Metadata management and generation using digital watermarks

• US 20060115108A1
• Filed: 06/13/2005
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Reed, Alastair M., Rodriguez, Tony F., Calhoon, Sean
• Granted Patent: US 8,953,908 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32149 Methods relating to embedding, encoding, decoding, detection or retrieval operations
• 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

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and systems to improve network searching for watermarked content. In some implementations we employ keyword searching to narrow the universe of possible URL candidates. A resulting URL list is searched for digital watermarking. A system is provided to allow customer input. For example, a customer enters keywords or network locations. The keywords or network locations are provided to a watermark-enabled web browser which accesses locations associated with the keywords or network locations. Some implementations of the present invention employ a plurality of distributed watermark-enabled web browsers. Other aspects of the invention provide methods and system to facilitate desktop searching and automated metadata gathering and generating. In one implementation a digital watermark is used to determine whether metadata associated with an image or audio file is current or fresh. The metadata is updated when it is out of date. Watermarks can also be used to link to or facilitate so-called on-line “blogs” (or online conversations).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an imagery or audio file;

identifying perceptual features in the imagery or audio file; and

based on the perceptual features, automatically generating metadata for the imagery or audio file.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising indexing the metadata in a desktop searchable index.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying comprises facial recognition.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said metadata comprises a profile associated with a person depicted in the imagery as identified by the facial recognition.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the profile comprises an XML or text file.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said identifying comprises pattern recognition.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising determining text to represent a pattern identified by the pattern recognition and indexing the text in a desktop searching index.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the imagery comprises video.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the perceptual features comprise color and said identifying comprises a color analysis involving a color-space histogram.

10. The method of claim 1 further including attaching the metadata to the imagery or audio file.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said generating includes interrogating a data repository with the perceptual features or a reduced bit representation of the perceptual features to obtain metadata.

12. A memory device comprising executable instructions stored therein, wherein the executable instructions comprise instructions to carry out the method of claim 1.

13. A method comprising:

receiving an imagery or audio file including a content portion and a metadata portion;

analyzing the metadata to determine at least one of a time and day when the content portion was created;

automatically accessing one or more user software applications to gather information associated with at least one of time and day; and

adding the information to the metadata portion.

14. A method of claim 13 wherein the one or more user software applications comprise a calendar or appointment application.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the calendar or appointment application comprises a financial, on-line banking or checkbook application.

16. The method of claim 13 the one or more user software applications comprise a word processor or spreadsheet application.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising cataloging the metadata in a searchable index.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the one or more user software applications are stored on a computing device co-located with the imagery or audio file.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the one or more user software applications are stored on a computing device that is remotely located from the imagery or audio file.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the computing device comprises at least one of a cell phone and personal computing assistant (PDA).

21-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A desktop searching tool comprising:

executable instructions stored in computer memory for execution by electronic processing circuitry, said instructions comprising instructions to;

i. search one or more computer directories for imagery or audio files;

ii. upon discovery of an imagery or audio file, analyze the imagery or audio file for a digital watermark embedded therein, and if a digital watermark is embedded therein, recover a plural-bit identifier;

iii. obtain metadata from the imagery or audio file; and

iv. query a remote database with the plural-bit identifier to determine whether the file metadata is current.

27. The desktop searching tool of claim 26 further comprising instructions to refresh the file metadata with metadata from the remote database when the file metadata is not current.

28. The desktop searching tool of claim 27 wherein a timestamp or last edited field is used to determine whether the file metadata is current.

29. The desktop searching tool of claim 26 further comprising instructions to upload the imagery or audio file when the file is not stored on the remote database.

30. The desktop searching tool of claim 26 further comprising instructions to generate a searchable index reflecting at least the metadata.