Patent ID: 6883040

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: an electronic letter receiver for converting received data corresponding to a letter received from a mail server into image and character data and outputting the image and character data, said electronic letter receiver receiving each letter from a plurality of users transferred by electronic mail to the mail server, the mail server having a unique address on a network and performing a mail service function; a letter storing unit accommodating sorting and storing of the image and character data by the account of users; a display unit for displaying information extracted from the image and character data; a user interface unit outputting a display requesting signal when an authorized user requests to view a letter addressed to the authorized user and outputting an account control signal having information selected by the authorized user from the displayed information; a controller storing the image and character data received from the electronic letter receiver in the letter storing unit, outputting the stored image and character data to the display unit in response to the display requesting signal, reading image and character data selected from among the stored image and character data based on the account control signal, from the letter storing unit, and outputting the read image and character data together with a printing control signal; and a printer for printing a letter corresponding to the image and character data selectively read by said controller, in response to the printing control signal, said letter storing unit being divided into a plurality of areas accommodating image and character data corresponding to an electronic letter addressed to a certain user being stored at an area assigned to the user.