Network linking methods and apparatus

• US 7,805,500 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1995
• 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:
  US11/932,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20080126359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/225, 709/250
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

Some portions of the present disclosure relate to processing audio signals for network linking. One claim recites an apparatus including: electronic memory for buffering data representing an audio signal; and an electronic processor. The electronic processor is programmed for: analyzing the data representing an audio signal to extract identifying data therefrom; controlling communication of the identifying data to a remote device over a network, in which the remote device uses the identifying data as an index to identify a pointer from among a plurality of pointers, the plurality of pointers each identifying a remote computer or resource on the network; and controlling use of a pointer identified by the index and received from the remote device over the network. Of course, other claims and combinations are provided too.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a) using a programmed electronic processor, analyzing an audio signal to obtain data encoded therein, the data comprising at least an index or message;

b) providing the index or message to a remote data repository, the data repository including a plurality of records that associates indexes or messages to pointers, a pointer being associated with a remote computer or resource on a network;

c) receiving a pointer from the remote data repository that is associated with the index or message and with a first remote computer or resource; and

d) communicating with the first remote computer or resource using at least the pointer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the data is steganographically encoded in the audio signal.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the steganographically encoding alters at least some data representing the audio signal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the pointer comprises at least one of a uniform resource locator (URL), IP address or network address.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the message is steganographically encoded in the audio signal.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the steganographically encoding alters at least some of the data representing the audio signal.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the pointer comprises a uniform resource locator (URL), IP address or network address.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored in memory to cause an electronic processor to perform the method of claim 1.

10. A programmed computing device comprising instructions stored in memory, said instructions are for causing said programmed computing device to perform the method of claim 1.

5. A method of operating a network resource or website comprising:

receiving a plural-bit message from a remote device over a network, the message having been obtained from an analysis of data representing an audio signal, the message to be used by the network resource or website as an index;

identifying a pointer from among a plurality of pointers with reference to the index, the plurality of pointers each identifying at least one remote computer or resource on the network;

providing a pointer identified by the index to the remote device over a network.

11. An apparatus comprising:

electronic memory for buffering identifying data received from a remote device over a network, the identifying data having been obtained from an analysis of data representing an audio signal; and

one or more electronic processors programmed for;

using the identifying data as an index;

identifying a pointer from among a plurality of pointers with reference to the index, the plurality of pointers each identifying at least one remote computer or resource on the network; and

providing a pointer identified by the index to the remote device over a network.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 in which the identifying data is steganographically encoded in the audio signal.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 in which the steganographically encoding alters at least some of the data representing the audio signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 in which the pointer comprises a uniform resource locator (URL), IP address or network address.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 in which said one or more electronic processors are operating to perform at least one of the functions recited therein.

16. An apparatus comprising:

electronic memory for buffering data representing an audio signal; and

an electronic processor programmed for;

analyzing the data representing an audio signal to extract identifying data therefrom;

controlling communication of the identifying data to a remote device over a network, in which said remote device uses the identifying data as an index to identify a pointer from among a plurality of pointers, the plurality of pointers each identifying a remote computer or resource on the network; and

controlling use of a pointer identified by the index and received from the remote device over the network.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 in which the identifying data is steganographically decoded from the data representing the audio signal as part of the analyzing.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 in which the identifying data is steganographically decoded through an analysis of alterations to at least some of the data representing the audio signal.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 in which the pointer comprises a uniform resource locator (URL), IP address or network address.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 in which said electronic processor is operating to perform at least one of the functions recited therein.

21. The apparatus of claim 16 in which the identifying data comprises an index to obtain information to identify a pointer from among a plurality of pointers.

22. The apparatus of claim 16 in which the analyzing comprises:

computing the identifying data from a pattern by computing a frequency transform to produce frequency transform data and processing the transform data to derive the pattern.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 in which the processing comprises determining a location of a feature in the frequency transform data.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 in which the processing comprises applying a thresholding to magnitude values in the frequency transform data.

25. The apparatus of claim 22 in which the identifying data comprises an index, and the analyzing comprises deriving the index from the pattern.

26. The apparatus of claim 16 in which the analyzing comprises:

computing signal power values; and

analyzing the signal power values to compute the identifying data.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 in which the analyzing the signal power values comprises computing time averaged power.

28. The apparatus of claim 16 in which said electronic processor is programmed for:

analyzing data representing a second audio signal to extract second identifying data therefrom;

controlling communication of the second identifying data to the remote device;

receiving a second pointer from the remote device, the second pointer identifying a second remote computer or second resource; and

controlling use of the second pointer.

29. The apparatus of claim 16 in which said controlling use of a pointer comprises initiating communication with the remote computer or resource.

30. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to cause an electronic processor to operate as follows:

analyzing data representing an audio signal to extract identifying data therefrom;

controlling communication of the identifying data to a remote device over a network, in which said remote device uses the identifying data as an index to identify a pointer from among a plurality of pointers, the plurality of pointers each identifying a remote computer or resource on the network; and

controlling use of a pointer identified by the index and received from the remote device over the network.

31. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 30 in which the identifying data is steganographically decoded from the data representing audio signal.

32. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 31 in which the identifying data is steganographically decoded through an analysis of alterations to least some of the data representing the audio signal.

33. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 30 in which the pointer comprises a uniform resource locator (URL), IP address or network address.

34. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 30 in which the identifying data comprises an index to obtain information to identify a pointer from among a plurality of pointers.

35. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 30 wherein the analyzing comprises:

computing the identifying data from a pattern by computing a frequency transform to produce frequency transform data and processing the transform data to derive the pattern.

36. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 35 wherein the processing comprises determining a location of a feature in the frequency transform data.

37. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 36 wherein the processing comprises applying a thresholding to magnitude values in the frequency transform data.

38. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 37 wherein the identifying data comprises an index, and the analyzing comprises deriving the index from the pattern.

39. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 38 wherein the analyzing comprises:

computing signal power values; and

analyzing the signal power values to compute the identifying data.

40. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 39 in which the analyzing the signal power values comprises computing a time averaged power.

41. The computer readable medium of claim 30 comprising instructions stored thereon to further cause an electronic processor to operate as follows:

analyzing data representing a second audio signal to extract second identifying data therefrom;

controlling communication of the second identifying data to the remote device;

receiving a second pointer from the remote device, the second pointer identifying a second remote computer or second resource; and

controlling use of the second pointer.

42. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 30 in which said controlling use of a pointer comprises initiating communication with the remote computer or resource.

43. A method comprising:

using a programmed electronic processor, analyzing data representing an audio signal to extract identifying data therefrom;

communicating the identifying data to a remote device over a network;

receiving a pointer associated with the identifying data from the remote device, the pointer identifying a remote computer or resource on the network; and

using a programmed electronic processor, controlling use of the pointer to facilitate communication with the remote computer or resource on the network.

44. The method of claim 43 in which the identifying data comprises an index to obtain information to identify the pointer from among a plurality of pointers.

45. The method of claim 43 in which the identifying data is steganographically decoded from the data representing the audio signal.

46. The method of claim 45 in which the identifying data is steganographically decoded through an analysis of alterations to the data representing the audio signal.

47. The method of claim 43 in which the pointer comprises a uniform resource locator (URL), IP address or network address.

48. The method of claim 43 wherein said analyzing comprises:

computing the identifying data from a pattern by computing a frequency transform to produce frequency transform data and processing the transform data to derive the pattern.

49. The method of claim 48 wherein the processing comprises determining a location of a feature in the frequency transform data.

50. The method of claim 49 wherein the processing comprises applying a thresholding to magnitude values in the frequency transform data.

51. The method of claim 48 wherein the identifying data comprises an index, and said act of analyzing comprises deriving the index from the pattern.

52. The method of claim 43 wherein the analyzing comprises:

computing signal power values; and

analyzing the signal power values to compute the identifying data.

53. The method of claim 52 in which the analyzing the signal power values comprises computing a time averaged power.

54. An electronic device programmed to perform the method of claim 43.

55. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to cause an electronic processor to perform the method recited in claim 43.

56. The method of claim 43 further comprising:

using a programmed electronic processor, analyzing data representing a second audio signal to extract second identifying data therefrom;

controlling communication of the second identifying data to the remote device;

receiving a second pointer from the remote device, the second pointer identifying a second remote computer or second resource; and

using a programmed electronic processor, controlling use of the second pointer.

57. The method of claim 43 in which said controlling use of a pointer comprises initiating communication with the remote computer or resource.

58. An apparatus comprising:

means for buffering data representing an audio signal;

means for analyzing the data representing an audio signal to extract identifying data therefrom;

means for controlling communication of the identifying data to a remote device over a network, in which said remote device uses the identifying data as an index to identify a pointer from among a plurality of pointers, the plurality of pointers each identifying a remote computer or resource on the network; and

means for controlling use of a pointer identified by the index and received from the remote device over the network.