Abstract: A method is provided for managing energy. The method comprises collecting information relating to amounts of energy stored by a plurality of members of a group, and relating to energy requirements of the members. The method further comprises determining a price for distributing energy to a non-member of the group, determining whether to supply energy stored by the members to the non-member at the determined price, and issuing instructions to distribute energy upon determining that energy stored by the plurality of members should be supplied to the non-member.

Abstract: An electronic device includes a tracking unit that tracks a movement of a first mobile device and a movement of a second mobile device, based on a position of the first mobile device and a position of the second mobile device received from a position estimation unit; a determination unit that determines a probability distribution of a distance between the first mobile device and the second mobile device, based on a probabilistic model, and the position of the first mobile device and the position of the second mobile device; and an action unit that performs action, based on the determined probability distribution of the distance.

Abstract: An electronic device includes a tracking unit that tracks a movement of a first mobile device and a movement of a second mobile device, based on a position of the first mobile device and a position of the second mobile device received from a position estimation unit; a determination unit that determines a probability distribution of a distance between the first mobile device and the second mobile device, based on a probabilistic model, and the position of the first mobile device and the position of the second mobile device; and an action unit that performs action, based on the determined probability distribution of the distance.

Abstract: An agent apparatus has an interface configured to obtain information data; an event analysis unit configured to analyze the information data for planning an event and to output an analysis result to the planning unit; and a planning unit configured to plan the event based on a set of predefined plan templates being representative of different types of events and based on the analysis result.

Abstract: A method comprising generating an auxiliary key based on a secret key which is stored in an electronic device, generating a representation of the auxiliary key, displaying the representation of the auxiliary key on a display of the first electronic device, capturing the representation of the auxiliary key with a camera of a second electronic device, and restoring the auxiliary key from the captured representation of the auxiliary key.

Abstract: An apparatus has circuitry, which has: a rating data circuit configured to obtain rating data from at least one application running on the apparatus or another apparatus; and a recommendation data circuit configured to obtain recommendation data, wherein the recommendation data are generated, based on a collaborative filtering of the rating data.

Abstract: It is described an apparatus for determining trends in picture taking activity. The apparatus comprises a meta information accessing unit for accessing a set of meta information, each meta information in the set of meta information being associated with a picture having been taken with a camera device at a respective geographic location and at a respective time. The apparatus further comprises a processing unit for determining trends in picture taking activity based on the set of meta information accessible by the meta information accessing unit.

Abstract: A method comprising generating an auxiliary key based on a secret key which is stored in an electronic device, generating a representation of the auxiliary key, displaying the representation of the auxiliary key on a display of the first electronic device, capturing the representation of the auxiliary key with a camera of a second electronic device, and restoring the auxiliary key from the captured representation of the auxiliary key.

Abstract: A distribution system including, for connection over a network a plurality of client upload devices, each client upload device storing one or more chunks of a content file, a client download device configured to download from the client upload devices chunks of the content file stored by the respective client upload devices and an incentive device configured to generate token data packets exchangeable for chunks of the content file. The client download device is configured to acquire a plurality of token data packets from the incentive device and to communicate with individual respective client upload devices and thereby download, in exchange for respective token data packets, stored chunks of the content file.

Abstract: A method is provided for managing energy. The method comprises collecting information relating to amounts of energy stored by a plurality of members of a group, and relating to energy requirements of the members. The method further comprises determining a price for distributing energy to a non-member of the group, determining whether to supply energy stored by the members to the non-member at the determined price, and issuing instructions to distribute energy upon determining that energy stored by the plurality of members should be supplied to the non-member.

Abstract: It is described a method determining context information of at least one media file stored in a media storage, and matching reference context information with the context information to determine at least one context-matching media file.

Abstract: It is described an apparatus for determining trends in picture taking activity. The apparatus comprises a meta information accessing unit for accessing a set of meta information, each meta information in the set of meta information being associated with a picture having been taken with a camera device at a respective geographic location and at a respective time. The apparatus further comprises a processing unit for determining trends in picture taking activity based on the set of meta information accessible by the meta information accessing unit.

Abstract: A distribution system including, for connection over a network a plurality of client upload devices, each client upload device storing one or more chunks of a content file, a client download device configured to download from the client upload devices chunks of the content file stored by the respective client upload devices and an incentive device configured to generate token data packets exchangeable for chunks of the content file. The client download device is configured to acquire a plurality of token data packets from the incentive device and to communicate with individual respective client upload devices and thereby download, in exchange for respective token data packets, stored chunks of the content file.

Abstract: A method is provided for managing energy. The method comprises collecting information relating to amounts of energy stored by a plurality of members of a group, and relating to energy requirements of the members. The method further comprises determining a price for distributing energy to a non-member of the group, determining whether to supply energy stored by the members to the non-member at the determined price, and issuing instructions to distribute energy upon determining that energy stored by the plurality of members should be supplied to the non-member.

Abstract: A distribution system including, for connection over a network a plurality of client upload devices, each client upload device storing one or more chunks of a content file, a client download device configured to download from the client upload devices chunks of the content file stored by the respective client upload devices and an incentive device configured to generate token data packets exchangeable for chunks of the content file. The client download device is configured to acquire a plurality of token data packets from the incentive device and to communicate with individual respective client upload devices and thereby download, in exchange for respective token data packets, stored chunks of the content file.

Abstract: A distribution system including, for connection over a network a plurality of client upload devices, each client upload device storing one or more chunks of a content file, a client download device configured to download from the client upload devices chunks of the content file stored by the respective client upload devices and an incentive device configured to generate token data packets exchangeable for chunks of the content file. The client download device is configured to acquire a plurality of token data packets from the incentive device and to communicate with individual respective client upload devices and thereby download, in exchange for respective token data packets, stored chunks of the content file.

Abstract: A multicast television system including a server device and a plurality of user devices wherein a stream of data including television program data and advertisement data is multicast by the server device for reproduction by a plurality of user devices wherein, in the multicast stream of data, a period of advertisement data is provided together with marker data, the marker data indicating the length of the period. At individual respective user devices receiving the multicast stream of data, advertisement data stored locally at the respective user devices is selectively reproduced in place of the period of advertisement data provided in the multicast stream of data.

Abstract: A data transmission system may have a sending apparatus that sends streaming data, and a receiving apparatus that receives the streaming data and transmits a request of switch of the streaming data to the sending apparatus, in which the sending apparatus may switch the streaming data in response to the received request. The receiving apparatus may include a receiving section, a storage section that stores the streaming data temporarily and transfers it, an operation-detecting section that detects whether a user operates the request, and a control section that controls a transfer rate of the streaming data stored in the storage section to fast-forward the streaming data when the operation-detecting section detects that the user's operation. The sending apparatus may include an information-adding section that adds to the streaming data additional information on the user's operation when receiving a notice of user's operation, and a sending section that sends the additional-information-added streaming data.

Abstract: A system and method of audio/video streaming in which a server transmits over a network an audio/video stream to a client device. The client device is able to send command data to the server causing the server to provide a change in content of the audio/video stream from a first content to a second content. Buffers in the server and client device can be flushed or skipped-over at the time of sending the command data so as to improve response time and marker data can be sent from the server to the client device to indicate the start of the second content.

Abstract: A system and method of audio/video streaming in which a server transmits over a network an audio/video stream to a client device. The client device is able to send command data to the server causing the server to provide a change in content of the audio/video stream from a first content to a second content. Buffers in the server and client device can be flushed or skipped-over at the time of sending the command data so as to improve response time and marker data can be sent from the server to the client device to indicate the start of the second content.