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There are provided an image display apparatus and method which are always capable of displaying the whole of menus at a plurality of hierarchical levels and realize a user-friendly interface, a menu display system including at least one menu display apparatus of the above type, and a computer-readab

There are provided an image display apparatus and method which are always capable of displaying the whole of menus at a plurality of hierarchical levels and realize a user-friendly interface, a menu display system including at least one menu display apparatus of the above type, and a computer-readable storage medium storing a program for executing the menu display method.

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1. An image display apparatus having menus of a plurality of hierarchical levels, the image display apparatus including menu display means for displaying menu data set to each hierarchical level of the menus in a screen display area;wherein said menu display means displays the menu data such that a

1. An image display apparatus having menus of a plurality of hierarchical levels, the image display apparatus including menu display means for displaying menu data set to each hierarchical level of the menus in a screen display area;wherein said menu display means displays the menu data such that a plurality of items of the menu data are displayed for at least one hierarchical level, and wherein the menu display means comprises:individual display width detection means for detecting a display width of each item of the menu data;total display width detection means for detecting a total display width required for displaying menu data to be displayed in the screen display area;comparison means for comparing the total display width with an area width of the screen display area; anddisplay control means that, when new menu data at another hierarchical level are to be displayed in addition to menu data at least one hierarchical level already displayed, detects the total display width of the menu data to be displayed including the new menu data, and if the detected total display width is larger than the area width of the screen display area, carries out a replacement process for replacing a plurality of items of the menu data at one of the at least one hierarchical level already displayed, with other menu data set to the one of the hierarchical levels, and then displays the resulting menu data in the screen display area. 2. An image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the replacement process is repeatedly carried out at each hierarchical level until the total display width becomes smaller than the area width of the screen display area. 3. An image display apparatus according to claim 2, including storage control means for carrying out, at each of a plurality of hierarchical levels already displayed, a process for storing a value of the total display width and a combination of items of the menu data at the plurality of hierarchical levels already displayed, whenever the total display width has become smaller than the area width of the screen display area through the replacement process, andextraction means for extracting one of stored combinations of the items of the menu data that has the maximum value of the total display width,wherein said display control means displays the new menu data at the another hierarchical level together with the menu data at respective hierarchical levels in the combination extracted by said extraction means, in the screen display area. 4. An image display apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the menu data comprises image data. 5. An image display apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the menu data comprises at least one character code, the character code being converted to image data by using menu display font data, said menu display means displaying the image data as a menu. 6. An image display apparatus according to claim 5, having a WWW browser function, and wherein font data of the WWW browser is used as the menu display font data. 7. An image display apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, including input means capable of controlling said menu display means from outside of the image display apparatus. 8. An image display method for an image display apparatus, for displaying menu data set to each of a plurality of hierarchical levels of menus in a screen display area;the image display method comprising the steps of:setting a plurality of items of the menu data to at least one hierarchical level;detecting a display width of each item of the menu data;detecting, when new menu data at another hierarchical level are to be displayed in addition to menu data at least one hierarchical level already displayed, a total display width required for displaying the menu data to be displayed including the new menu data;comparing the total display width with an area width of the screen display area;carrying out a replacement process for replacing a pluralit y of items of the menu data at one of the at least one hierarchical level already displayed, with other menu data set to the one of the hierarchical levels, if the detected total display width is larger than the area width of the screen display area; anddisplaying the menu data in the screen display area. 9. An image display method according to claim 8, wherein the replacement process includes repeatedly carrying out at each hierarchical level until the total display width becomes smaller than the area width of the screen display area. 10. An image display method according to claim 9, further including the steps of:carrying out, at each of a plurality of hierarchical levels already displayed, a process for storing a value of the total display width and a combination of items of the menu data at the plurality of hierarchical levels already displayed, whenever the total display width has become smaller than the area width of the screen display area through the replacement process; andextracting one of stored combinations of the items of the menu data that has the maximum value of the total display width, andwherein the step of displaying the menu data includes displaying the new menu data at the another hierarchical level together with the menu data at respective hierarchical levels in the combination extracted by the step of extracting the one combination, in the screen display area. 11. An image display method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the menu data comprises image data. 12. An image display method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the menu data comprises at least one character code, wherein the step of displaying the menu data includes converting the character code to image data by using menu display font data, and displaying the image data as a menu. 13. An image display method according to claim 12, wherein the image display apparatus has a WWW browser function, and wherein font data of the WWW browser is used as the menu display font data. 14. An image display method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, including the step of controlling the displaying of the menus from outside of the image display apparatus. 15. An image display system including at least one image display apparatus, wherein said image display apparatus having menus of a plurality of hierarchical levels, the image display apparatus including menu display means for displaying menu data set to each hierarchical level of the menus in a screen display area;wherein said menu display means displays the menu data such that a plurality of items of the menu data are displayed for at least one hierarchical level, andwherein the menu display means comprises:individual display width detection means for detecting a display width of each item of the menu data;total display width detection means for detecting a total display width required for displaying menu data to be displayed in the screen display area;comparison means for comparing the total display width with an area width of the screen display area; anddisplay control means that, when new menu data at another hierarchical level are to be displayed in addition to menu data at at least one hierarchical level already displayed, detects the total display width of the menu data to be displayed including the new menu data, and if the detected total display width is larger than the area width of the screen display area, carries out a replacement process for replacing a plurality of items of the menu data at one of the at least one hierarchical level already displayed, with other menu data set to the one of the hierarchical levels, and then displays the resulting menu data in the screen display area. 16. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for executing an image display for an image display apparatus, for displaying menu data set to each of a plurality of hierarchical levels of menus in a screen display area;the program comprising:a menu data-setting module for settin g a plurality of items of the menu data to at least one hierarchical level;an individual display width-detecting module for detecting a display width of each item of the menu data;a total display width-detecting module for detecting, when new menu data at another hierarchical level are to be displayed in addition to menu data at least one hierarchical level already displayed, a total display width required for displaying the menu data to be displayed including the new menu data;a comparison module for comparing the total display width with an area width of the screen display area;a replacement process module for carrying out a replacement process for replacing a plurality of items of the menu data at one of the at least one hierarchical level already displayed, with other menu data set to the one of the hierarchical levels, if the detected total display width is larger than the area width of the screen display area; anda display module for displaying the menu data in the screen display area. 17. A computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the replacement process module repeatedly carries out at each hierarchical level until the total display width becomes smaller than the area width of the screen display area. 18. A computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the program further includes a storage module for carrying out, at each of a plurality of hierarchical levels already displayed, a process for storing a value of the total display width and a combination of items of the menu data at the plurality of hierarchical levels already displayed, whenever the total display width has become smaller than the area width of the screen display area through the replacement process, and an extraction module for extracting one of stored combinations of the items of the menu data that has the maximum value of the total display width, andwherein the display module displays the menu data includes displaying the new menu data at the another hierarchical level together with the menu data at respective hierarchical levels in the combination extracted by the step of extracting the one combination, in the screen display area. 19. A computer-readable storage medium according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the menu data comprises image data. 20. A computer-readable storage medium according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the menu data comprises at least one character code, wherein the display module converts the character code to image data by using menu display font data, and displays the image data as a menu. 21. A computer-readable storage medium according to claim 20, wherein the image display apparatus has a WWW browser function, and wherein the program uses the font data of the WWW browser as the menu display font data. 22. A computer-readable storage medium according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the program includes an input-responsive control module for controlling the displaying of the menus in response to an instruction input from outside of the image display apparatus.