1. A method comprising
at a cloud-based service, receiving digital image files from which digital images can be displayed on devices,
for each of the digital image files, embedding data in the digital image file on behalf of a party who has rights in the digital image file, the existence of the embedded data not being perceptible in any digital image that is displayed using the digital image file, the embedded data including information that can be used in a process of authenticating the digital image,
receiving at the cloud-based service, a digital image file to be authenticated, and
authenticating the digital image file in a process that uses the embedded data.
2. The method of claim 1 in which the embedded data comprises a hash of data in the digital image file.
3. The method of claim 1 in which the embedded data can be used to locate information about the digital image file that has been stored at the cloud-based system.
4. The method of claim 1 comprising
storing at the cloud-based system information about the digital image file that can be retrieved based on the embedded data.
5. The method of claim 1 in which each of the digital image files is received through a publicly accessible communication network.
6. The method of claim 1 comprising a limited edition that includes one or more instances of the digital image file, and in which the embedded data for each of the instances of the digital image file is uniquely associated with that instance of the limited edition.
7. The method of claim 1 in which the embedded data includes a key or identifier to information about the instance of the digital image file that is stored at the cloud-based service, separately from the digital image file.
8. The method of claim 7 in which the information about the instance of the digital image file includes at least one of: an identification of a party who has rights in the instance of the digital image file, an identification of the edition to which the instance belongs, and an identification of the instance of the digital image file that is included in the limited edition.
9. The method of claim 1 comprising, after the digital image file has been authenticated, providing information to a user.
10. The method of claim 9 in which the information provided to the user is determined by characteristics of the user.
11. The method of claim 9 in which the information provided to the user includes the result of the authenticating.
12. The method of claim 9 in which the information provided to the user includes an identification of a party who has rights in the digital image file.
13. The method of claim 1 comprising, after the data has been embedded in the digital image file, providing information to a user.
14. The method of claim 13 in which the information provided to the user includes image data associated with the unique identifier of the instance of the digital image file.
15. The method of claim 13 in which the information provided to the user includes confirmation that the data has been embedded.
16. The method of claim 1 comprising storing the digital image files at the cloud-based service.
17. The method of claim 1 in which the digital image files are received from a web browser or a mobile app of a user device.
18. The method of claim 1 comprising receiving information that defines a limited edition of instances of the digital image file.
19. The method of claim 1 comprising providing an image storage system for distribution of instances of the digital image files subject to conditions specified on behalf of a party who has rights in the digital image file and agreed to by a user.
20. The method of claim 19 comprising delivering an instance of the digital image file to the user who has agreed to the conditions.
21. The method of claim 20 in which the user can display a digital image based on the instance of the digital image file.
22. The method of claim 1 in which the embedded data comprises a digital watermark.
23. A method comprising
from a cloud-based service, delivering to a user device an instance of a digital image file in which data has been embedded at the cloud-based service on behalf of a party who has rights in the digital image file, and
controlling the delivery of the instance of the digital image file containing the embedded data to the user in compliance with conditions that have been specified on behalf of the party who has rights in the digital image file, a digital image being displayable on a user device based on the instance of the digital image file.
24. The method of claim 23 in which the instance of the digital image file is delivered through a web browser or a mobile app.
25. The method of claim 23 in which the user device comprises a device that includes a screen and a processor that can display the digital image using the instance of the digital image file.
26. The method of claim 23 in which the instance of the digital image file comprises one instance among one or more instances of a limited edition of the digital image file.
27. The method of claim 23 in which the embedding of data (e.g., the digital watermarking) of the digital image file at the cloud-based service includes associating a unique identifier or key with a single instance of a limited edition of the digital image file.
28. The method of claim 23 in which the user device on which the display is occurs comprises a mobile phone, TV monitor, projector, or any other screen or display device.
29. A method comprising
at a user device, receiving an instance of a digital image file from a cloud-based service, the digital image file having had data embedded in it at the cloud-based service to protect rights of a user in the digital image file,
the digital image file being received only on the basis of an agreement by a user to conditions for use of the digital image file, and
displaying a digital image using the watermarked instance of the digital image file.
30. The method of claim 29 in which the digital image is displayed on a user device.
31. The method of claim 30 in which the user device on which the digital image is displayed is the user device that received the instance of the digital image file.
32. The method of claim 30 in which the user device on which the digital image is displayed is a device that is accessible to the user device that received the instance of the digital image file.
32. The method of claim 29 in which the user device comprises a wireless cellular device or a device that has access through the Internet to the cloud-based service.
33. The method of claim 29 in which the watermark of the digital image file is not perceptible in the digital image.
34. The method of claim 29 in which the instance is part of a limited edition of the digital image file.
35. An apparatus comprising
a cloud-based service that includes
cloud-based servers to provide storage service for digital image files and information about digital image files received from users,
processes to be run on the servers to embed data in the digital image files to protect rights of parties in the digital image files, and
authentication processes to be run on the servers to authenticate digital image files received from users, the authentication processes being related to the data embedding processes.
36. The apparatus of claim 35 comprising
distribution processes to be run on the servers to distribute instances of the digital image files to users.
37. The apparatus of claim 35 comprising
occur processes to occur distribution of instances of the digital image files to users based on conditions imposed for the benefit of parties who have rights in the digital image files.
38. A method comprising
at a cloud-based server, using data of a digital image file to create a unique identifier for the file,
embedding the unique identifier in the file,
retrieving the unique identifier from the file, and
using the unique identifier to locate information about the digital image file that is stored at the cloud-based server.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A system, comprising:
a memory that stores instructions; and
a processor coupled to the memory, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, the processor performs operations comprising:
receiving audio content of a user that is captured during a communication exchange between the user and an avatar presented by a set-top box;
identifying a change in an emotional state of the user based on an analysis of speech of the user determined from the audio content;
providing data to the set-top box for adapting characteristics of the avatar to generate an adapted avatar according to the identifying of the change in the emotional state of the user; and
causing the set-top box to present the adapted avatar presenting content from a media content source.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise identifying the change in the emotional state of the user based on an analysis of a physiological expression of the user determined from image recognition applied to images captured of the user during the communication exchange between the user and the avatar.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the analysis of speech includes analysis of a grammatical structure of speech of the user.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a profile associated with the set-top box.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a profile associated with the set-top box, wherein the adapting of the characteristics of the avatar is according to the profile.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a profile associated with the user, wherein the avatar has characteristics that correlate to the profile.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise detecting a negative disposition in the emotional state of the user.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:
identifying from a profile and the negative disposition an alternative search procedure to counteract the negative disposition; and
adjusting a user initiated search for media content to generate an adjusted adapted search according to the alternative search procedure.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the negative disposition corresponds to a state of hostility, a state of melancholy, a state of apathy, a state of tension, or a combination thereof
10. The system of claim 8, wherein the adapting of the search is according to monitored media consumption behavior associated with the user.
11. A method, comprising:
identifying, by a system including a processor, a change in an emotional state of a user based on an analysis of a communication exchange between the user and an avatar presented by a set-top box, wherein the system is remote from the set-top box, and wherein the system is in communication with the set-top box over a network;
providing, by the system, data to the set-top box for adapting characteristics of the avatar to generate an adapted avatar according to the identifying of the change in the emotional state of the user; and
causing, by the system, the set-top box to present the adapted avatar presenting content from a media content source.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the analysis of the communication exchange includes an analysis of a context of speech of the user, a prosody of speech of the user, a grammatical structure of speech of the user or a combination thereof
13. The method of claim 11, wherein a search for media content is initiated from the set-top box.
14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
analyzing, by the system, a physiological expression of the user from images captured of the user during the communication exchange between the avatar and the user, wherein the change in the emotional state of the user is identified based on the physiological expression; and
retrieving a profile associated with the set-top box, wherein the avatar has characteristics that are described in the profile.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the profile comprises demographic profiling information of the user, psychographic profiling information of the user, user preferences of the user, or a combination thereof
16. The method of claim 14, wherein the profile comprises demographic profiling information of the user, and
wherein the demographic profiling information of the user is determined from monitored media consumption behavior of the user.
17. A machine-readable storage medium, comprising instructions, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, a processor performs operations comprising:
providing avatar information to a set-top box to enable the set-top box to present an avatar at a display device, wherein the processor is remote from the set-top box, and wherein the processor is in communication with the set top box over a network;
identifying a change in an emotional state of a user by analyzing a communication exchange between the avatar and the user, wherein the analyzing includes an analysis of a context of speech of the user, a prosody of speech of the user, a grammatical structure of speech of the user, or a combination thereof; and
adapting characteristics of the avatar to generate an adapted avatar according to the change in the emotional state of the user.
18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise analyzing a physiological expression of the user detected utilizing image recognition applied to images captured of the user during the communication exchange, wherein the identifying of the change in the emotional state is according to the analyzing of the physiological expression.
19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein, when a search for media content is initiated from the set-top box, the operations further comprise adapting a search according to the change in the emotional state.
20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:
detecting a negative disposition in the emotional state of the user;
adapting characteristics of the avatar to counteract the negative disposition;
identifying from a profile and the negative disposition an alternative search procedure to counteract the negative disposition, the profile being associated with the set-top box; and
adjusting the search for media content to generate an adjusted adapted search according to the alternative search procedure.