Steganographically encoded video, deriving or calculating identifiers from video, and related methods

• US 7,577,273 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Issued: 08/18/2009
• 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., McKinley, Tyler J.
• Primary Examiner(s): TUCKER, WESLEY J
• Application Number:
  US11/317,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20060133645A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• Field of Search: 382181-203, 382232-244, 382/100
• US Class Current: 382/100
• 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: B42D 25/333 Watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• 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 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0028 Adaptive watermarking, e.g. Human Visual System [HVS]-based watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0053 Embedding of the watermark in the coding stream, possibly without decoding; Embedding of the watermark in the compressed domain
• 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 17/26 : 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 19/018 : Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• 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: 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 19/20 : using video object coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/467 : characterised by the embedded information being invisible, e.g. watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91335 : the copy protection signal being a watermark
• 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
• 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 2201/3246 : of data relating to permitted access or usage, e.g. level of access or usage parameters for digital rights management [DRM] related to still images
• 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 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 : Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 : involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

This application relates, e.g., to processing video and audio. One claim recites a method including: utilizing a multi-purpose electronic processor programmed for analyzing a video signal to derive or calculate an identifier from data representing picture elements of the video signal or from data representing audio accompanying the video signal; providing the identifier to memory or to a remote repository to obtain advertizing information; receiving advertizing information from the memory or the remote repository; and controlling rendering of the advertizing information such that the advertizing information is synchronized with at least a portion of the video signal when rendered. Of course, additional claims and combinations are provided.

Claims

1. A machine-readable media comprising instructions stored thereon to control a multi-purpose electronic processor, said instructions comprising instructions to:

read a steganographic signal encoded into a video signal or in an audio track accompanying the video signal, where the steganographic signal comprises information regarding a video object in the video signal;

obtain a user selection of the video object; and

carry out an action associated with the video object information, wherein the video signal includes steganographic information for at least two different video objects in the video signal, and the steganographic information associates the video objects with object actions or information.

2. The machine-readable media of claim 1 wherein the steganographic signal is encoded in the audio track accompanying the video signal, and the audio track includes steganographic information for at least two different video objects appearing in at least one same frame of the video signal, and wherein the steganographic information associates the video objects with object specific actions or information.

3. The machine-readable media of claim 1 wherein the steganographic signal is encoded into the video signal through alterations of data representing the video signal or through alterations of data representing the audio track accompanying the video signal.

4. The machine-readable media of claim 3 wherein the steganographic signal is encoded through digital watermarking.

11. A programmed apparatus including a multi-purpose electronic processor in which said processor is executing at least one of the instructions recited in claim 1.

12. The machine-readable media of claim 1 in which said machine-readable media comprises computer readable media.

5. A machine-readable media comprising instructions stored thereon to control a multi-purpose electronic processor, said instructions comprising instructions to:

steganographically encode substantially imperceptible auxiliary information about a video object into a video signal; and

associate the video object information with an action, where the action is performed in response to user selection of the video object through a user interface while the video signal is rendered, wherein the object information is encoded in a pre-recorded video object, which forms part of the video signal.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the pre-recorded video object is composited with video frames to form the video signal.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the pre-recorded video object is composited with at least one other video object to form the video signal, where the video objects are each steganographically encoded with object specific information.

8. A system for creating watermark enabled video objects comprising:

an electronic processor configured as a steganographic encoder for encoding a watermark in a video sequence or accompanying audio track corresponding to a video object or objects in the video sequence; and

a database system for associating the watermark with an action or information such that the watermark is operable to link the video object or objects to a related action or information during playback of the video sequence.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the watermark is operable to link a corresponding video object to an action or information when a user selects the video object during playback of the video sequence.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the encoder encodes a video object with a watermark and composites the encoded video object with another video signal to create the video sequence.