Portable devices and methods employing digital watermarking

• US 20050058319A1
• Filed: 04/13/2004
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B., Davis, Bruce L., Evans, Douglas B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,505,605 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/00 Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof printing processes to produce identification or security features B41M3/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/14 the marking being sensed by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/18 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06253 for a specific application
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1447 extracting optical codes from image or text carrying said optical code
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0051 Embedding of the watermark in the spatial domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0052 Embedding of the watermark in the frequency domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/253 visually
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0034 using watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/004 using digital security elements, e.g. information coded on a magnetic thread or strip
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00007 : Time or data compression or expansion audio compression based on psychoacoustics G10L19/00; data processing for reproducing audio data at different playback speeds G10L21/04; video compression H04N19/00; data compression per se H03M7/30
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 : Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00884 : involving a watermark, i.e. a barely perceptible transformation of the original data which can nevertheless be recognised by an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00891 : embedded in audio data
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/31 : using in-band signals, e.g. subsonic or cue signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00005 : relating to image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00037 : Detecting, i.e. determining the occurrence of a predetermined state H04N1/00031 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00079 : remotely
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00973 : from a remote device, e.g. receiving via the internet instructions input to a computer terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 : in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32144 : embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3216 : using Fourier transforms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32203 : Spatial or amplitude domain methods H04N1/32309 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32208 : involving changing the magnitude of selected pixels, e.g. overlay of information or super-imposition H04N1/32219, H04N1/32224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32229 : with selective or adaptive application of the additional information, e.g. in selected regions of the image H04N1/32213 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32251 : in multilevel data, e.g. greyscale or continuous tone data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32288 : Multiple embedding, e.g. cocktail embedding, or redundant embedding, e.g. repeating the additional information at a plurality of locations in the image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32352 : Controlling detectability or arrangements to facilitate detection or retrieval of the embedded information, e.g. using markers for decoding, detection or retrieval operations H04N1/32149 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23892 : involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 : involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 : of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3207 : of an address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3225 : of data relating to an image, a page or a document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 : of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 : of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 : which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3271 : Printing or stamping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 : Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/328 : Processing of the additional information

Abstract

Media objects are transformed into active, connected objects via identifiers embedded into them or their containers. In the context of a user'"'"'s playback experience, a decoding process extracts the identifier from a media object and possibly additional context information and forwards it to a server. The server, in turn, maps the identifier to an action, such as returning metadata, re-directing the request to one or more other servers, requesting information from another server to identify the media object, etc. The server may return a higher fidelity version of content from which the identifier was extracted. In some applications, the higher fidelity version may be substituted for the original media object and rendered to provide higher quality output. The linking process applies to broadcast objects as well as objects transmitted over networks in streaming and compressed file formats.

Claims

1. A method of operating a portable device that includes a sensor to capture image or audio data, comprising:

transferring the captured data to a remote device;

decoding a watermark at the remote device; and

returning corresponding data to the portable device.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the corresponding data is decoded watermark data.

3. The method of claim 1 which further includes indexing a database with reference to at least a portion of the decoded watermark to obtain a computer address corresponding thereto, and returning the computer address to the portable device.

4. The method of claim 1 which further includes indexing a database with reference to at least a portion of the decoded watermark to obtain a computer address corresponding thereto, and receiving content data from said computer address at a destination device.

5. The method of claim 4 in which the destination device is co-located with the portable device.

6. The method of claim 5 in which the destination device comprises the portable device.

7. The method of claim 4 in which the destination device is remote from the portable device.

8. The method of claim 1 in which the transferring step occurs autonomously, without user intervention.

9. The method of claim 1 in which a user initiates the transferring step by performing an action.

10. The method of claim 9 in which the user initiates the transferring step by operating a button.

11. The method of claim 1 in which the corresponding data is audio or image data like that captured by the portable device sensor, but of higher fidelity.

12. The method of claim 1 in which the corresponding data is audio or image data that is not simply a higher fidelity version of the audio or image data captured by the portable device sensor.

13. A cell phone for performing the method of claim 1.

14. A method of operating a portable device that includes a sensor to capture image or audio data, comprising:

decoding watermark data from the image or audio data, the watermark serving to identify corresponding content stored in a repository; and

transferring at least a portion of the watermark data to a remote device, and sending instruction data with said watermark data, said instruction data serving to specify an action to be taken with the content stored in the repository.

15. The method of claim 14 in which the action is transmission of the content from the repository to the portable device.

16. The method of claim 14 in which the action is transmission of the content from the repository to a destination remote from the portable device.

17. The method of claim 14 in which the instruction data depends, at least in part, on the bandwidth of a network connection available to link the portable device to another device.

18. The method of claim 14 in which said content is audio or image data like that captured by the portable device sensor, but of higher fidelity.

19. The method of claim 14 in which said content is audio or image data that is not simply a higher fidelity version of the audio or image data captured by the portable device sensor.

20. A method of operating a device that includes a sensor to capture image or audio data, comprising:

capturing image or audio data with the sensor;

decoding a digital watermark from the captured data;

using the digital watermark to fetch a pristine version of the captured data;

substituting the pristine version for at least a part of the captured data to create a new data object; and

rendering the new data object on an output device.

21. In a digital audio device that includes a sensor to capture image or audio data, a method comprising:

transferring the captured data to a remote device for extraction of a digital watermark at the remote device; and

returning corresponding data to the digital audio device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the digital audio device comprises a wireless telephone.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said transferring comprises wirelessly transferring.

24. In a digital audio device that includes:

i) a sensor to capture image or audio data, and ii) a digital watermark decoder, a method comprising;

receiving captured data from the sensor, the captured data comprising a digital watermark embedded therein, the digital watermark including at least auxiliary data;

decoding the digital watermark with the digital watermark decoder to obtain the auxiliary data;

wirelessly transferring the auxiliary data to a remote device; and

receiving from the remote device data corresponding to the auxiliary data.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the digital audio device comprises a wireless telephone.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the digital watermark is embedded in the data through modifications of the image or audio data.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the image or audio data comprises a carrier, and the digital watermark is embedded in the carrier through modifications of the carrier.

28. A wireless reception device sized for fitting in a user'"'"'s pocket or purse, said wireless reception device comprising:

a battery to power said wireless reception device;

a sensor to capture image or audio data;

electronic memory circuitry; and

electronic processing circuitry, wherein said electronic memory circuitry includes executable programming instructions stored therein for execution on said electronic processing circuitry, said executable programming instructions comprising a steganographic decoder for discerning auxiliary data steganographically embedded in data captured by said sensor, said executable programming instructions further comprising instructions to control some aspect of said wireless reception device, and wherein the aspect involves the auxiliary data.

29. The wireless reception device of claim 28, wherein said wireless reception device comprises a wireless telephone.

30. The wireless reception device of claim 28, wherein said electronic processing circuitry comprises a microprocessor.

31. The wireless reception device of claim 28, wherein said steganographic decoder

comprises a digital watermark decoder.

32. The wireless reception device of claim 31, wherein the steganographically embedded auxiliary data comprises a digital watermark, and wherein the digital watermark is embedded in the data captured by said sensor through modifications of the data.