Author: claimsbot

1. A single microphone engaged within a housing and a supporting arm engaged within the housing to support the microphone, the supporting arm comprising a plurality of bars each having a first end, wherein each said first end is fixed within an elastic element which is fixed within said housing, and
wherein said supporting arm has two lengths of bars which are parallel to each other and joined together at said first ends within said elastic element.
2. The single microphone according to claim 1, wherein said housing has a mounting portion which projects away from a portion of the housing in which the microphone is engaged, and said elastic member is fixed within said mounting portion.
3. The single microphone according to claim 2, wherein said mounting portion is made in two parts which form a groove within which said elastic member is fixed.
4. The single microphone according to claim 1, wherein said joined together first ends are U-shaped.
5. The single microphone according to claim 4, wherein said elastic member is made as a unit which surrounds the joined together first ends.
6. The single microphone according to claim 4, wherein said elastic element is made in three separated parts which surround the joined together first ends.
7. The single microphone according to claim 1, wherein the supporting arm has a laterally elongated rectangular shape including joined together second ends which are U-shaped.
8. The single microphone according to claim 7, wherein the supporting arm is curved.
9. The single microphone according to claim 7, wherein said joined together second ends are fixed within an elastic element which is fixed within a housing of a loudspeaker.
10. The single microphone according to claim 9, wherein the loudspeaker has a mounting portion which projects away from a portion of a housing in which the loudspeaker is engaged, said elastic member being fixed within said mounting portion of the loudspeaker.
11. The single microphone according to claim 7, wherein said joined together second ends are fixed within an elastic element which is fixed within a desk stand.
12. The single microphone according to claim 1, wherein second ends of the plurality of bars are slidably engaged through at least a second elastic element to a second supporting bar of a loudspeaker.
13. The single microphone according to claim 1, wherein second ends of the plurality of bars are slidably engaged through at least a second elastic element to a supporting bar on a desk stand.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

What is claimed is:

1. A service information providing method of providing various pieces of service information stored in a host apparatus to a terminal apparatus connected to the host apparatus by a wire or wireless, comprising the steps of:
registering identification information related to the terminal apparatus for receiving the service information in the host apparatus and an electronic device freely detachable from the terminal apparatus;
confirming whether the registered electronic device is set in the terminal apparatus represented by the registered identification information; and
when it is confirmed in the confirmation step that the electronic device is set in the terminal apparatus, providing the service information stored in the host apparatus to the terminal apparatus device represented by the registered identification information.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the registration step includes the steps of:
determining whether the terminal apparatus in which the electronic device is set for registration can be online-connected to the host apparatus; and
when it is determined in the determination step that online connection is possible, storing the identification information in the host apparatus and the electronic device set in the terminal apparatus, and when it is determined in the determination step that online connection is impossible, storing the identification information and information representing offline registration in the electronic device set in the terminal apparatus.
3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the registration step includes the steps of:
when the electronic device is set in the same terminal apparatus as the terminal apparatus represented by the registered identification information or a different terminal apparatus, determining whether the information representing the offline registration is stored in the electronic device;
when it is determined in the determination step that the information representing offline input is stored, reading out the identification information stored in the electronic device; and
storing the readout identification information in the host apparatus.
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the confirming step includes the steps of:
determining whether the terminal apparatus represented in the registered identification information is set with suitable electronic device; and
when it is determined in the determination step that the electronic device is set in the terminal apparatus determining whether the set electronic device is one used in the registering step.
5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
when information related to reserve contents about specific information of the service information provided in the providing step is input, reservingregistering the reserve information in the host apparatus and the electronic device set in the terminal apparatus to which the service information is provided; and
at a time of use of the reservedregistered reserve information, confirming authenticity of the reserve information by comparing the reserve information stored in the electronic device with the reserve information stored in the host apparatus.
6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the reserveregistration step includes the steps of:
executing authentication processing for the set electronic device; and
when authentication reveals that the electronic device is an authentic device, controlling to execute registration of the reserve information.
7. A method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of executing payment processing for use in accordance with the reserve information stored in the electronic device.
8. A service information providing method in a service information providing apparatus which has storage means for storing various pieces of service information and provides the stored service information to a terminal apparatus connected by a wire or wireless, comprising the steps of:
when first identification information related to terminal apparatus for receiving the service information is input, storing, in the storage means, the first input identification information and second identification information of an electronic device freely detachable from the terminal apparatus;
confirming whether the electronic device represented by the second identification information is set in the terminal apparatus represented by the stored first identification information; and
when it is confirmed in the confirmation step that the electronic device is set in the terminal apparatus, providing the service information stored in the storage means to the terminal apparatus represented by the stored first identification information.
9. A service information providing system for providing various pieces of service information stored in a host apparatus to a terminal apparatus connected to the host apparatus by a wire or wireless, comprising:
input means for inputting identification information related to the terminal apparatus for receiving the service information;
registration means for registering the identification information input by the input means in the host apparatus and an electronic device freely detachable from the terminal apparatus;
determination means for determining whether the registered electronic device is set in the terminal apparatus represented by the identification information registered by the registration means; and
providing means for, when the determination means determines that the electronic device is set in the terminal apparatus, providing the service information stored in the host apparatus to the terminal apparatus represented by the registered identification information.
10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the registration means includes:
online determination means for determining whether the terminal apparatus in which the electronic device is set for registration can be online-connected to the host apparatus;
first control means for, when the online determination means determines that online connection is possible, storing the identification information input by the input means in the host apparatus and the electronic device set in the terminal apparatus; and
second control means for, when the online determination means determines that online connection is impossible, storing the identification information input by the input means and information representing offline registration in the electronic device set in the terminal apparatus.
11. A system according to claim 10, further comprising:
offline determination means for, when the electronic device is set in the same terminal apparatus as the terminal apparatus represented by the registered identification information or a different terminal apparatus, determining whether the information representing the offline registration is stored in the electronic device;
reading means for, when the offline determination means determines that the information representing offline input is stored, reading out the identification information stored in the electronic device; and
third control means for storing the identification information read out by the reading means in the host apparatus.
12. A system according to claim 9, wherein said registration means includes:
first determination means for determining whether an authentic electronic device is set in a terminal apparatus represented by the identification information registered by said registration means; and
second determination means for, when said first determination means determines that the authentic electronic device is set, determining whether the set electronic device is an electronic device used for registration.
13. A system according to claim 9, further comprising:
reserve information input means for inputting information related to reserve contents about specific information of the service information provided by the providing means;
reserveregistration means for reservingregistering the reserve information input by the reserve information input means in the host apparatus and the electronic device set in the terminal apparatus to which the service information is provided; and
confirmation means for, at a time of use of the reserve information reservedregistered by the reserveregistration means, confirming authenticity of the reserve information by comparing the reserve information stored in the electronic device with the reserve information stored in the host apparatus.
14. A system according to claim 13, wherein the reserveregistration means includes:
authentication means for executing authentication processing for the set electronic device at a time of reserveregistration; and
control means for, when authentication by the authentication means reveals that the electronic device is an authentic device, controlling to execute registration of the reserve information.
15. A system according to claim 13, further comprising payment means for executing payment processing for use in accordance with the reserve information stored in the electronic device.
16. A service information providing apparatus which has storage means for storing various pieces of service information and provides the stored service information to a terminal apparatus connected by a wire or wireless, comprising:
storage means for, when first identification information related to the terminal apparatus for receiving the service information is input, storing, in the storage means, the input identification information and second identification information of an electronic device freely detachable from the terminal apparatus held by a user;
determination means for determining whether the electronic device represented by the second identification information is set in the terminal apparatus represented by the first identification information stored by the storage means; and
providing means for, when the determination means determines that the electronic device is set in the terminal apparatus, providing the service information stored in the storage means to the terminal apparatus represented by the stored first identification information.

1. A method for performing identity verification of an individual, the method comprising:
receiving an identification document from the individual;
receiving an indication of an environment or setting in which the identity verification is to be performed;
reading machine readable identification features of the identification document;
accessing a plurality of different data sources based on the machine readable identification features of the identification document and based on the environment or setting in which the identity verification is to be performed;
receiving geographic data and biographic data accessed from the plurality of different data sources;
selecting an authentication methodology to perform an analysis of the identification document and the received data based on one or more inferences made based on the environment or setting in which the identity verification is to be performed;
using the selected authentication methodology to analyze the identification document and the received data to generate a result providing an overridable determination of the individual’s identity;
combining validation scores of the analysis performed by the authentication methodology based on the plurality of different data sources to improve the confidence level of the result; and
automatically representing the result of analyzing the identification document and the received data with one or more indicators.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining if the data received from one of the plurality of data sources is valid before analyzing the received data to verify the identity of the individual.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data received from the plurality of data sources includes biometric data.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the data received from the plurality of data sources include one or more of demographic data, biographic data, transaction data, itinerary data, watchlist data for identifying undesirable individuals, data from data warehouses, or data from data services.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining if the document is a genuine document, a counterfeit document, or a tampered document.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
constructing a query to extract the data from one of the plurality of data sources.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting of the authentication methodology is based on a type of the identification document.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the received data includes bad, missing, or conflicting data, and wherein the method further comprises:
automatically taking the bad, missing, or conflicting data into account during the analysis of the received data without need for user intervention.
9. A system for validating one or more objects, the system comprising:
a first computational device to receive information from the one or more objects, the information received including biometric data and non-biometric data;
a validation facility to validate the information received from the one or more objects, the validation facility configured to:
receive an indication of an environment or setting in which the validation is to be performed;
access a plurality of different data sources based on the information received and based on the environment or setting in which the validation is to be performed;
receive data accessed from the plurality of different data sources;
select a validation methodology to perform an analysis of the information received from the one or more objects, the validation methodology selected based on one or more inferences made based on the environment or setting in which the validation is to be performed;
use the selected validation methodology to analyze the information received from the one or more objects based on the data received from the plurality of different data sources;
combine validation scores of the analysis performed using the selected validation method based on the plurality of data sources to improve the confidence level of a result of the analysis; and
provide a plurality of outputs based on the analysis representing a determination on the validity of the one or more objects, each of the plurality of outputs having at least two states.
10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:
an interface configured to receive a request for data from the validation facility and forward the request in a format understandable by a data source identified in the request.
11. The system of claim 9, wherein the validation facility is extensible to add or remove components to add or remove functionality from the validation facility.
12. The system of claim 9, further comprising:
a storage device holding business rules that define what data conditions the validation facility should accept, what data conditions the validation facility should reject, and what data conditions the validation facility should take an action on to notify a party interested in validating the one or more objects.
13. The system of claim 9, further comprising:
an image acquisition apparatus.
14. The system of claim 9, further comprising:
a document reader apparatus.
15. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more objects comprise an individual.
16. The system of claim 9, further comprising:
a second computational device to receive information from the one or more Objects, the information received includes biometric and non-biometric data.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein the second computational device comprises a server and the second computational device manages operation of the validation facility.
18. The system of claim 9, further comprising:
a user interface configured to allow a user to interact with the validation facility.
19. The system of claim 18, wherein the user interface is extensible to add or remove components to add or remove features that allow the user to interact with the validation facility.
20. The system of claim 18, wherein the user interface is configurable to enable communication between the user and the validation facility.
21. The system of claim 9, wherein the validation facility is configurable for a particular user preference.
22. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium holding computer readable instructions for performing a method to verify the identity of an individual, the method comprising:
reading machine readable identification features of an identification document received from the individual;
receiving an indication of an environment or setting in which the identity verification is to be performed;
accessing a plurality of different data sources based on the machine readable identification features of the identification document and based on the environment or setting in which the identity verification is to be performed;
receiving geographic data and biographic data accessed from the plurality of different data sources;
selecting an authentication methodology to perform an analysis of the identification document and the received data based on one or more inferences made based on the environment or setting in which the identity verification is to be performed;
using the selected authentication methodology to analyze the identification document and the received data to generate a result providing an overridable determination of the individual’s identity;
combining validation scores of the analysis performed by the authentication methodology based on the plurality of different data sources to improve the confidence level of the result; and
automatically representing the result of analyzing the identification document and the received data with one or more indicators.
23. The medium of claim 22, further comprising:
determining if the data received from one of the plurality of data sources is valid before analyzing the received data to verify the identity of the individual.
24. The medium of claim 23, wherein the data received from the plurality of data sources includes biometric data.
25. The medium of claim 23, wherein the data received from the plurality of data sources include one or more of demographic data, biographic data, transaction data, itinerary data, watchlist data for identifying undesirable individuals, data from data warehouses, and data from data services.
26. The medium of claim 22, further comprising:
determining if the document is a genuine document, a counterfeit document, or a tampered document.
27. The medium of claim 22, further comprising:
constructing a query to extract the data from one of the plurality of data sources.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A recommendation apparatus, comprising:
adjustment information storage means for generating and storing adjustment information, the adjustment information mapping a value, resulting from multiplying a component similarity between a component in user preference information and a component in item preference information by a weight coefficient, to a target of an evaluation value determined in response to a type of an operation performed by a user on an item, the user preference information representing a preference of the user and constructed as a vector containing a plurality of components and the item preference information generated based on metainformation of each item serving as a target for recommendation and containing components of the same number as the number of components of the user preference information;
multiple regression analysis means for calculating each weight coefficient on a per user basis through a multiple regression analysis based on a plurality of pieces of adjustment information, each component of the user preference information being multiplied by the respective weight coefficient;
weight coefficient storage means for storing the calculated weight coefficient on a per user basis, each component of the user preference information being multiplied by the respective calculated weight coefficient in the calculation of the evaluation value; and
recommendation item identifying means for identifying the item to be recommended to the user based on each component of the user preference information and the item preference information and the evaluation value calculated based on the weight coefficient responsive to the component.
2. The recommendation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment information generated within a predetermined duration of time serves as a target of the multiple regression analysis.
3. The recommendation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the adjustment information is generated and stored at every predetermined cyclic period, wherein the weight coefficient is calculated on a per user basis, and wherein the calculated weight coefficient is stored on a per user basis, each component of the user preference information being multiplied by the respective calculated weight coefficient in the calculation of the evaluation value.
4. The recommendation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising adjustment information deleting means for deleting the adjustment information used in the multiple regression analysis.
5. The recommendation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the adjustment information deleting means deletes a predetermined percentage ratio of the adjustment information in the order of generation of from old to young age.
6. The recommendation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the adjustment information comprises the number of uses determined by the type of operation of the user, and
wherein the adjustment information deleting means deletes the adjustment information that has been used in the multiple regression analysis by the number of uses.
7. A recommendation method, comprising the steps of:
generating and storing adjustment information, the adjustment information mapping a value, resulting from multiplying a component similarity between a component in user preference information and a component in item preference information by a weight coefficient, to a target of an evaluation value determined in response to a type of an operation performed by a user on an item, the user preference information representing a preference of the user and constructed as a vector containing a plurality of components and the item preference information generated based on metainformation of each item serving as a target for recommendation and containing components of the same number as the number of components of the user preference information;
calculating each weight coefficient on a per user basis through a multiple regression analysis based on a plurality of pieces of adjustment information, each component of the user preference information being multiplied by the respective weight coefficient;
storing the calculated weight coefficient on a per user basis, each component of the user preference information being multiplied by the respective calculated weight coefficient in the calculation of the evaluation value; and
identifying the item to be recommended to the user based on each component of the user preference information and the item preference information and the evaluation value calculated based on the weight coefficient responsive to the component.
8. A computer program for causing a computer to execute the steps of:
generating and storing adjustment information, the adjustment information mapping a value, resulting from multiplying a component similarity between a component in user preference information and a component in item preference information by a weight coefficient, to a target of an evaluation value determined in response to a type of an operation performed by a user on an item, the user preference information representing a preference of the user and constructed as a vector containing a plurality of components and the item preference information generated based on metainformation of each item serving as a target for recommendation and containing components of the same number as the number of components of the user preference information;
calculating each weight coefficient on a per user basis through a multiple regression analysis based on a plurality of pieces of adjustment information, each component of the user preference information being multiplied by the respective weight coefficient;
storing the calculated weight coefficient on a per user basis, each component of the user preference information being multiplied by the respective calculated weight coefficient in the calculation of the evaluation value; and
identifying the item to be recommended to the user based on each component of the user preference information and the item preference information and the evaluation value calculated based on the weight coefficient responsive to the component.
9. A recording medium storing the computer program according to claim 8.
10. A recommendation apparatus, comprising:
an adjustment information storage unit generating and storing adjustment information, the adjustment information mapping a value, resulting from multiplying a component similarity between a component in user preference information and a component in item preference information by a weight coefficient, to a target of an evaluation value determined in response to a type of an operation performed by a user on an item, the user preference information representing a preference of the user and constructed as a vector containing a plurality of components and the item preference information generated based on metainformation of each item serving as a target for recommendation and containing components of the same number as the number of components of the user preference information;
a multiple regression analysis unit calculating each weight coefficient on a per user basis through a multiple regression analysis based on a plurality of pieces of adjustment information, each component of the user preference information being multiplied by the respective weight coefficient;
a weight coefficient storage unit storing the calculated weight coefficient on a per user basis, each component of the user preference information being multiplied by the respective calculated weight coefficient in the calculation of the evaluation value; and
a recommendation item identifying unit identifying the item to be recommended to the user based on each component of the user preference information and the item preference information and the evaluation value calculated based on the weight coefficient responsive to the component.