Abstract: In an information acquisition system such as a car navigation system, a history accumulation DB 104 accumulates user's travel history. A condition determination section 107 determines a condition for retrieval for performing accurate prediction, and a prediction section 108 predicts a travel destination using the condition for retrieval. An information-to-be-presented determination section 110 acquires information relating to the travel destination predicted by the prediction section 108 from a received information DB 802 or the like.

Abstract: There is provided a filter having a plate-like shape in which a plurality of holes through which fluid passes is opened. A low opening region in which an aperture ratio of the holes per unit area is low and a high opening region in which an aperture ratio of the holes per unit area is high are formed in the filter.

Abstract: A mat type recording medium for ink jet printing is provided which exhibits optimum printability no matter which of dye ink and pigment ink may be used in printing. The recording medium, which is for recording with use of water-based ink containing an ink colorant, comprises a paper base and an ink receptive layer formed on a surface of the paper base, the ink receptive layer comprising a porous layer containing an inorganic pigment and also containing a substance reactive with the ink colorant.

Abstract: Disclosed is a data transmission method for transmitting: data consisting of at least one of character data, image data, and voice data; an event descriptor describing an event for triggering the processing of the data; a condition descriptor describing a condition (including no condition) for the processing of the data; and a data processing descriptor describing a specific processing method for the data.

Abstract: An ink jet recording material free of blotting when printed in dye ink and pigment ink, superior in print density and permitting clear printing of a high-definition image is disclosed. The ink jet recording material comprises a substrate at least one surface of which is treated with an ink fixing agent, the ink fixing agent being a cationic surfactant represented by the following general formula: where R is an alkyl group having 8 to 18 carbon atoms.

Abstract: A brake drum has its strength elevated in its disk portion. The brake drum is formed from a composition having ceramics dispersed in a matrix. The disk portion has a high ceramic content and thereby a high strength. Its cylindrical portion has a ceramic content decreasing gradually from the outer edge of the disk portion.

Abstract: A brake drum has its strength elevated in its disk portion. The brake drum is formed from a composition having ceramics dispersed in a matrix. The disk portion has a high ceramic content and thereby a high strength. The brake drum has a disk portion and a cylindrical portion. The disk portion has a first ceramic content by volume and the cylindrical portion has a second ceramic content by volume that is less than the first ceramic content by volume as a result of the application of a higher compression ratio to the disk portion.

Abstract: A forming method wherein a billet (31, 66, 77, 87, 107, 128, 136, 144, 153, 77B, 77C) comprising a metal-based composite material (27) prepared by mixing an aluminum alloy (22) and a ceramic (15) is subjected to pressure forming to manufacture a formed article, which comprises carrying out the pressure forming by the use of different compression ratios for different portions of the formed article, wherein a compression ratio means the ratio of the height of a billet before the pressure forming to height of the billet after the pressure forming. The above forming method allows the manufacture of a formed article having different volume contents 8 Vf) of the ceramic for different portions thereof.

Abstract: An aluminum casting process using a casting mold in which after the cavity (25) is filled with an inert gas, magnesium is introduced into the cavity to have a magnesium layer (58a) deposited on the cavity wall. Then, nitrogen gas is introduced into the cavity to form magnesium nitride (58b) on the surface of the magnesium layer after the cavity wall is heated to a specific temperature. Then, molten aluminum is supplied to have an aluminum casting molded, while the surface of the molten aluminum (39) is reduced with magnesium nitride. This makes it possible to form magnesium nitride within a short time and decrease the amount of nitrogen gas as required.

Abstract: An execution support system 1 including a car navigation system terminal 100 that communicates with TVs (291 and 292) or air conditioners (293 and 294) via an Internet (900), where the car navigation system terminal (100) includes: a prediction function unit (110) that predicts a destination to which it is headed and outputs prediction result data indicating a result of the prediction; and a script function unit (120) that specifies a control operation for the respective TVs (291 and 292) and the air conditioners (293 and 294) in accordance with the prediction result data, and causes the respective TVs (291 and 292) and the air conditioners (293 and 294) to execute the specified control operation.

Abstract: A receiving apparatus includes an information receiving portion for receiving images, speech, text, data and the like, an additional information receiving portion for receiving additional information comprising a next key word indicating the contents of information scheduled for the next transmission, a received information synthesizing portion for synthesizing the information received by the information receiving portion and the additional information received by the additional information receiving portion and a display portion for displaying the information synthesized by the received information synthesizing portion. A user can look at the information displayed on the display portion along with the contents of the information scheduled for the next transmission.

Abstract: A mobile terminal (21) that appropriately predicts an application that a user is likely to use includes: an input device (106) that selects and executes any of two or more applications; a GPS reception unit (108); a behavior pattern extraction unit (205) that creates a usage prediction rule of the application executed on the input device (106), in association with a usage location detected by the GPS reception unit (108); and an information display control unit (204) that specifies, based on the usage prediction rule, an application corresponding to the current location detected by the GPS reception unit (108), and causes a display (105) to display the specified application as a prediction result.

Abstract: A scanner (1) and a printer (2) each comprise a network interface unit (11/21) for transferring data with a network (7), an apparatus information interpretation unit (12/22) for interpreting information from other apparatuses, an apparatus information updating unit (13/23) for updating apparatus information based on this interpretation, and a functional information storing unit (14/24) for storing in advance functional information of its own apparatus. For example, when a new printer (2) is connected to a network (7) to which a scanner (1) is already connected, the printer (2) broadcasts functional information of its own apparatus stored in the function storing unit (14) by means of the network interface unit (21). The scanner (1) recognizes that a new apparatus has been connected and the functions of the new apparatus through the apparatus information interpretation unit (12) that interprets this information.

Abstract: The present invention includes: a current position determination unit (101) that determines a current position of a user; a facility candidate search unit (103A) that specifies, as a candidate for a visited place, a facility that is located within a predetermined area including the current position determined by the current position determination unit (101); an electronic money unit (108) and a payment amount calculation unit (104) that detect a payment amount of the user; and a most-likely visited facility identification unit (105A) that identifies a most-likely visited place by selecting from a plurality of facilities a facility corresponding to the payment amount detected by the electronic money unit (108) and the payment amount calculation unit (104), when the plurality of facilities are specified by the facility candidate search unit (103A).

Abstract: An information providing system is disclosed to provide information to a traveling user, the information providing system including: a visit history record unit (306) which detects that the user visits a place which is away from a user's living area in order to generate a travel history, and records, as a visit history, the travel history together with a visit area which represents the visited place; a visit history database (303); a facility information database (304) which provides the user with the information regarding the visit area recorded in the visit history database (303); a facility information search unit (308); and the like.

Abstract: An image production method has steps of: detecting one or more descriptive regions exclusive of a background portion of a manuscript; calculating an image characteristic value of said descriptive region; selecting one from a plurality of previously defined layout patterns based on said determined image characteristic value, the layout pattern including information at least about a position of the descriptive region; and producing an image by laying out an image of said manuscript descriptive region or images of an illustration and said manuscript descriptive region according to the decided layout pattern.

Abstract: A cast-bonding process includes a magnesium coating step and a magnesium nitride-forming step. The magnesium-coating step is carried out by supplying gasified magnesium into a mold in which a cast-in insert formed from an aluminum alloy, or an aluminum-based composite material is set, so that magnesium may coat the insert. The magnesium nitride-forming step is carried out by supplying nitrogen gas into the mold so that the coating magnesium and nitrogen gas may react to form magnesium nitride. Then, a molten aluminum alloy is poured into the mold for cast-bonding the insert.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an ink jet recording sheet comprising: a supporting medium; and an ink receiving layer formed on the supporting medium, wherein the ink receiving layer comprises a pigment, an adhesive agent, an ink fixing agent, and a ternary copolymer comprising an alkyl (meth)acrylate, an N-methylolacrylamide, and a styrene.

Abstract: A movement history of the user is transmitted from each of a plurality of terminals (11) owned by the user to a movement history management server (13). The server (13) filters display-conditioned information received from an information provider terminal (14) by referring to the display conditions of the information and the stored user's movement histories, to specify display-conditioned information to be transmitted, and transmits the specified information to the user.

Abstract: There is provided an operation history utilization system which includes a terminal electric device (101), a server electric device (user server) (102), and an application server (103) that are connected to one another via network. On the terminal electric device (101), there is implemented a device agent (201) for storing the device operated by a user, the operation details and the operation time as an operation history set. On the server electric device (102), there is implemented a user agent (202) for receiving the operation history transmitted from the device agent (201) at a predetermined timing and managing the history in a centralized manner. On the application server (103), there is implemented a service concierge (203) for providing service, considering the user's taste by inquiring the user agent (202) about the operation history.