Steganographic Encoding for Video and Audio

• US 20090132547A1
• Filed: 10/14/2008
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1993
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,693,965 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• 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 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• 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: 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 1/0057 Compression invariant watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0064 Geometric transfor invariant watermarking, e.g. affine transform invariant
• 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: 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 7/1016 : 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 20/00166 : 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 20/0021 : 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 1/32122 : 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 19/00 : Methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/467 : characterised by the embedded information being invisible, e.g. watermarking
• 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 21/23892 : involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 : involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 : of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3207 : of an address
• 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 2201/3249 : data relating to a linked page or object, e.g. hyperlink
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/328 : Processing of the additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection

Abstract

The presently claimed invention relates generally to digital watermarking and steganographic data hiding for audio and video. One claim recites a user computing device including: a. an input device configured to obtain an index from an audio signal, the index being steganographically hidden in the audio signal through alterations to data representing the audio signal; and b. processing circuitry to: utilize the index to access a database comprising a plurality of records that link an index to a pointer which identifies a remote computer; retrieve from the database a pointer with at least reference to the index; and use the pointer to establish communication with the remote computer identified thereby to obtain information associated with the audio signal. Of course, additional claims and combinations are provided as well.

Claims

1. A method of connecting a user computing device to one of a plurality of remote computers available for communication over a network comprising:

a) obtaining streaming data representing a two dimensional color image or video, the two dimensional color image or video including an index steganographically hidden therein through alterations to the two dimensional color image;

b) accessing a database with the index, the database comprising a plurality of records that associate an index to a pointer which identifies a remote computer on the network;

c) determining a pointer from the database as a function of the index; and

d) using the pointer to establish communication with the remote computer identified thereby.

2. A system comprising:

a. a user computing device;

b. an input device associated with the user computing device, configured to read a two dimensional color image or video including an index steganographically hidden in the two dimensional color image or video;

c. means for storing a database comprising a plurality of records that link an index to a pointer which identifies a remote computer;

wherein the user computing device comprises;

means for accessing the database to extract a pointer from the database as a function of the index; and

means for using the pointer to establish communication with the remote computer identified thereby.

13. The system of claim 2 wherein the input device receives streaming data representing the two dimensional color image or video, and the input device is configured to read the index from the streaming data.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the index is steganographically hidden in the two dimensional color image or video with digital watermarking.

3. A user computing device comprising:

a. an input device configured to read data representing a two dimensional color image or video including an index steganographically hidden therein through alterations to the data; and

b. computer processing means for executing a software program adapted to;

utilize the index to access a database comprising a plurality of records that link an index to a pointer which identifies a remote computer;

retrieve from the database a pointer as a function of the index; and

use the pointer to establish communication with the remote computer identified thereby.

4. A method of connecting a user computing device to one of a plurality of remote computers available for communication over a network comprising:

a) reading a two dimensional image or video including an index steganographically hidden therein;

b) accessing a database with the index to retrieve a pointer which identifies a remote computer on the network;

c) determining a pointer from the database using at least a portion of the index; and

d) using the pointer to establish communication with the remote computer identified thereby.

5. A system comprising:

a. a user computing device;

b. an input device associated with the user computing device, configured to read a two dimensional color image or video including an index steganographically hidden therein through alterations to data representing the two dimensional color image or video;

c. a database for linking the index to a pointer which identifies a remote computer;

wherein the user computing device comprises;

means for accessing the database to extract a pointer from the database as a function of the index; and

means for using the pointer to establish communication with the remote computer identified thereby.

7. A method comprising:

a) analyzing a streaming audio signal to obtain an index steganographically hidden therein, the index being steganographically hidden in the audio signal through alterations to data representing the audio signal;

b) accessing a remote repository with the index, the remote repository including a plurality of records that link an index to a pointer which identifies a remote computer;

c) obtaining a pointer from the database with at least reference to the index; and

d) using the pointer to establish communication with the remote computer to obtain information associated with the audio signal.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the pointer comprises at least one of a uniform resource locator (URL), IP address or network address.

9. A system comprising:

a. a user computing device;

b. an input device associated with the user computing device, wherein the input device is configured to obtain an index steganographically hidden in a streaming audio signal, the index being steganographically hidden in the audio signal through alterations to data representing the audio signal;

c. means for storing a database comprising a plurality of records that link an index to a pointer which identifies a remote computer;

wherein the user computing device comprises a controller to control;

accessing the database to extract a pointer from the database with at least reference to the index;

establishing communication with the remote computer identified by the pointer; and

obtaining information associated with the audio signal.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the pointer comprises at least one of a uniform resource locator (URL), IP address or network address.

11. A user computing device comprising:

a. an input device configured to obtain an index from an audio signal, the index being steganographically hidden in the audio signal through alterations to data representing the audio signal; and

b. processing circuitry to;

utilize the index to access a database comprising a plurality of records that link an index to a pointer which identifies a remote computer;

retrieve from the database a pointer with at least reference to the index; and

use the pointer to establish communication with the remote computer identified thereby to obtain information associated with the audio signal.

12. The user computing device of claim 11 wherein the pointer comprises at least one of a uniform resource locator (URL), IP address or network address.

15. The user computing device of claim 11 wherein the input device receives streaming data representing audio signal, and the input device is configured to read the index from the streaming data.

16. The user computing device of claim 15 wherein the index is steganographically hidden in the audio signal with digital watermarking.

17. A method comprising:

remotely accessing a first computer network location comprising a plurality of audio files;

selecting a first audio file from the plurality of audio files for streaming from the first computer network location to a remote computer;

analyzing a data stream representing the first audio file to determine whether the audio file includes a signal steganographically hidden therein, the signal being steganographically hidden in the audio file through alterations to data representing the audio file;

obtaining the signal if present in the data stream;

accessing a second computer network location using at least a portion of the signal to obtain information pertaining to the audio file.

18. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon or circuitry to perform the method of claim 17.