Abstract: Data and/or services associated with a given object are easily searched by using a search system having a global unique object identifier, a metadata store, an input for entering the global unique identifier, a metadata reader for reading a set of metadata including the input global unique identifier from the metadata store, and a metadata search engine for searching for specific metadata by searching for a specific description sentence included in each metadata of the read set of metadata.

Abstract: In the prior art, in character recognition of a language having many characters, such as Japanese, a feature vector is extracted from an input pattern, distances between the feature vector and reference vectors are calculated, and a character corresponding to a reference vector having the smallest distance value is selected as a recognized character. However, in the character recognition of a language having many characters, since the number of the reference vectors to be compared is large, there is a limit in improvement of processing speed of the character recognition. In the present invention, reference vectors corresponding to target characters are classified into plurality of classes based on occurrence frequencies of characters. When distances between the feature vector and the reference vectors are calculated, a comparison is sequentially made from the reference vectors of a class having a high character occurrence frequency, so that the processing speed of the character recognition is improved.

Abstract: Method and computer program product stored on a tangible medium that store instructions including providing a procedure file, storing and managing a plurality of tickets, each ticket including a first identifier given to a commodity, and searching, based on the first identifier and a ticket request submitted by a user, a ticket of the plurality of tickets corresponding to the first identifier. The method and computer program product then presents information about the commodity included in the ticket, information about a service that provides the commodity, and service provision content information acquired during the search.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a pair of power chips, an IC chip, a plurality of leads one of which having a die pad on which the power chips are mounted and another one having a die attach portion on which the IC chip is mounted, a resin sheet firmly adhered to one side of the die pad, and a resin casing made by molding operation to encapsulate the power chips, the IC chip and the resin sheet by a resin in such a manner that one surface of the resin sheet opposite the die pad is exposed to the exterior of the resin casing. The resin casing has a groove formed in one surface opposite the exposed surface of the resin sheet, the groove extending parallel to the resin sheet and perpendicular to a runner through which the resin was supplied in the molding operation.

Abstract: There is provided a database server capable of easily adding various kinds of associated data without modifying the structure of the database. A heading node (T node) is correlated with an associated node (A node) and an association role R is defined between the T node and the A node associated with it. Furthermore, each of the T node and the A node is added with an identifier (ID), its attribute (node type), and a name (node name). The data having such a structure is stored in an association/role table (AR table) composed of an entry containing ID of the A node and T node associated with each other and the association role R defined between them and in an identifier table (ID table) containing the ID, attribute, and name of the A node and the T node, so that the data can be searched.

Abstract: The invention provides a text segmentation apparatus comprising means for analyzing an electronic text to determine likelihood of segmentation point for each of sentence ends in the text based on a coherent unit and means for segmenting the text into text segments based on the likelihood of segmentation point. The apparatus is programmed to segment the text segment at the position having the best likelihood of segmentation point within the text segment when the size of any of the segmented text segments exceeds a threshold value to be determined based on the specified text segmentation size. Particularly, the apparatus determines the similarity between the text parts contained in a pair of windows to be set up on the left and right sides of each sentence end position in the text so as to obtain similarity curves. Then, the apparatus determines the likelihood of segmentation point for each sentence end point based on the obtained similarity curves.

Abstract: In a commutator of a rotary electric machine, each of commutator segments has a low-resistive layer made of a low-resistive material and a high-resistive layer made of a high-resistive material having a specific resistance higher than that of the low-resistive material. The low-resistive material contains a carbonic material and a binder. The high-resistive material contains a carbonic material, a binder and an inorganic substance such as boron nitride. A mixing ratio of the inorganic material to the high-resistive material is more than 20 wt %. Alternatively, a brush, which makes contact with the commutator segments, can have the high-resistive layer and the low-resistive layer.

Abstract: A document is classified by document style on the basis of textual analysis without depending upon morphological analysis. A style-specific frozen pattern is prepared as a reference dictionary for each document style. A frozen pattern list is extracted for an input document based on the basis of a state of appearance of a style-specific frozen pattern present in the document. Confidence for each document style is calculated based on the frozen pattern list and the detected style of the input document.

Abstract: An object is to implement timely service provision or information provision better suited for users, while decreasing efforts to construct link information or affiliation relation prepared for linkage with many service providers (or information providers), for both the service providers (or information providers) and users.

Abstract: A search method responds to (1) a data base that stores elements (e.g., stores, programs, etc.) that are information search targets, and (2) affiliations among the elements, such as stores that sponsor programs, stores that participate in the programs, etc. Users designate the attributes (stores, programs, etc.) of elements to be searched for, and the affiliations thereof to perform searches, so that the users can easily search for desired information present on small display screens.

Abstract: A guide apparatus 50 according to the present invention is provided with a service information DB 30d storing service information containing a service providing place and attribute information of a target user; a recognizing device 30b for acquiring an ID from image data transmitted from a cell phone 14; a retrieving device 30c for retrieving service information from the service information DB 30d on the basis of the acquired ID and for retrieving such service information that attribute information of the user of cell phone 14 coincides with attribute information of a target user, out of service information provided at service providing places near the service providing place; and a route retrieving device 20c for retrieving a route between the information about the service providing place retrieved and the cell phone 14; and transmits the route information and service information as guide information to the cell phone 14.

Abstract: Data and/or services associated with a given object are easily searched by using a search system having a global unique object identifier, a metadata store, an input for entering the global unique identifier, a metadata reader for reading a set of metadata including the input global unique identifier from the metadata store, and a metadata search engine for searching for specific metadata by searching for a specific description sentence included in each metadata of the read set of metadata.

Abstract: An information management apparatus 50 according to the present invention comprises: a database 30d for storing information relevant to a printer 40 therein; output request reception means 20a for receiving an output request transmitted from a portable terminal 14; inquiry signal transmission means 20a for transmitting an inquiry signal on the printer 40 being an output destination to the portable terminal 14; communication means for receiving image data transmitted from the portable terminal 14; recognition means 30b for recognizing the identification information of the printer 40 by analyzing the image data transmitted in response to the inquiry signal; retrieval means 30c for retrieving the information relevant to the printer 40 from the data base 30d on the basis of the acquired recognition information; and printing means 20c for outputting the information to the printer 40 on the basis of the information relevant to the printer 40 retrieved by the retrieval means 30c.

Abstract: A system is provided for printing data with an output device installed at a remote location such as an office where a user occasionally visits. The system comprises an information ticket database for storing one or more information tickets that can be retrieved using an identifier of an object as a search key. The system also includes a service portal that searches the information ticket database to provide service information to a user in response to the identifier transmitted from a user's mobile device through the Internet. The database stores, for each of output devices registered in the system, an access-information ticket containing information for accessing the output device. The service portal searches the database to retrieve the ticket of the output device identified by the identifier transmitted from the user's mobile device and outputs the data specified by the mobile device onto the output device according to the information obtained from the ticket.

Abstract: The system comprises a terminal apparatus that views or plays the content acquired from a data provider which embeds an identifier to the content. The system comprises a database for storing information tickets for each of the identifiers. The terminal apparatus captures the identifier embedded in the content. The system further comprises a service portal that, in response to the identifier which has been captured by and transmitted from the terminal apparatus over the Internet, searches the database and provides a service for connecting the terminal apparatus to a web page associated with the identifier.

Abstract: The invention provides a text segmentation apparatus comprising means for analyzing an electronic text to determine likelihood of segmentation point for each of sentence ends in the text based on a coherent unit and means for segmenting the text into text segments based on the likelihood of segmentation point. The apparatus is programmed to segment the text segment at the position having the best likelihood of segmentation point within the text segment when the size of any of the segmented text segments exceeds a threshold value to be determined based on the specified text segmentation size. Particularly, the apparatus determines the similarity between the text parts contained in a pair of windows to be set up on the left and right sides of each sentence end position in the text so as to obtain similarity curves. Then, the apparatus determines the likelihood of segmentation point for each sentence end point based on the obtained similarity curves.

Abstract: In the prior art, in character recognition of a language having many characters, such as Japanese, a feature vector is extracted from an input pattern, distances between the feature vector and reference vectors are calculated, and a character corresponding to a reference vector having the smallest distance value is selected as a recognized character. However, in the character recognition of a language having many characters, since the number of the reference vectors to be compared is large, there is a limit in improvement of processing speed of the character recognition. In the present invention, reference vectors corresponding to target characters are classified into plurality of classes based on occurrence frequencies of characters. When distances between the feature vector and the reference vectors are calculated, a comparison is sequentially made from the reference vectors of a class having a high character occurrence frequency, so that the processing speed of the character recognition is improved.

Abstract: A sulfidation-resistant current-carrying member, such as a commutator, suitable for a direct-current motor in a fuel pump is provided. The current-carrying member for a direct-current motor in a fuel pump includes a commutator composed of a carbon layer having carbon as a principal component and forming a sliding surface at one end, and a metal carbon layer fixedly bound with the carbon layer at the other end and comprising 55 to 90 wt % of metal having brass as a principal component and a remaining portion having carbon as a principal component. By using brass as a primary metal component in the metal carbon layer, it is possible to achieve a commutator with superior resistance to sulfidation.

Abstract: A film deposition apparatus and a method thereof for accurately forming a film of a given thickness on the surface of a wafer is described. The film deposition apparatus includes a laser beam to perform a precise in-situ monitoring of a change in thickness of the film being deposited on the surface of the wafer. An optical guide is provided in an attachment coupled to the quartz furnace of a chemical vapor deposition apparatus. A laser beam is introduced into the quartz furnace through the optical guide, and is projected onto the wafer. The laser beam reflected by the wafer is channeled through the same optical guide to be discharged to the outside of the quartz furnace. A change in thickness of the film is monitored based on the strength of the reflected laser beam.

Abstract: According to the present invention, in making alignment between a semiconductor integrated circuit wafer and a mask or a reticle in light exposure of the wafer with a monochromatic light such as g-, i- or h-line of a mercury lamp, using a reduced stepping exposure system, light from a predetermined pattern on the wafer is taken out to an off-axis position and observed according to Through-the-Lens method; in this case as a characteristic feature of the invention, the observation light taken out from below the reticle is passed through chromatic aberration correcting lenses, thereby permitting the use of a polychromatic or continuous spectrum light.