Abstract: The present invention relates to a beverage preparation device (100) including a plurality of storage chambers for storing several ingredients having each a different taste property, a user interface (14) for receiving data representing a user's preferred taste, a taste management unit (10) and a generator (15). The taste management unit (10) includes a memory (11) for storing a reference table which describes the taste property of each ingredient and a processor (12) for determining the dosage of each ingredient to be used according to the reference table and the user's preferred taste. The generator (15) generates beverages from the several ingredients according to the determined dosage. The main advantage of this invention is that the beverage preparation device (100) can provide beverages according to the user's desired taste.

Abstract: The invention proposes a method and a device for cooking rice. The device comprises a first container (110) for containing the rice together with water; a first heater (120, 121 and 122) for heating the rice and the water in the container (110); and a regulator (130, 31, 132, 133 and 134) for, during the heating, regulating the amount of water.

Abstract: The invention proposes a method and a device for washing rice according to the target taste of rice after the rice has been cooked. The device (1) comprises a first unit (11) for obtaining first data related to features of the rice, a second unit (12) for obtaining second data related to the target taste of cooked rice, a third unit (13) for determining a washing scheme according to the features of the rice and the target taste, and a fourth unit (14) for washing the rice according to the determined washing scheme. In embodiments of the invention, the washing of rice is dependent on the target taste of the cooked rice, thus flexibility is enabled. The user just selects his target taste and the rice will be washed accordingly so as to help achieve this target taste after the rice has been cooked.

Abstract: A method and device for storing an interactive television program for playback at a later point in time, wherein said interactive television program comprises at least one interactive television application. The applications are transmitted inside modules (11, 12) through a data carousel (2) within a transport stream (20). The method comprises receiving the transport stream, parsing the stream for application modules and storing them as a storage stream on a storage medium (31). The storage stream is stored separate from said transport stream (20). The data or object carousel is recorded outside the Transport Stream and recorded like a stream, preferably as a single file. This file is a sequence of modules with some header information preceding the modules making playback faster as the information needed to obtain the objects from a module is located directly in the header of that module. Furthermore, the solution according to the invention solution is platform independent.

Abstract: A method (1) of transmitting interactive television, whereby interactive television applications are transmitted inside application-modules. These modules are transmitted in a broadcast stream. Recording systems cannot decide which modules are to be recorded. Therefore storage related information of said modules is signalled in the broadcast stream. Module identification information related is implemented in the Application Information Table (AIT) and/or in the Download Information Indication (DII) message. Thus information is included in the broadcast stream concerning categories stating whether application modules are mandatory, optional or forbidden to record. Alternatively properties of a module are chosen from Code/Data/Both and/or Fixed/Variable. Recording systems use this information do decide if application modules are to be recorded or disregarded. Alternatively, application module identification information is transmitted in said broadcast stream.

Abstract: This invention provides a method and apparatus for playing back a program, and the program is being broadcast. Firstly, receiving a request on the program being broadcast for playing back a section of the program in non-real-time mode from a subscriber; acquiring a corresponding internet address according to information in the broadcast signal of the program; and obtaining the section according to the internet address for playing back; and finally, playing back the section. The request includes one of the following commands: pause, fast winding, fast rewinding, rewinding, and playing back at designated non-real time point. During the broadcast of a program, the present invention obtaining a section of the program in a non-real time mode by acquiring an internet address corresponding to the program and in the stream media form.

Abstract: An extracting apparatus (200) is arranged to extract a certain version of an object from an interactive application associated with a digital program, the extracting apparatus (200) comprises a receiving means (210) for receiving information regarding the version of the objet, an obtaining means (220) for obtaining a version type from the information, the version type indicating the certain version of the object is a replacement version, the replacement version is to replace a preceding version of the object stored on a storage medium, and a processing means (230) for processing the certain version of the object independency on the version type.

Abstract: An activating apparatus (300) is arranged to conditionally activate an interactive application associated with a digital program. The activating apparatus (300) has a receiving means (310) for receiving program information of the digital program and application information regarding the interactive application, a detecting means (320) for detecting a program mode of the digital program, the program mode indicating how the digital program is being run, and an obtaining means (330) for obtaining an activating parameter from the application information, the activating parameter indicating the interactive application has at least two mutually different portions, at least one of the at least two portions is conditionally be executed in dependency on the application including an the program mode. with the program mode.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for generating a digital program having at least one interactive application, said interactive application is based of at least one data object, said method comprises: first, receiving setting on the sharing characteristic of said data object, then generating a corresponding interactive application according to said setting, finally, associating the generated interactive application with said digital program. The setting of said sharing characteristic includes “sharable” and “non-sharable”. The present invention adds a sharing characteristic parameter to each data object in an interactive application at the transmitting end, so that corresponding processing could be easily performed at the receiving end according to the sharing characteristic of each data object.

Abstract: A method of recording an MPEG compliant transport stream selected by a user on a storage media. The method comprising: receiving the transport stream, the transport stream comprising transport stream packets; removing stuffing bytes from each transport stream packet in the transport stream containing stuffing bytes; recording all transport stream packets on the storage media; and recording an entry in a program information file on the storage media indicating that stuffing bytes were removed from the transport stream.

Abstract: This invention provides an improved method for storing/replaying a specific program from a MPEG-2 multiple program transport stream. When storing, the method discards a related transport packet of the non-user-selected program and inserts a null packet at the corresponding discarding position, and the effective load of this null packet contains a number which indicates the number of continuously discarded packets at this position; when replaying, if the effective load of a null packet contains a specific numerical value, the method adds some null packets beside this null packet, the number of the added null packets being equal to that the specific numerical value minus one.

Abstract: A method (49, 55) of handling fonts in a recorder or a playback-recorder for interactive television. Fonts are stored on a recordable storage medium (220), wherein the fonts are part of a downloaded interactive television application. When recording, the downloaded fonts are stored separate from the application, preferably in a font library on the recordable storage medium, which preferably is a removable medium, preferably an optical storage medium. Each font is only stored in one copy, even when a plurality of applications on the storage medium need that font for running. When playing back the application from the storage medium, indicating information is provided on which fonts form the storage medium in the font library are required for playback of said application from said storage medium. Thus multiple storage of fonts is prevented, minimising needed storage space on the storage medium.

Abstract: The invention relates to a system for recording a signal. A recorder (200) comprises a receiver (201) for receiving a source signal (101) having associated first play time information such as a Normal Play Time timeline. The receiver (200) is coupled to a recording controller (203) which generates a recorded signal (301) from the source signal (101). The recorded signal (301) comprises a recording discontinuity with respect to the source signal (101) caused by for example the recording being paused in a time interval. The recording controller (203) is coupled to a storage medium (205). The recorder (200) further comprises a time processor (209) for generating second time information for the recorded signal (301) in response to the first play time information and the recording discontinuity. The second time information may for example be a compensated NPT timeline or event descriptors or stream events having time indications modified to correspond to the recorded signal (301).

Abstract: An interactive television system includes a partial font generator (38) which generates a character font file of only those fonts used by a given application program for text display. The partial font file contains the language character fonts utilized by the application program, but less than the complete character set of the language. The partial font file thus requires less time or bandwidth to transmit in the allotted transmit intervals. The partial font file may be generated by a manual process, or by an automated analysis of the fonts used by application program.

Abstract: The invention takes the advantage of features such as TiVo Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) or ReplayTV DVRs, which provide continuous recording of broadcasting programs and allow users to replay any missed portions of the program. The invention records the date and time of incoming/outgoing communication events, such as phone calls, as well as the current channel number being viewed. With reference to the recorded date, time and channel number, it allows users to choose between continuing viewing the current program or going back to view the entire program starting from the missed portions due to one or more incoming/outgoing calls.

Abstract: State-of-the art video recorders are equipped with a pause function. This function may be used in the play and record mode. When used in the record mode, no data is recorded. This is all right when only audio and/or video are recorded. However, when other data like interactive applications are recorded as well, this may lead to problems when the recording of an application is interrupted and this application is called upon in a video fragment that is recorded after resuming recording of audio and/or video. The invention has the following object. When the record function is suspended, using a pause function, only recording of audio and/or video is suspended and recording of other data is continued.

Abstract: A method (1) of transmitting interactive television, whereby interactive television applications are transmitted inside application-modules. These modules are transmitted in a broadcast stream. Recording systems cannot decide which modules are to be recorded. Therefore storage related information of said modules is signalled in the broadcast stream. Module identification information related is implemented in the Application Information Table (AIT) and/or in the Download Information Indication (DII) message. Thus information is included in the broadcast stream concerning categories stating whether application modules are mandatory, optional or forbidden to record. Alternatively properties of a module are chosen from Code/Data/Both and/or Fixed/Variable. Recording systems use this information do decide if application modules are to be recorded or disregarded. Alternatively, application module identification information is transmitted in said broadcast stream.

Abstract: A user commands a recording device (10) to store a recording (71) on a removable recording medium (70). The user selectively adds interactivity to the recording (70). In response to any added interactivity, the recording device (10) links the recording (71) and an interactive module (72) that is based on the added interactivity. The interactive module and an interactive link (73) representative of the link between the recording (71) are both stored on the removable recording medium (70).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of recovering blocks of data recorded on an optical record carrier in case of a power failure affecting a recording and reproducing device. Said device comprises means for writing a recording indication information on the optical record carrier to indicate that a recording has started, said recording indication information including a recording start address, and means for overwriting the recording indication information at a recording end. After a power failure, if a recording indication information is written on the optical record carrier, then the recording and reproducing device is able to determine that a recording has not ended properly. In these conditions, said device is able to parse the recorded data, starting from the recording start address, in order to find the end of the improperly ended recording.

Abstract: In a processing method performed by a digital television receiver (18), a transport stream (84) is received. Data packets of the transport stream (84) associated with a selected audio/video offering are selected and sorted (90) into an audio/video component (92) and at least one supplemental component (94, 96, 98). Component identifiers (102, 104, 106, 108) are assigned (100) to the audio/video component (92) and the at least one supplemental component (94, 96, 98). The component identifiers (102, 104, 106, 108) are displayed (124) to an associated user. One or more selections of components are received (126) to include in a performance of the offering. The selected components are performed (154, 156, 158).