Abstract: A method and apparatus for creating recommendations for a user is described. A user input relating to an item is received (step 200). A hierarchy of categories is determined from the metadata of the item (step 204). A rating of at least one category within any one level of the hierarchy is received (step 208). Recommendations for the user are created based on at least the received rating of the at least one category (step 210).

Abstract: A method and apparatus (100) for replacing an advertisement is described. A negative input regarding a current advertisement is received (step 200). At least one feature of the current advertisement is identified which is hypothezied to have caused the received negative input (step 204). A new advertisement that differs to the current advertisement in respect of the identified at last one feature is selected )step 210). The current advertisement is replaced with the selected new advertisement (step 212).

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus, a method and a computer program product for adapting a document with actively selectable content, e.g., web-based content, for consumption in a lean-back mode. The document is rendered in a way that it can be optimally consumed in the lean-back mode. The multimedia content of the document (images, text, etc.) is transformed into a continuous information flow (e.g. video) that can be rendered as if it were a television channel, for example.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus, a method and a computer program product for controlling a recommender system, wherein a user profile normally used by a recommender to predict user ratings is employed to generate a targeted query for the remote database yielding a set of results that can be scored by the recommender and provided as suggestions to the user.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a an active pillow system and a method for manipulating a person's resting conditions, wherein the actual resting conditions of the person are determined by a sensor unit, an actigraph, a temperature sensor and/or a humidity sensor for instance, and wherein an acoustic synthetic jet cooling mechanism, is triggered by the determined actual resting conditions for manipulating the person's resting conditions.

Abstract: A method and system for transmitting channels to at least one digital video recorder is described. A server receives at least one recording schedule from a plurality of digital video recorders (step 304). A subset of channels is selected from the channels associated with the at least one program identification of the received at least one recording schedule (step 306). Information is transmitted from the server to at least one of the plurality of digital video recorders, the information indicating channels associated with the at least one program identification of the at least one recording schedule that were not selected (step 308). The selected subset of channels is also transmitted from the server to at least one of the plurality of digital video recorders (step 310).

Abstract: The present invention relates to an automatic selection or placement engine that, given an ancillary information belonging to a certain category, places it in a congruent or contrasting context depending on the degree of involvement of the user in that product category. User profiles are automatically classified as low or high user involvement in a certain category.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus, a method and a computer program product for controlling a recommender system, wherein a bias is applied to the output of a recommender in order to favour newly added services and content sources. The bias may decay in time and/or with the number of ratings given to content coming from the new service.

Abstract: A method and arrangement for modifying settings of a television program recommender displays the rating (recommended or not recommended) for a selected television program, and also displays icons for selection by the user to indicate whether the user agrees or disagrees with the recommendation. The television program recommender then updates its settings based on the user's icon selection. In addition, if the user indicates that he/she disagrees with the recommendation, the television program recommender determines and displays the number of times that the user needs to indicate his/her desires with respect to the selected television program in order for the recommendation to agree with the user's desires.

Abstract: Items are rated for use in a recommender. A record of a plurality of previously rated items and their associated ratings is maintained and upon receiving a rating for a first item (201), at least one of the rated items is retrieved (205) having a similar rating to the rating of the first item. The retrieved at least one rated items is displayed (207). The user may then change rating of the first item or the retrieved items (209) in order to apply the ratings consistently.

Abstract: A device and a method for sharing resources in a network of peers are disclosed. A user may compile a wish list (420) of programs to be recorded on a recording device (400) that is a peer in the network. A resource list (421) is compiled of resources that the device shares within the network. The wish list and resource list are communicated to a coordinator (440) comprised within the network. The coordinator makes assignments of who records what and communicates an assignment list (422) to each peer. Each peer plans (405) and executes (407) the assigned recordings, which can be retrieved from a peer (410), or sent to the user device. Deletion control is applied to prevent the loss of recordings by deletion on a local peer. The coordinator may be comprised within a peer, as a standalone service within the network or implemented as a distributed algorithm between the peers.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus, method, and computer program product for controlling a recommender system, wherein user actions on content items are associated to explicit ratings on these content items and translated into a UI features profile, which is subsequently used by a recommender. This recommender rates new items based on user actions on this item and thus creates an implicitly learned rating history. This learning makes the implicit rating or scoring personalized. It can be combined in several ways with an explicitly learned rating history to improve overall performance and/or to mitigate the burden for the user, by having him/her rate less items explicitly.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for modifying a representation based upon a user instruction and a system for producing a modified representation by said method. Conventional drawing systems, such as pen and paper and writing tablets, require a reasonable degree of drawing skill which not all users possess. Additionally, these conventional systems produce static drawings. The method of the invention comprises receiving a representation from a first user, associating the representation with an input object classification, receiving an instruction from a second user, associating the instruction with an animation classification, determining a modification of the representation using the input object classification and the animation classification, and modifying the representation using the modification. When the first user provides a representation of something, for example a character in a story, it is identified to a certain degree by associating it with an object classification.

Abstract: An audio player apparatus (1) and method (2). The audio player apparatus comprises input means (10), such as buttons (11, 12, 13, 14) or soft-buttons on a touch screen, for inputting the presence of at least one user at a location of said audio player apparatus. The player apparatus (1) further has input means (20) for preferred audio-preferences. Thus audio being reproduced by said audio player apparatus (1) is adapted to the current audio taste and/or mood of users present at the location of the audio player apparatus (1).

Abstract: A device and a method for sharing resources in a network of peers are disclosed. A user may compile a wish list (420) of programs to be recorded on a recording device (400) that is a peer in the network. A resource list (421) is compiled of resources that the device shares within the network. The wish list and resource list are communicated to a coordinator (440) comprised within the network. The coordinator makes assignments of who records what and communicates an assignment list (422) to each peer. Each peer plans (405) and executes (407) the assigned recordings, which can be retrieved from a peer (410), or sent to the user device. Deletion control is applied to prevent the loss of recordings by deletion on a local peer. The coordinator may be comprised within a peer, as a standalone service within the network or implemented as a distributed algorithm between the peers.

Abstract: In a shared medium communication system, a common measure for avoiding collisions of application data is a request grant mechanism. Secondary stations contending for upstream bandwidth send requests on a shared medium, wherein each request is answered by a grant from the primary station. The efficiency of such a system may be improved if at least two access requests are merged into a multi request.

Abstract: Method and system (100) for generating a recommendation for at least one further content item is disclosed. A personalized content channel is enabled to play out a plurality of content items (programs) complying with multiple selection criteria. At least one further content item is recommended by a recommender engine (107), the at least one further content item complying with fewer of the multiple criteria. In an embodiment, at least one of the at least one recommended further content item is selected and the multiple selection criteria are adjusted by a scheduler (109) on the basis of at least one characteristic of the selected recommended further content item.

Abstract: A recommender engine (107—1, 107—2, 107—3) recommends further content items for playout on a personalized content channel on the basis of a profile (109—1, 109—2, 109—3) associated with that personalized content channel. The profile (109—1, 109—2, 109—3) includes an indication of the user's “like” and “dislike” of content items played out on said personalized channel.

Abstract: A method and arrangement for modifying settings of a television program recommender (200) displays the rating (recommended or not recommended) for a selected television program, and also displays profile parameters of the user in a bar graph-type display in which the value of the profile parameters in each of a plurality of categories are shown as the positions of profile parameter icons (302-308), while the television program recommender further shows icons (312-318) representing threshold levels in each category above which the selected television program would be recommended. The user is enabled to change the values of the profile parameters in at least one of the categories by moving the relevant profile parameter icon (302-308) such that, for example, it reaches, or passes, the respective threshold level icon (312-318). The television program recommender (200) then recalculates the rating and the threshold levels to correspond with the desires of the user.

Abstract: A method and system of transmitting messages include requesting to submit a first request for transmitting a first message and to submit a second request for transmitting a second message until there is no first collision detected between the submitted first and second requests upon receipt of the submitted first and second requests. Before there is no first collision detected between the submitted first and second requests, it is requested to submit a third request for transmitting a third message and to submit a fourth request for transmitting a fourth message. However, requesting to re-submit the third request for transmitting the third message and to re-submit the fourth request for transmitting the fourth message if a second collision is detected between the submitted third and the second requests upon receipt thereof is delayed until there is no first collision detected between the submitted first and second requests.