The USPTO issues new patents on Tuesdays and yesterday was no exception. Two from Matsushita are highlighted in todays patent spotlight. The first addresses techniques for watermarking content.
The second patent addresses ways of transforming data in a copyright protection system. What's interesting about this one is that it references superdistribution: turning consumers into distributors, a term I haven't seen in a while. Superdistribution was coined by Ryoichi Mori in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
7,315,621, "Digital watermark-embedding apparatus, digital watermark-embedding method, and recording medium," assigned to Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (JP).
Abstract
A characteristic amount is retained and calculated from an entered video signal. Embedment intensity is retained and calculated from the retained characteristic amount. Embedment information is embedded as digital watermarks into the entered video signal in accordance with the retained embedment intensity of the previous frame or field that is located at a position earlier in time than a target image subject to digital watermark embedment. As a result, an output signal of video having the digital watermarks embedded therein is produced. The digital watermarks are embedded into the target image with reference to another image located at a position earlier in time than the target image. Such digital watermark embedment suppresses a delay in output of an output image with reference to an input image.
7,315,829, "Data conversion apparatus and method in copyright protecting system," assigned to Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (JP)
Abstract
In a data conversion apparatus of a copyright protecting system, a data format judging portion judges whether or not the data is of a super distribution format, attribute information obtaining unit identifies the audio contents of the data and obtains the attribute information corresponding to the identified audio contents from the external equipment via the data transmission/receiving portion; and a data format conversion portion converts the audio contents together with the obtained attribute information to the super distribution data format to be supplied to an external recording apparatus.
