Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for automatically generating scenery in a computer-implemented game when played by a user. The apparatus comprises an identification module configured to identify the user, an access module configured to access a database to retrieve data characterizing the user, and a generation module configured to generate said scenery based on the data.

Abstract: A computer-controlled video entertainment system providing user-related input data to said system. The invention provides an rich input sensor device having direct access to an IP-based network, in particular to the Internet, for transmitting sensor signals or data derived thereof as user-related input data via the IP-based network to a remote computing device or server, preferably to a cloud of servers, which then process these input data for controlling the running entertainment program. The sensor device can be made simple, since it is mainly designed to detect user activities and to generate sensor signals which are directly transmitted as input data to the remote computer(s) or server(s). The sensor device can directly communicate with any IP-based computing device (gaming server or the like) being installed remotely and having powerful hardware and software to process the received input data.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for selectively displaying a content to a user of a social network, including maintaining in a computer system for each user of the social network a profile including data on individual preferences and/or interests of the user and the significance of each preference and/or interest for the user; providing input data including content; receiving a request of the user for displaying content; and selectively displaying filtered content to the user in response to the request, in which the filtered content is displayed in accordance with the profile of the user.

Abstract: This description relates to methods for initiating a server-based action using a timing mechanism. Furthermore, the description relates to the implementation of the aspects and embodiments of the method for initiating a server-based action described herein in hardware or software, or a combination thereof. The description suggests a mechanism to trigger the delayed execution of a server-based action based on hovering over interactive elements in a graphical user interface.

Abstract: Mobile input and sensor device for a computer-controlled video entertainment system, in particular a mobile input and sensor device providing user-related input data to said system. This provides an easy-to-handle mobile input and sensor device having direct access to an IP-based network, for transmitting sensor signals or data derived thereof as user-related input data via the IP-based network to a remote computing device or server, preferably to a cloud of servers, which then process these input data for controlling the running entertainment program. The mobile input and sensor device can be made simple, since it is designed to detect user activities and to generate sensor signals which are transmitted as input data to the remote computer(s) or server(s). The mobile input and sensor device directly communicates with any IP-based computing device (gaming server or the like) installed remotely and having powerful hardware and software to process the received input data.

Abstract: Sharing information in an online social network, comprising data mining by analyzing a first user profile and a plurality of other user profiles for finding shared interests among the users of said profiles; selecting from the found shared interests a set of shared interests; displaying at the graphical user interface of the first user the profile of at least one of the other users sharing said set of selected shared interests; and displaying at the graphical user interface a list of the shared interests from the selected set.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to parent-child guidance support for social networks. A method for providing controlled access to an online resource via a child account comprises (a) when said child account is registered for said online resource, providing access to said online resource via said child account, and at least one of the following steps: (b) in response to a user request via said child account, registering said child account for said online resource only when an age specification of the child account is higher than an average age specification of user accounts currently registered for said online resource, and (c) when registering said child account for access to said online resource in response to a user request via said child account, also registering at least one parent account associated with said child account for said online resource.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates in general to social networks run in a computer environment and in particular to methods and systems for posting messages about future events to users of a social network who are registered users of the social network, preferably in accordance with selectable, pre-selectable or adjustable settings for individual users. The method and system allows a user to post a message about a future plan or event that is taking place at a specified time rather than the time that the message is sent. The approach according to the present disclosure is directed to a unique way of social networking via an ordered list of events, such as a timeline or calendar, that shows when future plans will take place, and to a ‘matchmaking’ service between people organizing or taking part in such an event and other users who may also be interested in that event.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods are described that allow more comprehensive interaction between users of a telecommunication system. For example, a described method comprises: receiving, from a first communication unit, a request to establish a voice communication call between a first user of the first communication unit and a second user of a second communication unit; receiving, from said first communication unit, additional information with regard to said request; and presenting, by said second communication unit, an indication of said request to establish said voice communication call and said additional information to said second user.

Abstract: A method for providing information to a user comprises receiving, by a user device, data about a route to be taken by the user, and receiving, by the user device, a selection of a type of information from the user. The method further comprises retrieving, by the user device, information from a database based on the data about the route and the selected type of information, and presenting, by the user device, the retrieved information to the user. Moreover, machine-readable media and mobile user devices are described.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for enhancement of media experience that comprises transmitting, by a first computing device, a data stream stored in a first storage region of the first computing device to an output device connected to the first computing device, providing, by a trigger module, a trigger that is linked to the data stream, detecting, by a detection module, the trigger while the data stream is being transmitted, and providing, by a content module, additional data in response to detecting the trigger. Furthermore, a system for enhancement of media experience is described.

Abstract: A system and method for remote participation in live events are described. The system comprises one or more interactive environments, each hosting a live event and including means for continuously recording the interactive environment; a transmitter coupled to the one or more interactive environments, configured to receive from each interactive environment the respective recording and to transfer each recording to at least some of a plurality of remote viewers; a processing unit configured to receive feedback related to one of said live events from two or more of the remote viewers, wherein, based on the feedback, the processing unit is configured to determine an interactive environment hosting the related live event and to directly update the determined interactive environment based on the feedback.

Abstract: System and method for running a software application, such as a video game for many users. In one embodiment a multi-user computer-controlled video gaming system comprising: at least one display device for displaying video game motion pictures to the plurality of users; a plurality of user input devices, at least one for each user, providing user input data to the computer-controlled video gaming system; a processing unit receiving and processing the user input data from the plurality of input devices to generate control input data for a conjointly control of at least one game mechanic of the performed game; at least one computing device executing a game software application for performing said game, the at least one computing device being controlled by said control input data for providing output to the display device to display the video game motion pictures dependent on said at least one conjointly controlled game mechanic.

Abstract: A system and method for presenting advertisements to a plurality of users is described, wherein the system comprises at least one display device for displaying advertisements to an audience of at least two users; a plurality of user input devices, at least one for each user, providing user input data to the system; and at least one computing device executing a software application controlled by the user input data for providing output to the display device to display the advertisement with at least one conjointly controlled advertising object, wherein the at least one computing device provides user and advertisement related data to a central data system, which are generated from data related to the advertising object and from the input data occurring in response to the display of the advertising object.

Abstract: Method for real-time computing of indirect illumination in a computer graphics image of a scene, comprising: defining a light propagation volume as a three-dimensional grid consisting of a plurality of grid cells; allocating a plurality of secondary light sources to grid cells of said light propagation volume; accumulating directional, colored irradiance contributions of all secondary light sources in a respective grid cell and repeating this step of accumulating for all grid cells of the light propagation volume to thereby obtain an initial indirect light intensity distribution. The propagation of light in said light propagation volume is then iteratively computed starting with the initial indirect light intensity to obtain a final indirect light intensity distribution, which is used for rendering the scene illuminated by the final indirect light intensity distribution during a usual scene rendering process from a camera's point of view.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to providing composite media streams based on a live recording of a real scene and a synchronous virtual scene. A method for providing composite media streams comprises recording a real scene using a real camera; creating a three-dimensional representation of the real scene based on the recording; synchronizing a virtual camera inside a virtual scene with the real camera; generating a representation of the virtual scene using the virtual camera; compositing at least the three-dimensional representation of the real scene with the representation of the virtual scene to generate a media stream; and providing the media stream at the real camera. A camera device, a processing pipeline for compositing media streams, and a system are defined.

Abstract: A method and a processing pipeline for driving a simulated virtual environment with real data are described. The method is described with regard to visualization and interaction with real and virtual data in simulated virtual environments. The method for driving a simulated virtual environment with real data comprises providing a simulated virtual environment including a plurality of virtual objects in a virtual scene, providing captured data related to one or more real objects of a real scene to the virtual environment, assigning the captured data to corresponding virtual objects, updating the plurality of virtual objects in the virtual scene, and rendering the virtual scene of the simulated virtual environment, wherein the virtual scene is rendered in real time with regard to providing the captured data. A system for driving a simulated virtual environment with real data is also described.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method to and a computer program product for lighting a computer graphics image to be rendered. It is assumed that a plurality of light sources illuminate one or more objects of the scene to be rendered thus causing a complex lighting situation. For reducing the complexity of the lighting situation and saving computing time the lighting condition is pre-calculated by approximating at least two and preferably all light sources by a single fictitious light source in a pre-calculating step. In the step of pre-calculating, there is computed an approximated light direction for at least two selected ones of the light sources and an approximated light color for the selected light sources by weighting color contributions thereof. The step of pre-calculating is performed for selected areas of a surface of objects present in the scene and results in coefficients that are stored, for these selected areas, in a lightmap or in vertices representing the object surface.