Electronic Forms Including Digital Watermarking

• US 20070242823A1
• Filed: 03/20/2007
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Hannigan, Brett, Brundage, Trent
• Granted Patent: US 7,738,658 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00838 Preventing unauthorised reproduction
• 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 2201/3242 of processing required or performed, e.g. for reproduction or before recording H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3243 of type information, e.g. handwritten or text document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes

Abstract

The present invention relates to creating and managing electronic documents. In one implementation, a method includes obtaining electronic data corresponding to an application document to obtain a driver'"'"'s license; analyzing the electronic data to detect steganographic indicia encoded therein, the steganographic indicia comprising a plural-bit identifier; and associating the plural-bit identifier with a plurality of different records associated with an applicant or the application document. Other implementations are provided as well.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining electronic data corresponding to a physical application document;

analyzing the electronic data to detect steganographic indicia encoded therein, the steganographic indicia comprising a plural-bit identifier;

based at least in part on detected steganographic indicia, generating an electronic version of the physical application document including a portion to receive requested application information from an applicant; and

associating the plural-bit identifier with a plurality of records associated with the applicant or the physical application document.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the physical application document comprises a driver'"'"'s license application.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the steganographic indicia comprises a spatial orientation that is used to help generate the electronic version of the physical application document.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the steganographic indicia comprises a digital watermark.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said generating comprises providing image data from the electronic data for use as at least one of a background or overlay image in the electronic version.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving user input and associating the user input in at least one of a first field and a second field in the electronic version.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising storing the user input as an XML file.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating second steganographic indicia with the electronic version, and printing the electronic version so as to include the second steganographic information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second steganographic indicia is associated with the applicant or the physical application document.

10. A computer readable medium comprising instructions to perform the method of claim 1.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining, based at least in part on the steganographic indicia, a relative location of a first area and a second area with respect to the printed document, and using at least the relative location of the first area and the second area to spatially position a first field and a second field within the electronic version, the first field and the second field comprising fields to receive user input.

12. A computer readable medium comprising instructions to perform the method of claim 11.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the steganographic indicia comprises data corresponding to a document template, and said act of generating uses the data to help create the electronic version in accordance with the template.

14. A method comprising:

obtaining electronic data corresponding to an application document to obtain a driver'"'"'s license;

analyzing the electronic data to detect steganographic indicia encoded therein, the steganographic indicia comprising a plural-bit identifier; and

associating the plural-bit identifier with a plurality of different records associated with the application document.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the steganographic indicia comprises at least one field type name or indicator.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the at least one field type name or indicator comprises an XML descriptor or tag.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein user input is associated with the at least one XML descriptor or tag.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising generating an electronic form based at least in part on the steganographic indicia, the electronic form comprising at least one field to receive user input.