Patent ID: 7155479

Claim:
In a requesting computer system that is in network communication with a configuration computer system, a method for automatically causing configuration information at the configuration computer system and that is associated with email services of an email service provider to be received at one or more consumer modules that will consume the email services, and in a manner that reduces the amount of configuration information manually entered by a user of the email services, the method comprising the following: an act of the requesting computer system accessing an identifier comprising at least a portion of an email address, and such that the identifier corresponds to email services of an email service provider that the one or more consumer modules will consume; an act of the requesting computer system, automatically, and without user intervention, causing a search for configuration information associated with the email services represented by the identifier, wherein the act of causing the search includes automatically, and without user intervention, sending the identifier comprising said at least a portion of the email address to a configuration computer system which responsively uses the identifier to identify configuration information that is associated with configuration information at the configuration computer system and that is made available to the requesting computer system; an act of accessing the configuration information resulting from the search; and an act of providing the accessed configuration information to the one or more consumer modules, and thereby enabling the one or more consumer modules to utilize the email services of the email service provider.