Narrowcasting from public displays, and related methods

• US 8,412,577 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2010
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Tony F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bekerman, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, LUIS A
• Application Number:
  US12/716,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20100228632A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.49, 705/14.64, 705/14.67, 705/14.58, 705/50, 713/176, 358/3.28, 382/100, 382/106
• US Class Current: 705/14.58
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0064 Geometric transfor invariant watermarking, e.g. affine transform invariant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0051 Embedding of the watermark in the spatial domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/02 Affine transformations for image registration G06T3/147; for image mosaicing G06T3/4038
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• 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

Abstract

A user with a cell phone interacts, in a personalized session, with an electronic sign system. In some embodiments, the user'"'"'s location relative to the sign is discerned from camera imagery—either imagery captured by the cell phone (i.e., of the sign), or captured by the sign system (i.e., of the user). Demographic information about the user can be estimated from imagery captured acquired by the sign system, or can be accessed from stored profile data associated with the user. The sign system can transmit payoffs (e.g., digital coupons or other response data) to viewers—customized per user demographics. In some arrangements, the payoff data is represented by digital watermark data encoded in the signage content. The encoding can take into account the user'"'"'s location relative to the sign—allowing geometrical targeting of different payoffs to differently-located viewers. Other embodiments allow a user to engage an electronic sign system for interactive game play, using the cell phone as a controller.

Claims

1. A method involving an electronic sign, viewed by a first observer, the method comprising the acts:

obtaining position information about the first observer by reference to information from a camera;

defining a first digital watermark signal that takes into account the position information, and conveys a payload established in accordance with contextual data relating to the first observer;

encoding image data in accordance with said first digital watermark signal; and

presenting the encoded image data on the electronic sign;

wherein said defining is performed by a hardware processor configured to perform such act, and includes at least one of the following;

(a) tailoring a scale of the first digital watermark signal in accordance with a viewing distance;

or

(b) tailoring a projection of the first digital watermark signal in accordance with a viewing angle.

2. The method of claim 1 that includes tailoring a scale of the first digital watermark signal in accordance with a viewing distance.

3. The method of claim 1 that includes tailoring a projection of the first digital watermark signal in accordance with a viewing angle.

4. The method of claim 1 that includes obtaining the contextual data from a data store corresponding to the first observer.

5. The method of claim 1 that includes:

sensing the position information using a camera; and

estimating the contextual data about the first observer from image data produced by the camera.

6. The method of claim 1 that includes sensing the position information using a camera associated with the electronic sign.

7. The method of claim 1 that includes sensing the position information using a camera associated with the first observer.

8. The method of claim 7 that includes sensing the position information by reference to an apparent geometry of the electronic sign as viewed by the camera.

9. The method of claim 7 that includes sensing the position information by reference to a steganographically encoded digital watermark signal hidden in graphic data presented by the electronic sign.

10. The method of claim 1 that includes:

capturing image data corresponding to the electronic sign using a camera-equipped device conveyed by the observer; and

determining which of plural electronic signs is being observed by the first observer, by reference to the captured image data.

11. The method of claim 10 in which the determining includes discerning robust local image descriptors from captured image data.

12. The method of claim 10 that includes constraining a set of possible electronic signs that may be observed, by reference to data about the device'"'"'s location.

13. The method of claim 1 that includes:

obtaining second position information about a second observer;

defining a second digital watermark signal that takes into account the second position information; and

encoding the image data in accordance with both the second digital watermark signal and the first digital watermark signal.

14. The method of claim 13 that includes establishing a payload of the second digital watermark signal that is different than the payload of the first digital watermark signal.

15. The method of claim 14 that includes obtaining contextual data about the second observer, and establishing the payload of the second digital watermark signal in accordance with said contextual data.

16. An electronic sign system including a display, a processor and a memory, the memory including software instructions that configure the system to perform acts including:

obtaining position information about a first observer viewing the display by reference to information from a camera;

defining a first digital watermark signal that takes into account the position information, and conveys a payload established in accordance with contextual data relating to the first observer;

encoding image data in accordance with said first digital watermark signal; and

presenting the encoded image data on the electronic sign;

wherein said defining includes at least one of the following;

(a) tailoring a scale of the first digital watermark signal in accordance with a viewing distance;

or

(b) tailoring a projection of the first digital watermark signal in accordance with a viewing angle.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing software instructions for configuring an electronic sign system programmed thereby to perform acts including;

obtaining position information about a first observer viewing the sign system by reference to information from a camera;

defining a first digital watermark signal that takes into account the position information, and conveys a payload established in accordance with contextual data relating to the first observer;

encoding image data in accordance with said first digital watermark signal; and

presenting the encoded image data on the electronic sign;

wherein said defining includes at least one of the following;

(a) tailoring a scale of the first digital watermark signal in accordance with a viewing distance;

or

(b) tailoring a projection of the first digital watermark signal in accordance with a viewing angle.