Patent ID: 8606862

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving, by a recipient device at a recipient email address, a notification that an electronic mail message has been sent from a sending device to the recipient device, the notification being separate from the electronic mail message and received by the recipient device before the recipient device receives the electronic mail message; after the notification is received by the recipient device and before the electronic mail message is received by the recipient device: providing an indication to a user of the recipient device that the electronic mail message has been sent from the sending device and not yet received by the recipient device, the indication being based at least in part on the notification and indicating that the electronic mail message is delayed, and configuring, based on input from the user of the recipient device, a forwarding agent of an email client of the recipient device to forward information of the electronic mail message to the user of the recipient device when the electronic mail message is received at the recipient device, the forwarding agent being configured to forward the information of the electronic mail message to: a cellular telephone other than the recipient device, or a location that is remote from the recipient device at an alternative email address that is different than the recipient email address; receiving the electronic mail message at the email client of the recipient device after configuring the forwarding agent; and after receiving the electronic mail message at the email client of the recipient device, forwarding the information of the electronic mail message via the forwarding agent of the email client from the recipient device to the cellular telephone or to the location that is remote from the recipient device at the alternative email address.