Method and apparatus for efficient polling
View Patent ↗An e-mail distribution server may manage many pull e-mail accounts by periodically, as defined by an interval time, polling associated pull e-mail servers for new mail. If the e-mail distribution server receives an e-mail message destined for a recipient having a pull e-mail account managed by the e-mail distribution server, the e-mail distribution server may recognize an opportunity to poll the pull e-mail server associated with the pull e-mail account sooner than the expiration of the interval time.
1. At an e-mail distribution server, a method of handling an e-mail message, comprising:
receiving an e-mail message;
sending the e-mail message to a mail server;
determining a recipient e-mail address specified in the e-mail message is associated with a pull e-mail account managed by the e-mail distribution server;
determining a waiting period based on a measured network latency value; and
responsive to the determining and subsequent to a delay of the waiting period, triggering an interruption of management of the pull e-mail account;
wherein the management includes periodically polling the mail server to determine whether new e-mail messages have been received by the pull e-mail server for the pull e-mail account.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining a record including a plurality of e-mail addresses, where each e-mail address of the plurality of e-mail addresses is associated with a pull e-mail account managed by the e-mail distribution server.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the determining comprises locating, in the record, the recipient e-mail address specified in the outgoing e-mail message.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the pull e-mail account is associated with a mobile communication device.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the mail server comprises a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol server.
6. An e-mail distribution server comprising a processor adapted to:
receive an e-mail message;
send the e-mail message to a mail server;
determine a recipient e-mail address specified in the e-mail message is associated with a pull e-mail account, where the pull e-mail account is managed by the e-mail distribution server;
determine a waiting period based on a measured network latency value; and
subsequent to a delay of the waiting period, trigger an interruption of management of the pull e-mail account;
wherein the management includes periodically polling the mail server to determine whether new e-mail messages have been received by the pull e-mail server for the pull e-mail account.
7. The e-mail distribution server of claim 6 wherein the processor is further adapted to maintain a record including a plurality of e-mail addresses, where each e-mail address of the plurality of e-mail addresses is associated with a pull e-mail account managed by the e-mail distribution server.
8. The e-mail distribution server of claim 7 wherein the processor is further adapted to locate, in the record, the recipient e-mail address specified in the outgoing e-mail message.
9. The e-mail distribution server of claim 6 wherein the pull e-mail account is associated with a mobile communication device.
10. The e-mail distribution server of claim 6 wherein the mail server comprises a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol server.
11. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when performed by processor in an e-mail distribution server, cause the processor to:
receive an e-mail message;
send the e-mail message to a mail server;
determine a recipient e-mail address specified in the e-mail message is associated with a pull e-mail account, where the pull e-mail account is managed by the e-mail distribution server;
determine a waiting period based on a measured network latency value; and
subsequent to a delay of the waiting period, trigger an interruption of management of a pull e-mail account responsive to determining that a recipient e-mail address specified in the outgoing e-mail message is associated with the pull e-mail account, where the pull e-mail account is managed by the e-mail distribution server;
wherein the management includes periodically polling the mail server to determine whether new e-mail messages have been received by the pull e-mail server for the pull e-mail account.
12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the instructions further cause the processor to maintain a record including a plurality of e-mail addresses, where each e-mail address of the plurality of e-mail addresses is associated with a pull e-mail account managed by the e-mail distribution server.
13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein the instructions further cause the processor to locate, in the record, the recipient e-mail address specified in the outgoing e-mail message.
14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the pull e-mail account is associated with a mobile communication device.
15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the mail server comprises a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol server.