Internet linking from audio and image content

• US 7,461,136 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2005
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US11/265,544
• Publication Number:
  US 20060136565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/227, 709/250
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/00 Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof printing processes to produce identification or security features B41M3/14
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/328 Diffraction gratings; Holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/14 the marking being sensed by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/18 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06253 for a specific application
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1447 extracting optical codes from image or text carrying said optical code
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/005 Robust watermarking, e.g. average attack or collusion attack resistant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0064 Geometric transfor invariant watermarking, e.g. affine transform invariant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0065 Extraction of an embedded watermark; Reliable detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0081 whereby both original and watermarked images are required at decoder, e.g. destination-based, non-blind, non-oblivious
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/253 visually
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0034 using watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/004 using digital security elements, e.g. information coded on a magnetic thread or strip
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• 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: G07F 7/086 : by passive credit-cards adapted therefor, e.g. constructive particularities to avoid counterfeiting, e.g. by inclusion of a physical or chemical security-layer for security documents G07D7/00; for the reading of record-carriers in general G06K7/00; for the design of coded credit-cards G06K19/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 : Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 : Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00884 : involving a watermark, i.e. a barely perceptible transformation of the original data which can nevertheless be recognised by an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00891 : embedded in audio data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00846 : based on detection of a dedicated indication, e.g. marks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 : in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• 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 1/3216 : using Fourier transforms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32203 : Spatial or amplitude domain methods H04N1/32309 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32208 : involving changing the magnitude of selected pixels, e.g. overlay of information or super-imposition H04N1/32219, H04N1/32224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32251 : in multilevel data, e.g. greyscale or continuous tone data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32288 : Multiple embedding, e.g. cocktail embedding, or redundant embedding, e.g. repeating the additional information at a plurality of locations in the image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32352 : Controlling detectability or arrangements to facilitate detection or retrieval of the embedded information, e.g. using markers for decoding, detection or retrieval operations H04N1/32149 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3225 : of data relating to an image, a page or a document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 : of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 : of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3249 : data relating to a linked page or object, e.g. hyperlink
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 : which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3271 : Printing or stamping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 : Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information

Abstract

An internet linking method includes providing plural-bit sampled values representing media content at a user'"'"'s computer. This digital data is passed to a processing system, and an identifier of the media content derived from the sampled values is returned from that system. This derived identifier is used to index a database, from which a corresponding URL address is obtained. A link can then be established to that URL address, and information obtained from that address can be presented to the user. A steganographic decoding technique can be used in the processing system to derive the media content identifier. A variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an index number;

by reference to said index number, obtaining from a database an identification of a node on a computer network corresponding thereto;

establishing a link to said identified node;

receiving information from said node; and

controlling operation of a user device in accordance with information received from said node;

wherein the index number is based on information decoded from a steganographically encoded creative data object.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said creative data object represents a graphic having regions of non-uniform tone, and said index number is steganographically encoded in said regions.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said creative data object represents audio.

4. The method of claim 1 in which said controlling includes directing a web browser on the user device to present information received from said identified node.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said creative data object represents still imagery.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said creative data object represents video.

5. The method of claim wherein a web browser performs said decoding of the steganographically encoded creative data object.

6. A method comprising:

providing digital data at a user'"'"'s computer, the data comprising plural-bit sampled values representing media content to be rendered to a user, and optionally including other data that does not comprise plural-bit sampled values representing media content to be rendered to the user;

passing said digital data to a processing system;

receiving from said processing system an identifier of said media content derived from said sampled values;

using said derived identifier to index a database;

obtaining from said database a URL address corresponding to said derived identifier;

establishing a link to said URL address; and

presenting information to the user accordance with information obtained from said URL address;

wherein the method proceeds by reference to an identifier of the media content derived from the sampled values that are to be rendered to the user, rather than being determined by reference to the other data not comprising sampled values representing media content to be rendered to the user.

7. The method of claim 6 in which the digital content includes image content.

8. The method of claim 6 in which the image content comprises a photographic image.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein said sampled values have at least three different values.

10. The method of claim 6 that includes processing said digital data in said processor to decode said identifier therefrom, said identifier earlier having been steganographically encoded by a process that made slight changes to said digital data.

11. The method of claim 6 that includes presenting said information to the user on a screen display on the user'"'"'s computer.

12. The method of claim 6 that includes applying an algorithm to said sampled values representing the media content to derive said identifier from said values.

15. A method comprising:

receiving an index number;

by reference to said index number, obtaining from a database an identification of a node on a computer network corresponding thereto;

establishing a link to said identified node;

receiving information from said node; and

controlling operation of a user device in accordance with information received from said node;

wherein the index number is based on information derived from plural-bit samples representing audio or visual content, wherein said samples are to be rendered to a user.

16. A method comprising:

providing digital data at a user'"'"'s computer, the data comprising plural-bit sampled values corresponding to media content to be rendered to a user, and optionally including other data that does not comprise plural-bit sampled values representing media content to be rendered to the user;

passing said digital data to a processing system;

receiving from said processing system an identifier corresponding to said media content, derived from said sampled values;

using said derived identifier to index a database;

obtaining information corresponding to said derived identifier, from said database; and

by reference to said obtained information, undertaking an action;

wherein the method proceeds by reference to an identifier of the media content derived from the sampled values that are to be rendered to the user, rather than being determined by reference to the other data not comprising sampled values representing media content to be rendered to the user.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said obtained information comprises network address information.

18. The method of claim 16, in which said action includes obtaining information from a remote network resource, and presenting a corresponding response to the user.

19. The method of claim 16, in which said action includes obtaining information associated with the media content, rather than the media content itself, from said network address.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said obtained information comprises an identification of an owner of said media content.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said obtained information comprises billing information related to said media content.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein said obtained information comprises pricing information related to said media content.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein said obtained information relates to promotion of others goods or services.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein said database comprises a distributed database.

25. The method of claim 16 in which the digital content includes image content.

26. The method of claim 16 in which the image content comprises a photographic image.

27. The method of claim 16 wherein said sampled values have at least three different values.

28. The method of claim 16 that includes processing said digital data in said processor to decode said identifier therefrom, said identifier earlier having been steganographically encoded by a process that made slight changes to said digital data.

29. The method of claim 16 that includes applying an algorithm to said sampled values representing the media content to derive said identifier from said values.

30. A method of linking from a data object to other information on a computer network, the method comprising:

by reference to the data object, determining network address information, said determining including indexing a data structure with an identifier corresponding to said data object and obtaining the network address information from said data structure; and

by reference to the network address information, linking to a source of information on said computer network;

wherein;

the data object comprises first and second classes of data, the first class of data comprising sampled values representing audio or visual media content to be rendered to a user, and the second class of data comprising associated header information; and

the identifier derives from the first class of data, rather than the second.

31. The method of claim 30 that includes deriving the identifier by applying an algorithm to said first class of object data, thereby deriving the identifier therefrom.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein said algorithm is a watermark decoding algorithm.