Patent ID: 8473554

Claim:
An information processing apparatus comprising: a memory device configured to store a program; a processor configured to execute the program to perform overall control of the information processing apparatus; an electronic mail generating unit configured to generate an electronic mail; a notification-time specifying unit configured to specify a notification time at which notification of receipt of the received electronic mail is to be provided at a destination; a transmitting unit configured to transmit, to at least one other information processing apparatus, the electronic mail for which the notification time is specified by the notification-time specifying unit; a storage unit configured to store the transmitted electronic mail together with a time-specified mark and configured to delete the time-specified mark from the storage unit after passing of the specified notification time; and a time-change-instruction signal generating unit configured to generate, for the electronic mail for which the notification time is specified by the notification-time specifying unit, an instruction signal to change the specified notification time without deleting the received electronic mail at the destination, the instruction signal being generated by a sender of the electronic mail to change the specified notification time for notifying an electronic mail recipient of the receipt of the received electronic mail, the change of the specified notification time being made by the instruction signal with respect to the electronic mail that has already been sent to the recipient prior to the generation of the instruction signal, wherein the transmitting unit transmits the instruction signal generated by the time-change-instruction signal generating unit to the same destination as the destination of the transmitted electronic mail, and wherein the received electronic mail for which the notification time is specified and which is stored in the storage unit is not allowed to be accessed by a user until the notification time passes while a received electronic mail for which no notification time is specified and which is stored in the storage unit is allowed to be accessed by a user regardless of time.