Server-side watermark data writing method and apparatus for digital signals
First Claim
1. A method performed at a server computer, for tracking a requested signal, the method comprising:
- receiving a request for the requested signal;
generating transaction identification data which identifies the received request;
including a pattern in the requested signal to form a watermarked signal using a predetermined basis signal previously derived from a digital product signal, wherein the transaction identification data can be derived from the pattern;
further wherein the inclusion of the basis signal in the requested signal is designed to introduce no more than a predetermined maximum level of perceptibility to the requested signal, wherein the including comprises;
selecting watermarked signal fragments representing a first logical value for corresponding portions of the pattern which have the first logical value;
selecting watermarked signal fragments representing a second logical value for corresponding portions of the pattern which have the second logical value; and
combining the watermarked signal fragments representing the first and second logical values to form the watermarked signal.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A digitized signal is published with a blank watermark, i.e., a watermark which contains no specific watermark data, and a server computer system encodes specific watermark data into the watermark signal for each delivery of the digitized signal. A basis signal which is used to watermark a digitized signal is predetermined to enable embedding of transaction-specific watermark data to be embedded in the subject signal with minimal processing resources. Since the basis signal generally accounts for the majority of the processing resources required to watermark the subject signal, only a relatively small portion of the requisite processing resources are used to embed transaction-specific watermark into the subject signal.
34 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method performed at a server computer, for tracking a requested signal, the method comprising:
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receiving a request for the requested signal; generating transaction identification data which identifies the received request; including a pattern in the requested signal to form a watermarked signal using a predetermined basis signal previously derived from a digital product signal, wherein the transaction identification data can be derived from the pattern;
further wherein the inclusion of the basis signal in the requested signal is designed to introduce no more than a predetermined maximum level of perceptibility to the requested signal, wherein the including comprises;selecting watermarked signal fragments representing a first logical value for corresponding portions of the pattern which have the first logical value; selecting watermarked signal fragments representing a second logical value for corresponding portions of the pattern which have the second logical value; and combining the watermarked signal fragments representing the first and second logical values to form the watermarked signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method performed at a server computer, for enabling embedding of transaction-specific identification data into a requested signal, the method comprising:
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logically dividing the requested signal into segments;
for each segment,embedding a first logical value in the segment to form a first embedded segment; embedding a second logical value in the segment to form a second embedded segment; including both the first and second embedded segments in a composite signal comprising including the first embedded segment in a first frame; compressing the first frame to form a first compressed frame; including the second embedded segment in a second frame; compressing the second frame to form a second compressed frame; and including both the first and second compressed frames in the composite signal; and for each of the segments of the requested signal; selecting from first and second embedded segments of the composite signal according to a corresponding bit of the transaction-specific identification data. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. A method performed at server computer, for embedding transaction-specific identification data into a requested signal, the method comprising:
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retrieving a composite signal which includes, for each of one or more corresponding portions of the requested signal, a first marked segment which represents a first logical value embedded in the corresponding portion of the requested signal and a second marked segment which represents a second logical value embedded in the corresponding portion of the requested signal; for each of the corresponding portions of the requested signal, selecting segments of the composite signal according to logical values of corresponding bits of the transaction-specific identification data; and combining the selected segments to form a watermarked signal which includes the transaction-specific identification data embedded therein, wherein the watermarked signal is further formed using a predetermined basis signal previously derived from a digital product signal. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A computer-readable storage medium on which is stored computer code which, when executed by a server-side computer, causes the computer to enable tracking a requested signal by:
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receiving a request for the requested signal; generating transaction identification data which identifies the received request; including a pattern in the requested signal to form a watermarked signal using a predetermined basis signal, previously derived from a digital product signal, wherein the transaction identification data can be derived from the pattern;
further wherein the inclusion of the basis signal in the requested signal is designed to introduce no more than a predetermined maximum level of perceptibility to the requested signal, wherein including comprises;selecting watermarked signal fragments representing a first logical value for corresponding portions of the pattern which have the first logical value; selecting watermarked signal fragments representing a second logical value for corresponding portions of the pattern which have the second logical value; and combining the watermarked signal fragments representing the first and second logical values to form the watermarked signal. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A computer-readable storage medium on which is stored computer code which, when executed by a server-side computer, causes the computer to enable embedding of transaction-specific identification data into a requested signal by:
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logically dividing the requested signal into segments; for each segment, embedding a first logical value in the segment to form a first embedded segment; embedding a second logical value in the segment to form a second embedded segment; including both the first and second embedded segments in a composite signal; combining the selected embedded segments of the composite signal to form a watermarked signal which includes the transaction-specific identification data embedded therein; and for each of the segments of the requested signal; selecting from first and second embedded segments of the composite signal according to a corresponding bit of the transaction-specific identification data. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. A computer-readable storage medium on which is stored computer code which, when executed by a server-side computer, causes the computer to enable embedding transaction-specific identification data into a requested signal by:
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retrieving a composite signal which includes, for each of one or more corresponding portions of the requested signal, a first marked segment which represents a first logical value embedded in the corresponding portion of the requested signal and a second marked segment which represents a second logical value embedded in the corresponding portion of the requested signal; for each of the corresponding portions of the requested signal, selecting segments of the composite signal according to logical values of corresponding bits of the transaction-specific identification data; and combining the selected segments to form a watermarked signal using a predetermined basis signal previously derived from a digital product signal, which includes the transaction-specific identification data embedded therein. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. A server computer comprising:
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a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and a watermarker which executes in the processor from the memory and which, when executed, enables tracking of a requested signal by; receiving a request for the requested signal; generating transaction identification data which identifies the received request; and including a pattern in the requested signal to form a watermarked signal using a predetermined basis previously derived from a digital product signal, wherein the transaction identification data can be derived from the pattern;
further wherein the inclusion of the basis signal in the requested signal is designed to introduce no more than a predetermined maximum level of perceptibility to the requested signal, wherein including comprises;selecting watermarked signal fragments representing a first logical value for corresponding portions of the pattern which have the first logical value; selecting watermarked signal fragments representing a second logical value for corresponding portions of the pattern which have the second logical value; and combining the watermarked signal fragments representing the first and second logical values to form the watermarked signal. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A server computer comprising:
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a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and a blank watermarker which executes in the processor from the memory and which, when executed, enables embedding of transaction-specific identification data into a requested signal by; logically dividing the requested signal into segments; for each segment, embedding a first logical value in the segment to form a first embedded segment; embedding a second logical value in the segment to form a second embedded segment; including both the first and second embedded segments in a composite signal; combining the selected embedded segments of the composite signal to form a watermarked signal which includes the transaction-specific identification data embedded therein; and for each of the segments of the requested signal; selecting from first and second embedded segments of the composite signal according to a corresponding bit of the transaction-specific identification data. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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29. A server computer comprising:
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a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and a watermarker which executes in the processor from the memory and which, when executed, embeds transaction-specific identification data into a requested signal by; retrieving a composite signal which includes, for each of one or more corresponding portions of the requested signal, a first marked segment which represents a first logical value embedded in the corresponding portion of the requested signal and a second marked segment which represents a second logical value embedded in the corresponding portion of the requested signal; for each of the corresponding portions of the requested signal, selecting segments of the composite signal according to logical values of corresponding bits of the transaction-specific identification data; and combining the selected segments to form a watermarked signal using a predetermined basis signal previously derived from a digital product signal, which includes the transaction-specific identification data embedded therein. - View Dependent Claims (30)
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Specification