US006970886B1
`
`(12) United States Patent
`Conwell et al.
`
`(10) Patent N0.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 6,970,886 B1
`Nov. 29, 2005
`
`(54) CONSUMER DRIVEN METHODS FOR
`ASSOCIATING CONTENT INDENTIFIERS
`WITH RELATED WEB ADDRESSES
`
`(75) Inventors: William Y. ConWell, Portland, OR
`(US); Kenneth L. Levy, Stevenson,
`WA (US)
`
`(73) Assignee: Digimarc Corporation, Beaverton, OR
`(Us)
`
`( * ) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(0) by 642 days.
`
`(21)
`(22)
`(51)
`(52)
`(58)
`
`(56)
`
`Appl. No.: 09/578,551
`
`Filed:
`
`May 25, 2000
`
`Int. Cl.7 ............................................. .. G06F 17/30
`
`US. Cl. ...................................... .. 707/104.1; 707/3
`Field of Search ............................ .. 707/1—10, 100,
`707/104.1, 200, 205; 709/223—225, 219,
`709/217; 705/10, 14
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`9/2000
`6,122,403 A
`7/2001
`6,269,361 B1 *
`9/2001
`6,286,036 B1
`10/2001
`6,311,214 B1
`6,324,573 B1
`1 1/2001
`5/2002
`6,389,467 B1 *
`6/ 2002
`6,401,118 B1 *
`5/2001
`2001/0001854 A1
`9/2001
`2001/0020242 A1
`12/2001
`2001/0055391 A1
`2001/0056573 A1 12/2001
`2002/0071556 A1
`6/2002
`
`Rhoads
`Davis et al. ................. .. 707/2
`Rhoads
`Rhoads
`Rhoads
`Eyal ......................... .. 709/223
`
`Thomas ....................... .. 707/4
`Schena et al.
`Gupta et al.
`Jacobs
`Kavac et al.
`MoskoWitZ et al.
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`WO
`
`W00 1/ 06703
`
`1/2001
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`Ponce, B., “The impact of MP3 and the future of digital
`entertainment products”, WWW Artists consortium, NY,
`USA, Sep. 1999, pp. 68-70.*
`“NSI Commandeers Deadbeat Domains,” Wired NeWs, Jun.
`26, 2000 3 pp.
`“Network Solutions Creates Online Marketplace for
`Customers’ Domain Names,” NetWork Solutions, May 10,
`2000, 2 pp.
`
`(Continued)
`Primary Examiner—Mohammad Ali
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Digimarc Corporation
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`Media content objects, such as audio MP3 ?les, are associ
`ated With identi?ers. The identi?ers can be assigned, or can
`be implicit (e.g., derived from other data in the content
`object, as by hashing). A user of the ?le can utilize the
`identi?er to query a database and thereby obtain the URL of
`one or more internet resources associated With that content
`(e.g., Web sites With fan info, concert schedules, opportuni
`ties to purchase CDs, etc.). Some identi?ers may not be
`associated With URLs in the database. A user Who queries
`the database With such an identi?er (e.g., Which may be
`derived from an independently produced MP3) ?nds that
`there is not yet an associated URL. In this case, the user may
`be given the opportunity to lease this virtual address for a
`predetermined period, With the privilege of specifying a
`URL for that identi?er. Subsequent users Who link from this
`particular MP3 ?le thereafter are directed to the URL
`speci?ed by the ?rst user. In some arrangements, the leasing
`privilege is aWarded through a brief auction, triggered by the
`?rst user’s discovery that the address is not used. Other users
`Who query the database With that identi?er during the period
`of the auction are permitted to bid. When the ?rst lease
`period expires, the privilege can be re-auctioned. Proceeds
`from such auctions can be shared, e.g., With the user Who
`triggered the ?rst action, or With the high bidder of a
`previous auction.
`
`27 Claims, 2 Drawing Sheets
`
`MUSIC CD INPUT TO RIPPER
`
`I
`RIPF‘ER SOFTWARE SENDS
`CD IDENTIFYING INFO
`TO CDDB.COM
`
`I
`
`CDDB.COM REPLIES WITH
`SONG TITLE INFO
`
`I
`HASH SONG TITLE INFO
`RECEIVED FROM CDDB.COM,
`AND ADD TO CONTENT; STORE
`IN MP3 FORMAT
`
`Google Ex. 1009
`
`

`

`US 6,970,886 B1
`Page 2
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`“InSearchofMy.corn—Frequently Asked Questions,” Net
`Work Solutions, 2000, 3 pp., Jul. 29, 2000.
`“AddressAuction.corn—The World’s Only Truly Interactive
`Market for Secondary Domain names,” Copyright 1999, 1
`page.
`US. Appl. No. 09/476,686, ?led Dec. 30, 1999, Rhoads et
`al.
`US. Appl. No. 09/531,076, ?led Mar. 18, 2000, Rhoads et
`al
`US. Appl. No. 09/563,664, ?led May 2, 2000, Levy et al.
`
`US. Appl. No. 09/574,726, ?led May 18, 2000, Rhoads et
`al.
`US. Appl. No. 09/547,664, ?led Apr. 12, 2000, Rhoads et al.
`US. Appl. No. 09/571,422, ?led May 15, 2000, Rhoads et
`al.
`US. Appl. No. 09/292,569, ?led Apr. 15, 1999, Rhoads et al.
`US. Appl. No. 09/502,542, ?led Feb. 10, 2000, Davis et al.
`US. Appl. No. 60/189,246, ?led Mar. 14, 2000, Levy.
`U.S. Appl. No. 60/134,782, ?led May 19, 1999, Rhoads.
`
`* cited by eXarniner
`
`Google Ex. 1009
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`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Nov. 29,2005
`
`Sheet 1 0f 2
`
`US 6,970,886 B1
`
`AUDIO WITH
`IDENTIFIER
`(EXPLICIT OR
`
`IMPliICIT)
`
`DECODER
`
`IDENTIFIER
`
`REGISTRY DATABASE
`
`I
`URL ADDRESS INFO
`
`BROWSER SOFTWARE
`
`FIG. 1
`
`MUSIC CD INPUT TO RIPPER
`
`I
`
`RIPPER SOFTWARE SENDS
`CD IDENTIFYING INFO
`TO CDDB.COM
`
`CDDB.COM REPLIES WITH
`SONG TITLE INFO
`
`l
`HASH SONG TITLE INFO
`RECEIVED FROM CDDB.COM,
`AND ADD TO CONTENT; STORE
`IN MP3 FORMAT
`
`FIG. 2
`
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`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Nov. 29,2005
`
`Sheet 2 0f 2
`
`US 6,970,886 B1
`
`www.sonymusic.c0m/cata|og/05634.html
`
`www.sonymusic.com/catal0g/0O014.htm|
`
`www.supertracks.com/index/artists/taylor. htm
`
`www.emusic.com/0555353x.pdf
`
`www.cdw.com/music/featured_CDs/index.html
`
`www.sonymusic.com/catal0g/0O231.html
`
`www.polygram.com/franklin/adf__234.htm
`
`www.loudeye.com/rap/1999/46755646.htm|
`
`www.sonymusic.com/cata|og/O5634.html
`
`www.sonymusic.com/catalog/00O14.htm|
`
`www.supertracks.com/index/artists/taylor.htm
`
`www.emusic.com/O555353x.pdf
`
`www.cdw.com/musiclfeatured_CDs/index.html
`
`www.sonymusic.com/cata|og/0O231 .html
`
`www.polygram.com/frank|in/adf_234.htm
`
`www.userde?ned.com/OO0O4.html
`
`www.loudeye.com/rap/1999/46755646.html
`
`034
`
`112
`
`198
`
`376
`
`597
`
`612
`
`850
`
`921
`
`FIG. 3
`
`034
`
`1 12
`
`198
`
`376
`
`597
`
`612
`
`850
`
`883
`
`921
`
`FIG. 4
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`

`US 6,970,886 B1
`
`1
`CONSUMER DRIVEN METHODS FOR
`ASSOCIATING CONTENT INDENTIFIERS
`WITH RELATED WEB ADDRESSES
`
`RELATED APPLICATION DATA
`
`The subject matter of the present application is related to
`that disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 09/476,686,
`?led Dec. 30, 1999; 09/531,076, ?led Mar. 18, 2000; Ser.
`No. 09/563,664, ?led May 2, 2000; and 09/574,726, ?led
`May 18, 2000. The disclosures of these applications are
`incorporated herein by reference.
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention relates to leasing of virtual
`addresses, as may be associated With music or other media
`content.
`
`BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE
`INVENTION
`
`For expository convenience, the present disclosure is
`illustrated With reference to audio content. HoWever, it
`should be recognized that the principles described beloW are
`applicable in any media context, including still imagery,
`video, product packaging, etc.
`In the cited patent applications, the present assignee
`disclosed a variety of technologies by Which audio content
`can be associated With corresponding internet resources. In
`some such approaches, the audio content is steganographi
`cally encoded (e.g., by digital Watermarking) to convey an
`identi?er. When a computer encounters such an encoded
`audio object, it discerns the encoded identi?er, forWards the
`identi?er to a remote database (a “Registry database”), and
`receives in response—from a database record indexed by the
`identi?er—the address of one or more internet resources
`related to that audio (e.g., fan sites, concert schedules,
`e-commerce opportunities, etc.) The computer can then link
`to such a resource and present same to a user, e.g., using an
`internet broWser program. Such an arrangement is shoWn in
`FIG. 1.
`There are many variations on this model. For example,
`instead of steganographically encoding the identi?er in the
`content, the identi?er can be added into header or other data
`With Which the content is conventionally packaged.
`The identi?er can be assigned to the content. Or the
`identi?er can be derived, in some manner, from the content.
`In the former, assigned identi?er case, an entity such as a
`music publisher (e.g., Sony) or a music distributor (e.g.,
`emusic.com), selects a number for encoding into the content.
`The number may be selected from a limited range of
`numbers (e. g., a range of numbers allocated to that publisher
`by the proprietor of the Registry database), but the number
`itself is not inherently related to the content With Which it is
`associated.
`In the latter case, the identi?er is derived from the content,
`or from other information associated With the content.
`One Way to derive an identi?er is to employ selected bits
`of the content, itself, as the identi?er. For example, in MP3
`audio, Where the signal is encoded into frames, the Nth bit
`of the ?rst 128 frames of a musical Work can be assembled
`together into a 128 bit identi?er. Or data present in MP3
`headers can be used. In another approach, some or all of the
`content data is processed by a hashing algorithm to yield a
`128 bit identi?er corresponding to that content. In both of
`
`2
`these cases, the identi?er is implicit in the audio itself. That
`is, no data needs to be added (e.g., in a header, or by
`steganographic encoding).
`When deriving the identi?er from associated information,
`one can use the table of contents (TOC) of the CD or ?le
`allocation table of the DVD. The ID can be embedded Within
`the MP3 ?le, if it is being ripped from the CD or DVD at the
`time or ID creation. The method of embedding can be
`embedded via header, footer or frame bits, or via a Water
`mark.
`Some techniques for deriving an identi?er may rely on
`external resources. For example, When “ripping” a song
`from a commercial music CD into MP3 form, many ripper
`softWare programs refer to an on-line disc recognition
`database, found at WWW.cddb.com, to obtain the title and
`length of the song. This “table of contents” information can
`be used to form the identi?er, e.g., by selecting predeter
`mined bits, hashing, etc. In this case, the identi?er must
`generally be added to the audio (i.e., it is explicit, as Was the
`case of the assigned identi?ers). Such an arrangement is
`shoWn in FIG. 2.
`The artisan Will recogniZe that there are an essentially
`in?nite number of algorithms by Which such derived iden
`ti?ers can be generated. (It Will be noted that derived
`identi?ers may not be unique. That is, tWo unrelated audio
`?les may—coincidentally—correspond to the same identi
`?er. But by making the identi?er sufficiently long (e.g., 128
`bits), such occurrences can be made arbitrarily unlikely.)
`When an identi?er is assigned to content, the entity doing
`the assigning (e.g., a record label such as Sony, or a music
`distributor such as Emusic) can ensure that the Registry
`database has a record corresponding to that identi?er. The
`database record contains, e.g., one or more URL(s) leading
`to information relating to the audio content.
`A different situation arises When the identi?er is derived
`from content. No master authority ensures that the Registry
`database has a record corresponding to that identi?er. Thus,
`if a college student rips music from a privately-produced CD
`into an MP3 ?le, the identi?er derived from that music may
`not point to an active database record in the Registry
`database. This can also occur With CDs from major or minor
`labels that don’t register all their identi?ers. For example,
`the Kinks’ CDs may not be registered by the label oWning
`rights to their albums because of their fall in popularity.
`HoWever, a general consumer/business person could register
`the CD’s identi?er to sell Kinks’ paraphernalia. The con
`sumer/business person does not need to make the same
`amount of revenue as the record label to make the registra
`tion process and maintenance Worth his/her time.
`If the MP3 ?le so-produced becomes popular, and is
`Widely spread (e.g., through means such as Napster, Gnu
`tella, etc.) a large potential audience may develop for
`internet resources related to that MP3. The issue then arises:
`Who manages the Registry database address represented by
`the corresponding identi?er?
`The present invention addresses this and related issues.
`In accordance With one aspect of the present invention, a
`user Who encounters an unused Registry database record is
`given an option to manage it, or to participate ?nancially in
`its exploitation.
`For example, in one embodiment, When the Registry
`database ?rst receives a query corresponding to an un-used
`identi?er, the person initiating the query is given an oppor
`tunity to lease that identi?er for a predetermined period,
`such as tWo months. Upon payment of a nominal fee (e.g.,
`$10), the user can specify a URL that Will be stored in the
`
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`US 6,970,886 B1
`
`3
`Registry database in association with that identi?er, and to
`which subsequent users will be directed.
`In accordance with another aspect, when a user ?rst
`queries an un-used identi?er in the Registry database, an
`auction commences, with a nominal opening bid (e.g., $10).
`The auction continues for a short period, such as a week or
`a month, allowing other persons who encounter such music
`early in its distribution life to have a chance at gaining the
`leasehold rights. At the end of the auction, the winner is
`granted a lease to that identi?er for a predetermined period
`and can specify the URL with which that identi?er is
`associated.
`At the end of the predetermined period, the identi?er can
`be leased for a subsequent term—either for a ?Xed fee (e.g.,
`a multiple of the fee earlier charged), or through an auction.
`It will be recogniZed that this arrangement has certain
`similarities to the present system for internet domain name
`registration. A user can query a whois database maintained
`by Network Solutions and the like to determine whether a
`domain name is assigned. If it is not, Network Solutions will
`offer to assign the domain name for a term of years in
`eXchange for a payment. But the present invention serves
`different needs and is otherwise different in certain details.
`The foregoing and other features and advantages of the
`present invention will be more readily apparent from the
`detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the
`accompanying drawings.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 shows an arrangement by which media content is
`linked to associated internet resources.
`FIG. 2 shows a process employing an eXternal resource
`(here www.cddb.com) to derive an identi?er corresponding
`to audio content.
`FIG. 3 shows a Registry database with which one embodi
`ment of the present invention is illustrated.
`FIG. 4 shows the Registry database of FIG. 3 after entry
`of a new record.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`
`Referring to FIG. 3, an exemplary Registry database can
`be conceptualiZed as a large look-up table. Each active
`record includes an identi?er and a corresponding URL.
`When a consumer uses a suitably equipped device (e.g., a
`personal computer, or wireless internet appliance) to decode
`an identi?er from audio content and send the identi?er to the
`database, the database responds by returning the URL cor
`responding to that identi?er back to the user device. The user
`device then directs an internet browser to that URL. By such
`arrangements, music (e.g., in MP3 format) can serve as a
`portal to a web site dedicated to the music artist, a web site
`giving concert schedules for the artist, a web site offering
`CDs, etc.
`In the FIG. 3 eXample, if the device decodes the identi?er
`‘376’ from an MP3 ?le, and queries the database with this
`data, the database returns the URL www.emusic.com/
`0555353X.pdf. The user’s web browser is then directed to
`that URL. (For expository convenience, the identi?ers are
`assumed to be in the range 0—1023. In actual implementa
`tions, a much larger range would usually be used.)
`The just-described sequence of operations is illustrative
`and is subject to numerous variations—various of which are
`detailed in the earlier-cited applications.
`Now assume that an up-and-coming band (“The
`Pinecones”) releases a song in MP3 format. No identi?er is
`
`4
`af?rmatively assigned to the MP3 when it is encoded, but
`compliant players process the MP3 data to derive an iden
`ti?er. (An exemplary algorithm may take the ?rst ten frames
`of MP3 data, and select the 100”1 data bit from each frame,
`to yield a ten bit identi?er.) The derived identi?er may be
`‘883.’ A listener of the song forwards this ‘883’ identi?er to
`the Registry database, hoping thereby to be linked to supple
`mental information about The Pinecones or the song.
`Instead, the Registry reports (e.g., by a default web page)
`that there is no further information related to that MP3 (i.e.,
`there is no database record corresponding to identi?er
`‘883’).
`In this case, the Registry can invite the listener to remedy
`this de?ciency and to create a web page that will be
`associated with that song. In eXchange for a small fee, the
`listener is allowed to specify a URL that will be associated
`with that identi?er for a month. If the user is not equipped
`to design and host a web page, the Registry can provide
`simple web page authoring tools and a hosting service
`permitting the listener to easily create a page on-line.
`If the listener accepts this invitation, he makes the pay
`ment by various known methods (e.g., via credit card, by one
`of several emerging web currencies, etc.). He then composes
`(or speci?es) a web page to correspond to that song. The
`Registry is updated to include a new record for identi?er
`‘883,’ and includes a link to the page speci?ed by the listener
`(e.g., www.userde?ned.com/00004.html). The table after
`updating is shown in FIG. 4.
`If the user wishes, he can complement the substance of the
`linked page with banner advertising, co-op links to on-line
`retailers (e.g., AmaZon.com), or other revenue-producing
`uses.
`Other copies of the same bit-rate Pinecones’ MP3 ?le
`likewise do not have an assigned identi?er. However, com
`pliant players will all derive identi?ers using the same
`algorithm, so all other listeners of the song will be directed
`to the same ‘883’ identi?er in the Registry database. Once
`the ?rst listener activates such a record, later listeners who
`link to the Registry will be linked to the www.userde?ned
`.com/00004.html web page speci?ed by the ?rst listener.
`Since the ID is automatically generated, it may be differ
`ent for each bit-rate MP3 release as well as for each CD
`release. Different bit-rate MP3 releases, such as 128 kbps
`and 96 kbps releases, produce different bits in the resulting
`MP3 ?le; thus, the automatically generated identi?ers may
`be different. CD releases refer to different miXes of the
`music, not copies of the master CD; thus, different CD
`releases have different bits on the CD and, correspondingly,
`the automatically generated identi?ers may be different for
`each CD release. In addition, if the MP3 version is ripped by
`the consumer from the CD, the compliant ripper should
`embed the identi?er generated from the CD into the MP3
`?le. This structure is necessary because various consumer
`rippers produce different bits in the MP3 ?le, since the MP3
`format only de?nes a standard decoder. In all of these cases,
`the server has two options. One option is to check and make
`sure that the same song and artist don’t already eXist. If they
`do, the new identi?er is linked to the same web page. The
`second option is to allow each identi?er, even if from the
`same song but different MP3 or CD releases, to have an
`owner.
`Of course, by suitably designing the algorithm by which
`identi?ers are derived, non-identical versions of the same
`basic content may nonetheless correspond to the same
`identi?er. There is extensive published research on such
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`US 6,970,886 B1
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`5
`technology, e.g., hashing algorithms by Which similar or
`related, but non-identical, inputs map to the same hash
`outputs.
`In another embodiment, the ?rst listener does not have an
`absolute right to lease the identi?er. Rather, the ?rst listener
`is given a “?rst mover” advantage in a brief auction for that
`identi?er. By placing a minimum starting bid (e.g., $10), an
`auction for the identi?er is commenced, and continues for a
`Week. Subsequent listeners Who link to that identi?er during
`the auction are given the opportunity to beat the then-highest
`bid. At the end of the auction period, the high bidder is
`charged (typically by pre-arranged means), and given the
`opportunity to specify a link for that identi?er. (Again, the
`Registry operator may offer to host the linked page.)
`In a variant of the foregoing, the ?nal bid proceeds are
`split, With the Registry proprietor sharing a portion (e.g.,
`5—50%) of the proceeds With the listener Who initiated the
`auction. This may create a strong incentive for use of the
`system, as listeners try to ?nd music not already linked by
`the database, hoping to start auctions and share in their
`proceeds.
`Assume the initial lease is for a period of tWo months.
`During that period The Pinecones have become Wildly
`popular, and thousands of listeners are linking to the corre
`sponding Web page daily. The link is noW a hot property. At
`the eXpiry of the initial lease term, the Registry proprietor
`can re-auction the link. The band or its promoters may
`naturally be one of the bidders. This time the auction may
`result in large bids, commensurate With the popularity of the
`music to Which it corresponds. Again, the proceeds of the
`auction may be shared by the Registry proprietor, e.g., With
`the original listener Who discovered the identi?er, or With the
`party Who Was high bidder in the previous (initial) auction.
`In similar fashion, the linking rights can be re-auctioned
`periodically, With the price being proportional to the music’s
`then-current popularity.
`It Will be recogniZed that much of the internet is pornog
`raphy, and some of the persons leasing identi?er links from
`the Registry may seek to promote pornographic or other
`inappropriate sites by such links. Accordingly, the Registry
`may place certain limitations on the linked sites. The sites
`may be checked for RSAC ratings, and only sites With
`non-adult ratings may be alloWed. Alternatively (or addi
`tionally), the sites may be automatically scanned for key
`Words or content (using intelligent search engines, possibly
`based upon trained netWorks and/or arti?cial intelligence)
`suggesting pornography, and those having such Words may
`be manually revieWed. Etc.
`The proprietor may also require that the linked pages
`contain at least a threshold amount of non-advertising con
`tent (e.g., 50% of screen display)—again to encourage use
`of the identi?ers as links to bona?de resources related to the
`corresponding audio content.
`The problem of automated “bots” querying all possible
`identi?ers in the Registry in an attempt to identify and usurp
`the inactive entries is mitigated by (a) the huge universe of
`such identi?ers, and (b) the costs of registering.
`The maintenance of the table 12 is Well understood by
`those skilled in data structures. For ease of description, the
`present disclosure assumes that the entries are sorted, by
`identi?er. In actual implementation, this may not be the case.
`The system may be keyed by identi?er, song and artist, thus
`increasing the speed at Which the system can ?nd duplicate
`songs With different identi?ers.
`From the foregoing, it Will be recogniZed that embodi
`ments of the present invention can be utiliZed to spur
`grassroots development of internet resources associated With
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`a Wide variety of media content objects. Commerce in a neW
`class of virtual assets is enabled—offering the possibility of
`signi?cant ?nancial returns to individuals Who have a knack
`for identifying popular music before it becomes popular. A
`link that Was ?rst leased by a high-schooler for $10 may later
`be re-leased to Sony Music for $10,000. The virtual real
`estate represented by these identi?ers is priced, over time,
`commensurately With their changing commercial impor
`tance.
`Having described and illustrated the principles of the
`invention With reference to illustrative embodiments, it
`should be recogniZed that the invention is not so limited.
`For eXample, While the discussion contemplated that the
`unassigned identi?ers Were derived from the content, the
`same or similar approaches can be applied With assigned
`identi?ers.
`LikeWise, it Will be recogniZed that the universe of
`identi?ers may be segmented in various Ways to achieve
`various purposes, and only a subset of the entire universe of
`possible identi?ers may be made available in the manners
`here described. For eXample, derived identi?ers may be
`designed to map into a loWer half of a universe of possible
`identi?ers, With the upper half being reserved for assigned
`identi?ers, i.e. setting the most signi?cant bit to determine
`Whether the identi?er is assigned or automatically generated.
`The principles described herein are applicable in other
`conteXts and in other applications, e. g., Wherever there eXists
`a large universe of identi?ers, some of Which correspond to
`objects, and that correspondence is not initially knoWn to an
`entity controlling usage to Which the identi?ers are put. To
`name but one alternative, When video compression and
`Internet bandWidth improve, this auction system can be
`applied to videos.
`While the eXplicit identi?ers detailed above took the form
`of Watermarks and header data, these are illustrative only;
`any form of identi?er can be similarly treated as virtual real
`estate and granted to its discover. Thus, systems based on
`barcodes and other identi?ers may make use of the prin
`ciples of this invention.
`To provide a comprehensive disclosure Without unduly
`lengthening this speci?cation, the patents and applications
`cited herein are incorporated herein by reference.
`It should be recogniZed that 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 incor
`porated-by-reference patents/applications are also contem
`plated.
`In vieW of the Wide variety of embodiments to Which the
`principles and features discussed above can be applied, it
`should be apparent that the detailed embodiments are illus
`trative only and should not be taken as limiting the scope of
`the invention. Rather, I claim as my invention all such
`modi?cations as may come Within the scope and spirit of the
`folloWing claims and equivalents thereof.
`
`We claim:
`1. A method of operating a database that has plural
`records, the method including receiving queries, each
`including an identi?er, and replying to said queries by
`reference to information from database records associated
`With said identi?ers, said identi?ers being draWn from a
`universe of possible identi?ers, a majority of Which do not
`have active database records associated thereWith, the
`method including:
`
`Google Ex. 1009
`
`

`

`US 6,970,886 B1
`
`7
`receiving a query from a user including an identi?er that
`has no active database record associated thereWith, said
`identi?er being derived from an eXisting media content
`object; and
`permitting the user to create an active database record
`corresponding to said identi?er.
`2. The method of claim 1 that includes alloWing the user
`to pay a fee, said fee entitling the user to specify at least a
`portion of the database record corresponding to said iden
`ti?er.
`3. The method of claim 1 that includes alloWing the user
`to make a ?rst bid in an auction, said auction continuing for
`a predetermined period commencing With said ?rst bid.
`4. A method comprising:
`deriving an identi?er corresponding to an eXisting media
`content object;
`querying a database With the derived identi?er; and
`if the database has no active record corresponding to said
`derived identi?er, permitting a party Who ?rst queried
`the database With said identi?er to de?ne such a record.
`5. The method of claim 4 in Which the media content
`object is an audio ?le.
`6. The method of claim 4 in Which the media content
`object is an MP3 audio ?le.
`7. The method of claim 4 in Which the media content
`object is a video ?le.
`8. The method of claim 4 in Which the deriving includes
`consulting a resource eXternal of the media content object.
`9. The method of claim 8 in Which the resource is a
`database.
`10. The method of claim 4 in Which the deriving includes
`processing data from the media content object to obtain said
`identi?er.
`11. The method of claim 4 in Which several identi?ers can
`correspond to the same media content object.
`12. The method of claim 11 in Which the identi?ers are
`automatically generated from different releases of an audio
`CD, Wherein the releases have different audio and/or table of
`contents.
`13. The method of claim 11 in Which the identi?ers are
`automatically generated from different versions of an MP3
`?le, Wherein the versions have different bits due to the
`compression and/or bit-rate.
`14. A method of managing a universe of identi?ers, some
`of said identi?ers being active and having internet resources
`associated thereWith, and others of said identi?ers being
`inactive, the method including receiving a query corre
`sponding to an inactive identi?er and, in response, initiating
`a time-limited auction, a Winner of said auction being
`granted the privilege of associating an internet resource With
`said identi?er for at least a predetermined time period.
`15. The method of claim 14 in Which said active identi
`?ers correspond to different audio content, and the internet
`resources corresponding to said active identi?ers correspond
`to said audio content.
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`16. A method comprising:
`auctioning to the highest bidder the privilege of de?ning
`a link that is to be associated, for a predetermined time
`period, With an identi?er through a database; and
`at the eXpiry of said predetermined time period, re
`auctioning said privilege.
`17. The method of claim 16 in Which the proceeds of said
`re-auctioning are shared With the high bidder of a previous
`auction for said privilege.
`18. The method of claim 16 in Which the identi?er
`corresponds to an eXisting media content object.
`19. The method of claim 18 in Which the identi?er is
`derived, rather than assigned.
`20. The method of claim 1 Wherein a primary function of
`the database is to link consumers to internet resources, such
`as Web pages, that promote goods or services that are related
`to the media content objects and that are offered by com
`mercial entities, and said user is one of said consumers,
`Wherein the consumer can participate in such linking in a
`manner customarily reserved to the commercial entities.
`21. The method of claim 1 that includes automatically
`providing the identi?er from a process on a user
`device—such as a computer—to the database, Without
`requiring the user to type or otherWise manually enter the
`identi?er.
`22. The method of claim 4 Wherein a primary function of
`the database is to link consumers to internet resources, such
`as Web pages, that promote goods or services that are related
`to media content objects and that are offered by commercial
`entities, and said party is one of said consumers, Wherein the
`consumer can participate in such linking in a manner cus
`tomarily reserved to the commercial entities.
`23. The method of claim 1 that includes automatically
`providing the identi?er from a process on a device main
`tained by said party—such as a computer—to the database,
`Without requiring said party to type or otherWise manually
`enter the identi?er.
`24. The method of claim 14 Wherein said identi?ers and
`internet resources are associated through a database, a
`primary function of Which is to link consumers to internet
`resources that promote goods or services that are related to
`media content objects and that are offered by commercial
`entities, and said Winner is one of said consumers, Wherein
`the consumer can participate in such linking in a manner
`customarily reserved to the commercial entities.
`25. The method of claim 14 that includes automatically
`deriving the identi?er using a device maintained by said
`Winner, Without requiring said Winner to type or otherWise
`manually enter the identi?er.
`26. The method of claim 16 Wherein a primary function of
`the database is to link cons