Abstract: A disclosed heating apparatus for heating a substrate on which a film is coated includes a process chamber having a gas supply opening for supplying a first gas to the process chamber and a gas evacuation opening for evacuating the first gas from the process chamber; a heating plate that is arranged in the process chamber and includes a heating element for heating the substrate; plural protrusions arranged on the heating plate so as to support the substrate; plural suction holes formed in the heating plate so as to attract by suction the substrate toward the heating plate; and a gas inlet adapted to supply a second gas to a gap between the heating plate and the substrate supported by the plural protrusions.

Abstract: A sensor chip breaking strength inspection apparatus that performs sensor chip breaking strength inspection on a semiconductor wafer on which a plurality of sensor chips having a diaphragm portion are disposed includes: a stage on which the semiconductor wafer is mounted; and a nozzle that emits a medium onto the sensor chips at a pressure equivalent to a standard breaking strength of the sensor chips.

Abstract: A plasma display apparatus in which in an address period, address discharge is generated in each display cell of a display panel selectively in accordance with pixel data based on a video signal, and in a sustain period, a sustain pulse for sustain discharge is applied between row electrodes constituting the row electrode pairs by a predetermined number of times which is preset for each of the subfields, and a length of a front-edge period of the sustain pulse to be applied is adjusted subfield by subfield in accordance with a load level in each subfield.

Abstract: In a health exercise assist system, a portable music playback apparatus acquires a preset exercise plan, a history of exercise information, and a music playback history and stores them. An information processing apparatus produces a service request including at least one of the preset exercise plan, the history of exercise information, and the music playback history acquired from the portable music playback apparatus, and transmits it to a service information providing apparatus. In accordance with the service request received from the information processing apparatus, the service information providing apparatus produces service information and returns the produced service information to the information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus provides the received service information to a user of the audio playback apparatus.

Abstract: A method of retrieving and selecting content includes the steps of detecting a motion tempo of a user; determining whether a time during which the detected motion tempo is continuously outside a threshold range of the motion tempo corresponding to content being played back exceeds a waiting time that is set or calculated; and retrieving and selecting content suitable for the motion tempo of the user if the motion tempo of the user is outside the threshold range for a time period longer than the waiting time.

Abstract: A playback device includes a storing unit storing a contents database in which contents including at least music and tempo information indicating the tempo of the music are correlated with each other; a playback unit for performing playback of the contents; a tempo measuring unit for measuring an exercise tempo obtained along with the body movements of a user; a searching unit for searching contents from the contents database based on the information of the measured exercise tempo by the tempo measuring unit; and a contents selecting unit for selecting the contents searched by the searching unit as contents to be played by the playback unit.

Abstract: A method of transmitting, receiving and reproducing a content, includes steps of transmitting content data of the content from a transmitting terminal to a receiving and reproducing terminal constructing a network together with the transmitting terminal, determining whether a predetermined reproducing permission condition is satisfied, and controlling reproduction to limit or inhibit the reproduction of the content data on the receiving and reproducing terminal if the determination result in the determining step shows that the predetermined reproducing permission condition is not satisfied.

Abstract: An apparatus of playing back an audio signal includes storage means for dividing exercise tempos of a user into a plurality of groups and storing digital audio data concerning music pieces, the digital audio data being associated with the plurality of groups; a playback circuit that plays back the digital audio data; detecting means for detecting an exercise tempo of the user; and a control circuit that reads out the digital audio data from the storage means to supply the readout digital audio data to the playback circuit. The control circuit determines which group, among the plurality of groups, the exercise tempo detected by the detecting means belongs to, and reads out the digital audio data concerning a music piece associated with the determined group from the storage means to supply the readout digital audio data to the playback circuit.

Abstract: A heat processing apparatus includes a heating plate configured to heat the substrate; a cover configured to surround a space above the heating plate; an exhaust gas flow forming mechanism configured to exhaust gas inside the cover to form exhaust gas flows within the space above the heating plate; a downflow forming mechanism configured to form downflows uniformly supplied onto an upper surface of the substrate placed on the heating plate; and a control mechanism configured to execute mode switching control between a mode arranged to heat the substrate while forming the downflows by the downflow forming mechanism and a mode arranged to heat the substrate while forming the exhaust gas flows by the exhaust gas flow forming mechanism.

Abstract: An audio signal reproducing apparatus includes a storage unit for storing digital audio data of music pieces each having a tempo corresponding to either a first tempo or a second tempo, the second tempo being different from the first tempo, if a walking tempo of a user is either the first tempo or the second tempo, a reproducing circuit for reproducing the digital audio data, a detecting unit for detecting the walking tempos of the user, a calculating circuit for calculating a change in the walking tempo detected by the detecting unit, and a control circuit for retrieving the digital audio data from the storage unit in accordance with the walking tempo detected by the detecting unit and sending the retrieved digital audio data to the reproducing circuit.

Abstract: A movement supporting method includes the following steps: detecting a movement tempo of a user; determining whether a movement tempo detection value is within a target range; and outputting a warning when the movement tempo detection value is out of the target range.

Abstract: A sensor chip breaking strength inspection apparatus that performs sensor chip breaking strength inspection on a semiconductor wafer on which a plurality of sensor chips having a diaphragm portion are disposed includes: a stage on which the semiconductor wafer is mounted; and a nozzle that emits a medium onto the sensor chips at a pressure equivalent to a standard breaking strength of the sensor chips.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an information processing apparatus including, a wireless communication block configured to execute wireless communication with a mate terminal device, an information exchange generation condition storage block configured to record a condition of information exchange with the mate terminal device, an information exchange log storage block configured to record a log of information exchange with the mate terminal device, and an information exchange generation determination block configured to determine whether to execute information exchange with the mate terminal device by referencing the information exchange condition recorded in the information exchange generation condition storage block and the log of information exchange recorded in the information exchange log storage block.

Abstract: A communication method includes the steps of transmitting, by means of a first communication apparatus, personal information to a second communication apparatus; receiving, by means of the second communication apparatus, the personal information and searching, by means of the second communication apparatus, whether or not personal information having the same content as the received personal information exists in the second communication apparatus; and notifying, by means of the second communication apparatus, the first communication apparatus of a search result.

Abstract: A control apparatus for controlling an event in accordance with the playback of playback data includes a playback processor performing playback processing on the playback data, an acquisition unit acquiring playback section information associated with the playback data to specify a target playback section of the playback data, an end time point specifying unit specifying an end time point of the event in relation to the playback data on the basis of the playback section information, a time period specifying unit specifying a time period from the start to the end of the event, a start time point specifying unit specifying a start time point of the event on the basis of the end time point and the time period, and a controller controlling the event to be started at the start time point of the event by monitoring a playback status of the playback data.

Abstract: An apparatus for reproducing a content, includes a reproduction processing unit for reproducing the content, a detecting unit for detecting a motion of a person, a predicting unit for predicting a timing of the motion of the person, based on an output from the detecting unit, and a control unit for controlling the reproduction processing unit in the reproduction of the content by synthesizing a timing indicated by timing information corresponding to the content to be reproduced with the timing of the motion of the person, predicted by the predicting unit.

Abstract: A signal processing apparatus includes the following elements. A plurality of signal processing software modules perform unit signal-processing steps of signal processing by means of software processing. An instruction input receiving unit receives an instruction. A virtual connecting unit sets up a virtual connection between inputs and outputs of the signal processing software modules in response to the received instruction. A circuit structure information storing and managing unit stores and manages the virtually connected signal processing software modules. A path routing unit routes a signal processing path to determine the order in which the stored signal processing software modules perform the signal processing. A signal processing executing unit performs the signal processing by sequentially executing the signal processing software modules in the determined order.

Abstract: The present invention provides a playback apparatus including a receiving unit for receiving entered instruction information for content to be played back; a storage unit for storing the instruction information received through the receiving unit; and a processing unit for reflecting a process corresponding to the instruction information stored in the storage unit on the content at predetermined timing depending on the playback state of the content.

Abstract: An apparatus for reproducing a music content includes a first acquisition unit for acquiring data of a music content, a second acquisition unit for acquiring attribute information, a reproducing unit for reproducing, into an audio reproduction output, the music content data acquired by the first acquisition unit, a detecting unit for detecting bio-information of a listener listening to the audio reproduction output, and a setting unit for setting a next reproduction music content candidate based on the acquired bio-information of the listener and the attribute information acquired by the second acquisition unit.

Abstract: A content using apparatus includes an obtaining unit configured to obtain delimiter information for content data recorded on a recording medium; an accepting unit configured to accept input of an instruction by a user; and a generating unit configured to generate content data from content data subject to processing to allow playback of content in a new manner, on the basis of the delimiter information obtained by the obtaining unit and the instruction accepted by the accepting unit.