Systems and Methods for Providing Access to Resources Through Enhanced Audio Signals

• US 20110238192A1
• Filed: 03/25/2011
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VeriSign, Inc.
• Original Assignee: VeriSign, Inc.
• Inventors: Shah, Mehul, Krishnan, Harshini Ramnath, Goyal, Neel
• Granted Patent: US 8,989,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00688 said measures preventing that a usable copy of recorded data can be made on another medium
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00739 wherein the usage restriction is associated with a specific geographical region
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00891 embedded in audio data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for using a hidden audio signal. In one exemplary embodiment, the method includes registering, at a central database, one or more of an identifier and a destination resource associated with the identifier, and encoding the one or more of the identifier and the destination resource in a hidden audio signal. The method further includes transmitting the hidden audio signal, including the one or more of the identifier and the destination resource, in connection with an acoustic signal, and receiving the acoustic signal at a user device. In addition, the method includes decoding the encoded one or more of the identifier and the destination resource at the user device; and requesting, from the central database, information associated with the one or more of the identifier and the destination resource. Further, the method includes receiving, at the user device, the requested information.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing a resource through an audio signal, the method comprising:

generating an enhanced audio signal, the enhanced audio signal encoding resource identifier data, wherein the resource identifier data represents a resource identifier associated with a resource; and

transmitting the enhanced audio signal to one or more user devices.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the enhanced audio signal comprises:

encoding the resource identifier data within the audio signal such that sound associated with the resource identifier data is non-perceptible to humans when the audio signal is converted to acoustic sound.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the enhanced audio signal comprises:

encoding the resource identifier data within the audio signal such that sound associated with the resource identifier data is non-comprehensible to humans when the audio signal is converted to acoustic sound.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the enhanced audio signal comprises:

encoding the resource identifier data within the audio signal as a digital watermark.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the enhanced audio signal comprises:

encoding the resource identifier data within the audio signal as a digital fingerprint.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the resource identifier comprises one or more of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), a Uniform Resource Number (URN), a domain name, or an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the resource identifier data comprises the resource.

8. A computer-implemented method for accessing a resource specified by an audio signal, the method comprising:

receiving an enhanced audio signal, the enhanced audio signal encoding resource identifier data, wherein the resource identifier data represents a resource identifier associated with a resource;

detecting the resource identifier data within the enhanced audio signal;

extracting the resource identifier from the resource identifier data; and

retrieving the resource identified by the resource identifier.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the resource identifier comprises one or more of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), a Uniform Resource Number (URN), a domain name, or an Internet Protocol (IP)address.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein retrieving the resource further comprises:

downloading a webpage associated with the resource identifier.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the resource identifier comprises an email address.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein retrieving the resource further comprises:

sending an email to the email address.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the resource identifier comprises a phone number.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein retrieving the resource further comprises:

initiating a phone call to the phone number.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein retrieving the resource further comprises:

sending a text message to the phone number.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the resource identifier comprises an index identifier to a resource provider server.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein retrieving the resource further comprises:

sending the index identifier to the resource provider server;

receiving resource identifier access information from the resource provider server; and

retrieving the resource using the resource identifier access information.

18. A computer-implemented method for providing access to a resource specified by an audio signal, the method comprising:

receiving a first request from a first device to register a resource or resource identifier;

registering the resource or resource identifier in a database;

generating an index identifier corresponding to the resource or resource identifier;

sending the index identifier to the first device for encoding within an audio signal;

receiving a second request from a second device for the resource or resource identifier, wherein the second request includes the index identifier; and

sending the resource or resource identifier or information for accessing the resource to the second device.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of requests for different resources or resource identifiers from a plurality of different devices;

storing records of information associated with the plurality of requests into memory; and

generating a user profile database based on the stored records.