Systems and methods for providing access to resources through enhanced audio signals

• US 8,989,883 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2011
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VeriSign, Inc.
• Original Assignee: VeriSign, Inc.
• Inventors: Shah, Mehul, Goyal, Neel, Krishnan, Harshini Ramnath
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins, Davetta W
• Assistant Examiner(s): SELLERS, DANIEL R
• Application Number:
  US13/072,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20110238192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,460 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94, 713/170, 713/176, 726/26, 726/30, 704/E19.009
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• 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 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00688 said measures preventing that a usable copy of recorded data can be made on another medium
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00739 wherein the usage restriction is associated with a specific geographical region
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00891 embedded in audio data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for using a hidden audio signal. In one exemplary embodiment, the method includes registering, at a central database, one or more of an identifier and a destination resource associated with the identifier, and encoding the one or more of the identifier and the destination resource in a hidden audio signal. The method further includes transmitting the hidden audio signal, including the one or more of the identifier and the destination resource, in connection with an acoustic signal, and receiving the acoustic signal at a user device. In addition, the method includes decoding the encoded one or more of the identifier and the destination resource at the user device; and requesting, from the central database, information associated with the one or more of the identifier and the destination resource. Further, the method includes receiving, at the user device, the requested information.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing a resource through an enhanced broadcast signal, the method comprising:

encoding, as a watermark, a resource identifier in a broadcast signal to create the enhanced broadcast signal, wherein the resource identifier is associated with a resource, and wherein the watermark includes authentication data to authenticate the resource;

providing the enhanced broadcast signal to one or more user devices;

receiving a request, at a central registry, from one of the one or more user devices that has received the enhanced broadcast signal including the resource identifier, the request including the resource identifier;

retrieving, from the central registry, in response to the received request, information for accessing the resource associated with the resource identifier;

sending to the one of the one or more user devices, in response to the received request, information for accessing the resource; and

authenticating, by the central registry, the resource based at least on the authentication data.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the encoding, as the watermark, the resource identifier comprises:

encoding, as the watermark, the resource identifier in the broadcast signal to create the enhanced broadcast signal such that sound associated with the resource identifier is non-perceptible to humans when the enhanced broadcast signal is converted to acoustic sound.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the encoding, as the watermark, the resource identifier comprises:

encoding, as the watermark, the resource identifier in the broadcast signal to create the enhanced broadcast signal such that sound associated with the resource identifier is non-comprehensible to humans when the enhanced broadcast signal is converted to acoustic sound.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the encoding, as the watermark, the resource identifier comprises:

encoding, as the watermark, the resource identifier in the broadcast signal as a digital watermark.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, to a registration server, a request to register a resource; and

receiving the resource identifier from the registration server in response to the request to register the resource, wherein the resource identifier corresponds to the resource.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the resource identifier comprises an instruction.

7. A computer-implemented method for accessing a resource specified by an enhanced broadcast signal, the method comprising:

receiving an enhanced broadcast signal including a resource identifier that is encoded in the enhanced broadcast signal, wherein the resource identifier is associated with the resource, and wherein enhanced broadcast signal includes authentication information to authenticate the resource;

detecting the resource identifier within the enhanced broadcast signal;

extracting, using a processor, the resource identifier from the enhanced broadcast signal;

sending, to a server, a request including the resource identifier; and

receiving, from the server, access information for accessing the resource via the network; and

authenticating the resource with the server based on the authentication data.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

downloading a webpage associated with the resource identifier.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the resource or the resource identifier comprises an email address.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

sending an email to the email address.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the resource or the resource identifier comprises a phone number.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

initiating a phone call to the phone number.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

sending a text message to the phone number.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein authenticating the resource with the server further comprises:

sending the authentication data to the server;

receiving resource identifier access information from the server; and

retrieving the resource using the resource identifier access information.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

accessing the resource based on the received access information.