Methods and Systems for Steganographic Processing

• US 20070195991A1
• Filed: 02/23/2007
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,724,919 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• 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 1/005 Robust watermarking, e.g. average attack or collusion attack resistant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0071 using multiple or alternating watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0052 Embedding of the watermark in the frequency domain
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/253 visually
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0032 using holograms
• 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 20/00115 wherein the record carrier stores a unique medium identifier
• 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 20/00181 using a content identifier, e.g. an international standard recording code [ISRC] or a digital object identifier [DOI]
• 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 1/32144 : 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 1/32149 : Methods relating to embedding, encoding, decoding, detection or retrieval operations
• 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 1/32229 : with selective or adaptive application of the additional information, e.g. in selected regions of the image H04N1/32213 takes 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 1/32304 : Embedding different sets of additional information
• 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 2101/00 : Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/323 : for tracing or tracking, e.g. forensic tracing of unauthorized copies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 : which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/328 : Processing of the additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection

Abstract

Electronic content data (e.g., audio or visual) can be steganographically encoded for a variety of purposes. In one particular arrangement, content is manipulated by several different parties, each of which inserts different steganographic information. Different portions of the content may be reserved for each party'"'"'s respective encoding. A great variety of other arrangements and features are detailed.

Claims

1. A method comprising the acts:

steganographically encoding content with a first message, said encoding being performed by a first party, said encoding including altering digital data representing human-perceptible attributes of said content;

further steganographically encoding the content with a second message, said further encoding being performed by a second party different than the first, said further encoding including altering digital data representing human-perceptible attributes of said content;

wherein at least one of said encodings includes altering said digital data in a manner dependent on said content.

2. The method of claim 1 that also comprises still further steganographically encoding the content with a third message, said still further encoding being performed by a third party different than the first and second parties, wherein all three of said messages are represented in the encoded content.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said content comprises visual content, and at least one of said encodings repeatedly represents the corresponding message in the content, said message being represented differently at different locations in the encoded content.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said first party steganographically encodes a first portion of said content, and the second party steganographically encodes a second portion of said content different than the first.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said portions comprise regions of pixels.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of said first or second messages comprises data that serves to identify said content.

7. A physical storage medium having encoded content produced by the method of claim 1 stored thereon.

8. A method of steganographically encoding digital content data to conceal a multi-bit message therein, characterized by the acts:

(a) encoding a first multi-bit message in a first portion of said digital content data; and

(b) encoding a second, different, multi-bit message in a second portion of said digital content data;

wherein at least one of said encoding acts includes altering digital data representing human-perceptible attributes of said content, in a manner dependent on said content.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein (a) is performed by a first party, and (b) is performed by a different party.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein (a) is performed in a first operation, and (b) is performed in a distinct, subsequent operation.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said first and second portions comprise first and second regions.

12. The method of claim 8, further characterized by encoding a third, different, multi-bit message in a third portion of said digital content data.

13. A physical storage medium having encoded content data resulting from the method of claim 8 stored thereon.

14. A method practiced by a first party, comprising the acts:

(a) receiving content that has been previously steganographically encoded by a second party with first plural-bit data; and

(b) further steganographically encoding said content with a second plural-bit data different than the first, said further encoding including altering digital data representing human-perceptible attributes of said content, in a manner that is dependent on said content;

wherein both said first and second plural-bit data are represented in encoded content.

15. The method of claim 14 that further includes processing said received content to determine a parameter, and using said parameter in said further encoding.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said content comprises visual content.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the received content has first portions that are steganographically encoded, and (b) comprises steganographically encoding other portions of said content.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said portions comprise regions of pixels.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein said second plural-bit data serves to identify said content.

20. A physical storage medium having encoded content data resulting from the method of claim 14 stored thereon.