Mark-based content modulation and detection

• US 7,664,175 B1
• Filed: 06/14/2005
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Advocado, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Koplar Interactive Systems International, LLC
• Inventors: Gramelspacher, Michael S., Lorden, Gary A., Chupp, Christopher E.
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALLEN C
• Application Number:
  US11/152,636
• Time in Patent Office: 1,708 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240, 375/240.01, 375/240.12
• US Class Current: 375/240.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• 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 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• 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 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/025 Systems for the transmission of digital non-picture data, e.g. of text during the active part of a television frame transmission of digital non-picture data during the vertical blanking interval only H04N7/088
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/08 Systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal, e.g. additional information signals, the signals occupying wholly or partially the same frequency band , e.g. by time division H04N7/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method for modulating mark (20) within content signal (18) that has frames, where each of the frames has content lines and one or more measurable parameters, where each of the content lines has pixels, and where each of the pixels has a value, the method comprising selecting framesets from among the frames of the content signal; modulating at least two of the framesets; and causing mark (20) to be present within content signal (18) by at least modulating at least two of the framesets.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

analyzing a plurality of frame subsets of a content signal by a processor to detect existence of an isolated change in a measurable parameter within a plurality of frames of a content signal, a particular frame subset including a plurality of subset frames;

designating a change in measurable parameter (CMP) frame and a comparison frame among the plurality of subset frames by the processor based on the existence of the isolated change, the CMP frame having the isolated change in the measurable parameter;

selecting a plurality of selected frames of the content signal at a frame offset of zero or more frames from the CMP frame by the processor as a particular frameset of a plurality of framesets;

designating one or more line designation patterns for the plurality of frames of the plurality of framesets by the processor, a particular line designation pattern of the one or more line designation patterns including a designation of a particular content line of a plurality of content lines of a particular field as a normal line or an inverse, the particular field being of a particular frame of the plurality of frames; and

modulating the plurality of content lines of the particular field of at least two of the plurality of selected framesets by the processor in accordance with the one or more line designation patterns to

embed a rights assertion mark within an active portion the content signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a previous frame is the comparison frame.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing of the one or more frame subsets comprises:

analyzing a plurality of encode frame parameters associated with the plurality of subset frames of the particular frame subset; and

qualifying a selection criteria for the particular frame subset based on the analyzing of the plurality of encode frame parameters.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the analyzing of the plurality of encode frame parameters comprises at least one of:

calculating the measurable parameter of a first field for a particular subset frame of the plurality of subset frames,

calculating the measurable parameter of a second field for the particular subset frame of the plurality of subset frames,

obtaining the measurable parameter of the first field for the particular subset frame of the plurality of subset frames,

obtaining the more measurable parameter of the second field for the particular subset frame of the plurality of subset frames,

or combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the analyzing of the plurality of the encode frame parameters further comprises:

calculating a matching property value for the first field of the selected subset frame; and

calculating the matching property value for the second field of the selected subset frame.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the qualifying of the selection criteria comprises:

determining whether there is a single frame in a the particular frame subset that has the isolated change in the measurable parameter that is greater than a selection threshold.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the qualifying of the selection criteria comprises:

calculating a first flag and a first field position for a first fields subset of the particular frame subset;

calculating a second flag and a second field position for a second fields subset of the particular frame subset;

calculating a field offset by subtracting the second field position from the first field position;

indicating the selection criteria has been met when the first flag and the second flag are true, the first field position is an isolated frame of the particular frame subset, and the field offset is within an offset range of one.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a consistent line designation pattern as the one or more line designation patterns.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the modulating of the content lines comprises:

modulating the content lines of the particular field of the at least two of the plurality of selected framesets in accordance with the one or more line designation patterns and a static pattern to embed the rights assertion mark within the active portion of the video signal.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the modulating of the plurality content lines comprises:

(i) determining whether a current line of the plurality of content lines is a normal line or an inverse line;

(ii) determining whether a pattern position of the static pattern that corresponds to a current pixel of the current line is positive or negative;

(iii) making a first adjustment to the current pixel based on a luminance level adjustment value when the current line is normal and the pattern position is positive;

(iv) making a second adjustment to the current pixel based on the luminance level adjustment value when the current line is normal and the pattern position is negative;

(v) making the second adjustment to the current pixel based on the luminance level adjustment value when the current line is inverse and the pattern position is positive;

(vi) making the first adjustment to the current pixel based on the luminance level adjustment value when the current line is inverse and the pattern position is negative;

(vii) repeating steps (ii)-(vi) for a plurality of pixels on the current line; and

(viii) repeating steps (i)-(vii) for the plurality of content lines in the selected field.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein making the first adjustment is adding the luminance level adjustment value to the current pixel and making the second adjustment is subtracting the luminance level adjustment value from the current pixel.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the measurable parameter includes a change in total luminance level (TLL).

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the static pattern is a gramelchupp pattern.

14. A computer-readable medium comprising computer executable instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the following operations:

analyze a plurality of frame subsets of a content signal to detect existence of an isolated change in a measurable parameter within a plurality of frames of a content signal, a particular frame subset including a plurality of subset frames;

designate a change in measurable parameter (CMP) frame and a comparison frame among the plurality of subset frames based on the existence of the isolated change, the CMP frame having the isolated change in the measurable parameter;

select a plurality of selected frames of the content signal at a frame offset of zero or more frames from the CMP frame as a particular frameset of a plurality of framesets;

designate one or more line designation patterns for the plurality of frames of the plurality of framesets by a processor, a particular line designation pattern of the one or more line designation patterns including a designation of a particular content line of a plurality of content lines of a particular field as a normal line or an inverse, the particular field being of a particular frame of the plurality of frames; and

modulate the plurality of content lines of the particular field of at least two of the plurality of selected framesets in accordance with the one or more line designation patterns to embed a rights assertion mark within an active portion the content signal.