Dynamic Polling Interval for Email Distribution Servers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pull e-mail systems face challenges in minimizing the delay between an e-mail message's arrival at the server and its delivery to mobile devices, as frequent polling increases network traffic and battery usage, while push e-mail systems offer instantaneous delivery but incur costs and energy wastage.
Innovation Solution
An e-mail distribution server is adapted to manage pull e-mail accounts by polling the server sooner when an outgoing e-mail message specifies a recipient with a managed pull e-mail account, reducing the polling interval and minimizing delay in message delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the polling interval is reduced to minimize delivery delay, then the responsiveness of e-mail delivery is improved, but network traffic increases and battery life is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the polling interval based on the state of the e-mail account. When messages are present, the polling interval is reduced to ensure quick delivery. When no messages are present, the polling interval is extended to conserve battery life and reduce network traffic. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between delivery speed and energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the temporal parameter (polling interval) based on system state. The interval is shortened when e-mail messages are detected at the server, and lengthened when the account is empty. This parameter modification allows the system to optimize both delivery delay and energy consumption under different conditions.
2Productivity
If the polling frequency is increased to reduce delivery delay, then the instantaneous nature of e-mail delivery is improved, but network traffic and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The polling frequency is made dynamic rather than fixed. The system increases polling frequency only when necessary (when messages are present at the server) and reduces it when the account is empty. This dynamic adjustment maintains high delivery speed when needed while minimizing network traffic during idle periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The temporal parameter of polling interval is adjusted based on server state. When e-mail messages are detected, the interval is shortened to increase polling frequency and improve delivery speed. When no messages are present, the interval is lengthened to reduce network traffic volume.
3Loss of energy
If pull e-mail is used to reduce costs and energy consumption, then operational efficiency is improved, but delivery delay increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system transforms the static pull e-mail approach into a dynamic hybrid model. It maintains the energy-efficient polling mechanism of pull e-mail but introduces dynamic interval adjustment based on server state, allowing it to achieve push e-mail-like responsiveness when messages are present while maintaining cost and energy efficiency during idle periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The polling interval parameter is dynamically changed based on whether messages are present at the server. This allows the system to achieve fast delivery (similar to push) when needed while maintaining the cost-effective polling approach (similar to pull) during normal operation, thus resolving the contradiction between energy efficiency and delivery speed.
Data Source
AI summary
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.