US6542927B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Linking of computers based on steganographically embedded digital data
Assignee: Digimarc Corp
•
Filing: 2001-06-29
•
Granted: 2003-04-01
•
Expires: 2021-06-29
Abstract
Abstract A printed object, such as an item of postal mail, a book, printed advertising, a business card, product packaging, etc., is steganographically encoded with plural-bit data. When such an object is presented to an optical sensor, the plural-bit data is decoded and used to establish a link to an internet address corresponding to that object.
Inventors
- 👤 Geoffrey B. Rhoads
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 11:18
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06K; G06K19/00; G06K19/06; G06K19/06009; G06K19/06037; B; B42; B42D; B42D25/00; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/90; G06F16/95; G06F16/955; G06F21/00; G06F21/10; G06F21/16; G06F21/30; G06F21/31; G06F21/36; G06F21/60; G06F21/606; G06F21/608; G06K19/06046; G06K19/08; G06K19/10; G06K19/14; G06K19/18; G06K7/00; G06K7/10; G06K7/14; G06K7/1404; G06K7/1408; G06K7/1417; G06K7/1439; G06K7/1447; G06Q; G06Q20/00; G06Q20/30; G06Q20/306; G06Q20/308; G06Q20/34; G06Q20/341; G06Q20/38; G06Q20/40; G06Q20/401; G06Q20/4014; G06Q20/40145; G06Q30/00; G06Q30/02; G06T; G06T1/00; G06T1/0021; G07; G07C; G07C9/00; G07C9/20; G07C9/22; G07C9/25; G07C9/253; G07D; G07D7/00; G07D7/003; G07D7/0034; G07D7/004; G07F; G07F17/00; G07F17/16; G07F17/26; G07F7/00; G07F7/08; G07F7/086; G07F7/10; G07F7/1008; G10; G10L; G10L19/00; G10L19/018; G11; G11B; G11B20/00; G11B20/00086; G11B20/00884; G11B20/00891; H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/00002; H04N1/00005; H04N1/00026; H04N1/00037; H04N1/00962; H04N1/00973; H04N1/32; H04N1/32101; H04N1/32144; H04N1/32149; H04N1/32154; H04N1/3216; H04N1/32203; H04N1/32208; H04N1/32229; H04N1/32251; H04N1/32288; H04N1/32352; G06F2221/00; G06F2221/21; G06F2221/2107; G06F2221/2119; G06K2019/06215; G06K2019/06253; G07C11/00; G07C2011/02; H04N1/32106; H04N1/32122; H04N2201/00; H04N2201/32; H04N2201/3201; H04N2201/3225; H04N2201/3226; H04N2201/3233; H04N2201/3249; H04N2201/3269; H04N2201/327; H04N2201/3271; H04N2201/3274; H04W; H04W76/00; H04W76/10; H04W8/00; H04W8/26
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
69 words
A method of initiating access to a computer via a data communications medium, the method comprising: receiving artwork corresponding to an object to be printed, the artwork including text and background; steganographically embedding into a region of said background having substantially non-uniform pixel values certain information indicative of an address associated with said computer; and printing said object using the artwork into which said information has been steganographically embedded.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
69 words
A method of initiating access to a computer via a data communications medium, the method comprising: receiving artwork corresponding to an object to be printed, the artwork including text and background; steganographically embedding into a region of said background having substantially non-uniform pixel values certain information indicative of an address associated with said computer; and printing said object using the artwork into which said information has been steganographically embedded.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
69 words
A physical object printed on a substrate and including text and background, at least the background having a plural-bit code steganographically embedded therein, said code being an index to a data structure that specifies address information of a computer resource that is to be associated with said object, wherein at least a portion of said background has substantially non-uniform pixel values, and has said plural-bit code steganographically embedded therein.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
69 words
A physical object printed on a substrate and including text and background, at least the background having a plural-bit code steganographically embedded therein, said code being an index to a data structure that specifies address information of a computer resource that is to be associated with said object, wherein at least a portion of said background has substantially non-uniform pixel values, and has said plural-bit code steganographically embedded therein.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
The object of claim 2 wherein said data structure is maintained on a computer separate from the computer whose address information is to be associated with the object.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
99 words
A method of initiating access to a computer via a data communications medium, the method comprising: creating a data object with information indicative of an address associated with the computer; steganographically embedding the data object in a second object comprising at least one of audio and visual data, said embedding occurring in-band within said audio or visual data, rather than in a part of said second object not intended for presentation to a user; decoding from the second object the steganographically embedded data object; and initiating a link to the computer using the address in the decoded data object.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
99 words
A method of initiating access to a computer via a data communications medium, the method comprising: creating a data object with information indicative of an address associated with the computer; steganographically embedding the data object in a second object comprising at least one of audio and visual data, said embedding occurring in-band within said audio or visual data, rather than in a part of said second object not intended for presentation to a user; decoding from the second object the steganographically embedded data object; and initiating a link to the computer using the address in the decoded data object.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the address in the steganographically embedded data object is a URL address.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the steganographically embedded data object includes an index number for use in accessing a data base.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 4 that includes performing said decoding and initiating in the same device.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 4 in which the second object is in digital form, and is not rendered into human-perceptible form between said embedding and decoding.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 4 in which the second object comprises digital audio data.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 4 in which the second object comprises digital image data.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 4 in which the second object comprises video data.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 4 that includes distributing the object to at least certain members of the public between said embedding and decoding.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 4 in which said second object is originally in digital form when steganographically embedded, but is thereafter rendered into human-perceptible form, converted back into digital form, and decoded, wherein said rendering into human-perceptible form, and subsequent conversion back into digital form, does not prevent decoding of the steganographically embedded data object.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
92 words
A method of initiating access to a computer via a data communications medium, the method comprising: creating a data object with information indicative of an address associated with the computer; steganographically embedding the data object in a second object comprising at least one of audio and visual data, said embedding extending generally throughout a sampled representation of said second object, rather than localized in a particular portion thereof, wherein the complete data object can be recovered from an excerpt of said second object and used to initiate a link to the computer.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
92 words
A method of initiating access to a computer via a data communications medium, the method comprising: creating a data object with information indicative of an address associated with the computer; steganographically embedding the data object in a second object comprising at least one of audio and visual data, said embedding extending generally throughout a sampled representation of said second object, rather than localized in a particular portion thereof, wherein the complete data object can be recovered from an excerpt of said second object and used to initiate a link to the computer.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 14 in which the second object is represented by plural samples when in digital form, and said embedding changes a majority of said samples.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 14 in which the second object is represented by plural samples when in digital form, and the embedding is relatively weaker in regions of relatively uniform samples.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
63 words
A method of initiating access to a computer via a data communications medium, the method comprising: receiving data corresponding to an audio object, said object comprising audio data and having information indicative of an address associated with the computer steganographically embedded in-band within said audio data; decoding the information from said audio object; and initiating a link to the computer using said information.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
63 words
A method of initiating access to a computer via a data communications medium, the method comprising: receiving data corresponding to an audio object, said object comprising audio data and having information indicative of an address associated with the computer steganographically embedded in-band within said audio data; decoding the information from said audio object; and initiating a link to the computer using said information.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 17 in which said receiving comprises receiving said object data from a digital storage or transmission medium in digital form, without said object having being rendered into human-perceptible form since being steganographically embedded.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 17 in which said receiving comprises sensing a human-perceptible form of said audio object, as by a microphone, and converting into digital form.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-03-31 | 2006-09-30 | 2007-04-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-03-31 | 2010-09-30 | 2011-04-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-03-31 | 2014-09-30 | 2015-04-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |