System, method and medium for utilizing digital watermarks in instructional material

• US 20040220935A1
• Filed: 04/29/2003
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Appalachia Educational Laboratory, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Appalachia Educational Laboratory, Inc.
• Inventors: Caldwell, Jonathan Alan, Copley, E. Jane, McGraw, Tammy Marie
• Application Number:
  US10/424,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20040220935A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/10
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26

Abstract

A system, method and medium that embeds an imperceptible or substantially imperceptible watermark in an image on a page of instructional material. Upon using an optical reading device to read the watermark, a computer can launch, for example, an application program used to provide, for example, context sensitive information, one or more learning assessment activities, and/or information for the physically impaired, and/or redirect a user to an educationally relevant web page as directed by the watermark.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented and user assisted method for accessing data stored on a storage medium, comprising the steps of:

creating an object on a physical page of instructional material used in and/or in connection with an academic and/or educational context, the object having steganographically embedded indicia for accessing at least a portion of the data;

electronically reading the indicia from the physical page;

transmitting the electronically read indicia to the computer; and

transmitting the data that is associated with the indicia from the storage medium to an output device in communication with the computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the output device is a display monitor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the output device is a speaker.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicia comprises at least one of a path and a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprises at least one of an application program, audible content, graphic content, text content, and/or a web page.

6. A computer-implemented and user assisted method for accessing data stored on a storage medium associated with an object on a page of instructional material used in and/or in connection with an academic and/or educational context, comprising the steps of:

creating an object on a page of instructional material used in and/or in connection with an academic and/or educational context, the object having steganographically embedded indicia for accessing at least a portion of the data stored on a storage medium in communication with the computer;

electronically reading the indicia;

transmitting the electronically read indicia to the computer; and

using the indicia to access at least a portion of the data stored on a storage medium associated with the computer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the indicia comprises at least one of a path and a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the data comprises at least one of an application program, audible content, graphic content, text content, and/or a web page.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of displaying the data via a display device in communication with the computer.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of audibly outputting the data via a speaker in communication with the computer.

11. A computer-implemented and user assisted method for initiating an action based upon reading steganographically embedded indicia on a physical page of instructional material used in and/or in connection with an academic and/or educational context, comprising the steps of:

creating an object on a physical page of instructional material having steganographically embedded indicia;

electronically reading the indicia from the physical page; and

using the indicia to initiate an action from the computer as determined by the steganographically embedded indicia.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the indicia comprises a path.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the action comprises launching an application program.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the action comprises accessing a file residing on a storage medium associated with the computer.

15. A computer-implemented and user assisted method of using a first computer to access information stored on and/or in connection with a second computer, comprising the steps of:

creating an object on a physical page of instructional used in and/or in connection with an academic and/or educational context, the object having steganographically embedded indicia for accessing at least a portion of the information stored on and/or in connection with the second computer;

electronically reading the indicia from the physical page;

transmitting the electronically read indicia to the first computer; and

transmitting via the network the information stored at the second computer that is associated with the indicia to the first computer.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of at least one of displaying and audibly outputting the data at the first computer.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the indicia is at least one of a path and a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

18. A computer-implemented and user assisted method of using a first computer to access data associated with an object on a physical page of instructional material used in and/or in connection with an academic and/or educational context, comprising the steps of:

creating an object having steganographically embedded indicia on a physical page of instructional material;

electronically reading the indicia from the physical page; and

using the indicia to access at least a portion of the data stored on a storage medium associated with the computer.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of at least one of displaying and audibly outputting the data.

20. An interactive physical medium used in and/or in connection with an academic and/or educational context, the interactive physical medium comprising:

at least one object on at least one physical page of the interactive physical medium; and

steganographic indicia embedded in one or more of said at least one object, said steganographic indicia facilitating electronic access to data associated with said steganographic indicia stored on a storage medium in communication with the computer.

21. The interactive physical medium of claim 20, wherein the indicia comprises at least one of a path and a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

22. The interactive physical medium of claim 20, wherein the electronic access is to at least one of an application program, audible content, graphic content, text content, and a web page.

23. The interactive physical medium of claim 22, wherein the electronic access facilitates at least one of displaying and audibly outputting the data via the computer.

24. The interactive physical medium of claim 20, wherein the data comprises a substantially realtime conferencing capability between two or more users of at least one of a local area network (LAN), a wide are network (WAN), a bulletin board system (BBS), and the Internet.

25. An interactive physical medium used in and/or in connection with an academic and/or educational context comprising:

at least one object on at least one physical page of the physical medium; and

steganographic indicia embedded in one or more of said at least one object, said steganographic indicia capable of being electronically read by a device in communication with a first computer thereby facilitating electronic access to data stored on at least one of the first computer and a second computer associated with the steganographic indicia.

26. The interactive physical medium of claim 25, wherein the data stored at the second computer is outputted via at least one of a display device and an speaker in communication with the first computer.

27. The interactive physical medium of claim 25, wherein the indicia comprises at least one of a path and a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

28. The interactive physical medium of claim 25, wherein the electronic access is to at least one of an application program, audible content, graphic content, text content, and a web page.

29. The interactive physical medium of claim 25, wherein the data is stored in a file residing on a storage medium in communication with at least one of the first computer and the second computer.

30. A system for using a computer to access data associated with an object on a physical page of instructional material used in and/or in connection with an academic and/or educational context, comprising:

an embedding module for steganographically embedding indicia in an object on the physical page of instructional material;

an optical reader for electronically reading the indicia;

a decoding module for decoding the indicia received as input from said optical reader;

a linking module receiving input from said decoding module, said linking module initiating action associated with the indicia;

a transmission module transmitting content associated with the indicia to an output device in communication with the computer; and

an output module for transmitting the content associated with the indicia to the output device.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the indicia comprises at least one of a path and a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the action comprises at least one of launching an application program, rendering audible output from an audio file, and accessing a web page.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the action comprises at least one of accessing a file residing on a storage medium associated with the computer and accessing a file residing on a storage medium associated with a remote computer in communication with the computer via a network.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein the action comprises initiating a substantially realtime conferencing capability between two or more users of at least one of a local area network (LAN), a wide are network (WAN), a bulletin board system (BBS), and the Internet.

35. The system of claim 30, wherein the action comprises connecting to an audio file and audibly transmitting the contents of the audio file to the user.

36. The system of claim 30, wherein the action is connecting to an audio file and audibly outputting the contents of the audio file.

37. The system of claim 30, wherein the data is transmitted from a second computer to the computer via a network.

38. A system for using a computer to access data associated with an object on a physical page of instructional material used in and/or in connection with an academic and/or educational context, comprising:

means for steganographically embedding an indicia in an object on the physical page of instructional material;

an optical reader for electronically reading the indicia;

means for decoding the indicia received as input from said optical reader;

linking means for receiving input from said decoding means, said linking means initiating action associated with the indicia;

transmission means for transmitting content associated with the indicia to an output device in communication with the computer; and

output means for visibly displaying and/or audibly providing the content associated with the indicia to a user.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the indicia comprises at least one of a path and a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

40. The system of claim 38, wherein the action comprises at least one of launching an application program, rendering audible output from an audio file, and accessing a web page.

41. The system of claim 38, wherein the action comprises at least one of accessing a file residing on a storage medium associated with the computer and accessing a file residing on a storage medium associated with a remote computer in communication with the computer via a network.

42. The system of claim 38, wherein the action comprises initiating a substantially realtime conferencing capability between two or more users of at least one of a local area network (LAN), a wide are network (WAN), a bulletin board system (BBS), and the Internet.

43. The system of claim 38, wherein the action comprises connecting to an audio file and audibly transmitting the contents of the audio file to the user.

44. The system of claim 38, wherein the action is connecting to an audio file and audibly outputting the contents of the audio file.

45. The system of claim 38, wherein the data is transmitted from a second computer to the computer via a network.

46. The system of claim 38, wherein the data is transmitted from a second computer to the computer via a network.

47. A computer program medium storing computer instructions therein for instructing a computer to access data associated with an object on a physical page of instructional material used in and/or in connection with an academic and/or educational context, the medium comprising:

first instructions for steganographically embedding an indicia in an object on the physical page of instructional material;

second instructions electronically reading the indicia;

third instructions for decoding the indicia received as input from said second instructions;

fourth instructions for receiving input from said third instructions, said fourth instructions initiating action associated with the indicia; and

fifth instructions for transmitting content associated with the indicia to an output device in communication with the computer.

48. The medium of claim 47, wherein the indicia comprises at least one of a path and a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

49. The medium of claim 47, wherein the action comprises at least one of launching an application program, rendering audible output from an audio file, and accessing a web page.

50. The medium of claim 47, wherein the action comprises at least one of accessing a file residing on a storage medium associated with the computer and accessing a file residing on a storage medium associated with a remote computer in communication with the computer via a network.

51. The medium of claim 47, wherein the action is initiating a substantially realtime conferencing capability between two or more users of at least one of a local area network (LAN), a wide are network (WAN), a bulletin board system (BBS), and the Internet.

52. The medium of claim 47, wherein the action is connecting to an audio file and audibly outputting the contents of the audio file.

53. The medium of claim 47, wherein the data is transmitted from a second computer to the computer via a network.

54. A computer-implemented and user assisted method for accessing data stored on a storage medium, comprising the steps of:

creating an object on a physical page of instructional material used in and/or in connection with an academic and/or educational context, the object having at least one of imperceptible and substantially imperceptible embedded indicia comprising at least one of a path and a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for accessing at least a portion of the data;

electronically reading the indicia from the physical page;

transmitting the electronically read indicia to the computer; and

transmitting the data that is associated with the indicia from the storage medium to at least one of a display monitor and a speaker in communication with the computer.