System and method for pushing information from a host system to a mobile data communication device

A method of redirecting E-mail messages from a messaging host system to a user's wireless mobile device, comprising the steps of:

• detecting an E-mail message for the user at the messaging host system;
• forwarding a copy of the E-mail message from the messaging host system to a wireless redirector host system;
• receiving the forwarded E-mail message at the wireless redirector host system and applying a set of user-defined filtering rules that determine whether or not to redirect the E-mail to the user's wireless mobile device via a wireless network coupled to the wireless redirector host system;
• and
• if the filtering rules determine that the E-mail message is of the type that should be redirected, then redirecting the E-mail to the user's wireless mobile device by packaging the E-mail message in an electronic envelope that includes the wireless network address of the user's wireless mobile device.

A method of operating a host system configured to redirect E-mail messages from the Internet to a user's wireless mobile device, comprising the steps of:

• receiving an E-mail message from the Internet for a particular user;
• accessing a user profile database to determine whether the particular user is an authorized user of the host system;
• if the user is an authorized user, then accessing a filter rules database to apply a set of user-defined filtering rules to the E-mail message that dictate whether the E-mail message is the type of message that the user wants to have redirected to its wireless mobile device;
• and
• if the E-mail message clears the filtering rules, then repackaging the E-mail message into an electronic envelope including the address of the user's wireless mobile device and forwarding the electronic envelope to a wireless gateway system for transmission onto a wireless data network associated with the user's wireless mobile device.