Method and apparatus for image communications capable of effectively performing receipt acknowledgement

A method of image communications with E-mail, comprising the steps of:

• transmitting E-mail to a mail recipient, said E-mail containing image information and including a request for a receipt acknowledgement;
• receiving a return mail from said mail recipient for acknowledging a receipt of said E-mail, said return mail including a predetermined page of said image information contained in said E-mail;
• and
• outputting a status report indicating contents of said return mail and including an image of said predetermined page included in said image information.

A data terminal coupled to at least a local area network, comprising:

• a communications mechanism arranged and configured to receive E-mail that contains image information and includes a request for a receipt acknowledgement, said E-mail being sent from a mail sender through said local area network;
• a decoder decoding said image information contained in said E-mail;
• and
• a controller arranged and configured to create a return mail for acknowledging a receipt of said electronic mail, to attach a predetermined page of said image information to said return mail, and to cause said communications mechanism to transmit said return mail back to said mail sender as a response to said request.

A data terminal coupled to a local area network, comprising:

• a communications mechanism arranged and configured to transmit E-mail to a mail recipient and to receive a return mail from said mail recipient for acknowledging a receipt of said E-mail, said E-mail containing image information and including a request for a receipt acknowledgement, and said return mail including a predetermined page of said image information contained in said E-mail;
• an outputting mechanism arranged and configured to output information;
• and
• a controller arranged and configured to create said E-mail, and to retrieve said predetermined page and to cause said outputting mechanism to output a status report indicating contents of said return mail and an image of said retrieved predetermined page when said communications mechanism receives said return mail.

A data terminal coupled to at least a local area network, comprising:

• communicating means for receiving E-mail that contains image information and includes a request for a receipt acknowledgement, said E-mail being sent from a mail sender through said local area network;
• decoding means for decoding said image information contained in said E-mail;
• and
• controlling means for creating a return mail for acknowledging a receipt of said electronic mail, attaching a predetermined page of said image information to said return mail, and causing said communicating means to transmit said return mail back to said mail sender as a response to said request.

A data terminal coupled to a local area network, comprising:

• communicating means for transmitting E-mail to a mail recipient and receiving a return mail from said mail recipient for acknowledging a receipt of said E-mail, said E-mail containing image information and including a request for a receipt acknowledgement, and said return mail including a predetermined page of said image information contained in said E-mail;
• outputting means for outputting information;
• and
• controlling means for creating said E-mail, and when said communicating means receives said return mail, said controlling means being arranged and configured to retrieve said predetermined page and to cause said outputting means to output a status report indicating contents of said return mail and an image of said retrieved predetermined page.

An e-mail system comprising:

• a sending facility coupled with a communications network to which a number of receiving facilities are also coupled;
• said sending facility being configured to assemble an e-mail message that contains non-image information including a request for an acknowledgment, and image information, and to transmit the assembled e-mail message to a selected one of said receiving facilities;
• said sending facility being further configured to receive a response e-mail message from said selected receiving facility, said response e-mail message containing both non-image information and image information corresponding to at least at part of the image information sent to the receiving facility from the sending facility;
• and
• an output system coupled to said sending facility and responsive to said response e-mail message to automatically assemble and provide a visual output of a status report related to said response e-mail message, said visual output corresponding to at least a part of the image information included in the response email message.

An e-mail system comprising:

• a receiving facility coupled with a communications network to which a sending facility is also coupled;
• said receiving facility being configured to receive an incoming e-mail message over said network from said sending facility, said received e-mail message containing a request for an acknowledgment and both non-image information and image information;
• said receiving facility being further configured to automatically assemble a response e-mail message that contains both non-image information and image information corresponding to at least a selected part of the image information included in the received e-mail message;
• and
• an output system coupled to said receiving facility and configured to automatically send said response e-mail message to said sending facility over said network.