Abstract: A registering apparatus includes: a first image data acquiring unit that acquires first image data from a first region on a recording medium; a second image data acquiring unit that acquires second image data from a second region that includes the first region; a third image data acquiring unit that acquires third image data from a third region that does not include the first region and differs from the second region when a correlation value between the second image data and the first image data is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold value; and a registering unit that registers the first image data as registration data that are image data to be used in authentication of the recording medium when a correlation value between the third image data and the first image data is equal to or less than a second threshold value.

Abstract: An information terminal device includes an acquisition unit that acquires reference information representing a machine-readable feature distributed on a surface of a thing associated with a first user, and collation information representing a machine-readable feature distributed on a surface of a thing associated with a second user, a registration unit that registers the reference information acquired by the acquisition unit from the thing associated with the first user in a storage unit, a collation unit that uses the collation information acquired by the acquisition unit from the thing associated with the second user, and collates the collation information with the reference information, and a judgment unit that judge validity of whether the second user is the first user, based on a result of collation by the collation unit.

Abstract: An article confirmation method has reading irreproducible fine characteristics from a genuine article, reading irreproducible fine characteristics from an article to be confirmed, comparing the irreproducible fine characteristics between the genuine article and the article to be confirmed, and determining authenticity of the article to be confirmed based on a comparison result.

Abstract: A method of creating a tag, the method including: reading, over a first region of a surface of an individual piece, a characteristic having randomness distributed over the surface of the individual piece and converting image information indicative of the read characteristic of the first region into individual piece information peculiar to the individual piece; forming an individual piece information image indicative of the individual piece information on the surface of the individual piece while using a second region having a predetermined range including the first region as a non-image forming region; and creating the tag, which is to be affixed to an article, from the individual piece.

Abstract: An authenticity determination method and an apparatus for determining the authenticity of solid object having a random and readable intrinsic characteristic distributed on the surface thereof are disclosed. In this method and apparatus, reference data expressing the characteristic distributed on the genuine solid object are acquired, and cross-checking data expressing the characteristic distributed on the solid object to be determined for authenticity are derived.

Abstract: An information recording apparatus includes an information obtaining unit, a sign arrangement generating unit, a sign arrangement recording unit. The information obtaining unit obtains information to be recorded on a recording medium. The sign arrangement generating unit, based on information to be obtained by the information obtaining unit, generates an arrangement having three or more kinds of signs for expressing the obtained information. The sign arrangement recording unit, while shifting recording positions of a recording area included in the recording medium, records physical features sequentially into the respective recording positions of the recording area included in the recording medium. And each physical feature corresponds to one kind of the signs.

Abstract: A splice protection heater capable of quickly and efficiently performing a fusion process without an excessive heating time, a fusion splicer including the splice protection heater, and a fusion splicing method are provided. The apparatus has a heating part for heat shrinking a protection sleeve that covers a fusion spliced portion of an optical fiber, a plurality of heating elements that can individually heat a plurality of protection sleeves with different timings by being individually turned ON/OFF by switches, or a heating element turned ON/OFF by a switch. This apparatus may also be provided with detecting section that detects whether or not the protection sleeve is set on the heating element, and turns the switch ON/OFF.

Abstract: The present invention provides a surface-reading apparatus that includes a subject-flexing mechanism and a surface-reading component. The subject-flexing mechanism causes a subject to flex in one of a convex form and a concave form. The surface-reading component reads a characteristic of a surface condition of the subject that has been flexed by the subject-flexing mechanism. The surface-reading component can includes an optical reading component that optically reads the characteristic of the surface condition of the subject. The optical reading component may be a reflected light-reading component that reads the characteristic of the surface condition of the subject with reflected light or may be a transmitted light-reading component that reads the characteristic of the surface condition of the subject with transmitted light.

Abstract: An amorphous alloy member including an irregular region having a center line average roughness Ra of about 0.1 ?m to about 1000 ?m on a surface, at least the irregular region including an amorphous alloy having an amorphous phase at a volume ratio of about 50% to about 100%. A process for manufacturing the amorphous alloy member, and an authenticity determination device and an authenticity determination method using the amorphous alloy member.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an absorbent article, which is preferably a sanitary napkin or a pantiliner, comprising: a body contacting layer; a garment contacting layer; and an absorbent core disposed between the body contacting layer and the garment contacting layer. The absorbent core has a core edge. The core edge defines a core region within the core edge and an outer region outside the core region. The body contacting layer and the garment contacting layer extend outward into the outer region and joined together in the outer region. In one aspect of the invention, the garment contacting layer has a graphic printed on the body facing surface at least in a portion of the outer region. In another aspect of the invention, the body contacting layer has a graphic printed on the garment facing surface at least in a portion of the outer region. The body contacting layer has a first light transmittance so that the graphic can be seen through the body contacting layer in the outer region.

Abstract: An information terminal device includes an acquisition unit that acquires reference information representing a machine-readable feature distributed on a surface of a thing associated with a first user, and collation information representing a machine-readable feature distributed on a surface of a thing associated with a second user, a registration unit that registers the reference information acquired by the acquisition unit from the thing associated with the first user in a storage unit, a collation unit that uses the collation information acquired by the acquisition unit from the thing associated with the second user, and collates the collation information with the reference information, and a judgment unit that judge validity of whether the second user is the first user, based on a result of collation by the collation unit.

Abstract: An authenticity determination method and an apparatus for determining the authenticity of solid object having a random and readable intrinsic characteristic distributed on the surface thereof are disclosed. In this method and apparatus, reference data expressing the characteristic distributed on the genuine solid object are acquired, and cross-checking data expressing the characteristic distributed on the solid object to be determined for authenticity are derived.

Abstract: An article confirmation method has reading irreproducible fine characteristics from a genuine article, reading irreproducible fine characteristics from an article to be confirmed, comparing the irreproducible fine characteristics between the genuine article and the article to be confirmed, and determining authenticity of the article to be confirmed based on a comparison result.

Abstract: A method of creating a tag, the method including: reading, over a first region of a surface of an individual piece, a characteristic having randomness distributed over the surface of the individual piece and converting image information indicative of the read characteristic of the first region into individual piece information peculiar to the individual piece; forming an individual piece information image indicative of the individual piece information on the surface of the individual piece while using a second region having a predetermined range including the first region as a non-image forming region; and creating the tag, which is to be affixed to an article, from the individual piece.

Abstract: A splice protection heater capable of quickly and efficiently performing a fusion process without an excessive heating time, a fusion splicer including the splice protection heater, and a fusion splicing method are provided. The apparatus has a heating part for heat shrinking a protection sleeve that covers a fusion spliced portion of an optical fiber, a plurality of heating elements that can individually heat a plurality of protection sleeves with different timings by being individually turned ON/OFF by switches, or a heating element turned ON/OFF by a switch. This apparatus may also be provided with detecting section that detects whether or not the protection sleeve is set on the heating element, and turns the switch ON/OFF.

Abstract: A certification information generating apparatus includes: a feature quantity generator, for generating a feature quantity related to a paper medium on which identification information is printed; and a database generator, for generating a database wherein the feature quantity and the identification information are correlated with each other. The database that is generated is employed for a predetermined process related to certification of a paper medium.

Abstract: The present invention provides a document verification system capable of verifying whether a document is an original at low cost and with ease. A terminal device acquires, as a registered feature vector feature information indicating a feature of a nonreproducible disorder portion in a printing region on a document serving as the original, and stores the registered feature vector on a hard disk via the Internet. A server acquires, as a calculated feature vector the same information as the registered feature vector in a document to be verified as to whether the document is the original, reads out the registered feature vector from the hard disk, compares the acquired calculated feature vector with the read out registered feature vector, and verifies whether the document to be verified is the original on the basis of a result of the comparison.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a disposable absorbent product, comprising: a package having a transparent window; and a plurality of individually wrapped disposable absorbent articles which are stacked and contained in the package. An adhesive means is disposed between the garment facing surface of the backsheet and the wrapper sheet of the absorbent article. The adhesive means includes a plurality of adhesive sections which are spaced apart one another by at least one non-adhesive section. Each absorbent article is folded about at least one folding line that intersects the adhesive means at the non-adhesive section. The stacked absorbent articles are arranged such that the folding line of each absorbent article positions towards the transparent window of the package. As result, the adhesive means can be protected from yellowing caused by the ultraviolet light which comes in through the transparent window.

Abstract: The present invention provides a document verification system capable of verifying whether a document is an original at low cost and with ease. A terminal device acquires, as a registered feature vector feature information indicating a feature of a nonreproducible disorder portion in a printing region on a document serving as the original, and stores the registered feature vector on a hard disk via the Internet. A server acquires, as a calculated feature vector the same information as the registered feature vector in a document to be verified as to whether the document is the original, reads out the registered feature vector from the hard disk, compares the acquired calculated feature vector with the read out registered feature vector, and verifies whether the document to be verified is the original on the basis of a result of the comparison.

Abstract: Each of optical fibers has a core and stress applying members disposed around the core. End portions of the optical fibers are mounted on a fusion-splicing apparatus, and aligned through the image observation from two different lateral directions of the optical fibers. Then, a distance between positions of a bright portion end and a luminance peak closest to the bright portion end is obtained on each bright portion end of a luminance distribution of the optical fiber obtained from at least one picked-up image. The optical fibers are fusion-spliced by aligning the stress applying members so that the sum of the distances is adjusted to be minimum. Alternatively, a distance between positions of the luminance peaks respectively closest to the respective bright portion ends is obtained and the optical fibers are fusion-spliced by aligning the stress applying members so that the distance is adjusted to be maximum.