US6735324B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Digital watermarks and trading cards
Assignee: Digimarc Corp
•
Filing: 2000-07-31
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Granted: 2004-05-11
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Expires: 2020-07-31
Abstract
Abstract Digital watermarks can be employed in conjunction with trading cards (e.g., baseball cards, fantasy game cards, etc.) to serve a variety of purposes. Among these are facilitating on-line collecting and game-play. Digital watermarks may also be used in distinguishing genuine cards from counterfeits.
Inventors
- 👤 Tyler J. McKinley
- 👤 Marc D. Miller
- 👤 J. Scott Carr
- 👤 William Y. Conwell
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 05:52
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T1/00; G06T1/0021; G06T1/0042; A; A63; A63F; A63F1/00; A63F1/02; B; B41; B41M; B41M3/00; B41M3/10; B42; B42D; B42D15/00; H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/32; H04N1/32101; H04N1/32144; A63F3/00; A63F3/00643; H04N2201/00; H04N2201/32; H04N2201/3201; H04N2201/3225; H04N2201/3269; H04N2201/327; H04N2201/3271
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
38 words
A trading card comprising a substrate and an image formed thereon, wherein the card conveys a frail steganographic watermark representing plural-bit digital data, the frail watermark permitting a copy of the card to be differentiated from the original.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
38 words
A trading card comprising a substrate and an image formed thereon, wherein the card conveys a frail steganographic watermark representing plural-bit digital data, the frail watermark permitting a copy of the card to be differentiated from the original.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The card of claim 1 , formed by a user printing-out a virtual card image corresponding thereto.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The card of claim 2 wherein the user is associated with said card by reference to the plural-bit digital data.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
42 words
The card of claim 1 wherein the trading card has a sports player depicted thereon, and the digital data serves as an index to a data repository, said data repository having stored therein information relating to a particular card collector or custodian.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
66 words
A method of playing a fantasy role-playing game involving playing cards, wherein: at least one of said cards conveys a plural-bit steganographic watermark; a first player presents a watermarked card to an optical input device, and is issued a virtual card corresponding thereto; and the game provides for the conquest of said virtual card by a second player, and its consequent loss by the first player.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
66 words
A method of playing a fantasy role-playing game involving playing cards, wherein: at least one of said cards conveys a plural-bit steganographic watermark; a first player presents a watermarked card to an optical input device, and is issued a virtual card corresponding thereto; and the game provides for the conquest of said virtual card by a second player, and its consequent loss by the first player.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 5 that further includes maintaining a database record indicating current ownership of the virtual card in a registry database.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
71 words
A trading card comprising a substrate and an image formed thereon, wherein: the card conveys a steganographic watermark representing plural-bit digital data, the trading card has a sports player depicted thereon; and the digital data serves as an index to a data repository, said data repository having stored therein information comprising at least the following, or a hyperlink to at least the following: recent auction prices relating to said trading card.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
71 words
A trading card comprising a substrate and an image formed thereon, wherein: the card conveys a steganographic watermark representing plural-bit digital data, the trading card has a sports player depicted thereon; and the digital data serves as an index to a data repository, said data repository having stored therein information comprising at least the following, or a hyperlink to at least the following: recent auction prices relating to said trading card.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
92 words
A method comprising: issuing a trading card comprising a substrate and an image formed thereon, the card conveying a steganographic watermark representing plural-bit digital data; receiving data from a first custodian of the card when said first custodian presents the card to a system equipped with an optical image sensor and the system decodes the plural-bit digital data from the steganographic watermark; and entering information in a database that associates said card with said first custodian, said information including electronic address data corresponding to an internet resource associated with said first custodian.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
92 words
A method comprising: issuing a trading card comprising a substrate and an image formed thereon, the card conveying a steganographic watermark representing plural-bit digital data; receiving data from a first custodian of the card when said first custodian presents the card to a system equipped with an optical image sensor and the system decodes the plural-bit digital data from the steganographic watermark; and entering information in a database that associates said card with said first custodian, said information including electronic address data corresponding to an internet resource associated with said first custodian.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 8 that further includes receiving data from a second, different, custodian of the card when said second custodian presents the card to a system equipped with an optical image sensor and the system decodes the plural-bit digital data from the steganographic watermark.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 9 that includes entering information in said database that associates said card with the second custodian, said information including electronic address data corresponding to an internet resource associated with said second custodian.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 8 wherein the plural-bit digital data also includes serialization data, wherein cards that appear—to human inspection—to be identical, convey serialization data by which they can be distinguished.
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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) | 2007-05-11 | 2007-11-10 | 2008-05-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-05-11 | 2011-11-10 | 2012-05-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-05-11 | 2015-11-10 | 2016-05-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |