Patent ID: 8015242

Claim:
A server controlling a camera in accordance with a request from a remote client and transmitting an image obtained by the camera to the remote client, comprising: an acquisition unit for acquiring information indicating a service allowable range of a control parameter of a zoom ratio of the camera; a reception unit for receiving a control parameter of the zoom ratio from said client; a storing unit for storing the image acquired by controlling the camera in accordance with an alternative control parameter within the service allowable range as an image file, if the received control parameter of the zoom ratio is not within the service allowable range of the camera, and for storing the image acquired by controlling the camera in accordance with the received control parameter of the zoom ratio as an image file, if the received control parameter is within the service allowable range of the camera; a generation unit for generating, if the received control parameter is not within the service allowable range of the camera, an HTML document including link information of the image file of the image acquired by controlling the camera within the service allowable range in accordance with the alternative control parameter of the zoom ratio and stored by the storing unit, where the HTML document further includes a predetermined text data, and generating, if the received control parameter is within the service allowable range of the camera, an HTML document including link information of the image file of the image acquired by controlling the camera in accordance with the received control parameter of the zoom ratio and stored by the storing unit, where the HTML document excludes the predetermined text data; and a transfer unit for transferring the HTML document generated by said generation unit to said client and for transferring the stored image file, in response to a request from the client, corresponding to the link information included in the transferred HTML document so that if the control parameter is not within the service allowable range of the camera, said client can display the image acquired by controlling the camera within the service allowable range in accordance with the control parameter of the zoom ratio and the predetermined text data or, if the control parameter is within the service allowable range of the camera, said client can display the image acquired by controlling the camera in accordance with the control parameter of the zoom ratio as a response of the control parameter.