METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR UTILIZING GPS INFORMATION TO SECURE DIGITAL MEDIA

• US 20130011005A1
• Filed: 08/16/2012
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mamidwar, Rajesh, Chen, Xuemin, Brownhill, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,705,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23892 involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4181 for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467

Abstract

A device such as a set-top-box, digital TV, DVD player, multi-media player, cellular telephone or digital cinema player that may handle data such as multimedia data and/or audio/video signals, may determine its location. The device may determine its location based on GPS information and send it to an external entity, for example, a service provider. The device may generate a watermark comprising its determined location and may embed or insert the watermark within the data. Also, the generated watermark may comprise one or more of a unique identifier for the device, a source of the data, for example, a service provider, a date and a time. The watermark may be secured via processing, for example, the watermark may be encrypted prior to being embedded. The data may be compressed when embedding the watermark. The watermark embedding process may be handled via a secure embedded processor and/or secure code.

Claims

1. A method for marking data, the method comprising:

receiving multimedia data and information about a location of a first device based on global positioning system (GPS) data, by a first device via a network from a second device;

generating by said first device a watermark comprising a representation of said location of said first device; and

embedding by said first device said generated watermark with said representation of said location of said first device within said received multimedia data.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising embedding within said watermark comprising said representation of said location of said first device, one or more of a unique identifier of said first device, a source of said multimedia data and information about a location of a first device based on GPS, a date and a time.

3. The method according to claim 2, comprising securing one or more of said representation of said location of said first device, said unique identifier of said first device, said source of said multimedia data and information about a location of a first device based on GPS, said date, said time and said generated watermark comprising said representation of said location of said device.

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising embedding said generated watermark comprising said representation of said location of said first device within compressed data.

5. The method according to claim 1, comprising sending said representation of said location of said first device to an entity external to said first device.

6. The method according to claim 1, comprising embedding said watermark comprising said representation of said location of said first device within said data via one or more of a secure embedded processor and secure code.

7. The method according to claim 1, comprising one or more of storing, processing and distributing said processed multimedia data comprising said embedded watermark comprising said representation of said location of said first device.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said generated watermark is an invisible watermark.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first device comprises one or more of a set-top-box, an audio video display system, a digital TV, a DVD player, a multi-media player and a digital cinema player.

10. A system for marking data, the system comprising:

one or more circuits for use in a first device that handles processing of multimedia data and information about a location of a first device based on global positioning system (GPS) data, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to;

receive, by said first device via a network from a second device, said multimedia data and information about a location of a first device based on global positioning system (GPS) data;

generate by said first device a watermark comprising a representation of said location of said first device; and

embed by said first device said generated watermark with said representation of said location of said first device within said received multimedia data.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to embed within said watermark comprising said representation of said location of said first device, one or more of a unique identifier for said device, a source of said multimedia data and information about a location of a first device based on global positioning system (GPS) data, a date and a time.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to secure one or more of said representation of said location of said first device, said unique identifier for said first device, said source of multimedia data and information about a location of a first device based on global positioning system (GPS) data, said date, said time and said generated watermark comprising said representation of said location of said device.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to embed said generated watermark comprising said representation of said location of said first device within compressed data.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to send said representation of said location of said first device to an entity external to said first device.

15. The system according to claim 10, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to embed said watermark comprising said representation of said location of said first device within said multimedia data via one or more of a secure embedded processor and secure code.

16. The system according to claim 10, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to enable one or more of store, process and distribute said processed multimedia data comprising said embedded watermark comprising said representation of said location of said first device.

17. The system according to claim 10, wherein said generated watermark is an invisible watermark.

18. A non-transitory machine-readable storage having stored thereon, a computer program having at least one code section for marking data, the at least one code section being executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform steps comprising:

receiving, by said first device via a network from a second device, said multimedia data and information about a location of a first device based on global positioning system (GPS) data;

generating by said first device a watermark comprising a representation of said location of said first device; and

embedding by said first device said generated watermark with said representation of said location of said first device within said received multimedia data.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage according to claim 18, wherein said at least one code section comprises code that enables:

embedding within said watermark comprising said representation of said location of said first device, one or more of a unique identifier of said first device, a source of said multimedia data and information about a location of a first device based on global positioning system (GPS) data, a date and a time; and

securing one or more of said representation of said location of said first device, said unique identifier of said first device, said source of said multimedia data and information about a location of a first device based on global positioning system (GPS) data, said date, said time and said generated watermark comprising said representation of said location of said device.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage according to claim 18, wherein said at least one code section comprises code that enables embedding said generated watermark comprising said representation of said location of said first device within compressed data.

21. The non-transitory machine-readable storage according to claim 18, wherein said at least one code section comprises code that enables sending said representation of said location of said first device to an entity external to said first device.

22. The non-transitory machine-readable storage according to claim 18, wherein said at least one code section comprises code that enables embedding said watermark comprising said representation of said location of said first device within said data via one or more of a secure embedded processor and secure code.

23. The non-transitory machine-readable storage according to claim 18, wherein said at least one code section comprises code that enables one or more of storing, processing and distributing said processed multimedia data comprising said embedded watermark comprising said location of said first device.

24. The non-transitory machine-readable storage of claim 18, wherein said generated watermark is an invisible watermark.