Image display device and program

Abstract

To provide an image display device and a program that can reduce an access to an image server.SOLUTION: An image display device comprises: a data acquisition unit that acquires HTML data including storage destination information indicating a storage destination of an image to be displayed and text information related to the image; an image acquisition unit that inputs the text information included in the HTML data to a reasoner that is functionalized to receive input of the text information and create and output an image according to the details described in the text information, and thereby acquires the image created by the reasoner; and a display unit that displays the image acquired by the image acquisition unit on the basis of the HTML data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an image display device and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a method for acquiring information from a website (web server) on the Internet, HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) or HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) has been used (hereinafter, HTTP and HTTPS are collectively referred to as "HTTP").

[0003] Also, in a terminal called a web client, by using a web browser to access the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of a website and acquiring HTML (HyperText Markup Language) data from the web server corresponding to the URL, the content of the HTML data is displayed on the screen. Further, in the terminal, when a URL is specified in an image tag in the HTML data, an image is acquired from the web server corresponding to the specified URL (hereinafter, also referred to as an image server) and displayed (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] By the way, when a large number of accesses concentrate on the URL of HTML data including an image tag, the number of accesses to the image server also increases. Generally, since image data has a larger data volume than HTML data, there is a problem that the communication volume on the Internet increases as the number of accesses to the image server increases.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an image display device and a program capable of reducing access to an image server. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Image display device of the embodiment Place , The system includes a data acquisition unit that acquires HTML data from a web server, an image acquisition unit that inputs the text information contained in the HTML data to an inference unit that, if the HTML data includes storage location information indicating the storage location of images to be displayed and text information relating to the images, is configured to receive the text information as input and generate and output an image corresponding to the content of the text information, and acquires the image generated by the inference unit, and a display unit that displays the image acquired by the image acquisition unit based on the HTML data, wherein the image acquisition unit switches between acquiring the image generated by the inference unit and acquiring the image from the storage location indicated by the storage location information, depending on whether the inference unit is available or not. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the system configuration of an image display system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of an image display device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of HTML data received by the image display device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of the functional configuration of an image display device according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the image data acquisition process performed by the image display device according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a sequence diagram showing another example of the image data acquisition process performed by the image display device according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the control unit of the image display device according to this embodiment. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the process related to the initial setup of the inference engine performed by the control unit of the image display device according to this embodiment. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the process related to sending an HTML data request performed by the control unit of the image display device according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing related to the analysis of HTML data performed by the control unit of the image display device according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Embodiments of the image display device and program will be described below with reference to the drawings. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and the components in the following embodiments include those easily conceivable by those skilled in the art, those substantially identical, and those within the so-called equivalent range. Moreover, various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations of components can be made without departing from the spirit of the following embodiments.

[0009] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the image display system 1. The system configuration of the image display system 1 will be explained with reference to Figure 1.

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, the image display system 1 includes an image display device 2, a web server 3, and an image server 4. The number of devices connected to the network N is not limited to the illustrated example. Furthermore, the web server 3 may be a single server integrated with the image server 4.

[0011] The image display device 2 is a web client and consists of devices such as a general PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, or a dedicated device. The image display device 2 is connected to the web server 3 and the image server 4 via the network N, enabling communication.

[0012] Web server 3 is an example of a server device (information processing device) that publishes (provides) HTML data on network N. Web server 3 is implemented by an information processing device such as a PC. In this embodiment, Web server 3 is implemented by a single device, but it may also be a cloud server (or cloud system) implemented by the cooperation of multiple network-connected server devices.

[0013] Image server 4 is an example of a server device (information processing device) that holds image data. Image server 4 is implemented by an information processing device such as a PC. In this embodiment, image server 4 is implemented by a single device, but it may also be a cloud server (or cloud system) implemented by the cooperation of multiple network-connected server devices. Furthermore, image server 4 may be implemented by web server 3.

[0014] Network N may be a wired communication line and / or a wireless communication line, and may be a so-called communication network or a communication cable, etc. Network N may be constructed using one or more of the following: the Internet, a mobile communication network, a WAN (Wide Area Network), etc. In addition, Network N may include not only wired communication but also wireless communication networks such as 3G (3rd Generation), 4G (4th Generation), 5G (5th Generation), Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered trademark), WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), or LTE (Long Term Evolution).

[0015] In the image display system 1 described above, the image display device 2 uses a web browser to access the URL of the website published by the web server 3, and retrieves HTML data from the web server 3 to display the content represented by the HTML data on the display unit 17 (see Figure 2), which will be described later. Furthermore, if a URL is specified in the image tag in the HTML data, the image display device 2 retrieves image data (hereinafter also simply referred to as "image") from the image server 4 corresponding to the specified URL and displays it at the position specified in the HTML data.

[0016] Next, with reference to Figure 2, the configuration of the image display device 2 described above will be explained.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the image display device 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the image display device 2 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 which is an example of a processor, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, and a memory unit 14, etc.

[0018] The CPU 11 comprehensively controls each part of the image display device 2. The ROM 12 stores various programs. The RAM 13 is a workspace for developing programs and various data. The memory unit 14 stores various programs.

[0019] The CPU 11, the ROM 12, the RAM 13, and the memory unit 14 are connected to each other via a bus 15, and the CPU 11, the ROM 12, and the RAM 13 constitute a control unit 100 of a computer configuration. That is, the control unit 100 executes the control processing of the image display device 2 described later by operating according to the programs stored in the ROM 12 and the memory unit 14 and developed in the RAM 13 by the CPU 11.

[0020] The memory unit 14 is composed of a non-volatile memory such as an HDD (Hard Disc Drive) or a flash memory that retains stored information even when the power is turned off. The memory unit 14 stores various programs and setting information that can be executed by the CPU 11. Here, the programs may include a program for storing a Web browser program (application), etc.

[0021] [[ID=1​​​The controller 16 is connected to the display unit 17 and the operation unit 18. The controller 16 then controls each of the connected units based on commands from the control unit 100.

[0023] The display unit 17 is a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The display unit 17 displays various information under the control of the CPU 11. The operation unit 18 is an input device such as a keyboard or a pointing device. The operation unit 18 outputs the operation content entered via the input device to the CPU 11. The operation unit 18 may also be a touch panel provided on the display unit 17.

[0024] Here, we will describe the inference unit 23 connected via the inference unit I / F 22. The inference unit 23 is connected to the inference unit I / F 22 via, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or a LAN (Local Area Network). In other words, the inference unit 23 is a separate device from the image display device 2. Note that the image display device 2 and the inference unit 23 may be defined as the image display system 1.

[0025] The inference unit 23 includes a computer configuration such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM, as well as a processor such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The GPU is used, for example, for calculations during model training or inference, as described later.

[0026] Furthermore, the inference unit 23 stores an image generation model in a non-volatile storage medium (auxiliary storage device). This model is designed to analyze (text encode) the content of a string of characters when a string is input, and to generate (also called inference) an image representing that content and output it. The method of generating the model held by the inference unit 23 is not particularly limited and may be generated using known technologies related to image generation AI.

[0027] The model may also be held by the image display device 2. In this case, the image display device 2 sets the model held in the memory unit 14, etc., to a state where the inference unit 23 can use it, for example, when the power is turned on. In this embodiment, the form in which the image display device 2 holds the model will be described.

[0028] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the inference unit 23 works in cooperation with the image display device 2 to perform the process of generating an image. Specifically, when the inference unit 23 receives a string from the image display device 2 (CPU 11), it generates an image corresponding to the string and outputs the generated image to the image display device 2.

[0029] Next, with reference to Figure 3, an example of HTML data received by the image display device 2 will be described.

[0030] Figure 3 shows an example of HTML data acquired by the image display device 2. HTML data is an example of structured data. Figure 3 shows some of the HTML tags included in the HTML data, and shows an example of the "img" tag. Here, the "img" tag is an example of an image tag that specifies the display of image data.

[0031] The "img" tag defines information (also called attributes) related to the image data to be displayed. The "img" tag defines attributes such as the "src" attribute, which indicates the location of the image data, and the "alt" attribute, which indicates additional information about the image data. Here, the "src" attribute contains the URL of the image server 4, which indicates the location where the image data to be displayed is stored. The "alt" attribute contains, for example, a string that describes the content or situation represented by the image data. Such "alt" attributes are used, for example, to display an alternative to the image data when it is not possible to obtain (display) the image data specified in the "src" attribute due to a communication failure on network N.

[0032] Figure 3 shows an example where an "img" tag named "picture" has both "src" and "alt" attributes defined. Here, the "src" attribute, "src="https: / / XXXXX.YYYY.ZZZ / sample.png"", describes the location information of the image data. The "alt" attribute, "alt="A young elementary school girl waiting on a bright beach for her father who went fishing early in the morning"", explains the content and situation represented by the image data.

[0033] When the above HTML data is retrieved using a web browser, the web browser retrieves the image data "sample.png" stored at "https: / / XXXXX.YYYY.ZZZ" from image server 4 via network N and displays it on the web browser. If the web browser is unable to retrieve the image data "sample.png" from image server 4 due to a communication failure on network N or other reasons, it displays the text information defined in the "alt" attribute, "A young elementary school girl waiting on a bright beach for her father who went fishing early in the morning," on the web browser.

[0034] By the way, if a URL containing HTML data with image tags receives a large volume of traffic, the number of accesses to image server 4 will also increase. Generally, image data is larger in size than HTML data, so as the number of accesses to image server 4 increases, the amount of data transmitted over the internet also increases, which presents a challenge.

[0035] For example, in the case of the HTML data shown in Figure 3, if there is a surge in access to the URL "https: / / XXXXX.YYYY.ZZZ" specified in the "src" attribute, i.e., access to image server 4, in order to retrieve the image data "sample.png", a large amount of image data will be transmitted over network N. This will increase the amount of data transmitted over the internet, and consequently increase the load on image server 4.

[0036] Therefore, the image display device 2 of this embodiment is equipped with a functional configuration to resolve the aforementioned issues such as increased communication volume. The functional configuration of the image display device 2 will be described below with reference to Figure 4.

[0037] Figure 4 shows an example of the functional configuration of the image display device 2. As shown in Figure 4, the image display device 2 is functionally configured to include an initial setting unit 111, a browser unit 112, and a display control unit 113.

[0038] Specifically, the control unit 100 (CPU 11) of the image display device 2 realizes the above-described functional configuration by executing a program stored in the memory unit 14. In this embodiment, the above-described functional configuration is a software configuration realized through the cooperation of the processor and program of the image display device 2, but it is not limited to this, and a hardware configuration in which some or all of the functional configuration is realized by a dedicated circuit or the like may also be used.

[0039] The initial setup unit 111 performs the initial setup of the inference unit 23 connected to the inference unit I / F 22. Specifically, when the image display device 2 is started up or in response to an operation from the operation unit 18, the initial setup unit 111 uses an API (Application Programming Interface) or the like to set the image generation model described above to a state where the inference unit 23 can be used.

[0040] Furthermore, once the initial setup unit 111 has completed the initial setup of the inference unit 23, it stores information indicating the result of the initial setup (hereinafter also referred to as the setup completion flag) in the RAM 13 or memory unit 14.

[0041] Specifically, if the initial setup unit 111 is able to set the image generation model described above to a state where the inference unit 23 can use it, it sets the value of the setup completion flag to "1", indicating that it is usable. On the other hand, if the initial setup unit 111 is unable to set the image generation model described above to a state where the inference unit 23 can use it, for reasons such as the inference unit 23 not being connected to the inference unit I / F 22, it sets the value of the setup completion flag to "0", indicating that it is not usable.

[0042] The browser unit 112 is an example of a data acquisition unit and an image acquisition unit. For example, it is implemented by a web browser program. The browser unit 112 launches and displays a web browser, which serves as the UI (User Interface) for accessing the web server 3 and the image server 4. Specifically, when the operation unit 18 instructs the browser unit 112 to launch the web browser, it launches the web browser and displays a screen representing the web browser on the display unit 17.

[0043] Furthermore, when the browser unit 112 receives a URL input via the operation unit 18, it accesses the web server 3 specified in the input URL via the network N and requests HTML data. When the web server 3 receives the request for HTML data from the browser unit 112, it sends the HTML data to the image display device 2. The image display device 2 then receives (acquires) the HTML data from the web server 3.

[0044] Next, the browser unit 112 analyzes the acquired HTML data and determines whether or not an image tag ("img" tag) is included in the HTML data. If an "img" tag is included, the browser unit 112 executes a process to acquire the image data described in the "img" tag, depending on whether or not the inference unit 23 is available.

[0045] Specifically, if the setup completion flag is "1", the browser unit 112 determines that the inference unit 23 is usable and inputs the text information written in the "alt" attribute of the "img" tag to the inference unit 23. The browser unit 112 then obtains the image data generated from the text information by the inference unit 23 via the inference unit interface 22.

[0046] Note that the image data generated by the inference unit 23 is not the same as the image data in the URL specified in the "src" attribute, but it represents the content of the text information described in the "alt" attribute. Therefore, by using the image data generated by the inference unit 23 as a substitute for the image data indicated by the URL, the content represented by the original image data can be presented to the user.

[0047] Furthermore, if the setup completion flag is "0", the browser unit 112 determines that the inference unit 23 is unavailable and requests image data from the image server 4 by accessing the URL specified in the "src" attribute of the "img" tag. The browser unit 112 then receives the requested image data from the image server 4.

[0048] The browser unit 112 then displays the acquired image data on the display unit 17 based on the HTML data. Specifically, the browser unit 112 displays the acquired image data on the web browser along with the text data and other information contained in the HTML data, based on the display settings such as the layout specified in the HTML data. If the HTML data does not contain image tags, the text data and other information contained in the HTML data will be displayed on the web browser.

[0049] In this way, when the inference unit 23 is available, the browser unit 112 inputs the text information written in the "alt" attribute of the "img" tag in the HTML data to the inference unit 23, obtains the image data generated by the inference unit 23, and displays it on the web browser. This makes it possible for the image display device 2 to reduce access to the image server 4.

[0050] The display control unit 113 is an example of a display unit. The display control unit 113 displays various information on the display unit 17. Specifically, the display control unit 113 works in cooperation with the browser unit 112 to display a web browser on the display unit 17. The display control unit 113 also displays image data and other data acquired by the browser unit 112 on the web browser.

[0051] The operation of the image display device 2 will be described below. First, please refer to Figures 5 and 6 to explain the operation of the image display device 2 related to the acquisition of image data.

[0052] Figure 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the image data acquisition process performed by the image display device 2. Figure 5 describes the initial setup of the inference unit 23, specifically the case where the setup of the inference unit 23 is completed successfully.

[0053] When the power to the image display device 2 is turned on by user operation via various UIs (step S1), the control unit 100 activates the initial setup unit 111 (step S2).

[0054] When the initial setup unit 111 starts up, it performs the initial setup of the inference unit 23 (step S3). If the initial setup of the inference unit 23 is completed successfully, the inference unit 23 notifies the initial setup unit 111 that the setup is complete (step S4). In response to the notification in step S4, the initial setup unit 111 sets the value of the setup completion flag to "1".

[0055] Next, when a user instructs the launch of a web browser via various UI operations (step S5), the control unit 100 launches the browser unit 112 (step S6). Then, the browser unit 112 launches the web browser in response to the launch instruction in step S6 (step S7). Once the web browser has launched, the browser unit 112 notifies the control unit 100 that the web browser has been launched (step S8). Then, the display control unit 113 works in cooperation with the browser unit 112 to display the web browser on the display unit 17 (step S9).

[0056] Next, when a user inputs a URL containing the address of Web server 3 into the Web browser (step S10), the browser unit 112 accepts the URL input via the Web browser (step S11). The browser unit 112 requests HTML data from Web server 3 by accessing the input URL (step S12). When Web server 3 receives the request for HTML data, it sends the HTML data to the requesting image display device 2 (browser unit 112) (step S13).

[0057] The browser unit 112, having received HTML data from the web server 3, parses the received HTML data. If the parsed HTML data contains an "img" tag, the browser unit 112 inputs the text information written in the "alt" attribute of the "img" tag into the inference unit 23 (step S14).

[0058] When the inference unit 23 receives text information from the browser unit 112, it generates image data corresponding to the content of the text information (step S15). Next, the inference unit 23 outputs the generated image data (step S16). Then, when the browser unit 112 receives the image data output from the inference unit 23, it displays the acquired image data on the web browser (step S17).

[0059] Figure 6 is a sequence diagram showing another example of the image data acquisition process performed by the image display device 2. Here, Figure 6 shows an example of operation when the inference unit 23 is not set up correctly during initial setup. Note that the steps common to the case where the inference unit 23 is set up correctly as shown in Figure 5 are omitted.

[0060] If the initial setup of the inference unit 23 does not complete successfully, the inference unit 23 notifies the initial setup unit 111 that the setup was not completed successfully (step S40). In response to the notification in step S40, the initial setup unit 111 sets the value of the setup completion flag to "0".

[0061] The browser unit 112, having received HTML data from the web server 3, parses the received HTML data. If the parsed HTML data contains an "img" tag, the browser unit 112 accesses the image server 4 at the URL specified in the "src" attribute of the "img" tag and requests image data (step S21).

[0062] When the image server 4 receives a request from the browser unit 112, it sends image data to the requesting image display device 2 (browser unit 112) (step S22). The browser unit 112 then displays the image data received from the image server 4 on the web browser (step S23).

[0063] Next, with reference to Figure 7, an example of the processing performed by the image display device 2 will be described.

[0064] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the control unit 100 of the image display device 2. First, the initial setup unit 111 performs the initial setup of the inference unit 23 using a subroutine described later (step S71). The web browser is launched after the initial setup of the inference unit 23.

[0065] Next, the control unit 100 determines whether or not it has received an operation to instruct the system to shut down (step S72). If it has received an operation to instruct the system to shut down (step S72; Yes), the control unit 100 executes the shutdown process, thereby switching the image display device 2 to an off state. Note that this off state may be a power-off state or a sleep mode state with reduced power consumption.

[0066] Furthermore, if the system does not accept an operation to instruct it to shut down (step S72; No), the browser unit 112 determines, via the operation unit 18, whether or not the URL of the web server 3 has been entered into the web browser (step S73). If the URL of the web server 3 has not been entered into the web browser (step S73; No), the control unit 100 returns to step S72. If the URL of the web server 3 has been entered into the web browser (step S73; Yes), the browser unit 112 requests HTML data to the URL using a subroutine described later (step S74). Then, the browser unit 112 returns to step S72.

[0067] Next, with reference to Figure 8, an example of the processing related to the initial setup of the inference unit 23 performed by the image display device 2 will be described.

[0068] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the initial setup process for the inference engine 23 performed by the control unit 100 of the image display device 2. The series of steps shown in Figure 8 is a subroutine of step S71 shown in Figure 7.

[0069] First, upon receiving input from the operation unit 18, the initial setup unit 111 sets the model generated by machine learning to the inference unit 23 using the API (step S81). Next, the initial setup unit 111 determines whether the setting in step S81 has been completed successfully (step S82).

[0070] If the initial setup of the inference unit 23 is completed successfully (step S82; Yes), the initial setup unit 111 sets the value of the setup completion flag to "1" (step S83) and stores it in the memory unit 14. Then, the process proceeds to step S72 in Figure 7.

[0071] Furthermore, if the initial setup of the inference unit 23 does not complete successfully (step S82; No), the initial setup unit 111 sets the value of the setup completion flag to "0" (step S84) and stores it in the memory unit 14. Then, the process proceeds to step S72 in Figure 7.

[0072] Next, referring to Figure 9, the process related to sending HTML data requests performed by the image display device 2 will be explained.

[0073] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing performed by the control unit 100 of the image display device 2 regarding the transmission of an HTML data request. Note that the series of steps shown in Figure 9 is a subroutine of step S74 shown in Figure 7.

[0074] First, the browser unit 112 accesses the web server 3 specified in the URL entered into the web browser and sends a request for HTML data (step S91).

[0075] Next, the browser unit 112 receives HTML data from the web server 3 as a reply to the request sent in step S91 (step S92). Subsequently, the control unit 100 parses the HTML data using a subroutine described later (step S93). Then, the browser unit 112, in cooperation with the display control unit 113, displays the image data stored in RAM 13 on the display unit 17 (step S94). Finally, the browser unit 112 returns to step S72 in Figure 7.

[0076] Next, with reference to Figure 10, the processing related to the parsing of HTML data performed by the image display device 2 will be explained.

[0077] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing related to the analysis of HTML data performed by the control unit 100 of the image display device 2. The series of steps shown in Figure 10 is a subroutine of step S93 shown in Figure 9.

[0078] First, the browser unit 112 sequentially reads the tags contained in the HTML data (step S101) and determines whether the read tag is an "img" tag or not (step S102). If the read tag is not an "img" tag (step S102; No), the control unit 100 executes processing on the read tag (step S103) and proceeds to step S110, which will be described later. If the read tag is an "img" tag (step S102; Yes), the control unit 100 determines whether the value of the setting completion flag stored in the memory unit 14 is "1" or not (step S104).

[0079] Here, if the value of the setting completion flag stored in the memory unit 14 is "0" (step S104; No), the browser unit 112 requests image data from the URL (image server 4) specified in the "src" attribute of the "img" tag (step S105). Then, in response to the request from the browser unit 112, the browser unit 112 stores the image data sent from the image server 4 into the RAM 13 (step S106).

[0080] Furthermore, if the value of the setting completion flag stored in the memory unit 14 is "1" (step S104; Yes), the control unit 100 determines whether or not the "alt" attribute is written to the "img" tag (step S107).

[0081] If the "img" tag does not have an "alt" attribute (step S107; No), the process proceeds to step S105. If the "img" tag does have an "alt" attribute (step S107; Yes), the control unit 100 inputs the text information written in the "alt" attribute of the "img" tag to the inference unit 23 (step S108). Subsequently, the control unit 100 obtains the image data inferred from the text information by the inference unit 23 and stores the image data in RAM 13 (step S109).

[0082] Next, the browser unit 112 determines whether the loaded tag is the last tag included in the HTML data (step S110). If the loaded tag is not the last tag included in the HTML data (step S110; No), the process returns to step S101. If the loaded tag is the last tag included in the HTML data (step S110; Yes), the process proceeds to step S94 in Figure 9.

[0083] As described above, in this embodiment, the image display device 2 obtains HTML data from the Web server 3, which includes storage location information indicating the storage location of the image to be displayed and text information related to the image. The image display device 2 then obtains the image generated by the inference unit 23 by inputting the text information contained in the HTML data into the inference unit 23, which is equipped with the function to receive text information as input and generate and output an image corresponding to the content of the text information. The image display device 2 then displays the obtained image based on the HTML data.

[0084] Therefore, when the inference unit 23 is available, the image display device 2 can input the text information contained in the HTML data to the inference unit 23, acquire the image data generated by the inference unit 23, and display it on a web browser. As a result, the image display device 2 of this embodiment can reduce access to the image server 4 and reduce the amount of data transmitted over the internet.

[0085] The above-described embodiments can also be modified and implemented as appropriate by changing some of the configurations or functions of the above-described device. Therefore, several modifications of the above-described embodiments will be described below as other embodiments. In the following, we will mainly describe the differences from the above-described embodiments, and will omit detailed explanations of points that are common with what has already been described. Furthermore, the modifications described below may be implemented individually or in combination as appropriate.

[0086] (Variation 1) In the above embodiment, when the initial setup of the inference unit 23 is completed successfully, if an "alt" attribute is included in the "img" tag in the HTML data received from the Web server 3, the text information contained in the "alt" attribute is input to the inference unit 23. However, the configuration may also be such that the availability of the inference unit 23 is determined based on the number of characters in the text information contained in the "alt" attribute.

[0087] For example, if the number of characters in the text information specified in the "alt" attribute is 10 or more, the inference unit 23 is used; if it is less than 10 characters, the inference unit 23 is not used. By using the above configuration, more text information is input to the inference unit 23, and therefore, it is expected that the accuracy of the image data inferred by the inference unit 23 will improve.

[0088] (Modification 2) In the above embodiment, text information described in the "alt" attribute of the "img" tag in the HTML data is input to the inference unit 23, and image data generated by the inference unit 23 is obtained. However, if a custom image tag that defines how to display an image is defined instead of the "img" tag, the configuration may be such that text information related to the custom image tag that defines how to display an image is input, and image data generated by the inference unit 23 is obtained.

[0089] By adopting the above configuration, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be achieved even with images that are not defined by the "img" tag.

[0090] (Variation 3) In the above-described embodiment, the inference unit 23 and the image display device 2 are separate components, but the image display device 2 may also be configured to include the functions of the inference unit 23.

[0091] The program executed by the image display device 2 of this embodiment is provided as an installable or executable file recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), CD-R, or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).

[0092] Furthermore, the program executed by the image display device 2 of the embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. Alternatively, the program executed by the image display device 2 of the embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0093] Furthermore, the program to be executed by the image display device 2 of this embodiment may be pre-installed and provided in ROM or the like.

[0094] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments and their variations can be implemented in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0095] 1. Image display system 2 Image display device 3 Web Server 17 Display 18 Control section 23 Reasoner 100 Control Unit 111 Initial setting section 112 Browser section 113 Display Control Unit [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0096] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3881182

Claims

1. A data acquisition unit that acquires HTML data from a web server, If the HTML data includes storage location information indicating the storage location of the image to be displayed and text information relating to the image, an image acquisition unit inputs the text information contained in the HTML data to an inference unit that is configured to receive the text information as input, generate an image corresponding to the content of the text information, and output the image generated by the inference unit. A display unit that displays the image acquired by the image acquisition unit based on the HTML data, Equipped with, The image acquisition unit is an image display device that switches between acquiring an image generated by the inference unit or acquiring an image from the storage location indicated by the storage location information, depending on whether the inference unit is available or not.

2. The image acquisition unit extracts the text information from an image tag that defines the display of an image and is included in the HTML data, or, if the image tag does not contain the text information, acquires an image from the storage location indicated by the storage location information. The image display device according to claim 1.

3. A data acquisition unit that acquires HTML data from a web server, If the HTML data includes storage location information indicating the storage location of the image to be displayed and text information relating to the image, an image acquisition unit inputs the text information contained in the HTML data to an inference unit that is configured to receive the text information as input, generate an image corresponding to the content of the text information, and output the image generated by the inference unit. A display unit that displays the image acquired by the image acquisition unit based on the HTML data, Equipped with, The image acquisition unit is an image display device that switches between acquiring an image generated by the inference unit or acquiring an image from the storage location indicated by the storage location information, depending on the number of characters described in the text information.

4. The image acquisition unit extracts the text information from an image tag that defines the display of an image and is included in the HTML data, or, if the image tag does not contain the text information, acquires an image from the storage location indicated by the storage location information. The image display device according to claim 3.

5. A data acquisition unit that acquires HTML data from a web server, If the HTML data includes storage location information indicating the storage location of the image to be displayed and text information relating to the image, an image acquisition unit inputs the text information contained in the HTML data to an inference unit that is configured to receive the text information as input, generate an image corresponding to the content of the text information, and output the image generated by the inference unit. A display unit that displays the image acquired by the image acquisition unit based on the HTML data, To make the computer function as, The image acquisition unit is a program that switches, depending on whether the inference unit is available, whether to acquire an image generated by the inference unit or to acquire an image from the storage location indicated by the storage location information.

6. The image acquisition unit extracts the text information from an image tag that defines the display of an image and is included in the HTML data, or, if the image tag does not contain the text information, acquires an image from the storage location indicated by the storage location information. The program according to claim 5.

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