Digitally watermarked maps and signs and related navigational tools

• US 20020147910A1
• Filed: 04/10/2001
• Published: 10/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Brundage, Trent J., Lofgren, Neil
• Granted Patent: US 7,249,257 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0042 Fragile watermarking, e.g. so as to detect tampering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0071 using multiple or alternating watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0051 Embedding of the watermark in the spatial domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0052 Embedding of the watermark in the frequency domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0061 Embedding of the watermark in each block of the image, e.g. segmented watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32144 embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Maps and signs are embedded with plural bit data in the form of digital watermarks. In one embodiment, the plural-bit data includes location information with respect to a map. A handheld reading device extracts the location information from the map. The reading device then compares the location information with a physical location of the device. Feedback is provided to help a device user to correlate the map location with the physical location. In another embodiment, signs are watermarked to provide navigational and informational aids. The watermarks may include unique identifiers, which allow database lookup of related information.

Claims

1. A map divided into a plurality of areas, with each area comprising at least one embedded digital watermark including location information for the respective map area.

2. The map according to claim 1, wherein the location information comprises a center location for the respective map area.

3. The map according to claim 1, wherein the respective map area comprises a boundary and the location information comprises coordinates for the boundary.

4. The map according to claim 1, wherein the respective map area comprises four comers and the location information comprises coordinates for each of the four comers.

5. The map according to claim 1, wherein the at least one embedded digital watermark includes a coverage area of the map.

6. The map according to claim 5, wherein the at least one embedded digital watermark includes an orientation signal.

7. An apparatus to read digital watermarks embedded within a map, the map being divided into a plurality of areas, with each area comprising at least one embedded digital watermark including location information for the respective map area, said apparatus comprising:

a global positioning system receiver to determine a location of said apparatus;

an input device to capture an image of at least a portion of the respective map area;

memory including executable software instructions stored therein, the instructions to extract the location information from the at least one embedded digital watermark from the captured image of at least a portion of the respective map area, and to correlate the location of the apparatus with the extracted location information;

electronic processing circuitry to execute the software instructions; and

an output device to indicate the correlation of the apparatus location and the captured watermark location information.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said apparatus is a handheld apparatus.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the output device provides one of an LED indication, arrow indication, audio indication, grid indication, and visual display.

10. A method of making a map comprising an improvement of:

dividing a map into a plurality of areas;

steganographically encoding plural-bit location data within each of the plurality of areas, wherein the location data is unique per each of the plurality of areas.

11. A method of navigating with a map embedded with digital watermarks comprising the steps of:

extracting a digital watermark from the map, the digital watermark including location information which uniquely identifies the respective map watermark extraction area;

comparing the location information to a physical location; and

providing feedback to correlate the location information and the physical location.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the location information comprises an index, and said method further comprises the step indexing a database with the index to identify location information.

15. The sign according to claim 14, wherein in the unique identifier identifies the location of the sign.

16. The sign according to claim 14, wherein the unique identifier conveys a message.

17. The sign according to claim 16, wherein the message is one of a speed limit, directions, location of an establishment, and seating information.

18. The sign according to claim 14, wherein the unique identifier is an index for a database, the database comprising data records.

19. The sign according to claim 18, wherein a data record comprises at least one of a speed limit, directions, location of an establishment, Java applets, lodging vacancy, menu, hours of operation, tourist information, HTML code, URL page, IP address, and seating information.

12. A method of correlating a physical location to a map location, the map being divided into a plurality of areas, with each area comprising at least one embedded digital watermark including location information for the respective area, the method comprising the steps of:

extracting the location information from the watermark at the map location;

comparing the extracted location information to global positioning system (GPS) received coordinates of the physical location;

providing feedback based on the comparison of the physical location and the map location.

14. A sign having plural bit data encoded thereon in the form of a digital watermark, the data comprising a unique identifier.

20. A method comprising the steps of:

capturing an image of a sign;

extracting a digital watermark from the captured image, the watermark including plural-bit data; and

outputting a response in accordance with the plural-bit data.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of interrogating a database with the plural-bit data to locate a corresponding web page address.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the response comprises displaying the web page associated with the web page address.

23. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of accessing a file associated with the plural-bit data, the file including one of audio, video, and text data.

27. The method according to claim 26, further comprising the step of wirelessly accessing the database.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the database information includes at least one of road directions, restaurant information, store or restaurant promotions, coupons, tourist information, historical information, zoo information, amusement park information, rest-stop information, road conditions, road work information, and detour information.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the feedback comprises at least one of visual feedback, audible feedback, text feedback, graphical user interface feedback, laser pointer illumination and a printed document.

24. An apparatus to read digital watermarks embedded within a map, the map being divided into a plurality of areas, with each area comprising at least one embedded digital watermark including location information for the respective map area, said apparatus comprising:

a global positioning system receiving means for determining a location of said apparatus;

input means for inputting an image of at least a portion of the respective map area;

memory means for maintaining executable software instructions stored therein, the instructions to extract the location information from the at least one embedded digital watermark from the captured image of at least a portion of the respective map area, and to correlate the location of the apparatus with the extracted location information;

processing means for processing the software instructions; and

output means for outputting a correlation of the apparatus location and the watermark location information.

25. An apparatus to read digital watermarks embedded within a map, the digital watermarks including location information for respective map locations, said apparatus comprising:

a global positioning system receiving means for determining a physical location of said apparatus;

input means for inputting data corresponding to at least a portion of the respective map area;

processing means for extracting the location information from the input data and for correlating the physical location with the extracted location information; and

output means for outputting an indication of the relative correlation between the apparatus location and the watermark location information.

26. A method comprising the steps of:

accessing a database comprising information;

retrieving a subset of the database information;

storing the retrieved subset of database information in a handheld computing device, the handheld device including an input device;

capturing a portion of a digitally watermarked map by the input device, the portion including at least one watermark comprising map location information;

in the handheld computing device, determining which of the retrieved subset database information corresponds to the map location information; and

providing the corresponding retrieved subset database information as feedback.

30. A method comprising the steps of:

inputting a map location to a computing device;

determining a current location;

in the computing device, determining a relationship between the input map location and the current location; and

providing directions from the current location to the input map location.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the map includes a plurality of digital watermarks, and said inputting step comprises the steps of reading at least one digital water, the watermark comprising the map location.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein said determining a current location step comprises a step of receiving GPS signals to determine the current location.