Enhanced watermark computing method

• US 20030007662A1
• Filed: 07/03/2001
• Published: 01/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Kaars, Peter Bernhard
• Application Number:
  US09/898,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20030007662A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0028 Adaptive watermarking, e.g. Human Visual System [HVS]-based watermarking

Abstract

A value added watermarking technology is provided to permit enhanced information services. In such a technology a characteristic pattern is derived for a piece of content and the characteristic pattern is associated with content-related information. The content-related information may be stored in a remote database and retrieved using the characteristic pattern. The characteristic pattern is translated in a watermark to be embedded in the piece of content. After embedding in the piece of content, the watermark enables a user to access the content-related information when playing out marked content with a player equipped with the appropriate software to detect and read the watermark.

Claims

1. A method for computing a watermark for a piece of content, the method comprises:

computing a characteristic pattern representative of the piece of content, the characteristic pattern being associated with content-related information; and

,

computing the watermark for the piece of content from the characteristic pattern, the watermark enabling to access the content-related information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic pattern is a fingerprint.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the watermark is further computed from the content-related information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the content-related information is stored in a remotely accessible database and referenced by the characteristic pattern.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

incorporating in the watermark information data to identify a party transmitting the watermark.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the watermark comprises the content-related information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic pattern comprises a hash derived from the piece of content.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

embedding the watermark in the piece of content resulting in a marked content.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

broadcasting the marked content.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting the marked content over a radiotelephony network from a transmitting station to a handset; and

,

enabling to access the content-related information from the handset.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

broadcasting the marked content over a television network from a broadcast station to a set-top box; and

,

enabling to access the content-related information from the set-top box.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the watermarking means is configured to embed the watermark in the piece of content resulting in a marked content.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the device is an entertainment programs broadcasting station.

12. A device for watermarking a piece of content, the device comprises:

deriving means configured to generate a characteristic pattern representative of the piece of content and configured to associate the characteristic pattern with content-related information;

watermarking means configured to compute a watermark for the piece of content on the basis of the characteristic pattern, the watermark enabling to access the content-related information

15. A device for detecting a watermark in a marked content, the device comprising:

watermarking detecting means for detecting in the marked content a watermark that was computed from a characteristic pattern representative of the marked content;

accessing means, coupled to the watermarking means, configured to retrieve, using the watermark, content-related information associated with the characteristic pattern.

16. A signal representing a marked content, the signal comprising:

a watermark enabling to access content-related information, and

wherein the watermark was derived on the basis of a characteristic pattern representative of the marked content , the characteristic pattern being associated with the content-related information.

17. A software application for carrying out a watermarking method, the method comprising:

computing a characteristic pattern representative of a piece of content, the characteristic pattern being associated with content-related information; and

,

computing a watermark for the piece of content on the basis of the characteristic pattern, the watermark enabling to access the content-related information.