Method and system for utilizing GPS information to secure digital media

• US 8,705,791 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2012
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mamidwar, Rajesh, Chen, Xuemin, Brownhill, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Repko, Jason M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nakhjavan, Shervin
• Application Number:
  US13/587,695
• Publication Number:
  US 20130011005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 713/168, 713/176, 713/178, 713/179, 358/3.28, 380/201
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23892 involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4181 for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• 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

Abstract

A device such as a set-top-box, digital TV, DVD player, multi-media player, cellular telephone or digital cinema player that may handle data such as multimedia data and/or audio/video signals, may determine its location. The device may determine its location based on GPS information and may send its location it to an external entity, for example, a service provider. The device may generate a watermark comprising its determined location and may embed or insert the watermark within the data. AlsoIn addition, the generated watermark may comprise one or more of a unique identifier for the device, a source of the data, for example, a service provider, a date and a time. The watermark may be secured via processing, for example, the watermark may be encrypted prior to being embedded. The data may be compressed when embedding the watermark. The watermark embedding process may be handled via a secure embedded processor and/or secure code.

Claims

1. A method for marking data, the method comprising:

receiving multimedia data and information about a location of a first device based on global positioning system (GPS) data, by said first device via a network from a single source;

generating by said first device a watermark comprising a representation of said location of said first device; and

embedding by said first device said generated watermark with said representation of said location of said first device within said received multimedia data.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising embedding within said watermark one or more of a unique identifier of said first device, a source of said multimedia data and information about said location of said first device based on GPS, a date and a time.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising securing one or more of said representation of said location of said first device, said unique identifier of said first device, said source of said multimedia data and information about said location of said first device based on GPS, said date, said time and said generated watermark.

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising embedding said generated watermark within compressed data.

5. The method according to claim 1, comprising sending said representation of said location of said first device to an entity external to said first device.

6. The method according to claim 1, comprising embedding said watermark within said received multimedia data via one or more of a secure embedded processor and secure code.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising one or more of storing, processing and distributing said received multimedia data comprising said embedded watermark.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said generated watermark is an invisible watermark.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first device comprises one or more of a set-top-box, an audio video display system, a digital TV, a DVD player, a multi-media player and a digital cinema player.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information is long term orbit (LTO) data.

11. A system for marking data, the system comprising:

one or more circuits for use in a first device that handles processing of multimedia data and information about a location of said first device based on global positioning system (GPS) data, wherein said one or more circuits are operable configured to;

receive, by said first device via a network from a single source, said multimedia data and information about said location of said first device based on GPS data;

generate by said first device a watermark comprising a representation of said location of said first device; and

embed by said first device said generated watermark with said representation of said location of said first device within said received multimedia data.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said one or more circuits are configured to embed within said watermark, one or more of a unique identifier for said device, a source of said multimedia data and information about said location of said first device based on GPS data, a date and a time.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said one or more circuits are configured to secure one or more of said representation of said location of said first device, said unique identifier for said first device, said source of multimedia data and information about said location of said first device based on GPS data, said date, said time and said generated watermark.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein said one or more circuits are configured to embed said generated watermark within compressed data.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein said one or more circuits are configured to send said representation of said location of said first device to an entity external to said first device.

16. The system according to claim 11, wherein said one or more circuits are configured to embed said watermark within said multimedia data via one or more of a secure embedded processor and secure code.

17. The system according to claim 11, wherein said one or more circuits are configured to enable one or more of storing, processing, and distributing said processed multimedia data comprising said embedded watermark.

18. The system according to claim 11, wherein said generated watermark is an invisible watermark.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable storage having stored thereon, a computer program having at least one code section for marking data, the at least one code section being executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform steps comprising:

receiving, by a first device via a network from a single source, multimedia data and information about a location of said first device based on global positioning system (GPS) data;

generating by said first device a watermark comprising a representation of said location of said first device; and

embedding by said first device said generated watermark with said representation of said location of said first device within said received multimedia data.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage according to claim 19, wherein said at least one code section further comprises code that enables:

embedding within said watermark, one or more of a unique identifier of said first device, a source of said multimedia data and information about said location of said first device based on GPS data, a date and a time; and

securing one or more of said representation of said location of said first device, said unique identifier of said first device, said source of said multimedia data and information about said location of said first device based on GPS data, said date, said time and said generated watermark.

21. The non-transitory machine-readable storage according to claim 19, wherein said at least one code section comprises code that enables embedding said generated watermark within compressed data.

22. The non-transitory machine-readable storage according to claim 19, wherein said at least one code section further comprises code that enables sending said representation of said location of said first device to an entity external to said first device.

23. The non-transitory machine-readable storage according to claim 19, wherein said at least one code section comprises code that enables embedding said watermark within said data via one or more of a secure embedded processor and secure code.

24. The non-transitory machine-readable storage according to claim 19, wherein said at least one code section further comprises code that enables one or more of storing, processing and distributing said processed multimedia data comprising said embedded watermark.

25. The non-transitory machine-readable storage according to claim 19, wherein said generated watermark is an invisible watermark.