Connected audio and other media objects

• US 6,505,160 B1
• Filed: 05/02/2000
• Issued: 01/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Levy, Kenneth L., Rhoads, Geoffrey B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Application Number:
  US09/563,664
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/317, 348/460, 348/552, 455/3.06, 455/2.01, 455/3.05, 709/217, 709/219, 707/501, 725/22, 725/109, 725/110, 725/112, 725/113, 725/133, 704/243, 704/270, 381/56, 713/176
• US Class Current: 704/270
• 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 25/21 for multiple purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/687 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• 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: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• 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: G06V 30/40 : Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition
• 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: G10L 15/26 : Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 : Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00007 : Time or data compression or expansion audio compression based on psychoacoustics G10L19/00; data processing for reproducing audio data at different playback speeds G10L21/04; video compression H04N19/00; data compression per se H03M7/30
• 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 20/00115 : wherein the record carrier stores a unique medium identifier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00181 : using a content identifier, e.g. an international standard recording code [ISRC] or a digital object identifier [DOI]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0071 : involving a purchase action
• 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: G11B 2020/10537 : Audio or video recording
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10546 : specifically adapted for audio data
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/31 : using in-band signals, e.g. subsonic or cue signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 : which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 : the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 : Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 : Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 : adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00005 : relating to image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00037 : Detecting, i.e. determining the occurrence of a predetermined state H04N1/00031 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00079 : remotely
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00973 : from a remote device, e.g. receiving via the internet instructions input to a computer terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32106 : separate from the image data, e.g. in a different computer file
• 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 1/32128 : attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• 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 1/32229 : with selective or adaptive application of the additional information, e.g. in selected regions of the image H04N1/32213 takes 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 19/61 : in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 : Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• 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 21/435 : Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 : involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• 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 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 : of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3207 : of an address
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3276 : of a customised additional information profile, e.g. a profile specific to a user ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/328 : Processing of the additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 : Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

Media objects are transformed into active, connected objects via identifiers embedded into them or their containers. In the context of a user'"'"'s playback experience, a decoding process extracts the identifier from a media object and possibly additional context information and forwards it to a server. The server, in turn, maps the identifier to an action, such as returning metadata, re-directing the request to one or more other servers, requesting information from another server to identify the media object, etc. The linking process applies to broadcast objects as well as objects transmitted over networks in streaming and compressed file formats.

Claims

1. A method of linking an audio signal to metadata or actions comprising:

in a user'"'"'s player device, decoding an identifier from the audio signal during or before playback of the audio signal;

forwarding the identifier to a remote server via a communication link;

in the remote server, mapping the identifier to an action;

executing the action, including returning data to the player device and presenting at least a portion of the data to a user during or before playback.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifier is in a file header or footer of the audio signal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifier is derived from the audio signal.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the identifier comprises auxiliary data steganographically embedded into the audio signal.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the identifier is dynamically derived from the audio signal by computing a fingerprint of the audio signal.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the fingerprint is derived from a filtered version of the audio signal.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the fingerprint is derived from a hash of the filtered version of the audio signal.

8. A method of linking an audio signal to metadata or actions comprising:

in a user'"'"'s player device, decoding an identifier from the audio signal during or before playback of the object;

forwarding the identifier to a remote server via a communication link;

in the remote server, mapping the identifier to an action;

executing the action, including returning data to the player device and presenting at least a portion of the data to a user during or before playback

wherein the identifier is a broadcaster or distributor ID and context information is used to identify the audio signal.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the context information includes a timestamp, the broadcaster ID is used to identify a corresponding broadcaster playlist, and the timestamp is used to look up an audio signal broadcast at the time indicated by the timestamp.

10. A method of linking an audio signal to metadata or actions comprising:

receiving the audio signal from a user'"'"'s device;

dynamically deriving an identifier from the audio signal by computing a fingerprint of the audio signal;

mapping the identifier to an action;

executing the action, including returning data to the device for presentation of at least a portion of the data to a user.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the returned data includes metadata about the audio signal.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the returned data includes one or more links to other data or an action on a network accessible via the user'"'"'s device.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the one or more links includes a link to an electronic transaction for purchasing a product related to the audio signal.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the one or more links includes a link to a web page.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the one or more links includes a link to a programmatic action for retrieving video or audio via streaming or file download delivery.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the one or more links includes searching a database for additional information related to the audio signal from which the fingerprint is derived.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the fingerprint is derived from a filtered version of the audio signal.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the fingerprint is derived from a hash of the filtered version of the audio signal.

19. The method of claim 10 wherein mapping the identifier to an action includes using context information from the user'"'"'s device to determine the action.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the context information includes user information and the returned data is determined at least in part on the user information.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the context information includes play time of the audio signal and the returned data is determined at least in part on the play time.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the context information includes device information of the user'"'"'s device and the context information is used to determine the type of data to be returned for rendering on the user'"'"'s device.

23. The method of claim 10 wherein the mapping of the identifier is performed in a database that associates identifiers with actions.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the database includes a web interface enabling user'"'"'s to change an association between an identifier and an action.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the database automatically changes actions associated with an identifier according to a rule set.

26. The method of claim 10 wherein the user device is a wireless phone and the returned data is sent to the wireless phone via wireless carrier.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the audio signal is recorded through a microphone for later extraction of the identifier.