Image display method and portable terminal for displaying selected image

• US 7,015,922 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2001
• Issued: 03/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Wada, Akihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): YANG, RYAN R
• Application Number:
  US09/980,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20030011608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,853 Days
• Field of Search: 345/581, 345/619, 715/500, 715/526, 715/515, 715/527, 715/517
• US Class Current: 345/581
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications

Abstract

An image display method for displaying description data having text information and image information described in a predetermined description format. The image display method comprises the steps of extracting attribute values indicating attributes for specifying the image information from the description data (106), listing the extracted attribute values (108, 109), selecting at least one attribute value from among the listed attribute values (111), reading the image information specified by the selected attribute value (112), and displaying the image information (113).

Claims

1. An image display method for displaying description data including predefined attributes each having text information and image information as an attribute value described in a predetermined description format, said image display method comprising the steps of:

extracting said attribute values from the description data;

listing the text information of the extracted attribute values as alternative character strings to images inline displayed in the description data;

selecting at least one attribute value from among the listed attribute values; and

reading and displaying the image information specified by the selected attribute value.

2. The image display method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said step of listing the extracted attribute values lists file names indicating locations of images inline displayed in the description data.

3. The image display method as claimed in claim 2 further comprising the steps of selecting a format of images inline displayed in the description data based on the attribute values and listing images in the selected file format.

4. A portable terminal comprising:

a display section for displaying description data including predefined attributes each having text information and image information as an attribute value described in a predetermined description format;

image selection and display means for extracting said attribute values from the description data and listing the text information of the extracted attribute values as alternative character strings to images inline displayed in the description data, and for selecting at least one attribute value from among the listed attribute values, reading the image information specified by the selected attribute value, and displaying the image information on the display section.

5. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 4 wherein the attribute values are file names indicating locations of images inline displayed in the description data.

6. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 5 wherein further a format of images inline displayed in the description data is selected based on the attribute values, images in the selected file format are listed, and an image in any desired format is displayed on the display section.

7. A display method for displaying a representation of a document on a portable display, said document having one or more images, wherein the document is described in a data file using a predetermined description language including predefined attributes each having values of text information about one of the one or more images, said display method comprising the steps of:

extracting, from the data file, the corresponding attribute values of text information for each of the one or more images;

listing the corresponding attribute values of text information on the display as alternatives to inline images displayed in the description data;

selecting at least one of the listed attribute values; and

displaying, on the portable display, image information about the image corresponding to the selected attribute value.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said image information includes a graphical representation of the image.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said image information includes information about a file of the image.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said image information includes an indication as to whether the image can be displayed.

11. A method of displaying, on a portable display, a web page described by one or more data files, said web page having one or more images, said method comprising the steps of:

extracting, from the one or more data files, corresponding attribute values including textual information for each of the one or more images;

listing the corresponding attribute values on the portable display as alternatives to inline images displayed in the description data;

allowing a user to select one of the listed attribute values; and

displaying, on the portable display, image information about the image corresponding to the selected attribute value, wherein said image information includes a non-graphical representation of the image.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said non-graphical representation of the image includes a textual description of the image.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said non-graphical representation of the image includes information about a file of the image.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said image information further includes a graphical representation of the image.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein said non-graphical representation of the image includes an indication as to whether the image can be displayed by the portable display.