Abstract: A position information relay device interposed between a network device and an apparatus includes: a position information recognizer which recognizes position information of the apparatus; and a position information relay which receives a communication packet transmitted by the apparatus to the network device, includes the position information in the communication packet received, and transmits the communication packet including the position information to the network device.

Abstract: A threshold value calculation device includes: a device state acquirer that acquires a device state of a first device provided in a facility in which a home network is installed during a first period; an occupancy state determiner that determines an occupancy state by people in the facility during the first period based on information acquired from a second device in the facility; a communication log collector that collects a communication log; and a learner that calculates a threshold value for the communication transmitted and received by the first device during a second period that is a period after the first period. The learner calculates the threshold value for each of combinations of one or more states of the first device and one or more states of the people.

Abstract: A control method is provided for controlling a refrigerator that is connected to one or more electrical apparatuses, in which the refrigerator includes a door/drawer and a processor. The control method causes the processor to sense a change in an opened state or a closed state of the door/drawer and receive state information indicating an operation state of the one or more electrical apparatuses from the one or more electrical apparatuses, which are operable when the user is. The processor determines whether the user is cooking based on the received state information, and notifies the user of different information each time a change in the opened state or the closed state is sensed if a change in the opened state or the closed state is sensed when a determination is made that the user is cooking.

Abstract: A control method is provided for controlling a refrigerator that is connected to one or more electrical apparatuses, in which the refrigerator includes a door/drawer and a processor. The control method causes the processor to sense a change in an opened state or a closed state of the door/drawer and receive state information indicating an operation state of the one or more electrical apparatuses from the one or more electrical apparatuses, which are operable when the user is. The processor determines whether the user is cooking based on the received state information, and notifies the user of different information each time a change in the opened state or the closed state is sensed if a change in the opened state or the closed state is sensed when a determination is made that the user is cooking.

Abstract: In a normal operation state, a connection management section writes data transmitted from a first processing section to a data temporary storage section and reads data to be received by a second processing section from the data temporary storage section. Upon receiving control signals which instruct a change of the subject of processing, the first processing section and the second processing section output a transmitting-end clear request and a receiving-end clear request, respectively. The connection management section reads data from the empty data storage section after a transmitting-end clear request is received and until a receiving-end clear request is received, and writes data to the empty data storage section after a receiving-end clear request is received and until a transmitting-end clear request is received.

Abstract: A device in a PAN 7 having a plurality of devices 1 to 6 connected by short range communication whose network configuration dynamically changes is provided. A cellphone 1 includes a discovery function to discovery the devices 2 to 6 for a device capable of carrying out prescribed processing based on a request for execution of the prescribed processing from the cellphone 1 and a transmission control function to transmit output control information for outputting a notice indicating the capability of carrying out the prescribed information to the devices found by the discovery.

Abstract: In a normal operation state, a connection management section writes data transmitted from a first processing section to a data temporary storage section and reads data to be received by a second processing section from the data temporary storage section. Upon receiving control signals which instruct a change of the subject of processing, the first processing section and the second processing section output a transmitting-end clear request and a receiving-end clear request, respectively. The connection management section reads data from the empty data storage section after a transmitting-end clear request is received and until a receiving-end clear request is received, and writes data to the empty data storage section after a receiving-end clear request is received and until a transmitting-end clear request is received.

Abstract: In a moving picture data structure having a structure comprising I pictures (intraframe coded image) and P pictures (interframe forward predictive coded image), a P? picture of a forward predictive coded image of a picture immediately preceding an I picture and the I picture is placed following the I picture. If an error occurs during the I picture transmission, the P? picture can be used to recover from the error.

Abstract: A system is arranged by a service providing apparatus 109 for storing a plurality of contents data 110 and capable of transmitting the contents data via network interfaces 116a/116b and a communication path 112; and also a service relaying apparatus 101 for producing compressed moving picture data having a high image quality from still picture data, and capable of transmitting the compressed moving picture data via network interfaces 115a/115b and another communication path 111 to a reproducing terminal 106. As a result, desirable contents data can be displayed by the reproducing terminal which owns a capability of displaying the compressed moving picture data, but does not own such a capability of displaying the desirable contents data.

Abstract: Conventionally, when a multimedia data processing section that has become a component is taken out of a database, it is necessary that the multimedia data processing section is taken out of the database once and a condition determination of this multimedia data processing section and other multimedia data processing sections is performed, and the problem is that a search for a multimedia data processing section is thus time consuming. According to the present invention, not only the body of a multimedia data processing section (130), but also a function entry (120) of a function (140) that performs a condition determination of the multimedia data processing section (130) is registered with a database (101), so that when a search for the multimedia data processing section (130) is performed, the function entry alone is taken out first and a condition determination is performed, and, only when it suits the purpose, the body of the multimedia data processing section (130) is taken out.

Abstract: It is an object of the invention to time independent common times for a plurality of processing system groups, respectively. It is another object of the invention to take a synchronization in the vicinity of the start of reproduction also when a difference is made over a time taken to prepare for the processing of each processing system. Counting unit (12) manages the common times of a plurality of processing system groups (16) and (17) to time a common time for each of the processing system groups, and time supply unit (13) supplies the common time obtained by the counting of the counting unit (12) to each of processing systems (161), (162), (171) and (172). Moreover, counting control unit (14) controls to start and stop the counting based on notices given from the processing systems (161), (162), (171) and (172) of the processing system groups (16) and (17).

Abstract: The invention provides a television meeting unit that is capable of displaying a picture smoothly on a middle participation terminal. To realize such television meeting unit, the multicast meeting unit is provided with a picture coding means for coding an input picture, a picture transmission means for transmitting the coded picture by mean of multicast, a picture receiving means for receiving the transmitted coded picture, a picture decoding means for decoding the received picture, a picture display means for displaying the decoded picture, a middle participation notice means for notifying middle participation in a meeting, and a middle participation terminal detection means for detecting the middle participation notice and for transmitting it to the picture coding means. The picture coding means, upon receiving the middle participation notice from the middle participation terminal detection means, changes the coding format to the in-frame coding format.

Abstract: A device in a PAN 7 having a plurality of devices 1 to 6 connected by short range communication whose network configuration dynamically changes is provided. A cellphone 1 includes a discovery function to discovery the devices 2 to 6 for a device capable of carrying out prescribed processing based on a request for execution of the prescribed processing from the cellphone 1 and a transmission control function to transmit output control information for outputting a notice indicating the capability of carrying out the prescribed information to the devices found by the discovery.

Abstract: The invention provides a television meeting unit that is capable of displaying a picture smoothly on a middle participation terminal. To realize such television meeting unit, the multicast meeting unit is provided with a picture coding means for coding an input picture, a picture transmission means for transmitting the coded picture by mean of multicast, a picture receiving means for receiving the transmitted coded picture, a picture decoding means for decoding the received picture, a picture display means for displaying the decoded picture, a middle participation notice means for notifying middle participation in a meeting, and a middle participation terminal detection means for detecting the middle participation notice and for transmitting it to the picture coding means. The picture coding means, upon receiving the middle participation notice from the middle participation terminal detection means, changes the coding format to the in-frame coding format.

Abstract: The invention provides a television meeting unit that is capable of displaying a picture smoothly on a middle participation terminal. To realize such television meeting unit, the multicast meeting unit is provided with a picture coding means for coding an input picture, a picture transmission means for transmitting the coded picture by mean of multicast, a picture receiving means for receiving the transmitted coded picture, a picture decoding means for decoding the received picture, a picture display means for displaying the decoded picture, a middle participation notice means for notifying middle participation in a meeting, and a middle participation terminal detection means for detecting the middle participation notice and for transmitting it to the picture coding means. The picture coding means, upon receiving the middle participation notice from the middle participation terminal detection means, changes the coding format to the in-frame coding format.

Abstract: In a moving picture data structure having a structure comprising I pictures (intraframe coded image) and P pictures (interframe forward predictive coded image), a P′ picture of a forward predictive coded image of a picture immediately preceding an I picture and the I picture is placed following the I picture. If an error occurs during the I picture transmission, the P′ picture can be used to recover from the error.

Abstract: Conventionally, when a multimedia data processing section that has become a component is taken out of a database, it is necessary that the multimedia data processing section is taken out of the database once and a condition determination of this multimedia data processing section and other multimedia data processing sections is performed, and the problem is that a search for a multimedia data processing section is thus time consuming. According to the present invention, not only the body of a multimedia data processing section (130), but also a function entry (120) of a function (140) that performs a condition determination of the multimedia data processing section (130) is registered with a database (101), so that when a search for the multimedia data processing section (130) is performed, the function entry alone is taken out first and a condition determination is performed, and, only when it suits the purpose, the body of the multimedia data processing section (130) is taken out.

Abstract: In a moving picture data structure having a structure comprising I pictures (intraframe coded image) and P pictures (interframe forward predictive coded image), a P′ picture of a forward predictive coded image of a picture immediately preceding an I picture and the I picture is placed following the I picture. If an error occurs during the I picture transmission, the P′ picture can be used to recover from the error.

Abstract: In a normal operation state, a connection management section 21 writes data transmitted from a first processing section 13 to a data temporary storage section 22, and reads data to be received by the second processing section 14 from the data temporary storage section 22. Upon receiving control signals 31 and 32 which instruct a change of the subject of processing, the first processing section 13 and the second processing section 14 output a transmitting-end clear request 41 and a receiving-end clear request 42, respectively. The connection management section 21 reads data from the empty data storage section 23 after a transmitting-end clear request 41 is received and until a receiving-end clear request 42 is received, and writes data to the empty data storage section 23 after a receiving-end clear request 42 is received and until a transmitting-end clear request 41 is received.

Abstract: The invention provides a television meeting unit that is capable of displaying a picture smoothly on a middle participation terminal. To realize such television meeting unit, the multicast meeting unit is provided with a picture coding means for coding an input picture, a picture transmission means for transmitting the coded picture by mean of multicast, a picture receiving means for receiving the transmitted coded picture, a picture decoding means for decoding the received picture, a picture display means for displaying the decoded picture, a middle participation notice means for notifying middle participation in a meeting, and a middle participation terminal detection means for detecting the middle participation notice and for transmitting it to the picture coding means. The picture coding means, upon receiving the middle participation notice from the middle participation terminal detection means, changes the coding format to the in-frame coding format.