Patent ID: 7308478

Claim:
A server unit that sends and receives, stores, and manages electronic mail, comprising: a condition management database that stores and manages an incoming notification condition set on a sending electronic mail by a communication terminal and used for deciding whether an incoming notification is made or not made when said server unit receives a responsive electronic mail for responding to a said sending electronic mail and having a message ID for identifying said sending electronic mail; a condition detection means that detects said incoming notification condition from the electronic mail sent from the communication terminal and stores said incoming notification condition in said condition management database; a sending means for sending an electronic mail received from said communication terminal to which a message ID have been given by said communication terminal or said server unit to another unit or terminal; a decision means that acquires the incoming notification condition from said condition management database and checks whether the incoming notification is to be made to the communication terminal when the responsive electronic mail for responding to said sending electronic mail was received from an other terminal or device through a network; an incoming notification means that deletes said incoming notification condition from said condition management database and makes the incoming notification for an address of the communication terminal when the incoming notification is made as a result of said checks of said decision means; and a distribution means that distributes the receiving electronic mail when the distribution of receiving electronic mail was requested from the communication terminal.