Abstract: An information recording medium and information processing device are provided so that recording medium-identifying ID information cannot be rewritten. Unique ID information specific to a recording medium is recorded in a servo zone, which is not a data zone in which data recording/reproduction can be performed. After the medium is installed in the disk drive, a user cannot rewrite the recorded ID information and can only read it. When information distributed via a network is stored in a storage device, the ID in the servo zone is verified so that the information can be stored in the storage device only when the storage device is properly licensed.

Abstract: An oxygen enrichment apparatus includes an oxygen enriching unit for generating oxygen-enriched air and a discharge unit for discharging the oxygen-enriched air transferred from the suction unit. The oxygen-enriched air generated by the oxygen enriching unit has an oxygen concentration ranging from about 25% to 35%. The apparatus also includes a suction unit for suctioning the oxygen-enriched air from the oxygen enriching unit and a control unit for controlling the operation of the suction unit. The main body is provided with a display unit for indicating a state that the oxygen-enriched air is being discharged out by the discharge unit. The oxygen enriching unit has at least one oxygen enriching membrane for generating the oxygen-enriched air and a condensed water treating unit is installed at an air passage for guiding the oxygen-enriched air from the oxygen enriching unit to the discharge unit via the suction unit.

Abstract: A data recording and/or reproducing apparatus in which, for recording and/or reproducing data required to be real-time data, such as compressed moving picture data, error occurrence is suppressed efficiently as the real-time performance are maintained to improve data reliability. If a writing error is caused when recording data of an AV data stream on a magnetic disc 5, the state of the buffer memory 36 at the time point of occurrence of the writing error is monitored. Depending on the state of the buffer memory 36, switching is made between performing and not performing a retry operation of re-recording data corrupted with a writing error.

Abstract: An information recording apparatus and method, an information reproduction apparatus and method and an information recording medium which satisfy both of the random access capability and the real time performance. First blocks each of which includes a first error correction code for data of a unit of a predetermined data amount and second blocks each of which includes a second error correction code for the data of each predetermined number of the first blocks are recorded in such a manner that they can be reproduced independently of each other. This enables use of a small sector length which is a minimum unit of recording and reproduction with first error correction codes and formation of second error correction codes as independent sectors upon formation of error correction codes as dual product codes.

Abstract: A discharge wire usable in an electrification device includes a tungsten wire subjected to mirror finish processing and an oxidized layer formed by heating the surface of the tungsten wire at a temperature in the range 400 to 600° C., wherein the film has a thickness in the range of 0.01 to 0.3 &mgr;m.

Abstract: A discharge wire usable in an electrification device includes a tungsten wire subjected to mirror finish processing and an oxidized layer formed by heating the surface of the tungsten wire at a temperature in the range 400 to 600° C., wherein the film has a thickness in the range of 0.01 to 0.3 &mgr;m.

Abstract: A discharge wire usable in an electrification device includes a tungsten wire subjected to mirror finish processing and an oxidized layer formed by heating the surface of the tungsten wire at a temperature in the range 400 to 600° C., wherein the film has a thickness in the range of 0.01 to 0.3 &mgr;m.

Abstract: In a method for forming an image, an electrification device electrifies an image bearing member to a predetermined potential. An exposure device exposes the electrified image bearing member. A potential detection device detects the potential of the electrified image bearing member and the image bearing member is re-electrified using the electrification device in accordance with a value obtained on the basis of the detected potential. The potential of the re-electrified image bearing member is detected. A value to be applied to the electrification device is determined on the basis of both the detected potential and the redetected potential when a difference between the redetected potential and a target value is great. An image is formed by electrifying the image bearing member in accordance with the determined value.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, an image bearing member bears an electrostatic image. An electrification device electrifies the image bearing member to a predetermined potential. An exposure device exposes the image bearing member electrified by the electrification device to an image. A potential detection device detects the potential of the image bearing member. A determination device performs calculation using a control coefficient for the potential detected by the potential detection device, and determines an electrification bias value. The determination device corrects the control coefficient to determine an electrification bias when the detected potential upon electrification at the electrification bias obtained by calculation falls outside a predetermined range.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium and a data reproducing apparatus are provided in which, with the use of a required number of bits, the address information may be reliably reproduced even during the track-traversing seek operation without increasing redundancy to the track specifying address information. On a magnetic disk, there are recorded track addresses in which, with the bits magnetized in the running direction of the magnetic head being 1 and with the bit magnetized in the opposite direction being 0, the direction of magnetization represents a Grey code, and data “1” in the air gap of the track address. A servo detection circuit has a viterbi decoder for viterbi decoding the reproduced signals of the track addresses and the playback signal for the air gap for reproducing the track addresses.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic head includes an upper core layer and a lower core layer which are made of an Fe—M—O alloy, an Fe—M—T—O alloy or an NI—Fe—X alloy so that the upper core layer has a high saturation magnetic flux density, low coercive force and high resistivity, and the lower core layer has a lower saturation magnetic flux density than the upper core layer, low coercive force, high resistivity, and a low magnetostriction constant. Also the lower core layer is formed so that the thickness gradually decreases toward both side ends, and a gap layer can be formed on the lower core layer to have a uniform thickness. Since the lower core layer is formed by sputtering, a material having excellent soft magnetic material can be used, thereby enabling recording at high frequency.

Abstract: A data recording and/or reproducing apparatus is disclosed which scans a head over a disc on which a servo pattern for moving the head to a predetermined position is recorded in an arc forming a part of a concentric circle. The apparatus comprises a track No. detector and fine signal detector, for detection of the servo pattern, a circumferential position detector to detect a circumferential position on the disc, an offset calculator to calculate an offset of a current position on the disc from the detected circumferential position, and a positional difference calculator. The calculated offset of the current position is added to the positioning signal to control the head scanning orbit on the disc to be spiral.

Abstract: A data recording and/or reproducing apparatus which scans a head over a disc on which a servo pattern for moving the head to a predetermined position is recorded in an arc forming a part of a concentric circle. The apparatus comprises a track No. detector and fine signal detector, for detection of the servo pattern, a circumferential position detector to detect a circumferential position on the disc, an offset calculator to calculate an offset of a current position on the disc from the detected circumferential position, and a positional difference calculator. The calculated offset of the current position is added to the positioning signal to control the head scanning orbit on the disc to be spiral.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, discharging wires for discharging electricity to the image bearing member, a frictionally sliding device for reciprocating while frictionally sliding along the discharging wires, and a switch for changing the numbers of reciprocation of the frictionally sliding devices. With the apparatus, it is made possible for the apparatus to perform discharges uniformly from the very beginning when the discharge wires are used, and also, to perform image formation without unevenness due to the stains that may adhere to the wires by the repeated use thereof.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic head includes an upper core layer and a lower core layer which are made of an Fe--M--O alloy, an Fe--M--T--O alloy or an NI--Fe--X alloy so that the upper core layer has a high saturation magnetic flux density, low coercive force and high resistivity, and the lower core layer has a lower saturation magnetic flux density than the upper core layer, low coercive force, high resistivity, and a low magnetostriction constant. Also the lower core layer is formed so that the thickness gradually decreases toward both side ends, and a gap layer can be formed on the lower core layer to have a uniform thickness. Since the lower core layer is formed by sputtering, a material having excellent soft magnetic material can be used, thereby enabling recording at high frequency.

Abstract: A magnetic disk drive device that includes a disk-shaped medium with a magnetic film formed on a surface for recording or reproducing information, and a magnetic head for recording on and reproducing information from the disk-shaped medium. The disk-shaped medium has a data recording region and a control signal recording region. The data recording region is impressed to have convex recording regions for recording data and concave guard bands for separating adjacent recording regions. The control signal recording region has impressed concavities and convexities representing tracking marks (for effecting tracking control of the magnetic head), track number indicating marks and track numbers (for identifying the tracks), and clock marks dividing one circumference into equal intervals along a path of angular movement of the magnetic head.

Abstract: In an information recording/reproducing apparatus, frame synchronization is speedily performed when initialization is executed or the recording surfaces are switched, and the reliability of recorded data is improved. Segment IDs, each being formed by coding an information word representing a rotational angle measured from a rotational angle origin, are provided within the respective servo areas in such a manner that they are spaced equally in the track direction. While initial synchronization is performed, frame synchronization is established based on the information obtained by decoding the segment ID. This eliminates the need for detecting a home index pattern, thereby speedily performing the initial synchronizing operation. After initial synchronization is achieved, it is constantly monitored whether a frame is not out of synchronization based on the information obtained by decoding the segment ID.

Abstract: In a picture image processing method, a correction gradation conversion table is created in order to correct the color balance. Next, a basic negative gradation conversion table (NegaTable1) and the correction gradation conversion table are merged into a look-up table and a new gradation conversion table is created. A main scan is then performed. The method accomplishes negative-positive conversion so that the color balance is not destroyed.

Abstract: A Viterbi decoder corresponding to PR IV system is composed of an even signal sequence processing circuit and an odd signal sequence processing circuit. A branch metric calculating circuit calculates branch metrics with an amplitude reference level R. In each of expressions for calculating the branch metrics, the number of adding operations is described to one or less. By averaging the number of calculations, the calculation speed of branch metrics can be increased. Thus, the overall process speed of the decoder can be increased. In addition, with a limitation of which the LSB of the reference level R is fixed to "0", the bit width of data to be calculated can be decreased. As a result, the number of adders, registers, and so forth can be decreased.

Abstract: A magnetic disk drive device that includes a disk-shaped medium with a magnetic film formed on a surface for recording or reproducing information, and a magnetic head for recording on and reproducing information from the disk-shaped medium. The disk-shaped medium has a data recording region and a control signal recording region. The data recording region is impressed to have convex recording regions for recording data and concave guard bands for separating adjacent recording regions. The control signal recording region has impressed concavities and convexities representing tracking marks (for effecting tracking control of the magnetic head), track number indicating marks and track numbers (for identifying the tracks), and clock marks dividing one circumference into equal intervals along a path of angular movement of the magnetic head.