Computer linking methods using encoded graphics

• US 6,408,331 B1
• Filed: 09/29/1999
• Issued: 06/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/408,902
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/227, 709/313, 709/328, 380/3, 380/4, 380/5, 380/6, 380/28, 380/54
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/00 Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof printing processes to produce identification or security features B41M3/14
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/328 Diffraction gratings; Holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/14 the marking being sensed by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/18 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06253 for a specific application
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1447 extracting optical codes from image or text carrying said optical code
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/005 Robust watermarking, e.g. average attack or collusion attack resistant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0064 Geometric transfor invariant watermarking, e.g. affine transform invariant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0065 Extraction of an embedded watermark; Reliable detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0081 whereby both original and watermarked images are required at decoder, e.g. destination-based, non-blind, non-oblivious
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/253 visually
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0034 using watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/004 using digital security elements, e.g. information coded on a magnetic thread or strip
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/26 : for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus ticket printing or the like apparatus G07F17/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/086 : by passive credit-cards adapted therefor, e.g. constructive particularities to avoid counterfeiting, e.g. by inclusion of a physical or chemical security-layer for security documents G07D7/00; for the reading of record-carriers in general G06K7/00; for the design of coded credit-cards G06K19/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 : Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 : Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00884 : involving a watermark, i.e. a barely perceptible transformation of the original data which can nevertheless be recognised by an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00891 : embedded in audio data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00846 : based on detection of a dedicated indication, e.g. marks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 : in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• 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 1/3216 : using Fourier transforms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32203 : Spatial or amplitude domain methods H04N1/32309 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32208 : involving changing the magnitude of selected pixels, e.g. overlay of information or super-imposition H04N1/32219, H04N1/32224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32251 : in multilevel data, e.g. greyscale or continuous tone data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32288 : Multiple embedding, e.g. cocktail embedding, or redundant embedding, e.g. repeating the additional information at a plurality of locations in the image
• 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: H04N 2201/3225 : of data relating to an image, a page or a document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 : of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 : of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3249 : data relating to a linked page or object, e.g. hyperlink
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 : which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3271 : Printing or stamping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 : Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information

Abstract

A data object comprises both a graphic and embedded link information, such as the URL address of a network node, thereby permitting the graphic object to serve as a link usable by an internet browser or the like.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing an encoded physical medium including a graphic, the graphic having machine readable linking information encoded therein, the encoded linking information indicating a computer implemented process;

sensing the graphic, yielding graphic data;

decoding the machine readable information from the graphic data; and

invoking the computer implemented process;

wherein said machine readable information is decoded from graphic data having substantially non-uniform pixel values.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the machine readable linking information includes a uniform resource locator, and the computer implemented process indicated by the machine readable linking information is a web page.

3. The method of claim 2 in which the invoking comprises establishing a communications link with the web page, and displaying the web page on a display screen.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the machine readable information includes at least part of an internet address, and the computer implemented process is invoked by addressing said address.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the sensing comprises optically sensing.

6. The method of claim 5 in which the sensing comprises sensing with a linear array of sensors.

7. The method of claim 5 in which the sensing comprises sensing with a two-dimensional array of sensors.

8. The method of claim 1 in which the computer implemented process comprises rendering instructions including HTML instructions.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the graphic is printed on said medium.

10. The method of claim 1 in which the graphic is steganographically encoded with the machine readable linking information.

11. A method comprising:

providing an encoded physical medium, including a graphic wherein machine readable linking information has been encoded, the encoded linking information indicating a computer implemented process;

in response to the user selecting the graphic, decoding the machine readable information encoded within the graphic; and

invoking the computer implemented process;

wherein said machine readable linking information is decoded from a graphic having substantially non-uniform pixel values.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the graphic includes plural colors.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the machine readable linking information includes a uniform resource locator, and the computer implemented process indicated by the machine readable linking information is a web page.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the invocation of the computer implemented process includes:

establishing a communication link between the computer system and the web page; and

displaying the web page upon a display screen of the computer system.

16. The medium of claim 15 wherein the graphic includes plural colors.

12. An encoded physical medium suitable for use in interfacing a computer user and a computer system such that the user can invoke and interface with a web site by way of the encoded physical medium and the computer system, the encoded physical medium comprising a graphic wherein machine readable linking information has been encoded, the encoded linking information indicating a particular web site, the computer system operable to establish a communication link with the web site when the graphic is selected by the computer user, the graphic displaying human readable information in the form of at least one graphical icon, the at least one graphical icon providing an indication of at least one characteristic of the particular web page to which the encoded linking information directs the computer system, wherein said machine readable information is encoded in a graphic having substantially non-uniform pixel values..