US7051086B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of linking on-line data to printed documents
Assignee: Digimarc Corp
•
Filing: 2001-03-09
•
Granted: 2006-05-23
•
Expires: 2021-03-09
Abstract
Abstract The present invention relates to linking on-line data to printed documents, such as business cards, envelopes, stickers, stationary, letterhead, résumés, etc. In one embodiment, a card-user registers with an on-line database and receives a gallery item including a steganographically-embedded unique identifier. The gallery item, such as a graphical background, text, shading, graphic, etc., is integrated and then printed with a document. The printed document can then be presented an optical-scanner, which outputs data. The output data is decoded to identify the unique identifier. The unique identifier is then used to index into the on-line database to retrieve information related to the proprietor of the document. In one embodiment, the on-line database includes features such as providing an immediate contact number, translation and/or pronunciation ability, and storage of audio/video files.
Inventors
- 👤 Geoffrey B. Rhoads
- 👤 Phillip Andrew Seder
- 👤 Marc D. Miller
- 👤 Brian T. MacIntosh
- 👤 William C. Hein, III
- 👤 Brett T. Hannigan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 12:01
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06K; G06K19/00; G06K19/06; G06K19/06009; G06K19/06037; B; B42; B42D; B42D25/00; B42D25/30; B42D25/333; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/90; G06F16/95; G06F16/955; G06F21/00; G06F21/30; G06F21/31; G06F21/36; 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; G06Q10/00; G06Q10/10; G06Q10/109; 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; G11; G11B; G11B20/00; G11B20/00086; G11B20/00884; G11B20/00891; H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/32; H04N1/32101; H04N1/32144; H04N1/32149; H04N1/32154; H04N1/3216; H04N1/32203; H04N1/32208; H04N1/32251; H04N1/32288; H04N1/32352; G06F2221/00; G06F2221/21; G06F2221/2117; G06K2019/06215; G06K2019/06253; 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
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 31
Claim 1
Independent Claim
53 words
A method comprising: accessing a central site to obtain a steganographically-encoded item, the item including at least a unique identifier; applying the steganographically-encoded item to a document; and inputting data relating to a proprietor of the document, the data being input into a database, wherein the data is associated with the unique identifier.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
53 words
A method comprising: accessing a central site to obtain a steganographically-encoded item, the item including at least a unique identifier; applying the steganographically-encoded item to a document; and inputting data relating to a proprietor of the document, the data being input into a database, wherein the data is associated with the unique identifier.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein the document is a business card.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein the document comprises one of a sticker, résumé, label, brochure, post-it, envelope, stationary, and letterhead.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein the data is formatted into a standardized format.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method according to claim 4 , wherein the standardized format comprises a vCard.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein the data comprises audio or visual data.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein the data comprises pronunciation data.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method according to claim 1 , further comprising translating the data into a different language.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method according to claim 1 , further comprising providing an audio pronunciation of the data.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein the steganographically-encoded item comprises one of a background, tint, graphic, shading, logo, text or font.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein the steganographically-encoded item comprises a business card.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein the steganographically-encoded item includes an electronic address associated with the central site.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
84 words
A method comprising: providing a steganographically encoded item for integration with a printed object, the encoded printed object including a unique identifier associated with a network database; receiving data in the network database, the received data corresponding to a proprietor of the printed object; associating the received data with the unique identifier; permitting access to the received data in the network database when presented with the unique identifier; and providing a digital file comprising a pronunciation of at least some of the received data.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
84 words
A method comprising: providing a steganographically encoded item for integration with a printed object, the encoded printed object including a unique identifier associated with a network database; receiving data in the network database, the received data corresponding to a proprietor of the printed object; associating the received data with the unique identifier; permitting access to the received data in the network database when presented with the unique identifier; and providing a digital file comprising a pronunciation of at least some of the received data.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
83 words
A method comprising: providing a steganographically encoded item for integration with a printed object, the encoded item including a unique identifier associated with an internet database; receiving data in the internet database, the received data corresponding to a proprietor of the printed object; associating the received data with the unique identifier; permitting access to the received data in the internet database when presented with the unique identifier; and providing a digital file comprising a translation of at least some of the received data.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
83 words
A method comprising: providing a steganographically encoded item for integration with a printed object, the encoded item including a unique identifier associated with an internet database; receiving data in the internet database, the received data corresponding to a proprietor of the printed object; associating the received data with the unique identifier; permitting access to the received data in the internet database when presented with the unique identifier; and providing a digital file comprising a translation of at least some of the received data.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
81 words
A method comprising: providing a steganographically encoded item for integration with a printed object, the encoded item including a unique identifier associated with an internet database; receiving data in the internet database, the received data corresponding to a proprietor of the printed object; associating the received data with the unique identifier; permitting access to the received data in the internet database when presented with the unique identifier; and standardizing the format of the received data, wherein the format comprises a vCard.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
81 words
A method comprising: providing a steganographically encoded item for integration with a printed object, the encoded item including a unique identifier associated with an internet database; receiving data in the internet database, the received data corresponding to a proprietor of the printed object; associating the received data with the unique identifier; permitting access to the received data in the internet database when presented with the unique identifier; and standardizing the format of the received data, wherein the format comprises a vCard.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
76 words
A system comprising: a central computer, said central computer communicating with a network; a database in communication with the central computer, the database indexing user data according to unique identifiers; a gallery of items maintained by the central computer, each item capable of hosting encoded data; an encoder to steganographically-encode a unique identifier per item of the gallery of items; and an interface through which at least one user can access the gallery items and database.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
76 words
A system comprising: a central computer, said central computer communicating with a network; a database in communication with the central computer, the database indexing user data according to unique identifiers; a gallery of items maintained by the central computer, each item capable of hosting encoded data; an encoder to steganographically-encode a unique identifier per item of the gallery of items; and an interface through which at least one user can access the gallery items and database.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system according to claim 16 , wherein the gallery of items comprises at least one of background, tints, shading, graphics, text, fonts, and logos.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
23 words
The system according to claim 16 , wherein the encoder encodes an address of the system per item of the gallery of items.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system according to claim 16 , wherein a unique identifier is communicated to a user.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
67 words
A method comprising: receiving a request through a network interface to obtain a graphic or design from a gallery of graphics or designs; upon a selection of a graphic or design, steganographically encoding the graphic or design with at least one plural-bit identifier; associating the identifier with an entity that requested the graphic or design; and providing the steganographically encoded graphic or design through the network interface.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
67 words
A method comprising: receiving a request through a network interface to obtain a graphic or design from a gallery of graphics or designs; upon a selection of a graphic or design, steganographically encoding the graphic or design with at least one plural-bit identifier; associating the identifier with an entity that requested the graphic or design; and providing the steganographically encoded graphic or design through the network interface.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 20 , wherein the gallery of graphics or designs comprise at least one of a pattern, image, graphic, color, shading, tint, background, logo and font.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 20 , wherein the gallery of graphics or designs comprise a visual representation of graphics or designs.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 20 , wherein the network interface comprises an internet portal, and the gallery of items are viewable through the internet portal.
Claim 30
Independent Claim
57 words
A method comprising: receiving a request at a central computer to obtain a steganographically-encoded graphic or design from a gallery of steganographically-encoded graphics or designs, the requested graphic or design including at least one plural-bit identifier; associating the identifier with an entity associated with the request; and providing the steganographically-encoded graphic or design from the central computer.
Claim 31
Independent Claim
57 words
A method comprising: receiving a request at a central computer to obtain a steganographically-encoded graphic or design from a gallery of steganographically-encoded graphics or designs, the requested graphic or design including at least one plural-bit identifier; associating the identifier with an entity associated with the request; and providing the steganographically-encoded graphic or design from the central computer.
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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) | 2009-05-22 | 2009-11-21 | 2010-05-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2013-05-22 | 2013-11-21 | 2014-05-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2017-05-22 | 2017-11-21 | 2018-05-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |