Patent ID: 8756287

Claim:
An e-mail delivery device configured for communication with a management device, the management device being configured to associate membership numbers each indicative of registered members with private information of the registered members for management of the membership numbers and the private information, and configured for delivering an e-mail to an intended target member from among the registered members, the e-mail delivery device comprising: (a) a membership number acquisition unit configured to obtain any one of the membership numbers of the members from the management device via a communication unit; (b) an identification information creation unit configured to (i) assign a unique identification data to each of the membership numbers that have been obtained by the membership number acquisition unit, (ii) create identification information element containing the obtained membership number and the identification data assigned thereto, and (iii) assigning an e-mail storing unit to the identification information element on a one-to-one basis, the e-mail storing unit being adapted to store an e-mail that corresponds to the identification information element; (c) a notification unit configured to report the created identification information element to the management device via the communication unit; (d) an identification information storing unit configured to associate the created identification information element with the membership number and store the associated identification information element; (e) a target e-mail acquisition unit configured to obtain (i) a selected membership number and (ii) a target e-mail from the management device via the communication unit, the selected membership number being selected from among the membership numbers in accordance with a prescribed delivery condition, the selection being performed by the management device, and the target e-mail being intended to be delivered to the selected membership number; (f) delivery unit configured to (i) identify the identification information element containing the membership number that agrees with the obtained selected membership number and (ii) store the obtained e-mail in the e-mail storing unit that corresponds to the identified identification information element; and (g) a transmitting unit configured to (i) identify the e-mail storing unit that corresponds to the identification information element that has been designated by the member and (ii) transmit the e-mail stored in the e-mail storing unit to this member.