E-mail printer and e-mail printing method having authentication procedure

1. A printer having an e-mail receiving function comprising:

a storage device comprising memory areas allocated to each of a plurality of users, to store received e-mail in a predetermined one of the memory areas corresponding to each of the plurality of users;

an authentication device to authenticate the plurality of users so that the authenticated ones of the users are enabled to access said storage device; and

a printer unit to print the received e-mail.

2. A method of storing e-mail in a printer having an e-mail receiving function, comprising:

receiving e-mails sent to each of a plurality of users from mail servers in order of accessing time; and

storing the received e-mails in corresponding predetermined memory areas of the printer allocated to the plurality of users.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said receiving the e-mails further comprises authenticating ones of the mail servers to be accessed.

4. A method of storing e-mail in a printer having an e-mail receiving function, comprising:

receiving at the printer e-mails from each of a plurality of user accounts; and

storing the received e-mails in predetermined memory areas of the printer corresponding to each of the plurality of user accounts.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said receiving the e-mails comprises receiving the e-mails from an authenticated mail server.

6. A method of confirming e-mail stored in a printer having an e-mail receiving function, comprising:

receiving e-mails sent to each of a plurality of users from each of a plurality of mail servers in order of accessing time;

storing the received e-mails in corresponding memory areas of the printer allocated to each of the users; and

confirming the stored e-mail according to one of the users' selection after authentication of the one user.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein said receiving further comprises authenticating each mail server to be accessed.

8. A method of confirming e-mail stored in a printer having an e-mail receiving function, the method comprising:

receiving e-mails from each of a plurality of user accounts at the printer;

storing the received e-mails in corresponding memory areas of the printer allocated to each of the user accounts;

authenticating a user; and

confirming the stored e-mails according to the authenticated user's selection.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said receiving the e-mail comprises receiving the e-mail from an authenticated mail server.

10. A printer having an e-mail receiving function comprising:

an e-mail receiving unit to receive e-mail sent to a receiving user;

a storage device comprising storage areas allocated to a plurality of receiving users, said storage device to store the received e-mail in one of the storage areas which corresponds to the receiving user; and

a printer unit to print the stored e-mail at a print command of the receiving user.

11. The printer of claim 10 , wherein:

other e-mails sent to other users are received by said e-mail receiving unit and stored in remaining ones of the storage areas, and

said printer unit does not print the other e-mails at the print command of the receiving user.

12. The printer of claim 11 , further comprising an authentication device to authenticate the receiving user such that the receiving user is enabled to access the one storage area, while non-authenticated users are not enabled to access the one storage area.

13. The printer of claim 10 , further comprising a display to display the received e-mail at a display command of the receiving user.

14. The printer of claim 13 , wherein:

the one storage area has an additional e-mail sent to the receiving user, and

said display displays a list of the received and the additional e-mails at a list command from the receiving user.

15. The printer of claim 14 , wherein, while said display displays the list, the receiving user selectively prints ones of the listed e-mails.

16. The printer of claim 14 , wherein, while said display displays the list, the user searches the listed e-mails using a search command.

17. The printer of claim 14 , wherein, while said display displays the list, the user selects one of the listed e-mails to be displayed.

18. The printer of claim 17 , wherein, while said display displays the list, said printer unit prints the selected e-mail using said printer unit.

19. The printer of claim 13 , wherein:

the one storage area has an additional e-mail sent to the receiving user, and

said printer unit prints the received and additional e-mails at a print all emails command, but does not print other e-mails stored in the remaining storage areas.

20. A computer readable medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing a method of retrieving and printing e-mails performed by a computer in a printer, the method comprising:

accessing a mail server to retrieve an e-mail sent to a user;

retrieving the e-mail sent to the user;

storing the retrieved e-mail in a storage area of a storage medium in the printer corresponding to the user; and

printing and/or displaying the stored e-mail at a command from the user.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20 , further comprising:

retrieving other e-mails sent to other users; and

storing the retrieved other e-mails in other storage areas corresponding to the other users.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21 , wherein said printing and/or displaying the stored e-mail comprises printing and/or displaying the stored e-mail of the user, while not accessing the other e-mails of the other users stored in the other storage areas.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 21 , wherein said retrieving the e-mail and the other e-mails further comprises retrieving ones of the e-mail and other e-mails on the mail server, accessing another mail server, and retrieving additional e-mails corresponding to the user and the other users from the additional mail server.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 21 , wherein said retrieving the e-mail further comprises retrieving from the mail server ones of the e-mail and further e-mails corresponding to the user but not to the other users, accessing another mail server, and retrieving from the another mail server additional e-mails corresponding to the user but not to the other users.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 20 , further comprising:

retrieving other e-mails sent to the user,

storing the retrieved other e-mails in the storage area, and

said printing and/or displaying the e-mail comprises displaying the e-mail and the other e-mails in a list.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 25 , further comprising searching the list to find one of the listed e-mails.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 25 , further comprising selecting one of the listed e-mails to be displayed, and printing the displayed e-mail.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 20 , further comprising authenticating the user to allow the user to print and/or display the stored e-mail while not allowing non-authenticated users to print and/or display the stored e-mail.