Data hiding through arrangement of objects

• US 20020136429A1
• Filed: 02/11/2002
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1994
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Stach, John, Rhoads, Geoffrey B.
• Application Number:
  US10/074,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20020136429A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1418 the inserts being deformed or preformed, e.g. by the injection pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/29 Securities; Bank notes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0078 using multiple thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0052 Embedding of the watermark in the frequency domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/253 visually
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0032 using holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0034 using watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/004 using digital security elements, e.g. information coded on a magnetic thread or strip
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/086 by passive credit-cards adapted therefor, e.g. constructive particularities to avoid counterfeiting, e.g. by inclusion of a physical or chemical security-layer for security documents G07D7/00; for the reading of record-carriers in general G06K7/00; for the design of coded credit-cards G06K19/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1016 Devices or methods for securing the PIN and other transaction-data, e.g. by encryption arrangements for secret communication, see H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/12 Card verification
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00094 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00166 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier, e.g. music or software
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 : involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00884 : involving a watermark, i.e. a barely perceptible transformation of the original data which can nevertheless be recognised by an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00891 : embedded in audio data
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/665 : using psychoacoustic properties of the ear, e.g. masking effect
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00005 : relating to image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00037 : Detecting, i.e. determining the occurrence of a predetermined state H04N1/00031 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00079 : remotely
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 : in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32144 : embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32208 : involving changing the magnitude of selected pixels, e.g. overlay of information or super-imposition H04N1/32219, H04N1/32224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32219 : involving changing the position of selected pixels, e.g. word shifting, or involving modulating the size of image components, e.g. of characters H04N1/32224 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32251 : in multilevel data, e.g. greyscale or continuous tone data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32261 : in binary data H04N1/32256 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32288 : Multiple embedding, e.g. cocktail embedding, or redundant embedding, e.g. repeating the additional information at a plurality of locations in the image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32304 : Embedding different sets of additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32352 : Controlling detectability or arrangements to facilitate detection or retrieval of the embedded information, e.g. using markers for decoding, detection or retrieval operations H04N1/32149 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91321 : the copy protection signal being a copy protection control signal, e.g. a record inhibit signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91335 : the copy protection signal being a watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23892 : involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 : involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 : of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3207 : of an address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3225 : of data relating to an image, a page or a document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 : of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 : of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3239 : using a plurality of different authentication information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 : which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3271 : Printing or stamping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 : Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/328 : Processing of the additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection

Abstract

The present invention provides steganographic embedding techniques. A digital watermark signal is reduced to a set of spatial positions. The set of spatial positions sufficiently conveys the digital watermark signal. Message objects are positioned according to the set of spatial positions. Non-message objects are combined with the message objects to form an image or design. The message objects include distinguishable characteristics, e.g., via color, contrast, gray-scale level or luminance, in comparison to the non-message objects. The digital watermark signal is detected by distinguishing the message objects from the non-message objects (e.g., via color or contrast differences) and analyzing the relative placement of the message objects within the image or design.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

providing a digital watermark signal;

thresholding the digital watermark signal to yield a set of position points; and

arranging message objects in accordance with the position points.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the message objects comprise at least one of color level, gray-scale level, luminance value and contrast, to distinguish the message objects from a background or other objects.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the message objects comprise at least one of cuts in a field, flowers, marbles, bottle caps, cups, umbrella, crops, grass, balloons, coins, and pictures in a photo-mosaic.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the message objects comprise at least one of an image segment and a digital image.

5. The method of claim 1, where the message objects are arranged to form at least part of an image.

6. A document including at least a substrate and a digital watermark signal carried by the substrate, the digital watermark signal comprising a set of relevant points identified through reducing a pure digital watermark signal to the set of relevant points, the set of relevant points comprising location positions relative to the substrate, wherein objects are arranged on the substrate according to the set of relevant points to convey the digital watermark signal.

7. The document of claim 6 wherein the document comprises an image.

8. The document of claim 6 wherein the document comprises a photo-mosaic.

9. The document of claim 8, wherein the objects comprise photographs.

10. A method comprising the steps of:

providing a digital watermark signal;

reducing the digital watermark signal to yield a set of spatial placement positions, the set of spatial placement positions comprising a placement map; and

arranging message objects in accordance with the placement map.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein once arranged, the objects convey the digital watermark signal.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising arranging non-message objects to form an image or design, the non-message objects differing from the message object in at least one of color, contrast, gray-scale and luminance.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first set of photographs is subtly distinguishable by at least one of color, contrast, gray-level and luminance.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the arrangement of the first set of photographs conveys the digital watermark signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the component comprises a digital watermark bias.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the component comprises luminance information.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said defining step comprises arranging on the document at least one of objects, background texture, lettering and patterns according to the luminance information.

13. A method comprising:

providing a digital watermark signal;

reducing the digital watermark signal to a set of spatial positions relative to a fixed area;

arranging a first set of photographs within the fixed area according to the set of spatial positions;

arranging a second set of photographs within the fixed area to complete a photo-mosaic, wherein the first set of photographs are subtly distinguishable from the second set of photographs.

16. A method comprising:

in a security document design process, providing an accessory layout grid, the layout grid identifying a digital watermark component; and

defining a document design based at least in part by the digital watermark component.