Method and device communicating a command

• US 20020080271A1
• Filed: 11/05/2001
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kantar SAS
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Eveleens, Jan, Maandonks, Arnoldus Johannes Lucas Maria, Lokhoff, Gerardus Cornelis Petrus
• Granted Patent: US 7,324,159 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/473
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/005 Robust watermarking, e.g. average attack or collusion attack resistant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0051 Embedding of the watermark in the spatial domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0065 Extraction of an embedded watermark; Reliable detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/08 Systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal, e.g. additional information signals, the signals occupying wholly or partially the same frequency band , e.g. by time division H04N7/007 takes precedence

Abstract

Disclosed are a method, a controlling device (110), a controllable device (130) and an arrangement (100) for communicating a command from the controlling device (110) to the controllable device (130). A watermark is generated comprising the command, and embedded in a signal (120) representing an audio or video fragment. The controllable device (130) receives the signal (120) comprising the command, and decodes and executes the command therefrom. Also disclosed is a method of presenting an advertisement which involves sending a command related to presenting the advertisement using the above-mentioned method.

Claims

1. A method of communicating a command to a controllable device (130), comprising the steps of

generating a watermark comprising the command, which is to be executed by the controllable device (130),

generating a watermarked signal (120) comprising the watermark and an information unit (116) to be transmitted to the controllable device (130), and

transmitting the watermarked signal (120) to the controllable device (130) for causing the controllable device (130) to execute the command.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, where the watermarked signal (120) is generated in a first domain by outputting a watermark signal representing the watermark to the first domain for merging the watermark signal with an information signal representing the information unit (116) in the first domain.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, where the first domain is one of the acoustic domain and the visual domain.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2 or 3, where the second domain is the electrical domain.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, where the command relates to at least one of:

control of a physical movement of a part of the controllable device (130),

rendering of an audio output by the controllable device (130),

rendering of a visual output by the controllable device (130), and

adjusting a value for at least one parameter associated with the command.

9. A computer program product being arranged for causing a processor to execute the method of claim 1.

6. An arrangement for remotely controlling a controllable device (130), comprising

embedding means (113) for generating a watermark comprising the command, which is to be executed by the controllable device (130),

watermarking means (114) generating a watermarked signal (120) comprising the watermark and an information unit (116) to be transmitted to the controllable device (130),

output means (115) for transmitting the watermarked signal (120) to the controllable device (130) for causing the controllable device (130) to execute the command,

receiving means (131) for receiving the signal in the controllable device (130),

decoding means (132) for obtaining the information unit from the signal and obtaining the command from the information unit, and

executing means (133) for executing the command.

7. A controlling device arranged for communicating a command in a first domain to a controllable device, comprising

embedding means (113) for generating a watermark comprising the command, which is to be executed by the controllable device (130),

watermarking means (114) generating a watermarked signal (120) comprising the watermark and an information unit (1 16) to be transmitted to the controllable device (130), and

output means (115) for transmitting the watermarked signal (120) to the controllable device (130) for causing the controllable device (130) to execute the command.

8. A controllable device arranged for receiving a command in a first domain from a controlling device, comprising

receiving means (131) for receiving the signal in the controllable device (130),

decoding means (132) for obtaining the information unit from the signal and obtaining the command from the information unit, and

executing means (133) for executing the command.

10. A method of presenting an advertisement (430) to a user (420), comprising the steps of

generating a watermark comprising the command, which is to be executed by the controllable device (232), the command being related to presenting an advertisement (430),

generating a watermarked signal (120) comprising the watermark and an information unit (116) to be transmitted to the controllable device (232), and

transmitting the watermarked signal (120) to the controllable device (130) for causing the controllable device (130) to execute the command by generating the advertisement (430) and presenting the advertisement (430) to the user (420).

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising the steps of

maintaining a user profile (411) for the user (420) based on a sale of a controllable device (130) to the user (420),

determining using the user profile (411) a product that the user is likely to want to buy, and

adding an identifier for the product to the command.

12. A signal (120) comprising an information unit (116) in which a watermark is embedded, the watermark comprising a command to be executed by a controllable device (130).