Handheld recorder incorporating true raw audio or video certification

• US 20110038594A1
• Filed: 04/27/2009
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: David Allan French, Gary M. Symons, Kirk David Symons, Paul Mark Toupin
• Original Assignee: David Allan French, Gary M. Symons, Kirk David Symons, Paul Mark Toupin
• Inventors: Symons, Gary M., Symons, Kirk David, French, David Allan, Toupin, Paul Mark
• Application Number:
  US12/736,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20110038594A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/224
• 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 20/00173 wherein the origin of the content is checked, e.g. determining whether the content has originally been retrieved from a legal disc copy or another trusted source
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00862 wherein the remote server can grant the permission to use a content
• 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: G11B 20/00898 based on a hash function
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91335 the copy protection signal being a watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones

Abstract

A method and apparatus for recording audio or video data so as to enable true raw audio or video certification includes recording on a mobile recorder an audio or video data stream taken from at least one microphone or camera respectively cooperating with the recorder, generating a digital hash and embedding the digital hash in the data stream concurrently with the recording of the data stream, enabling playback of the recording containing the digital hash by a playback device not equipped to decode the digital hash, wherein the digital hash contains attributes unique to the recording and where the digital hash is embedded in the data stream so as to minimize noise impact on a later playback of the data stream respectively by the playback device, and wherein the digital hash is embedded during the embedding continuously on a periodic basis throughout the duration of the recording.

Claims

1. A method of recording audio or video data enabling true raw audio or true raw video certification, the method comprising the steps of:

a) recording on a mobile recorder an audio or video data stream taken from at least one microphone or camera respectively cooperating with said recorder,

b) generating a digital hash and embedding said digital hash in said data stream concurrently with said recording of said data stream,

c) enabling playback of said recording containing said digital hash by a playback device not equipped to decode said digital hash,

wherein said digital hash contain attributes unique to said recording and wherein said digital hash is embedded during said embedding in said data stream so as to minimize noise impact on a later audio or visual playback of said audio or video data stream respectively by said playback device, and wherein said digital hash is embedded during said embedding continuously on a periodic basis throughout the duration of said recording.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said digital hash is embedded in a least significant bit of said data stream.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said digital hash includes value representations of said attributes chosen from the group comprising a location of said recording, the time of said recording, the duration of said recording, an identification code of a device used to make said recording, the date of said recording.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said digital hash includes meta-data.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said meta-data are said value representations of said attributes.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said groups further comprise a user identification of a user using said device.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein said digital hash is a unique numeric data sequence and where said attributes provide a key enabling said generating of said digital hash.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein said embedding of said digital hash introduces an audibly imperceptible amount of said noise to said recording.

9. The method of claim 3 wherein said recorder cooperatives with a cellular telephone and GPS circuitry and wherein at least said time of said recording is obtained from said telephone, and wherein at least said location of said recording is obtained from said GPS circuitry.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of recording said attributes in a non-encrypted retrievable format in said recording so as to be retrievable by said playback device.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of decoding said digital hash and determining status of certification said recording by comparing said recording of said attributes in said non-encrypted format with said attributes from said digital hash, wherein if said comparison determines no difference between both said attributes then certifying said recording as being an unaltered recording.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of breaking up said recording into a plurality of contiguous sequential segments and regenerating said digital hash for each segment in at least a sequential subset of said sequential segments.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of embedding an analog attribute into said recording continuously throughout said duration of said recording.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising said embedding said analog attributes within an audible range in said recording.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of providing a recording device that is adapted to work with different types of smartphone platforms, without the necessity of creating a physical, electronic point of connection for each of said different types of smartphone platforms.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising reducing RF interference with audio recording in proximity to a mobile phone cooperating with said device by providing a shielded microphone and at least one non-shielded microphone for making said recording, and using the signal from said shielded microphone to filter said RF interference from said recording so to provide noise elimination.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said at least one non-shielded microphone is a phased array of microphones and wherein an audio envelope is recorded by said phased array, and wherein said method further comprises the step of shaping said audio envelope.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of providing a phased array of microphones for said recording and separating said microphones from a mobile phone cooperating with said device by use of a form factor to minimize RF interference from said phone interfering with said device.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said device and said phone are optionally directly electrically connected so as to reduce said interference.