Abstract: A state of a system, such as a printer or wireless device set, is monitored and sound information corresponding to the state of the system is output. An output mode for output sound information can be set by a user to a mode (e.g., silent mode) in which the sound information output manner is controlled by the user. When the sound information corresponding to the operation state of the system is acquired, if the output mode for the sound information is set to the silent mode, the acquired sound information is silenced, and the silenced sound information is output.

Abstract: An article storage apparatus which enables categories to be subsequently assigned to storage sections or categories given to storage sections to be changed according to the progress of the user's storing operation or the user's desire. A plurality of storage shelves are provided to store articles. A RFID reader reads out a category assigned to an article to be stored in each of the storage shelves. A controller sets a category to be assigned to each storage shelf according to the category assigned to the article stored in the storage shelf.

Abstract: The present invention is characterized in that: a demanded printing-job is accepted at a printing-job accepting unit, and a printing executing unit executes printing according to the accepted printing-job so as to produce an output sheet onto a discharge tray; an output-sheet detecting unit detects the presence of a printed output-sheet on the discharge tray; if the removal of discharged sheets from the discharge tray is detected, a printed-sheet mixture determining unit determines the possibility that sheets printed corresponding to a plurality of demands are mixed among the removed output-sheets; and if it is determined the possibility that sheets printed corresponding to a plurality of the demands are mixed among the output-sheets, warning information is produced by a warning voice producing unit.

Abstract: An information processing technique for voice outputting an electronic mail, received by an information processing apparatus capable of voice output, at a sender's intended timing. For this purpose, the information processing apparatus has an electronic mail reception unit (101) to receive an electronic mail, an electronic mail selection unit (102) to select an electronic mail including a code describing voice output timing, from electronic mails received by the electronic mail reception unit (101), and a voice synthesis unit (104) to voice-synthesize the electronic mail selected by the electronic mail selection unit (102) and voice-outputs the result of voice synthesis based on the code.

Abstract: In an information processing apparatus or method for presenting multimedia data, a storage unit holds an object in an image, such as an image, characters, or symbols, and sound data associated with the object. Metadata of the object is referred to, and an output parameter of the sound data associated with the object is determined based on the metadata. Then, a sound output unit outputs the sound data at a sound volume or the like based on the output parameter.

Abstract: The present invention is characterized in that: a demanded printing-job is accepted at a printing-job accepting unit, and a printing executing unit executes printing according to the accepted printing-job so as to produce an output sheet onto a discharge tray; an output-sheet detecting unit detects the presence of a printed output-sheet on the discharge tray; if the removal of discharged sheets from the discharge tray is detected, a printed-sheet mixture determining unit determines the possibility that sheets printed corresponding to a plurality of demands are mixed among the removed output-sheets; and if it is determined the possibility that sheets printed corresponding to a plurality of the demands are mixed among the output-sheets, warning information is produced by a warning voice producing unit.

Abstract: There are provided an information processing method and apparatus, which can composite an image at a link destination into document data upon printing document data that describes address information as a link to an image file, can obviate the need for additional access by the user, and can improve user's convenience. This information processing apparatus prints document data that describes address information of an image on a server which can be accessed via the Internet. An operation unit (107) issues a print instruction of an image, and makes its setups. Address information is detected from document data, and that image is accessed via the Internet. It is checked if the accessed image can be embedded in the document data. If the accessed image can be embedded, that image is downloaded. The downloaded image is embedded at a predetermined position in the document upon printing the document data.

Abstract: The invention provides a data processing method which can phonetically output execution of operation performed on an apparatus or a description of the operation content without requiring mode switching operation and without losing good sense of operability of the apparatus. Operation performed on the apparatus is detected, and the state of the apparatus at the time of operation detection is detected. In a case where the state of the apparatus is not the help mode, motion corresponding to the detected operation is executed. Meanwhile, in a case where the state of the apparatus is the help mode, a description of the motion corresponding to the detected operation is phonetically outputted, and information regarding the operation whose description has been phonetically outputted is stored in, e.g., motion buffer. Further, if the state of the apparatus is the help mode, motion corresponding to the operation is executed based on the information regarding the operation stored in the motion buffer.

Abstract: Provided are an image forming apparatus and an image forming method in which a decline in the recognition rate of voice recognition ascribable to operating sound during printing can be prevented by starting voice recognition after the printing operation has been suspended. The image forming apparatus is provided with a voice recognition unit (103) for recognizing entered voice, and a image printing unit (107) for printing prescribed print information. Whether the image printing unit (107) is currently printing is discriminated by an image-printing-state holding unit (106). Further, a request to start operation of a voice recognition unit (103) is accepted. If the request to start operation of the voice recognition unit (103) is accepted during printing of print information by the image printing unit (107), then printing of the print information by the image printing unit (107) is suspended.

Abstract: The present invention is characterized in that: a demanded printing-job is accepted at a printing-job accepting unit, and a printing executing unit executes printing according to the accepted printing-job so as to produce an output sheet onto a discharge tray; an output-sheet detecting unit detects the presence of a printed output-sheet on the discharge tray; if the removal of discharged sheets from the discharge tray is detected, a printed-sheet mixture determining unit determines the possibility that sheets printed corresponding to a plurality of demands are mixed among the removed output-sheets; and if it is determined the possibility that sheets printed corresponding to a plurality of the demands are mixed among the output-sheets, warning information is produced by a warning voice producing unit.

Abstract: A command for incrementing a numeric value is inputted by pressing a “2” key. A command for decrementing the numeric value is inputted by depressing an “8” key. At least one of a process for incrementing the numeric value by the amount of increment according to the length of time during which the “2” key is held down and a process for decrementing the numeric value by the amount of decrement according to the length of time during which the “8” key is held down is performed to determine a value to be input.

Abstract: In a character provision service system for providing users with characters such as interface agents and virtual characters in virtual spaces on computers or in TV games, charges for use of a provided character is computed according to a motion made by the character. This system enables each user to easily purchase with security a character capable of moving according user's need, and also enables character data providers to collect charges according to motions made by provided characters and to provide various characters without anxiety about unauthorized use of the characters.

Abstract: In a sentence processing apparatus, a possibly erroneous word is extracted from a sentence by analyzing the sentence in accordance with predetermined grammar and predetermined information on words, information on suggested words which correspond to the extracted possibly erroneous word is extracted from the predetermined information on words, and information on the extracted possibly erroneous word and the information on the corresponding extracted suggested words are displayed. Accordingly, the information on the possibly erroneous word in the sentence can be briefly displayed, thus a user can easily edit the sentence in response to the displayed information.

Abstract: In a text processing apparatus, a diagram of the mutual relationships between words or phrases of an inputted sentence is formed and the modification relationships of the sentence structure are displayed. The modification relationship sentence-structure diagram reflects the order of each word or phrase in the sentence and the perspective of the distance between words or phrases in modification relationship to each other in the sentence. Corrections are made to the inputted sentence by correcting the diagram structure.