Music methods and systems

• US 8,094,949 B1
• Filed: 05/18/2000
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Agwumezie, Charles C
• Application Number:
  US09/574,726
• Time in Patent Office: 4,254 Days
• Field of Search: 705/17, 705/77, 705/55, 705/59, 705/76, 380/205, 380/210, 380/221, 380/227, 380/231, 380/232, 382/232
• US Class Current: 382/232
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/433 using audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1063 Personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06253 for a specific application
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0064 Geometric transfor invariant watermarking, e.g. affine transform invariant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0052 Embedding of the watermark in the frequency domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0064 for copy protection or copy management, e.g. CGMS, copy only once, one-time copy
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0034 using watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0053 involving markings added to a pattern, e.g. interstitial points
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• 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: G07F 7/1016 Devices or methods for securing the PIN and other transaction-data, e.g. by encryption arrangements for secret communication, see H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/12 Card verification
• 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 20/00094 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00115 : wherein the record carrier stores a unique medium identifier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00166 : involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier, e.g. music or software
• 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 20/0021 : involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00231 : wherein the key is obtained from a local external medium, e.g. a card
• 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: H04B 1/665 : using psychoacoustic properties of the ear, e.g. masking effect
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/103 : applying security measure for protecting copy right protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment, e.g. protection the software providers copyright G06F21/10; data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; secrecy systems or subscription systems H04N7/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00424 : using a list of graphical elements, e.g. icons or icon bar
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32149 : Methods relating to embedding, encoding, decoding, detection or retrieval operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91321 : the copy protection signal being a copy protection control signal, e.g. a record inhibit signal
• 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 2201/3205 : of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3209 : of a telephone number
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 : of a date
• 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 2201/3274 : Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 : Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

The disclosure details a variety of applications of steganographic encoding and decoding of auxiliary information in physical and media objects. In particular, digital watermarks embedded in media content are used to initiate automated transactions associated with the content and to link creative content with information or transactions.

Claims

1. A method of altering a music signal to steganographically insert plural bits of watermark data therein, the method comprising:

steganographically inserting, using a processor, at least a first group of the plural bits for benefit of an end-user of the music signal by imperceptibly altering audible attributes of the music signal;

inserting a second group of bits different than the first for benefit of an artist whose music is encoded by the music data;

inserting a third group of bits different than the first two for benefit of a distributor of the music data; and

storing in a registry accessible to the end-user an association between information about the music data and at least a portion of the plural bits.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing in the registry an association between the first group of bits and an internet address of a web site accessible by end-users of the music signal, wherein the registry provides the web site address in response to receiving at least the first group of bits.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second group of bits includes bits representing a unique identifier for the music signal, wherein the unique identifier permits machine identification of the signal and royalty credit to the artist.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the third group of bits represents usage restrictions to which audio appliances are responsive, thereby driving distribution of additional copies of the music signal.