Abstract: A document image search apparatus generates a text by performing the character recognition of a document image and determines a re-process scope. Then, the apparatus generates a candidate character lattice from the re-recognition result of the re-process scope, generates character strings from the candidate character lattice and adds the character strings to the text. Then, the apparatus performs index search using the text with the character strings added.

Abstract: A method of assisting delivery of useful services that contribute to improvement of people's standard of living. The method starts with providing, via a network, information about paid services to a customer who has signed up for membership with payment of a predetermined fee. A purchase order for one of the paid services is received from the terminal of the customer which is connected to the service delivery support system via the network. The customer's creditworthiness is evaluated, based on the amount of the predetermined fee that has been paid by the customer, thus determining how much on-behalf payment can be offered to the customer in payment for the paid service that the customer has ordered. The customer is notified of the determined amount of on-behalf payment.

Abstract: A high-strength protective member made of tungsten is disposed under a disconnecting point of a fuse. This protective member is formed simultaneously with formation of a via contact portion which connects the fuse with wiring, for example.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an ink jet printer in which drops of ink are jetted out onto a surface of a recording medium so as to record an image. The present invention is to obtain an economical ink jet printer in which a reaction force generated in the reciprocal motion of the ink jet head is simply canceled, and the ink jet printer is small and light, and less vibration is caused in the printer, and further it is possible to drive the printer with a small amount of drive energy.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device is capable of simultaneously reading data and refreshing data and checking whether a data restoring function is operating normally. A data inputting circuit receives data inputted from an external circuit. A parity generating circuit generates parity data from the data input from the data inputting circuit. A memory stores the data input from the data inputting circuit and the parity data generated by the parity generating circuit. A refreshing circuit refreshes the memory. A reading circuit reads the data from the memory. A restoring circuit restores data to be refreshed by the refreshing circuit from other data read normally and corresponding parity data, while the reading circuit is reading data. A data outputting circuit outputs the data read by the reading circuit and the data restored by the restoring circuit. A parity outputting circuit directly reads and outputs the parity data stored in the memory.

Abstract: A service brokering apparatus which can easily build a service integration system that provides a complex service by integrating a plurality of elementary services realized on computers. This apparatus achieves a system that can easily adapt itself to expanding or changing the services. The service brokering apparatus includes a storage device that stores service description information for each elementary service, the service description information having a combination of identification information of elementary service entities, declarative description information on information needed to realize the elementary services, and declarative description information on processing results of the elementary services.

Abstract: In a liquid crystal display device that uses a liquid crystal material having spontaneous polarization and is actively driven by a TFT, a voltage corresponding to image data is applied twice by driving the TFT of each pixel electrode on a line by line basis of a liquid crystal panel, during writing in one frame. During erasure in one frame, voltage application to liquid crystal by batch selection of all the pixel electrodes is performed three times. With this three times of voltage application, it is possible to achieve a black display state in each pixel and make the stored charge amount at the liquid crystal in each pixel substantially zero.

Abstract: A storage apparatus is provided with a load/unload mechanism which carries out a ramp load/unload operation to load/unload a head which is provided on an arm with respect to a recording medium by a driving part which drives the arm, and a controller controlling a driving current which is supplied to the driving part so as to undergo a gradual change during at least one of a load operation and an unload operation.

Abstract: An ink jet head having a plurality of nozzles discharging ink supplied from an ink supply unit. The ink jet head comprises a head main body including a plurality of pressure chambers (112) provided for the respective nozzles, in which ink is filled, and a plurality of pressure units provided for the respective pressure chambers (112), each of the pressure units applying pressure to the pressure chamber (112) to discharge the ink in the pressure chamber (112) from the nozzle, an individual electrode (109) provided for each of the pressure units to drive the pressure unit, at least one contact (121) connected to an external connection wiring member supplying a signal for controlling the pressure unit, and a wiring pattern (123) formed into a thin film to electrically connect the individual electrode (109) to the contact (121), thereby facilitating connection to the external connection wiring member, improving the fabrication efficiency and the reliability.

Abstract: A liquid-crystal display includes a reflective liquid-crystal panel, a light guiding plate disposed on the reflective liquid-crystal panel, a polarizer arranged between a liquid-crystal layer of the reflective liquid-crystal panel and the light guiding plate, and a light source disposed on a side surface of the light guiding plate. Light emitted from the light source propagates through the light guiding plate and has a primary direction. A smaller one of two angles between a projection of the primary direction onto the reflective liquid-crystal panel and an absorption axis of the light guiding plate is at least 50°. This resultantly improves performance of the liquid-crystal display.

Abstract: The apparatus comprises the syntax checking section that checks the syntax of a device model according to a check table showing the relation between the syntax of the device model showing electrical characteristics of a semiconductor device and an amendment when deviating from the syntax. The syntax error amendment creating section corrects the device model according to a corresponding amendment when a description deviating from the syntax is checked by the syntax checking section.

Abstract: A cash dispensing system including a cash dispenser for dispensing cash to clients of the financial institution on their respective requests after the cash dispenser is loaded with cash, which currently belongs to the manager, as prospective permit-to-pay cash; and an account managing section for managing client's accounts and a manager's account of the financial institution; the account managing section being operable to record a credit, of the same amount as an amount of cash to be dispensed to the last-named individual client by the cash dispenser, to the manager's account of the financial institution. The cash dispensing system allows the manager of a retail store to deal with a problem arose during dispensing the prospective permit-to-pay cash without requesting the financial institution or a handling agent. It is possible to prevent a large amount of cash from being left in the retail store thereby enhancing the security.

Abstract: There is provided a semiconductor device having a COB type DRAM, which comprises a first insulating film formed on a semiconductor substrate, first wiring trenches formed in a first insulating film in the first region, second wiring trenches formed in the first insulating film in the second region to have a substantially same depth as the first wiring trenches, first wirings buried in lower portions of the first wiring trenches, a second insulating film buried in upper portions of the first wiring trenches and formed of material different from the first insulating film, and second wirings formed of same conductive material as the first wirings in the second wiring trenches and formed thicker than the first wirings. Accordingly, the pattern precision of the bit lines and the wirings that have a different film thickness can be increased, and through holes that are formed between the bit lines in the self-alignment manner are formed shallow, and also resistances of the bit lines and the wirings are reduced.

Abstract: Reading out data of a logically designed circuit (S1); replacing flip-flops in the circuit with respective scan flip-flops with LUL, and cascading the scan flip-flops with LUL with respect to scan-in and scan-out to form a scan circuit (S2); laying out the changed logically designed circuit (S3); replacing the scan flip-flops with LUL with ordinary scan flip-flops (S4); performing a static timing analysis (S6); and if timing error occurs, replacing a corresponding ordinary scan flip-flop with a scan flip-flop with LUL (S7).

Abstract: A current-perpendicular-to-the-plane (CPP) structure electromagnetic transducer element comprises upper and lower electrically-conductive lead layers. The lead layers are employed to supply an electric current to an electromagnetic transducer film. An electrically-conductive terminal piece is allowed to stand on the surface of the lower electrically-conductive lead layer. The contact established between the electrically-conductive terminal piece and the electromagnetic transducer film is allowed to define the path for the electric current. The reduced contact area of the electrically-conductive terminal piece contributes to reduction in the size or extent of the path for the electric current through the electromagnetic transducer film. The path of the electric current can be reduced in the CPP structure electromagnetic transducer element without relying on reduction in the size of the electromagnetic transducer film.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of activating an optical communication system comprising a plurality of optical amplifiers having an optical amplifier, between optical transmission lines in which wavelength-division multiplex optical signals are transmitted. The method comprises steps of: generating a desired slope in a desired wavelength range of a gain wavelength curve of the optical amplifier; adjusting an output of the optical amplifier to a desired output level; performing the above two steps in a plurality of optical repeater stations, the steps being carried out in sequence from the first to the last optical repeater stations; and adjusting a level in each optical signal in the wavelength-division multiplex optical signal so as to have substantially constant optical signal-to-noise ratios in the optical signals to be received. Activating the optical communication system according to this procedure allows proper execution of gain slope compensation, output control, and pre-emphasis control.

Abstract: A semiconductor device for generating first and second internal clocks complementary with each other from an external clock and usable for both a system of a type using a complementary clock and a system of a type generating a 180° phase clock internally, is disclosed. A first clock input circuit (buffer) is supplied with a first external clock and outputs a first internal clock. A second clock input circuit (buffer) is supplied with a second external clock complementary with the first external clock and outputs a second clock. A ½ phase clock generating circuit generates a ½ phase shift signal 180° out of phase with the first internal clock. A second external clock state detection circuit judges whether the second external clock is input to the second clock input buffer.

Abstract: A relay server obtains web data including a motion picture from a WWW server, and embeds control code composed of a script or bytecode in the obtained web data to generate web data for synchronization. The control code is sent to each of clients, and becomes a controller to control the browser in the same client. When one of the clients sends manipulating information indicating manipulation of the motion picture such as playback, stop, etc. to the relay server, the same relay server receive the manipulating information, and broadcast it to all of the clients including the sender. The controller of each client receives the manipulating information, and executes playback, stop, etc. in synchronization.

Abstract: The semiconductor storage device comprises memory cell transistors formed on a semiconductor substrate 10; first insulation films 42 covering the top surfaces and the side surfaces of gate electrodes 20 of the memory cell transistors; through-holes 40 opened on first diffused layers 24; a second insulation film 36 with through-holes 40 opened on first diffused layers 24 and through-holes 38 opened on second diffused layers 26 formed in; capacitors formed on the inside walls and the bottoms of the through-holes 40 and including capacitor storage electrodes 46, connected to the first diffused layers 24; capacitor dielectric films 48 covering the capacitor storage electrodes 46, and capacitor-opposed electrodes 54 covering at least a part of the capacitor dielectric films 48; and, contact conducting films 44 formed on the inside walls and bottoms of the through-holes 38, and connected to the second diffused layers.

Abstract: A surface acoustic wave resonator including at least one interdigital transducer formed on a piezoelectric substrate, wherein the at least one interdigital transducer includes a predetermined number of interdigitated electrode fingers, at least two electrode fingers among the interdigitated electrode fingers are withdrawn, and the positions of the withdrawal electrode fingers are aperiodic.