Information processing device, information processing system, method, and program

Abstract

To make it easy for a user to recognize that processing has been appropriately executed.SOLUTION: A program of the Web application 21 causes a computer to execute processing of: causing a client to start displaying a predetermined notification, and executing first processing for data to be processed; and ending, when the first processing is complete and a time equal to or longer than a predetermined time has elapsed after display of the predetermined notification has started, display of the predetermined notification to the client.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The disclosure of this specification relates to an information processing device, an information processing system, a method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a technique for displaying a notification indicating the progress of uploading on the screen of a management terminal device while data is being uploaded from a dedicated terminal to the management terminal device (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2000-207315 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a process such as an upload is completed in an extremely short time, the notification showing the status of the process disappears from the screen in an instant, which may cause a user viewing the screen to not realize that the process was completed properly.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide an information processing device, an information processing system, a method, and a program that can easily allow a user to recognize that processing has been executed appropriately. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A program according to one embodiment of the present invention causes a computer to execute the following process: cause a client to start displaying a specified notification; execute a first process on the data to be processed; and, when the first process is completed and a specified amount of time has elapsed since the start of displaying the notification, end the display of the notification to the client. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present invention, there are provided an information processing device, an information processing system, a method, and a program that can easily allow a user to recognize that a process has been executed appropriately. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of a system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an application that operates in a system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of screen transition of a Web application running on a server device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an application that runs on a system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an example of a sequence diagram showing interactions between applications operating in a system according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a method for starting a Web browser via a viewer. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a method for launching a Web browser via a resident application. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an image confirmation page. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an analysis result page. [Figure 10] 6 is a diagram showing in more detail the processing in area A of the sequence diagram shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an image analysis page. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] An information processing device, an information processing system, and a method and a program executed by the information processing device, which is an example of a computer, according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an application that runs on the system 1 according to this embodiment. The system 1 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is a Web application system that provides an image analysis function to a user. The configuration of the system 1 will be described below with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

[0011] The system 1 is an example of an information processing system according to the present embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the system 1 includes one or more client devices 10 (client device 10a, client device 10b) and a server device 20, which are communicatively connected via a network 30. The network 30 is, for example, the Internet, but is not limited to the Internet and may be connected via a dedicated line or the like.

[0012] The server device 20 is an example of an information processing device according to the present embodiment, and is also an example of a computer that executes the method and program according to the present embodiment.

[0013] 2, the server device 20 is a device on which a Web application 21 that provides an image analysis function runs. The Web application 21 is an example of Web server software, and includes a program according to the present embodiment.

[0014] The Web application 21 provides the image analysis function only to users who have been successfully authenticated. The Web application 21 performs processes such as analyzing image data of an image file uploaded from the client device 10, displaying the analysis result on the Web browser 13 of the client device 10, and outputting the analysis result to the client device 10 as an image file.

[0015] The client device 10 is a terminal that is directly operated by a user, and as shown in Fig. 2, uses a web browser 13 to access a web application 21 running on a server device 20. At least the web browser 13 is installed on the client device 10. In addition, at least one of an image management application 11 and a resident application 12 is installed on the client device 10.

[0016] The Web browser 13 is an example of a client, and communicates with a Web application 21, which is an example of Web server software, using a predetermined protocol to display Web content on the screen.

[0017] The image management application 11 is an application that manages image files, and also operates as a viewer application for viewing managed image files. In the client device 10, one of the functions provided by the image management application 11 is a function for supporting access to a Web application 21, which will be described later. Authentication information for logging in to the Web application 21 may be registered in the image management application 11. The authentication information is, for example, a user ID and a password.

[0018] The image management application 11 classifies the image files to be managed based on the metadata of the image files. For example, the image management application 11 may classify the image files based on the shooting date and time included in the metadata of the image files, or may classify the image files based on an identifier for identifying a subject included in the metadata of the image files. For example, the image management application 11 may display a list of image data of image files classified into the same group on the display unit of the client device 10.

[0019] The resident application 12 is an application that provides a function of assisting in accessing a Web application 21, which will be described later. In the resident application 12, as in the image management application 11, authentication information for logging in to the Web application 21 may be registered.

[0020] By starting and controlling the Web browser 13 via either the image management application 11 or the resident application 12, the client device 10 can notify the Web application 21 of an image file F selected by the user and stored in the client device 10 as a target for image analysis in response to a predetermined operation by the user (for example, a few clicks, etc.). This makes it possible to display an image confirmation page P5 (see FIG. 3) described later on the Web browser 13, and the user can further instruct image analysis on the image confirmation page P5 to have the Web application 21 analyze the image file F without performing any troublesome operations. This point will be described in detail later.

[0021] 3 is a diagram showing an example of screen transition of a Web application running on the server device 20 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, at least seven pages are prepared in the Web application 21. The role of each page of the Web application 21 will be briefly described below.

[0022] In the following, we will explain an example in which Web application 21 is an application for assisting doctors in diagnosing the presence or absence of skin diseases, etc., and a doctor who is the user uploads an image file containing data of a dermoscopy image obtained with a dermoscope to Web application 21.

[0023] A dermoscope is a magnifying glass that can non-invasively observe a suspected lesion on the skin by enlarging the area while reducing the light reflected from the skin surface. Therefore, a dermoscopy image obtained by a dermoscope is suitable for identifying skin diseases. However, the input image data is not limited to image data of a dermoscopy image or image data of a medical image. Furthermore, the use of the Web application 21 is not limited to diagnostic support for doctors.

[0024] Top page P1 includes an input form for entering authentication information. When a user enters authentication information into the input form and clicks the "Login" button, authentication processing is performed in Web application 21. If authentication is successful, the screen transitions to member page P3.

[0025] Furthermore, the top page P1 has a link to a member registration page P2. When a user selects the link by clicking on it, the screen transitions to the member registration page P2.

[0026] Membership registration page P2 allows users to register as a member and to set up billing settings for image analysis. By registering as a member on member registration page P2, the screen transitions to member page P3. A user visiting the site of web application 21 for the first time registers as a member on member registration page P2. This allows users to access member page P3 from the next time onwards by entering authentication information on top page P1, without going through member registration page P2.

[0027] Member page P3 has various links (a link to the top page P1, a link to the inquiry page, a link to the member information change page, and a link to the setting change page) as well as a link labeled "AI image analysis." When a user clicks to select "AI image analysis," the screen transitions to image selection page P4.

[0028] On the image selection page P4, any image file on the client device 10 can be selected. By selecting an image file containing image data to be analyzed and clicking the "Open" button, the screen transitions to the image confirmation page P5. On the other hand, by clicking the "Cancel" button, the screen transitions back to the member page P3. The image selection page P4 may be replaced with a standard file selection dialog.

[0029] The image confirmation page P5 includes an area for displaying information about the image file selected on the image selection page P4 (image, patient ID, shooting date and time) and an area for displaying various precautions for image analysis (image confirmation items, fee confirmation). The patient ID and shooting date and time are metadata included in the image file.

[0030] The image confirmation items prompt the user to confirm, for example, whether the image is a dermoscopy image, whether the area suspected to be a lesion in the image occupies a certain percentage or more of the image area, etc. The fee generation confirmation notifies the user in advance that a usage fee will be generated by performing image analysis and that the user will be charged.

[0031] After carefully checking the image file information and notes on image confirmation page P5, the user can click the "Start analysis" button to start image analysis and the screen will transition to image analysis page P6. If the user clicks the "Back" button, the screen will transition to member page P3.

[0032] On the image analysis page P6, the progress of the image analysis is displayed together with information about the image file to be analyzed, and when the image analysis is completed, the screen transitions to an analysis result page P7.

[0033] The analysis result page P7 includes an area for displaying image file information (image, patient ID, imaging date and time) and an area for displaying analysis results, referral information, and the like.

[0034] The analysis result is, for example, information indicating the degree of certainty regarding the presence or absence of a disease determined by the analysis. The degree of certainty may be expressed quantitatively using numbers, graphs, etc., or may be expressed qualitatively using text, pictures, etc. The referral information is information indicating whether or not a referral should be made to a medical institution capable of more advanced or specialized diagnosis.

[0035] The information displayed on the analysis result page P7 can be output to a printer and printed by clicking a "Print" button provided on the analysis result page P7. The information displayed on the analysis result page P7 can be output to the client device 10 as an image file (also called an analysis result file) and saved by clicking a "Save" button provided on the analysis result page P7. The information displayed on the analysis result page P7 may be saved as a file of another format including image data (e.g., a PDF file) instead of an image file.

[0036] As described above, the above-mentioned Web application 21 can analyze image data of an image file selected by the user and provide the analysis results to the user in various formats such as a Web page (analysis result page P7), a printed matter, an electronic file such as an image file, etc. Therefore, by using the Web application 21, a doctor who is the user can obtain objective advice on the presence or absence of a disease and can make a final diagnosis by referring to the obtained information.

[0037] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an application that runs on the system 1 according to this embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to Fig. 4, a mechanism that improves access to the image analysis function of the Web application 21 and enables users to use the image analysis function without hassle, which is realized by the above-mentioned system 1, will be described. In addition, a mechanism that makes it easy to manage the image analysis results downloaded from the server device 20 will also be described.

[0038] The former mechanism is realized by providing the client device 10 with Web browser control units (Web browser control units 111 and 121) and the server device 20 with an authentication unit 211 and an output unit 212.

[0039] The latter mechanism is realized by providing the client device 10 with a classification unit 113 and a display control unit 114. The latter mechanism is realized by providing the server device 20 with an analysis unit 213 and a file creation unit 214.

[0040] The server device 20 further includes a time management unit 215. The time management unit 215 will be described later.

[0041] The Web browser control units (Web browser control unit 111, Web browser control unit 121) are components that realize the function of controlling the Web browser 13, and are implemented in the image management application 11 and the resident application 12 in the client device 10. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the image management application 11 includes the Web browser control unit 111, and the resident application 12 includes the Web browser control unit 121.

[0042] In response to a predetermined operation by the user performed with image file F selected, the Web browser control units (Web browser control units 111 and 121) start up Web browser 13, and cause Web browser 13 to transmit a request for the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of Web application 21 to server device 20. This request includes authentication information previously stored in client device 10 and information on image file F.

[0043] The authentication information included in the request is, for example, information that has been registered in advance in the image management application 11 or the resident application 12. The authentication information included in the request may also be information that has been registered in the Web browser 13 in association with the URL of the Web application 21. The authentication information registered in the Web browser 13 is, for example, authentication information used for the autocomplete function of the Web browser 13. The authentication information may be stored permanently, or may be stored in a cookie with a limited time limit.

[0044] The authentication unit 211 and the output unit 212 are configured to realize a function of directly accessing the image confirmation page P5 by shortcutting the top page P1, the member page P3, and the image selection page P4, and are implemented in the Web application 21 in the server device 20.

[0045] The authentication unit 211 processes a request that the above-mentioned Web browser control unit causes to be transmitted to the server device 20 by activating the Web browser 13. Specifically, the authentication unit 211 performs authentication processing using authentication information in response to a request from the client device 10 for the URL of the Web application 21, the request including the authentication information and information on the image file.

[0046] The URL of this request may be, for example, the URL of the top page P1 or the URL of the image confirmation page P5. Also, if it is the URL of the Web application 21, it may be a URL different from the above-mentioned URLs from the top page P1 to the analysis result page P7.

[0047] When an authentication unit 211 receives a request including authentication information and information about an image file for a predetermined URL, the authentication unit 211 performs authentication processing using the authentication information included in the request.

[0048] The output unit 212 outputs a response according to the authentication result by the authentication unit 211, and causes the display unit of the client device 10 to display the image data of the image file F as image data to be analyzed by the image analysis function of the Web application 21.

[0049] Specifically, if the authentication result is successful, the output unit 212 transmits a response including the image confirmation page P5 to the client device 10. If the URL of the request is different from the image confirmation page P5, the output unit 212 may redirect the request to the image confirmation page P5 and output the response. As a result, the image confirmation page P5 displaying information about the image file F is displayed on the Web browser 13.

[0050] In this way, in the system 1, when the user selects image file F on the client device 10 and performs a predetermined operation, the Web browser 13 is started via the Web browser control unit, and the Web application 21 is accessed. Furthermore, the server device 20 automatically performs a login process (authentication process) in response to the request from the Web browser 13, and outputs a response including an image confirmation page P5 for analyzing the image data of the image file F selected by the user. As a result, the image confirmation page P5 is displayed on the Web browser 13. Therefore, the user can use the image analysis function of the Web application 21 by simply checking the image confirmation page P5 and inputting an analysis instruction.

[0051] The analysis unit 213 is configured to realize a function of analyzing image data according to an analysis instruction from a user, and is implemented in the Web application 21 in the server device 20.

[0052] The analysis unit 213 analyzes image data of an image file (hereinafter, referred to as a first image file) uploaded from the client device 10 to the server device 20. Specifically, in response to an analysis instruction, which is a predetermined operation by the user (for example, a selection by clicking the "Start Analysis" button on the image confirmation page P5 described above), the analysis unit 213 analyzes image data of an image displayed on the image confirmation page P5 as a target for image analysis.

[0053] There is no particular limitation on the timing at which the image file including image data is uploaded from the client device 10 to the server device 20. The image file may be uploaded immediately before an analysis instruction is input and the image data is analyzed, or may be uploaded to the server device 20 prior to the analysis instruction.

[0054] The analysis result page P7 including the analysis result analyzed by the analysis unit 213 is output to the client device 10 by the output unit 212. For example, when the analysis process ends, the output unit 212 transmits a response including the analysis result page P7 to the client device 10.

[0055] The file creation unit 214 is configured to realize a function of creating a file suitable for management, including the analysis result by the analysis unit 213, and is implemented in the Web application 21 in the server device 20.

[0056] The file creation unit 214 creates a new image file (hereinafter referred to as the second image file) that includes image data representing the analysis results by the analysis unit 213 and metadata including an identifier of the subject included in the metadata of the first image file.

[0057] The timing at which the second image file is created is not particularly limited. The second image file may be created by the file creation unit 214 following the analysis process performed by the analysis unit 213, or in response to a predetermined operation by the user (for example, selection by clicking the "Save" button on the above-mentioned analysis result page P7).

[0058] The output unit 212 outputs a response including the various pages described above, and also outputs a second image file to the client device 10 in response to a download request for the analysis result from the client device 10. Specifically, the output unit 212 may output the second image file in response to, for example, a predetermined operation by the user (for example, selection by clicking the "Save" button on the above-mentioned analysis result page P7).

[0059] The classification unit 113 and the display control unit 114 are components that realize a function of classifying and managing image files, and are implemented in the image management application 11 in the client device 10.

[0060] The classification unit 113 classifies one or more first image files uploaded to the server device 20 and one or more second image files downloaded from the server device 20 by subject identifiers included in the metadata of each image file.

[0061] The display control unit 114 causes the display unit of the client device 10 to display, for each identifier, the image data of one or more first image files and the image data of one or more second image files classified by the classification unit 113. Specifically, the display control unit 114 displays the image data for each identifier in the display area of ​​the image management application 11, which is a viewer application.

[0062] The classification unit 113 may further classify image files that have not been uploaded to the server device 20. The classification unit 113 may classify image files based on at least the identifier of the subject, and may classify image files using other metadata in addition to or instead of the identifier of the subject. The display control unit 114 may display image data for each identifier, and may display image data for each other metadata.

[0063] In this way, in the system 1, the server device 20 creates a second image file including the analysis result as image data so as to include the subject's identifier as metadata, and when the user requests download of the analysis result, the second image file is output from the server device 20 to the client device 10. In the client device 10, the image management application 11 manages the second image file downloaded from the server device 20 together with the first image file uploaded to the server device 20. In particular, the image management application 11 classifies the image files (image data) based on the subject's identifier inherited between the image files before and after the image analysis, so that the uploaded image file and the downloaded image file are automatically associated and managed. Therefore, by using the image management application 11, the user can easily manage the downloaded image analysis result in association with the image data from which the analysis was performed.

[0064] FIG. 5 is an example of a sequence diagram showing interactions between applications operating in the system 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a method for starting the Web browser 13 via a viewer. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a method for starting the Web browser 13 via a resident application. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an image confirmation page P5. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an analysis result page P7. Below, specific examples of processing performed in the system 1 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9.

[0065] An example of a process in which an image file is uploaded from the client device 10 to the server device 20, analyzed by the server device 20, and the analysis results are downloaded will be described.

[0066] First, the image management application 11 detects (step S1) a user operation for sending a selected image file to the Web application 21. Here, the image management application 11 detects, for example, that the button B11 has been selected by clicking while the image file F1 is selected, as shown in Fig. 6.

[0067] In the image management application 11 shown in Fig. 6, area R111 is an area for selecting metadata for narrowing down image files managed by the image management application 11. Fig. 6 shows an example in which image files are narrowed down by a patient ID (here, "00123"), which is an identifier of a subject included in the image files. Area R112 is an area for displaying a list of image data of image files corresponding to the metadata specified in area R111. Fig. 6 shows a state in which image data of image files having metadata of the listed patient ID "00123" are displayed in a list, and image file F1 has been selected.

[0068] Next, the image management application 11 acquires the authentication information stored in the client device 10 (step S2). Here, the image management application 11 acquires the authentication information, which was registered when the image management application 11 was installed, by reading it from a configuration file of the image management application 11, for example.

[0069] After that, the image management application 11 transmits the URL of the Web application 21, the path of the image file F1, and the authentication information to the Web browser 13 (step S3). The URL of the Web application 21 is a predetermined URL that is registered in the image management application 11. The path of the image file F1 is the information acquired when the operation is detected in step S1. The authentication information is the authentication information acquired in step S2.

[0070] Note that steps S1 to S3 may be performed by the resident application 12. In step S1, the resident application 12 may detect that the menu button 41 of "Send to Web App" has been selected by clicking on the context menu 40 that is displayed with the image file F1 selected, as shown in Fig. 7 .

[0071] Then, when the resident application 12 detects the selection of the menu button 41 by a click operation, in step S2, it may obtain authentication information registered in the resident application 12, and in step S3, transmit to the Web browser 13 the URL of the Web application 21, the path of the selected image file F1, and the authentication information obtained in step S2.

[0072] The transmission of data from the image management application 11 or the resident application 12 triggers the launch of the Web browser 13 (step S4). Furthermore, the Web browser 13 transmits to the Web application 21 a request for the URL of the Web application 21, including the path of the image file F1 received from the image management application 11 or the resident application 12 and authentication information (step S5).

[0073] The method of sending the request parameters (in this case, the image file path and authentication information) in step S5 is not particularly limited. For example, the image file path and authentication information may be sent to the Web application 21 as a query string in the URL using the HTTP GET method. Also, the image file path and authentication information may be embedded in the body of the request and sent to the Web application 21 using the HTTP POST method.

[0074] However, in general, if security is a priority, it is preferable to use the POST method for transmission. In particular, using encrypted communication such as HTTPS with the POST method can adequately reduce the risk of the image file path and authentication information being stolen or misused.

[0075] The Web application 21 that has received the request performs authentication processing using the authentication information included in the request (step S6), and then transmits a response to the Web browser 13 (step S7). If the authentication processing is successful in step S6, the Web application 21 transmits a response including an image confirmation page P5 in step S7. The image confirmation page P5 transmitted from the Web application 21 to the Web browser 13 includes the path of the image file F1.

[0076] The Web browser 13 that has received the response loads the image file F1 from the path of the image file F1 included in the image confirmation page P5 (step S8). As a result, the image data of the image file F1 is displayed on the image confirmation page P5 on the Web browser 13, as shown in FIG.

[0077] In addition, in the image confirmation page P5 shown in Fig. 8, an area R51 is an area that displays information about the image file F1. Fig. 8 shows the patient ID ("00123") and the shooting date and time information included in the image file F1 displayed together with the image data of the image file F1 loaded from the client device 10 in step S8. Moreover, an area R52 is an area that displays matters that the user should confirm in advance when analyzing the images. Note that the analysis start button (button B51) may be enabled and selectable by checking a checkbox provided in area R52.

[0078] When the user who has checked the image confirmation page P5 selects the analysis start button (button B51) by clicking the analysis start button, the Web browser 13 detects an instruction to execute the analysis (step S9) and sends a request for executing image analysis, which request includes the image file F1, to the Web application 21 (step S10). That is, in step S10, the Web browser 13 uploads the image file F1 to the Web application 21 by, for example, sending it using the POST method.

[0079] The Web application 21 that has received the request analyzes the image data of the image file F1 included in the request (step S11) and transmits a response including the analysis result to the Web browser 13 (step S12). Specifically, in step S12, the Web application 21 transmits a response including the analysis result page P7 shown in FIG.

[0080] In addition, in the analysis result page P7 shown in Fig. 9, an area R71 is an area that displays information on the image file F1. The area R71 is similar to the area R51 on the image confirmation page P5 shown in Fig. 8. Furthermore, the area R72 is an area that displays referral information, and the area R73 is an area that displays the analysis results. In this example, the area R73 indicates that the lesion shown in the image is highly likely to be malignant, and the area R72 indicates a judgment that the patient needs to be referred to a medical institution.

[0081] When the user checks the analysis result page P7 and selects the print button (button B71) by clicking the print button, the Web browser 13 detects the instruction to execute a download (step S13) and sends a request to the Web application 21 to download the analysis results (step S14).

[0082] The Web application 21 that has received the request creates an analysis result file A1 (step S15) and transmits a response including the analysis result file A1 to the Web browser 13 (step S16). Note that the analysis result file A1 is, for example, an image file that includes the contents of the analysis result page P7 as image data.

[0083] The Web browser 13 saves the analysis result file A1 included in the response in the client device 10 (step S17). Note that there is no particular limitation on the location where the analysis result file A1 is saved. It can be saved in any folder designated by the user.

[0084] However, if the image management application 11 manages image files in a specific folder, it is preferable to save the analysis result file A1 in that folder. This allows the image management application 11 to manage the analysis result file A1 immediately after downloading.

[0085] Here, until the Web application 21 sends a response to the request in step S10 (a request to perform image analysis) to the Web browser 13, a notification indicating that the Web application 21 is executing processing in response to the request is displayed on the Web browser 13.

[0086] That is, the Web browser 13 displays a notification from when the request of step S10 is sent until a response is received. The notification indicates the processing status of the Web application 21 in response to the request of step S10. The notification is a message such as "AI image analysis in progress."

[0087] Conventionally, when processing in response to a request is completed on the server side in an extremely short time, the notification indicating the processing status may disappear in an instant from the screen of the client device. To the user, the notification that disappears in an instant may appear to be, for example, a display malfunction (e.g., screen flickering or a bug). In such cases, it is pointed out that it is difficult for the user to recognize that the processing has been executed properly.

[0088] The Web application 21 operates as follows to allow the user to easily recognize that the processing has been executed properly.

[0089] FIG. 10 shows more specifically the processing in area A of the sequence diagram shown in FIG.

[0090] When the Web application 21 receives the request in step S10, it transmits a response including the image analysis page P6 to the Web browser 13 (step S10-1).

[0091] The Web browser 13 receives the response including the image analysis page P6 and displays the image analysis page P6 on the screen of the client device 10.

[0092] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an image analysis page P6. In the image analysis page P6 shown in Fig. 11, an area R61 is an area that displays a notification indicating the processing status of the Web application 21 in response to the request in step S10. The notification displayed in the area R61 is a visual notification such as a message. Illustratively, this notification is "AI image analysis in progress."

[0093] The processing status according to the request in step S10 may be notified by sound instead of or in addition to a visual notification such as a message. If the client device 10 is a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, the processing status may be notified by using a vibration function of the mobile terminal.

[0094] The notification displayed in region R61 is an example of a predetermined notification indicating the processing status of Web application 21 in response to the request in step S10. In addition, this notification indicates that processing (image acquisition processing, image analysis processing) related to image data (an example of data) is being executed.

[0095] In this way, the Web application 21 sends a response including the image analysis page P6 to the Web browser 13 (an example of a client), causing the Web browser 13 to begin displaying a notification (an example of a specified notification) indicating the processing status of the Web application 21 in response to the request of step S10.

[0096] In the image analysis page P6 shown in FIG. 11, an area R62 is an area for displaying an image F2 indicating the processing status of the Web application 21 in response to the request in step S10.

[0097] In this embodiment, an animation that simulates the processing status of the Web application 21 in response to the request in step S10 is displayed in the region R62. As an example, an animation is displayed in which the image is gradually filled from left to right. A user who sees this animation can intuitively recognize that image analysis is being performed on the server side.

[0098] For example, the Web browser 13 executes a program such as JavaScript (registered trademark) embedded in a response including the image analysis page P6, thereby displaying the above animation on the screen of the client device 10. Note that the above animation may be displayed on the screen of the client device 10 by executing a program on the server side, not on the client side.

[0099] In this way, during the period in which the notification "AI image analysis in progress" is displayed on the web browser 13 (an example of a client), the web application 21 also causes the web browser 13 to display an animation (an example of a presentation) indicating that the analysis process is in progress.

[0100] One of the functions implemented in the Web application 21 is a time management unit 215. The Web application 21 operates as the analysis unit 213 etc. and also operates as the time management unit 215 during the period from when the Web application 21 transmits a response including the image analysis page P6 to when the Web application 21 transmits a response including the analysis result page P7.

[0101] Specifically, the Web application 21 operating as the time management unit 215 resets the count value of the built-in counter of the server device 20 to zero and then starts it (step S10-2).

[0102] The Web application 21 acquires the image file F1 included in the request uploaded in step S10 (step S10-3). The Web browser 13 can upload the image file F1 to the server device 20 in advance. If the image file F1 has been uploaded to the server device 20 in advance, the Web application 21 reads the image file F1 from the URL of the save destination in step S10-3. The URL of the save destination is included in the request uploaded in step S10, for example.

[0103] The Web application 21 analyzes the image data of the image file F1 acquired in step S10-3 (step S11). That is, the Web application 21 executes an analysis process (an example of a first process) on the image data of the image file F1 (an example of data to be processed).

[0104] When the analysis process is completed, Web application 21 determines whether or not a predetermined time T has elapsed since Web browser 13 displayed the notification "AI image analysis in progress" (step S11-1). Specifically, Web application 21 determines whether or not the count value of a built-in counter is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. If the count value is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, Web application 21 determines that the predetermined time T has elapsed since Web browser 13 displayed the notification "AI image analysis in progress".

[0105] When the analysis process is completed and a predetermined time T has elapsed since the notification "AI image analysis in progress" was displayed on the Web browser 13, the Web application 21 transmits a response including the analysis result page P7 to the Web browser 13 (step S12). This transitions the screen of the client device 10 from the image analysis page P6 to the analysis result page P7.

[0106] In other words, the Web application 21 sends a response including the analysis result page P7 to the Web browser 13 (an example of a client), causing the Web browser 13 to terminate display of the image analysis page P6 (in other words, a page including a notification indicating the processing status of the Web application 21).

[0107] In this embodiment, a notification indicating the processing status of the Web application 21 is displayed on the screen of the client device 10 for at least a predetermined time T (e.g., 5 seconds). Therefore, even if the analysis process by the Web application 21 is completed in an instant, the notification does not disappear from the screen in an instant. This avoids the problem that the notification appears to the user as a display defect (e.g., screen flicker or a bug). The user can check the analysis results after looking at the notification that is displayed for at least the predetermined time T. The user can easily recognize that the analysis process has been executed appropriately.

[0108] The length of the predetermined time T used in the time determination process (step S11-1) is set in advance, for example, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The length of the predetermined time T may be arbitrarily changed by the user by operating the Web browser 13.

[0109] Furthermore, the length of the predetermined time T may be optimized by a learning function of the Web application 21. Illustratively, each time the process shown in the sequence diagram of Fig. 5 is executed, the Web application 21 stores in the memory of the server device 20 a history of the time taken from when the response including the image analysis page P6 is sent to the Web browser 13 (in other words, from when the Web browser 13 is caused to display a notice of "AI image analysis in progress") until the analysis process of the image data is completed.

[0110] The Web application 21 sets the length of the predetermined time T based on a plurality of histories stored in the memory of the server device 20. As an example, the Web application 21 sets an average time of the histories to the length of the predetermined time T. By optimizing the predetermined time T, it is possible to prevent the notification from being seen by the user as a display defect, while also preventing the predetermined time T from becoming unnecessarily long.

[0111] The above-mentioned embodiment is a specific example shown to facilitate understanding of the invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and should be understood as including various modified and alternative forms of the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, it will be understood that the above-mentioned embodiment can be embodied by modifying the components within the scope of the spirit and scope. It will also be understood that various embodiments can be implemented by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiment. Furthermore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various embodiments can be implemented by deleting some components from all the components shown in the embodiment, or by adding some components to the components shown in the embodiment. That is, the program, server device, client device, system, method implemented by the server device, and method implemented by the client device can be variously modified and changed within the scope of the claims.

[0112] For example, the hardware configurations of the client device 10 and the server device 20 are not particularly limited. Although the server device 20 is illustrated as a single device in FIG. 2, it may be composed of multiple devices. The client device 10 and the server device 20 may each be a computer equipped with a processor and a memory. The above-mentioned functional configurations of the client device 10 and the server device 20 may be realized by the processor executing a program on the memory.

[0113] The processor is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphics processing unit (GPU). The processor may also include a hardware circuit such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The memory is not particularly limited, but may be a semiconductor memory such as a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), or a solid state drive (SSD), a magnetic storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), or an optical storage device.

[0114] In the above embodiment, the operation of moving the pointer to a predetermined position on the display screen and clicking the mouse is exemplified as the operation of selecting an image file, a button, or a link, but these selection operations are not limited to specific operations. If the client device 10 has a touch panel display, these operations may be operations of tapping the display screen. [Explanation of symbols]

[0115] 1: System 10: Client device 11: Image management application 12: Resident application 13: Web browser 20: Server device 21: Web Applications 111: Web browser control unit 113: Classification section 114: Display control unit 121: Web browser control unit 211: Authentication section 212: Output section 213:Analysis Department 214: File Creation Department 215: Time management department P1: Top page P2: Membership registration page P3: Members page P4: Image selection page P5: Image confirmation page P6: Image Analysis Page P7: Analysis results page

Claims

1. Causes the client to start displaying a given notification, performing a first process on the data to be processed; causing the computer to execute a process of ending the display of the notification to the client when the first process is completed and a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the start of displaying the notification; program.

2. In response to the completion of the first process, if the elapsed time since the client started displaying the notification is less than the predetermined time, refrain from causing the client to end displaying the notification. The program according to claim 1.

3. After refraining from terminating the display of the notification, when the first process is completed and the predetermined time or more has elapsed since the start of displaying the notification, the display of the notification is terminated. The program according to claim 2.

4. The notification is a notification indicating that processing related to the data is being executed. The program according to claim 1.

5. the data is image data, the first processing is an analysis processing of analyzing the image data; The program according to claim 1.

6. During the period in which the notification is displayed on the client, an effect indicating that the analysis process is in progress is also displayed on the client. The program according to claim 5.

7. storing in a memory a history of the time taken from when the client starts displaying the notification until when the first process is completed; setting the length of the predetermined time based on a stored history of the time; The program according to claim 1.

8. Web server software including the program according to any one of claims 1 to 7; a web browser as the client; The web server software includes: When a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the first process was completed and the display of the notification on the web browser was started, the display of the notification on the web browser is terminated. Information processing system.

9. Causes the client to start displaying a given notification, performing a first process on the data to be processed; causing the computer to execute a process of ending the display of the notification to the client when the first process is completed and a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the start of displaying the notification; method.

10. Causes the client to start displaying a given notification, performing a first process on the data to be processed; When the first process is completed and a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the start of displaying the notification, a process is executed to terminate the display of the notification to the client. Information processing device.

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