Abstract: The time and cost to produce a moving-picture CD-ROM software are reduced by preparing a time-out table from set time, reading a material from a data base (1), reproducing the material, performing pertinent processings referring to the time-out table whenever timer interrupt is made, when reproduction is completed or virtual user interrupt is made, retrieving next data from the database, and reproducing the next data.

Abstract: A fuel-filler tube, which is made of a welded pipe of corrosion-resistant austenitic or ferritic stainless steel, has a fuel-supply opening with high dimensional accuracy. The austenitic stainless steel has hardness of 180 HV or less with a work-hardening coefficient of 0.49 or less. The ferritic stainless steel has Lankford value of 1.2 or more with elongation of 30% or more by a uniaxial tensile test.

Abstract: A system and method of navigating between local and external user agent documents in an optical disc player. The method entails displaying a local document from a local optical disc, transmitting a request for an external document with a pointer to the local document to an external source, and displaying the external document having a navigation button associated with the local document pointer. Also, a system and method of synchronizing video and user agent documents in an optical disc player. Also, a system and method to change the navigation of user agent contents dynamically.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a metal pipe with an eccentrically expanded open end comprises the steps of plastically deforming to a coaxially expanded state M1 so that an axial wall length L2 at a side to be eccentrically expanded is longer than an axial wall length L1 at the opposite side to be expanded without eccentricity. The coaxially expanded open end M1 is then plastically deformed to an eccentrically expanded state M2 by forcibly inserting an eccentrically expanding punch into the coaxially expanded open end M1. The eccentrically expanding punch has a boundary between a conical tip and a cylindrical body inclined with a predetermined angle &thgr; so as to bring the cylindrical body into contact with an inner wall of the coaxially expanded open end M1 at a side to be eccentrically expanded earlier than the opposite side to be expanded without eccentricity.

Abstract: A new soft stainless steel sheet has an austenite-stability index Md30 controlled in a range of −120 to −10 and a stacking fault formability index SFI controlled not less than 30, and involves precipitates whose Cu concentration is controlled not more than 1.0%, so as to maintain concentration of dissolved Cu at 1-5%. The stainless steel sheet preferably contains up to 0.06%(C+N), up to 2.0% Si, up to 5% Mn, 15-20% Cr, 5-9% Ni, 1.0-4.0% Cu, up to 0.003% Al, up to 0.005% S, and optionally one or more of up to 0.5% Y, up to 0.5% Nb, up to 0.5% Zr, up to 0.5% V, up to 3.0% Mo, up to 0.03% B, up to 0.02% REM (rare earth metals) and up to 0.03% Ca. The stainless steel sheet can be plastically deformed to an objective shape without any cracks even at a part heavily-worked part by multi-stage deep drawing or compression deforming.

Abstract: A method of controlling the operations and display mode of an optical disc player between a user agent mode and a video playback mode. The method comprises reading a program stored on a local optical disc that may include a function that specifies the video playback mode as the operations mode for the optical disc player. In the video playback mode, in one case a user agent menu is displayed while displaying video menu, while in another case, video menu can be displayed while running the user agent menu in the background. The program may include a second function that changes the operations mode of the optical disc player to user agent mode where the user agent menu is displayed in the foreground of the displaying device. In one embodiment, these functions change the operations mode while also disabling the user control interface to prevent a user from changing the operations mode.

Abstract: A system and method of providing seamless playback of video data and corresponding user agent data in an optical disc player. The method entails transferring a logical unit of video data from a source to a track buffer while not transferring user agent data, and then transferring user agent data from the source to a user agent buffer while not transferring video data. Another method entails transferring video data from a source to a track buffer concurrently with the transfer of user agent data from the source to a user agent buffer. Yet another method entails using two optical disc reading mechanisms to simultaneously read synchronized video data and user agent data. Another method relates to using pointers to associate video data with user agent data to provide synchronized displaying of both types of data.

Abstract: A method of controlling the operations mode of an optical disc player between a user agent mode and a video playback mode. The method comprises reading a program stored on a local optical disc that may includes a function that specifies either the user agent mode or the video playback mode as the operations mode for the optical disc player. Once the function is read, the operations mode of the optical disc player is changed to the specified mode. In one embodiment, the function changes the operations mode while also disabling the user control interface to prevent a user from changing the operations mode. In another embodiment, the function changes the operations mode of the optical disc player without disabling the user control interface, thereby allowing a user to change the operations mode of the optical disc player.

Abstract: A system and method of synchronizing user agent data with video data in an optical disc player. The optical disc player includes an optical disc reader to read a user agent document, a video segment, a different user agent document, and a second video segment from a local optical disc, a user agent module to control a display of the user agent document and the different user agent document, a video playback module to control a display of the video segment and the different video segment; and an interaction application which causes a display of the user agent document with the video segment, and subsequently causes a display of the different user agent document and/or the different video segment in response to an event being generated. The event can be generated by the video playback module, the user agent module, the interaction application, or by a device external to the optical disc player.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a metal pipe with an eccentrically expanded open end comprises the steps of plastically deforming to a coaxially expanded state M1 so that an axial wall length L2 at a side to be eccentrically expanded is longer than an axial wall length L1 at the opposite side to be expanded without eccentricity. The coaxially expanded open end M1 is then plastically deformed to an eccentrically expanded state M2 by forcibly inserting an eccentrically expanding punch into the coaxially expanded open end M1. The eccentrically expanding punch has a boundary between a conical tip and a cylindrical body inclined with a predetermined angle &thgr; so as to bring the cylindrical body into contact with an inner wall of the coaxially expanded open end M1 at a side to be eccentrically expanded earlier than the opposite side to be expanded without eccentricity.

Abstract: The time and cost to produce a moving-picture CD-ROM software are reduced by preparing a time-out table from set time, reading a material from a data base (1), reproducing the material, performing pertinent processings referring to the time-out table whenever timer interrupt is made, when reproduction is completed or virtual user interrupt is made, retrieving next data from the database, and reproducing the next data.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for generating virtual files to provide more flexibility and efficiency in the sharing of data within a physical information file. In a computer system, a large physical file contains many separate data portions that need to be shared. In one case, the data portions can correspond to video and audio information of multi-media scenes. An application can need to jump within the physical file from scene to scene when composing user interactive multi-media applications, such as storybook applications. The present invention provides a mechanism allowing a user to define a virtual file containing certain data portions of the physical file. The user inputs an offset value representing a byte offset from the start of the data portion in the physical file and also the size of the data portion is input. The offset value, the size and the file name of the virtual file is recorded into an index file.