Associating data with media signals in media signal systems through auxiliary data steganographically embedded in the media signals

• US 8,429,205 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2005
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, Cheryl
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoffler, Raheem
• Application Number:
  US11/198,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20060041591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,819 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/809
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

A reference to auxiliary data is steganographically encoded within a media signal. The auxiliary data is stored in a metadata database that maps the reference encoded in the media signal to its corresponding metadata. Various application programs and devices can access the metadata by extracting the reference from the media signal, and querying the database for metadata corresponding to the reference. The metadata database may be implemented in a network server to make metadata readily available to devices and applications distributed throughout a network. This steganographic link to metadata may be used to retrieve metadata across media management systems. In one configuration, for example, media management systems have metadata servers that maintain metadata for a collection of media signals. The metadata server is responsible for responding to requests for metadata associated with media titles in its collection. In the event that a metadata server does not have metadata associated with a particular media title, it forwards the reference extracted from the media signal to a metadata router, which in turn, re-directs the request to the appropriate metadata server.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

extracting a steganographic reference to auxiliary data embedded in a media signal, wherein a media file comprises the media signal and metadata;

computing a first hash value based upon the media signal;

determining the metadata does not include a value matching the computed first hash;

querying, based in part on determining the auxiliary data does not include a value matching the computed first hash, a metadata database to request the auxiliary data associated with the media file using the extracted reference to access the auxiliary data in the metadata database;

receiving the auxiliary data from the database; and

adding the auxiliary data from the database to the media file as the metadata, wherein the auxiliary data comprises the first hash value.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing the media file that includes the auxiliary data.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending authentication data to the metadata database to request access to the auxiliary data associated with the media file.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending a request to the metadata database to edit the auxiliary data associated with the media file.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the media signal comprises a second steganographic reference, wherein the second steganographic reference is an original hash value computed based upon an original media signal.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining if the media signal is different than the original media signal by determining if the first hash value is different than the original hash value.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising encrypting the first hash value.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which is stored instructions, which when executed by a computing device, perform operations comprising:

extracting a steganographic reference to auxiliary data embedded in a media signal, wherein a media file comprises the media signal and metadata;

computing a first hash value based upon the media signal;

determining the metadata does not include a value matching the computed first hash;

querying, based in part on determining the auxiliary data does not include a value matching the computed first hash in a media file, a metadata database to request the auxiliary data associated with the media file using the extracted reference to access the auxiliary data in the metadata database;

receiving the auxiliary data from the database; and

adding the auxiliary data from the database to the file header of the media file as the metadata, wherein the auxiliary data comprises the first hash value.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise providing the media file that includes the auxiliary data.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise sending authentication data to the metadata database to request access to the auxiliary data associated with the media file.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise sending a request to the metadata database to edit the auxiliary data associated with the media file.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the media signal comprises a second steganographic reference, wherein the second steganographic reference is an original hash value computed based upon an original media signal.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining if the media signal is different than the original media signal by determining if the first hash value is different than the original hash value.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise encrypting the first hash value.