Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno

Koninklijke Kpn N.v.

Victor Bastiaan Klos

Mattijs Oskar Van Deventer

Hans Maarten Stokking

Omar Aziz Niamut

John Gerard Beerends

Fabian Arthur Walraven

Jeroen Laarakkers

Martin Prins

Anton Havekes

Peter-Jan Doets

Robert-Ernst Kooij

Peter Joannes Mathias Veugen

Edsger Jan Jager

Robert-Enrst Kooij

Mark Van Staalduinen

Peter Jan Otto Doets

Ferdinand Wouter De Vries

A content distribution system is provided comprising a content client and a content server connected through a network. The content server is configured to send the content client a session description comprising at least one media description to enable it to receive over the network a content item. The system comprises a network monitor for monitoring network traffic going through the network, and a recommender for marking in dependency upon the network monitor, one or more of the media descriptions in the session description to obtain a marked session description. The marked media description recommends the content client to prefer certain content above others in view of the current network condition. For example, if available bandwidth is low, content is recommended which requires low bandwidth. Network congestion is thereby avoided for all users of the system.

Content distribution system

A method of identifying proximate client devices () comprises the steps of:

Identification of proximate devices

A method of identifying at least two proximate devices () comprises the steps of:&#x2014;recording, in each device, an audio signal (AS) so as to produce respective audio samples, &#x2014;detecting, in each device, a sensory identifier serving as a trigger (TR), &#x2014;comparing the audio samples during a common interval (I) defined relative to the trigger (TR), and &#x2014;deciding that the event is common to the devices only if the respective audio samples are sufficiently similar. The common interval (I) starts prior to the trigger (TR) and preferably also ends prior to the trigger.

Event disambiguation

A method of generating a stream comprising synchronized interactive content is described. The method comprises the steps of: transmitting a first stream from a studio to a terminal or a terminal system of a first user and to a buffer; transmitting in response to the first stream a second stream to a mixer connected to the buffer, the second stream comprising content generated in reaction to the content of the first stream; providing the mixer with a temporal relation between the packets in the first and second stream; generating a first output stream comprising a substantially synchronized content by mixing packets in second stream with packets of the buffered first stream on the basis of the temporal relation.

Generating a stream comprising synchronized content

Follow-up content items are determined for being played out when the current play-out of a content item has ended or is scheduled to end. The follow-up content items are determined, based on one or more bibliographic or semantic attributes of the item being played out and, on additional parameters such as the available bandwidth and the required data transfer rate. During the playing out of the content item, at least the first portions of the follow-up content items are retrieved and buffered in a buffer local to the equipment. Upon the playing-out of the content item being halted, the playing-out of the follow-up content items can be started right away from the buffer.

Pre-loading follow-up content

A method for detecting, in an audio signal including a stream of audio samples (y(n), (y'(n)), ticks in a noisy environment, comprises the steps of applying the signal to a coarse tick detection processor arranged to decide whether it is likely that the signal includes a tick and, only then, enabling a fine tick detection processor to decide, by more thorough processing the audio signal, whether the audio signal represents an audio tick. The coarse processing step preferably includes buffering audio samples (y(n), (y&#x2032;(n)), determining the maximum and minimum values of each sample, forming their local range, delaying the local range with one or more samples and comparing the difference between the actual local range and the delayed local range with a threshold value (T), and, if the difference exceeds the threshold value, outputting a trigger (n) for enabling the fine detection processor The fine processing step preferably includes buffering audio samples (y(n), (y&#x2032;(n)), computing, for each buffer content (B(n,m)), a Fast Fourier Transformed buffer content (E(&#x3c9;,m)), determining the difference (F(&#x3c9;,m)) between the resulting frequency components, comparing the difference (F(&#x3c9;,m)) to the content of a previously trained fingerprint set (F*(&#x3c9;,m)) and calculating a correlation coefficient (p(F,F*)) between them, comparing the correlation coefficient to a threshold value (T) and, if the correlation coefficient exceeds the threshold value, outputting a signal indication the presence of a tick in the audio signal.

Method for detecting audio ticks in a noisy environment

A system () for identifying proximate devices () comprises at least one correlation server () for correlating data received from the devices so as to match two or more of the devices and at least one application server () for carrying out an application involving matched devices. The at least one correlation server () and the at least one application server () are distinct servers so as to provide a greater flexibility and scalability. The devices () may be mobile consumer devices.

Servers for device identification services

A system () is designed for identifying devices (, . . . ) which are arranged for detecting a sensory identifier and transmitting request messages comprising representations of the detected sensory identifier. The system comprises at least one correlation relation server (e.g.C) for correlating representations received from the devices () so as to match two or more of those devices, preferably when the devices () are in each other's proximity. The system further comprises at least one proxy server (e.g.X) for routing a request message from a device () to at least one correlation server (e.g.C), the routing being dependent on said representations or other information contained in the request messages.

Proxy servers in device identification systems

When the user initiates the retrieval of the primary content information item by means of entering a user input into the data processing system, e.g. zapping a digital TV that switches channels upon receipt of the user input, he/she has to wait a noticeable time before the rendering and play-out of the primary content information item actually starts. The length of the delay is predicted, on the basis of which one or more secondary content items are rendered and played out to the user during this delay. The invention can also be used for bridging the waiting time in an online ordering system, when loading a program on a personal computer, and in an IMS-based IPTV network.

Playing out interludes based on predicted duration of channel-switching delay or of invoked pause

Method for shared secret verification in secure data exchange, in which at least two parties, indicated as Alice and Bob, each have a secret and seek to determine whether they share the same secret or not without disclosing the secret itself to each other or any third party. Alice picks a random number RA, encrypts it using Bob's public key, adds the value of her secret, and sends the result K to Bob. Bob receives K, subtracts his secret, and decrypts that using his private key, generating L. Bob performs a one-way function on L and sends the result M to Alice. Alice takes her original RA, performs the same function and verifies whether the result equals the received M. Alice sends her original RA to Bob. Bob receives the RA and verifies whether it equals L, allowing Bob to determine if Alice shares the same secret.

Shared secret verification method and system

A method of identifying proximate mobile devices, the method comprising the steps of: providing a sensory identifier (ID), a first mobile device () detecting the sensory identifier (ID), a second mobile device () detecting the sensory identifier (ID), the first mobile device () sending a request message associated with the sensory identifier (ID) to the second mobile device (), and the second mobile device () sending an acknowledgement message to the first mobile device () so as to establish mutual identification. The sensory identifier (ID) may comprise a visual identifier, such as a bar code, and/or an audio identifier, such as a sound signal. An audio identifier may be produced by tapping the mobile devices together.

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Den Haag, Netherlands

Victor Bastiaan Klos