Controlling video or image presentation according to encoded content classification information within the video or image data

• US 6,216,228 B1
• Filed: 10/14/1997
• Issued: 04/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chapman, Sydney George, Jones, Julian Hamilton
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, Tod
• Assistant Examiner(s): JACK, TODD M
• Application Number:
  US08/950,006
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 380/10, 380/4, 380/3, 380/9, 380/22, 380/20, 380/5, 380/239, 380/206, 360/60, 386/1, 713/179, 713/176
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4318 by altering the content in the rendering process, e.g. blanking, blurring or masking an image region image enhancement or restoration in general G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Provided is a method and a system for automatically controlling display of video or image data in dependence on content classification information which is integrated within the data by means of invisible digital watermarking techniques. A controller decodes the watermarked content codes and then prevents displaying of certain material, by overlaying the display with blanking data, if the codes match certain stored codes which the controller has been set to respond to.

The use of invisible digital watermark codes by a controller which operates in response to the watermark codes provides reliable control since the codes are more difficult for unauthorized persons to detect and remove than other embedded codes would be.

Claims

1. A controller for controlling displaying on a display means of received video or image data which has been encoded with invisible digital watermarks integrated within the received video or image data and representing a content classification for the video or image data, the controller having connections for connecting to a display means and for connecting to a data receiver or data reading apparatus, the controller comprising:

means for detecting digital watermarks integrated within the received video or image data, said received video or image data representing content for display;

means for decoding the digital watermarks to obtain content classification information; and

means for controlling the displaying of said video or image data in response to the content classification information obtained from the watermarks.

2. A controller according to claim 1, wherein said means for controlling the displaying of said video or image data includes means for comparing the decoded content classification information with codes stored at the controller representing classes of video or image data which are not to be displayed, and means for automatically preventing display of said video or image data in a viewable form in response to identifying a match between the decoded content classification information and one of said stored codes.

3. A controller according to claim 2, including means for end user selection of the codes which the controller is responsive to for preventing display of video or image data.

4. A controller according to claim 2, wherein said means for preventing display includes an overlay buffer connectable to a display buffer of the display means in response to identifying said data as being of a class prohibited from display, and means for setting said overlay buffer with data for producing a blank image on the display means.

5. A controller according to claim 1, which is adapted for connection as an integral component of a television set and/or a personal computer.

6. A method of controlling displaying on a display means of video or image data received by a controller connected to the display means and connected for receiving data from a data receiver apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

in response to video or image data being transmitted to the data receiver apparatus from a data transmission apparatus, said video or image data representing content for display, said video or image data having been encoded with an invisible digital watermark integrated within the video or image data, the digital watermark representing a content classification for said video or image data, providing said video or image data as an input to the controller;

decoding the digital watermark and comparing content classification information obtained thereby with stored classification information identifying classes of video or image data which are not to be displayed; and

controlling displaying on a display means of the video or image data in dependence on the content classification information obtained from the digital watermark.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein said controlling of displaying comprises automatically preventing displaying when said content classification data identifies the data as being of a class which is not to be displayed.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein said encoding includes the step of generating a decoder key for use in said decoding, the decoder key being transmitted to the data receiver apparatus in association with said video or image data.

9. A method of encoding video or image material with content classification information, comprising:

analyzing the video or image material to determine a content classification;

encoding an invisible digital watermark within a displayable data portion of the video or image material, the invisible digital watermark integrated within the video or image data and representative of said content classification, for use by a video or image display controller having means for detecting said watermarks integrated within said displayable data portion of the video or image material, means for decoding said digital watermarks to obtain content classification information, and means for controlling displaying of said video or image material in response to the obtained content classification information.

10. A video and/or image data display system for controlled display of video or image data which has been encoded with invisible digital watermarks integrated within the video or image data and representing a content classification for the video or image data, comprising:

a receiver for receiving transmitted video or image data;

a display means for displaying the video or image data; and

a controller connected between said receiver and said display means, including means for detecting digital watermarks integrated within displayable content of received video or image data, means for decoding the watermarks to obtain content classification information, and means for controlling displaying of the video or image data in response to the content classification information obtained from the watermarks.

11. A computer system having integrated therein a controller for controlling displaying on a display means connected to the computer of received video or image data which has been encoded with invisible digital watermarks integrated within the received video or image data and representing a content classification for the video or image data, the controller comprising:

means for detecting said digital watermarks integrated within displayable content of the received video or image data;

means for decoding said watermarks to obtain content classification information; and

means for controlling the displaying of said video or image data on said display means in response to the content classification information obtained from said watermarks.