Intelligent electronic appliance system and method

• US 6,850,252 B1
• Filed: 10/05/2000
• Issued: 02/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hoffberg Family Trust 2, Blanding Hovenweep LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC), STEVEN M. HOFFBERG 2004-1 GRAT
• Original Assignee: STEVEN M. HOFFBERG 2004-1 GRAT
• Inventors: Hoffberg, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Ba
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chuong, Truc T
• Application Number:
  US09/680,049
• Time in Patent Office: 1,580 Days
• Field of Search: 345/760, 345/866, 345/717, 345/749, 345/716, 345/727, 380/201, 380/252, 713/776, 381/71, 381/72, 381/370, 381/371
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/103 Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4318 by altering the content in the rendering process, e.g. blanking, blurring or masking an image region image enhancement or restoration in general G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/475 End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

An intelligent electronic appliance preferably includes a user interface, data input and/or output port, and an intelligent processor. A preferred embodiment comprises a set top box for interacting with broadband media streams, with an adaptive user interface, content-based media processing and/or media metadata processing, and telecommunications integration. An adaptive user interface models the user, by observation, feedback, and/or explicit input, and presents a user interface and/or executes functions based on the user model. A content-based media processing system analyzes media content, for example audio and video, to understand the content, for example to generate content-descriptive metadata. A media metadata processing system operates on locally or remotely generated metadata to process the media in accordance with the metadata, which may be, for example, an electronic program guide, MPEG 7 data, and/or automatically generated format. A set top box preferably includes digital trick play effects, and incorporated digital rights management features.

Claims

1. A digital rights management method, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving media having visual or audio content;

(b) analyzing a physical environment of presentation to a user;

(c) predistorting the media in accordance with a state of the analyzed physical environment to at least partially compensate for the physical environment while altering the visual or audio content from its state as received;

(d) presenting the predistorted media to the user in the physical environment; and

(e) restricting access to the received media in an undistorted form, to thereby manage rights in the media.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

defining a minimum level of predistortion; and

predistorting the media to a level of distortion in excess of said minimum level of distortion.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of introducing a watermark into the media, rendering the predistorted media traceable.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said predistorting comprises introducing a pseudorandom component into the media in a manner resistant to filtering.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said method is performed within an apparatus within the environment of operation, the apparatus forming a part of and perceptually influencing the analyzed environment of presentation.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the apparatus produces intrinsic acoustic emissions.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein an intrinsic acoustic emission from the apparatus is controlled in accordance with the media.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the apparatus comprises:

(a) an actuator, producing an acoustic emission; and

(b) a controllable noise abatement transducer;

the method further comprising the step of controlling said actuator and said transducer, to reduce a perceived effect of an acoustic emission from the apparatus, with respect to the received media.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus comprises a rotating data storage medium and a positionable data read head on said actuator.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus comprises a rotating magnetic disk storage system.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus comprises a rotating optical disk storage system.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein said controllable noise abatement transducer comprises a low frequency, high amplitude, narrowband transducer and a broadband, low amplitude transducer.

13. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of controlling said actuator to produce an acoustic signature corresponding to a compensation capability of said noise abatement transducer.

14. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of controlling said actuator and said noise abatement transducer simultaneously based on a model of said data storage device.

15. The method according to claim 5, wherein the predistortion of the media compensates for the perceptual influences of the apparatus in the environment of the presentation.

16. A method for securing against undistorted copying media presented by an apparatus within physical environment of presentation, comprising:

(a) receiving media;

(b) producing an acoustic emission from the apparatus, the acoustic emission not being defined by the media;

(c) analyzing a physical environment of presentation to a user, comprising at least measuring the acoustic emission from the apparatus;

(d) predistorting the media in accordance with the analyzed physical environment of presentation to at least partially compensate for the physical environment while altering the media from its state as received;

(e) outputting the predistorted media in the physical environment of presentation to the user; and

(f) restricting access to the received media in an undistorted form, to thereby manage rights in the media.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the acoustic emission is generated by a fan.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the acoustic emission is generated by an electromechanical actuator.

19. An apparatus for securing against undistorted copying of media, comprising:

(a) an input for receiving media;

(b) means, associated with the apparatus, for producing an acoustic emission in a physical environment, not defined by the media;

(c) a processor for analyzing ad a physical environment of presentation to a user, comprising at least measuring the acoustic emission and predistorting the media in accordance with the analyzed physical environment of presentation to the user, to at least partially compensate for the physical environment while altering the media from its state as received at the input, and for restricting access to the received media in undistorted form;

(d) an output for presenting the predistorted media user.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the received media is encrypted, and remains secure until after distortion.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the predistorted media comprises a media watermark identifying said apparatus.

22. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said apparatus further comprises a transducer for sensing environment of presentation, predistorting the media including compensation for the acoustic emission from said apparatus and sensed external conditions.