Digital watermarking, steganographic data hiding and indexing content

• US 20070076916A1
• Filed: 10/05/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey, Carr, J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,602,940 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0028 Adaptive watermarking, e.g. Human Visual System [HVS]-based watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/005 Robust watermarking, e.g. average attack or collusion attack resistant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0065 Extraction of an embedded watermark; Reliable detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0202 whereby the quality of watermarked images is measured; Measuring quality or performance of watermarking methods; Balancing between quality and robustness
• 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 1/32277 Compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33357 Compression mode

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to steganography and digital watermarking. In one embodiment, a method is provided including: receiving a media signal representing imagery or audio; receiving auxiliary data to be steganographically hidden in the media signal; receiving an indication of whether compression of the media signal can be adjusted; hiding the auxiliary data in the media signal through alterations to data representing the media signal; and compressing the media signal in accordance with at least the indication. In another embodiment, a method of indexing content is provided. The method includes: obtaining an identifier associated with a content item; providing the identifier to a data repository; obtaining metadata from the data repository, the metadata being associated in the data repository with the identifier; and indexing the content item in a search index based at least in part on the metadata. Other embodiments are provided as well.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a media signal representing imagery or audio;

receiving auxiliary data to be steganographically hidden in the media signal;

receiving an indication of whether compression of the media signal can be adjusted;

hiding the auxiliary data in the media signal through alterations to data representing the media signal; and

compressing the media signal in accordance with at least the indication.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the indication further comprises information to adjust the compression of the media signal.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the information comprises a relative degree of compression.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the data representing the media signal comprises at least transform domain coefficients.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the data representing the media signal comprises at least audio values.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of hiding utilizes at least a transform domain.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the imagery comprise video.

8. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising instructions to perform the method of claim 1.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the imagery comprise video.

9. A method comprising:

obtaining media comprising imagery or audio;

obtaining plural-bit data;

embedding the plural-bit data in the media with digital watermarking, the digital watermarking altering data representing the media; and

adjusting compression of the media in accordance with at least one characteristic associated with the digital watermarking.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising receiving an indication including information regarding how to adjust the compression of the media.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the information comprises a relative degree of compression.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the data representing the media comprises at least transform domain coefficients.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the data representing the media comprises at least audio values.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the digital watermarking utilizes a transform domain.

16. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising instructions to perform the method of claim 9.

17. A method comprising:

obtaining plural-bit auxiliary information; and

during communication between a first computer and a second computer over a network, modulating timing or phase of a signal generated by the first computer so as to steganographically hide the plural-bit auxiliary information in a communications signal sent between the first computer and the second computer.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the signal comprises a system clock signal generated by the first computer.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the signal is varied in accordance with the plural-bit auxiliary information.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein a period of the signal is varied in accordance with the plural-bit, auxiliary information.

21. A method of indexing content comprising:

analyzing a content item to detect an embedded digital watermark,

the digital watermark embedded through alterations to data representing the content item, and

the digital watermark comprising metadata; and

indexing the content item in a searchable index based at least in part on the metadata.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the metadata comprises semantic information or text pertaining to the content item.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the content item comprise audio, imagery or video.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the searchable index is accessible via the internet.

25. The method of claim 21 further comprising searching at least some portions of a network to encounter the content item.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the act of searching utilizes a web crawler.

27. A method of indexing content comprising:

obtaining an identifier associated with a content item;

providing the identifier to a data repository;

obtaining metadata from the data repository, the metadata being associated in the data repository with the identifier; and

indexing the content item in a searchable index based at least in part on the metadata.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the content item comprises audio, video or imagery.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the identifier is associated with the content item with digital watermarking.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein the searchable index is accessible via the internet.