Dual channel encoding and detection

• US 8,798,133 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advocado, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Koplar Interactive Systems International, LLC
• Inventors: Gramelspacher, Michael S., Koplar, Edward J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Czekaj, Dave
• Assistant Examiner(s): LI, TRACY Y
• Application Number:
  US12/324,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20090141793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,078 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240.01, 375/240.1
• US Class Current: 375/240.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• 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 7/06 Systems for the simultaneous transmission of one television signal, i.e. both picture and sound, by more than one carrier H04N7/084, H04N7/087 take precedence
• 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

Abstract

Methods and systems for dual channel encoding and detection are described. In one embodiment, auxiliary data may be encoded in an audio portion of one or more frames of a content signal based on an audio encoding technique. The auxiliary data may be encoded in a video portion of the one or more frames based on a video encoding technique. The encoding of the auxiliary data in the audio portion and the video portion may produce a modulated content signal. The modulated content signal may include one or more dual encoded frames. The dual encoded frames may include the auxiliary data encoded within the audio portion and the video portion of the one or more frames. Additional methods and systems are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

encoding test data into a video portion of a content signal to determine which frames of the video portion can be used to encode auxiliary data in at least one of the video portion or an audio portion of the content signal;

analyzing a plurality of the frames of the content signal based on a selection criterion to identify a display frame;

encoding auxiliary data in the audio portion of the display frame of the content signal based on an audio encoding technique; and

separately encoding the auxiliary data in the video portion of the display frame based on a video encoding technique, the video encoding technique altering an active portion of the display frame through a chrominance modulation video encoding technique, a luminance modulation video encoding technique, or both the chrominance modulation video encoding technique and the luminance modulation video encoding technique;

wherein encoding of the auxiliary data in the audio portion and the video portion is based on analysis of the plurality of frames, and

wherein encoding of the same auxiliary data in the audio portion and the video portion of the display frame produces a modulated content signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

broadcasting the modulated content signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio encoding technique includes frequency shift key (FSK) modulation, echo encoding modulation, or a combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the video encoding technique includes chrominance modulation, luminance modulation, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary data encoded in the video portion of the display frame is substantially invisible in the active portion.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the content signal includes a video signal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary data is associated with content presented by the content signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary data includes a device triggering signal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary data includes message data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary data is encoded into the audio portion of the content signal using an audio encoder module that includes hardware circuitry and the same auxiliary data is separately encoded into the video portion of the content signal using a video encoder module that includes hardware circuitry and that is different from the audio encoder module.

11. A method comprising:

encoding test data into a video portion of a content signal to determine which frames of the video portion can be used to encode auxiliary data in at least one of the video portion or an audio portion of the content signal;

analyzing a plurality of the frames of the content signal based on a selection criterion to identify an audio frame selection and a video frame selection;

encoding auxiliary data in the audio portion of the audio frame selection of the content signal; and

separately encoding the auxiliary data in the video portion of the video frame selection of the content signal by altering an active portion of a display frame of the content signal through a chrominance modulation video encoding technique, a luminance modulation video encoding technique, or both the chrominance modulation video encoding technique and the luminance modulation video encoding technique;

wherein encoding of the auxiliary data in the audio portion and the video portion is based on analysis of the plurality of frames, and

wherein the encoding of the audio frame selection and the video frame selection produces a modulated content signal, the modulated content signal including one or more dual encoded frames, the dual encoded frames including the same auxiliary data within the audio portion and the video portion of the one or more dual encoded frames.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein one or more frames of the content signal included in the audio frame selection are the same one or more frames of the content signal included in the video frame selection.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the auxiliary data that is encoded in the video portion of the content signal is substantially invisible.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more dual encoded frames are communicated for viewing on a display device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising further encoding the one or more dual encoded frames prior to communication.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more dual encoded frames are MPEG encoded and the one or more dual encoded frames are communicated for viewing on one or more televisions.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the auxiliary data is encoded in the audio portion using dual tone multiple frequency (DTMF) modulation.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the auxiliary data is encoded in the audio portion using at least one of frequency shift key (FSK) modulation or echo encoding modulation.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the auxiliary data is encoded in the video portion using at least one of chrominance modulation or luminance modulation.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the auxiliary data is encoded into the audio portion of the content signal using an audio encoder module that includes hardware circuitry and the same auxiliary data is separately encoded into the video portion of the content signal using a video encoder module that includes hardware circuitry and that is different from the audio encoder module.