Patent ID: 7856476

Claim:
A method for selectively downloading a multi-part e-mail message at an e-mail processor to an e-mail client operated by a recipient from an email server, the multi-part e-mail message including an attachment, the method comprising: accepting the multi-part e-mail message and attachment sent to the e-mail server by a sender; acquiring recipient's preferences at the e-mail processor from information provided by the recipient; communicating between the e-mail client and the e-mail processor to obtain e-mail messages; logging into the e-mail server by the e-mail processor to read the multi-part e-mail message; retrieving attachment information for the multi-part e-mail message by the e-mail processor from the e-mail server, wherein the attachment information was received by the email server and stored in a storage by the e-mail server or at the e-mail server; retrieving at least one part of the multi-part e-mail message to be provided to the recipient by the e-mail processor in accordance with the acquired preferences; preparing a formatted message for sending to the e-mail client from the email processor, said formatted message containing the at least one part of the multi-part e-mail message and a link to content of the attachment, such that the attachment content is not sent to the e-mail client; downloading attachment content by the e-mail processor from the e-mail server when the e-mail processor has completed the preparation of the formatted message; sending said formatted message to the e-mail client, wherein selection of the at least one part is not performed by the e-mail processor; and displaying said formatted message at the e-mail client.