Abstract: A breakout prediction method includes: a step of inputting a dimension of a solid product withdrawn from a mold in a continuous casting machine; a step of detecting a temperature of the mold by a plurality of thermometers embedded in the mold; a step of executing interpolation processing on the detected temperatures detected by the plurality of thermometers according to the dimension of the solid product; a step of calculating, based on the temperatures calculated by executing the interpolation processing, a component in a direction orthogonal to an influence coefficient vector obtained by principal component analysis as a degree of deviation from during a normal operation in which a breakout has not occurred; and a step of predicting a breakout based on the degree of deviation.

Abstract: Data is encrypted and stored in an area on a storage medium accessible by the user outside an external storage device. A decrypting algorithm is stored in an area inaccessible by the user outside the external storage device. The external storage device provided with the storage medium retrieves the decrypting algorithm according to which the data is decrypted using a key obtained from outside the external storage device, for example, from a personal computer connected to the external storage device. Since the encrypted data and its decrypting algorithm are stored on the same storage medium, a specific decrypting algorithm can be assigned to each storage medium, thereby improving the security level for the stored information.

Abstract: The CPU in the processing unit of an external storage device transmits data between an information processing device and a storage medium, determines whether or not the information processing device can access the storage medium of the external storage device, decrypts data encrypted in the storage medium, etc. using a program loaded into RAM through an interface or a read/write unit. Changing the data loaded into the RAM efficiently and flexibly guarantees the security of the data stored on the storage medium.