text:
Top Items:
David Harsanyi / The Federalist:
The Left's Ridiculous Burger King Freakout — Burger King plans to merge with Canuck coffee-and-doughnut chain Tim Hortons and base the company's headquarters in Canada where it will enjoy the kind of reasonable corporate tax structure that Democrats continue to obstruct here in the United States.
Discussion: Capitol Report, Bloomberg, Daily Signal, Daily Kos, The Huffington Post, Gawker and ThinkProgress
Robert Schroeder / Capitol Report: Joe Biden beating the drums at secret fundraisers
Richard Rubin / Bloomberg: Boehner, Camp Profit From Corporate Bid to Avoid U.S. Tax
Hamilton Nolan / Gawker: Powerful Congressmen Have Powerful Conflicts of Interest
Jim Puzzanghera / Los Angeles Times:
Burger King swallows Tim Hortons; new firm is Canada-bound
Burger King swallows Tim Hortons; new firm is Canada-bound
Discussion: Business Insider, The Daily Banter, Daily Kos, Associated Press, Progress Illinois and Wall Street Journal
Tommy Christopher / The Daily Banter: White House Press Corps: Has Burger King Crossed the Red Line?
Joan McCarter / Daily Kos: Burger King expands realm into Canada
Ellyn Fortino / Progress Illinois: Durbin Blasts Burger King For Tim Hortons Purchase, Tax Inversion Deal
Mike Snider / Associated Press:
Burger King, Tim Hortons merge into whopper-sized firm
Burger King, Tim Hortons merge into whopper-sized firm
Discussion: Joe. My. God., The Gateway Pundit and MichelleMalkin.com
Joe Jervis / Joe. My. God.: Burger King Heads North
Coral Davenport / New York Times:
Obama Pursuing Climate Accord in Lieu of Treaty — WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is working to forge a sweeping international climate change agreement to compel nations to cut their planet-warming fossil fuel emissions, but without ratification from Congress.
Discussion: Firedoglake, Fox News, Business Insider, Roger L. Simon, The Gateway Pundit and Washington Times
Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake: Obama Pursuing Climate Deal Outside Congress, IPCC Warns Climate Change Could Be Irreversible
Brett LoGiurato / Business Insider: Obama Is Pursuing A 'Sweeping' International Climate Agreement — And He's Doing It Without Congress
Roger L Simon / Roger L. Simon: Climate Change to the Rescue?
Justin Gillis / New York Times:
U.N. Draft Report Lists Unchecked Emissions' Risks
U.N. Draft Report Lists Unchecked Emissions' Risks
Erick Erickson / RedState: I Simply Do Not Care About Global Warming
Alex Morales / Bloomberg: Irreversible Damage Seen From Climate Change in UN Leak
Bill McKibben / The Dish: Hair-And World-On Fire
Hamilton Nolan / Gawker: Doom Draws Nearer
Casey Newton / The Verge:
This is Uber's playbook for sabotaging Lyft — 'Brand ambassadors' with burner phones and credit cards attempt to #shavethestache — Uber is arming teams of independent contractors with burner phones and credit cards as part of its sophisticated effort to undermine Lyft and other competitors.
Discussion: New York Times, Guardian, Politico, Mashable, Gawker and CBS San Francisco
Kevin Robillard / Politico: Plouffe at Uber: Tough start
Seth Fiegerman / Mashable: Uber Allegedly Engages in Broad 'Sabotage Campaign' Against Lyft
Sam Biddle / Gawker: More Proof Uber Fights Dirty Against the Competition
New York Times:
U.S. Mobilizes Allies to Widen Assault on ISIS — WASHINGTON — The United States has begun to mobilize a broad coalition of allies behind potential American military action in Syria and is moving toward expanded airstrikes in northern Iraq, administration officials said on Tuesday.
Discussion: BillMoyers.com, Fox News, Business Insider, Guardian, Daily Kos and ABC News
Greg Dworkin / Daily Kos: Abbreviated Pundit Round-up: Pretty robust foreign policy for a guy playing golf
Travis Gettys / The Raw Story:
Video shows police shot Ohio man 'on sight' as he leaned on toy gun in Walmart, attorney says — Surveillance video shows an Ohio man talking on a cell phone, leaning on a toy gun, and facing away from officers moments before police shot and killed him in a Walmart store, according to an attorney for the man's family.
Discussion: Reuters, addictinginfo.org, WLWT-TV and Booman Tribune
Randa Morris / addictinginfo.org: Surveillance Tape Shows John Crawford Was Shopping When Police Gunned Him Down In Ohio Walmart
John Crawford III / WLWT-TV: Hamilton Co. prosecutor to take Walmart shooting case to grand jury
Jill Drury / WDTN-TV:
Dueling demands in Walmart shooting case
Dueling demands in Walmart shooting case
Discussion: The Daily Caller and Prairie Weather
Jim McElhatton / Washington Times:
IRS ethics lawyer facing possible disbarment, accused of lying … A lawyer in the IRS ethics office is facing the possibility of being disbarred, according to records that accuse her of lying to a court-appointed board and hiding what she'd done with money from a settlement that was supposed …
Andy Cush / Gawker:
World's Greatest Two-Year-Old Drops F-Bomb After Ice Bucket Challenge — We have seen have seen more ice buckets dropped on heads than we care to remember. We have seen superheroes and wanted criminals, former presidents and wisdom teeth patients who are obviously faking it.
Discussion: Mediaite and BizPac Review
Lauren Windsor / The Nation:
Caught on Tape: What Mitch McConnell Complained About to a Roomful of Billionaires (Exclusive) — At a secret meeting of elite donors convened by the Koch brothers, McConnell laid out his plan for shrinking the federal government and whined about having to vote on minimum wage bills.
Discussion: ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo, ladylibertine.net, The Huffington Post and Taegan Goddard's …
Josh Israel / ThinkProgress: McConnell Promises Billionaire Donors He Won't Waste Time On 'Gosh Darn' Minimum Wage Increases
Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo: AUDIO: McConnell Explains How He'd Force A Shutdown War With Obama
Sam Stein / The Huffington Post: At Koch Retreat, Top GOP Senate Candidates Credited Koch Network For Their Rise
Cliff Schecter / The Daily Beast:
The NRA Pissed Off the Wrong Nerd Genius — Billionaire Michael Bloomberg already had the gun lobby in his sights. Now Bill Gates is donating $1 million for universal background checks—and there's more where that came from. — Somewhere in a large glass tower in Northern Virginia …
Discussion: addictinginfo.org
Nathaniel Downes / addictinginfo.org: Make My Day - Bill Gates Throws His Money Behind Gun Regulations
Dave Hawkins / Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Shooting instructor dies after being accidentally shot by girl — The entrance to Bullets and Burgers enterprise at the Last Stop, about 25 miles south of Las Vegas, is shown. A shooting instructor at the outdoor range died Monday night after being accidentally shot by a 9-year-old girl using an automatic 9mm Uzi earlier in the day.
Discussion: Latest from Crooks and Liars, Mediaite, Gawker, Las Vegas Sun News, Guardian, Balloon Juice, Talking Points Memo and The Raw Story
Susie Madrak / Latest from Crooks and Liars: Responsible Gun Instructor Shot And Killed By 9 Y.O. Girl With An Uzi
Lauren Gambino / Guardian: Arizona gun instructor accidentally shot and killed by nine-year-old girl with Uzi
Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo: Arizona Girl Accidentally Shoots Her Shooting Instructor In The Head
Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:
Obama's Iraq Policy Has Been Pretty Masterly — I'm not a diehard supporter of Barack Obama's foreign policy. Some of his actions I just plain disagree with: the surge in Afghanistan, the enormous increase in drone use, his almost inhuman patience in putting up with Bibi Netanyahu's nearly open contempt for him.
Discussion: The Reality-Based Community
Mark Kleiman / The Reality-Based Community: Will Assad follow Maliki out the door?
John Parkinson / ABC News:
The Note: Obama Mulls Options for Airstrikes Over Syria — By JOHN R. PARKINSON (@jparkABC) NOTABLES — OBAMA APPROVES ISIS SURVEILLANCE FLIGHTS OVER SYRIA: President Obama has approved U.S military surveillance flights over Syria to track the Islamic militant group ISIS …
Discussion: ABC News
Boehner-Haters Heading Back to Congress With More Allies — The anti-Boehner clan is on the way back to Washington, and bringing reinforcements. — Ten of the 12 House Republicans who didn't support John Boehner's 2013 selection as speaker are cruising to November victories …
Discussion: Politico
Josh Feldman / Mediaite:
Jon Stewart Goes After Fox in Powerful Ferguson Monologue — Jon Stewart returned from a long summer break to tackle the unrest in Ferguson over the past few weeks. In fact, he started out by taking the Ferguson Challenge. It's like the Ice Bucket Challenge, only with mace and tear gas.
Discussion: The Raw Story
Ian Burrell / The Independent:
The Times' newsroom set to ring with the sounds of typewriters once more — Almost as if the digital revolution never happened, the newsroom of The Times once again resounds to the clatter of the old-fashioned typewriter. — Nearly three decades after Rupert Murdoch's UK newspaper publisher revolutionised …
Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM, Mediaite, The Verge and The Huffington Post, more at Mediagazer »
Tina Nguyen / Mediaite: Rupert Murdoch's Times Office Blasts Typewriter Sounds to Increase Productivity
Catherine Taibi / The Huffington Post: Murdoch Newspaper Is Playing Typewriter Sounds In The Newsroom For Some Reason
Daily Mail:
Revealed: How fear of being seen as racist stopped social workers saving up to 1,400 children from sexual exploitation at the hands of Asian men in just ONE TOWN — The sexual abuse of about 1,400 children at the hands of Asian men went unreported for 16 years because staff feared they would be seen as racist, a report said today.
Discussion: Vox Popoli
Jelani Cobb / New Yorker:
Between the World and Ferguson — When I was eighteen, I stumbled across Richard Wright's poem "Between the World and Me." The poem, a retelling of a lynching, shook me, because while the narrator relays the details in the first person, the actual victim of that brutish ritual is another man, unknown to him and unknown to us.
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Marco Rubio's course correction on immigration — BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL IMMIGRATION BARACK OBAMA MARCO RUBIO — Marco Rubio's office got in touch this week to say the Florida senator and possible 2016 GOP presidential hopeful wanted to discuss immigration.
Discussion: The Huffington Post and Washington Post
Paul Mirengoff / Power Line:
College board mandates left-wing narrative for AP U.S. History — The College Board, the private company that produces the SAT test and the various Advanced Placement exams, is effectively requiring that AP U.S. History be taught from a hard-left perspective.
Discussion: Booman Tribune, Talking Points Memo and US News
Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo: National Review Alleges Conspiracy That 'Politicized' AP U.S. History Exam
Eddie Scarry / Mediaite:
Romney on 2016 Run: 'Circumstances Can Change' — Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has denied he's not going to make a third bid for the White House but on Tuesday he left open a very small window. — "I know you're going to press, but you know, this is something we gave …
Discussion: Talking Points Memo
NBC News:
'Islam Over Everything': American Extremist Killed Fighting for ISIS — Douglas McAuthur McCain, 33, of San Diego, was killed over the weekend while fighting for ISIS, according to the Free Syrian Army.
Steve M. / No More Mister Nice Blog: DEATH OF AMERICAN ISIS FIGHTER SUGGESTS THEY'RE NOT COMING TO FIGHT US OVER HERE
Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times: American Fighting for ISIS Is Killed in Syria
Yahoo! News: Family 'devastated' by reports of American Douglas McAuthur McCain killed fighting with ISIL Yahoo News 3 hrs ago
Alison Vingiano / BuzzFeed: Here Is Everything We Know So Far About The American Who Died Fighting For ISIS
Noah Rothman / Hot Air: An American dies in combat in Syria... fighting for ISIS
Jeremy Bender / Business Insider: American Killed While Fighting For ISIS Seemed Increasingly Radical On Social Media
Robert Stacy McCain / The Other McCain: Equal Rights for Hostages?
Adam Weinstein / Gawker: American Man Killed Waging Jihad for ISIS in Syria
Andrew Johnson / National Review: Report: American Killed Fighting for Islamic State


text:
I realized that I didn't do my traditional Canada Day post. (Although traditionally, my Canada Day post only consisted of a pretty picture of the maple leaf flag, and a virtual Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian bloggy peeps.)
This year, though, the last 9 months, exactly, I haven't been been around these parts much. And as I've been taking a bit of my long weekend time to travel around twitterland, the blog world, the Facebook enterprise... it turns out I've been missing a lot. When I first started blogging there weren't that many Canadian bloggers, and many of my blog friends (and the pals I was so excited to meet at BlogHer 09) were non Canadian. How ironic, then, that there's now a plethora of Canadian bloggers - and they're reaching out! I managed to find them and squeak into the Canadian part-eh. If being Canadian means anything, it means loving a party.
I. AM. CANADIAN. I even worked at a brewery at one point, for crying out loud... and met my other half there, to boot. Can't get more romantic than that, love over a beer.
I look at my life, my family... at me. As a part of the first born generation of immigrant parents, I feel distinctly Canadian. I grew up trying to assimilate, to avoid most of what I thought were trappings of a Chinese background. But being in Canada, the culture, the Chinese traditions - had a place to thrive, despite my best efforts to avoid them. Osmosis, people. Only as I got older, became an adult, and met people (ie especially the husband) who appreciated the differences, could I myself appreciate the enriching experiences that my background could bring to being "Canadian" .
My kids' family tree is looking more like a forest, with roots dating to ancient China and France, Scotland, England, Germany... My boy has been watching the FIFA games and during England-Germany match, he figured - "Hey, I've got English and German roots, so whoever wins, I'm covered!"
We are Canadian. And damn proud of it.
So I'm off to check out other Canadian party bloggers now.
With beer in hand, of course.
Happy Belated Canada Day, folks.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
If the medical goes as planned, then Mats Hummels will leave FC Bayern in the summer after three years at the club.
- News
- FC Bayern.tv
- Teams
- Matches
- Club
- Fans
- Youth
- US Tour
- More
Our website uses the re-targeting technologies of Criteo SA to use advertising IDs and cookies to show advertisements on partner websites, apps and emails to visitors to our site who are interested in our products.
To make potential users and customers as well as visitors to our site via Facebook and Instagram aware of our online offers, we use the online advertising program "Facebook Advertising" and, within the framework of Facebook Advertising, conversion tracking and Facebook retargeting pixel.
The function of remarketing or "similar target group" from Google Inc. enables the provider to target visitors to the website with targeted advertising by displaying personalised, interest-based ads for visitors to the provider's website when they visit other websites on the Google Display Network.
This website uses DoubleClick by Google to serve relevant ads to users, to improve reports for the campaign performance, or to prevent a user from seeing the same ads more than once.
Akanoo uses cookies, which are stored on your computer, to help the website analyse how users use the site to optimise our online services.
trbo GmbH uses cookies, which are stored on your computer and enable an analysis of the use of our website. The following information is collected: Which pages are visited when, how often and in which order, which products are searched for, which links or offers are clicked on and which orders are placed. This information helps us to control, analyse and optimise our online offering.
Cookie policy
We use cookies to offer a variety of services and for the purpose of continuous improvement. By using the website you agree to our use of cookies. You could change or revoke your settings under the privacy policy.


text:
Tomahawk Farm Pediatrics was founded in 2005 by husband and wife Dr. Greg Odell and Dr. Jamie Odell, lifelong residents of Somers, New York. The two aspire to bring a dedicated, comforting and fun experience to children visiting the doctor. The practice is located in professional and cheerful offices in their home located on a small farm. Children are provided expert and gentle care from the Doctors in a lovely farm setting where kids can visit with Arnold the pig, Houdini the pony, and various other farm animals. Dr. Jamie and Dr. Greg welcome new patients.
Our Practice
Contact Us
Website Designed
Create a Website
List Your Business


text:
Home of internationally-recognized research on melatonin, circadian rhythms and disorders related to the body clock. Read about the lab
Sleep & Mood Disorders Laboratory
Since its inception in 1982, the Sleep and Mood Disorders Laboratory has focused on studies of circadian rhythms ("body clocks") and how they are affected by melatonin and light. The Laboratory continues to refine the understanding of how circadian rhythms govern the sleep-wake cycle and how melatonin can be used as a treatment for misalignments between circadian rhythms and sleep.


text:
Patricia Kastner
Expert in Digitalization of the Marketing and Customer Experience
Personal commitment along with more than 15 years of industry experience have turned her into a much sought-after lecturer and author of articles on digitalization in marketing. Her favorite areas of expertise are customer experience, multichannel management, marketing meets IT and process optimization in marketing. As of 2006, she has had a major influence on the concepts of Enterprise Marketing Management and Marketing Information Management.
In her lectures, Patricia Kastner impressively demonstrates how companies can position themselves for the future on solid ground and how they can secure the decisive and competitive edge, i.e. a sustainable customer experience. Patricia Kastner?s ideas and visions are food for thought and motivate action. As company founder, she brings along extensive experience, pioneer spirit and courage.
Her enthusiasm convinces everyone across all industries. The customer base of her internationally successful software company includes renowned companies such as Villeroy & Boch, Miele, Leifheit, HiPP, Lacoste, WMF, MaxiCosi and many more. In her lectures, Patricia Kastner uses her extensive know-how gained from numerous projects to convey the necessity of digitalizing marketing processes to enthusiastic listeners.
Presentation Topics
- Customer Experience
- Digitalization
- Marketing
- Marketingprozesse
Gern senden wir Ihnen weitere Informationen zu dieser Expertin.
Nutzen Sie dafür unsere Wunschliste.


text:
Jersey Shore: The End of Smush
[There was a video here]
Something serious and sad is threatening the greatest sociological experiment of our time: couples. Yes, it seems like everyone is paired up and Snooki is even expecting Jersey Shore's first virgin birth. Haha. Just kidding. Snooki's no virgin. And Situation got Vinny pregnant when he touched the smush bed anyway. That was the first.
Yes, as Deena so astutely pointed out—and, as scientists of these guidos I'm disappointed I never noticed—that all the women in the house are members of a couple, except her. While the guidettes are always looking to settle down with one man, the men are horribly averse to it, which is why they are all single and out at the club trying to prowl women who can be convinced, for a night, that they want to settle down with them. Or they're just too slutty to care. Either one.
Alright, before we can look at the act of coupling, let us look at the newest editions to our ever-expanding guido lexicon:
- Toodle-Pants: The state of extreme inebriation where one must escape to the comfort of her (or his) bed and pretend to disengage from the group for reasons of regaining sobriety that is never attained.
- Chess Piece: Someone who has been played. This is a pejorative and describes someone who has been fooled by someone else. However, evoking the game of kings (or is that polo or something else?) gives the indication that the person who has been played is being played for some greater scheme. Since we are dealing with guidos who can't think past their immediate urges, this is never the case.
So, Deena is pissed that everyone is in a couple and she has no single girlfriends to fuck...I mean, hang out with. Instead she always ends up going out with the guys, which is fitting because she's always socialized like a guy anyway.
Even Vinny and DJ Paulie Divorced hate the idea of all the couples in the house. That is what has forced them to start behaving like a romantic couple even though they are not actively homosexual. Actively homosocial, yes, but not, as of yet, putting the poles in each other's holes. They've even noticed that, on the unrare occasions when they do bring girls back to the house, the smush room is occupied. This thing was created to facilitate randomly hooking up with people who don't live in the house, but is now taken up by the likes of JWOWW and Roger, the mayor of Seaside Heights; Sammi and Ronnie; and Snooki and Jionni.
In fact JWOWW is planning on celebrating her one year anniversary with Roger in the smush room. But before she can put on her classic patented JWOWW Titsling (inventor and kraut) and scatter the room with rose petals and bondage gear (see, I've been telling you all along Mayor Roger is into some serious BDSM mind games) Vinny and DJ Paulie Disruption pull a prank.
As we've learned time and time again, the guido's bed is the window to his (or her) soul. However they all share an essential animus that is collected in the smush room bed. Vinny and DJ Paulie Debilitate decide that they're going to take that soul out of the smush room, thereby breaking up the couple's haven that is preventing them from getting laid.
The problem is, the couples want to have it their way, and as quickly as the bed is pulled out, JWOWW pulls it back in and couplifies it with her rose petals and clone-a-willy kit (so she'll have something to keep her occupied while Mayor Roger is hard at work on his reelection campaign).
[There was a video here]
Part of Deena's problem with the couples' dominance of the house is that she badly wants to be in a couple herself. Ideally, she'd like to be drunkenly making out with Snooki the whole time. Didn't you see the "I [Heart Sign] Girls" T-shirt she wore with two girls making out on it? If you asked Deena she'd be like, "Oh, it's just a joke. I don't mean it. I love boys. I really do. Look at Joey." Yes, Deena is trying to throw herself into a couple to be more like the women in the house, either in an attempt to make the housemates think she isn't a lesbian or to get closer to the women so that they'll feel comfortable making out with her.
The problem with Joey, Deena's intended target, is that he is not at all interested in hanging out with her. He calls her and sets up tentative dates at the club, but he's acting more like a friend or someone who signed a waiver to have his face on television so he feels like he should make the most of it and get the screen time while he can. Joey is not at all interested in hooking up with Deena, who seems completely oblivious to this fact because she filled her basket only with his eggs.
It's sweet that her housemates have Deena's best interests at heart, but when they fill her head with their assumptions that Joey isn't interested, she brings it up to him repeatedly at Karma, and annoys him so much that he completely disses her and goes back to his girlfriend talking about how crazy Deena is. Oh, Joey, you damn bastard. You probably didn't even know the cameras saw you put your arm around that girl. Now you are a busted villain and everyone knows. Hope that girl wants to be with you forever.
[There was a video here]
The Situation is also in a couple, but it is with the only person he loves: himself. Because he has to be alone, and likes it that way, he continues on his devious plan to break up Snooki and Jionni. At this point The Situation looks more like Gargamel than ever. He's just a big old meanie with a balding head and bulbous nose who is constantly trying out some insane plot in order to obtain his objective, but his objective, like catching a Smurf, is totally silly. Even sillier, however, is that he can't achieve even the simple goal of luring one tiny little girl who is an unnatural color into a trap. Each time it just devolves into comic ineptitude.
The plot goes something like this: The Situation is going to tell Snooki's boyfriend Jionni that he hooked up with Snooki. He's going to have The Unit there to confirm that the hookup took place. Apparently when a guy tells you something that may or may not be true and that he won't necessarily want to believe, having the guy's best friend there to clarify the story is going to help. Can you get behind this warped logic? You shouldn't because it makes no sense. Of course The Unit will say whatever Sitch says is true. I wouldn't believe either of them. I wouldn't believe Sitch if the ghosts of Ghandi, Mother Teresa, and another famous person who worked in India were there to vouch for him.
Sitch finds out that Jionni is going to be at Karma with his whole family (this is a strange guido tradition we've never seen before) so Sitch calls the Unit so they can have a confrontation in public. When Snooki sees Sitch and Unit sniggering and sneering like Snidely Whiplash and his dog Muttley she knows something is up and blows off Jionni's family so they can get out of the club.
After their escape, Sitch decides he's going to take the fight back to the house. However, The Unit is incredibly inebriated (or conked out on other substances) and isn't even making sense as Sitch walks him back to the house explaining his plot for Snooki domination like a real cartoon villain so that the audience at home knows exactly what he has planned. The Unit does nothing but nod and pass out on his feet so when they pass a cadre of cops, they pick The Unit up for public drunkenness or something else.
Of course the plan is ruined because Sitch doesn't have the Unit there to back up his truth and he goes home saddened, not that his friend is in jail, but that he once again got out-smurfed by the smurf and her smurfy smurf.
[There was a video here]
Speaking of strange creatures, we had a reemergence of that creature known as Trash Bags last night. When the guidos traveled out of the Guido Triangle made by Karma, Bamboo, Aztec, and the Beachcomber (yes, a guido triangle has four sides) and went to Janks, they ran into their former roommate who once went by the name Angelina before her great public humiliation.
Ew, gross. There is nothing more despicable than Trash Bags. But this proves something very essential about guido sociology. Even if someone is kicked out of a tribe, it doesn't mean that he or she is kicked out of the race altogether. It looks like Trash Bags has found another tribe to embrace her, one that runs parallel to the guidos we follow, but not necessarily with them. To continue with the geometry metaphors, they're like two sides of a parallelogram, which will never meet except when another line bisects the both of them.
Oh how sad Trash Bags was that night, though. The Jersey Shore would never be the same for her now that her initial clan has rejected her. It's so hard for her, to see their antics followed around by the warm embracing glow of the spot light, while she is at the same clubs, doing the same things, throwing herself at boys and looking for any bit of meaning her outlandish behavior. But she ruined it. It's gone for her. She will never feel that terrifying and intoxicating illumination again, except when it scans by her as one of her former housemates rushes past her, barely even bothering to stop.
She'll go home at night, remembering that little bit of warmth, that passing ember. She'll take out her extensions and hang up her booty shorts. She'll crawl into bed alone without the soft billowing buzz of the night-vision camera capturing her slumber. She's just alone, in the dark. Just another girl at the shore. Just another girl who had it all once and lost it. Just another girl who would never get out, who would be cramming into crowded share houses for the rest of her life. Just another girl, staining her pillow with tears.


text:
Kanye West allegedly assaulted an 18-year-old male today (January 13) in the waiting room of a Beverly Hills chiropractor's office, tmz.com reports.
Kanye West and his girlfriend Kim Kardashian were in a medical office building today when they were approached by paparazzi and the 18-year-old allegedly said to Kardashian, "Fuck these faggot-ass niggers," regarding the paparazzi, tmz.com says.
When Kardashian told the 18-year-old that it was inappropriate for him to use the n-word, he replied, "Fuck you, bitch. Just trying to help you. Shut up nigger lover, stupid slut," tmz.com's story says.
Kardashian, who was alone at the time, let the 18-year-old walk into an office. Kanye West arrived soon thereafter and located the 18-year-old in the waiting room of chiropractor Richard Hill. Kanye West then allegedly punched the alleged victim, tmz.com reports.
The alleged victim said he wants to press charges.


text:
Norwex Essential Oils are the perfect alternative to air freshener sprays and scented candles that often contain harmful chemicals like phthalates. Ingredients for our natural Essential Oils are carefully cultivated and meticulously extracted at a specific time of day to ensure each essence is at its peak. Once harvested, these essences are crafted in small batches requiring precise combination and delicate balance. Essences are then left to mature naturally in a cool environment for several days, ultimately creating our unique botanical blends. Enjoy in every room, including play and pet areas. Each exhilarating Essential Oil blend will turn your home into a beautifully scented haven.
Size: 15 ml / .5 fl. oz.
You want to get rid of bad odors and keep your home smelling fresh without the use of harmful chemical-filled sprays and cleaners, but finding healthy, natural alternatives can be challenging.
Enjoy wondrously fresh smells as you infuse a soothing scent throughout your home. With rich, natural Norwex Essential Oils, you can provide a delicate aroma to your safe haven!
Essential Oils can be irritating to skin so they are not recommended for topical or oral use.


text:
Our pricing depends on the number of items you wish to order. Use the dropdowns below to make your selection
Place Name
Wedding / On The Day Stationery / Place Cards /
From £19.50 for 30
Wedding / On The Day Stationery / Place Cards /
No table arrangment is complete without the all-important place cards. Our customisable styles are expertly printed on beautifully textured Mohawk paper. Once you've found a design you love, personalise the set with details of your event – it's that easy.
90mm x 40mm when folded
Warm-white Mohawk paper (324gsm) with a matte eggshell finish
We do not offer custom printing on individual place cards
Minimum order: 30 units


text:
Method, apparatus and programs for generating and utilizing content signatures
The present invention relates to deriving and utilizing content signatures. A content signature is a representation of a content item, which is derived from the content item itself. According to the invention, a method of generating a content signature for a signal is provided. The method includes the steps of: i) dividing the signal into at least one set; ii) transforming the set into a frequency-based domain; iii) determining features of the transformed set; and iv) grouping the features so as to form a content signature of the set.
Latest Digimarc Corporation Patents:
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 60/257,822, filed Dec. 21, 2000, and 60/263,490, filed Jan. 22, 2001. These applications are herein incorporated by reference.
The subject matter of the present application is related to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,260, and in the following U.S. patent applications: Ser. No. 09/503,881 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,614,914), filed Feb. 14, 2000; Ser. No. 09/563,664 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,160), filed May 2, 2000; Ser. No. 09/620,019, filed Jul. 20, 2000; and Ser. No. 09/661,900 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,674,876), filed Sep. 14, 2000. Each of these patent documents is herein incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates generally to deriving identifying information from data. More particularly, the present invention relates to content signatures derived from data, and to applications utilizing such content signatures.
Advances in software, computers and networking systems have created many new and useful ways to distribute, utilize and access content items (e.g., audio, visual, and/or video signals). Content items are more accessible than ever before. As a result, however, content owners and users have an increasing need to identify, track, manage, handle, link content or actions to, and/or protect their content items.
These types of needs may be satisfied, as disclosed in this application, by generating a signature of a content item (e.g., a "content signature"). A content signature represents a corresponding content item. Preferably, a content signature is derived (e.g., calculated, determined, identified, created, etc.) as a function of the content item itself. The content signature can be derived through a manipulation (e.g., a transformation, mathematical representation, hash, etc.) of the content data. The resulting content signature may be utilized to identify, track, manage, handle, protect the content, link to additional information and/or associated behavior, and etc. Content signatures are also known as "robust hashes" and "fingerprints," and are used interchangeably throughout this disclosure.
Content signatures can be stored and used for identification of the content item. A content item is identified when a derived signature matches a predetermined content signature. A signature may be stored locally, or may be remotely stored. A content signature may even be utilized to index (or otherwise be linked to data in) a related database. In this manner, a content signature is utilized to access additional data, such as a content ID, licensing or registration information, other metadata, a desired action or behavior, and validating data. Other advantages of a content signature may include identifying attributes associated with the content item, linking to other data, enabling actions or specifying behavior (copy, transfer, share, view, etc.), protecting the data, etc.
A content signature also may be stored or otherwise attached with the content item itself, such as in a header (or footer) or frame headers of the content item. Evidence of content tampering can be identified with an attached signature. Such identification is made through re-deriving a content signature using the same technique as was used to derive the content signature stored in the header. The newly derived signature is compared with the stored signature. If the two signatures fail to match (or otherwise coincide), the content item can be deemed altered or otherwise tampered with. This functionality provides an enhanced security and verification tool.
A content signature may be used in connection with digital watermarking. Digital watermarking is a process for modifying physical or electronic media (e.g., data) to embed a machine-readable code into the media. The media may be modified such that the embedded code is imperceptible or nearly imperceptible to the user, yet may be detected through an automated detection process. Most commonly, digital watermarking is applied to media signals such as images, audio signals, and video signals. However, it may also be applied to other types of media objects, including documents (e.g., through line, word or character shifting), software, multi-dimensional graphics models, and surface textures of objects.
Digital watermarking systems typically have two primary components: an encoder that embeds the watermark in a host media signal, and a decoder that detects and reads the embedded watermark from a signal suspected of containing a watermark (a suspect signal). The encoder embeds a watermark by altering the host media signal. And the decoder analyzes a suspect signal to detect whether a watermark is present. In applications where the watermark encodes information, the reader extracts this information from the detected watermark.
Several particular watermarking techniques have been developed. The reader is presumed to be familiar with the literature in this field. Particular techniques for embedding and detecting imperceptible watermarks in media signals are detailed in the assignee's co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/503,881 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,614,914) and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,260, which are referenced above.
According to one aspect of our invention, the digital watermark may be used in conjunction with a content signature. The watermark can provide additional information, such as distributor and receiver information for tracking the content. The watermark data may contain a content signature and can be compared to the content signature at a later time to determine if the content is authentic. As discussed above regarding a frame header, a content signature can be compared to digital watermark data, and if the content signature and digital watermark data match (or otherwise coincide) the content is determined to be authentic. If different, however, the content is considered modified.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a digital watermark may be used to scale the content before deriving a content signature of the content. Content signatures are sensitive to scaling (e.g., magnification, scaling, rotation, distortion, etc.). A watermark can include a calibration and/or synchronization signal to realign the content to a base state. Or a technique can be used to determine a calibration and/or synchronization based upon the watermark data during the watermark detection process. This calibration signal (or technique) can be used to scale the content so it matches the scale of the content when the content signature was registered in a database or first determined, thus reducing errors in content signature extraction.
These and other features and advantages will become apparent with reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
The following sections describe methods, apparatus, and/or programs for generating, identifying, handling, linking and utilizing content signatures. The terms "content signature," "fingerprint," "hash," and "signature" are used interchangeably and broadly herein. For example, a signature may include a unique identifier (or a fingerprint) or other unique representation that is derived from a content item. Alternatively, there may be a plurality of unique signatures derived from the same content item. A signature may also correspond to a type of content (e.g., a signature identifying related content items). Consider an audio signal. An audio signal may be divided into segments (or sets), and each segment may include a signature. Also, changes in perceptually relevant features between sequential (or alternating) segments may also be used as a signature. A corresponding database may be structured to index a signature (or related data) via transitions of data segments based upon the perceptual features of the content.
As noted above, a content signature is preferably derived as a function of the content item itself. In this case, a signature of a content item is computed based on a specified signature algorithm. The signature may include a number derived from a signal (e.g., a content item) that serves as a statistically unique identifier of that signal. This means that there is a high probability that the signature was derived from the digital signal in question. One possible signature algorithm is a hash (e.g., an algorithm that converts a signal into a lower number of bits). The hash algorithm may be applied to a selected portion of a signal (e.g., the first 10 seconds, a video frame or a image block, etc.) to create a signal. The hash may be applied to discrete samples in this portion, or to attributes that are less sensitive to typical audio processing. Examples of less sensitive attributes include most significant bits of audio samples or a low pass filtered version of the portion. Examples of hashing algorithms include MD5, MD2, SHA, and SHA1.
A more dynamic signature deriving process is discussed with respect to
transformed set's relevant features (e.g., perceptual relevant features represented via edges; magnitude peaks, frequency characteristics, etc.) are identified per set in step 24. For example, a set's perceptual features, such as an object's edges in a frame or a transition of such edges between frames, are identified, analyzed or calculated. In the case of a video signal, perceptual edges may be identified, analyzed, and/or broken into a defining map (e.g., a representation of the edge, the edge location relevant to the segment's orientation, and/or the edge in relation to other perceptual edges.). In another example, frequency characteristics such as magnitude peaks having a predetermined magnitude, or a relatively significant magnitude, are used for such identifying markers. These identifying markers can be used to form the relevant signature.
Edges can also be used to calculate an object's center of mass, and the center of mass may be used as identifying information (e.g., signature components) for an object. For example, after thresholding edges of an object (e.g., identifying the edges), a centering algorithm may be used to locate an object's center of mass. A distance (e.g., up, down, right, left, etc.) may be calculated from the center of mass to each edge, or to a subset of edges, and such dimensions may be used as a signature for the object or for the frame. As an alternative, the largest object (or set of objects) may be selected for such center of mass analysis.
In another embodiment, a generalized Hough transform is used to convert content items such as video and audio signals into a signature. A continuous sequence of the signatures is generated via such a transform. The signature sequence can then be stored for future reference. The identification of the signature is through the transformation of the sequence of signatures. Trellis decoding and Viterbi decoding can be used in the database resolution of the signature.
In step 26, the set's relevant features (e.g., perceptual features, edges, largest magnitude peaks, center of mass, etc.) are grouped or otherwise identified, e.g., thorough a hash, mathematical relationship, orientation, positioning, or mapping to form a representation for the set. This representation is preferably used as a content signature for the set. This content signature may be used as a unique identifier for the set, an identifier for a subset of the content item, or as a signature for the entire content item. Of course, a signature need not be derived for every set (e.g., segment, frame, or block) of a content item. Instead, a signature may be derived for alternating sets or for every nth set, where n is an integer of one or more.
As shown in step 28, resulting signatures are stored. In one example, a set of signatures, which represents a sequence of segments, frames or blocks, is linked (and stored) together. For example, signatures representing sequential or alternating segments in an audio signal may be linked (and stored) together. This linking is advantageous when identifying a content item from a partial stream of signatures, or when the signatures representing the beginning of a content item are unknown or otherwise unavailable (e.g., when only the middle 20 seconds of an audio file are available). When perceptually relevant features are used to determine signatures, a linked list of such signatures may correspond to transitions in the perceptually relevant data between frames (e.g., in video). A hash may also be optionally used to represent such a linked list of signatures.
There are many possible variations for storing a signature or a linked list of signatures. The signature may be stored along with the content item in a file header (or footer) of the segment, or otherwise be associated with the segment. In this case, the signature is preferably recoverable as the file is transferred, stored, transformed, etc. In another embodiment, a segment signature is stored in a segment header (or footer). The segment header may also be mathematically modified (e.g., encrypted with a key, XORed with an ID, etc.) for additional security. The stored content signature can be modified by the content in that segment, or hash of content in that segment, so that it is not recoverable if some or all of content is modified, respectively. The mathematical modification helps to prevent tampering, and to allow recovery of the signature in order to make a signature comparison. Alternatively, the signatures may be stored in a database instead of, or in addition to, being stored with the content item. The database may be local, or may be remotely accessed through a network such as a LAN, WAN, wireless network or internet. When stored in a database, a signature may be linked or associated with additional data. Additional data may include identifying information for the content (e.g., author, title, label, serial numbers, etc.), security information (e.g., copy control), data specifying actions or behavior (e.g., providing a URL, licensing information or rights, etc.), context information, metadata, etc.
To illustrate one example, software executing on a user device (e.g., a computer, PVR, MP3 player, radio, etc.) computes a content signature for a content item (or segments within the content item) that is received or reviewed. The software helps to facilitate communication of the content signature (or signatures) to a database, where it is used to identify the related content item. In response, the database returns related information, or performs an action related to the signature. Such an action may include linking to another computer (e.g., a web site that returns information to the user device), transferring security or licensing information, verifying content and access, etc.
A set of perceptual features of a segment (or a set of segments) can also be used to create "fragile" signatures. The number of perceptual features included in the signature can determine its robustness. If the number is large, a hash could be used as the signature.
Digital Watermarks and Content Signatures
Content signatures may be used advantageously in connection with digital watermarks.
A digital watermark may be used in conjunction with a content signature. The watermark can provide additional information, such as distributor and receiver information for tracking the content. The watermark data may contain a content signature and can be compared to the content signature at a later time to determine if the content is authentic. A content signature also can be compared to digital watermark data, and if the content signature and digital watermark data match (or otherwise coincide) the content is determined to be authentic. If different, however, the content is considered modified.
A digital watermark may be used to scale the content before deriving a content signature of the content. Content signatures are sensitive to scaling (and/or rotation, distortion, etc.). A watermark can include a calibration and/or synchronization signal to realign the content to a base state. Or a technique can be used to determine a calibration and/or synchronization based upon the watermark data during the watermark detection process. This calibration signal (or technique) can be used to scale the content so it matches the scale of the content when the content signature was registered in a database or first determined, thus reducing errors in content signature extraction.
Indeed, a content signature can be used to identify a content item (as discussed above), and a watermark is used to supply additional information (owner ID, metadata, security information, copy control, etc). The following example is provided to further illustrate the interrelationship of content signatures and digital watermarks.
A new version of the Rolling Stones song "Angie" is ripped (e.g., transferred from one format or medium to another). A compliant ripper or a peer-to-peer client operating on a personal computer reads the watermark and calculates the signature of the content (e.g., "Angie"). To ensure that a signature may be rederived after a content item is routinely altered (e.g., rotated, scaled, transformed, etc.), a calibration signal can be used to realign (or retransform) the data before computing the signature. Realigning the content item according to the calibration signal helps to ensure that the content signature will be derived from the original data, and not from an altered original. The calibration signal can be included in header information, hidden in an unused channel or data area, embedded in a digital watermark, etc. The digital watermark and content signature are then sent to a central database. The central database determines from the digital watermark that the owner is, for example, Label X. The content signature is then forwarded to Label X's private database, or to data residing in the central database (depending upon Label X's preference), and this secondary database determines that the song is the new version of "Angie." A compliant ripper or peer-to-peer client embeds the signature (i.e., a content ID) and content owner ID in frame headers in a fashion secure to modification and duplication, and optionally, along with desired ID3v2 tags.
To further protect a signature (e.g., stored in a header or digital watermark), a content owner could define a list of keys, which are used to scramble (or otherwise encrypt) the signature. The set of keys may optionally be based upon a unique ID associated with the owner. In this embodiment, a signature detector preferably knows the key, or gains access to the key through a so-called trusted third party. Preferably, it is optimal to have a signature key based upon content owner ID. Such a keying system simplifies database look-up and organization. Consider an example centered on audio files. Various record labels may wish to keep the meaning of a content ID private. Accordingly, if a signature is keyed with an owner ID, the central database only needs to identify the record label's content owner ID (e.g., an ID for BMG) and then it can forward all BMG songs to a BMG database for their response. In this case, the central database does not need all of the BMG content to forward audio files (or ID's) to BMG, and does not need to know the meaning of the content ID. Instead, the signature representing the owner is used to filter the request.
Content Signature Calculations
For images or video, a content signature can be based on a center of mass of an object or frame, as discussed above. An alterative method is to calculate an object's (or frame's) center of mass is to multiply each pixel's luminescence with its location from the lower left corner (or other predetermined position) of the frame, sum all pixels within the object or frame, and then divide by the average luminescence of the object or frame. The luminescence can be replaced by colors, and a center of mass can be calculated for every color, such as RGB or CMYK, or one color. The center of mass can be calculated after performing edge detection, such as high pass filtering. The frame can be made binary by comparing to a threshold, where a 1 represents a pixel greater than the threshold and a 0 represents a pixel less than the threshold. The threshold can be arbitrary or calculated from an average value of the frame color, luminescence, either before or after edge detection. The center of mass can produce a set of values by being calculated for segments of the frame, in images or video, or for frames over time in video.
Similarly, the average luminescence of a row or block of a frame can be used as the basic building block for a content signature. The average value of each row or block is put together to represent the signature. With video, there could be the calculation of rows and blocks over time added to the set of values representing the signature.
The center of mass can be used for object, when the objects are predefined, such as with MPEG. The center of mass for each object is sequentially combined into a content signature.
One way of identifying audio and video content—apart from digital watermarks—is fingerprinting technology. As discussed herein, such fingerprinting technology generally works by characterizing content by some process that usually—although not necessarily—yields a unique data string. Innumerable ways can be employed to generate the data string. What is important is (a) its relative uniqueness, and (2) its relatively small size. Thus a 1 Mbyte audio file may be distilled down to a 2 Kbyte identifier.
One technique of generating a fingerprint—seemingly not known in the art—is to select frames (video or MP3 segments, etc.) pseudorandomly, based on a known key, and then performing a hashing or other lossy transformation process on the frames thus selected.
Content Signature Applications
One longstanding application of such technology has been in monitoring play-out of radio advertising. Advertisements are "fingerprinted," and the results stored in a database. Monitoring stations then process radio broadcasts looking for audio that has one of the fingerprints stored in the database. Upon finding a match, play-out of a given advertisement is confirmed.
Some fingerprinting technology may employ a "hash" function to yield the fingerprint. Others may take, e.g., the most significant bit of every 10th sample value to generate a fingerprint. Etc., etc. A problem arises, however, if the content is distorted. In such case, the corresponding fingerprint may be distorted too, wrongly failing to indicate a match.
In accordance with this aspect of the present invention, content is encoded with a steganographic reference signal by which such distortion can be identified and quantized. If the reference data in a radio broadcast indicates that the audio is temporally scaled (e.g., by tape stretch, or by psycho-acoustic broadcast compression technology), the amount of scaling can be determined. The resulting information can be used to compensate the audio before fingerprint analysis is performed. That is, the sensed distortion can be backed-out before the fingerprint is computed. Or the fingerprint analysis process can take the known temporal scaling into account when deriving the corresponding fingerprint. Likewise with distorted image and video. By such approaches, fingerprint technology is made a more useful technique.
(Pending application Ser. No. 09/452,023, filed Nov. 30, 1999, details such a reference signal (sometimes termed a "grid" signal, and its use in identifying and quantizing distortion. Pending application Ser. No 09/689,250 details various fingerprint techniques.)
In a variant system, a watermark payload—in addition to the steganographic reference signal—is encoded with the content. Thus, the hash (or other fingerprint) provides one identifier associated with the content, and the watermark provides another. Either can be used, e.g., to index related information (such as connected content). Or they can be used jointly, with the watermark payload effectively extending the ID conveyed by the hash (or vice versa).
In addition, the grid signal discussed above may consist of tiles, and these tiles can be used to calibrate content signatures that consist of a set of sub-fingerprints. For example, the tile of the grid can represent the border or block for each of the calculations of the sub-fingerprints, which are then combined into a content signature.
A technique similar to that detailed above can be used in aiding pattern recognition. Consider services that seek to identify image contents, e.g., internet porn filtering, finding a particular object depicted among thousands of frames of a motion picture, or watching for corporate trademarks in video media. (Cobion, of Kassel, Germany, offers some such services.) Pattern recognition can be greatly for-shortened if the orientation, scale, etc., of the image are known. Consider the Nike swoosh trademark. It is usually depicted in horizontal orientation. However, if an image incorporating the swoosh is rotated 30 degrees, its recognition is made more complex.
To redress this situation, the original image can be steganographically encoded with a grid (calibration) signal as detailed in the application Ser. No. 09/452,023. Prior to performing any pattern recognition on the image, the grid signal is located, and indicates that the image has been rotated 30 degrees. The image can then be counter-rotated before pattern recognition is attempted.
Fingerprint technology can be used in conjunction with digital watermark technology in a variety of additional ways. Consider the following.
One is to steganographically convey a digital object's fingerprint as part of a watermark payload. If the watermark-encoded fingerprint does not match the object's current fingerprint, it indicates the object has been altered.
A watermark can also be used to trigger extraction of an object's fingerprint (and associated action based on the fingerprint data). Thus, one bit of a watermark payload, may signal to a compliant device that it should undertake a fingerprint analysis of the object.
In other arrangements, the fingerprint detection is performed routinely, rather than triggered by a watermark. In such case, the watermark can specify an action that a compliant device should perform using the fingerprint data. (In cases where a watermark triggers extraction of the fingerprint, a further portion of the watermark can specify a further action.) For example, if the watermark bit has a "0" value, the device may respond by sending the fingerprint to a remote database; if the watermark bit has a "1" value, the fingerprint is stored locally.
Still further, frail (or so-called fragile) watermarks can be used in conjunction with fingerprint technology. A frail or fragile watermark is designed to be destroyed, or to degrade predictably, upon some form of signal processing. In the current fingerprinting environment, if a frail watermark is detected, then a fingerprint analysis is performed; else not. And/or, the results of a fingerprint analysis can be utilized in accordance with information conveyed by a frail watermark. (Frail watermarks are disclosed, e.g., in application Ser. Nos. 09/234,780, 09/433,104, 60/198,138, 09/616,462, 09/645,779, 60/232,163, 09/689,293, and 09/689,226.)
Content Signatures from Compressed Data
Content signatures can be readily employed with compressed or uncompressed data content. One inventive method determines the first n significant bits (where n is an integer, e.g., 64) of a compression signal and uses the n bits as (or to derive) a signature for that signal. This signature technique is particularly advantageous since, generally, image compression schemes code data by coding the most perceptually relevant features first, and then coding relevantly less significant features from there. Consider JPEG 2000 as an example. As will be appreciated by those skilled in that art, JPEG 2000 uses a wavelet type compression, where the image is hierarchically sub-divided into sub-bands, from low frequency perceptually relevant features, to higher frequency lesser perceptually relevant features. Using the low frequency information as a signature (or a signature including a hash of this information) creates a perceptually relevant signature.
The largest frequency components from a content item (e.g., a video signal) can use the compressed or uncompressed data to determine a signature. For example, in an MPEG compressed domain, large scaling factors (e.g., 3 or more of the largest magnitude peaks) are identified, and these factors are used as a content signature or to derive (e.g., a mapping or hash of the features) a content signature. As an optional feature, a content item is low pass filtered to smooth rough peaks in the frequency domain. As a result, the large signature peaks are not close neighbors.
Continuing this idea with time varying data, transitions in perceptually relevant data of frames of audio/video over time can be tracked to form a unique content signature. For example, in compressed video, a perceptually relevant hash of n frames can be used to form a signature of the content. In audio, the frames correspond to time segments, and the perceptually relevant data could be defined similarly, based on human auditory models, e.g., taking the largest frequency coefficients in a range of frequencies that are the most perceptually significant. Accordingly, the above inventive content signature techniques are applicable to compressed data, as well as uncompressed data.
Cue Signals and Content Signatures
Cue signals are an event in the content, which can signal the beginning of a content signature calculation. For example, a fade to black in video could be a cue to start calculating (e.g., deriving) the content signature, either for original entry into the database or for database lookup.
If the cue signal involves processing, where the processing is part of the content signature calculation, the system will be more efficient. For example, if the content signature is based upon frequency peaks, the cue signal could be a specific pattern in the frequency components. As such, when the cue signal is found, the content signature is partially calculated, especially if the content signature is calculated with content before the cue (which should be saved in memory while searching for the cue signal). Other cue signals may include, e.g., I-frames, synchronization signals, and digital watermarks.
In the broadcast monitoring application, where the presence and amount of content is measured, such as an advertisement on TV, timing accuracy (e.g., with a 1 sec.) is required. However, cue signals do not typically occur on such a regular interval (e.g., 1 sec.). As such, content signatures related to a cue signal can be used to identify the content, but the computation of the content to locate the cue signal elements are saved to determine timing within the identified content. For example, the cue signal may include the contrast of the center of the frame, and the contrast from frame to frame represents the timing of the waveform and is saved. The video is identified from several contrast blocks, after a specific cue, such as fade to black in the center. The timing is verified by comparing the pre-existing and future contrasts of the center frame to those stored in the database for the TV advertisement.
Content signatures are synchronized between extraction for entry into the database and for extraction for identifying the unknown content by using peaks of the waveform envelope. Even when there is an error calculating the envelope peak, if the same error occurs at both times of extraction, the content signatures match since they are both different by the same amount; thus, the correct content is identified.
List Decoding and Trellis Coded Quantization
The following discussion details another method, which uses Trellis Coded Quantization (TCQ), to derive a content signature from a content item. Whereas the following discussion uses an image for an example, it will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that the concepts detailed below can be readily applied to other content items, such as audio, video, etc. For this example, an image is segmented into blocks, and real numbers are associated with the blocks. In a more general application of this example, a set of real numbers is provided and a signature is derived from the set of real numbers.
Initial Signature Calculation
In step 60 of
One way to generate the N real numbers is to perform a wavelet decomposition of the image and to use the resulting coefficients of the lowest frequency sub-band. These coefficients are then used as the N real numbers for the Viterbi decoding (e.g., to generate a signature or hash).
One way to map a larger set of numbers M to an N bit hash, where M>N and M and N are integers, is to use trellis coded vector quantization, where the algorithm deals with sets of real numbers, rather than individual real numbers. The size and complexity for a resulting signature may be significantly reduced with such an arrangement.
In step 62 (
Recalculating Signatures for Matching in the Database
In a general scenario, a content signature (e.g., hash) is recalculated from the content item as discussed above with respect to Trellis Coded Quantization.
In many cases, however, a content signal will acquire noise or other distortion as it is transferred, manipulated, stored, etc. To recalculate the distorted content signal's signature (e.g., calculate a signature to be used as a comparison with a previously calculated signature), the following steps may be taken. Generally, list decoding is utilized as a method to identify the correct signature (e.g., the undistorted signature). As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, list decoding is a generalized form of Viterbi decoding, and in this application is used to find the most likely signatures for a distorted content item. List decoding generates X the most likely signatures for the content item, where X is an integer. To do so, a list decoding method finds the X shortest paths (e.g., signatures) through a related trellis diagram. The resulting X shortest paths are then used as potential signature candidates to find the original signature.
As an alternative embodiment, and before originally computing the signature (e.g., for storage in the database), a calibration watermark is embedded in the content item, and possibly with one or more bits of auxiliary data. A signature is then calculated which represents the content with the watermark signal. The calibration watermark assists in re-aligning the content after possible distortion when recomputing a signature from a distorted signal. The auxiliary data can also be used as an initial index into the database to reduce the complexity of the search for a matching a signature. Database lookup time is reduced with the use of auxiliary data.
In the event that a calibration watermark is included in the content, the signature is recomputed after re-aligning the content data with calibration watermark. Accordingly, a signature of the undistorted, original (including watermark) content can be derived.
Database Look-Up
Once a content signature (e.g., hash) is recalculated in one of the methods discussed above, a database query is executed to match recalculated signatures against stored signatures, as shown in step 64 (
In the event that list decoding generates X most likely signatures, the X signatures are used to query the database until a match is found. Auxiliary data, such as provided in a watermark, can be used to further refine the search. A user may be presented with all possible matches in the event that two or more of the X signatures match signatures in the database.
A progressive signature may also be used to improve database efficiency. For example, a progressive signature may include a truncated or smaller hash, which represents a smaller data set or only a few (out of many) segments, blocks or frames. The progressive hash may be used to find a plurality of potential matches in the database. A more complete hash can then be used to narrow the field from the plurality of potential matches. As a variation of this progressive signature matching technique, soft matches (e.g., not exact, but close matches) are used at one or more points along the search. Accordingly, database efficiency is increased.
Database lookup for content signatures can use a database configuration based upon randomly addressable memory (RAM). In this configuration, the database can be pre-organized by neighborhoods of related content signatures to speed detection. In addition, the database can be searched in conventional methods, such as binary tree methods.
Given that the fingerprint is of fixed size, it represents a fixed number space. For example, a 32-bit fingerprint has 4 billion potential values. In addition, the data entered in the database can be formatted to be a fixed size. Thus, any database entry can be found by multiplying the fingerprint by the size of the database entry size, thus speeding access to the database.
Content Addressable Memory
Another inventive alternative uses a database based on content addressable memory (CAM) as opposed to RAM. CAM devices can be used in network equipment, particularly routers and switches, computer systems and other devices that require content searching.
Operation of a CAM device is unlike that of a RAM device. For RAM, a controller provides an address, and the address is used to access a particular memory location within the RAM memory array. The content stored in the addressed memory location is then retrieved from the memory array. A CAM device, on the other hand, is interrogated by desired content. Indeed, in a CAM device, key data corresponding to the desired content is generated and used to search the memory locations of the entire CAM memory array. When the content stored in the CAM memory array does not match the key data, the CAM device returns a "no match" indication. When the content stored in the CAM memory array matches the key data, the CAM device outputs information associated with the content. Further reference to CAM technology can be made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,926,620 and 6,240,003, which are each incorporated herein by reference.
CAM is also capable of performing parallel comparisons between input content of a known size and a content table completely stored in memory, and when it finds a match it provides the desired associated output. CAM is currently used, e.g., for Internet routing. For example, an IP address of 32 bits can be compared in parallel with all entries in a corresponding 4-gigabit table, and from the matching location the output port is identified or linked to directly. CAM is also used in neural networks due to the similarity in structure. Interestingly, it is similar to the way our brain functions, where neurons perform processing and retain the memory—as opposed to Van Neumann computer architecture, which has a CPU, and separate memory that feeds data to the CPU for processing.
CAM can also be used in identifying fingerprints with metadata.
For file based fingerprinting, where one fingerprint uniquely identifies the content, the resulting content fingerprint is of a known size. CAM can be used to search a complete fingerprint space as is done with routing. When a match is found, the system can provide a web link or address for additional information/metadata. Traditionally CAM links to a port, but it can also link to memory with a database entry, such as a web address.
CAM is also useful for a stream-based fingerprint, which includes a group of sub-fingerprints. CAM can be used to look up the group of sub-fingerprints as one content signature as described above.
Alternatively, each sub-fingerprint can be analyzed with CAM, and after looking up several sub-fingerprints one piece of content will be identified, thus providing the content signature. From that content signature, the correct action or web link can quickly be found with CAM or traditional RAM based databases.
More specifically, the CAM can include the set of sub-fingerprints with the associated data being the files that include those sub-fingerprints. After a match is made in CAM with an input sub-fingerprint, the complete set of sub-fingerprints for each potential file can be compared to the set of input fingerprints using traditional processing methods based upon hamming errors. If a match is made, the file is identified. If not, the next sub-fingerprint is used in the above process since the first sub-fingerprint must have had an error. Once the correct file is identified, the correct action or web link can quickly be found with CAM or traditional RAM-based databases, using the unique content identification, possibly a number or content name.
Varying Content
Some content items may be represented as a sequence of N bit signatures, such as time varying audio and video content. A respective N bit signature may correspond to a particular audio segment, or video frame, such as an I frame. A database may be structured to accommodate such a structure or sequence.
In one embodiment, a calibration signal or some other frame of reference (e.g., timing, I frames, watermark counter, auxiliary data, header information, etc.) may be used to synchronize the start of the sequence and reduce the complexity of the database. For example, an audio signal may be divided into segments, and a signature (or a plurality of signatures) may be produced for such segments. The corresponding signatures in the database may be stored or aligned according to time segments, or may be stored as a linked list of signatures.
As an alternative, a convolution operation is used to match an un-synchronized sequence of hashes with the sequences of hashes in the database, such as when a synchronization signal is not available or does not work completely. In particular, database efficiency may be improved by a convolution operation such as a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), where the convolution essentially becomes a multiplication operation. For example, a 1-bit hash may be taken for each segment in a sequence. Then to correlate the signatures, an inverse FFT is taken of the 1-bit hashes. The magnitude peaks associated with the signatures (and transform) are analyzed. Stored signatures are then searched for potential matches. The field is further narrowed by taking progressively larger signatures (e.g., 4-bit hashes, 8-bit hashes, etc.).
As a further alternative, a convolution plus a progress hash is employed to improve efficiency. For example, a first sequence of 1-bit hashes is compared against stored signatures. The matches are grouped as a potential match sub-set. Then a sequence of 2-bit hashes is taken and compared against the second sub-set—further narrowing the potential match field. The process repeats until a match is found.
Dual Fingerprint Approach
An efficiently calculated content signature can be used to narrow the search to a group of content. Then, a more accurate and computationally intense content signature can be calculated on minimal content to locate the correct content from the group. This second more complex content signature extraction can be different than the first simple extraction, or it can be based upon further processing of the content used in the first, but simple, content signature. For example, the first content signature may include peaks of the envelope, and the second content signature comprises the relative amplitude of each Fourier component as compared to the previous component, where a 1 is created when the current component is greater than the previous and a 0 is created when the current component is less than or equal to the previous component As another example, the first content signature may include the three largest Fourier peaks, and the second content signature may include the relative amplitude of each Fourier component, as described in the previous example.
Concluding Remarks
Having described and illustrated the principles of the technology with reference to specific implementations, it will be recognized that the technology can be implemented in many other, different, forms. To provide a comprehensive disclosure without unduly lengthening the specification, applicants incorporate by reference the patents and patent applications referenced above.
It should be appreciated that the above section headings are not intended to limit the present invention, and are merely provided for the reader's convenience. Of course, subject matter disclosed under one section heading can be readily combined with subject matter under other headings.
The methods, processes, and systems described above may be implemented in hardware, software or a combination of hardware and software. For example, the transformation and signature deriving processes may be implemented in a programmable computer running executable software or a special purpose digital circuit. Similarly, the signature deriving and matching process and/or database functionality may be implemented in software, electronic circuits, firmware, hardware, or combinations of software, firmware and hardware. The methods and processes described above may be implemented in programs executed from a system's memory (a computer readable medium, such as an electronic, optical, magnetic-optical, or magnetic storage device).
The particular combinations of elements and features in the above-detailed embodiments are exemplary only; the interchanging and substitution of these teachings with other teachings in this and the incorporated-by-reference patents/applications are also contemplated.
1. A method of linking an image or video to metadata contained in a network resource, said method comprising:
- receiving data corresponding to an image or video;
- correcting or adjusting for a geometric orientation of the data; and then
- calculating a fingerprint or signature as an identifier from the corrected or adjusted for data;
- providing at least a sub-set of the fingerprint or signature to a network resource to identify metadata associated with the image or video, wherein the metadata is associated with—but separate from—the fingerprint or signature and the data; and
- receiving from the network resource at least some of the metadata associated with the image or video.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata comprises at least one of a URL, image, audio or video.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein correcting or adjusting for a geometric orientation of the data comprises at least one of scaling, rotating or translating.
4. A method of linking an image to metadata contained in a network resource, said method comprising:
- receiving image or video data;
- correcting or adjusting for a geometric orientation of the image or video data;
- interrogating a network resource through use of a fingerprint or signature derived or determined from inherent attributes of image or video data to identify metadata associated with the image or video data, wherein the metadata is associated with—but separate from—the fingerprint or signature and the image or video data; and
- providing identified metadata.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein changing a geometric orientation of the data comprises at least one of scaling, rotating or translating.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein the identified metadata comprises at least one item from a group comprising: a URL, image, audio and video.
7. The method of claim 4 wherein the image or video data comprises an orientation component steganographically embedded therein, and wherein said correcting or adjusting for utilizes the orientation component.
8. The method of claim 4 wherein the inherent attributes of the changed image data comprise a plural-bit identifier.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the plural-bit identifier is derived from the image data as at least one of a fingerprint, hash or signature.
10. A method of linking an image or video to metadata contained in a network resource comprising:
- receiving image or video data from a wireless device;
- correcting for distortion in the received image or video data; and then
- comparing a fingerprint or signature representing inherent characteristics of the corrected image or video data to a plurality of records, wherein each record includes at least image or video characteristics;
- upon a successful match with a record, identifying metadata associated with—but separate from—the fingerprint or signature and at least one of:i) the record or ii) image or video data; and
- providing identified metadata to the wireless device.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the identified metadata comprises at least one of a URL, image, audio or video.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless device comprises a wireless telephone.
13. A method of linking an image or video to metadata contained in a network resource, said method comprising:
- receiving data corresponding to an image or video;
- correcting or adjusting for a geometric orientation of the data, wherein the image or video comprises an orientation component steganographically embedded therein, and wherein said correcting or adjusting for utilizes the orientation component;
- calculating a fingerprint or signature identifier from the data;
- providing at least a sub-set of the identifier to a network resource to identify metadata associated with the image or video; and
- receiving from the network resource at least some of the metadata associated with the image or video.
14. A method of linking media to metadata contained in a network resource, said method comprising:
- obtaining data corresponding to a media signal;
- correcting for or realigning a geometric or alignment characteristic of the data representing the media signal; and then
- deriving a fingerprint or signature from the corrected for or realigned data representing the media signal;
- interrogating a network resource with at least a sub-set of the fingerprint or signature to identify metadata associated with the media signal; and
- providing at least some of the identified metadata associated with the media signal.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein the media signal comprises an orientation component steganographically embedded therein, and wherein said correcting for or realigning utilizes the orientation component.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein the metadata comprises at least one of a URL, image, audio or video.
17. A method of linking media to metadata contained in a network resource, said method comprising:
- obtaining media;
- realigning or adjusting for a geometric orientation or alignment characteristic of the media; and then
- providing a fingerprint or signature derived or determined from inherent attributes of the media to a network resource to identify metadata associated with the media; and
- providing or receiving identified metadata.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the media comprises an orientation component steganographically embedded therein, and wherein said realigning or adjusting for utilizes the orientation component.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the metadata comprises at least one item from a group comprising: a URL, image, audio and video.
20. The method of claim 17 wherein the inherent attributes of the changed media comprise a plural-bit identifier.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein the plural-bit identifier is derived from the image data as at least one of a fingerprint hash or signature.
22. The method of claim 17 wherein the media comprises at least one of an image, video or audio
23. A method of linking media to metadata contained in a network resource, said method comprising:
- obtaining media;
- connecting for distortion in the media; and then
- providing a fingerprint or signature attributes calculated or derived from the corrected media to a network resource to identify metadata associated with the media; and
- providing or receiving identified metadata.
24. The method of claim 22 wherein the media comprises a steganographic orientation component, and said connecting utilizes the steganographic orientation component.
25. The method of claim 22 wherein the attributes comprise at least one of a hash, fingerprint or signature.
26. The method of claim 22 wherein the attributes comprise a plural-bit identifier.
27. The method of claim 25 wherein the plural-bit identifier is derived or calculated from the media as a fingerprint, hash or signature.
28. The method of claim 23 wherein the media comprises at least one of an image, video or audio.
Referenced Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
|May 1974
|November 1975
|Moon et al.
|January 31, 1978
|Barger, Jr. et al.
|October 28, 1980
|Lert, Jr. et al.
|August 18, 1981
|February 14, 1984
|May 22, 1984
|Kenyon et al.
|January 22, 1985
|February 12, 1985
|April 16, 1985
|Kohler et al.
|October 15, 1985
|June 30, 1987
|Lert, Jr. et al.
|July 1987
|September 29, 1987
|Kiewit et al.
|April 19, 1988
|October 4, 1988
|February 21, 1989
|Broughton et al.
|June 27, 1989
|Kenyon et al.
|August 15, 1989
|July 31, 1990
|November 20, 1990
|February 19, 1991
|May 28, 1991
|Boles et al.
|July 9, 1991
|January 4, 1994
|April 12, 1994
|Noreen et al.
|June 7, 1994
|Preuss et al.
|March 21, 1995
|July 25, 1995
|Ellis et al.
|July 25, 1995
|Lamb et al.
|January 2, 1996
|Thomas et al.
|January 23, 1996
|Zdybel, Jr. et al.
|April 2, 1996
|Ellis et al.
|July 23, 1996
|Larson, Jr.
|October 8, 1996
|November 5, 1996
|Ellis et al.
|November 5, 1996
|DeTemple et al.
|November 12, 1996
|Manico et al.
|November 12, 1996
|Fardeau et al.
|November 19, 1996
|November 19, 1996
|Takahisa et al.
|November 26, 1996
|Aijala et al.
|December 3, 1996
|O'Hagan et al.
|December 3, 1996
|Fardeau et al.
|December 10, 1996
|Harris et al.
|March 18, 1997
|Ellis et al.
|March 18, 1997
|Cooperman et al.
|April 15, 1997
|Ellis et al.
|June 17, 1997
|July 8, 1997
|July 29, 1997
|Kawakami et al.
|August 19, 1997
|Sandford, II et al.
|August 26, 1997
|September 2, 1997
|Sizer, II
|September 23, 1997
|August et al.
|November 11, 1997
|January 13, 1998
|January 20, 1998
|February 24, 1998
|Powell et al.
|April 7, 1998
|Dougherty et al.
|April 14, 1998
|May 12, 1998
|Saitoh et al.
|June 2, 1998
|June 9, 1998
|June 9, 1998
|June 30, 1998
|July 7, 1998
|Shuster et al.
|July 14, 1998
|Stork et al.
|August 25, 1998
|Kristol et al.
|November 3, 1998
|November 10, 1998
|Honsinger et al.
|November 24, 1998
|November 24, 1998
|January 12, 1999
|Daly et al.
|January 19, 1999
|March 30, 1999
|Moskowitz et al.
|April 6, 1999
|Ginter et al.
|April 6, 1999
|Jain et al.
|May 4, 1999
|May 11, 1999
|Reber et al.
|May 11, 1999
|Hoffert et al.
|May 18, 1999
|Russell et al.
|May 18, 1999
|Moskowitz et al.
|June 29, 1999
|Blum et al.
|July 27, 1999
|Cox et al.
|August 3, 1999
|August 17, 1999
|August 24, 1999
|Van Wie et al.
|September 7, 1999
|Fleet et al.
|November 2, 1999
|Farber et al.
|November 9, 1999
|November 9, 1999
|Hoffert et al.
|November 16, 1999
|Reber et al.
|November 16, 1999
|Logan et al.
|November 23, 1999
|Kanota et al.
|November 23, 1999
|November 30, 1999
|Reber et al.
|February 22, 2000
|Graf et al.
|February 29, 2000
|Tewfik et al.
|June 27, 2000
|June 27, 2000
|Reber et al.
|June 27, 2000
|July 4, 2000
|Beach et al.
|July 11, 2000
|Logan et al.
|September 19, 2000
|September 19, 2000
|October 24, 2000
|Reber et al.
|December 5, 2000
|Shear et al.
|December 26, 2000
|Rathus et al.
|January 2, 2001
|January 30, 2001
|February 6, 2001
|March 6, 2001
|Hudetz et al.
|March 13, 2001
|Bender et al.
|April 17, 2001
|August 28, 2001
|Murphy et al.
|September 4, 2001
|October 16, 2001
|Jones et al.
|October 30, 2001
|November 6, 2001
|Chen et al.
|November 6, 2001
|Schena et al.
|November 13, 2001
|Shah-Nazaroff et al.
|November 27, 2001
|Knowles et al.
|November 27, 2001
|February 5, 2002
|May 14, 2002
|Russell et al.
|May 14, 2002
|August et al.
|June 4, 2002
|Khan et al.
|June 18, 2002
|June 25, 2002
|Bender et al.
|June 25, 2002
|July 2, 2002
|Farber et al.
|July 23, 2002
|August 13, 2002
|August 13, 2002
|Durst, Jr. et al.
|August 27, 2002
|October 15, 2002
|Tsuria et al.
|December 17, 2002
|van Zoest et al.
|January 7, 2003
|February 18, 2003
|Rhoads et al.
|February 18, 2003
|February 25, 2003
|Philyaw et al.
|April 1, 2003
|April 1, 2003
|Durst, Jr. et al.
|April 22, 2003
|June 3, 2003
|Pitman et al.
|June 10, 2003
|Evans et al.
|August 26, 2003
|Devanagondi et al.
|August 26, 2003
|Davis et al.
|September 2, 2003
|December 2, 2003
|Ginter et al.
|January 6, 2004
|Hannigan et al.
|January 6, 2004
|January 20, 2004
|Rodriguez et al.
|June 8, 2004
|Pitman et al.
|June 8, 2004
|July 27, 2004
|Meyer et al.
|August 3, 2004
|August 3, 2004
|Hoffberg et al.
|August 31, 2004
|Gindele et al.
|October 19, 2004
|December 21, 2004
|Ikezoye et al.
|February 1, 2005
|February 15, 2005
|March 22, 2005
|Crosby et al.
|August 16, 2005
|Logan et al.
|September 6, 2005
|November 22, 2005
|December 6, 2005
|January 17, 2006
|January 24, 2006
|March 7, 2006
|Davis et al.
|May 16, 2006
|Yacobi et al.
|May 23, 2006
|Rhoads et al.
|June 6, 2006
|October 3, 2006
|October 24, 2006
|July 5, 2001
|August 2, 2001
|September 6, 2001
|October 4, 2001
|Van Wie et al.
|October 4, 2001
|October 18, 2001
|Meyer et al.
|November 22, 2001
|Hunter et al.
|December 27, 2001
|January 31, 2002
|Nishikawa et al.
|February 21, 2002
|Schumann et al.
|February 21, 2002
|February 21, 2002
|Kenyon et al.
|February 21, 2002
|Ritz et al.
|February 21, 2002
|Lawandy et al.
|March 7, 2002
|Conwell et al.
|March 14, 2002
|March 14, 2002
|March 28, 2002
|Weare et al.
|April 4, 2002
|April 18, 2002
|April 25, 2002
|May 2, 2002
|May 16, 2002
|May 16, 2002
|June 6, 2002
|June 6, 2002
|June 6, 2002
|June 13, 2002
|Van de Sluis
|June 13, 2002
|Van de Sluis
|June 20, 2002
|Schena et al.
|June 27, 2002
|Pitman et al.
|June 27, 2002
|Freedman et al.
|July 4, 2002
|July 11, 2002
|July 25, 2002
|Pitman et al.
|August 1, 2002
|Lev et al.
|August 29, 2002
|Kondo et al.
|September 12, 2002
|September 19, 2002
|Ward et al.
|September 26, 2002
|Schleicher et al.
|October 17, 2002
|October 17, 2002
|Linnartz et al.
|October 24, 2002
|Brooks et al.
|October 31, 2002
|Wang et al.
|November 14, 2002
|November 21, 2002
|Bowman et al.
|November 28, 2002
|Haitsma et al.
|December 5, 2002
|Mihcak et al.
|January 23, 2003
|Schrempp et al.
|February 6, 2003
|Roberts et al.
|February 13, 2003
|Schrempp et al.
|February 20, 2003
|Schmelzer et al.
|March 13, 2003
|May 29, 2003
|Thompson et al.
|June 26, 2003
|Kriechbaum et al.
|July 17, 2003
|Schrempp et al.
|September 4, 2003
|Levy et al.
|September 18, 2003
|Levy et al.
|October 23, 2003
|March 11, 2004
|July 29, 2004
|Murakami et al.
|August 19, 2004
|Schrempp et al.
|September 2, 2004
|October 14, 2004
|November 11, 2004
|Honsinger et al.
|February 24, 2005
|February 24, 2005
|Ikezoye et al.
|March 17, 2005
|Rhoads et al.
|May 19, 2005
|Kalker et al.
|June 30, 2005
|October 13, 2005
|Hull et al.
|December 1, 2005
|Barton et al.
Foreign Patent Documents
|November 1985
|July 1992
|July 1992
|November 1999
|November 1999
|December 1999
|January 2002
|April 2002
|September 1999
|January 1998
|July 1999
|October 2000
|March 2001
|March 2001
|March 2001
|August 2001
|September 2001
|September 2001
|September 2001
|October 2001
|October 2001
|February 2002
|March 2002
|April 2002
|October 2002
Other references
- U.S. Appl. No. 60/257,822, filed Dec. 21, 2000, Aggson et al.
- U.S. Appl. No. 60/263,490, filed Jan. 22, 2001, Brunk et al.
- U.S. Appl. No. 60/232,618, filed Sep. 14, 2000, Cox.
- Ghias et al, Query by Humming: Musical Information Retrieval In An Audio Database. In ACM Multimedia, pp. 231-236, Nov., 1995.
- Kageyama et al, Melody Retrieval with Humming, Proceedings of Int. Computer Music Conference (ICMC), 1993.
- Muscle Fish press release, Muscle Fish's Audio Search Technology to be Encapsulated into Informix Datablade Module, Jul. 10, 1996.
- Wold et al, Content-Based Classification, Search, and Retrieval of Audio, IEEE Multimedia Magazine, Fall, 1996.
- U.S. Appl. No. 60/175,159, filed Jan. 7, 2000, Derose et al.
- U.S. Appl. No. 60/178,028, filed Jan. 26, 2000, Meyer et al.
- PCT/US01/50238 Notification of Transmittal of the International Search Report or the Declaration and International Search Report dated May 31, 2002.
- PCT/US01/50238 Written Opinion dated Feb. 13, 2003.
- Lin, et al., "Generating Robust Digital Signature for Image/Video Authentication," Proc. Multimedia and Security workshop at ACM Multimedia '98, Sep. 1, 1998, pp. 49-54.
- Cox et al., "Secure Spread Spectrum Watermarking for Images, Audio and Video," 1996 IEEE, pp. 243-246.
- Kawaguchi et al., "Principles and Applications of BPCS-Steganography," Proc. SPIE vol. 3528: Multimedia Systems and Applications, Nov. 2-4, 1998, pp. 464-473.
- Koch et al., "Copyright Protection for multimedia Data," Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics, Dec. 16, 1994, 15 pages. "Access Control and COpyright Protection for Images, WorkPackage 8: Watermarking," Jun. 30, 1995, 46 pages.
- Komatsu et al., "Authentication System Using Concealed Image in Telematics," Memoirs of the School of Science & Engineering, Waseda Univ., No. 52, 1988, pp. 45-60.
- Matsui et al., "Video-Steganography: How to Secretly Embed a Signature in a Picture," IMA Intellectual Property Project Proceedings, Jan. 1994, vol. 1, Issue 1, pp. 187-205.
- O'Ruanaidh, "Rotation, Scale and Translation Invariant Digital Image Watermarking," Signal Processing, pp. 2-15, May 1, 1998.
- O'Runanaidh, "Rotation, Scale and Translation Invariant Digital Image Watermarking," 1997 IEEE, pp. 536-539.
- Sheng, "Experiments on Pattern Recognition Using Invariant Fourier-Mellin Descriptors," Journal of Optical Society of America, vol. 3, No. 6, pp. 771-776, 1986.
- Szepanski, "A Signal Theoretic Method For Creating Forgery-Proof Documents For Automatic Verification", 1979 Carnahan Conference on Crime Countermeasures, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, May 16-18, 1979.
- Tanaka, "Embedding the Attribute Information Into a Dithered Image," Systems and Computers in Japan, vol. 21, No. 7, 1990, pp. 43-50.
- Tanaka et al., Embedding Secret Information Into a Dithered Multi-Level Image, 1990 IEEE, pp. 216-220.
- van Schyndel et al., "A Digital Watermark," IEEE International Conference on Image Processing, Nov. 13, 1994 pp. 86-90.
Patent History
Type: Grant
Filed: Dec 19, 2001
Date of Patent: Oct 30, 2007
Patent Publication Number: 20020126872
Assignee: Digimarc Corporation (Beaverton, OR)
Inventors: Hugh L. Brunk (Portland, OR), Kenneth L. Levy (Stevenson, WA)
Primary Examiner: Matthew C. Bella
Assistant Examiner: Shefali Patel
Application Number: 10/027,783
International Classification: G06K 9/00 (20060101);


text:
Delegates Pick President, VP of SD Farmers Union
WATERTOWN - Farmers from the Conde and Lake Preston areas have been elected to lead the South Dakota Farmers Union.
KWAT radio reports that Doug Sombke of the Conde area was re-elected as president of the Farmers Union on Saturday during the 98th annual state convention held Aberdeen.
Wayne Soren, a Lake Preston-area farmer, was elected vice president of the organization
Sombke has been president of the Huron-based statewide organization since 2005. He'll serve a two-year term.
Soren was appointed to the position of vice president in 2011 after former vice president Larry Birgen of Beresford resigned to take a position with the state Farm Service Agency Committee. Soren will also serve a two-year term.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.