Image management device, image display system, and image display method

An image display system comprising:

• an image management device;
• a client terminal that is communicably connected to the image management device;
• and
• a plurality of image storage devices that are communicably connected to the image management device, wherein
• the image management device comprises:
• a storage that stores identification information of image data with the identification information associated with an image storage device in which the image data is stored;
• a hardware processor that identifies an image storage device that stores image data specified by an image-data transmission request received from the client terminal based on the identification information of the image data stored in the storage, and instructs the identified image storage device to subject the image data specified by the transmission request to image processing;
• and
• a communicator that receives, from the identified image storage device, processed image data that has been subjected to the image processing, and transmits the processed image data to the client terminal;
• and wherein
• wherein the instruction by the hardware processor to subject the image data specified by the transmission request to image processing is a post-transferring process that instructs a source how an image is to be processed prior to transfer so that a destination can correctly handle the image upon arrival;
• the plurality of image storage devices are each provided with
• an image processor that subjects image data specified by the transmission request to image processing according to an instruction from the image management device, and
• a return part that returns, to the image management device, processed image data that has been subjected to image processing by the image processor, and
• the client terminal includes
• a second communicator that transmits the transmission request to the image management device, and receives processed image data from the image management device, and
• a display that displays an image on the basis of the received processed image data;
• wherein the image storage device is a storage server of a plurality of storage servers, the plurality of storage servers connected to the client terminal via the image management device;
• and
• wherein the image processing occurs at one of a storage server of the plurality of storage servers or the image management device prior to transmission of the image to the destination.

An image display method used in an image display system including:

• an image management device that is communicably connected to a client terminal, and has a storage that stores identification information of image data with the identification information associated with an image storage device in which the image data is stored;
• and
• a plurality of image storage devices that are communicably connected to the image management device,
• the image display method comprising:
• in the image management device, when an image-data transmission request is received from the client terminal, identifying an image storage device that stores image data specified by the transmission request on the basis of the identification information of the image data stored in the storage, and instructing the identified image storage device to subject the image data specified by the transmission request to image processing;
• in the identified image storage device, subjecting image data specified by the transmission request to image processing according to the instruction in the instructing;
• and
• in the client terminal, causing a display to display an image on the basis of processed image data that has been subjected to the image processing by the image processing;
• wherein the instructing the identified image storage device to subject the image data specified by the transmission request to image processing is a post-transferring process that instructs a source how an image is to be processed prior to transfer so that a destination can correctly handle the image upon arrival;
• wherein the image storage device is a storage server of a plurality of storage servers, the plurality of storage servers connected to the client terminal via the image management device;
• and
• wherein the image processing occurs at one of a storage server of the plurality of storage servers or the image management device prior to transmission of the image to the destination.