Patent ID: 7720921

Claim:
A method, for use in a system where users exchange emails to create an email thread, for requesting and retrieving a complete email thread, the method comprising: receiving a request for an email thread from a requesting email user; authenticating the requesting email user; retrieving the requested email thread for the requesting email user; conveying the requested email thread to the inbox of the requesting email user; removing the requested email thread from the user's inbox in response to receiving a suppress thread request from the requesting user via a suppress thread UI button; and adding the requesting user to an incomplete email thread, the adding comprising: receiving, from the requesting user, identification of another user on the incomplete email thread; receiving a thread request for the incomplete email thread from the requesting user via a request thread UI button; conveying the incomplete email thread to the requesting user; and conveying the thread request for the incomplete email thread to others in the incomplete thread.