Abstract: A token type content providing system is provided, in which the system includes a portable user terminal and a linkup server, the portable user terminal includes: a part for obtaining a token from an information notification medium; a part for sending the token to a linkup server; and a part for receiving content information; the linkup server includes: a part for determining one or more content identifier corresponding to the token by using a token table database; a part for obtaining one or more items of content information corresponding to the one or more content identifier; a part for selecting one or more items of content information by referring to the attribute information, and sending a part or the whole of selected content information to the portable user terminal.

Abstract: A technology is provided for a viewer of broadcast information or recorded information to easily obtain information related to the broadcast information or recorded information from a server, in which, in a system in which a viewer apparatus and a content providing server for providing content information related to video or voice are connected via a network, the viewer apparatus obtains related information necessary for obtaining the content information; sends the related information to the content providing server so as to request the content providing server to send the content information; and obtains the content information sent from the content providing server.

Abstract: A wearable communication device includes a bone conduction actuator which is applicable for being in contact with a user's wrist, hand, back of the hand, finger or nail in order to transmit voice signals. The user inserts the user's finger into the user's ear canal, or touches the user's finger to a part near the user's ear, or puts the user's fingertip or nail on the user's ear canal so as to block the user's ear canal when the user uses the wearable communication device.

Abstract: Pop-up display information is created and displayed in a dynamic manner even without establishing settings in advance related to pop-up display for an anchor or an icon or the like, and implementing simple and efficient browsing by a user of linked contents by varying the display size in accordance with the display region. Mouse events of a mouse cursor upon a screen of an information device by the user are observed, and the fact that the mouse cursor has entered into a region of an object which has a linked destination is detected from the mouse events; a new window is displayed upon the screen; linked contents which are connected to the object are acquired; contents for presentation are created based upon the linked contents which have been acquired; and they are displayed within the new window which has been displayed upon the screen.

Abstract: A wearable communication device includes a bone conduction actuator which is applicable for being in contact with a user's wrist, hand, back of the hand, finger or nail in order to transmit voice signals. The user inserts the user's finger into the user's ear canal, or touches the user's finger to a part near the user's ear, or puts the user's fingertip or nail on the user's ear canal so as to block the user's ear canal when the user uses the wearable communication device.

Abstract: A wearable communication device includes a bone conduction actuator which is applicable for being in contact with a user's wrist, hand, back of the hand, finger or nail in order to transmit voice signals. The user inserts the user's finger into the user's ear canal, or touches the user's finger to a part near the user's ear, or puts the user's fingertip or nail on the user's ear canal so as to block the user's ear canal when the user uses the wearable communication device.

Abstract: Pop-up display information is created and displayed in a dynamic manner even without establishing settings in advance related to pop-up display for an anchor or an icon or the like, and implementing simple and efficient browsing by a user of linked contents by varying the display size in accordance with the display region. Mouse events of a mouse cursor upon a screen of an information device by the user are observed, and the fact that the mouse cursor has entered into a region of an object which has a linked destination is detected from the mouse events; a new window is displayed upon the screen; linked contents which are connected to the object are acquired; contents for presentation are created based upon the linked contents which have been acquired; and they are displayed within the new window which has been displayed upon the screen.

Abstract: In the creation of an electronic image book provided with a book-type interface; a video is analyzed; images are extracted from the video under predetermined event type conditions; the extracted images are stored as index information in an index management table; images are selected from the index management table under desired conditions and laid out as a sequence of representative images in a page screen; item numbers of the laid out representative images, information about their positions on the page and information about a video file linked to the representative images are recorded in a page management table in correspondence with pages; and at the same time, representative image data corresponding to the item number is recorded in an image data table.

Abstract: A scheme for graphical user interface using a polygonal-line-shaped slider that enables a user to intuitively manipulate-and playback spatio-temporal media data such as video data and animation data without deteriorating the temporal continuity of the data in interactive manipulation and playback of the spatio-temporal media data is disclosed. In this scheme, the slider is composed of a polygonal line composed of at least one segment and a coordinate indicator that is moved along the polygonal line. Data corresponding to coordinates specified by the coordinate indicator is entered. The apparatus according to present invention stores the coordinates of vertexes of the polygonal line, stores input coordinates, maps the input coordinates onto a point on the polygonal line, and positions the coordinate indicator at the point.

Abstract: A technology is provided for a viewer of broadcast information or recorded information to easily obtain information related to the broadcast information or recorded information from a server, in which, in a system in which a viewer apparatus and a content providing server for providing content information related to video or voice are connected via a network, the viewer apparatus obtains related information necessary for obtaining the content information; sends the related information to the content providing server so as to request the content providing server to send the content information; and obtains the content information sent from the content providing server.

Abstract: A token type content providing system is provided, in which the system includes a portable user terminal and a linkup server, the portable user terminal includes: a part for obtaining a token from an information notification medium; a part for sending the token to a linkup server; and a part for receiving content information; the linkup server includes: a part for determining one or more content identifier corresponding to the token by using a token table database; a part for obtaining one or more items of content information corresponding to the one or more content identifier; a part for selecting one or more items of content information by referring to the attribute information, and sending a part or the whole of selected content information to the portable user terminal.

Abstract: A camcorder operation condition detecting portion (103) reads image data string and detects camcorder on/off information and camcorder operating information. A video splitting portion (104) splits videos into respective shots based on the camcorder on/off information. A subject/background separating portion (105) separates a subject and a background based on the camcorder operating information, etc. A subject motion information extracting portion (106) correlates subject information separated every frame between frames. A video taken space resynthesizing portion (107) resynthesizes video taken spaces based on the camcorder operating information and the background. A shot-to-shot relation calculating portion (108) calculates spatial shot-to-shot relations between a plurality of video taken spaces.

Abstract: A scheme for interactive video manipulation and display of a moving object on a background image is disclosed. In this scheme a background image stored in a background image storage unit is read out and displayed on a screen, and a manipulation target spatial position is set on the screen. Then, a partial image to be synthesized and displayed is uniquely specified from partial images which are set in correspondence to spatial positions on the background image and representing an object moving on the background image, according to the manipulation target spatial position set by the setting step, and the partial image as specified by the specifying step is read out from a partial image storage unit, and synthesized and displayed at the manipulation target spatial position on the background image. A scheme for realizing a variable speed video playback with a playback speed different from a normal one is also disclosed.

Abstract: A scheme for interactive video manipulation and display of a moving object on a background image is disclosed. In this scheme a background image stored in a background image storage unit is read out and displayed on a screen, and a manipulation target spatial position is set on the screen. Then, a partial image to be synthesized and displayed is uniquely specified from partial images which are set in correspondence to spatial positions on the background image and representing an object moving on the background image, according to the manipulation target spatial position set by the setting step, and the partial image as specified by the specifying step is read out from a partial image storage unit, and synthesized and displayed at the manipulation target spatial position on the background image. A scheme for realizing a variable speed video playback with a playback speed different from a normal one is also disclosed.

Abstract: A video caption detection scheme capable of detecting captions from the coded video data which are coded by using a combination of predictive coding and motion compensation, without requiring the decoding of coded video data into frame images. In this video caption detection scheme, whether each pixel/block in the video data is coded by using inter-frame correlation without using motion compensation or not is judged. Then, a region in the video data at which pixels/blocks that is judged as being coded by using inter-frame correlation without using motion compensation are concentrated time-wise and space-wise, is detected as a caption region. The detection can be realized by counting a frequency of appearance of a pixel/block which is judged as being coded by using inter-frame correlation without using motion compensation, at each pixel/block position of a frame over a prescribed counting period, and then comparing the counted frequency of appearance with a prescribed threshold value.

Abstract: An information transfer device which transfers a signal via a human body, comprising: a transmitter having a signal source for outputting a time varying signal, a modulator for modulating a signal from the signal source using a carrier frequency of from several tens of KHz to several MHz, a transmission B electrode connected to an output from the modulator and arranged in the vicinity of a human body surface, and a transmission G electrode connected to a portion giving a reference voltage of the transmitter and arranged toward an external side with respect to the human body, and a receiver having a reception B electrode arranged in the vicinity of the human body surface in the vicinity of the transmitter, a reception G electrode connected to a portion giving a reference voltage of the receiver and arranged toward an external side with respect to the human body so as to be coupled with the transmission G electrode via air, an amplifier for amplifying a voltage between the reception B electrode and the receptio

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for displaying hierarchical structures. The method of the present invention can display graphically hierarchical structures of nodes from the nodes that are branch points, relay points or end points corresponding to apparatuses or functions and the connection relationships between the nodes. The display method of the present invention has the steps of arranging the nodes of the same layer subordinate to the same node on the same ellipse, arranging the subordinate ellipse of the same layer concentrically on an ellipse larger than the ellipse of the upper layer, and displaying the arranged hierarchical structure of nodes.

Abstract: A scheme for interactive video manipulation and display of a moving object on a background image is disclosed. In this scheme a background image stored in a background image storage unit is read out and displayed on a screen, and a manipulation target spatial position is set on the screen. Then, a partial image to be synthesized and displayed is uniquely specified from partial images which are set in correspondence to spatial positions on the background image and representing an object moving on the background image, according to the manipulation target spatial position set by the setting step, and the partial image as specified by the specifying step is read out from a partial image storage unit, and synthesized and displayed at the manipulation target spatial position on the background image. A scheme for realizing a variable speed video playback with a playback speed different from a normal one is also disclosed.

Abstract: A video editing scheme for enabling a video editing operation on the coded video data efficiently. In a system in which the coded video data are decoded and displayed on a video display device, events including scene changes are detected from the coded video data, and icons are produced from the coded video data in correspondence to the detected events. On the other hand, playback possible positions from which the coded video data can be playbacked smoothly are determined, and an index information including an information on the produced icons and the determined playback possible positions is managed. Then, a plurality of icons are displayed on a single display, and a user is allowed to specify a desired icon among the displayed icons on the single display.

Abstract: A scheme for detecting shot boundaries in the compressed video data at high speed and high accuracy. In this shot boundary detection scheme, a Predictive-picture (P picture) change is calculated from a P picture sequence in the input video data which is compressed by an inter-frame/inter-field forward direction prediction coding scheme, according to coded data contained in the P picture sequence, while an Intra-picture (I picture) change is calculated from an I picture sequence in the input video data which is compressed by an intra-frame/intra-field coding scheme, according to coded data contained in the I picture sequence. Then, a shot boundary is detected by evaluating both the P picture change and the I picture change.