Active images through digital watermarking
The present disclosure relates generally to the technological arts of digital watermarking and fingerprinting. One claim recites a method comprising: obtaining digital data representing imagery captured with a camera; storing the digital data at a location in electronic memory; processing the digital data with a processor, said processing comprising generating a digital fingerprint of the imagery; storing the digital fingerprint of the imagery and the location in a storage repository or index; transforming the digital data with digital watermarking upon a request to output the digital imagery to a physical domain, said digital watermarking comprising a plural bit identifier; and associating the plural bit identifier with the fingerprint and location in the storage repository or index. Of course, other combinations, features and claims are disclosed as well.
1. A method comprising:
obtaining digital data representing imagery captured with a camera;
storing the digital data at a location in electronic memory;
processing the digital data with a processor, said processing comprising generating a digital fingerprint of the imagery;
storing the digital fingerprint of the imagery and the location in a storage repository or index;
transforming the digital data with digital watermarking upon a request to output the imagery to a physical domain, said digital watermarking comprising a plural bit identifier;
associating the plural bit identifier with the fingerprint and location in the storage repository or index; and
identifying the imagery with the digital fingerprint while in a digital domain and identifying the imagery only with the digital watermarking while in the physical domain.
2. The method of claim 1 in which the imagery comprises video.
3. A system comprising:
a camera for capturing imagery;
memory for storing captured imagery;
a processor configured for:
obtaining digital data representing imagery captured with said camera;
storing the digital data at a memory location;
processing the digital data by generating a digital fingerprint of the imagery;
associating the digital fingerprint of the imagery and the memory location in a storage repository or index;
transforming the digital data with digital watermarking upon a request to output the imagery to a physical domain, said digital watermarking comprising a plural bit identifier; and
associating the plural bit identifier with the fingerprint and location in the storage repository or index; and
a detector configured for identifying the imagery with the digital fingerprint while in a digital domain and for identifying the imagery only with the digital watermarking while in the physical domain.
4. The system of claim 3 in which the imagery comprises video.
5. The system of claim 4 in which the processor is housed in a cell phone.
6. A system comprising:
a camera for capturing imagery;
memory for storing captured imagery;
a processor configured for:
obtaining digital data representing imagery captured with said camera;
storing the digital data at a memory location;
generating a digital fingerprint from the digital data representing the imagery; and
associating the digital fingerprint of the imagery and the memory location in a storage repository or index;
means for transforming the digital data with digital watermarking upon a request to output the imagery to a physical domain, said digital watermarking comprising a plural bit identifier;
in which the processor is configured for: associating the plural bit identifier with the fingerprint and location in the storage repository or index; and
means for identifying the imagery with the digital fingerprint while in a digital domain and for identifying the imagery only with the digital watermarking while in the physical domain.
7. The system of claim 6 in which the imagery comprises video.
8. The system of claim 6 in which the processor is housed within a cell phone.
9. The system of claim 6 in which the digital fingerprint comprises a reduced-bit representation of the imagery.