PATTERN-BASED ENCODING AND DETECTION

• US 20070071322A1
• Filed: 09/18/2006
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advocado, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Koplar Interactive Systems International, LLC
• Inventors: Barsoum, Yousri, Maltagliati, Alan, Withers, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,974,435 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/181
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23892 involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• 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

Abstract

A method and system for encoding a content signal having one or more content segments. The one or more content segments of the content signal are identifying or obtained. One or more encoded patterns are superimposed or inserted in a segment portion of at least one of the one or more content segments by use of an insertion method that renders the one or more encoded patterns substantially invisible within the content signal. A method for detecting an encoded message within an encoded content signal. A pattern format is identified in at least one of the content segments. One or more encoded patterns are extracted from the one or more pattern formatted identified content segments. The one or more encoded patterns are decoded. The encoded message decoded from the encoded content signal is utilized.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing one or more content segments of a content signal; and

encoding with an encoding method one or more identification patterns into each of the one or more content segments in a substantially invisible way.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the one or more identification patterns to define a message.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising selecting at least one of a trigger for an event on a device, an indication of the presence of rights associated with the content signal, a promotional opportunity, an electronic game play enhancement, a uniform resource locator (URL), an electronic coupon, or an index to a database as the message.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting one or more bar codes as the one or more identification patterns.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising selecting one or more multi-dimensional bar codes as the one or more bar codes.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the content segment from a signal source; and

outputting the encoded content segment to a broadcast source.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining operator instructions from an operator.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting at least one of a standard definition (SD) video signal, a high definition (HD) video signal, a National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) video signal, a phase alternation line (PAL) video signal, a Systeme Electronique Couleur Avec Memoire (SECAM) video signal, a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) signal, a sequence of Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEGs) images, or a sequence of bitmaps as the content signal.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a frame of the content signal as the content segment.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a field of the content signal as the content segment.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting at least one of luminance modulation or chrominance modulation as the encoding method.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting an encoding method for the one or more identification patterns where the one or more identification patterns are not normally visually detectable by a viewer of the content signal as the substantially invisible way.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting at least one of superimposing the one or more identification patterns into the one or more content segments or inserting the one or more identification patterns into each of the one or more content segments as the encoding method.

14. A method comprising:

performing a pattern format determination to identify a content segment with a pattern format;

extracting one or more identification patterns from the identified content segment;

decoding the one or more identification patterns to obtain at least one selected from a group consisting of an encoded message and a message portion.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

utilizing the encoded message.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting at least one of determining whether segment differences of the content segment appear to be in a format of a pattern or identifying a first pattern portion and a second pattern portion in the content segment as the pattern format determination.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein extracting one or more identification patterns from the pattern format identified content segment comprises:

enhancing the pattern format from the content segment;

determining whether the pattern format is a valid pattern; and

identifying the one or more identification patterns as the pattern format.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising utilizing a threshold by which pixels of the content segment above the threshold are made black and pixels below the threshold are made white to enhance the pattern format.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining whether the pattern format is a valid pattern by matching the pattern format with one or more prestored patterns.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising selecting at least one of a trigger for an event on a device, an indication of the presence of rights associated with the content signal, a promotional opportunity, an electronic game play enhancement, a uniform resource locator (URL), an electronic coupon, or an index to a database as the message.

21. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

access one or more content segments; and

encode with an encoding method one or more identification patterns into each of the one or more content segments in a substantially invisible way.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 21 further comprising instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

receive the content segment from a signal source; and

output the encoded content segment to a broadcast source.

23. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

perform a pattern format determination to identify a content segment with a pattern format;

extract one or more identification patterns from the identified content segment;

decode the one or more identification patterns to obtain at least one of an encoded message or a message portion.

24. The machine-readable medium of claim 23 further comprising instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

utilize the encoded message.