Routing networks for use with watermark systems
View Patent ↗A watermark embedded in a content (e.g., a printed document, digital audio, etc.) includes data that associates the content with a remote store of related data. For example, an image watermark may contain an index value that identifies a database record specifying (a) the owner's name; (b) contact information; (c) license terms and conditions, (d) copyright date, (e) whether adult content is depicted, etc., etc. Or a magazine advertisement may contain an index value that identifies a database record specifying a related URL. Sometimes there are several back-and-forth exchanges between the decoding device and the database. To speed response time, it is desirable that this traffic be exchanged with a database that is located close—in network proximity—to the device that decodes the watermark. In one embodiment this is accomplished by first querying a master database with the zip code, or other identifier, of the decoding device. The first database then responds by identifying a second, nearby database with which further traffic should be exchanged.
1. In a method that includes:
presenting a physical object to an optical sensor;
discerning from optical sensor data an identifier associated with the object;
transferring the identifier to an indexing system; and
determining from the indexing system an internet address corresponding to said object;
an improvement comprising:
sending user data to a master system, the user data providing information related to user location
at said master system, identifying an indexing system close to the user from plural different indexing systems; and
transferring said identifier to said identified indexing system.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user data comprises a postal code.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the user data comprises a country identifier.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the user data also comprises object type data, and said identifying comprises identifying the indexing system as a function of both the user location and the object type data.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein said physical object comprises a printed substrate.
6. A routing method for use by a router in an object-to-web linking system, comprising:
receiving an object identifier sent from a client device, said identifier corresponding to a physical object presented to said client device;
receiving a location identifier sent from a client device and identifying a location of said device;
by reference to at least said location identifier, determining an address of an object-related database system remote from said router, from several possible such database systems; and
transferring said object identifier to said determined database system.
7. The method of claim 6 that further includes:
receiving an object type identifier from the client device; and
determining said address by reference to at least said location data and said object type identifier.