Systems, methods and computer program products providing signed visual and/or audio records for digital distribution using patterned recognizable artifacts

• US 20070038463A1
• Filed: 08/15/2005
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tischer, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 8,452,604 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/276
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1011 to devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/107 License processing; Key processing
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/00 Speech or voice signal processing techniques to produce another audible or non-audible signal, e.g. visual or tactile, in order to modify its quality or its intelligibility G10L19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence

Abstract

Recognizable visual and/or audio artifacts, such as recognizable sounds, are introduced into visual and/or audio content in an identifying pattern to generate a signed visual and/or audio recording for distribution over a digital communications medium. A library of images and/or sounds may be provided, and the image and/or sounds from the library may be selectively inserted to generate the identifying pattern. The images and/or sounds may be inserted responsive to one or more parameters associated with creation of the visual and/or audio content. A representation of the identifying pattern may be generated and stored in a repository, e.g., an independent repository configured to maintain creative rights information. The stored pattern may be retrieved from the repository and compared to an unidentified visual and/or audio recording to determine an identity thereof.

Claims

1. A method of identifying audio and/or visual content, the method comprising:

introducing recognizable visual and/or audio artifacts into visual and/or audio content in an identifying pattern to generate a signed visual and/or audio recording for distribution over a digital communications medium.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein introducing recognizable visual and/or audio artifacts into visual and/or audio content in an identifying pattern to generate a signed visual and/or audio recording comprises:

providing a library of images and/or sounds;

selectively inserting images and/or sounds from the library to generate the identifying pattern.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein selectively inserting images and/or sounds from the library to generate the identifying pattern comprises inserting the images and/or sounds responsive to one or more parameters associated with creation of the visual and/or audio content.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein inserting the images and/or sounds responsive to one or more parameters associated with creation of the visual and/or audio content comprises inserting the images and/or sounds responsive to a personal identifier, a personal characteristic, a location descriptor, a temporal metric, a device identifier and/or an ambient environment parameter.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a representation of the identifying pattern.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising storing the representation of the identifying pattern in a repository configured to maintain creative rights information.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

retrieving the stored representation from the repository;

comparing the stored representation to an unidentified visual and/or audio recording to determine an identity thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital communications medium comprises a digital communications network.

9. A system for identifying audio and/or visual content, the system comprising:

a signature generator configured to introduce recognizable visual and/or audio artifacts into visual and/or audio content in an identifying pattern to generate a signed visual and/or audio recording for distribution over a digital communications medium.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a library of images and/or sounds and wherein the signature generator is configured to selectively insert images and/or sounds from the library to generate the identifying pattern.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the signature generator is configured to insert the images and/or sounds responsive to one or more parameters associated with creation of the visual and/or audio content.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the signature generator is configured to insert the images and/or sounds responsive to a personal identifier, a personal characteristic, a location descriptor, a temporal metric, a device identifier and/or an ambient environment parameter.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the signature generator is further configured to generate a representation of the identifying pattern for storage in a repository.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the repository comprises an independent repository configured to maintain creative rights information.

15. A computer program product for identifying audio and/or visual content, the computer program product comprising computer program code embodied in a storage medium, the computer program code comprising:

program code configured to introduce recognizable visual and/or audio artifacts into visual and/or audio content in an identifying pattern to generate a signed visual and/or audio recording for distribution over a digital communications medium.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the program code configured to introduce recognizable visual and/or audio artifacts into visual and/or audio content in an identifying pattern to generate a signed visual and/or audio recording for distribution over a digital communications medium comprises:

program code configured to instantiate a library of images and/or sounds; and

program code configured to selectively insert images and/or sounds from the library to generate the identifying pattern.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the program code configured to selectively insert images and/or sounds from the library to generate the identifying pattern comprises program code configured to insert the images and/or sounds responsive to one or more parameters associated with creation of the visual and/or audio content.

18. The computer program code of claim 17, wherein the program code configure to insert the images and/or sounds responsive to one or more parameters associated with creation of the visual and/or audio content comprises program code configured to insert the images and/or sounds responsive to a personal identifier, a personal characteristic, a location descriptor, a temporal metric, a device identifier and/or an ambient environment parameter.

19. The computer program code of claim 15, further comprising program code configured to generate a representation of the identifying pattern for storage in a repository.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the repository comprises an independent repository configured to maintain creative rights information.