Watermark embedding and extracting method for protecting digital audio contents copyright and preventing duplication and apparatus using thereof

• US 20040006696A1
• Filed: 06/20/2003
• Published: 01/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: MarkAny, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MarkAny, Inc.
• Inventors: Park, Chang-Mok, Lee, Han-Ho, Kim, Jong-Weon, Shin, Seung-Won
• Application Number:
  US10/297,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20040006696A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/00 Speech or audio signals analysis-synthesis techniques for redundancy reduction, e.g. in vocoders; Coding or decoding of speech or audio signals, using source filter models or psychoacoustic analysis in musical instruments G10H
• 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 20/00891 embedded in audio data

Abstract

In embedding a watermark in a digital audio contents, a model using a minimum audible limit of the digital audio contents is generated and a series of pseudo random number is masked to generate the watermark to be inserted in the digital audio contents In order to extract the watermark embedded in the digital audio contents, an auditory psychological model having a minimum audible limit, which depends on the characteristic of frequency generated from the digital audio contents, is formed to generate the watermark from a series of pseudo random number. After generating the watermark, the length of the watermark is adjusted according to the relationship of a signal processing between the adjacent digital audio contents. By measuring the correlation between the watermark and digital audio contents, it is possible to detect whether the watermark is inserted or not.

Claims

1. (Amended) A method for embedding a digital watermark in the digital audio contents, comprising:

generating a digital watermark by filtering a predetermined length of pseudo random sequence with audio absolute threshold of hearing in order not to affect the audio characteristics of said digital audio contents; and

embedding said digital watermark in said digital audio contents.

3. (Amended) The method according to claim 1, wherein generating said digital watermark includes:

forming a psycho-acoustic model having the audio absolute threshold of hearing according to the characteristics of the frequency generated from said digital audio contents;

filtering said pseudo random number sequence in accordance with said psycho-acoustic model; and

filtering said filtered pseudo random number sequence by using composed filtering coefficient which indicates the general characteristics of said digital audio contents.

5. (Amended) The method according to claim 1, wherein embedding said digital watermark in said digital audio contents includes:

measuring the amount of energy of said digital audio contents;

adjusting the strength of said digital watermark according to said measured amount of energy; and

adding up said digital watermark with adjusted strength with said digital audio contents.

8. (Amended) A method for extracting a watermark from the digital audio contents, the method including:

generating a watermark from pseudo random number sequence by forming a psycho-acoustic model having an audio absolute threshold of hearing according to the characteristics of frequency generated from said digital audio contents; and

extracting the embedding of watermark by measuring the correlation between said watermark and said digital audio contents.

9. (Amended) The method according to claim 8, further including adjusting the length of said watermark by detecting whether or not the signal is processed with regard to the corresponding digital audio contents from the digital audio contents which are adjacent to each other after said step of generating watermark.

10. (Amended) The method according to claim 9, wherein generating said watermark includes:

forming a psycho-acoustic model having audio absolute threshold of hearing according to the characteristics of frequency generated from said digital audio contents; and

generating said watermark by filtering said pseudo random number sequence in accordance with said psycho-acoustic model.

11. (Amended) The method according to claim 10, wherein adjusting the length of said watermark includes:

restoring back to its original form regarding the signal processed when embedding watermark is performed regarding said adjacent digital audio contents;

extracting the information of correlation among said restored adjacent digital audio contents; and

resampling said watermark according to said information of correlation.

12. (Amended) The method according to claim 11, further including strengthening said information of correlation after said step of extracting.

13. (Amended) The method according to claim 11, wherein said restoring is conducted by inverse-auto regression filter.

14. (Amended) The method according to claim 12, wherein said strengthening the information of correlation performs the calculation of the ensemble average.

15. (Amended) The method according to claim 11, wherein said extracting said embedding of watermark includes:

restoring back to its original form regarding the signal processed when embedding watermark is performed in said adjacent digital audio contents;

strengthening the component of said digital watermark among said restored digital audio contents;

calculating the information of correlation between two signals of said watermark with adjusted length and said digital audio contents with strengthened digital watermark; and

extracting the information of watermark correlation by filtering said calculated and extracted correlation information to remove the periodic property of said digital audio contents.

16. (Amended) The method according to claim 15, further including determining whether watermark is embedded from said correlation information of the extracted watermark after said step of extracting watermark.

17. (Amended) A device for embedding watermark in the digital audio contents, the device including:

means for generating the digital watermark by filtering a predetermined length of pseudo random sequence with audio absolute threshold of hearing in order not to affect the audio characteristics of said digital audio contents; and

means for embedding said digital watermark in said digital audio contents.

18. (Amended) The device according to claim 17, wherein the means for generating said digital watermark includes:

means for forming a psycho-acoustic model having the audio absolute threshold of hearing from analyzing the characteristics of frequency generated from said digital audio contents;

means for filtering said pseudo random number sequence in accordance with said psycho-acoustic model; and

means for filtering said filtered pseudo random number sequence by using composed filtering coefficient which indicates the general characteristics of said digital audio contents.

20. (Amended) The device according to claim 17, wherein the means for embedding said digital watermark includes:

means for measuring the amount of energy of said digital audio contents;

means for adjusting the strength of said digital watermark according to said measured amount of energy; and

means for adding up said digital watermark with adjusted strength with said digital audio contents.

23. (Amended) A device for extracting watermark from the digital audio contents, the device including:

means for generating a watermark by forming a psycho-acoustic model having an audio absolute threshold of hearing from analyzing the characteristics of frequency generated from said digital audio contents; and

means for extracting the embedding of watermark by measuring the correlation between said watermark and said digital audio contents.

25. (Amended) The device according to claim 24, wherein said means for adjusting the length of the watermark includes:

means for restoring back to its original form regarding the signal processed when embedding watermark is performed regarding said adjacent digital audio contents;

means for extracting the information of correlation among said restored adjacent digital audio contents; and

means for resampling said watermark according to said information of correlation.

29. (Amended) The device according to claim 25, wherein said means for extracting the embedding of watermark includes:

means for restoring back to its original form regarding the signal processed when embedding watermark is performed regarding said adjacent digital audio contents;

means for strengthening the component of said digital watermark among said restored digital audio contents;

means for calculating the information of correlation between two signals of said watermark with adjusted length, and said digital audio contents with strengthened digital watermark; and

means for extracting the information of watermark correlation by filtering said calculated and extracted correlation information to remove the periodic property of said digital audio contents.