Integrating and enhancing searching of media content and biometric databases

• US 7,606,790 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2004
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Levy, Kenneth L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, BINH VAN
• Application Number:
  US10/794,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20040243567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,057 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/436 using biological or physiological data of a human being, e.g. blood pressure, facial expression, gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

The digital era is creating problems with identity and content theft. The solutions require searching different databases containing similar data. The novel method demonstrates how to search these different databases for similar information via TransMetaWarp routers and/or databases. Embodiments provide different balances of security and privacy issues, such as search-only TransMetaWarp routers and master TransMetaWarp databases. The system is applicable to biometrics for identity cards, such as drivers'"'"' licenses, as well as metadata, such as content title, creator information, and tour information, or content identification for entertainment content.

Claims

1. A router method that transforms search criteria to search one or more different databases, the method comprising:

receiving a search request including search criteria from a requesting computing device, the search request comprising a perceptual characteristic of an audio or video signal;

converting the search criteria into one or more different search criteria for corresponding different databases such that formats of the different search criteria are compatible with the different databases to which the different search criteria are submitted, including transforming the perceptual characteristic of the audio or video signal into different perceptual characteristic formats corresponding to the different databases;

wherein the transforming includes mathematically transforming the perceptual characteristic of the audio or video signal into different hash formats corresponding to the different databases, and wherein the different databases comprise databases including an index of audio or video content in which audio or video signals have been automatically indexed in the different hash formats corresponding to the different databases based on perceptual features derived from the audio or video signals;

submitting the different search criteria to the corresponding databases that generate search results in the different databases;

wherein the search results are generated by searching the different databases, including comparing hashes in the different hash formats with hashes in the different databases, the search results being forwarded to a requesting computing device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the different databases have different database protocols for searching perceptual characteristics of audio or video signals.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the different databases have different database formats associating audio or video signals with metadata for the audio or video signals.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the different databases have different audio or video classification schemes.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the different databases have different data formats of metadata of audio or video signals.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the search request comprises a search for entertainment content metadata for the audio or video signal.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the results comprise metadata of the audio or video signal that are transformed to appropriate form for the requesting user.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein some of the results are not returned to the requesting user due to a security restriction associated with the requesting user.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the security restriction comprises a security clearance level of the requesting user.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the results are routed through a requesting database.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the security restriction comprises a security classification of a requesting database.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the computing device comprises a router including a database that automatically and periodically saves content transformed to a master database format.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein conversion includes a mathematical transformation of the perceptual characteristic of the audio or video signal.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein conversion includes perceptual metadata warping.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the transforming includes transforming the perceptual characteristic of the audio or video signal into different, but similar perceptual terms corresponding to different classifications schemes of the different databases, and wherein the search results are generated by searching for the different perceptual terms in the different classification schemes of different indexed databases of audio or video signals.

15. A computer readable medium on which is stored instructions, which when executed by a computer, perform a router method that transforms search criteria to search one or more different databases, the method comprising:

receiving a search request including search criteria from a requesting computing device, the search request comprising a perceptual characteristic of an audio or video signal;

converting the search criteria into one or more different search criteria for corresponding different databases such that formats of the different search criteria are compatible with the different databases to which the different search criteria are submitted, including transforming the perceptual characteristic of the audio or video signal into different perceptual characteristic formats corresponding to the different databases;

wherein the transforming includes mathematically transforming the perceptual characteristic of the audio or video signal into different hash formats corresponding to the different databases, and wherein the different databases comprise databases including an index of audio or video content in which audio or video signals have been automatically indexed in the different hash formats corresponding to the different databases based on perceptual features derived from the audio or video signals;

submitting the different search criteria to the corresponding databases that generate search results in the different databases;

wherein the search results are generated by searching the different databases, including comparing hashes in the different hash formats with hashes in the different databases, the search results being forwarded to a requesting computing device.