Mailbox protection in web conferencing systems

A mailbox server in a computer-implemented conferencing system having multiple additional mailbox servers interconnected to one another by a computer network, the mailbox server comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a memory operatively coupled to the processor, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor to cause the mailbox server to:
• upon scheduling a meeting in the conferencing system by a user with the other users,
• receive, via the computer network, availability data representing availability information of the other users in the conferencing system;
• cache the received availability data in a mailbox of the user hosted by the mailbox server, the user having scheduled the meeting in the conferencing system with the other users;
• determine a mailbox size of the mailbox corresponding to the user on the mailbox server, the mailbox size indicating an amount of the cached availability data in the mailbox;
• and
• when the determined mailbox size exceeds a preset threshold, stop caching additional availability data from the other users received at the mailbox server of the user and transmitting a message to the additional mailbox servers hosting the mailboxes of the other users, the message indicating to the additional mailbox servers that the mailbox of the user no longer accepts any additional availability data from the additional mailbox servers, thereby preventing performance degradation of accessing the mailbox at the mailbox server by the user via the computer network.

A method of protecting user mailboxes in a computer-implemented conferencing system having multiple mailbox servers interconnected by a computer network, the mailbox servers individually hosting one or more mailboxes corresponding to corresponding users, the method comprising:

• upon scheduling a meeting in the conferencing system by a user with the other users,
• determining an amount of cached availability data in a mailbox corresponding to the user and hosted on a mailbox server in the conferencing system, the cached availability data representing availability information of the other users in the conferencing system and periodically received at the mailbox server;
• performing a comparison of the determined amount of cached availability data with a preset threshold indicative of potential performance degradation associated with accessing the mailbox at the mailbox server by the user via the computer network;
• and
• based on the performed comparison, disallowing caching of any additional availability data representing additional availability information of the other users received at the mailbox via the computer network and transmitting a message to additional mailbox servers hosting the mailboxes of the other users, the message indicating to the additional mailbox servers that the mailbox of the user no longer accepts any additional availability data from the additional mailbox servers when the determined amount of cached availability data exceeds the preset threshold, thereby preventing the performance degradation of accessing the mailbox at the mailbox server by the user via the computer network.