System and method for enabling offline use of email through a browser interface

1 . A method for providing online and offline email services to a user, the method comprising:

running a client email application in a browser on a user's computer;

using a local web server application running on the user's computer to store user mailbox information on the user's computer, to respond to requests from the client email application for user mailbox information, and to receive changes to user mailbox information made by the user via the client email application; wherein the local web server application is able to respond to the client email application regardless of whether the user's computer is online or offline; and

using a remote web server to remotely store user mailbox information, to receive incoming email messages for the user and to send outbound email messages that are composed by the user and sent to the remote web server by the local web server application, wherein the local web server application and remote web server synchronize user mailbox information periodically when the user's computer is online and wherein the local web server application stores, searches, and indexes user mailbox information in the same manner as the remote web server.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the client email application is a collaboration application and wherein the local web server application and the remote web server provide collaboration functionality to the user, including a calendar and a contacts directory for the user.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the remote web server receives calendaring changes made by authorized third parties to the calendar, updates the user mailbox information stored on the remote web server to reflect such changes, and provides such changes to the local web server application during synchronization, where, in response to receiving such changes, the local web server application updates the user mailbox information stored on the user's computer to reflect such changes.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the local web server application receives calendaring changes made by the user to the calendar, updates the user mailbox information stored on the user's computer accordingly, and provides such changes to the remote web server during synchronization, where, in response to receiving such changes, the remote web server updates the user mailbox information stored on the remote web server to reflect such changes.

5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the remote web server receives changes made by authorized third parties to the contacts directory, updates the user mailbox information stored on the remote web server to reflect such changes, and provides such changes to the local web server application during synchronization, where, in response to receiving such changes, the local web server application updates the user mailbox information stored on the user's computer to reflect such changes.

6 . The method of claim 2 wherein the local web server application receives changes made by the user to the contacts directory, updates the user mailbox information stored on the user's computer to reflect such changes, and provides such changes to the remote web server during synchronization, where, in response to receiving such changes, the remote web server updates the user mailbox information stored on the remote web server to reflect such changes.

7 . The methods of claim 5 wherein the local web server application receives changes made by the user to the contacts directory, updates the user mailbox information stored on the user's computer to reflect such changes, and provides such changes to the remote web server during synchronization, where, in response to receiving such changes, the remote web server updates the user mailbox information stored on the remote web server to reflect such changes.

8 . A computer-implemented system for providing offline and online email functionality to a user, the system comprising:

a client application that executes within a browser on a user's computer;

a local web server application that communicates with the client application via the browser and that stores user mailbox information on the user's computer, responds to requests from the client application for user mailbox information, and receives changes to user mailbox information made by the user via the client application; wherein the local web server application is able to respond to the client application regardless of whether the user's computer is online or offline;

a remote web server that remotely stores user mail box information, receives incoming email messages for the user and sends outbound email messages from the user, wherein such outbound email messages are sent to the remote web server by the local web server application and wherein the local web server application and remote web server synchronize user mailbox information periodically when the user's computer is online.

9 . A computer-implemented collaboration system for providing online and offline collaboration functionality comprising:

a client collaboration application that executes within a browser on a user's computer;

a local web server application that executes on the user's computer, that is capable of communicating with the client collaboration application via the browser, and that provides collaboration functionality to the user by storing, retrieving, and processing user mailbox information on the user's computer;

a remote web server that also stores, retrieves and processes the user's mailbox information;

wherein:

the remote web server and the local web server application communicate via a network and, when the user's computer is on the network, the local web server application and the remote web server periodically synchronize the user mailbox information; and

the local web server application can communicate with the client collaboration application regardless of whether the user's computer is on the network or off the network, enabling the user to have collaboration functionality offline.

10 . The computer-implemented collaboration system of claim 9 , wherein the client collaboration application appears the same to the user regardless of whether the browser in which the client collaboration application executes is in communication with the local web server application or the remote web server.

11 . A computer-implemented collaboration system comprising:

a client collaboration application that executes within a browser on a user's computer;

a local web server application that executes on the user's computer and that communicates with the client collaboration application to provide collaboration application functionality to the user by storing and processing user mailbox information on the user's computer; and

a remote web server that also stores and processes the user mailbox information, where the remote web server communicates with the local web server application via a network and, when the user's computer is on the network, the local web server application and remote web server synchronize the user mailbox information;

wherein the local web server application processes the user mailbox information in the same way as the remote web server and wherein the local web server application communicates with the browser regardless of whether or not the user's computer is on the network.

12 . (canceled)

13 . (canceled)

14 . A method for providing online and offline collaboration suite services to a user, the method comprising:

running a client collaboration suite application in a browser on a user's computer; and using a local web server application running on the user's computer to store user mailbox information on the user's computer, to respond to requests from the client collaboration suite application for user mailbox information, and to receive changes to user mailbox information made by the user via the client collaboration suite application; wherein the local web server application is able to respond to the client collaboration suite application regardless of whether the user's computer is online or offline, and wherein the local web server synchronizes user mailbox data with a remote server when the user's computer is online, and upon the occurrence of a pre-specified event.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the pre-specified is one of a group comprised of:

(1) a certain amount of time passing since a previous synchronization; (2) the remote web server indicating to the local web server application that a change has occurred on the remote web server; and (3) a certain amount of time passing since the user made a change to the user mailbox information.

16 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

passing a sync token between the remote web server and the local web server application.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the sync token is modified by the remote web server when there is a change to the user mailbox information stored on the remote web server.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the sync token is modified by the local web sewer application when there is a change to the user mailbox information stored on the user's computer.