Abstract: An incident angle when illumination light from a position detecting device enters a reflecting surface may be large in some cases. In such cases, the retro-reflection rate of a reflecting surface having a prism structure decreases, leading to a cause of erroneous detection. In order to solve this problem, provided is a reflecting plate including a reflecting surface that retro-reflects illumination light emitted from an optical position detecting device towards the position detecting device that includes a light source, the reflecting plate further including: a surface structure in which a concavo-convex pattern having the same triangle shape in cross-section in a width direction of the reflecting plate continuously appears in a longitudinal direction thereof; and a retro-reflecting layer in which reflecting beads are evenly placed on at least one oblique surface of the concavo-convex pattern.

Abstract: A file server performs duplicate elimination on files, and creates a virtual file system that does not include a duplicate file and is used for creating a search index. A search server acquires search target files from the virtual file system in the file server, and creates the search index.

Abstract: To recommend information useful for a user regardless of domains and services, items are defined by basic desires as action objectives of the user, a user profile is expressed by basic desire strengths, constant strengths of the desires of the user calculated from an action history of the user are compared with current desire strengths, current desire degrees are calculated, and recommended items are presented.

Abstract: In order to make more efficient virtual folder creation work which is required at the time of virtually classifying files, the present invention provides a system having: a function of extracting keywords and frequencies thereof included in metadata; and a function of creating a virtual folder on the basis of the extracted keywords and the extracted frequencies thereof. At the time of extracting the keywords, character strings which can be considered as the keywords are comprehensively extracted. In addition, at the time of creating the virtual folder, the virtual folder is provided with a hierarchical structure including at least two hierarchical levels of a parent folder and a child folder. At the time of creating the child folder, in the case where child folder candidates having equivalent frequencies exist, a candidate having a longer character string is adopted.

Abstract: A player has the function of viewing contents on an in-house network, without installing software in the player. A gateway apparatus mediating between the in-house network and the Internet is provided with a mediation program; the in-house network or the Internet is provided with a conversion server; the mediation program acquires a contents list from an Internet dynamic-image site and converts the contents list to a data format displayable by the player; the player displays the contents list to enable a user to make a selection; the mediation program transfers, to the conversion server, a contents acquirement request selected from the contents list displayed in the player; the conversion server acquires a dynamic image from the dynamic-image site, converts the dynamic image to a format regenerable by the player and transmits it to the player via the gateway apparatus; and the player regenerates the received dynamic-image data.

Abstract: Provided is a k-nearest neighbor search method of searching for a query number k of nearest points to an arbitrary point in a DBMS for creating a spatial index from multidimensional points, comprising setting a search conditions, judging which of a lowest branch and an intermediate branch of the spatial index a nearest region to the query point is, calculating, when the nearest region is judged to be the lowest branch, a distance between the query point and a child region of the nearest region, storing information of a divided region which has become a calculation target, calculating, when the nearest region is judged to be the intermediate region, a distance between the query point and a point included in the nearest region, storing information of the point which has become a calculation target, finishing search processing when the search conditions are satisfied, and obtaining a search result from the DBMS.

Abstract: First, a duplicate elimination process based on a first duplicate elimination process, in which both a duplicate elimination effect and a processing load are low, is executed. Information related to a processing result of the duplicate elimination process based on the first duplicate elimination process is acquired prior to execution of a second duplicate elimination process, in which both the duplicate elimination effect and the processing load are high. Target data of the second duplicate elimination process is narrowed down based on the acquired information. The second duplicate elimination process is applied only to the narrowed down target data. As a result, an integrated duplicate elimination system with a lower processing load than in a conventional system is realized while attaining a high duplicate elimination effect.

Abstract: A crop traceability system includes: a terminal which moves together with a machine to harvest or transport a crop; and a server which receives an information from the terminal. The terminal includes: a location information acquisition unit which acquires a location information of the terminal; and a transmitter which transmits the location information and a machine ID of the machine to the server. The server includes: a storage unit which stores a location information of a planimetric feature; a receiver which receives the location information and the machine ID which are transmitted by the terminal; and an ID information processor which links the machine ID with a planimetric feature ID of the planimetric feature when a location information of the planimetric feature stored in the storage unit coincides with the location information transmitted by the terminal.

Abstract: A renderer (DMR) in a second local area network via an Internet is enabled to reproduce content in a first local area network. A content transmission system generates a virtual DMR corresponding to a DMR (content reproduction device) in a content reception system. A DMC (controller) and a DMS (content server) recognize the virtual DMR as if to be an actual DMR and communicate therewith. This enables content to be reproduced in an actual DMR in a different home network residing beyond the Internet without any modification on the DLNA standard. A transmission gateway device (transmission mechanism) relays communication destined for the virtual DMR (instructions and content) to a reception gateway device (reception mechanism). Also in the content reception system, the actual DMR is capable of processing communication from a different home network by communication only with the reception mechanism. This negates the need for modification on the DLNA standard.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide a system that automatically shows multiple fertilization design patterns suitable for the soil and crop, in linkage with map data and in accordance with fertilization design conditions each including a different fertilizer pattern and priority condition so as to allow the user to compare the multiple fertilization patterns on the same screen. The system includes units configured to receive designation of an agricultural field on the map, then to receive a fertilization design condition including a fertilizer pattern and a priority condition, to design fertilization patterns for the agricultural field, and to display the designed fertilization patterns on the same screen.

Abstract: Semiconductor nanoparticles having high luminescence properties that are preferable for applications and uses of biotechnology are provided. With the use of electric charges on the surfaces of particles, the particles and selected polymers are allowed to electrostatically bind to each other, such that the surfaces of the particles are coated. The polymers are allowed to crosslink to each other, resulting in the improved durability of the particles. Further, functional groups contained in the polymers are exposed on the surfaces of the particles. Accordingly, semiconductor nanoparticles that are preferably utilized for applications such as staining and labeling of biopolymers have been synthesized.

Abstract: Positional information transmitted from a mobile unit mounted on an agricultural work vehicle is displayed overlapping with map data obtained from a map database. Display of the field data on the display screen is color-coded based on a result of comparison of a date of the positional information transmitted from the mobile unit with the field data obtained from the map database and a scheduled date for work stored in the field data. Thereby, an operational management system of an agricultural work vehicle capable of promptly and spatially confirming an operational situation of the agricultural work vehicle is provided.

Abstract: The present invention provides a firmware update process capable of realizing both recovery from an interruption of update and saving of a capacity of nonvolatile memory used for backup and storing difference data. Thus, intermediate data is included for always holding a status of firmware in rewriting in addition to the new and old firmware. In a case of updating all blocks configuring the firmware in an arbitrary order, the process successively compares blocks of the intermediate data and new firmware with each other; calculates an address of data for recovery from an interruption of update and a backup capacity required therefor; extracts difference data to be distributed, calculates a capacity thereof and creates an update procedure; and derives a processing order whose total of the backup capacity and the difference data capacity is the minimum (see FIG. 2).

Abstract: To create and manage vouchers by fully checking the contents of the vouchers so that the vouchers will not contain any flaws in description. Information described in a voucher is analyzed through the analysis of the logical structure of the voucher. It is checked, based on RCM (risk control matrix) prepared for internal control purposes, if an item described in the voucher satisfies a predetermined relationship and also if items described in vouchers, which are generated through a series of operations, satisfy a predetermined relationship. Then, a warning is displayed and entry of modification is accepted.

Abstract: There is provided a firmware updating technique for which consumed memory and writing time are small for devices subject to a firmware update, for which the distributed update size is small, and which is performed via a broadcast network. To this end, assuming that the latest firmware version is N, there is provided a means that extracts differences between firmware of version j-i and firmware of version i (j?1?j differences) for j=2 to N, and that distributes these differences together via the broadcast network. With respect to a device subject to an update comprising firmware of version i, there is provided a means that saves, of the distributed j?1?j differences (where 2?j?N), only the differences for which j<i in a storage area, generates an i?N difference based on the saved j?1?j differences (where i?j?N), and updates the firmware in flash memory based on the content of the i?N difference (see FIG. 1).

Abstract: The present invention provides a firmware update technique in which a work area is small, a work time is short, update can be resumed even if power-down occurs, and even a file system which does not support writing is supported. To provide the firmware updating technique, an update creating and distributing server divides old and new version firmware images, extracts a difference between the new and old divided firmware images, creates an updated package, and delivers the updated package to an embedded device. On the other hand, the embedded device applies the updated package to the old version divided firmware image (an existing firmware message currently in use).

Abstract: To provide a retrieval space map in which the ratio of unnecessary files included in the retrieval result can be decreased. One or more retrieval object spaces (retrieval objects) in which a file suitable for a retrieval purpose exists at high possibility are predefined according to the retrieval purpose under a condition containing a number of retrieval objects, and the space in which a necessary file exists at high possibility can be searched by designating the retrieval object to be suited for the retrieval purpose at the time of retrieval.

Abstract: There is provided a high-speed firmware update method which reduces the burden on a firmware developer. A server is installed which is provided with a function of receiving an image of new-version firmware (a new firmware image), comparing it with an image of old-version firmware (an old firmware image), taking out only updated files, and creating a procedure for updating the old firmware image to the new firmware image and an update image configured by update data.

Abstract: A technique for updating a piece of firmware in an information processing device includes a remote management section for communicating with a server device storing a piece of software to be distributed and a controlled device within a home network and managing an application, a service management program for managing a service of the controlled device, a firmware management program for managing a piece of firmware of the controlled device, a gateway firmware management program for managing a piece of firmware of the gateway device, a gateway firmware updating program which rewrites the piece of firmware of the gateway device, and a dependence relationship management program which analyzes a dependence relationship aggregation table obtained by aggregating the contents of a dependence relation table describing a piece of software on which the piece of software to be distributed depends.

Abstract: A seal impression is removed while keeping character string information when applying OCR to a business document stored in grayscale, even if the character string and the seal impression overlap with each other. The character string that overlaps is extrapolated by matching a character string present near the seal impression against a database. First, a seal impression region in a document inputted in grayscale is removed. Next, character information that is present near the removed seal impression region and of which a portion of the characters is unclear due to the seal impression region is extracted. Then, an attribute of the extracted seal impression related information is identified, a customer database storing character string candidates containing customer information is referred to, and based on the seal impression related information classified by attribute, the character string that overlaps with the seal impression region and that is thus unclear is extrapolated.