Patent ID: 7269626

Claim:
A method for presenting electronic mail messages to an operator, including the step of: loading a plurality of headers from a mail server, each one of said headers associated with an electronic mail message addressed to at least said operator, each of said plurality of headers loaded separately from its associated electronic mail message; receiving a dynamic selection of a first one of said electronic mail messages from said operator after at least one of said plurality of headers have been loaded and prior to said associated electronic mail message being loaded; presenting said first electronic mail message to said operator; without interrupting presentation of said first electronic mail message: identifying a second one of said electronic mail messages for preloading, wherein said identifying is not in response to a dynamic selection of said second one of said electronic mail messages from said operator; preloading said second electronic mail message for later presentation, wherein said preloading comprises downloading said second electronic mail message from the mail server; and presenting to said operator a status of said step of preloading said second electronic mail message.