Patent ID: 8032596

Claim:
A method for managing e-mail messages according to a set of message rules, the method comprising: detecting a connection speed between an e-mail client and an e-mail server over a communication connection, the e-mail server having an e-mail message addressed for delivery to the e-mail client; evaluating a quality of communication connection and the communication connection to determine connection characteristics, wherein the quality of communication connection comprises an error rate for packets and a quantity of resent packets, wherein the evaluating step is performed periodically at regular intervals during the communication connection; creating the set of message rules at the e-mail client, wherein the set of message rules includes, a predefined communication profile that includes a plurality of different connection levels that are associated with the connection speed, wherein one of the connection levels includes an unreliable connection level and a broadband connection level, the communication profile configured to provide instructions as to how e-mail messages are to be selected, formatted, and limited according to the connection speed, a predefined file type user exception to the predefined communication profile that overrides the communication profile based on the type of attachment in the e-mail message, a predefined user option exception to the predefined communication profile that overrides the communication profile, wherein the user option exception is based on a particular person sending the e-mail message; selecting the set of message rules from the e-mail client and communicating the message rules to the e-mail server to specify how each e-mail is to be downloaded; applying the selected message rules to the e-mail message at the e-mail server; and transmitting the e-mail message from the e-mail server to the e-mail client according to the selected message rules; and dynamically adjusting the selecting, applying and transmitting steps during e-mail download in response to the periodic evaluation during the communication connection, wherein at least one portion of the e-mail download is interrupted when the selected set of message rules indicate that the portion of the e-mail is not to be downloaded at the evaluated quality of the communication connection, the portion of the e-mail download continued when the selected set of message rules indicate that the portion of the e-mail is to be downloaded at the evaluated quality of the communication connection.