Associating data with images in imaging systems

• US 20060041591A1
• Filed: 08/04/2005
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,429,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

A reference to auxiliary data is steganographically encoded within a media signal. The auxiliary data is stored in a metadata database that maps the reference encoded in the media signal to its corresponding metadata. Various application programs and devices can access the metadata by extracting the reference from the media signal, and querying the database for metadata corresponding to the reference. The metadata database may be implemented in a network server to make metadata readily available to devices and applications distributed throughout a network. This steganographic link to metadata may be used to retrieve metadata across media management systems. In one configuration, for example, media management systems have metadata servers that maintain metadata for a collection of media signals. The metadata server is responsible for responding to requests for metadata associated with media titles in its collection. In the event that a metadata server does not have metadata associated with a particular media title, it forwards the reference extracted from the media signal to a metadata router, which in turn, re-directs the request to the appropriate metadata server.

Claims

1. A method for associating auxiliary data with a media signal, the method comprising:

extracting a steganographic reference to auxiliary data embedded in the media signal;

querying a metadata database to request the auxiliary data associated with the media signal using the extracted reference to access the auxiliary data in the metadata database; and

receiving the auxiliary data from the database.

2. The method of claim 1 including:

using the auxiliary data received from the database to provide a media signal file including the media signal and the auxiliary data.

3. The method of claim 1 including:

sending authentication data to the metadata database to request access to the auxiliary data associated with the media signal.

4. The method of claim 1 including:

sending a request to the metadata database to edit the auxiliary data associated with the media signal.

5. A computer readable medium having software for performing the method of claim 1.

6. A method for associating auxiliary data with a media signal, the method comprising:

maintaining a database of auxiliary data items associated with media signals, each item being associated with a media signal via a reference steganographically encoded in the media signal;

from a requesting application, receiving a request for auxiliary data associated with a media signal, the request including a reference extracted from the media signal;

using the reference to locate the auxiliary data associated with the media signal in the database; and

returning the auxiliary data corresponding to the reference to the requesting application.

7. The method of claim 6 including:

determining whether the requesting application has access rights to the requested auxiliary data.

8. The method of claim 6 including:

determining whether the requesting application has editing rights for the requested auxiliary data.

9. A computer readable medium having software for performing the method of claim 6.

10. A method for associating auxiliary data with a media signal, the method comprising:

maintaining a database of steganographic links and metadata databases associated with the steganographic links;

from a requesting application, receiving a steganographic link extracted from a media signal, the link referencing auxiliary data about the media signal;

using the steganographic link to locate a metadata database that stores the auxiliary data associated with the media signal; and

forwarding the steganographic link to the metadata database that stores the auxiliary data associated with the media signal.

11. A computer readable medium having software for performing the method of claim 10.