Associating media through steganography

• US 20050258247A1
• Filed: 03/15/2005
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Hawes, Jonathan L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,087,583 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/454
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/00 Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof printing processes to produce identification or security features B41M3/14
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/23 Identity cards
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/333 Watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06 characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/14 the marking being sensed by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/18 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06253 for a specific application
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1447 extracting optical codes from image or text carrying said optical code
• 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: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/41 with means for the generation of identity documents
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/253 visually
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• 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 17/16 : for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/26 : for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus ticket printing or the like apparatus G07F17/42
• 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 7/12 : 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 20/00884 : 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: 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 1/3216 : using Fourier transforms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32203 : Spatial or amplitude domain methods H04N1/32309 takes precedence
• 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 1/32251 : in multilevel data, e.g. greyscale or continuous tone data
• 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 1/32352 : 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 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 2201/327 : 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

Abstract

The present invention relates to associating media through digital watermarking. In one implementation, a method is provided to associate first media with at least second media. The first media includes encoded first plural-bit auxiliary information. The method includes receiving electronic data representing at least a portion of the first media; decoding the encoded first auxiliary information from the electronic data to obtain the first auxiliary information; providing second plural-bit auxiliary information, wherein the second auxiliary information is based on the first auxiliary information; and encoding the second auxiliary information in the second media, wherein the second media comprises an electronic form. Thus, the first media and the second media are associated via the first auxiliary information and the second auxiliary information.

Claims

1. A method of associating first media with at least second media, the first media comprising encoded first plural-bit auxiliary information, said method comprising:

receiving electronic data representing at least a portion of the first media;

decoding the encoded first auxiliary information from the electronic data to obtain the first auxiliary information;

providing second plural-bit auxiliary information, wherein the second auxiliary information is based on the first auxiliary information; and

encoding the second auxiliary information in the second media, wherein the second media comprises an electronic form,

whereby the first media and the second media are associated via the first auxiliary information and the second auxiliary information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second auxiliary information comprises the first auxiliary information.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second auxiliary information comprises a cryptographic permutation of the first auxiliary information.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second auxiliary information is randomly or pseudo-randomly generated.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second auxiliary information is related to the first auxiliary information through association in a database or data record.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first media comprises a printed document and the electronic data comprises optical scan data.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the printed document comprises at least one of a driver'"'"'s license, passport, government issued identification document, security badge, traveler'"'"'s check, check, banknote, security document, certificate of authenticity and stock certificate.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the encoded second media in a storage device.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the storage device resides on a handheld device.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the storage device resides on a smartcard or electronic memory carried by a physical document.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the encoding comprises steganographic encoding.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the encoding comprises digital watermarking.

13. An authentication method to authenticate second media associated according to the method of claim 1, the method comprising:

decoding the first auxiliary information from the first media;

decoding the second auxiliary information from the first media; and

comparing the first auxiliary information and the second auxiliary information to determine whether the second media is authentic.

14. A method of associating a physical object with a media file, the physical object comprising encoded first plural-bit auxiliary information, said method comprising:

receiving optical scan data representing at least a portion of the physical object;

decoding the encoded first plural-bit auxiliary information from the optical scan data to obtain the first auxiliary information;

providing second plural-bit auxiliary information, wherein the second auxiliary information is based on the first auxiliary information;

encoding the second auxiliary information in the media file, wherein the media file comprises an electronic form; and

storing the encoded media file in a storage device,

whereby the physical object and the media file are associated via the first auxiliary information and the second auxiliary information.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the second auxiliary information comprises the first auxiliary information.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the second auxiliary information comprises a mathematical relationship to the first auxiliary information.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the second auxiliary information is randomly or pseudo-randomly generated.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the second auxiliary information is related to the first auxiliary information through association in a database or data record.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the physical object comprises at least one of a driver'"'"'s license, passport, government issued identification document, security badge, traveler'"'"'s check, check, banknote, security document, certificate of authenticity and stock certificate.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein the storage device resides on a handheld device.

21. The method of claim 14 wherein the storage device resides on a smartcard or electronic memory carried by the physical object.

22. The method of claim 14 wherein the encoding comprises at least one of steganographic encoding and digital watermarking.