US6898623B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Simplified configuration of an internet-enabled device
Assignee: Hewlett Packard Development Co LP
•
Filing: 2000-06-16
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Granted: 2005-05-24
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Expires: 2020-06-16
Abstract
Abstract A system and method for configuring an Internet-enabled device to communicate with an unknown mail server so as to allow the device to send information as e-mail messages over the Internet using the resources of an Internet service provider (ISP). Such devices include scanners, multifunction peripherals, and digital cameras. A configuror program uses predetermined access parameters for the ISP to simplify the configuration of the device. From an e-mail address specified by the user during configuration, the configuror determines the mail server name that the device will use to send e-mail, and downloads the address, along with a portion of the access parameters and a maximum e-mail message size, to the device. After configuration, the device can directly connect to the ISP and send e-mail in a stand-alone manner. If the device is connected to a computer following installation, computer can update the device for any changes in ISP access, and the device can send e-mail messages through the computer rather than directly so as to avoid more than one simultaneous connection to the ISP.
Inventors
- 👤 Irene H Williams
- 👤 William Sheridan Brock
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 17:03
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06Q; G06Q10/00; G06Q10/10; G06Q10/107; H; H04; H04L; H04L51/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
111 words
A method of communicating with mail server associated with an on-line provider, comprising: providing an e-mail address for the on-line provider, the e-mail address including a suffix indicative of a domain identifier; converting the e-mail address to a machine-selected mail server name by prepending a selected one of a predetermined set of mail server prefixes to the suffix to form the machine-selected mail server name; linking to a mail port of a computer having the machine-selected mail server name so as to determine whether the machine-selected mail server name corresponds to the mail server; and communicating with the mail server when the machine-selected mail server name corresponds to the mail server.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
111 words
A method of communicating with mail server associated with an on-line provider, comprising: providing an e-mail address for the on-line provider, the e-mail address including a suffix indicative of a domain identifier; converting the e-mail address to a machine-selected mail server name by prepending a selected one of a predetermined set of mail server prefixes to the suffix to form the machine-selected mail server name; linking to a mail port of a computer having the machine-selected mail server name so as to determine whether the machine-selected mail server name corresponds to the mail server; and communicating with the mail server when the machine-selected mail server name corresponds to the mail server.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
74 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the e-mail address includes a first prefix portion and a first separator portion, and wherein the converting includes stripping the first prefix portion and the first separator portion from the e-mail address, and appending a second separator different from the first separator to the selected one of a predetermined set of mail server prefixes so as to form the mail server name associated with the on-line provider.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 2 , wherein: the suffix is a domain identifier, the first prefix is a mailbox identifier, the first separator is an “@” symbol, the second prefix is a mail server prefix, and the second separator is a “.” symbol.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 1 , further including: if validity of the mail server name is not verified, repeating the prepending and linking using a different one of the predetermined set of mail server prefixes.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the linking includes: communicating with a domain name server to determine a mail server IP address corresponding to the mail server name; and connecting to the mail port of the mail server IP address.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the on-line provider is a user-selected one of a plurality of on-line providers.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the communicating with the mail server includes: establishing at least one communications link from a group of communication links including an analog telephone line, a broadband link, a local area network, a radio frequency link, and an infrared link.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the suffix includes at least two domain levels and a separator between each of the at least two domain levels, and wherein the converting further includes stripping a left-most domain level and a left-most separator from the suffix prior to the prepending if the suffix includes more than two domain levels.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
176 words
A system for e-mailing information to a recipient over the Internet, comprising: an electronic device adapted for periodic connection to an Internet service provider and to a configuration computer, the electronic device having a parameter memory, a storage subsystem coupled to the parameter memory and responsive to a command from the configuration computer for storing configuration parameters in the parameter memory, the configuration parameters including a mail server name associated with the Internet service provider, and an e-mail subsystem coupled to the parameter memory and responsive to a user request to connect to an e-mail server of the Internet service provider using the mail server name and to e-mail the information to the recipient; and a configuration program executable by the configuration computer to determine the mail server name, the configuration program including a parser to isolate a suffix indicative of a domain identifier from an e-mail address associated with the e-mail server, and a concatenator to prepend one of a predefined set of mail server prefixes to the suffix to form the mail server name.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
176 words
A system for e-mailing information to a recipient over the Internet, comprising: an electronic device adapted for periodic connection to an Internet service provider and to a configuration computer, the electronic device having a parameter memory, a storage subsystem coupled to the parameter memory and responsive to a command from the configuration computer for storing configuration parameters in the parameter memory, the configuration parameters including a mail server name associated with the Internet service provider, and an e-mail subsystem coupled to the parameter memory and responsive to a user request to connect to an e-mail server of the Internet service provider using the mail server name and to e-mail the information to the recipient; and a configuration program executable by the configuration computer to determine the mail server name, the configuration program including a parser to isolate a suffix indicative of a domain identifier from an e-mail address associated with the e-mail server, and a concatenator to prepend one of a predefined set of mail server prefixes to the suffix to form the mail server name.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
53 words
The system of claim 9 , wherein the electronic device has an interface selected from the group consisting of a dialup modem, a digital subscriber line modem, a cable modem, a network interface, an infrared transceiver, and a radio frequency transceiver, the interface adapted to connect the device to the Internet service provider.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
22 words
The system of claim 9 , wherein the configuration program further determines a maximum e-mail message size supported by the e-mail servers.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
35 words
The system of claim 11 , wherein the e-mail subsystem further splits the information into one or more e-mail messages, each e-mail message having a size of not more than the maximum e-mail message size.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
13 words
The system of claim 9 , herein the electronic device is a scanner.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
35 words
The system of claim 9 , wherein the electronic device is a multifunction peripheral including at least two devices selected from the group consisting of a printer, a scanner, a copier, and a fax machine.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system of claim 9 , wherein the Internet-enabled device is a digital camera.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
32 words
The system of claim 9 , wherein the configuration program is further configured to query a domain name server so as to obtain an IP address associated with the mail server name.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
140 words
A program storage medium readable by a computing apparatus, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computing apparatus for configuring an electronic device to send e-mail via a mil server of an on-line access provider, the program storage medium comprising: a first segment of the instructions configured to convert an e-mail address for a user of the on-line access provider to a mail server name by prepending a selected one of a predetermined set of mail server prefixes to a suffix portion of the e-mail address to form the mail server name; a second segment of the instructions configured to connect to the mail server using the mail server name so as to verify validity of the mail server name; and a third segment of the instructions configured to download the mail server name to the electronic device.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
140 words
A program storage medium readable by a computing apparatus, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computing apparatus for configuring an electronic device to send e-mail via a mil server of an on-line access provider, the program storage medium comprising: a first segment of the instructions configured to convert an e-mail address for a user of the on-line access provider to a mail server name by prepending a selected one of a predetermined set of mail server prefixes to a suffix portion of the e-mail address to form the mail server name; a second segment of the instructions configured to connect to the mail server using the mail server name so as to verify validity of the mail server name; and a third segment of the instructions configured to download the mail server name to the electronic device.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
40 words
The program storage medium of claim 17 , further comprising: a fourth segment of the instructions configured to detect a change in access information for the on-line access provider, and reconfigure the electronic device as required based on the change.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
54 words
The program storage medium of claim 17 , further comprising: a fifth segment of the instructions configured to receive data representing information to be sent to a specified recipient from the electronic device, connect to the mail server, and using the mail server, transmit the information to the specified recipient as an e-mail message.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2008-05-23 | 2008-11-22 | 2009-05-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2012-05-23 | 2012-11-22 | 2013-05-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2016-05-23 | 2016-11-22 | 2017-05-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |