On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new patent applications. Today's Spotlight Applications address aspects of digital watermarking and fingerprinting. Assigned to Rovi (nee Macrovision), the first application discloses techniques for watermarking and distributing content. Assigned to Philips (NL), the second application discloses techniques for selecting content from a stream of video or audio data.
20090228592, "Techniques for watermarking and distributing content," assigned to Macrovision (now Rovi).
Abstract
Techniques for watermarking and distributing are provided. Content is broken into frames, each frame includes a watermark. Resources request the content and each frame of each resource's acquired version of the content includes a watermark. The frames of each resource's acquired version of the content form unique watermark sequences or unique keys. Each watermark sequence or key is uniquely associated with a particular resource. Each resource is also provided one or more delivery plans for acquiring that resource's uniquely watermark and sequenced version of the content over the network.
20090226148, "Selection of content from a stream of video or audio data," assigned to Philips (NL).
Abstract
A main stream contains successive content elements of video and/or audio information that encode video and/or audio information at a first data rate. A computation circuit (144) computes main fingerprints from the successive content elements. A reference stream is received having a second data rate lower than the first data rate. The reference stream defines a sequence of the reference fingerprints. A comparator unit (144) compares the main fingerprints with the reference fingerprints. The main stream is monitored for the presence of inserted content elements between original content elements, where the original content elements have main fingerprints that match successive reference fingerprints and the inserted content elements have main fingerprints that do not match reference fingerprints. Rendering of inserted content elements to be skipped. In an embodiment when more than one content element matches only one is rendered. In another embodiment matching is used to control zapping to or from the main stream. In another embodiment matching is used to control linking of separately received mark-up information such as subtitles to points in the main stream.
Abstract
Techniques for watermarking and distributing are provided. Content is broken into frames, each frame includes a watermark. Resources request the content and each frame of each resource's acquired version of the content includes a watermark. The frames of each resource's acquired version of the content form unique watermark sequences or unique keys. Each watermark sequence or key is uniquely associated with a particular resource. Each resource is also provided one or more delivery plans for acquiring that resource's uniquely watermark and sequenced version of the content over the network.
20090226148, "Selection of content from a stream of video or audio data," assigned to Philips (NL).
Abstract
A main stream contains successive content elements of video and/or audio information that encode video and/or audio information at a first data rate. A computation circuit (144) computes main fingerprints from the successive content elements. A reference stream is received having a second data rate lower than the first data rate. The reference stream defines a sequence of the reference fingerprints. A comparator unit (144) compares the main fingerprints with the reference fingerprints. The main stream is monitored for the presence of inserted content elements between original content elements, where the original content elements have main fingerprints that match successive reference fingerprints and the inserted content elements have main fingerprints that do not match reference fingerprints. Rendering of inserted content elements to be skipped. In an embodiment when more than one content element matches only one is rendered. In another embodiment matching is used to control zapping to or from the main stream. In another embodiment matching is used to control linking of separately received mark-up information such as subtitles to points in the main stream.
