Patent ID: 8725821

Claim:
A computer-implemented system for synchronizing custom objects between an email client and an external server, the system comprising: a plurality of custom objects stored on the external server, wherein the custom objects are not supported by the email client without modification, and a plurality of email client items corresponding to the custom objects and stored on the email client, wherein the custom objects are converted to standard object types supported by the email client, wherein the email client includes a task manager plug-in for managing workflow using the custom objects, and the custom objects include all of the following (i)-(v): (i) a discussion with hierarchy of comments posted by users, (ii) a history with a list of changes made to the custom objects, (iii) a time log reflecting a total time spent by the users on a custom object, (iv) an unlimited number of subtasks for each task, and (v) a structured reference to other custom objects in the email client; a change events listener module for detecting changes in the email client items; a save events listener module for detecting saves of the email client items; a first read/write module from the email client items for reading fields from the email client items and writing updated email client items' fields received from the external server; a plurality of storage items for storing information about changed fields and about saved fields; a second read/write module from the storage items for reading data out of the storage items and for writing data reflecting the changed fields and the saved fields into the storage items; and a data transfer/receive component for synchronizing custom object fields between the email client and the external server, wherein the data stored in the storage items are received from the change events listener module and from the save events listener module, and wherein the data stored in the email client items are read and written based on the storage items.