Audio Watermarking for Non-Visual Resource Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for providing resource access rely on optical barcodes, which are impractical for non-visual communication media like audio and radio, limiting the ability to encode and decode digital information effectively.
Innovation Solution
Generating and transmitting enhanced audio signals that encode resource identifier data, allowing user devices to access resources directly or through a separate resolution server, using techniques like digital watermarking or fingerprinting to embed data within the audio signal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If optical barcodes are used for resource access, then visual information can be encoded and decoded, but the method is not applicable to non-visual communication media like audio and radio
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces optical scanning mechanisms with acoustic detection mechanisms. Instead of using cameras and optical sensors to read barcodes, the system uses microphones and audio processing algorithms to detect and decode watermarks embedded in audio signals. This substitution enables resource access in non-visual media by translating the optical recognition paradigm into an acoustic recognition paradigm.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter carrier from optical frequency (light) to acoustic frequency (sound). By embedding watermarks in the audio frequency domain rather than visual patterns, the system enables information encoding in audio signals. The watermark is embedded by modifying audio parameters such as amplitude, frequency, or phase, allowing resource identification through audio rather than visual channels.
2Ease of operation
If barcodes are used in television or video presentations, then resource access is enabled, but the clarity or resolution necessary for scanning may be lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an audio watermark as an intermediary carrier for resource identification information. Instead of directly encoding visual barcodes in video content, the system embeds audio watermarks that are imperceptible to humans but detectable by devices. This intermediary approach allows resource access without compromising video quality or requiring high-resolution visual encoding.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates an audio copy or duplicate channel within the video presentation. The audio watermark serves as a parallel information carrier that mirrors the resource identification function of visual barcodes but operates in the audio domain. This copying approach enables resource access through an alternative channel that does not suffer from the resolution limitations of visual encoding in video content.
3Adaptability or versatility
If enhanced audio signals encode resource identifier data, then access to resources is enabled through audio media, but the system complexity increases with separate resolution servers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal resource identification system that works across multiple media types (audio, video, radio) through a common watermark detection mechanism. The resolution server provides multi-functional capabilities by handling various types of resource identification requests through a single unified interface. This universality reduces the need for separate systems for different media types, thereby managing complexity through consolidation rather than proliferation of specialized components.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for using a hidden audio signal. In one exemplary embodiment, the method includes registering, at a central database, one or more of an identifier and a destination resource associated with the identifier, and encoding the one or more of the identifier and the destination resource in a hidden audio signal. The method further includes transmitting the hidden audio signal, including the one or more of the identifier and the destination resource, in connection with an acoustic signal, and receiving the acoustic signal at a user device. In addition, the method includes decoding the encoded one or more of the identifier and the destination resource at the user device; and requesting, from the central database, information associated with the one or more of the identifier and the destination resource. Further, the method includes receiving, at the user device, the requested information.