Patent ID: 6983308

Claim:
A method for synchronization of a second mail system and a first mail system, the second mail system communicating with the first mail system through a public network, said method comprising: maintaining a first inbox for the first mail system, the first inbox having a first message list associated therewith; establishing a secure connection between the first mail system and the second mail system through the public network; requesting a second message list from the second mail system over the secure connection, the second message list being associated with a second inbox for the second mail system; comparing the first message list with the second message list to identify missing messages, the missing messages are those messages that are identified as being present in the second inbox but not also present in the first inbox; requesting the missing messages from the second mail system over the secure connection; receiving the missing messages from the second mail system over the secure connection through the public network; and inserting the missing messages that have been received into the first inbox of the first mail system; deleting at least one of the messages from the second inbox that are known to be present in the first inbox.