Utilizing data reduction in steganographic and cryptographic system

• US 20100153734A1
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wistaria Trading Inc.
• Original Assignee: Blue Spike, Inc.
• Inventors: Berry, Mike W., Moskowitz, Scott A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,160,249 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/046 of operations, operands or results of the operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/608 Watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/16 the keys or algorithms being changed during operation
• 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 1/32272 Encryption or ciphering

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods for protecting a data signal using the following techniques: applying a data reduction technique to reduce the data signal into a reduced data signal; subtracting the reduced data signal from the data signal to produce a remainder signal; embedding a first watermark into the reduced data signal to produce a watermarked, reduced data signal; and adding the watermarked, reduced data signal to the remainder signal to produce an output signal. A second watermark may be embedded into the remainder signal before the final addition step. Further, cryptographic techniques may be used to encrypt the reduced data signals and to encrypt the remainder signals before the final addition step. The present invention also relates to a system for securing a data signal including: computer devices for applying a data reduction technique to reduce the data signal into a reduced data signal; means to subtract the reduced data signal from the data signal to produce a remainder signal; means to apply a first cryptographic technique to encrypt the reduced data signal to produce an encrypted, reduced data signal; means to apply a second cryptographic technique to encrypt the remainder signal to produce an encrypted remainder signal; and means to add the encrypted, reduced data signal to the encrypted remainder signal to produce an output signal.

Claims

1-108. -108. (canceled)

109. A system for securing a data signal comprising:

a first processor coupled to a memory to apply a data reduction technique to reduce the data signal into a reduced data signal;

a subtractor to subtract said reduced data signal from the data signal to produce a remainder signal;

a second processor to apply a first cryptographic technique to encrypt the reduced data signal to produce an encrypted, reduced data signal;

a third processor apply a second cryptographic technique to encrypt the remainder signal to produce an encrypted remainder signal; and

an adder to add said encrypted, reduced data signal to said encrypted remainder signal to produce an output signal.

110. The system of claim 109, wherein the first, second and third processors are comprised of one, two or three separate processors.

111. The system of claim 109, wherein the memory contains a copy of the data signal and the subtractor to subtract the reduced data signal to produce a remainder signal uses the memory copy of the data signal for the subtraction.

112. The system of claim 109, wherein at least one of said second and third processors to apply a first and second cryptographic technique utilizes a watermarking technique for encoding a digital watermark in a signal.

113. The system of claim 109, wherein at least one of said second and third processors to apply a first and second cryptographic technique utilizes a scrambling technique.

114. The system of claim 109, wherein the data reduction technique comprises a data compression technique.

115. The system of claim 114, wherein the data compression technique comprises selective sampling of the data signal in a domain selected from the group comprising the time domain, bit depth domain, and the frequency domain.

116. A system for securing a data signal comprising the steps of:

an analyzer for evaluating the data signal to determine its characteristics and reducibility;

a selector for selecting at least one appropriate data reduction technique for the data signal;

a processor coupled to a memory to apply said at least one appropriate data reduction technique;

an encoder for encoding at least one digital watermark in the data signal or data reduced signal; and

an output for supplying an output signal corresponding to the data signal.

117. The system of claim 116, wherein the analyzer analytically splits the data signal into a plurality of discrete data substreams;

and

wherein the processor applies the appropriate data reduction technique selected for at least one of the plurality of data substreams.

118. The system of claim 116, wherein the appropriateness of the at least one data reduction technique is determined by the selector with reference to data signal characteristics selected from at least one of:

(a) desired output quality for said output signal;

(b) desired data reduction ratio;

(c) audio character of data;

(d) video character of data;

(e) text character of data;

(f) executable software character of data.

119. The system of claim 117, wherein the appropriateness of said at least one data reduction technique is determined by the selector with reference to data signal or data substream characteristics selected from at least one of:

(a) desired output quality for said output signal;

(b) desired data reduction ratio;

(c) audio character of data;

(d) video character of data;

(e) text character of data;

(f) executable software character of data.

120. The system of claim 117, wherein a different appropriate data reduction technique is chosen by the selector for each of the plurality of data substreams.

121. The system of claim 117, further comprising the steps of performing upon at least one of said data substreams by the processor:

(a) a scrambling technique;

(b) an encryption technique.

122. The system of claim 121, wherein at least one of said steps of watermarking, scrambling, or encrypting by the processor comprises applying at least one cryptographic key.

123. The system of claim 122, wherein said at least one cryptographic key is derived at least in part from the data signal.

124. The system of claim 122, wherein said at least one cryptographic key is not derived from the data signal.

125. A system for protected distribution of a data file comprising:

(a) an encoder for encoding one or more digital watermarks in the data file using data reduction techniques in creating said digital watermark, wherein the use of data reduction techniques comprises creation of a reduced portion of the data file and a remainder portion of the data file;

(b) and a transmission device for distributing the digitally watermarked file to an end user.

126. The system of claim 125, wherein both the reduced portion and the remainder portion of the data file are embedded by the encoder with said one or more digital watermarks.

127. The system of claim 126, wherein said watermarked, reduced portion is recombined with said watermarked, remainder portion of said data file by the adder to produce an output signal.

130. The system of claim 125, further comprising the step of supplying the end user with a detector for detecting information about said digital watermark.

131. The system of claim 125, wherein said data file comprises a file selected from the group containing music files, audio files, video files, still image files, streaming media files, and executable computer software files.

132. The system of claim 125, wherein at least one of said digital watermarks created using data reduction comprises a universal copy control watermark for prevention of unauthorized data file copying.

133. The system of claim 125, wherein at least one of said digital watermarks created using data reduction comprises a forensic watermark for tracing of historical data regarding the distribution history of the data file.

128-1. The system of claim 128, wherein said step of distributing with a transmission device comprises distributing over a public data network.

129. The system of claim 129, wherein said public data network comprises the internet.