Geographic-based signal detection

• US 8,818,017 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2011
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Andrews, Hoyet Harrison III, Rosove, Stuart Filip, Rodriguez, Tony F.
• Primary Examiner(s): BHATNAGAR, ANAND P
• Application Number:
  US13/109,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20120129547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/232, 380/54, 380/210, 380/252, 380/287, 713/176, 704/200.1, 704/273, 381/73.1, 348/460, 348/463
• US Class Current: 382/100
• 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: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/608 Watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0872 using geo-location information, e.g. location data, time, relative position or proximity to other entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32352 Controlling detectability or arrangements to facilitate detection or retrieval of the embedded information, e.g. using markers for decoding, detection or retrieval operations H04N1/32149 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

The disclosure relates generally to geographic-based signal detection. One claims recites a method including: receiving information indicating a geographical area; with reference to at least a portion of the information indicating a geographical area, selecting a machine-readable indicia detector that corresponds to the information indicating a geographical area; using a programmed processor, processing machine-readable indicia with the selected machine-readable indicia detector to obtain a plural-bit message; and carrying out an action using the plural-bit message. Of course, other claims and combinations are provided as well.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving information indicating a location;

with reference to at least a portion of the information indicating a location, selecting a machine-readable indicia detector based on the at least a portion of the information indicating a location;

using a programmed processor, processing machine-readable indicia with the selected machine-readable indicia detector to obtain a plural-bit message; and

carrying out an action using the plural-bit message.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the information indicating a location is received from a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

3. The method of claim 1 in which a cell phone executes said method.

4. The method of claim 3 in which the information indicating a location is received from a network communicating with the cell phone.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the machine-readable indicia comprises a 2D-barcode.

6. The method of claim 5 in which the 2D-barcode comprises an encrypted 2D-barcode.

7. The method of claim 6 in which the selected machine-readable indicia detector comprises at least a decryption key that corresponds to encryption used to encrypt the encrypted 2D-barcode.

8. The method of claim 1 in which the machine-readable indicia comprises steganographic encoding.

9. A programmed cell phone comprising instructions stored therein, said instructions cause said programmed cell phone to perform the method of claim 1.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, said instructions cause an electronic processor to perform the method of claim 1.

11. A computing device programmed to perform the method of claim 1.

12. A cell phone comprising:

a location module for receiving information indicating a location;

a processor programmed for;

with reference to at least a portion of the information indicating a location, selecting a machine-readable indicia detector based on the at least a portion of the information indicating a location;

processing machine-readable indicia with the selected machine-readable indicia detector to obtain a plural-bit message; and

carrying out an action using the plural-bit message.

13. The cell phone of claim 12 in which the location module comprises a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

14. The cell phone of claim 12 in which the location module comprises a receiver for receiving the information indicating a location.

15. The cell phone of claim 12 in which the machine-readable indicia comprises a 2D-barcode.

16. The cell phone of claim 15 in which the 2D-barcode comprises an encrypted 2D-barcode.

17. The cell phone of claim 16 in which the selected machine-readable indicia detector comprises at least a decryption key that corresponds to encryption used to encrypt the encrypted 2D-barcode.

18. The cell phone of claim 12 in which the machine-readable indicia comprises steganographic encoding.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to cause a cell phone to perform the following:

obtain information indicating a location;

with reference to at least a portion of the information indicating a location, selecting a machine-readable indicia detector based on the at least a portion of the information indicating a location;

processing machine-readable indicia with the selected machine-readable indicia detector to obtain a plural-bit message; and

carrying out an action using the plural-bit message.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19 in which the information indicating a location is obtained via the cell phone'"'"'s global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19 in which the machine-readable indicia comprises a 2D-barcode.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21 in which the 2D-barcode comprises an encrypted 2D-barcode.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 22 in which the selected machine-readable indicia detector comprises at least a decryption key that corresponds to encryption used to encrypt the encrypted 2D-barcode.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19 in which the machine-readable indicia comprises steganographic encoding.