,
to send the word processing document to a networked printer located
near the user, to send the video clip to a memory store accessible
through a secure connection through the internet and to send the
audio clip to the user's voice mail system. This example is not
intended to limit the breadth and scope of the invention, but
rather to illustrate the variety of possibilities embodied in the
redirection concept.
[0052] The preferred mobile data communication device 24 is a
hand-held two-way wireless paging computer, a wirelessly enabled
palm-top computer, a mobile telephone with data messaging
capabilities, or a wirelessly enabled laptop computer, but could,
alternatively be other types of mobile data communication devices
capable of sending and receiving messages via a network connection
22. Although it is preferable for the system to operate in a
two-way communications mode, certain aspects of the invention could
be beneficially used in a "one and one-half" or acknowledgment
paging environment, or even with a one-way paging system. The
mobile data communication device 24 includes software program
instructions that work in conjunction with the redirector program
12 to enable the seamless, transparent redirection of user-selected
data items. FIG. 4 describes the basic method steps of the
redirector program 12, and FIG. 5 describes the steps of the
corresponding program operating at the mobile device 24.
[0053] In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, not
explicitly shown in the drawings, the mobile device 24 also
includes a redirector program. In this embodiment, user selected
data items can be replicated from the host to the mobile device and
vice versa. The configuration and operation of the mobile device 24
having a redirector program is similar to that described herein
with respect to FIGS. 1-4.
[0054] A user of the present invention can configure the redirector
program 12 to push certain user-selected data items to the user's
mobile data communication device 24 when the redirector 12 detects
that a particular user-defined event trigger (or trigger point) has
taken place. User-selected data items preferably include E-mail
messages, calendar events, meeting notifications, address entries,
journal entries, personal alerts, alarms, warnings, stock quotes,
news bulletins, etc. Alternatively, the user-selected data items
could include any other type of message that is transmitted to the
host system 10A, or that the host system 10A acquires through the
use of intelligent agents, such as data that is received after the
host system 10A initiates a search of a database, a Web site or a
bulletin board. In some instances, only a portion of the data item
is transmitted to the mobile device 24 in order to minimize the
amount of data transmitted via the wireless network 22. In these
instances, the mobile device 24 can optionally send a command
message (C) to the host system 10A to retrieve more or all of the
data item if the user desires to receive it.
[0055] The user-defined event triggers include external events,
internal events and networked events. External events preferably
include: (1) receiving a command message (such as message C) from
the user's mobile data communication device to begin redirection,
or to execute some other command at the host, such as a command to
enable the "preferred list mode" (described below), or to add or
subtract a particular sender from the preferred list of the
preferred list mode; (2) receiving a similar message from some
external computer; and (3) sensing that the user is no longer in
the vicinity of the host system; although, alternatively, an
external event can be any other detectable occurrence that is
external to the host system 10.
[0056] Internal events may include a calendar alarm, screen saver
activation, keyboard timeout, programmable timer, or any other
user-defined event that is internal to the host system 10.
Networked events are user-defined messages that are transmitted to
the host system from another computer coupled to the host system
10A via a network to initiate redirection. These are just some of
the event triggers that could be used with the present invention to
initiate replication of the user-selected data items from the host
system 10A to the mobile device 24. Other types of triggers are
also within the scope of the present invention.
[0057] FIG. 1 shows an E-mail message A being communicated over LAN
14 from computer 26 to the user's desktop system 10A (also shown in
FIG. 1 is an external message C, which could be an E-mail message
from an Internet user, or could be a command message from the
user's mobile device 24). Once the message A (or C) reaches the
primary message store of the host system 10A, it can be detected
and acted upon by the redirection software 12. The redirection
software 12 can use many methods of detecting new messages. The
preferred method of detecting new messages is using
Microsoft's.RTM. Messaging API ("MAPI"), in which programs, such as
the redirector program 12, register for notifications or `advise
syncs` when changes to a mailbox take place. Other methods of
detecting new messages could also be used.
[0058] Assuming that the redirector program 12 is activated, and
has been configured by the user (either through the sensing of an
internal, external, or networked event) to replicate certain user
data items (including messages of type A or C) to the mobile device
24, when the message A is received at the host system 10A, the
redirector program 12 detects its presence and prepares the message
for redirection to the mobile device 24. In preparing the message
for redirection, the redirector program 12 may compress the
original message A, it may just compress the message header, or it
may encrypt the entire message A to create a secure link to the
mobile device 24.
[0059] The address of the user's mobile data communication device
24, the type of device, and whether the device 24 can accept
certain types of attachments, such as word processing or voice
attachments, are also programmed into the redirector 12. If the
user's type of mobile device cannot accept a particular type of
attachments, then the redirector 12 can be programmed to route
those attachments to a fax or voice number where the user is
located using an attached fax or voice machine 30.
[0060] The redirector 12 may also be programmed with a "preferred
list mode" operation that is configured by the user either at the
host system 10A, or remotely from the user's mobile data
communication device 24 by transmitting a command message C. The
"preferred list" in the "preferred list mode" contains a list of
senders (other users) whose messages are to be redirected, or it
may contain a list of mess age characteristics that determine
whether a message is to be redirected, or it may contain both a
list of senders and a list of message characteristics. For example,
a message characteristic may relate to the size of the message, or
the type of message, or whether the message has any attachments, or
whether the message is originating from a particular domain. If
activated, the preferred list mode causes the redirector program 12
to operate like a filter, only redirecting certain user data items
based on whether the data item was sent from a sender on the
preferred list or has certain message characteristics that if
present will trigger or suppress redirection of the message.
[0061] In the example of FIG. 1, if desktop system 26 was operated
by a user on the preferred list of host system 10A, and the
preferred list option was activated, then message A would be
redirected. If, however, desktop 26 was operated by a user not on
the host system's preferred list, then message A would not be
redirected, even if the user of the host system had configured the
redirector to push messages of type A. The user of the host system
10A can configure the preferred list directly from the desktop
system 10A, or, alternatively, the user can send a command message
(such as C) from the mobile device 24 to the desktop system 10A to
activate the preferred list mode, or to add or delete certain
senders or message characteristics from the previously configured
preferred list. In this manner, the user can remotely control the
operation of the preferred list mode filter so as to dynamically
alter the filtering characteristics of the redirector program
12.
[0062] After the redirector 12 has determined that a particular
message should be redirected, and it has prepared that message for
redirection, the software 12 then sends the message A to a
secondary memory store located in the mobile device 24. In doing
so, the redirector preferably repackages message A as an E-mail
with an outer envelope B that contains the addressing information
of the mobile device 24, although alternative repackaging
techniques and protocols could be used, such as a TCP/IP
repackaging and delivery method (most commonly used in the
alternative server configuration shown in FIG. 2). The wireless
gateway 20 requires this outer envelope information B in order to
know where to send the redirected message A. Once the message (A in
B) is received by the mobile device 24, the outer envelope B is
removed, and the original message A is placed in the secondary
memory store within the mobile device 24. By repackaging and
removing the outer envelope in this manner, the present invention
causes the mobile computer 24 to appear to be at the same physical
location as the host system 10, thus creating a transparent
system.
[0063] In the case where message C is representative of an external
message from a computer on the Internet 18 to the host system 10A,
and the host 10A has been configured to redirect messages of type
C, then in a similar manner to message A, message C would be
repackaged with an outer envelope B and transmitted to the user's
mobile device 24. In the case where message C is representative of
a command message from the user's mobile device 24 to the host
system 10A, the command message C is not redirected, but is acted
upon by the host system 10A.
[0064] If the redirected user data item is an E-mail message, as
described above, the user at the mobile device 24 sees the original
subject, sender's address, destination address, carbon copy and
blind carbon copy information. When the user replies to this
message, or when the user authors a new message, the software
operating at the mobile device 24 adds a similar outer envelope to
the reply message (or the new message) to cause the message to be
routed first to the user's host system 10A, which then removes the
outer envelope and redirects the message to the final destination,
such as back to computer 26. In the preferred embodiment, this
results in the outgoing redirected message from the user's host
system 10A being sent using the E-mail address of the host mailbox,
rather than the address of the mobile device, so that it appears to
the recipient of the message that the message originated from the
user's desktop system 10A rather than the mobile data communication
device 24. Any replies to the redirected message will then be sent
to the desktop system 10A, which if it is still in redirector mode,
will repackage the reply and re-send it to the user's mobile data
device 24, as described above.
[0065] FIG. 2 is an alternative system diagram showing the
redirection of user data items from a network server host system
10B to the user's mobile data communication device 24, where the
redirector software 12 is operating at the server 10B. This
configuration is particularly advantageous for use with message
servers such as Microsoft's.RTM. Exchange Server, which is normally
operated so that all user messages are kept in one central location
(or mailbox store) on the server instead of in a memory store
within each user's desktop PC. This configuration has the
additional advantage of allowing a single system administrator to
configure and keep track of all users having messages redirected.
If the system includes encryption keys, these too can be kept at
one place for management and update purposes.
[0066] In this alternative configuration, server 10B preferably
maintains a user profile for each user's desktop system 26, 28,
including information such as whether a particular user can have
data items redirected, which types of message and information to
redirect, what events will trigger redirection, the address of the
users' mobile data communication device 24, the type of mobile
device, and the user's preferred list, if any. The event triggers
are preferably detected at the user's desktop system 26, 28 and can
be any of the internal, external or networked events listed above.
The desktop systems 26, 28 preferably detect these events and then
transmit a message to the server host computer 10B via LAN 14 to
initiate redirection. Although the user data items are preferably
stored at the server host computer 10B in this embodiment, they
could, alternatively, be stored at each user's desktop system 26,
28, which would then transmit them to the server computer 10B after
an event has triggered redirection.
[0067] As shown in FIG. 2, desktop system 26 generates a message A
that is transmitted to and stored at the host system 10B, which is
the network server operating the redirector program 12. The message
A is for desktop system 28, but in this embodiment, user messages
are stored at the network server 10B. When an event occurs at
desktop system 28, an event trigger is generated and transmitted to
the network server 10B, which then determines who the trigger is
from, whether that desktop 28 has redirection capabilities, and if
so, the server 10B (operating the redirector program 12) uses the
stored configuration information to redirect message A to the
mobile computer 24 associated with the user of desktop system
28.
[0068] As described above with reference to FIG. 1, message C could
be either a command message from a user's mobile data communication
device 24, or it could be a message from an external computer, such
as a computer connected to the Internet 18. If the message C is
from an Internet computer to the user's desktop system 28, and the
user has redirection capabilities, then the server 10B detects the
message C, repackages it using electronic envelope B, and redirects
the repackaged message (C in B) to the user's mobile device 24. If
the message C is a command message from the user's mobile device
24, then the server host computer 10B simply acts upon the command
message using the redirector program 12.
[0069] Turning now to FIG. 3, a block diagram is set forth that
demonstrates the interaction of the redirector software 12 with
additional components of the desktop host system 10A shown in FIG.
1 (i.e., the desktop PC) to enable more fully the pushing of
information from the host system 10A to the user's mobile data
communication device 24. These additional components are
illustrative of the type of event-generating systems that can be
configured and used with the redirector software 12, and of the
type of repackaging systems that can be used to interface with the
mobile communication device 24 to make it appear transparent to the
user.
[0070] The desktop host system 10A is connected to LAN 14, and can
send and receive data, messages, signals, event triggers, etc., to
and from other systems connected to the LAN 14. Through the LAN,
the system 10A can also communicate with external networks 18, 22,
such as the Internet or a wireless data network. In addition to the
standard hardware, operating system, and application programs
associated with a typical microcomputer or workstation, the desktop
system 10A includes the redirector program 12, a TCP/IP sub-system
42, an E-mail sub-system 44, a primary data storage device 40, a
screen saver sub-system 48, and a keyboard sub-system 46. The
TCP/IP and E-mail subsystems 42, 44 are examples of repackaging
systems that can be used to achieve the transparency of the present
invention, and the screen saver and keyboard sub-systems 46, 48 are
examples of event generating systems that can be configured to
generate event messages or signals that trigger redirection of the
user selected data items.
[0071] The method steps carried out by the redirector program 12
are described in more detail in FIG. 4. The basic functions of this
program are: (1) to configure and setup the user-defined event
trigger points that will start redirection; (2) to configure the
types of user data items for redirection and optionally configure a
preferred list of senders whose messages are to be redirected; (3)
to configure the type and capabilities of the user's mobile data
communication device; (4) to receive messages and signals from the
repackaging systems and the event generating systems; and (5) to
command and control the redirection of the user-selected data items
to the mobile data communication 24 device via the repackaging
systems. Other functions not specifically enumerated could also be
integrated into this program.
[0072] The E-Mail sub-system 44 is the preferred link to
repackaging the user-selected data items for transmission to the
mobile data communication device 24, and preferably uses industry
standard mail protocols, such as SMTP, POP, IMAP, MIME and RFC-822,
to name but a few. The E-Mail sub-system 44 can receive messages A
from external computers on the LAN 14, or can receive messages C
from some external network such as the Internet 18 or a wireless
data communication network 22, and stores these messages in the
primary data store 40. Assuming that the redirector 12 has been
triggered to redirect messages of this type, the redirector detects
the presence of any new messages and instructs the E-Mail system 44
to repackage the message by placing an outer wrapper B about the
original message A (or C), and by providing the addressing
information of the mobile data communication device 24 on the outer
wrapper B. As noted above, this outer wrapper B is removed by the
mobile device 24, and the original message A (or C) is then
recovered, thus making the mobile device 24 appear to be the
desktop system 10A.
[0073] In addition, the E-Mail sub-system 44 receives messages back
from the mobile device 24 having an outer wrapper with the
addressing information of the desktop system 10A, and strips this
information away so that the message can be routed to the proper
sender of the original message A (or C). The E-Mail sub-system also
receives command messages C from the mobile device 24 that are
directed to the desktop system 10A to trigger redirection or to
carry out some other function. The functionality of the E-Mail
sub-system 44 is controlled by the redirector program 12.
[0074] The TCP/IP sub-system 42 is an alternative repackaging
system. It includes all of the functionality of the E-Mail
sub-system 44, but instead of repackaging the user-selected data
items as standard E-mail messages, this system 42 repackages the
data items using special-purpose TCP/IP packaging techniques. This
type of special-purpose sub-system is useful in situations where
security and improved speed are important to the user. The
provision of a special-purpose wrapper that can only be removed by
special software on the mobile device 24 provides added security,
and by bypassing E-mail store and forward systems, the speed of
delivery of messages can be improved.
[0075] As described previously, the present invention can be
triggered to begin redirection upon detecting numerous external,
internal and networked events, or trigger points. Examples of
external events include: receiving a command message from the
user's mobile data communication device 24 to begin redirection;
receiving a similar message from some external computer; sensing
that the user is no longer in the vicinity of the host system; or
any other event that is external to the host system. Internal
events could be a calendar alarm, screen saver activation, keyboard
timeout, programmable timer, or any other user-defined event that
is internal to the host system. Networked events are user-defined
messages that are transmitted to the host system from another
computer that is connected to the host system via a network to
initiate redirection. Sensing that the user is not in the vicinity
of the host system may be achieved by (1) an electronic camera
subsystem that detects whether the user has left a predetermined
area; (2) heat sensors that detects the lack of the user's heat
presence; (3) motion detector that monitors if the user has not
created any motion for a predetermined period of time; (4)
disconnection or detachment of the mobile device from a serial
cradle connected to the desktop computer or host system (prior to
the mobile device user departing, user would remove the device from
a serial cradle that permits a serial synchronization of the data
on the mobile with that in the host system); and, (5) short-range
RF detachment to the mobile device worn by the user as he departs
the vicinity of the host system.
[0076] The screen saver and keyboard sub-systems 46, 48 are
examples of systems that are capable of generating internal events.
Functionally, the redirector program 12 provides the user with the
ability to configure the screen saver and keyboard systems so that
under certain conditions an event trigger will be generated that
can be detected by the redirector 12 to start the redirection
process. For example, the screen saver system can be configured so
that when the screen saver is activated after, for example, 10
minutes of inactivity on the desktop system, an event trigger is
transmitted to the redirector 12, which starts redirecting the
previously selected user data items. In a similar manner, the
keyboard sub-system can be configured to generate event triggers
when no key has been depressed for a particular period of time,
thus indicating that redirection should commence. These are just
two examples of the numerous application programs and hardware
systems internal to the host system 10A that can be used to
generate internal event triggers.
[0077] FIGS. 4 and 5, set forth, respectively, flow charts showing
the steps carried out by the redirector software 12 operating at
the desktop host system 10A, and the steps carried out by the
mobile data communication device 24 in order to interface with the
host system. Turning first to FIG. 4, at step 50, the redirector
program 12 is started and initially configured. The initial
configuration of the redirector 12 includes: (1) defining the event
triggers that the user has determined will trigger redirection; (2)
selecting the user data items for redirection; (3) selecting the
repackaging sub-system, either standard E-Mail, or special-purpose
technique; (4) selecting the type of data communication device,
indicating whether and what type of attachments the device is
capable of receiving and processing, and inputting the address of
the mobile device 24; and (5) configuring the preferred list of
user selected senders whose messages are to be redirected.
[0078] FIG. 4 sets forth the basic steps of the redirector program
12 assuming it is operating at a desktop host system 10A, such as
shown in FIG. 1. If the redirector 12 is operating at a network
server host system 10B, as shown in FIG. 2, then additional
configuration steps may be necessary to enable redirection for a
particular desktop system 26, 28 connected to the server 10B,
including: (1) setting up a profile for the desktop system 26, 28
indicating its address, events that will trigger redirection, and
the data items that are to be redirected upon detecting an event;
(2) maintaining a storage area at the server 10B for the data
items; and (3) storing the type of data communication device 24 to
which the desktop system's data items are to be redirected, whether
and what type of attachments the device 24 is capable of receiving
and processing, and the address of the mobile device 24.
[0079] Once the redirector program is configured 50, the trigger
points (or event triggers) are enabled at step 52. The program 12
then waits 56 for messages and signals 54 to begin the redirection
process. A message could be an E-Mail message or some other user
data item that may have been selected for redirection, and a signal
could be a trigger signal, or could be some other type of signal
that has not been configured as an event trigger. When a message or
signal is detected, the program determines 58 whether it is one of
the trigger events that has been configured by the user to signal
redirection. If so, then at step 60 a trigger flag is set,
indicating that subsequently received user data items (in the form
of messages) that have been selected for redirection should be
pushed to the user's mobile data communication device 24.
[0080] If the message or signal 54 is not a trigger event, the
program then determines at steps 62, 68 and 66 whether the message
is, respectively, a system alarm 62, an E-Mail message 64, or some
other type of information that has been selected for redirection.
If the message or signal is none of these three items, then control
returns to step 56, where the redirector waits for additional
messages 54 to act upon. If, however the message is one of these
three types of information, then the program 12 determines, at step
68, whether the trigger flag has been set, indicating that the user
wants these items redirected to the mobile device 24. If the
trigger flag is set, then at step 70, the redirector 12 causes the
repackaging system (E-Mail or TCP/IP) to add the outer envelope to
the user data item, and at step 72 the repackaged data item is then
redirected to the user's mobile data communication device 24 via
LAN 14, WAN 18, wireless gateway 20 and wireless network 22.
Control then returns to step 56 where the program waits for
additional messages and signals to act upon.
[0081] Although not shown explicitly in FIG. 4, after step 68 the
program could, if operating in the preferred list mode, determine
whether the sender of a particular data item is on the preferred
list, and if not, then the program would skip over steps 70 and 72
and proceed directly back to step 56. If the sender is on the
preferred list, then control returns to steps 70 and 72 for
repackaging and transmission of the message from the preferred list
sender to the mobile device 24.
[0082] FIG. 5 sets forth the method steps carried out by the user's
mobile data communication device 24 in order to interface to the
redirector program 12 of the present invention. At step 80, the
mobile software is started and the mobile device 24 is configured
to operate with the system of the present invention, including, for
example, storing the address of the user's desktop system 10A.
[0083] At step 82, the mobile device waits for messages and signals
84 to be generated or received. Assuming that the redirector
software 12 operating at the user's desktop system 10A is
configured to redirect upon receiving a message from the user's
mobile device 24, then at step 86 the user can decide to generate a
command message that will start redirection at the host system 10A.
If the user does so, then at step 88 the redirection message is
composed and sent to the desktop system 10A via the wireless
network 22, through the wireless gateway 20, via the Internet 18 to
the LAN 14, and is finally routed to the desktop machine 10A.
[0084] In this situation where the mobile device 24 is sending a
message directly to the desktop system 10A, no outer wrapper is
added to the message (such as message C in FIGS. 1 and 2). In
addition to the redirection signal, the mobile device 24 could
transmit any number of other commands to control the operation of
the host system 10A, and in particular the redirector program 12.
For example, the mobile 24 could transmit a command to put the host
system 10A into the preferred list mode state, and then could
transmit additional commands to add or subtract certain senders or
certain message characteristics from the preferred list. In this
manner, the mobile device 24 can dynamically limit the amount of
information being redirected to it by altering the preferred
list.
[0085] Other example commands include: (1) a message to change the
configuration of the host system 10A to enable the mobile device 24
to receive and process certain attachments; and (2) a message to
instruct the host system 10A to redirect an entire data item to the
mobile device 24 in the situation where only a portion of a
particular data item has been previously redirected.
[0086] Turning back to FIG. 5, if the user signal or message is not
a direct message to the desktop system 10A to begin redirection (or
some other command), then control is passed to step 90, which
determines if a message has been received. If a message is received
by the mobile, and it is a message from the user's desktop 10A, as
determined at step 92, then at step 94 a desktop redirection flag
is set "on" for this message, and control passes to step 96 where
the outer envelope is removed. Following step 96, or in the
situation where the message is not from the user's desktop 10A, as
determined at step 92, control passes to step 98, which displays
the message for the user on the mobile device's display. The mobile
unit 24 then returns to step 82 and waits for additional messages
or signals.
[0087] If the mobile device 24 determines that a message has not
been received at step 90, then control passes to step 100, where
the mobile 24 determines whether there is a message to send. If
not, then the mobile unit returns to step 82 and waits for
additional messages or signals. If there is at least one message to
send, then at step 102 the mobile 24 determines whether it is a
reply message to a message that was received by the mobile unit. If
the message to send is a reply message, then at step 108, the
mobile 24 determines whether the desktop redirection flag is on for
this message. If the redirection flag is not on, then at step 106
the reply message is simply transmitted from the mobile device 24
to the destination address via the wireless network 22. If,
however, the redirection flag is on, then at step 110 the reply
message is repackaged with the outer envelope having the addressing
information of the user's desktop system 10A, and the repackaged
message is then transmitted to the desktop system 10A at step 106.
As described above, the redirector program 12 executing at the
desktop system then strips the outer envelope and routes the reply
message to the appropriate destination address using the address of
the desktop system 10A as the "from" field, so that to the
recipient of the redirected message, it appears as though it
originated from the user's desktop system rather than the mobile
data communication device.
[0088] If, at step 102, the mobile 24 determines that the message
is not a reply message, but an original message, then control
passes to step 104, where the mobile 24 determines if the user is
using the redirector software 12 at the desktop system 10A, by
checking the mobile unit's configuration. If the user is not using
the redirector software 12, then the message is simply transmitted
to the destination address at step 106. If, however, the mobile
determines that the user is using the redirector software 12 at the
desktop system 10A, then control passes to step 110, where the
outer envelope is added to the message. The repackaged original
message is then transmitted to the desktop system 10A at step 106,
which, as described previously, strips the outer envelope and
routes the message to the correct destination. Following
transmission of the message at step 106, control of the mobile 24
returns to step 82 and waits for additional messages or
signals.
[0089] Now with reference to FIGS. 6-8, there will be described an
alternative two-host Internet-based system using many of the
features of the system described in the network-based host system
10B configuration shown in FIG. 2. In the system shown in FIGS.
6-8, however, instead of a single host system 10B for storing the
user's messages and for operating the redirector program 12, there
are two hosts, a messaging host 230, where the user's data items
are stored, and a wireless redirector host system 240, where a
wireless redirector program 242 operates. These two host system are
preferably coupled together via the Internet 218. The wireless
redirector program 242 is similar in many respects to the
redirector program 12 described above, but is configured for
communicating with a wireless gateway 260 coupled to a wireless
data network 222.
[0090] With reference to FIG. 6, there is shown an example system
diagram showing the redirection of user data items, such as message
A, from user A's desktop PC 204 to user B's mobile data
communication device 220, or alternatively, message B from user B's
mobile communication device 220 to user A. In this example, the
messaging host system 230 maintains and stores data items received
from the Internet 218 for user B in a message inbox. In this
particular system example, the messaging host system 230 is
preferably an ISP or an ASP that provides connectivity to the
Internet 218 for a plurality of users, including user B. In another
embodiment of the present invention, the messaging host 230 may be
a web-based E-mail hosting service such as MSN Hotmail.TM. or a
variety of other known web-based E-mail hosting systems. In another
embodiment of the invention, the E-mail hosting service supplies a
strictly wireless solution.
[0091] In this embodiment of the invention, the messaging host
system 230 is configured so as to forward a copy of all incoming
data items destined for user B's inbox to a second host referred to
herein as a wireless redirector host system 240. The wireless
redirector host system 240 includes the wireless redirector program
242. Advantageously, data items destined for a user of the
messaging host system 230 having a mobile communication device are
continuously "pushed" to the wireless redirector host system 240 as
they arrive at the messaging host system 230. Upon arrival at the
redirector host system 240, a wireless redirector software program
242 operating at the system 240 determines whether such data items
are user-selected data items to be pushed via a wireless network
222 to the user's mobile communications device 220. In this manner,
user-selected data items are advantageously pushed out to the
mobile communication device 220 contemporaneously as they arrive to
the messaging host system 230 so that the user need not be
concerned about delays in receiving user-selected data items on the
user's mobile communication device 220.
[0092] The wireless redirector host system 240 acts primarily as a
bridge for data items received from the Internet 218 and those
specific data items that have been user pre-selected to be
redirected (via filtering rules to be described later) to the
user's mobile communications device via the wireless network 222.
These filtering rules are similar to the "preferred list mode"
operation described above with respect to the systems shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2. The wireless redirector host system 240 may thus be
considered a "virtual" service provider, providing redirection
service for an external service such as E-mail services hosted by
messaging host system 230.
[0093] Message A in FIG. 6 represents a data item, such as an
E-mail message, sent from user A's desktop PC 204 having user B as
the recipient. Because user B has a mailbox on the messaging host
system 230, the message A will be directed via the Internet to the
host system 230. The flow of this message A is shown in a single
solid line 206.
[0094] Message B in FIG. 6 represents an external message created
on and sent from user B's mobile data communications device 220
having user A as a recipient. Alternatively, message B also may
represent a command message from user B's mobile data communication
device 220 to the wireless redirector host system 240. The flow of
this message B is shown in a single dashed line 258.
[0095] As shown in more detail in FIG. 7, the wireless redirector
host system 240 preferably includes, along with the typical
hardware and software associated with an Internet gateway, the
wireless redirector software 242 which includes a mail handler,
preferably a sendmail daemon (not shown), a local delivery agent
(not shown), a plurality of wireless mail stores 248 (preferably
one for each mobile user such as user B), a filter database 250,
and a mobile user profile database 254.
[0096] Also as described in more detail in FIG. 7, the messaging
host system 230 is preferably a Unix system that includes a
sendmail daemon 232, a ".forward" file 238, and a memory storage
area 236 for storing the data items of certain users that are
having messages redirected to their mobile data communication
devices 220.
[0097] Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, the two-host system
invention will first be described by way of example with reference
to message A. FIG. 6 shows an E-mail message A being communicated
over the Internet 218 from user A's desktop PC 204 destined for
user B's inbox, which is located on the messaging host system 230.
Once the message A reaches a mail handler 232 at the messaging host
230, such as a sendmail daemon 232 in a preferred embodiment, it
can be detected and acted upon by this system 230.
[0098] One of the objectives of the present invention is to be as
non-obtrusive as possible to the messaging host system 230 so as to
make the invention simple to install and implement for ISPs and
ASPs. The messaging host system 230 may be configured in many ways
to detect such messages. Since not all users of an ISP or ASP will
have a mobile communication device 220, it is preferable that the
system 230 includes a unique user file that is accessed and
modified upon the arrival of any new message. The preferred method
of detecting new messages, such as message A, is using Unix's
".forward" file 238. Preferably, the redirection (or forwarding) of
data items is accomplished by modifying the ".forward" file 238
typically found in the user's root directory at the messaging host
system 230, such as an ISP. The ".forward" file is a simple ASCII
text file comprising at least a list of one or more E-mail
addresses (with some control information). The sendmail daemon 232
checks for the existence of this file 238, and uses its content to
forward data items to the appropriate locations. Other methods of
detecting and forwarding new data items destined for a user having
a mobile communications device 220 could also be used and such
other methods are well within the scope of the present
invention.
[0099] An example of the content of the ".forward" file modified
for the present invention is: [0100] \username\isp.net
username@wirelessredirectorhost.net In this example, the sendmail
daemon 232 would redirect a copy of any incoming data items to
those two addresses, namely "username@isp.net" and
"username@wirelessredirectorhost.net." In the latter case, the data
item would, preferably, be sent via the Internet to the wireless
redirector host system 240 for further handling by the wireless
redirector software program 242. The former address requires the
sendmail daemon 232 to send the data item to user B's inbox of the
local data item store 236. User B may access his data items in the
inbox as he traditionally does--by, for example, POP3 or IMAP. In
this manner, the forwarding activity is transparent to the user.
The user B when viewing the inbox data items at his desktop PC 202
would know of the redirecting activity only by the message text
that may be added to the messages as they are redirected by the
mail handler.
[0101] Assuming that the redirector program 242 is activated at the
wireless redirector host system 240, and has been configured by the
user to replicate certain user data items (such as message A) to
the mobile communications device 220, when the message A is
received at the wireless redirector host system 240, the redirector
program 242 detects message A's presence and prepares the message
for a second redirection to the mobile device 220. In preparing the
message for the second redirection, the redirector program 242 may
compress the original message A, it may compress the message
header, or it may encrypt the entire message A to create a secure
link to the mobile device 220. However, before the redirector
program 242 compresses or encrypts the message A and redirects it
to the mobile device 220, it examines stored user information and
filtering rules that are associated with the recipient, user B, so
as to determine how the message A should be handled.
[0102] A) Filtering
[0103] Preferably, before the redirector program 242 begins
preparing the message A for redirection, the redirector 242
examines the data item with respect to rules contained on a user B
configurable filtering agent 250 (see, FIG. 7) which essentially is
a database of rules that are to be applied for each user's incoming
data items. The filtering agent 250 is preferably accessible by the
user via the World Wide Web in a filter web page 252. The filter
web page 252 allows the user, if the user so desires, to access and
apply a plurality of filtering rules or any combination thereof
that are to be applied to all incoming data items destined for that
user. Preferably, in addition to filtering rules, web page 252
allows user B to switch between an active or a de-active state for
the redirection of user B's incoming messages. This switching
feature is particularly useful during instances where user B is at
his desktop PC 202 and accessing his inbox of the local store 236
and desires that the redirection of incoming mail to his mobile
device 220 is temporarily deactivated. The following criteria are
exemplary of the types of filtering rules that may be available to
the user: sender(s); how addressed (To, CC, BCC); subject
keyword(s); message keyword(s); and importance (high, low,
normal).
[0104] In any event, the filtering agent 250 is preferably hosted
by the wireless redirector host system 240, but may be hosted by
alternative host systems, including the messaging host system 230
so long as the redirector program 242 has access to the most
current set of rules and can make a determination whether any
particular data item has satisfied all user-defined filtering
rules. Alternatively, the filtering agent 250 may be combined with
the user profile database 254. Data items that do not clear the
filtering rules are marked as "handled" by the redirector program
242 in the wireless data item store 248, and are not further
handled by the redirector 242.
[0105] B) User Profile
[0106] Also accessible by the redirector program 242 is the address
of the user's mobile data communication device 220, the user's SMTP
address, the type of device 220, and whether the device 220 can
accept certain types of attachments, such as word processing or
voice attachments. This information is preferably maintained in a
user profile database 254 (see, FIG. 7). Such user information may
be preferably created, updated and removed via a web-based user
administration page 256. Web page 256 is preferably
access-restricted to the system administrator of the messaging host
system 230 who may from time to time add new users to the
redirection service. In addition to the above user information, the
system administrator preferably has a switch control feature on the
web page 256 to deactivate or activate redirection of the data
items from the host system 230 that takes precedence over the
user's selection on web page 252. This, advantageously, allows the
system administer to maintain control over the value-added service
described herein.
[0107] If the user's type of mobile device 220 cannot accept
certain types of attachments, then the redirector program 242 can
be programmed to route the attachments to a fax or voice number
where the user is located. The user may provide such information
details to the redirector program 242 via a return message.
[0108] C) Redirection
[0109] After the redirector program 242 has determined that a
particular message should be redirected, and it has prepared the
message for redirection, the software 242 preferably converts F the
message from MIME to CMIME (MIME is a standard Internet mail
format, and CMIME is a compressed version of MIME), and then sends
the message A to a memory store located in the mobile
communications device 220 via the wireless gateway 250 and the
wireless data network 222. In doing so, the redirector program 242
preferably packages message A as a message with an outer envelope
A' that contains the addressing information of the mobile device
220. In the preferred embodiment, the outer envelope is GME. The
wireless gateway 260 requires this outer envelope information A' in
order to know where to send the redirected message A. Once the
repackaged message (message A in A') is received by the mobile
device 220, the outer envelope A' is removed, and the original
message A is placed in the second memory store within the mobile
device 220. By removing the outer envelope A' and presenting to the
user of mobile device 220 message A, the present invention causes
the mobile device 220 to appear to be at the same physical location
as the messaging host system 230, or PC 202 in a transparent,
seamlessly integrated Internet account hosted by messaging host
system 230.
[0110] D) Outgoing Data Item from Mobile
[0111] If the redirected user data item is an E-mail message, as
described above, then the user at the mobile device 220 sees the
original subject line, sender's address, destination address, and
carbon copy address. Preferably and desirably, the redirection of
the E-mail message A is transparent to the mobile communication
device user. When the user, at the mobile device 220, replies to
message A, or when the user authors a new message (a reply or a new
message collectively referred to as "message B"), the software
operating at the mobile device 220 adds a similar outer envelope
(message B') to the reply message B (or the new message B) to cause
message B to be routed to the wireless redirector host system 240
via the wireless network 222, which then removes the outer envelope
B', repackages message B as message B'', and redirects message B''
to the final destination, such as user A's PC desktop 204.
[0112] The general flow of such transmission is shown as a dotted
line in FIG. 6. In this embodiment of the invention, the removal of
the outer envelope B' and repackaging of message B into envelope
B'' results in the outgoing redirected message B'' from the
wireless redirector host system 240 being sent using the E-mail
address of the user's mailbox on messaging host system 230, rather
than the address of the mobile device 220, so that it appears to
the recipient of the message B'' that the message originated from
the user's desktop system 202 or from the messaging host system 230
itself (as would be the case of a web-based E-mail hosting system)
rather than the mobile data communication device 220. This is
accomplished by the redirector modifying the "from" and "reply to"
identifiers associated with the message B to now have the SMTP
address of user B's messaging host system 230 E-mail account.
Advantageously, any replies to the message B'' will then be sent to
user B's inbox on messaging host system 230, which, if it is still
in redirector mode, will repackage the reply and resend it to user
B's mobile data device 220, as described above.
[0113] In this embodiment, a copy of message B (labelled B''') is
redirected to user B's inbox at messaging host system 230 for
retrieval and access by user B at some later time--for recording
keeping purposes. In doing so, the redirector program 242
preferably repackages message B as message B''' so as to now have
modified addressing information. In this preferred instance, the
modified addressing information would include changing the "from"
header information to read something to the following effect: "Sent
from mobile communications device to recipient" where `recipient`
would be the recipient's address of message B''. This message B'''
is forwarded, preferably via the Internet 218, to the messaging
host system 230.
[0114] As shown in FIG. 7, the messaging host system is preferably
configured as an ISP. Here, the ISP system 230 includes a sendmail
daemon 232, which forwards the copy B''' to the local data item
store 236 by a local delivery agent (not shown). Further, user B
may preferably configure his local inbox of data items at the
desktop 202 to store such copy messages in a specific inbox for
mobile data communications device data items. Of course in the
illustrative example of messaging host system 230 configured to
redirect all incoming data items to wireless redirector host system
240, sendmail daemon 232 would detect a new message and the
".forward" file 238 would again be accessed and the forwarding
information therein acted upon. Consequently, message B''' is
redirected (not shown) to redirector host system 240. At the
redirector host system 240, the redirector 242 is preferably
programmed to detect that such a message B''' is a redirection of
message B''' sent therefrom. As such, the redirector 242 ignores
this re-redirected message. Alternatively, the mail handler 232 at
the messaging host system 230 is configured to detect such messages
and to not redirect such messages.
[0115] It is to be understood that a plurality of messaging host
systems 230 may use a single redirector host system 240 for
redirection of users' E-mail messages. Further still, a single
redirector program 242 may be used to service the plurality of
messaging host systems 230.
[0116] Turning now to FIG. 8, a flow chart is set forth showing the
steps carried out by the redirector program 242 operating at the
redirector host system 240 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The basic steps
carried out by the mobile communications device 220 in order to
interface with the redirector host system 240 may be accomplished
by substantially the same steps as shown in FIG. 5, although
modified for this two-host aspect of the invention.
[0117] The flow chart in FIG. 8 assumes that the redirector program
242 has been activated and is operating. Additional configuration
steps will be necessary to enable redirection services for a new
messaging host system 230. These additional configuration steps
include: (1) setting up a profile for the new messaging host system
230 indicating its address, etc. (2) setting up individual user
profiles, (3) initiating default filtering rules for incoming
messages from the messaging host system for the users, and (4)
making available both the filtering rule 252 and user profile 256
web pages. The flow chart also assumes the necessary steps have
been undertaken to configure the messaging host system 230 to
forward a copy of all incoming messages to the redirector host
system 240 (i.e., the Unix ".forward" file has been properly
configured).
[0118] Once the messaging host system 230 is configured 268 and the
redirector program 242 is configured 270, the program 242 then
waits for data items at step 272. As discussed earlier, data items
need not be limited to E-mail messages but may also include signals
that are representative of user profile changes or filtering rule
changes.
[0119] When a data item is detected, the program determines at
steps 274, 276 and 278 whether the data item is, respectively, a
user profile change 274, a message from the Internet 276, or a
message from the wireless mobile device 278. If the data item is a
user profile change, then the appropriate user profile change is
made at 280. Control then returns to step 272 where the program
waits for additional data items. If the data item is a message from
the Internet, then the appropriate user profile information is
checked and applied at step 290. The program then checks if the
filter rules have changed at step 292. If so, the filter rules are
reloaded. Next, the filter rules are applied at step 296. If the
message does not clear all applicable redirection filter rules at
step 297, the preparation and redirection steps 298 and 300,
respectively, are skipped. The message is thus ignored and control
is returned to the redirector program 242 at step 272. Assuming,
however, that the message (or at least a portion thereof) is to be
redirected, then the message is prepared for redirection at step
298. In the preparation step 298, the redirector program 242 adds
the outer envelope to the message for wireless transmission. At
step 300, the repackaged message is then forwarded to the user's
mobile device 220 via LAN 258, wireless gateway 260 and wireless
network 222. Control then returns to step 272 where the program
waits for additional data items to act upon.
[0120] If, at step 278, there is a determination that the data item
is a message from the mobile device 220, then the message is
prepared for Internet redirection at step 284. Preparation would
preferably include changing the "from" and "reply to" fields of the
message to replicate the address of the user's SMTP address at the
messaging host system 230--the resulting message referred to as
message B'' in FIG. 6. Also, the preparation step may include
making a second copy of the message, such message referred to as
message B''' in FIG. 6. In this second copy, the "from" field is
changed to, preferably, "Sent from the mobile device to Recipient"
where `Recipient` is the SMTP address of the recipient of message
B''. At step 286, previous messages or attachments are appended. At
step 288, one message is forwarded to the recipient (message B'')
and the copy of the message (message B''') is forwarded to the
user's messaging host system 230 destined for the user's local data
item store 236 for record keeping purposes. Control then returns to
step 272, where the program waits for additional data items to act
upon. If, at step 278, there is a determination that the data item
is not a message from the wireless device, other functions may be
performed by the redirector program 242 if so programmed to do so.
For instance, the message could be a command message such as
described earlier in this application where additional text of the
E-mail message may be transmitted to the mobile device 220.
[0121] Although not explicitly shown in the flowchart, if at step
276 there is a determination that the message is from the Internet,
then the redirector program 242 would check whether the message is
a re-redirected message from the messaging host system 230. If so,
all-subsequent steps are skipped (the message is ignored) and
control is returned to step 272. In this manner, re-redirected
messages are not redirected to the mobile device 220. Alternatively
implemented, this determination could be undertaken at step 296 as
part of the default filtering rules. It is to be understood that
the user profile and filtering rules could alternatively be
combined together, thus eliminating a step(s). This is, of course,
well within the scope of the present invention.
[0122] Although not shown, the additional step of maintaining the
wireless data item store 248 is another step(s) that the redirector
would preferably manage. At a predetermined storage threshold
either by date or size, each user's earliest stored data item would
be deleted to make room for newer incoming data items.
[0123] Referring now to FIGS. 9-12, there will be described an
alternative multi-host Internet-based system using many of the
features of the system described in the two-host Internet-based
system configuration shown in FIGS. 6-8. In the redirector system
200 shown in FIGS. 9-12, instead of a two-host system for storing
the mobile device user's messages and for operating the redirector
program 12, there is a multiplicity of hosts, with each one
performing part of the distributed tasks of redirector program 12.
The redirector system 200 is capable of handling a multiplicity of
messaging hosts 230, where the mobile device user's data items are
stored. Each messaging host 230 may correspond to an ISP or an ASP
with its own set of users, a subset of which are configured to have
their E-mail forwarded for wireless redirection to their respective
mobile devices 220 via the mail handler 232 according to the
forward file 238, as described above with reference to FIGS. 6-8.
However, in the multi-host Internet-based system 200, instead of
using a single wireless redirector host system 240, and a single
wireless redirector program 242, the redirector program has been
embodied into a multiplicity of redirector send agents 245 and
redirector receive agents 249, a pair of which can be hosted on
separate redirector agent host servers 243. This multi-host
configuration provides the significant advantage of allowing the
redirector system 200 to be scaleable and easily configured to
support multiple ISPs and/or ASPs each having multiple sites, with
each site having an associated Internet domain name. A single
redirector agent host server can support several pairs of send and
receive agents, each pair of agents serving an ISP or ASP site. The
mapping of redirector host servers to sites and the configuration
of redirector agents is accomplished via the web-based
administration 257 of the administration information database 259.
Although multiple host arrangements are described hereinafter
primarily in the context of an illustrative example of ISPs, it is
to be understood that similar arrangements may also be applied to
ASPs.
[0124] SMTP is the only system interface that a messaging host such
as an ISP needs to support in order to interface with redirector
system 200 during normal operation. Advantageously, a web browser
is the only user interface 253 an ISP needs to support in order to
configure the redirector system 200. Similarly, a web browser is
the user interface 256 a user needs to support in order to
configure the redirector system 200.
[0125] By using a hierarchy of stored configuration information in
the databases 259, 255, 254 and 250, the web interfaces 257, 256,
253 and 252 allow a plurality of system 200 administrative accounts
to manage a plurality of site manager accounts, which in turn
manage a plurality of site dependent mobile device user accounts.
At each level down, the web-based interfaces provide access to only
those elements of the databases for which the account has
authority.
[0126] Administrative accounts have authority to manage site
manager accounts, redirector agent host server configuration
records, and set site configuration default values. Site manager
accounts have authority to override certain site configuration
records, manage user accounts, and set user configuration default
values. User accounts have authority to override certain user
records. The next three paragraphs illustrate the type of
information and authority associated with the three accounts
described above.
[0127] The access to administrative operations is limited to system
200 operators who have an administrative account comprising an
administrator name and password useable on web-based administration
page 257 in order to gain access to the administration database
259. An administrator of system 200 manages records for configuring
redirector agent host servers, and manages accounts for site
managers, which access the site information database 255 via
web-based site information page 253.
[0128] Site managers represent ISP hosted Internet domains and
manage site information records for further configuring redirector
agents, and manage accounts for mobile device 220 users who wish to
use system 200 for redirecting their data items. The site
information record includes such items as, for example, an optional
Internet domain name and a default tag line to be appended at the
end of every E-mail.
[0129] A site mobile user, when provided with an account by a site
manager, can access the user information database 254 via web based
user administration page 256, in order to update those fields of
their user information record for which they have authority. For
instance, a user might wish to override the default site wide tag
line stored in the site info record corresponding to his site,
thereby enabling the tag-line customization feature. The user might
ago wish to override the default domain name based E-mail address
provided by his site manager by specifying his single SMTP address,
thereby enabling domain-massaging feature.
[0130] As used in this description, the phrase domain-massaging is
defined as the feature which allows an ISP or a site manager to
customize the "sent from" and "reply to" addresses for messages
generated at a mobile device by a mobile device user. This new
feature functionality allows an ISP to effectively offer "single
E-mail address" functionality to their mobile device users that
have an E-mail address, which is different from the ISP's default
domain address. For example, a first mobile device user with
"single E-mail address" user@userscompany.com, can go through ISP's
forwarding service over domain isp.com where the user has
traditionally the E-mail address user isp.com. In one embodiment,
the ISP can activate the domain-massaging feature of the redirector
receive agent to replace user isp.com with user@usercompany.com in
the "sent from" and "reply to" fields for E-mail messages generated
(i.e., originally created, or replied from) at the mobile device
user's mobile device, thereby (1) allowing the user to
advantageously use only one E-mail address when creating messages
at either his mobile device or at his traditional non-wireless
E-mail generation means and (2) making it appear as though the user
has a "single E-mail address", user@user company.com.
[0131] Closely related to the domain-massaging feature is the tag
line customization feature, which as used herein, is defined as the
feature which allows an ISP to provide a default tag line to be
appended to all of its mobile device users' messages generated at
and sent from the mobile device, as well as the user's ability to
customize the tag line. Preferably, the tag line is appended to the
messages after arrival from the wireless network such as at the
redirector system, but prior to transmission to the intended
recipient. This advantageously permits over-the-air bandwidth
transmission savings. For instance, an ISP may wish to have a
default tag line which reads, for instance, "This mobile message
brought to you by http://www.isp.com/" thereby creating a sales
opportunity at every E-mail message sent by every one of their new
mobile users. A mobile user can then customize the tag line by, for
instance, including a signature such as:
[0132] With regards,
[0133] User Name
[0134] tel.: xxx.yyy.zzz wwww
[0135] e-mail: user@isp.com
[0136] FIG. 11 illustrates the steps taken by a redirector receive
agent 249 in order to accomplish the two features described in the
previous paragraphs, namely domain-massaging and tag-line
customization. In this example, the redirector receive agent can be
considered to accomplish steps 284, 286, and 288 of the redirector
program 242 illustrated in FIG. 8, as well as the additional
domain-massaging and tag line customization features to be
described.
[0137] At step 300, the redirector receive agent is notified that a
wireless message is available for redirection in wireless data item
store 248. This step consists of getting the message data 310
comprised of a content type, a stream, and a user id. This example
assumes that the message type is an E-mail message originated from
the user's mobile device 220. At the next step 320, the user id 312
obtained in step 300 is used as a key to obtain a user record 330
from the user information database 254. At step 340, site id 332
obtained in step 320 is used as a key to obtain site information
record 350 from the site information database 255. Step 400,
comprised of steps 410, 420, 430 and 440, sets the user's E-mail
address upon the condition of the site information record 350
having a blank domain name. If the domain name is blank, then the
SMTP address found in the user record 330 is used as the E-mail
address. If a domain name is found in site record 350, then a
juxtaposition of user name and domain name is utilized as the
E-mail address. Step 440 replaces the "send from/reply to"
addresses of the message to the E-mail address. Collectively, step
400 accomplishes the domain-massaging feature. Steps 500, comprised
of steps 510, 520, 530 and 540 collectively accomplish the tag-line
customization. In step 510, the user tag line found in user record
330 is examined. If the user tag line is blank, then the site tag
line found in record 350 is utilized. If the user tag line is not
blank, then it is utilized instead of the site tag line. The
utilized tag line is appended to the message at step 540. Finally,
step 288 proceeds to send the message to the recipient designated
in the message via the Internet, as described in reference to FIG.
8.
[0138] Although not explicitly shown in the drawings, it is
considered a variation of the present invention that is within the
scope of the invention to perform other types of automated
information substitution in message data items of which two
examples have been illustrated in the case of domain-massaging and
tag line customization in the redirector receive agent.
[0139] As illustrated in FIG. 12, the system 200 advantageously
permits at least one ISP, such as ISP A 600, to provide wireless
redirection for its customer base and customized single E-mail
address transparency for a plurality of companies, such as Company
A and Company B, by managing a distinct site for each company, in
this case ISP A site 610, Company A site 612, and Company B site
614, with corresponding site manager accounts on the redirector
system 200. Mobile device users associated to each of those sites
can configure their E-mail tag lines, and their E-mail addresses
obtained by juxtaposing their E-mail name and their custom site's
domain name, by taking advantage of domain-massaging and tag line
customization respectively, via the web-based user interface
256.
[0140] Continuing with the same example, if ISP A having a
corresponding messaging host 230 wishes to offer wireless
redirection to its base users, the web-based site admin page 257 is
used to create a site manager account for the ISP by the system 200
administrator in the administration information database 259 via
the user interface 257. The interface 257 is also used to create
site manager accounts for other sites managed by the ISP, such as
Company A or Company B. The web-based administration page 257 is
also used to configure the name and authentication information of
the redirector agent host server 243, and associated redirector
send and receive agents corresponding to each site. Then the ISP
need only: a) provide configuration site information to the site
info database 255 via the web based site information page 253, the
site information corresponding to ISP site infrastructure such as
the IP address of the mail handler 232, associated site domain
name, and the creation of individual mobile device user accounts
for its mobile device users; and b) add an entry for each of its
mobile device users in the forward file 238. After the ISP mobile
device user accounts 616, 616', 616'' are created for each site,
the ISP mobile device users can update their respective user
information 254 using the web-based user admin page 256.
[0141] To further illustrate this aspect of the present invention,
an example is provided. ISP A provides wireless redirection service
of messages traditionally only hosted at and accessed via the ISP
to mobile devices assigned to its traditional ISP customer base.
Some of the ISP customers have customized domain names (i.e.,
domain.com) wherein the ISP hosts a web site (i.e., www.domain.com)
and a plurality of E-mail addresses associated with the customized
domain names (i.e., john@domain.com). Such customers who opt for
the wireless redirection of their E-mail messages may continue to
use their customized E-mail addresses when generating and receiving
E-mail messages at their mobile device. When the systems 200 and
230 are configured for wireless redirection of E-mail directed to
domain.com, a method for redirecting messages between a ISP host
system and a mobile data communication device is provided, the
method comprising the steps of: configuring redirection settings
for one or more mobile device users at the host system; receiving
incoming messages directed to a first address at the ISP host
system from a plurality of message senders; in response to the
redirection setting, continuously redirecting the incoming messages
from the ISP host system to the mobile data communication device
via a redirector host system; receiving outgoing messages generated
at the mobile communications device at the redirector host system;
configuring address information of the outgoing messages so that
the first address is used as an originating address of the outgoing
messages; and transmitting the configured outgoing messages to
message recipients.
[0142] The systems described above with reference to FIGS. 6-12
redirect data items from a messaging host system to a mobile
communication device through a wireless redirection host system.
Redirected data items are compressed and repackaged in the
redirection host system before being forwarded to the wireless
gateway for delivery to the mobile device, as shown as the message
A in A' in FIG. 6 for example.
[0143] In some redirection system implementations, however, it may
be desirable to provide a secure link to a mobile device. A
redirected data item must then be encrypted using an encryption key
at some point within the redirection system and then decrypted at a
mobile device using a decryption key corresponding to the
encryption key. A common problem encountered in securing such
communications relates to providing the required decryption key to
the mobile device.
[0144] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a redirection system adapted
for securely redirecting data items from a messaging host system to
a mobile device over a wireless link. The system of FIG. 13 is
substantially similar to the system in FIG. 6, but provides for an
encryption key exchange between the redirection host system 240 and
the mobile device 220 as described in further detail below.
[0145] In FIG. 13, a user is configured for redirection as
described above. In order to provide for secure communications over
the wireless link, a mobile device 220 is then preferably connected
to the user's desktop PC 202 in the above example. This connection
may, for example, be a serial connection 203 to a port on the
desktop PC 202 through a suitable connector such as a holder or
cradle in which the device may be positioned by the user. Since the
serial connection would normally be a relatively short link and can
generally be monitored directly by the user, this link is a
so-called "trusted" link or connection, over which an encryption
key can be loaded onto a device 220. Although the device 220 is
shown in two positions in FIG. 13, it should be apparent that both
instances may represent the same mobile device 220 in this
illustrative example.
[0146] According to a symmetric key encryption scheme, the device
220 shares secret information (a key), such as a random number,
with the component in the system that encrypts redirected data
items and decrypts data items generated at the mobile device 220.
In an embodiment of the invention, the key is generated at the
redirection host system 240 by the redirector 242. The shared key
might instead be generated at the user's desktop PC 202, dependent
upon the user's movement of the PC's mouse and/or keystrokes
entered at the desktop PC for example. Generation of the key at the
messaging host system 230, at the wireless gateway 260, or on the
mobile device 220 itself is also contemplated.
[0147] Regardless of where the key is generated, it must then
somehow be provided to both the device 220 and the encryption
component within the system. This symmetric key distribution will
now be described in terms of an illustrative example. In the
following description, it is assumed that the key is generated by
the redirector 242 in the redirection host system 240.
[0148] When the key has been generated, it is stored at the
redirector host system 240 for use in encrypting redirected data
items. A secure message containing the key is then sent to the
device 220 through the PC 202 and serial connection 203. This
secure message transfer may be accomplished using Internet Message
Access Protocol (IMAP) over Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or a secure
web page for example. The key is then extracted from the secure
message by either the PC 202 or the mobile device 220 and stored in
the mobile device 220.
[0149] After the key has been stored at both the redirector host
system 240 and the mobile device 220, any redirected data items may
be compressed and then encrypted by the redirector software 242
before being sent to the mobile device 220 through the wireless
gateway 260. The device 220, using the stored key, decrypts and
decompresses any received redirected data items to recover the
original data item which was redirected from the messaging host
system 230.
[0150] A public key encryption scheme may also be used to secure
redirected items. According to this aspect of the invention, a
redirected data item is encrypted using a public key corresponding
to a private key stored on the mobile device 220. The public key
may be stored for example in a central key repository 205 from
which it may be retrieved by the wireless redirector software 242.
In a preferred embodiment, key generation and assignment is managed
by the wireless redirector software 242. A key pair comprising a
public key and a private key is generated and assigned to a
particular mobile device 220 by the wireless redirector software
242. The public key is then stored to the central repository 205
and the private key is sent over a secure connection to the device
220 through the PC 202 and serial connection 203, using IMAP over
SSL for example. The system then operates substantially as
described above to encrypt redirected items before transmission
over a wireless network to the mobile device 220. In order to
provide for secure transfer of data items from the mobile device
220 to the redirector host system 240, a second key pair for the
redirection host system must also be generated or assigned. Once
generated and/or assigned, the redirector private key is stored
within the redirector host system 240 and the redirector public key
is similarly sent to the repository 205 and preferably also to the
device 220.
[0151] In a related embodiment of the invention, the mobile device
key pair is generated on the device 220 and the redirector key pair
is generated by the redirector 242. The generated private keys are
respectively stored on the device 220 and the redirector 242 and
the public keys are sent to the key repository 205. In this
embodiment, the device 220 must be able to communicate with the key
repository 205, such as through the serial connection 203 and PC
202, or perhaps through the redirector 242. The public keys may be
retrieved from the repository 205 according to any public key
distribution scheme. These public keys might also be exchanged when
a mobile device 220 is first registered with the redirector 242.
When all required keys have been generated and exchanged, data
items sent between the mobile device 220 and the redirector 242 can
then be encrypted.
[0152] Encryption and decryption of data items sent from the mobile
device 220, such as message B, may be accomplished using the same
keys as those used for data items sent to the mobile device from
the redirector, such as message A. Different keys may also be used.
Regardless of the encryption scheme (symmetric key, public key,
same or different keys, etc.), the mobile device 220 must be able
to decrypt data items encrypted by the redirector 242 (FIG. 13),
242A and vice versa. In a symmetric key system in which the same
keys are used for redirected data items and data items sent from
the mobile device 220 for example, both the redirector 242, 242A
and mobile device 220 must store an encryption key and a decryption
key. Furthermore, the redirector 242, 242A must store such keys for
every mobile device 220 for which it provides data item
redirection. Other key storage requirements or arrangements will be
apparent to those skilled in the art.
[0153] The encryption arrangements described above provide for
secure data item transfer over the wireless network within which a
mobile device 220 operates. An eavesdropper listening on the
wireless network is thereby prevented from recovering the content
of any redirected data items. However, the wireless network
typically represents only a portion of the communication link
between a sender and the mobile device. For example, an incoming
E-mail message A arriving at the messaging host system 230 may be
sent from any PC 204 connected to the Internet. Common mail
transfer mechanisms such as SMTP as shown in FIG. 7 are not easily
adapted for secure communications, such that messages are normally
sent "in the clear" or unencrypted over the Internet. In FIG. 13,
the message A may also be transferred to the redirector 242 from
the messaging host system 230 using SMTP and would therefore
potentially not be secure between the sender and the redirector
software 242, where encryption of the message is performed in the
above example. Messages composed at a mobile device 220 similarly
remain encrypted only between the device 220 and the redirector
242, since the message must be decrypted at the redirector 242 for
SMTP transfer to the messaging host system 230 and a recipient such
as PC 204. Although message encryption according to the schemes
described above secures the message between the redirector 242 and
a mobile device 220, it may be desirable to avoid transferring
messages destined for or generated at the mobile device 220 in the
clear over the Internet to thereby enhance data item transfer
security.
[0154] According to a further aspect of the invention, the data
item transfer between a messaging host system and a wireless
redirection system over the Internet is avoided by integrating a
redirection system with a messaging host system. Such a system is
shown in FIG. 14. Since data items need not be transferred between
the messaging host and the redirection host in the clear over the
Internet, the above security risks are eliminated.
[0155] As in FIGS. 6 and 13 above, FIG. 14 is an example system
diagram showing the redirection of user data items, such as a
message A, from user A's desktop PC 204 to user B's mobile data
communication device 220, or alternatively, message B from user B's
mobile communication device 220 to user A. As in FIG. 13, both
instances of the device 220 in FIG. 14 may represent the same
mobile device 220. Although redirection is described primarily in
the context of messaging, it is to be understood that the invention
is in not limited to messaging. The specific implementations of
redirection functionality for other data item types may be somewhat
different than messaging-related implementations, but the general
redirection principles and methods will be common and are therefore
easily adaptable to such other data item types by those skilled in
the art.
[0156] In FIG. 14, the messaging host system 231 maintains and
stores data items received from the Internet 218 for user B in a
message inbox, as described above. The messaging host system 231
may be an ISP that provides connectivity to the Internet 218 for a
plurality of users, including user B. The messaging host 231 may
also comprise a web-based E-mail hosting service such as MSN
Hotmail.TM. or a variety of other known web-based E-mail hosting
systems. Unlike the messaging host systems described above,
however, the messaging host 231 includes a redirector component
242.
[0157] In this embodiment of the invention, the messaging host
system 231 incorporates the wireless redirector program 242, which
determines whether data items destined for a user of the messaging
host system 231 having a mobile communication device are
user-selected data items to be pushed via a wireless network 222 to
the user's mobile communications device 220. Data items may thereby
be continuously "pushed" to the mobile communication device 220
through the wireless gateway 260 as they arrive at the messaging
host system 231, providing for "always on, always connected".RTM.
functionality of the mobile device 220.
[0158] In FIG. 14, as in the preceding Figures, message A
represents a data item, such as an E-mail message, sent from user
A's desktop PC 204 having user B as the recipient. Because user B
has a mailbox on the messaging host system 231, the message A will
be directed via a WAN, such as the Internet 218, to the host system
231. Similarly, message B represents a message created on and sent
from user B's mobile data communications device 220 having user A
as a recipient. Alternatively, message B may instead represent a
command message from user B's mobile data communication device 220
to the wireless redirector component 242. The flows of messages A
and B are respectively shown as a single solid line 206A and a
single dashed line 258B.
[0159] The messaging host 231 is shown in more detail in FIG. 15.
As above, the messaging host system 231 is preferably a Unix system
that includes a sendmail daemon 232 and a memory storage area 236
for storing the data items of certain users that are having
messages redirected to their mobile data communication devices 220.
The messaging host 231 also includes the redirector 242A, along
with the typical hardware and software associated with an Internet
gateway. The redirector 242A is similar to the redirector 242,
except that redirector 242A need not include such messaging system
components as a mail handler and delivery agents, which will be
provided as part of the messaging system 231. A filter database 250
and a mobile user profile database 254 are used by the redirector
242A to determine a user's redirection characteristics,
substantially as described above.
[0160] Since the redirector 242A is incorporated into the messaging
host system 231, data items for redirection may be detected
directly by the redirector 242A. The mail handler 232 stores
incoming data items such as E-mail messages for example to the
local store 236. Since only a single store is used in the
integrated messaging and redirection system shown in FIG. 15, the
redirector 242A may query, poll, or otherwise access the local
store 236 to detect new data items in mailboxes for users with a
mobile device. The mail handler 232 might instead be configured to
notify the redirector 242A upon the arrival of new data items for
redirection to a mobile device. Alternatively, a variant of the
".forward" file functionality described above might also be
implemented, such that data items destined for users having a
mobile device are forwarded to the redirector 242A. Other
procedures for detecting new data items in the local store 236 will
be apparent to those skilled in the art and as such are considered
to be within the scope of the invention.
[0161] Whether or not data items are to be redirected, incoming
data items are preferably stored to a user's inbox in the local
store 236. If a data item is to be redirected, a copy of the data
item is sent to the mobile device, but the data item is not removed
from the local message store 236. Such data items may be accessed
by a user via the user's normal access method, POP3 or IMAP for
example. The forwarding of data items is therefore transparent to
the user. In the example of E-mail message A, the user B when
viewing the inbox data items at his desktop PC 202 would know of
the redirecting activity only from message text that may be added
to the messages as they are redirected.
[0162] Assuming that the redirector program 242A is activated and
has been configured by the user to replicate certain user data
items (such as message A) to the mobile communications device 220,
when the message A is received at the messaging host system 231,
the redirector program 242A detects message A's presence. The user
information in the store 254 and the filtering rules in the store
250 that are associated with the recipient, user B, are then used
by the redirector 242A to determine how the message A should be
handled.
[0163] Preferably, before the redirector program 242A begins
preparing the message A for redirection, the redirector 242A
examines the data item with respect to rules contained on the
filtering agent 250 configurable by each mobile device user such as
user B. The filtering agent 250 is essentially a database of rules
that are to be applied for each user's incoming data items and is
preferably accessible by the user via the World Wide Web in a
filter web page 252. The filter web page 252 allows the user to
access and select a plurality of filtering rules or any combination
thereof to be applied to all incoming data items destined for that
user. The web page 252 also preferably allows user B to switch
between an active or a de-active state for the redirection of user
B's incoming messages. This switching feature is particularly
useful during instances where user B is at his desktop PC 202 and
accessing his inbox of the local store 236 and desires that the
redirection of incoming mail to his mobile device 220 be
temporarily deactivated. Such deactivation may be automatically
initiated when the device 220 is connected to the desktop 202 via
serial connection 203 for example. The types of filtering rules
that may be available to the user include: sender(s); how addressed
(To, CC, BCC); subject keyword(s); message keyword(s); and
importance (high, low, normal). Data items that do not clear the
filtering rules are marked as "handled" by the redirector program
242A in the data item store 236, and are not further handled by the
redirector 242A.
[0164] The filter agent 250 is preferably stored at the messaging
host system 231, but may instead be stored at any location
accessible to the redirector 242A. As described above, the filter
agent may be integrated with the user information store 254.
[0165] Also accessible by the redirector program 242A is a user
profile database 254, which includes the address of the user's
mobile data communication device 220, the user's SMTP address, the
type of device 220, and whether the device 220 can accept certain
types of attachments, such as word processing or voice attachments.
The user information may be preferably created, updated and removed
via a user administration arrangement 261. Although user
administration functions may be provided through Web page 256 as
shown in FIG. 13, for example, since the redirector 242A is
incorporated into the messaging host system 231, and user
administration is normally access-restricted to the system
administrator of the messaging host system, redirector user
administration is preferably integrated with the administration
functions of messaging host system 231. The messaging system
administrator preferably has a switch control feature to deactivate
or activate redirection of the data items from the host system 231
that takes precedence over the user's selection on web page 252.
This, advantageously, allows the system administer to maintain
control over the value-added service described herein. In
accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the
administrator may also set global filtering rules to be applied to
data items for all redirector users.
[0166] If the user's type of mobile device 220 cannot accept
certain types of attachments, then the redirector program 242A can
be configured to route the attachments to a fax or voice number
where the user is located. The user may provide such information
details to the redirector program 242A via a return message.
[0167] After the redirector program 242A has determined that a
particular message should be redirected, the message is preferably
compressed and encrypted. A symmetric key or public key encryption
scheme may be used. In a symmetric key scheme, the keys may be
generated by the redirector 242A, the desktop 202 or the device 220
and distributed to or from the device via serial connection 203 and
a secure transfer mechanism such as IMAP over SSL, as described
above. When a public key encryption scheme is used, the public key
for the user of the mobile device is stored in a key repository 205
(FIG. 14) and can be accessed by the redirector 242A. Although FIG.
14 shows key generation at the redirector 242A, the user's private
key is preferably generated either at the mobile device 220 or at
the desktop PC 202, since the private key is then either already on
the device 220 or must be transferred only over the connection 203.
After a data item such as message A has been compressed and
encrypted, the redirector program 242A preferably packages the data
item as a message with an outer envelope A' that contains
addressing information of the mobile device 220. The wireless
gateway 260 requires this outer envelope information A' in order to
know where to send the redirected message A. The mobile device 220
removes the outer envelope A' and decrypts the message using the
appropriate key and decompresses the decrypted message to recover
the original data item, message A.
[0168] If the redirected user data item is an E-mail message, as
described above, then the user at the mobile device 220 sees the
original subject line, sender's address, destination address, and
carbon copy address. Preferably and desirably, the redirection of
the E-mail message A is transparent to the mobile communication
device user. When the user, at the mobile device 220, replies to
message A, or when the user composes a new message (a reply or a
new message collectively referred to as "message B"), the new
message is compressed, encrypted and repackaged in a similar outer
envelope (message B') to cause message B to be routed to the
redirector 242A via the wireless network 222, wireless gateway 260
and internet or other WAN connection 258. The redirector 242A then
removes the outer envelope B', decrypts and decompresses the
message B and repackages message B as message B'' where necessary
to direct message B'' to its final destination, such as user A's PC
desktop 204.
[0169] The general flow of a data item from a mobile device 220 to
an addressee is shown as a dotted line in FIGS. 14 and 15. The
removal of the outer envelope B' and repackaging of message B into
envelope B'' results in the outgoing message B'' from the messaging
host system 231 being sent using the E-mail address of the user's
mailbox on messaging host system 231, rather than the address of
the mobile device 220. Thus, it appears to the recipient of the
message B'' that the message originated from the user's desktop
system 202 or from the messaging host system 231 itself (as would
be the case of a web-based E-mail hosting system) rather than the
mobile data communication device 220. This is accomplished by the
redirector 242 modifying the "from" and "reply to" identifiers
associated with the message B to now have the SMTP address of user
B's messaging host system 231 E-mail account. Advantageously, any
replies to the message B'' will then be sent to user B's inbox on
messaging host system 231, which, if it is still in redirector
mode, will repackage the reply and resend it to user B's mobile
data device 220, as described above.
[0170] In the integrated messaging/redirector system 231, a copy of
message B is redirected to user B's inbox in the local store 236
for retrieval and access by user B at some later time. In doing so,
the redirector program 242A preferably repackages message B as
message B''' so as to have modified addressing information. In this
preferred instance, the modified addressing information would
include changing the "from" header information to indicate that the
message was sent from mobile communications device. This message
B''' is forwarded, possibly through the mail handler 232, to the
local store 236.
[0171] As described above, the integrated messaging/redirection
host system 231 is preferably configured as an ISP or an ASP. Here,
the system 231 includes a sendmail daemon 232, which would forward
the copy B''' to the local data item store 236 by a local delivery
agent (not shown). A user may preferably configure his local inbox
of data items at the desktop 202 to store such copy messages in a
specific inbox for mobile data communications device data items.
However, in the illustrative example of messaging host system 231
configured to redirect all incoming data items, message B''' is
redirected (not shown) to redirector 242A. The redirector is
preferably programmed to detect that the message B''' is a
redirection of message B''' sent therefrom. As such, the redirector
ignores this re-redirected message. Alternatively, the mail handler
232 at the messaging host system 231 may be configured to detect
such messages and to not redirect such messages. Since the
redirector 242A is integrated with the messaging host system 231,
this re-redirection of the copy data items is more easily avoided
than in the above two-host systems. For example, in implementations
where the redirector 242A directly accesses the local message store
to detect new data items, it could be configured to quickly
identify and ignore such copy messages.
[0172] The operation of the redirector program 242A is
substantially as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 8 and described
above. Although the communications between the messaging and
redirector components within the messaging host system 231 and the
specific configurations thereof are somewhat different than in the
above two-host system, once a new message for redirection is
detected, redirection operations proceed as shown in FIG. 8.
[0173] The redirection system shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 provides for
secure communications between a mobile device 220 and the messaging
host system 231. A significant advantage of such a system is that
data item redirection does not compromise any security measures
which may be implemented by an ISP or ASP to protect data items
stored on a messaging system or server. As stated above, although
the following detailed description is based primarily on an
illustrative example of ISPs, those skilled in the art will
appreciate that similar arrangements may be implemented for
ASPs.
[0174] In the two-host system described above, data items are sent
in the clear between the messaging host system 230 and the wireless
redirector host system 240. Even though access to such data items
on the messaging host system 230 may be restricted by an ISP
through firewall arrangements and logon scripts for example, data
items sent from the messaging host system 230 to the redirector
host system 240 may be intercepted. With the secure integrated
messaging/redirector system 231 shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 however,
data items are secure between the ISP system and the mobile device
220. Even if these encrypted data items are intercepted, they are
encrypted and therefore cannot be read. Where such a strong
encryption algorithm as triple-DES (Data Encryption Standard) is
used, decryption of such intercepted data items is computationally
infeasible. The protection inherent in the ISP arrangements is
therefore not compromised by redirection of data items. In the
above example, firewall and logon protection are thereby
effectively extended to the mobile device 220. This feature of the
integrated messaging/redirection host system 231 may be
particularly important for certain groups of users having E-mail
accounts on the same ISP. Members of a work group for example would
be assured that inter-group messages maintain the same level of
security whether a member receives such messages on a desktop
system or a mobile communication device.
[0175] Where the redirector 242A is integrated with a messaging
host system 231, redirection will typically be provided only for
the particular service provider operating the messaging host system
231. However, the redirector 242A may be implemented with a
distributed processing architecture, as shown in FIG. 16, to
provide for redirection of data items for users on multiple domains
hosted by the ISP, indicated as 233, 233a and 233b in FIG. 16. As
described above in conjunction with FIGS. 9 and 10, the redirector
program 242A may comprise multiple redirector send agents 245 and
associated redirector receive agents 249, a pair of which can be
hosted on separate redirector agent host servers 243, thereby
providing for scaleable and easily configurable multiple-domain
redirection. A single redirector agent host server can support
several pairs of send and receive agents, each pair of agents
preferably serving a domain site. In some implementations, more
than one send/receive agent pair may serve a particular domain. It
is also contemplated that a domain may be served by different
numbers of send agents and receive agents.
[0176] The mapping of redirector host servers to domains and the
configuration of redirector agents are accomplished via the
administration arrangement 261 for the administration information
database 259. Since the redirector is integrated with the messaging
system, redirector administration 257 and redirector user
administration 261 are preferably integrated within the messaging
system. If remote administration of system 231 is desired, to allow
users to access information in the user information store 254 for
example, these administration functions may also be provided
through web-based interfaces, as described above. The interface to
site information in the database 255 is shown as internal to the
messaging host system 231, since the ISP is hosting such sites,
although a web-based interface may be provided where site managers
represent ISP-hosted internet domains and manage corresponding site
information records. User filter rules may be established by each
user as described above and access to the filter agent 250 is
therefore preferably provided through the web-based interface
252.
[0177] A mobile device user, when provided with an account, can
preferably access the user information database 254 via web based
user administration page (not shown), in order to update fields of
their user information record for which they have authority. For
instance, a user might wish to override a default E-mail tag line,
thereby enabling the above tag-line customization feature. The user
might also wish to override a default domain name based E-mail
address by specifying an SMTP address, thereby enabling
domain-massaging.
[0178] The system of FIG. 16 operates substantially as described
above, except that new messages are retrieved from the local data
item store 236 in the integrated messaging/redirection system in
the messaging host system 231. The redirector send and receive
agents can access the local store 236, such that the wireless data
item store 248 is no longer required. Otherwise, the distributed
system operates as described above.
[0179] As illustrated in FIG. 17, the system of FIG. 16
advantageously permits an ISP, such as ISP A 700, to provide
wireless redirection for its customer base and customized single
E-mail address transparency for a plurality of companies, such as
Company A and Company B, by managing a distinct site for each
company, in this case ISP A site 710, Company A site 712, and
Company B site 714. Mobile device users associated to each of those
sites can configure their E-mail tag lines and E-mail addressees
obtained by juxtaposing their E-mail name and their custom site's
domain name, by talking advantage of the domain-massaging and tag
line customization features. Secure communications between the
redirector 242A and any mobile devices in accordance with an aspect
of the invention may be particularly important to such ISP clients
as Company A and Company B.
[0180] Although the integrated messaging/redirection system has
been described above primarily in the context of providing for data
item redirection for only a single ISP, including any domains
hosted by the ISP, an ISP may extend its redirection services to
other ISPs. Such an arrangement would effectively be a hybrid
between the two-host system such as shown in FIG. 6 and the
integrated system as shown for example in FIG. 14. The overall
system diagram would be substantially as shown in FIG. 6, although
the second host system 240 would be an integrated
messaging/redirection system 240A as shown in FIG. 18. In such a
system, the integrated messaging/redirection host system 240A
provides messaging and redirection services to it own users 202 and
202a, while also providing redirection services for a different
host system such as 230, having users such as 202b.
[0181] In this embodiment of the invention, the messaging host
system 230 is configured so as to forward a copy of incoming data
items destined for the inbox of a user such as 202b to the
integrated messaging/redirection host system 240A for redirection
to the user's mobile device 220. Data items destined for users of
the messaging host system 230 having a mobile communication device
are thereby continuously "pushed" to the integrated host system
240A as they arrive at the messaging host system 230. Upon arrival
at the integrated host system 240A, the redirector 242 at the
system 240A determines whether such data items are user-selected
data items to be pushed to the user's mobile communications device
220.
[0182] The integrated host system 240A acts not only as an ISP and
redirector for its own users and possibly users of domains hosted
by the ISP, shown as 202 and 202a, but also as a gateway for data
items received from the first host system 230 through the Internet
218 or other WAN. Redirection of data items destined for host 240A
users such as 202 and 202a proceeds as described above, with the
redirector 242 having direct access to the local data item store
236. The data or message flows relating to such redirection have
therefore not been shown in FIG. 18. The solid and dashed lines
respectively indicate the flows for data items A forwarded from the
first host system 230 and data items B originating at a mobile
device 220 for a user of the first host system 230.
[0183] The integrated host system 240A according to this embodiment
of the invention preferably includes, along with the typical
hardware and software associated with an Internet gateway, the
redirector 242 which itself may include a mail handler (not shown),
preferably a sendmail daemon (not shown), and a local delivery
agent (not shown), a plurality of wireless mail stores 248
(preferably one for each mobile user such as user 202b associated
with an external ISP), a filter database 250, and a mobile user
profile database 254.
[0184] This embodiment of the invention is intended to be as
non-obtrusive as possible to the messaging host system 230. The
messaging host system 230 may be configured in many ways to detect
such messages, as described above. For example, using the
".forward" file 238, new data items are detected and forwarded to
the integrated host system 240A. Other methods of detecting and
forwarding new data items destined for a user having a mobile
communications device 220 could also be used and such other methods
are well within the scope of the invention.
[0185] If the redirector 242 is activated at the integrated host
system 240A, and has been configured by the user to replicate
certain user data items (such as message A) to the mobile
communications device 220, when the message A is received at the
integrated host system 240A, the redirector program 242 detects
message A and prepares the message for a second redirection to the
mobile device 220. As described above, the message may be
compressed and encrypted before being repackaged into an outer
envelope for redirection through the wireless gateway 260 and
wireless network 222 to the mobile device 220. The mobile device
then removes the outer envelope, decompresses and decrypts received
data items as required.
[0186] Users such as 202 and 202a, "native" to the integrated host
240A, may be configured for redirection by a system 240A
administrator, through the internal user administration 261.
External redirection users such as 202b would preferably be
configured with a web-based user administration tool 256. However,
the ISP or operator of the integrated system 240A may also maintain
at least partial control over the administration of external users
through either the web-based administration tool 256 or internal
administration arrangement 261. It is contemplated that
administrative functions for external redirection users may require
coordination between administrators of the integrated host system
240A and the external host system 230.
[0187] The filtering rules stored by filter agent 250 are
established by each user 202, 202a, 202b through the web-based
interface 252. Regardless of whether a user is native or external
to the ISP operating the integrated host 240A, once the user has
been configured by system administrators to enable redirection
functions, filter rules may be established via the preferably
secure web interface 252 and stored to filter agent 250.
[0188] When a user of host system 230 has been configured for
redirection of data items to a mobile device 220 through the
integrated system 240A, the redirector 242 operates substantially
as described above and shown in FIG. 8 to redirect data items to
and from the user's mobile device 220.
[0189] Since the redirector 242 is integrated with a messaging
system in the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 18, the
existing messaging system components such as the mail handler 232,
delivery agents (not shown) and data item store 236 may be used by
the redirector and the first host system 230 to communicate
redirected data items. Such a system is shown in FIG. 19. The
redirector 242A, as described above, need not incorporate its own
mail handler in this embodiment, as described above. Redirected
data item transfer is accomplished through the mail handler 232 and
delivery agents (not shown) in the integrated host system 240B. A
further advantage of the integrated host system 240B in FIG. 19 is
that the redirector 242A directly accesses the local data item
store 236, thereby simplifying new data item detection and
eliminating the wireless data item store 248.
[0190] Having described in detail several preferred embodiments of
the present invention, including preferred methods of operation, it
is to be understood that this operation could be carried out with
different elements and steps. Many variations on the invention will
be obvious to those knowledgeable in the field, and such obvious
variations are within the scope of the invention as described and
claimed, whether or not expressly described.
[0191] For example, further security measures may be implemented to
provide for end-to-end secure data item transfer, including
redirection. Communications between a messaging host system such as
230 and a wireless redirector host system 240, 240A, 240B, may be
protected by using a secure E-mail scheme such as so-called Pretty
Good Privacy.RTM. (PGP.RTM.). Alternatively, the public key
encryption arrangements described above may also be extended to
provide for secure communications between any sender (including a
sender such as user A, external to the messaging host system 230,
231) and the messaging host system 230, 231 or integrated host
system 240A, 240B. In such systems, the redirector may simply
repackage a received encrypted data item for forwarding to or from
a mobile device, since the data item has already been
encrypted.
[0192] Also, although the system diagrams show multiple connections
between the various components, those skilled in the art will
appreciate that such connections are intended primarily to
illustrate data flows. In actual system implementations, data item
transfer between the redirector 242A and the local data item store
236 may be accomplished using a single connection. Similarly, the
redirector 242, 242A is preferably connected to the wireless
gateway 260 through a single connection. This single connection is
most preferably maintained open when established, thereby providing
for near real-time data item redirection and "always on, always
connected".RTM. functionality for all mobile devices 220.
* * * * *
References