Sony Corporation

Sony Mobile Communications Inc.

Hitoshi Rikukawa

Tetsuya Naruse

Junichi Kosaka

Yoshitsugu Taki

Yasumasa Suzuki

Kohei Takada

Masahiro Kodama

Kumi Yashiro

Masahiko Suzuki

Hiroko Nishioka

Yoshihisa Takayama

Akira Saito

Takeshi Funahashi

Toshiya Kurokawa

Takao Hiramoto

Tomoko Shimoyama

Kyouichi Isomura

A processing unit includes a direction decision unit and a guide information generation unit. The direction decision unit decides a direction in which a person who behaves without a sense of sight walks. The guide information generation unit generates guide information for the person who behaves without the sense of sight to walk in the decided direction. The present technology is applicable, for example, to a smartphone or the like used by the person who behaves without the sense of sight.

Information processing apparatus and information processing method

There is provided a processing unit that includes a direction decision unit and a guide information generation unit. The direction decision unit determines a direction in which a person who behaves without a sense of sight walks. The guide information generation unit generates guide information for the person who behaves without the sense of sight to walk in the determined direction. The present technology is applicable, for example, to a smartphone or the like used by the person who behaves without the sense of sight.

A recording medium cartridge has a bar code label provided on the outer surface of its case so that the bar code of the bar code label indicates identification information associated the with recording medium disposed in the case. A memory circuit is provided inside the case so that identification information identical to the information indicated by the bar code label may be stored in the memory circuit. A recording/reproducing apparatus includes a bar code reader for reading the bar code of the bar code label, and a memory reader for reading the identification information stored in the memory circuit. Either the identification information read by the bar code reader or the identification information read by the memory reader is employed as the identification information associated with the recording medium cartridge. If the bar code cannot be read for some reason such as degradation of the bar code label, the identification information read from the memory circuit is employed as the identification information associated with the recording medium cartridge. This ensures that the identification information can be managed in a highly reliable fashion.

Recording medium cartridge recording/reproducing apparatus using a

An information managing apparatus for providing an external apparatus with requested information in response to an instruction from the external apparatus and/or recording information has an accommodation unit for accommodating recording media, a plurality of replaceable drives for recording and/or reproducing information onto and/or from the recording media, and a transfer means for taking out a desired recording medium from the accommodation unit and transferring it to a selected one of the drives. One of manipulation means is manipulated to select a drive as a subject of replacement. A control means opens an information transmission path between the selected drive and the external apparatus. After confirming the opening of the information transmission path, the control means causes a display means to display a message to the effect that the replacement of the drive concerned has been permitted.

System for selecting drive replacement and opening information

A recording/reproducing apparatus, such as an automatic changer for optical discs for recording/reproducing signals on or from the optical discs. The apparatus includes a unit for recording/reproducing signals on or from a recording medium, a recognition unit for recognizing the state of the recording/reproducing unit, a first interfacing unit for exchanging the information between the recording/reproducing unit and the recognition unit, a second interfacing unit for exchanging the information between the recognition unit and a first external equipment, and a third interfacing unit, separate from the second interfacing unit, for exchanging the information between the recognition unit and the second external equipment. The information is exchanged between the recognition unit and the second external equipment by the third interfacing unit as the connection between the recognition unit and the first external equipment by the second interfacing unit is maintained. Accordingly, software upgrading is facilitated, problems with the recording/reproducing apparatus can be dealt with quickly and maintenance operations can be performed on opportune moments.

Apparatus for recording/reproducing and method for transmitting the

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Kanagawa, Japan

Hitoshi Rikukawa