Method and system for controlling encoded image production using image signatures

• US 20050177726A1
• Filed: 12/21/2004
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Graphic Security Systems Corporation
• Original Assignee: Graphic Security Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Alasia, Alfred V., Alasia, Alfred J., Alasia, Thomas C., Cvetkovic, Slobodan
• Granted Patent: US 7,114,074 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0028 Adaptive watermarking, e.g. Human Visual System [HVS]-based watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G09C 5/00 Ciphering apparatus or methods not provided for in the preceding groups, e.g. involving the concealment or deformation of graphic data such as designs, written or printed messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/00 Secret communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/30 Compression, e.g. Merkle-Damgard construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• 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 19/12 Selection from among a plurality of transforms or standards, e.g. selection between discrete cosine transform [DCT] and sub-band transform or selection between H.263 and H.264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/196 being specially adapted for the computation of encoding parameters, e.g. by averaging previously computed encoding parameters processing of motion vectors H04N19/513
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3235 Checking or certification of the authentication information, e.g. by comparison with data stored independently
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs

Abstract

An automated method for authorizing and controlling the production of optically encoded images is provided. The method comprises receiving from a user data processor a request for authorization to produce an encoded image. The authorization request includes user-supplied data comprising at least one authentication image file. The method further comprises determining whether the user is authorized to produce an encoded image using the user-supplied data. Responsive to a determination that the user is authorized to produce an encoded image using the user-supplied data, an authentication image signature is generated from the at least one authentication image file using an image signature algorithm and a positive authorization response is returned to the user data processor. The positive authorization response includes the authentication image signature.

Claims

1. An automated method for authorizing and controlling the production of optically encoded images, the method comprising:

receiving from a user data processor a request for authorization to produce an encoded image, the authorization request including user-supplied data comprising at least one authentication image file;

determining whether the user is authorized to produce an encoded image using the user-supplied data;

responsive to a determination that the user is authorized to produce an encoded image using the user-supplied data, generating an authentication image signature from the at least one authentication image file using an image signature algorithm and returning a positive authorization response to the user data processor, the positive authorization response including the authentication image signature.

2. An automated method according to claim 1 wherein the action of determining whether the user is authorized to produce an encoded image using the user-supplied data includes

determining whether the user-supplied data meets predetermined authorization criteria for the user.

3. An automated method according to claim 1 wherein the user-supplied data comprises a user-supplied encoding parameter.

4. An automated method according to claim 3 wherein the action of determining whether the user is authorized to produce an encoded image using the user-supplied data includes

determining whether the user-supplied data meets predetermined authorization criteria for the user, the predetermined authorization criteria including a limiting range on the user-supplied encoding parameter.

5. An automated method according to claim 1 wherein the action of determining whether the user is authorized to produce an encoded image using the user-supplied data is carried out by a validation server in communication with the user data processor over a network.

6. An automated method according to claim 1 wherein the at least one authentication image file comprises a thumbnail authentication image formed by compressing an uncompressed authentication image and wherein the authentication image signature is generated from the thumbnail authentication image.

7. An automated method according to claim 6 wherein the image signature algorithm is adapted so that the authentication image signature generated from the thumbnail authentication image will match within a predetermined tolerance range a comparison image signature generated from the uncompressed authentication image using the image signature algorithm.

8. An automated method according to claim 1 wherein the image signature is adapted for use by an image encoding module to validate a request for an encoded image, the image encoding module being in communication with the user data processor and being adapted for

receiving from a client software module on the user data processor an uncompressed authentication image and the authentication image signature,

generating a comparison image signature from the uncompressed authentication image using the image signature algorithm,

comparing the comparison image signature to the authentication image signature, and

responsive to a determination that the comparison image signature matches the authentication image signature within a predetermined tolerance range, initiating the production of an encoded image using the uncompressed authentication image.

9. An automated method for producing optically encoded images, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a user for an encoded image;

receiving an authentication image to be used to produce the encoded image;

receiving at least one encoding parameter to be used to produce the encoded image;

sending to a validation module a request for authorization to produce an encoded image, the request for authorization including an authentication image file and the at least one encoding parameter, the authentication image file including at least one of the group consisting of a compressed version of the authentication image and an uncompressed version of the authentication image;

receiving an authorization response from the validation module, the authorization response including an authentication image signature;

generating a comparison image signature from the authentication image using an image signature algorithm;

comparing the comparison image signature to the authentication image signature to determine if the comparison image signature matches the authentication image signature within a predetermined tolerance range; and

responsive to a determination that the comparison image signature matches the authentication image signature within the predetermined tolerance range, producing an encoded image using the authentication image.

10. An automated method according to claim 9 wherein the validation module is part of a validation server and the actions of receiving a request from a user, receiving an authentication image, receiving at least one encoding parameter, sending a request for authorization, receiving an authorization response, generating a comparison image signature, comparing the comparison image signature to the authentication image signature, and producing an encoded image are carried out by a user data processor in selective communication with the validation server over a network.

11. An automated method according to claim 9 wherein the validation module is part of a validation server and the actions of receiving a request from a user, receiving an authentication image, receiving at least one encoding parameter, sending a request for authorization, and receiving an authorization response are carried out on a user data processor in selective communication with the validation server over a first network and wherein the actions of generating a comparison image signature, comparing the comparison image signature to the authentication image signature, and producing an encoded image are carried out by an encoding module on an encoding processor in selective communication with the user data processor over a second network that may be the same as the first network, the method further comprising:

sending a request for an encoded image from the user data processor to the encoding processor, the request for an encoded image including the authentication image file, the at least one encoding parameter and the authentication image signature.

12. An automated method according to claim 9 further comprising:

compressing the authentication image to form a compressed authentication image; and

storing the compressed authentication image in the authentication image file

13. An automated method according to claim 12 wherein the image signature algorithm is adapted so that if the authentication image signature was generated from the compressed version of the authentication image using the image signature algorithm, the comparison image signature will match the authentication image signature within the predetermined tolerance range.

14. An automated system for authorizing and producing optically encoded images, the system comprising:

a validation module resident on a first data processor, the validation module being adapted for receiving an image encoding authorization request from a requester, the request including user-supplied data comprising an authentication image file and at least one encoding parameter, for determining whether the user is authorized to produce an encoded image using the user-supplied data, for generating an authentication image signature from the authentication image file using an image signature algorithm, and for returning an authorization response to the requestor, the authorization response including the authentication image signature;

a client software module resident on a second data processor in selective communication with the first data processor over a network, the client software module being adapted for receiving a request for an encoded image from a user, for receiving an authentication image to be used for encoding the encoded image, for sending the image encoding authorization request to the validation module, and for receiving the authorization response from the validation module;

an encoding module in selective communication with the client software module, the encoding module being adapted for receiving the authentication image, the at least one encoding parameter and the authentication image signature from the client software module, for generating a comparison image signature from the authentication image using the image signature algorithm, for comparing the comparison image signature with the authentication image signature to determine if the comparison image signature matches the authentication image signature within a predetermined tolerance range, and for producing the requested encoded image using the authentication image and the at least one encoding parameter responsive to a determination that the comparison image signature matches the authentication image signature within the predetermined tolerance range.

15. An automated system according to claim 14 wherein authentication image file comprises a thumbnail authentication image formed by compressing an uncompressed authentication image and wherein the authentication image signature is generated from the thumbnail authentication image.

16. An automated system according to claim 15 wherein the image signature algorithm is adapted so that the authentication image signature generated from the thumbnail authentication image will match within a predetermined tolerance range a comparison image signature generated from the uncompressed authentication image using the image signature algorithm.