Abstract: A method of displaying windows is disclosed. The method includes, when a first and second windows are displayed on a display screen of a display at the same time and display of the second window is changed with being interlocked with the first window by operating the first window, the steps of: forming a first data table in which input and output data forms are defined with respect to the first window; forming a second data table in which data forms transmitted from the first window to the second window are defined; receiving input to the first window from a user; performing processing of the first window according to the content of the received input; transmitting information of the processing in the first window to the second window associated in advance; and performing processing according to the transmitted information in the second window which received the transmission.

Abstract: A method for providing chronologic information that is generated by placing one or more pieces of related information according to information about elapsed time is provided. The method includes the steps of obtaining, by an obtaining unit, (i) basic information associating pieces of the related information with the information about time indicating positions on the chronologic information and (ii) information indicating a display form of the chronologic information; and providing, by a control unit, the chronologic information to a user by displaying the chronologic information in a display unit based on the information indicating a display form of the chronologic information by using the basic information.

Abstract: A content filtering method for selecting a desired piece of content from a plurality of pieces of content includes the steps of associating additional information about each piece of content and reduced image data representing the piece of content with the piece of content and registering the additional information and the reduced image data in a table; retrieving a piece of content having a highest level of coincidence with the additional information from the table by using the additional information corresponding to the reduced image data specified by a user as a search key; and presenting the reduced image data about the retrieved piece of content to the user.

Abstract: A music content playback apparatus includes: a selection section that selects a piece of music content out of a plurality of pieces of music content; a recognition section that recognizes playback elapse state about a previous piece of music content played immediately before the piece of music content is selected; and a playback section that plays back the selected piece of music content from a playback point corresponding to the playback elapse state.

Abstract: An information processing method comprises a storage step in which attribute information indicating an attribute of specific contents carried in content information is stored in correlation to the content information, a generation step in which an attribute information aggregation is generated by extracting at least part of attribute information stored through the storage step, a first decision-making step in which a decision is made as to whether or not a set of content information stored in a storage medium contains any of attribute information constituting the attribute information aggregation and a correlating step in which the set of content information and specific attribute information, judged to be contained in the set of content information among the attribute information constituting the attribute information aggregation, are set in correlation to each other.

Abstract: In a content viewing apparatus, an acquisition unit acquires a content set including one or more contents, and a conversion unit converts each content in the content set acquired by the acquisition unit into a predetermined format. An arrangement unit arranges indication information of each content subjected to the conversion performed by the conversion unit such that the indication information of each content is displayed on a display device in such a manner that indication information of each content is arranged along a time axis according to date/time information associated with each content thereby making it possible to use each content via the corresponding indication information. In accordance with an operation command input by a user, a display control unit controls displaying of the indication information of all contents as a whole, displayed on the display device by the arrangement unit, along the time axis.

Abstract: A table-display method is provided to display an item relating to each of sections positioned on an axis, as a table. The table-display method includes the steps of reproducing and outputting information, as additional information, when the part corresponding to a specific section of the table is displayed in a predetermined area of a display-screen image and the information is set for the specific section and/or an item relating to the specific section.

Abstract: An inspection apparatus performing template matching of a search image capable of outputting a correct matching position even if a pattern similar to a template exists in the search image is provided.

Abstract: A display scrolling method includes the steps of displaying first and second windows on a display screen of a display; displaying first information in a predetermined order in the first window; displaying second information in a predetermined order in the second window; and scrolling the first and second information in synchronization with each other, wherein the resolution of the scrolling of at least one of the first and second information is set at a magnitude corresponding to the unit of the classification of the information.

Abstract: A method of generating a table in which data having time or period information is laid out at corresponding positions along a chronological axis includes the steps of displaying a table generating screen including a table generating area; displaying the chronological axis in the table generating area; obtaining a plurality of pieces of the data according to a selecting instruction; and generating the table by laying out the plurality of pieces of the data in the table generating area along the chronological axis on the basis of the time or period information of the individual pieces of the data.

Abstract: A display scrolling method for scrolling content displayed on a display screen of a display device according to a user operation includes the steps of, when a pointer of a pointing device is started to be dragged, calculating an amount of scrolling of the content to be scrolled with respect to a unit amount of movement of the pointer on the basis of a distance between the position of the pointer and a predetermined reference point; and displaying the content by scrolling the content displayed on the display screen by the determined amount of scrolling in a direction associated with a moving direction of the pointer.

Abstract: The present invention provides an information presentation method for presenting specific information in a basic presentation frame image on a display, the method comprising the steps of: indicating a time axis in the basic presentation frame image in one direction of the basic presentation frame image; providing a presentation area extended along the time axis in the basic presentation frame image; and presenting the specific information in the presentation area at a location along the time axis indicated by and corresponding to chronological information pertained to the specific information.

Abstract: An information providing method includes a step of setting a relative chronological scale having a reference year set to be a calendar year designated as a birth year or a calendar year of a birth year calculated from a designated age, creating a chronology in which pieces of information related to individual eras on the relative chronological scale are indicated, and displaying the created chronology on a display, and a step of changing a range of era presented on the display of the chronology in response to a change instruction.

Abstract: An inspection apparatus and method are provided, wherein even when an image that cannot be processed by a current image processing algorithm is input to an image processing unit while a working line is in operation, the inspection can be continued by newly generating an image processing algorithm optimized in keeping with a particular image. The apparatus includes an erroneous recognition detector, a teacher data generator and a switching unit for switching the current image processing algorithm to a new image processing algorithm generated based on an updated teacher data group. As a result, the inspection can be continued without extremely decreasing the accuracy even when an unexpected image is input to the working line.

Abstract: A content-retrieval device includes first and second operation units, a display unit, storage storing contents, and a control circuit. The control circuit shows at least two thumbnails of the contents stored in the storage and an image of a mark indicating one of the thumbnails on the display unit, performs filtering, when showing the thumbnails, for the shown thumbnails under a predetermined selection condition, changes the strength of the selection condition under which the filtering is performed when the first operation unit is operated, and changes the thumbnail indicated by the mark image to another of the thumbnails when the second operation unit is operated.

Abstract: A method of using contents includes the steps of setting public time information and private time information, the public time information being associated with each content and defined universally for use by a large number of unspecified users, the private time being associated with the content and defined for use by a small number of particular persons, and searching for a content according to the public time information and/or the private time information and using the content detected in the searching.

Abstract: A video playback apparatus includes a thumbnail creating unit for creating thumbnail image data for a video file, and a user operation unit for receiving an instruction from a user. The thumbnail creating unit divides a total playback duration time T of the video file into 2ˆn intervals and creates the thumbnail image data from the first frame of each of the divided intervals. The thumbnail creating unit then supplies the created thumbnail image data to an image displaying unit to display thumbnail images. Upon the user operation unit receiving a first predetermined operation, the thumbnail creating unit increments the value n by 1 to increase the number of thumbnail images. Upon the user operation unit receiving a second predetermined operation, the thumbnail creating unit decrements the value n by 1 to decrease the number of thumbnail image.

Abstract: A content list display method includes the step of displaying a list of private content owned by a user and public content not owned by the user on a screen by using a predetermined common attribute as a search key attribute for search and display such that a difference between the private content and the public content can be visually recognized.

Abstract: A data display apparatus includes: an extraction condition setting section that sets, based on an original data row where a plurality of data are arranged in a predetermined order, an extraction condition of extraction data that is to be displayed on a predetermined display section; and an extraction data display section that displays, out of an extraction data row where the extraction data extracted from the original data row based on the extraction condition are arranged in the predetermined order, the extraction data that are within a predetermined range in a predetermined display size on the display section.

Abstract: A music content playback apparatus includes: a selection section that selects a piece of music content out of a plurality of pieces of music content; a recognition section that recognizes playback elapse state about a previous piece of music content played immediately before the piece of music content is selected; and a playback section that plays back the selected piece of music content from a playback point corresponding to the playback elapse state.