Patent ID: 7693895

Claim:
A network device for providing a client in a network with a service to display a list of multiple images stored in a predetermined storage area comprising: a Web service provider unit that sends the client a markup language file described in a predetermined markup language in response to a request from the client, wherein the Web service provider unit comprises: a layer configuration unit that configures as an element included in the markup language file, multiple layers each having a visibility attribute that defines whether or not the layer will be displayed on the client and that assigns each of the multiple images to one of the layers; and a Web program generator that generates a Web program that operates on the client and sends the Web program to the client, wherein the Web program is a program that causes the client to implement a first function and a second function, wherein the first function of the Web program is a function to set the visibility attribute of the layers such that the visibility attribute of one of the layers included in the markup language file becomes a first value indicating that the layer will be displayed on the client and the visibility attribute of the other layers becomes a second value indicating that the other layers will not be displayed on the client, and the second function of the Web program is a function to issue with priority a request to obtain an image assigned to a layer whose visibility attribute is set to be the first value, to issue a request to obtain an image assigned to a layer whose visibility attribute is set to be the second value when all images assigned to a layer whose visibility attribute is set to be the first value have been obtained, and to issue a request to obtain each of the multiple images at predetermined intervals, and wherein the second function is a function to determine, when the visibility attribute of a layer is changed to the first value, whether all images assigned to said layer have already been obtained, and to issue with priority a request to obtain any images assigned to said layer that have not already been obtained.