Digital media methods

• US 8,055,588 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2006
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Agwumezie; Charles C
• Application Number:
  US11/382,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20070195987A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,007 Days
• Field of Search: 705/50, 705/51
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1063 Personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1078 Logging; Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0248 Avoiding fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

A consumer who encounters music of interest can operate a portable device to obtain a display of associated meta data (e.g., the title and artist, the artist'"'"'s concert schedule, etc.) obtained from a remote computer system. The consumer can then initiate an electronic commerce transaction from the device, e.g., ordering a copy of a song. The song, or a link thereto, can be sent to the consumer (either at the originating device, or a separate device), or can be sent to another person designated by the consumer. A variety of other technologies and arrangements are also detailed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

extracting, using a processor, plural-bit data corresponding to an audio signal, wherein the plural-bit data comprises statistically unique identification data for the audio signal;

providing the plural-bit data from a first computer system to a second, remote computer system;

receiving at the first computer system, from the second, remote computer system and responsive to the transmission of the plural-bit data from the first computer system, meta data associated with the audio, wherein the meta data includes title and artist information;

presenting a portion of the meta data on a display of the first computer system;

sensing an interest signal for electronic content associated with the meta data;

transmitting data related to the interest signal user indication from the first computer system to a remote system; and

in response, electronically delivering corresponding content data to a desired third computer system distinct from the first computer system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computer system comprises a portable device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the sensing comprises sensing ambient audio, using a microphone in the portable device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the portable device comprises a cell phone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted data also serves to designate a recipient of the corresponding content data, different from a user of the first computer system, and wherein the method comprises delivering the corresponding content data to a third computer system associated with the recipient.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising selecting the recipient from an electronic address book.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivered content data comprises a link to a network address from which electronic content can be obtained.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising decoding steganographically embedded information from the sensed audio.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plural-bit data has no literal meaning by itself, but serves to identify associated information in the second, remote computer system.

10. A method comprising:

sensing audio data at a portable computer device;

extracting plural-bit data from the sensed audio data;

sending the plural-bit data to a remote computer system;

receiving, at the portable computer device, from the remote computer system, meta data associated with the sensed audio, wherein the meta data includes title information;

presenting a portion of the meta data on a display of the portable computer device;

in connection with a user'"'"'s interaction with a user interface associated with the device, sensing an interest signal for electronic content associated with the meta data;

transmitting data related to the user indication interest signal from the portable device to a remote system; and

in response, delivering corresponding content data to a computer distinct from the portable computer device and distinct from the remote computer system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the plural-bit data does not convey any meaning by itself, but serves to identify associated information in the remote computer system.

12. A tangible computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

extracting plural-bit data corresponding to an audio signal, wherein the plural-bit data comprises statistically unique identification data for the audio signal;

providing the plural-bit data from the computing device to a second, remote computer system;

receiving at the computing device, from the second, remote computer system and responsive to the transmission of the plural-bit data from the computing device, meta data associated with the audio, wherein the meta data includes title and artist information;

presenting a portion of the meta data on a display of the computing device;

sensing an interest signal for electronic content associated with the meta data;

transmitting data related to the interest signal from the computing device to a remote system; and

electronically delivering corresponding content data to a desired third computer system distinct from the computing device.

13. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the computing device comprises a portable device.

14. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the sensing comprises sensing ambient audio, using a microphone in the portable device.

15. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the portable device comprises a cell phone.

16. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the transmitted data also serves to designate a recipient of the corresponding content data, different from a user of the computing device, and wherein the method comprises delivering the corresponding content data to a third computer system associated with the recipient.

17. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising selecting the recipient from an electronic address book.

18. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the delivered content data comprises a link to a network address from which electronic content can be obtained.

19. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising decoding steganographically embedded information from the sensed audio.

20. A tangible computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

sensing audio data at the computing device;

extracting plural-bit data from the sensed audio data;

sending the plural-bit data to a remote computer system;

receiving, at the computing device, from the remote computer system, meta data associated with the sensed audio, wherein the meta data includes title information;

presenting a portion of the meta data on a display of the computing device;

sensing an interest signal for electronic content associated with the meta data in connection with a user'"'"'s interaction with a user interface associated with the computing device;

transmitting data related to the interest signal from the computing device to a remote system; and

delivering corresponding content data to a computer distinct from the computing device and distinct from the remote computer system.