Communications system including aggregation server for determining updated metadata of e-mail messages and related methods
View Patent ↗A communications system includes a mobile wireless communications device and an e-mail server configured to store pushed e-mail data and metadata associated therewith already pushed to the mobile wireless communications device. An aggregation server is configured to download a first set of metadata of pushed e-mail data at a first time, and generate and store a first set of hash values corresponding to the first set of metadata. The aggregation server is also configured to download a second set of metadata of pushed e-mail data at a second time after the first time, and generate and store a second set of hash values corresponding to the second set of metadata. The aggregation server is further configured to determine an updated set of metadata based upon a comparison of the first and second sets of hash values, and push the updated metadata to the mobile wireless communications device.
1. A communications system comprising:
at least one mobile wireless communications device;
an e-mail server configured to store pushed e-mail data and metadata associated therewith already pushed to respective mobile wireless communications devices; and
an aggregation server comprising a memory and a processor coupled thereto, and configured to
download a first set of metadata of the pushed e-mail data at a first time,
generate and store a first set of hash values corresponding to the first set of metadata;
download a second set of metadata of the pushed e-mail data at a second time after the first time,
generate and store a second set of hash values corresponding to the second set of metadata,
determine an updated set of metadata based upon a comparison of the first and second sets of hash values, and
push the updated set of metadata to the at least one mobile wireless communications device.
2. The communications system of claim 1 , wherein said e-mail server is also configured to store unpushed e-mail data not yet pushed to respective mobile wireless communications devices; and wherein said aggregation server is also configured to download the unpushed e-mail data and metadata associated therewith, and push the unpushed e-mail data to the at least one mobile wireless communications device.
3. The communications system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second sets of metadata respectively comprise first and second sets of e-mail server defined metadata.
4. The communications system of claim 3 , wherein the e-mail server defined metadata comprises at least one of a message subject, a message sender, a message recipient, a message time/date stamp, whether a message was replied to, whether a message was read, and whether a message was forwarded.
5. The communications system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second sets of metadata respectively comprise first and second sets of user defined metadata.
6. The communications system of claim 1 , wherein said aggregation server is also configured to send an updated set of mobile wireless communications device defined metadata to said e-mail server.
7. The communications system of claim 1 , wherein the pushed e-mail data comprises pushed e-mail messages.
8. The communications system of claim 1 , wherein the pushed e-mail data comprises pushed e-mail message search results.
9. An aggregation server for communicating with at least one mobile wireless communications device and an e-mail server, the e-mail server being configured to store pushed e-mail data and metadata associated therewith already pushed to respective mobile wireless communications devices, the aggregation server comprising:
a memory;
a processor cooperating with said memory and configured to
download a first set of metadata of the pushed e-mail data at a first time,
generate and store a first set of hash values corresponding to the first set of metadata,
download a second set of metadata of the pushed e-mail data at a second time after the first time,
generate and store a second set of hash values corresponding to the second set of metadata,
determine an updated set of metadata based upon a comparison of the first and second sets of hash values, and
push the updated metadata to the at least one mobile wireless communications device.
10. The aggregation server of claim 9 , wherein said e-mail server is also configured to store unpushed e-mail data not yet pushed to respective mobile wireless communications devices; and wherein said aggregation server is also configured to download the unpushed e-mail data and metadata associated therewith, and push the unpushed e-mail data to the at least one mobile wireless communications device.
11. The aggregation server of claim 9 , wherein the pushed e-mail data comprises pushed e-mail messages.
12. The aggregation server of claim 9 , wherein the pushed e-mail data comprises pushed e-mail message search results.
13. The aggregation server of claim 9 , wherein said processor is also configured to send an updated set of mobile wireless communications device defined metadata to said e-mail server.
14. A method of operating an aggregation server to communicate with an e-mail server configured to store pushed e-mail data and metadata associated therewith already pushed to respective mobile wireless communications devices, the method comprising:
downloading, using a processor, a first set of metadata of the pushed e-mail data from an e-mail server at a first time;
generating and storing, using the processor, a first set of hash values corresponding to the first set of metadata;
downloading, using the processor, a second set of metadata of the pushed e-mail data at a second time after the first time;
generating and storing, using the processor, a second set of hash values corresponding to the second set of metadata;
determining, using the processor, an updated set of metadata based upon a comparison of the first and second sets of hash values; and
pushing, using the processor and a transceiver, the updated metadata to at least one mobile wireless communications device.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first and second sets of metadata respectively comprise first and second sets of e-mail server defined metadata.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the e-mail server defined metadata comprises at least one of a message subject, a message sender, a message recipient, a message time/date stamp, whether a message was replied to, whether a message was read, and whether a message was forwarded.
17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first and second sets of metadata respectively comprise first and second sets of user defined metadata.
18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising sending, using the processor and the transceiver, an updated set of mobile wireless communications device defined metadata to the e-mail server.
19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the pushed e-mail data comprises pushed e-mail messages.
20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the pushed e-mail data comprises pushed e-mail message search results.