Abstract: A discharge tube lighting apparatus is used to drive a plurality of discharge tubes. The apparatus includes a balance coil having a winding input end and a plurality of winding output ends to which the discharge tubes are connected individually; a power section for supplying ac current to the winding input end of the balance coil; and a control section for detecting a peak value of detection voltages corresponding to voltages at the winding output ends of the balance coil and for stopping the supply of the ac current from the power section when the peak value of the detection voltages is higher than a predetermined value.

Abstract: A data converting apparatus is disclosed which receives packet data made of content data supplemented with recording control information to be referenced upon recording of the content data. When the data converting apparatus outputs the received packet data to another apparatus, the converting apparatus converts the recording control information to a specific value if the other apparatus is expected to function normally only by use of that specific value replacing the recording control information.

Abstract: A process for production of conductive catalyst particles, a process for production of a catalyst electrode capable of gas diffusion, an apparatus for production of conductive catalyst particles, and a vibrating apparatus. The process can effectively and uniformly coat the particles of a conductive powder with a catalytic substance.

Abstract: A dc level control method for holding a dc level of a clamp portion in an electric signal to be a prescribed value is disclosed, wherein the method comprises the steps of: comparing a dc level of a sampling interval in said electric signal with a predetermined reference value to obtain a difference between said dc level and said reference value using an A/D converting section for dc level comparison which has a lower bit resolution than an A/D converting section for digital signal processing of said electric signal; and feeding back a clamp signal to said electric signal so that said obtained difference between said dc level and said reference value substantially becomes zero. This method is suitable for applying to a signal processing system for a solid state imaging apparatus.

Abstract: A magnetic tape cartridge and A magnetic tape cartridge recording/reproducing apparatus, which can prevent a magnetic tape from being charged to avoid damage of a magnetic head while lowering the resistance of the magnetic tape and maintaining optimum electromagnetic conversion properties. A tape reel (7) is formed from a conductive material, and one end portion of a magnetic tape (6) connected to a reel hub (7B) has a surface resistivity [?/sq] in the order of 107 or less. In the magnetic tape (6) having a multilayer structure which comprises a magnetic layer (23), a nonmagnetic conductor layer (22), a plastic film (21), and a back coat layer (24) from the magnetic surface (6M) side, even when the surface resistivity of the magnetic layer (23) exceeds 107 ?/sq, the magnetic layer (23) is removed and the exposed nonmagnetic conductor layer (22) is connected to the reel hub (7A), thus lowering the resistance of the magnetic tape while maintaining optimum electromagnetic conversion properties.

Abstract: By reducing the number of seek operations in an operation to play back a signal from a recording medium, the amount of data temporarily stored in a read buffer memory employed in a signal recording/playback apparatus is large enough to be output as a playback signal during a seek operation, allowing a continuous playback operation to be carried out. In order to reduce the number of seek operations, a signal is always recorded onto the recording medium in continuous free areas each having a size equal to or larger than a predetermined recording/playback time length which is typically set at 1 minute. If it is necessary to insert an additional signal having a length smaller than the predetermined recording/playback time length into a point of insertion in an area already occupied by an existing signal, a continuous free area with a size equal to or larger than the predetermined recording/playback time length is newly allocated to the additional signal.

Abstract: A power source of a LAN terminal at a home such as home server is turned on from the outside the home via the Internet. A home gateway apparatus receives such a start request by proxy and transmits a start instruction packet to corresponding equipment on the home LAN. Although there is a case where the protocols of an external network and the home LAN are different from each other, the home gateway apparatus performs a protocol conversion process for assimilating discrepancy between the protocols. Moreover, on the home LAN, the start instruction packet to the corresponding equipment maybe issued by utilizing a magic packet technique.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium, which includes both of a land surface and a groove surface as a recording track and presents high signal quality. The optical information recording medium includes both a land and a groove as the recording track on a substrate, in which a laser light is irradiated from a reverse side of the substrate to thereby carry out a recording and a reproduction, and an inclination angle of a groove side is 25° or more and 40° or less, and both of arithmetic average roughness (Ra) on the land surface and the groove surface are assumed to be 0.2 to 0.7 nm.

Abstract: It is an object of the invention to provide a disk cartridge having a substantially identical form to that of a disk cartridge that accommodates a disk-shaped recording medium having a first recording capacity and accommodating a disk-shaped recording medium having a second recording capacity, which is higher than the first recording capacity, wherein the disk cartridge includes a write protect mechanism, which is different from a write protect mechanism for the disk cartridge accommodating the disk-shaped recording medium having the first recording capacity.

Abstract: A zoom lens of rear focus type in which a total lens system is able to be miniaturized by further miniaturizing a prism, without deteriorating an optical performance. The zoom lens has a first lens group (GR1) to a fifth lens group (GR5) having refraction powers of a positive, negative, positive, positive and negative from the object side in this order, respectively, and is configured to carry out a zooming operation by moving the second lens group (GR2) and the fourth lens group (GR4). In addition, the first lens group has a front-side lens group having an negative refracting power, an optical element for folding an optical path, and a backside lens group having a positive refracting power, from the object side in this order, and further a condition of 1.3<?5<2.2 is satisfied, provided that an imaging magnification of the fifth lens group (GR5) at where an object distance is at infinity is ?5.

Abstract: A backlight driving device for controlling driving of a backlight device for display, the backlight device generating predetermined white light by mixing light from a plurality of light emitting diodes of three or more colors, the backlight driving device including: storing device for storing an initial amount of current and a predetermined multiplication coefficient for each color; light quantity detecting device for detecting a light quantity for each color; and controlling device for adjusting an amount of current passed through the light emitting diodes of each color by feedback control on a basis of a detection output from the light quantity detecting device with an amount of current obtained by multiplying the initial amount of current by the predetermined multiplication coefficient as an initial value, whereby the predetermined white light is generated; wherein when a difference between the amount of current after the feedback control and the initial amount of current exceeds a predetermined threshold

Abstract: A cipher key is generated by first information shared in secrete between a data transmitting unit 10 and a data receiving unit 20, second information derived from duplication control information of transmit data and third information which is time change information shared between the data transmitting unit and the data receiving unit to cipher data by a CPU 12 by using the above-mentioned cipher key to transmit, from the data transmitting unit 10 to the data receiving unit 20, transmit data in which the duplication control information and the time change information are added to the ciphered data.

Abstract: The thumbnail icons representing content items stored in a Memory Stick are displayed as aligned in a linear manner. The sequence of the alignment of the thumbnail icons follows the sequence of the sort icons displayed in the control area. By rotating the jog dial, the user can scroll the thumbnail icons displayed in the view area. Rotating the jog dial, the user displays the thumbnail icon representing a desired content item as a selected thumbnail icon (at the center) and then presses the jog dial. Consequently, the content item represented by the selected thumbnail icon is reproduced.

Abstract: When content data are distributed from an information center via a predetermined communication line to a terminal apparatus loaded with a recording medium recorded with its identifier and prepaid information, the information center manages the usable remaining amount of money in the recording medium loaded in the terminal apparatus and updates this usable remaining amount of money every time content data are distributed. Further, if the usable remaining amount of money is smaller than the price of the content data distributed from the information center, the information center instructs the terminal apparatus to load another recording medium having a usable remaining amount of money sufficient to cover the content data to be distributed. Still further, a remaining recordable capacity of a recording medium loaded in the terminal apparatus is transmitted to the information center, and the information center compares the remaining recordable capacity with the size of the data content to be distributed.

Abstract: A crystal substrate and a crystal film of a III-V compound of the nitride system which are manufactured easily and have few dislocations as well as a method of manufacturing a crystal and a method of manufacturing a device with the use thereof are disclosed. On a basal body, formed in order are a base crystal layer of, for example, gallium nitride (GaN), a first mask pattern of, for example, silicon dioxide (SiO2), an intermediate crystal layer of, for example, gallium nitride, a second mask pattern of, for example, silicon dioxide, and a top crystal layer of, for example, gallium nitride. The first and second mask patterns have stripes arranged at least in one direction at unequally spaced intervals. The stripes are different in pitch from pattern to pattern. Thus, the mask patterns at least partly overlie one another in the direction of the thickness of the crystal layers.

Abstract: Disclosed is an information providing system in which the information providing apparatus first receives a connection request from the first information processing apparatus. Upon receipt of the connection request, a check is made to see whether the information providing apparatus is providing any image data or sound data to the second information processing apparatus. If the information providing apparatus is judged to be providing any image data or sound data to the second information processing apparatus, then information related to a chat program is transmitted to the first and the second information processing apparatus. After transmitting the connection request to the information providing apparatus, the first information processing apparatus receives the information related to the chat program from the information providing apparatus. Upon reception of the information, the first information processing apparatus executes a process based on the received information related to the chat program.

Abstract: In the case where a first semiconductor chip 100 and a second semiconductor chip 200 are stacked, both the semiconductor chips 100 and 200 are connected using micro bumps, in which a circuit block in the first semiconductor chip and a circuit block in the second semiconductor chip are connected by the micro bumps, and the circuit block in the second semiconductor chip is also connected to the external electrode by the micro bumps through the first semiconductor chip. Further, micro bumps 121, 221 that connect circuit blocks 101, 102, 103, 104 and 210 of both the semiconductor chips 100, 200 and the micro bumps 122, 222 that connect the circuit block 210 in one chip 200 to an external electrode are arranged in different positions.

Abstract: A recording and playback system is provided. The system includes an audio capturing device configured to receive an analog input and an encoder coupled to the audio capturing device configured to generate a digital signal based on the analog input. The system further includes a recognition engine coupled to the audio capturing device and configured to generate text data based on the analog input, wherein the encoder and the recognition engine simultaneously generate the digital signal and the text data such that the digital signal and the text data can be provided in a synchronized manner.

Abstract: An image-signal processing apparatus (1) designed to process the signals output from a CCD image sensor (10) that reads pixel data for one screen, line by line, divides the pixel data into a plurality of channels and outputs the pixel data thus divided. The image-signal processing apparatus (1) detects and corrects the black level of each pixel data item that the image sensor (10) has output for one channel. The image-signal processing apparatus (1) detects and corrects the gain difference between channels, which pertain to the pixel data items output from the image sensor (10). Hence, the apparatus (1) can correct the black level of each pixel data item and the gain difference between channels with high accuracy, when used in combination with an image sensor that divides pixel data into a plurality of channels.

Abstract: Disclosed is a wideband antenna having a reference conductor and radiation conductor, which are disposed so as to face one another. A substance whose relative permeability is in a range of about 1 though 8 in an operational radio frequency is interposed between the portions of the reference conductor and radiation conductor that face one another. A feed is operatively coupled to the radiation conductor and provides a radio frequency transmission signal thereto. The feed has a tapered shape, which progressively widens as the feed approaches the radiation conductor.