Abstract: A portable information terminal includes: a position detecting section that detects a position of the portable information terminal; a selecting section that selects a guidance target object for which voice guidance is to be provided, and detects a guidance target direction that is a direction in which the guidance target object exists with respect to a reference direction, on the basis of a direction in which the guidance target object exists with respect to the position of the portable information terminal; a voice synthesis section that generates a synthetic voice so that a guidance voice for the guidance target object selected by the selecting section is heard from the guidance target direction; and a voice output section that outputs the synthetic voice generated by the voice synthesis section.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus, an input apparatus, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program that are capable of improving operability when a target object is selected on a screen are provided. A control apparatus is provided to which, when a button is pressed in a state where a pointer is indicating an area around an icon on a screen, a signal indicating that the button has been pressed and a signal of positional information of the pointer at that time are input, and the control apparatus performs movement control such that the pointer indicates the icon based on those signals. Therefore, even when the pointer is not directly indicating the icon, the icon can be indicated by indicating the area around the icon, thus improving operability in selecting the icon on the screen by the pointer.

Abstract: There is provided a disc drive adopting a slot-in loading by which an optical disc (2) is loaded into or ejected out of the device body through a disc slot. The disc drive can have loaded therein a large-diameter optical disc (2A) and small-diameter optical disc (2B), different in outside diameter from each other. With the small-diameter optical disc being set on a turn-table (23a), an objective lens (25a) is retreated in a direction away from the signal recording surface of the small-diameter optical disc when a pickup moving mechanism (26) moves an optical pickup (25) between the outer and inner radii of the small-diameter optical disc.

Abstract: To provide an input apparatus, a control apparatus, a control system, and a control method that are capable of improving an operational feeling when a user uses the input apparatus to input an operation signal via an operation section. An MPU (19) of an input apparatus (1) stops generating or transmitting a movement command corresponding to a displacement amount of a pointer on a screen, during a predetermined timer-operating time period since a cancel of an input of an operation signal (Step 309) made by a user using an operation button. Alternatively, it is also possible for the MPU (19) to continue outputting the movement command with the displacement amount of the pointer on the screen set to 0 during the predetermined time period (Step 311). By such processing, a movement of the pointer on the screen is regulated even when a casing of the input apparatus is moved when the user presses and releases the operation button and the movement is detected by a sensor unit.

Abstract: A control apparatus, an input apparatus, a control system, a control method, and a program therefor that are capable of improving operability when a user operates a GUI displayed on a screen by a pointer using the input apparatus are provided. An MPU of a control apparatus sets weighting factors for each region sectioning a screen. The MPU multiplies the weighting factors to corresponding displacement amounts to independently calculate displacement amounts of a pointer on the screen. Accordingly, a movement direction of the pointer can be biased in a predetermined direction. Thus, when a user operates an input apparatus to select an icon aligned in a 1-dimensional direction on the screen, for example, an operation of the pointer can be restricted to that 1-dimensional direction. Therefore the user can easily select the icon, thus improving operability of the pointer.

Abstract: An input apparatus outputting input information for controlling a movement of a user interface displayed on a screen is provided. The input apparatus includes: an angular velocity output unit for outputting a first angular velocity about a first axis, a second angular velocity about a second axis. A third angular velocity about a third axis; a combination calculates unit calculating a first combined angular velocity as a combination result of two angular velocities obtained by respectively multiplying the second and third angular velocities by two migration coefficients of a predetermined ratio. An output unit outputs, as the input information, information on the first angular velocity for controlling a movement of the user interface on the screen in an axial direction corresponding to the second axis and information on the first combined angular velocity for controlling the movement of the user interface on the screen in an axial direction corresponding to the first axis.

Abstract: An information processing device is provided. The device includes an upper enclosure; a lower enclosure which supports the upper enclosure with a varied attitude and on which the upper enclosure may be superposed; a disk drive device stored in the upper or lower enclosure and having a disk mounting part on which a disk-shaped recording medium is detachably mounted; and an enclosure moving mechanism setting a disk storage region to have a first thickness with the upper enclosure allowed to have a distance from the lower enclosure when the disk drive device is used and setting the disk storage region to have a second thickness smaller than the first thickness with the upper enclosure allowed to come close to the lower enclosure to reduce the disk storage region when the disk drive device is not used.

Abstract: Disclosed is a disk drive apparatus including a chassis having a disk insertion slot through which a disk-type recording medium is inserted and/or ejected; a disk transfer mechanism by which the disk-type recording medium is transferred between a disk ejection position and a disk loading position. The apparatus further includes a rotational drive mechanism including a disk loading portion; an optical pickup configured to record and/or reproduce an information signal on the disk-type recording medium; a pickup movement mechanism by which the optical pickup is moved along an information recording surface of the disk-type recording medium. The apparatus still further includes a base member with the rotational drive mechanism, the optical pickup and the pickup movement mechanism; and a base movement mechanism; and an attitude adjustment mechanism.

Abstract: A disk drive device includes a housing having a front side with a slot through which a disk-shaped recording medium is inserted and ejected, a pickup unit including a mount on which the recording medium is mounted, a rotating mechanism that rotates the recording medium on the mount, a pickup mechanism that reproduces a signal recorded on the recording medium, a pickup-moving mechanism that moves the pickup mechanism in a radial direction of the recording medium, and a base plate that has a protruding surface guiding the recording medium toward the mount and on which the mount, the rotating mechanism, the pickup mechanism, and the pickup-moving mechanism are integrated, and a conveying mechanism that conveys the recording medium between the slot and the mount.

Abstract: A disk drive device includes a housing having a slot through which a disk-shaped recording medium having a recording surface is inserted and ejected, a mount that is disposed in the housing and on which the recording medium inserted through the slot is mounted, and a conveying mechanism including an arm unit that extends and retracts along a plane substantially parallel to the recording surface of the recording medium to convey the recording medium between the slot and the mount while holding a peripheral portion of the recording medium and a restricting unit that restricts the movement of the arm unit.

Abstract: There is provided a disc drive adopting a slot-in loading by which an optical disc (2) is loaded into or ejected out of the device body through a disc slot. The disc drive can have loaded therein a large-diameter optical disc (2A) and small-diameter optical disc (2B), different in outside diameter from each other. With the small-diameter optical disc being set on a turntable (23a), an objective lens (25a) is retreated in a direction away from the signal recording surface of the small-diameter optical disc when a pickup moving mechanism (26) moves an optical pickup (25) between the outer and inner radii of the small-diameter optical disc.

Abstract: Disclosed is an ultra-thin slot-in disc drive device capable of coping with discs with different outer diameters. The outer rim of a disc 2, inserted via a disc inserting/ejecting opening 19, is held in-between a pair of rotational arms 35, 36, rotationally driven between the major surface of the device facing a disc loading unit 23 and the major surface of the disc 2 inserted via the disc inserting/ejecting opening 19. In this state, the loading operation of retracting the disc 2 via the disc inserting/ejecting opening 19 into the inside of the casing 3, the centering operation of setting the disc 2 in the disc loading unit 23 and the ejecting operation of ejecting the disc 2 through the disc inserting/ejecting opening 19 to outside the casing 3, are carried out.

Abstract: A heavy oil hydrorefining catalyst of the present invention is such that the total volume of pores with a diameter of 60 nm or less is at least 0.5 mL/g, and the pore diameter distribution has a broad band over a pore diameter range of 8 to 30 nm. The hydrorefining catalyst has excellent desulfurization characteristics and excellent demetalization characteristics, and its performance can be maintained over an extended period. When this catalyst is used in a hydrorefining apparatus equipped with a plurality of catalyst layers, the apparatus can be operated stably at a higher temperature than in the past without decreasing the desulfurization performance, and this also enhances the demetalization characteristics.

Abstract: A hydrorefining catalyst of a hydrogenation active metal component supported on a refractory porous carrier has a median pore diameter determined by the nitrogen adsorption method of 8 to 20 nm, a pore volume determined by the nitrogen adsorption method of 0.56 cm3/g or greater, and a pore volume of pores with a pore diameter of 50 nm or larger determined by the mercury intrusion porosimetry method of 0.32 cm3/g or greater. Both the demetallizing activity and metal deposition capacity of the catalyst in hydrogenation and demetallizing of heavy oil are high. The hydrorefining catalyst is obtained by kneading a porous starting powder principally composed of &ggr;-alumina and having a pore capacity of 0.75 m3/g or larger and a mean pore diameter of 10 to 200 &mgr;m, molding and calcining, and supporting an active metal component on the product.

Abstract: A heavy oil hydrorefining catalyst of the present invention is such that the total volume of pores with a diameter of 60 nm or less is at least 0.5 mL/g, and the pore diameter distribution has a broad band over a pore diameter range of 8 to 30 nm. The hydrorefining catalyst has excellent desulfurization characteristics and excellent demetalization characteristics, and its performance can be maintained over an extended period. When this catalyst is used in a hydrorefining apparatus equipped with a plurality of catalyst layers, the apparatus can be operated stably at a higher temperature than in the past without decreasing the desulfurization performance, and this also enhances the demetalization characteristics.

Abstract: A disc cartridge holding a flexible magnetic disc with a recording capacity exceeding 100 MB. The disc cartridge includes a main cartridge body portion holding a disc-shaped recording medium of an increased capacity, first and second positioning reference holes formed at left and right corners in the lower surface of the main cartridge body portion encircled by the front wall section in the direction of insertion of the main cartridge body portion into a disc drive device, left and right sidewall sections extending perpendicular to the front wall section and the outer rim of the disc-shaped recording medium housed in the main cartridge body portion.

Abstract: A disc cartridge includes a shell having one side face and an opening, a shutter mounted to the shell to be slidable along the one side face between a first position where the shutter closes the opening and a second position where the shutter opens the opening, and a misinsertion preventing portion arranged with the one side face of the shell in a portion thereof out of a slide area of the shutter and having a recess for allowing introduction of a misinsertion preventing member of a drive.

Abstract: A disc cartridge includes a shell having one side face and an opening, a shutter mounted to the shell to be slidable along the one side face between a first position where the shutter closes the opening and a second position where the shutter opens the opening, and a misinsertion preventing portion arranged with the one side face of the shell in a portion thereof out of a slide area of the shutter and having a recess for allowing introduction of a misinsertion preventing member of a drive.

Abstract: A disk drive wherein a head raising and lowering arm is rotated around a pivot shaft of a slide plate by a cam action due to a cam groove of the head raising and lowering arm and a fixed guide shaft when the head raising and lowering arm is inserted in a head suspension by the slide plate, so that the head performs a soft landing from a head unloading position to a head loading position on a floppy disk.

Abstract: A disc cartridge includes a shell having one side face and an opening, a shutter mounted to the shell to be slidable along the one side face between a first position where the shutter closes the opening and a second position where the shutter opens the opening, and a misinsertion preventing portion arranged with the one side face of the shell in a portion thereof out of a slide area of the shutter and having a recess for allowing introduction of a misinsertion preventing member of a drive.