Mark-based content modulation and detection

• US 8,842,725 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2009
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advocado, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Koplar Interactive Systems International, LLC
• Inventors: Chupp, Christopher E., Gramelspacher, Michael S., Lorden, Gary A.
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALLEN C
• Application Number:
  US12/648,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20100166083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,730 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240, 375/240.01, 375/240.03, 375/240.04, 375/240.05, 375/240.12, 375/240.13, 375/240.14, 386/94, 386/233, 386/252, 704/500
• 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:

detecting a first scene change between a first frame and a second frame of a video signal;

selecting a selected frame in the video signal for encoding based on the scene change that is detected, the selected frame identified as a frame that occurs at least one of a first designated number of frames or a first designated time period following the scene change in the video signal;

using an encoder, encoding rights-identifying data into the selected frame of the video signal by adding the data to the video signal at the selected frame; and

determining whether an additional, second scene change occurs within at least one of the first designated number of frames, a second designated number of frames, the first designated time period, or a second designated time period from the scene chance that is identified, wherein encoding the data into the selected frame of the video signal occurs responsive to determining that the additional, second scene change not occurring within the at least one of the first designated number of frames, the second designated number of frames, the first designated time period, or the second designated time period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the selected frame in the video signal includes determining whether the first designated time period has expired following the scene change;

and

wherein the selected frame is identified as the frame occurring at expiration of the first designated time period.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein encoding the data into the selected frame comprises:

encoding the data into an active portion of the selected frame of the video signal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein encoding the data into the active portion comprises:

altering an intensity of a plurality of pixels of the active portion of the selected frame.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein encoding the data into the active portion comprises:

altering a chrominance of a plurality of pixels of the active portion of the selected frame.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is encoded above a noise floor of the video signal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is a static signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data indicates that rights are associated with the video signal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected frame is after the first frame and the second frame in the video signal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the first scene change includes identifying a difference between a luminance level of the first frame and a luminance level of the second frame that is greater than one percent.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a second scene change between a third frame and a fourth frame of the video signal; and

encoding the data into a fifth frame of the video signal based on detecting the second scene change.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is a non-steganographic signal that is encoded into the video signal.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is a non-steganographic signal that is encoded into the video signal above a noise floor of the video signal.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein, prior to adding the rights-identifying data to the video signal, the video signal is a first video signal, and wherein adding the rights-identifying data to the first video signal creates a modulated video signal that includes additional data relative to the first video signal due to addition of the rights-identifying data to the first video signal.

15. A method comprising:

detecting a first scene change between a first frame and a second frame of a video signal;

selecting a selected frame in the video signal for encoding based on the scene change that is detected, the selected frame identified as a frame that occurs at least one of a first designated number of frames or a first designated time period following the scene change in the video signal;

using an encoder, encoding rights-identifying data into the selected frame of the video signal by adding the data to the video signal at the selected frame;

detecting a second scene change between a third frame and a fourth frame of the video signal; and

encoding the data into a fifth frame of the video signal based on detecting the second scene change.