Distributed system for responding to watermarked documents

• US 7,111,170 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2002
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Hein, William, Rhoads, Geoffrey B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smithers, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US10/113,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20020112165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 713/179, 713/176, 235/457, 283/72
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/26 for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus ticket printing or the like apparatus G07F17/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• 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

Abstract

A method and system that registers data carried by a watermark with a server, reads watermark data from a document and generates an action string if a watermark read from a document matches registered data. In one embodiment the system includes two servers. Registration is done on one server via the internet the registration data is sent to a second server. The second server is interrogated via a local area network (LAN) to determine if particular watermark data is registered. The LAN allows data carried on documents such as tickets to be authenticated very quickly. In a second embodiment, there are multiple registration servers, each of which registers a different sets of watermark data. The compartmentalization of data increases security and privacy of data.

Claims

1. A method for validating an admission ticket to an event comprising:

inserting a digital watermark in an admission ticket, the digital watermark including unique watermark data, wherein the digital watermark is hidden through subtle changes of data carried by the admission ticket,

registering the unique watermark data as registered information with a registration server when the admission ticket is sold,

transferring the registered information to a second server,

validating the admission ticket when the admission ticket is presented for entry to the event, said validating being via a local area network connection to the second server to determine if the unique watermark data in the ticket presented for validation is registered on the second server.

2. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the registration of the unique watermark data is via the Internet.

3. The method recited in claim 1 wherein an action string is returned if the admission ticket is validated.

4. The method recited in claim 1 wherein an action string of data which opens a gate is returned if the admission ticket is valid.

5. A system for validating admission tickets to an event, comprising,

a printing system for printing tickets, each ticket including a digital watermark carrying unique information, wherein the digital watermark is hidden through subtle changes to printing on the admission ticket.

a registration system for registering validation data in a first server including the unique information in a ticket when a ticket is sold,

a second server and a program for transferring said validation data to said second server,

a ticket validation station connected by a local area network (LAN) to said second server,

a watermark reading program at said ticket validation station, and

a program to determine if a ticket presented for registration is valid by interrogating said second server via said LAN connection and for receiving a response from said server via said LAN connection.

6. The system recited in claim 5 wherein said registration is via communication on the Internet.

7. The system recited in claim 5 wherein said response validates a ticket if the watermark on said ticket is registered on said server.

8. The system recited in claim 5 wherein said response opens an entry gate if said ticket is registered on said server.

9. A method of generating a response to a digital watermark read from an object, wherein the digital watermark is hidden through subtle changes of data carried by the object, said method comprising:

registering in a first server an identifier associated with the digital watermark together with an indication of an appropriate response to data carried by the digital watermark, wherein the identifier and indication are included in the first server as registration information,

transferring the registration information to a second server,

reading at a first station the data carried by the digital watermark,

communicating the data to the second server utilizing a high speed connection and determining an appropriate response to the data with reference to at least the registration information, and transmitting the response to the first station.

10. The method recited in claim 9 wherein the object comprises an entry ticket for an event.

11. The method recited in claim 10 wherein a ticket is validated by the response if the ticket is registered on the first server and the second server.

12. The method recited in claim 9 wherein the appropriate response is a validation of the object if the digital watermark carried by the object is registered on the second server.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the high speed connection comprises a local area connection.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the object comprises at least one of a physical object, audio and video.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the registration with the first server is carried out via the Internet.

16. A system for registration of data contained in digital watermarks and for providing a response to data read from a digital watermarked object, said system comprising:

a plurality of subsystems, each subsystem comprising,

a program for registering data which is embedded in a digital watermark hosted by an object, said registration data including an indication of a subsystem on which the registration data should be registered,

a server for storing the registration data, and

a program for reading a particular digital watermark hosted by an object to determine if the data carried by the particular digital watermark is registered on the subsystem.

17. The system recited in claim 16 wherein said plurality comprises two subsystems.

18. A system for generating a particular action string in response to data read from a digital watermark on a document, wherein the digital watermark is hidden through subtle changes of data carried by the document, said method comprising:

a server including a data base of registered digital watermarks, each registered digital watermark having an associated action string,

a registration station connected to said server via a local area network (LAN) to register particular digital watermarks and the associated action string,

an interrogation station connected to said server via a LAN including a program for reading a digital watermark and for interrogating the data base on said server to determine if said particular digital watermark is registered and if said digital watermark is registered for retrieving the associated action string.

19. The system recited in claim 18 wherein said action string indicates if a document is registered on said server.