Salient Point-Based Arrangements

• US 20120275642A1
• Filed: 11/02/2011
• Published: 11/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Brandis, Robert Craig, Aller, Johsua V.
• Granted Patent: US 8,848,970 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/005 Robust watermarking, e.g. average attack or collusion attack resistant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0092 Payload characteristic determination in a watermarking scheme, e.g. number of bits to be embedded
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0065 Extraction of an embedded watermark; Reliable detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30244 Camera pose
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera
• 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 1/32203 Spatial or amplitude domain methods H04N1/32309 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3225 of data relating to an image, a page or a document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs

Abstract

A variety of methods and systems involving sensor-equipped portable devices, such as smartphones and tablet computers, are described. One particular embodiment decodes a digital watermark from imagery captured by the device and, by reference to watermark payload data, obtains salient point data corresponding to an object depicted in the imagery. Other embodiments obtain salient point data for an object through use of other technologies (e.g., NFC chips). The salient point data enables the device to interact with the object in a spatially-dependent manner. Many other features and arrangements are also detailed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first set of data corresponding to imagery captured by a camera-equipped portable device, the imagery depicting a subject;

decoding steganographically-encoded digital watermark payload data from the first set of data;

by reference to said payload data, obtaining a second set of data;

wherein the second set of data comprises salient point data corresponding to said subject.

2. The method of claim 1 that further includes determining location of the portable device relative to the subject, through use of the salient point data.

3. The method of claim 1 that further includes determining 3D pose information that details position of the device relative to the subject, through use of the salient point data.

4. The method of claim 1 that includes identifying a sub-part of the subject depicted in the imagery, through use of the salient point data.

5. The method of claim 4 that includes, by reference to said identified sub-part, obtaining a third set of data, the third set of data including auxiliary data useful for presenting a display of information to a user that relates to said sub-part of the subject.

6. The method of claim 1 that further includes sizing or positioning a graphical feature presented on a screen of the portable device in accordance with the salient point data.

7. The method of claim 1 that further includes controlling an operation of the device based on the salient point data.

8. A computer readable medium containing software instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations including:

receiving a first set of data corresponding to imagery depicting a subject;

decoding steganographically-encoded digital watermark payload data from the first set of data; and

by reference to said payload data, obtaining a second set of data;

wherein the second set of data comprises salient point data corresponding to said subject.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8 in which the operations further include controlling an operation of the device based on the second set of data.

10. A method comprising:

in a portable device, receiving identification data sensed from a passive chip device associated with an object;

by reference to said identification data, obtaining a second set of data;

wherein the second set of data comprises salient point data corresponding to said object.

11. The method of claim 10 that further includes the portable device sensing the identification data from the passive chip device.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the object comprises a poster.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the second set of data further comprises reference position data associated with the object, and the method includes determining position data for the portable device by reference to said reference position data and said salient point data, wherein a user of the device can interact with the object in a position-dependent manner.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the identification data includes reference position data associated with the object, and the method includes determining position data for the portable device by reference to said reference position data and said salient point data, wherein a user of the device can interact with the object in a position-dependent manner.

15. The method of claim 13 that includes presenting on a screen of the device a first set of information when first position data for the portable device has been determined, and presenting on the screen of the device a second, different, set of information when second position data for the portable device has been determined.