Abstract: A semiconductor memory card is disclosed which achieves augmentation in design property, promotion of understanding and augmentation in identification facility of the type thereof. A memory card housing is entirely or partially transparent or translucent so that a circuit board, a memory chip and so forth in the inside thereof can be visually observed from the outside therethrough. Or, the card housing is partially opaque or is colored at the transparent or translucent portion thereof. Or else, the card housings of different types of memory cards are formed as different ones of transparent, translucent and opaque housings from each other.

Abstract: When the user designates the reproduction of searching audio data, the designated searching audio data and audio volume data are read from a searching data recording portion. The searching audio data is reproduced corresponding to the audio volume data. When the user designates the reproduction of main audio data, the selected audio data is read from a disc and reproduced. In addition, number-of-reproduction-times data, audio volume data, audio quality data, and time period data for the designated main audio data that are updated in the searching data storing portion. The searching audio data corresponding to the designated main audio data is read from the disc corresponding to the audio quality data and the time period data and recorded to the searching data storing portion.

Abstract: A recording medium includes at least a recording area in which pieces of content data are recorded, and a lead-in area in a position that is read before the recording area is read. In one of the recording area and the lead-in area, identification information which indicates whether the recording medium is for a rental use is recorded.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory card is disclosed which achieves augmentation in design property, promotion of understanding and augmentation in identification facility of the type thereof. A memory card housing is entirely or partially transparent or translucent so that a circuit board, a memory chip and so forth in the inside thereof can be visually observed from the outside therethrough. Or, the card housing is partially opaque or is colored at the transparent or translucent portion thereof. Or else, the card housings of different types of memory cards are formed as different ones of transparent, translucent and opaque housings from each other.

Abstract: A reproduction apparatus and method a recording apparatus and method by which two different kinds of data can be reproduced and recorded efficiently are disclosed. When main data are intermittently read in from a recording medium, periods within which reading in of the main data is not performed appear inevitably, and the periods are made use of to read in sub data from the recording medium, thereby allowing synchronized reproduction of the main data and the sub data which relate to the main data. On the other hand, when main data are intermittently written onto a recording medium, periods within which writing of the main data is not performed appear inevitably, and the periods are made use of to write sub data onto the recording medium, thereby allowing parallel recording of the main data and the sub data.

Abstract: One network system according to the invention allows a party potentially disadvantaged by a third party's right globally to solicit information for contesting the right in question and to pay a reward to individuals or organizations for offering the information for invalidation. The system ensures that legitimate rights are protected while corporations are defended against unfair accusations and frivolous lawsuits. Another network system according to the invention allows a party potentially disadvantaged by a third party's right globally to recruit experts willing to take over proceedings on behalf of the disadvantaged party for invalidating the right in question, and to pay a contingent fee to those who successfully invalidated the right. The inventive system also ensures that legitimate rights are protected while corporations are defended against unfair accusations and frivolous lawsuits.

Abstract: The present invention provides a content-on-demand system capable of managing users' system-utilization frequencies such as download counts and connection times as well as changing the quality of a content transmitted from a server to a user in dependence on the system-utilization frequency of the user. Thus, a high-quality content or a highly functional content is provided to a user with a high system-utilization frequency. By differentiating contents provided to users in accordance with the system-utilization frequencies of the users, network businesses can be activated.

Abstract: A charging system is provided which solicits from third parties information about products supposedly infringing on a right holder's lawful right and which, upon exposure of the infringement, acquires royalty revenues from the trespassing party for a reimbursement to any third party having contributed the information on the infringement, whereby right-related information is collected more efficiently and a market on which such information circulates is actively promoted.

Abstract: A recording apparatus comprising a means for reading and reproducing a program recorded on a first recording medium such as a CD; a means for recording the reproduced program on a second recording medium such as an MD having at least a program area to record programs and a management area to manage the positions of the recorded programs and the program names; a means for inputting character data representative of the program name; a means for settling the program of one unit inputted by the character input means; a means for generating a partition code; a means for storing the program name as a character string after attaching a partition code to the program name inputted by the character input means; and a control means for extracting, from the character strings stored in the storage means, the program name of the relevant program with reference to the partition code, and updating the data in the management area of the second recording medium.

Abstract: An exclusively-used key accessible to the Internet is provided on a remote commander, and further another protocol name inputting exclusively-used key for inputting an URL (Uniform Resource Locators) address is employed and a host name input key is employed. Accordingly, input operations for inputting the respective alphabets of the URL address can be eliminated while avoiding the erroneous alphabet entering operations and also cumbersome operations.

Abstract: An apparatus for reproducing signals from a multi-layer disc with a first layer containing recorded high-quality digital audio data and a second layer containing recorded low-quality digital audio data. In this apparatus, the high-quality digital audio data and the low-quality digital audio data reproduced from the first and second layers respectively are once stored in a memory, and then the high-quality digital audio data and the low-quality digital audio data having the same content are reproduced alternately, from memory so that their tone qualities can be compared and evaluated distinctly.

Abstract: An apparatus for reproducing a multi-layer disc which has a first layer containing a recorded multi-bit digital signal quantized at a first sampling frequency and a second, layer containing a recorded 1-bit digital signal quantized at a second, higher sampling frequency. The apparatus includes a layer switching device capable of executing an instruction to selectively switch the signal reproduction of the first layer and that of the second layer; and a reproduction controller for preferentially setting the signal reproduction from either the first or second layer when the multi-layer disc is loaded in the apparatus, and in response to a manipulation of the layer switching device, selectively switching the setting of the signal reproduction relative to the first and second layers. A display is also incorporated to discriminably indicate thereon the layer selected by a manipulation of the layer switching device, hence enabling the user to recognize the layer being currently reproduced.

Abstract: A recording apparatus for use when programs are dubbed one after another accompanied by character input. If a user has not finished inputting characters such as a title about the currently dubbed program, the apparatus places the dubbing of the next program into a standby state so that the user may take his time entering the necessary characters regarding the current program.