Browsing system, terminal, image server, program, computer-readable recording medium storing program, and method

1. A document server comprising a processor and for transmitting a document consisting of text only, wherein the document server is arranged to transmit the document to a terminal, and wherein the document contains or specifies a program executed before the terminal sends an image request based on image location information contained in the document to an image server in order for the terminal to request an image from the image server, for causing the terminal to function as:

an additional information extractor that extracts from the document or from the program specified by that document, as additional information, characters or character strings that are to be overlaid as images on a background image, the characters or character strings being indicated at a position of a target for transformation by transformer;

an image location information generator that generates image location information, wherein the image location information contains an image parameter that includes the extracted additional information and designates the background image, and wherein the additional information is overlaid as the images on the background image in an image generated by the image server;

an over-writer that overwrites the image location information contained in the document with the image location information generated by the image location information generator; and

an image request transmitter that transmits an image request to the image server in response to the document being loaded and the image location information being overwritten, and cause the image server to generate the image in response to receiving the image request, wherein the image request specifies the image parameter contained in the overwritten image location information,

wherein the image server comprises:

an image generator that generates, when the image designated by the image location information is requested by the terminal, the image in which the additional information designated by the image parameter contained in the image location information is overlaid as the images on the background image specified by the image parameter; and

a transmitter that transmits the generated image to the terminal as response associated with the image request, and wherein:

the image location information prior to being overwritten by the over-writer contains background information identifying the background image,

the image location information generator generates the image location information containing the image parameter designating the background information contained in the image location information prior to being overwritten, and

the image generator generates the image in which the additional information included in the image parameter contained in the image location information after being overwritten, is overlaid as the images on the background image identified by the background information.

2. The document server according to claim 1 , wherein:

the document is written in HTML (HyperText Markup Language);

the image location information contained in the document is indicated by an src attribute of an img tag;

the additional information associated with that image location information is indicated by an alt attribute of that img tag; and

the additional information extractor extracts, as the additional information, the characters or the character strings specified by the alt attribute or text surrounded by quotation marks in the program.

3. The document server according to claim 2 , wherein the program specified in the document is indicated by an onload attribute of a body tag.

4. The document server according to claim 1 , wherein:

the document is written in HTML (HyperText Markup Language);

the image location information contained in the document is indicated by an src attribute of an img tag; and

the additional information extractor extracts, as the additional information, text surrounded by tags having a class attribute or an id attribute associated with the img tag or text surrounded by quotation marks in the program.

5. The document server according to claim 4 , wherein the program specified in the document is indicated by an onload attribute of a body tag.

6. The browsing system according to claim 1 , wherein:

style information indicating a style with which the characters or character strings specified by the additional information are overlaid as the images is described in the document or the program specified by the document;

the image location information generator generates the image location information containing an image parameter designating the style information; and

the image generator generates the image in which the additional information included in the image parameter is overlaid as the images on the background image designated by the image parameter, with the style designated by the image parameter.

7. The document server according to claim 1 , wherein the document server is different from the image server.

8. The document server according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal further functions as a display that displays the image generated by the image server in response to receiving the image from the image server.

9. A method executed by a document server for transmitting a document consisting of text only, including:

a first transmission step wherein the document server is arranged to transmit the document to a terminal, and wherein the document contains or specifies a program, executed before the terminal sends an image request based on image location information contained in the document to an image server in order for the terminal to request an image from the image server, for causing the terminal to function as:

an additional information extractor that extracts from the document or from the program specified by that document, as additional information, characters or character strings that are to be overlaid as images on a background image, the characters or character strings being indicated at a position of a target for transformation by transformer;

an image location information generator that generates image location information, wherein the image location information contains an image parameter that includes the extracted additional information and designates the background image, and wherein the additional information is overlaid as the images on the background image in an image generated by the image server;

an over-writer that overwrites the image location information contained in the document with the image location information generated by the image location information generator; and

an image request transmitter that transmits an image request to the image server in response to the document being loaded and the image location information being overwritten, and cause the image server to generate the image in response to receiving the image request, wherein the image request specifies the image parameter contained in the overwritten image location information,

wherein the method is executed by a browsing system comprising the document server and the image server for transmitting the image to the terminal requesting the image designated by the image location information contained in the document,

the browsing method, further including:

an image generation step in which the image server generates, when the image designated by the image location information is requested by the terminal, the image in which the additional information designated by the image parameter contained in the image location information is overlaid as the images on the background image specified by the image parameter; and

a second transmission step in which the image server transmits the generated image to the terminal as response associated with the image request, wherein:

the image location information prior to being overwritten by the over-writer contains background information identifying the background image,

the image location information generator generates the image location information containing the image parameter designating the background information contained in the image location information prior to being overwritten, and

the image, in which the additional information included in the image parameter contained in the image location information after being overwritten, is overlaid as the images on the background image identified by the background information.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded a program executed by a computer terminal, before the terminal sends an image request based on image location information contained in a document consisting of text only to an image server in order for the terminal to request an image from the image server, the program being contained in or specified by the document and causing the terminal to function as:

an additional information extractor that extracts from the document or from the program specified by that document, as additional information, characters or character strings that are to be overlaid as images on a background image, the characters or character strings being indicated at a position of a target for transformation by transformer;

an image location information generator that generates image location information, wherein the image location information contains an image parameter that includes the extracted additional information and designates the background image, and wherein the additional information is overlaid as the images on the background image in an image generated by the image server;

an over-writer that overwrites the image location information contained in the document with the image location information generated by the image location information generator; and

an image request transmitter that transmits an image request to the image server in response to the document being loaded and the image location information being overwritten, and cause the image server to generate the image in response to receiving the image request, wherein the image request specifies the image parameter contained in the overwritten image location information,

wherein the image server comprises:

an image generator that generates, when the image designated by the image location information is requested by the terminal, the image in which the additional information designated by the image parameter contained in the image location information is overlaid as the images on the background image specified by the image parameter; and

a transmitter that transmits the generated image to the terminal as response associated with the image request, and wherein:

the image location information prior to being overwritten by the over-writer contains background information identifying the background image,

the image location information generator generates the image location information containing the image parameter designating the background information contained in the image location information prior to being overwritten, and

the image generator generates the image in which the additional information included in the image parameter contained in the image location information after being overwritten, is overlaid as the images on the background image identified by the background information.