Security system for photographic identification

• US 5,841,886 A
• Filed: 12/04/1996
• Issued: 11/24/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Boudreau, Leo H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tadayon, Bijan
• Application Number:
  US08/763,847
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/232, 382/233, 382/235, 382/239, 382/115, 382/116, 382/117, 382/118, 382/119, 382/124, 382/126, 382/155, 382/156, 382/159, 382/181, 382/185, 382/190, 382/191, 382/192, 382/195, 382/199, 382/201, 382/203, 382/204, 382/209, 382/212, 382/215, 382/216, 382/218, 382/224, 382/225, 382/226, 382/227, 382/228, 382/243, 382/260 , 382/275, 382/276, 382/278, 382/279, 382/282, 382/307, 382/308
• US Class Current: 382/115
• 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: B42D 25/23 Identity cards
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/309 Photographs
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/42 by photographic processes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06 characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
• 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 1/005 Robust watermarking, e.g. average attack or collusion attack resistant
• 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 1/32144 : 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 2201/3226 : 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 2201/327 : 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

Security of photographic identification documents is enhanced by embedding within the photographic image encoded information that may be correlated to other information pertaining to the individual represented by the image, such other information being, for example, printed on the document adjacent to the photograph.

Claims

1. A method of correlating, with a photograph, information about an individual whose image appears in the photograph, the method comprising:

steganographically encoding into a photograph multi-bit information that pertains to said individual, said encoding serving to add noise to the photograph, said noise not being perceptible as a representation of said multi-bit information except by computer analysis, said encoding not visibly interrupting the photograph, wherein the encoded photograph appears to convey only an image of said individual to human viewers thereof;

decoding the encoded multi-bit information; and

making an authentication decision about the individual whose image appears in the photograph based, at least in part, on said decoded multi-bit information.

2. The method of claim 1 in which said authentication decision is made by an automated system, without intervention of human judgment.

3. The method of claim 1 which includes providing said encoded photograph on a substrate, and printing readable text information on said substrate, said multi-bit information encoded in the photograph serving to represent, redundantly, some of the text printed on said substrate.

6. The method of claim 1 in which said decoding includes performing a plurality of statistical analyses on said encoded photograph to discern the multi-bit information signal therefrom.

7. The method of claim 6 in which each statistical analysis includes analyzing a collection of spaced apart image signal values to discern a single, first datum related to the multi-bit information signal therefrom, said analysis to discern said first datum encompassing not just said spaced apart image signal values, but also image signal values adjacent thereto, said adjacent image signal values not being encoded with said first datum.

8. The method of claim 7 in which said samples are pixel data and are spaced apart in the spatial image domain.

9. The method of claim 7 in which said datum is one bit of the multi-bit information signal.

10. The method of claim 1 in which said decoding includes performing a dot product operation.

11. The method of claim 1 in which the encoding includes processing the photograph in accordance with key data in addition to said multi-bit information, each element of the input image having at least one element of said key data corresponding thereto.

12. The method of claim 1 in which said decoding includes processing in accordance with pseudo-random key data.

14. The method of claim 1 in which the photograph comprises a plurality of pixels, and wherein the encoding includes processing each of a plurality of said pixels in accordance with a plurality of bits of said multi-bit information, wherein there is a many bit-to-one pixel mapping between bits of said multi-bit information and pixels of said encoded photograph.

15. The method of claim 14 in which a plurality of pixels said photograph are each processed in accordance with at least four bits of said multi-bit information.

16. The method of claim 15 in which each pixel in the photograph is processed in accordance with a plurality of bits of said multi-bit information.

17. The method of claim 1 in which the photograph comprises a plurality of pixels, and said encoding includes performing a binary addition operation between pixels of said photograph and elements of an overlay signal, said overlay signal conveying said multi-bit information.

18. The method of claim 1 which includes encoding calibration data in said encoded photograph, said calibration data aiding decoding of the multi-bit information from said encoded photograph without a priori information about the image represented thereby.

19. A photo ID document produced by the method of claim 1.

44. The method of claim 1, wherein the photograph includes plural columns of pixels, and the encoding changes pixels in more than two of said columns.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the encoding changes pixels in a majority of said columns.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein the encoding changes pixels in all of said columns.

47. The method of claim 1 wherein the encoding casts a slight snow effect on the photograph, but does not otherwise corrupt same.

48. The method of claim 1 wherein the encoding does not alert a human viewer of the photograph that anything other than the individual'"'"'s image is present.

4. A method of correlating, with a photograph, information about an individual whose image appears in the photograph, the method comprising:

steganographically encoding into a photograph multi-bit information that pertains to said individual, said encoding serving to add noise to the photograph, said noise not being perceptible as a representation of said multi-bit information except by computer analysis, wherein the encoded photograph appears to convey only an image of said individual to human viewers thereof;

automatically decoding the encoded information, notwithstanding rotation of the photograph from an initial orientation at which the photograph was encoded, wherein at least certain rotations of the photograph do not defeat decoding; and

making an authentication decision about the individual whose image appears in the photograph based, at least in part, on said decoded multi-bit information.

5. A method of correlating, with a photograph, information about an individual whose image appears in the photograph, the method comprising:

steganographically encoding into a photograph multi-bit information that pertains to said individual, said encoding serving to add noise to the photograph, said noise not being perceptible as a representation of said multi-bit information except by computer analysis, wherein the encoded photograph appears to convey only an image of said individual to human viewers thereof;

decoding the encoded multi-bit information, said decoding including performing a domain transformation on a first set of data related to said encoded photograph, said domain transformation producing transformed data in a spatial frequency domain, and analyzing said transformed data; and

making an authentication decision about the individual whose image appears in the photograph based, at least in part, on said decoded multi-bit information.

13. A method of correlating, with a photograph, information about an individual whose image appears in the photograph, the method comprising:

steganographically encoding into a photograph multi-bit information that pertains to said individual, said encoding serving to add noise to the photograph, said noise not being perceptible as a representation of said multi-bit information except by computer analysis, wherein the encoded photograph appears to convey only an image of said individual to human viewers thereof, said encoding comprising a process in which the relative strength of the encoded multi-bit information changes locally in accordance with local characteristics of the photograph;

decoding the encoded multi-bit information; and

making an authentication decision about the individual whose image appears in the photograph based, at least in part, on said decoded multi-bit information.

31. The method of claim 13 in which said authentication decision is made by an automated system, without intervention of human judgment.

32. The method of claim 13 which includes providing said encoded photograph on a substrate, and printing readable text information on said substrate, said multi-bit information encoded in the photograph serving to represent, redundantly, some of the text printed on said substrate.

33. The method of claim 13 in which said decoding includes performing a plurality of statistical analyses on said encoded photograph to discern the multi-bit information signal therefrom.

34. The method of claim 13 in which said decoding includes performing a dot product operation.

35. The method of claim 13 in which the encoding includes processing the photograph in accordance with key data in addition to said multi-bit information, each element of the input image having at least one element of said key data corresponding thereto.

36. The method of claim 13 in which said decoding includes processing in accordance with pseudo-random key data.

37. The method of claim 13 in which the photograph comprises a plurality of pixels, and wherein the encoding includes processing each of a plurality of said pixels in accordance with a plurality of bits of said multi-bit information, wherein there is a many bit-to-one pixel mapping between bits of said multi-bit information and pixels of said encoded photograph.

38. The method of claim 13 in which the photograph comprises a plurality of pixels, and said encoding includes performing a binary addition operation between pixels of said photograph and elements of an overlay signal, said overlay signal conveying said multi-bit information.

39. The method of claim 13 which includes encoding calibration data in said encoded photograph, said calibration data aiding decoding of the multi-bit information from said encoded photograph without a priori information about the image represented thereby.

40. A photo ID document produced by the method of claim 13.

20. A photograph of a subject on a substrate, the photograph being steganographically encoded with multi-bit data, said data providing information related to the photograph, said encoding not visibly interrupting the photograph, said data being manifested as a slight snow effect on said photograph, said snow effect not being perceptible as a representation of said multi-bit data except by computer analysis, so that the encoded photograph appears to convey only an image of said subject to human viewers thereof, wherein said steganographic encoding permits discernment of the multi-bit data from said image without reference to information about the contents of said photograph.

22. The photograph of claim 20 in which the substrate is a page from a periodical.

23. The photograph of claim 20 in which the multi-bit data embedded in the photograph serves to identify a proprietor of the photograph, wherein the photograph can be computer-analyzed to extract from the photograph information identifying the proprietor thereof.

24. The photograph of claim 23 in which said multi-bit data is a serial number index into the registry database containing additional information.

25. A photo ID document according to claim 20.

49. The photograph of claim 20 comprising plural columns of pixels, and the encoding changes pixels in more than two of said columns.

50. The photograph of claim 49, wherein the encoding changes pixels in all of said columns.

51. The photograph of claim 20 wherein the encoding casts a slight snow effect on the photograph, but does not otherwise corrupt same.

52. The photograph of claim 20 wherein the encoding does not alert a human viewer of the photograph that anything other than photograph subject is present.

21. A photograph of a subject on a substrate, the photograph being steganographically encoded with multi-bit data, said data providing information related to the photograph, said data being manifested as a slight snow effect on said photograph, said snow effect not being perceptible as a representation of said multi-bit data except by computer analysis, so that the encoded photograph appears to convey only an image of said subject to human viewers thereof, wherein (1) said steganographic encoding permits discernment of the multi-bit data from said image without reference to information about the contents of said photograph;

and (2) the intensity of said snow is related, by a non-linear relationship, to localized characteristics of said photograph, wherein the local intensity of said snow varies across the photograph.

41. The photograph of claim 21 in which the substrate is a page from a periodical.

42. The photograph of claim 21 in which the multi-bit data embedded in the photograph serves to identify a proprietor of the photograph, wherein the photograph can be computer-analyzed to extract from the photograph information identifying the proprietor thereof.

43. A photo ID document according to claim 21.

26. A photo ID document comprising:

a photograph on a substrate, the photograph portraying an individual;

multi-bit information steganographically encoded within said photograph, said information being useful in making an authentication decision about the individual portrayed in said photograph, said steganographic encoding not visibly interrupting the photograph;

wherein said encoding of the photograph serves to add noise thereto, but this noise is not perceptible as a representation of said multi-bit information except by computer analysis, wherein the encoded photograph appears to convey only an image of the individual to human viewers thereof.

27. The document of claim 26 wherein the encoded information represents biometric information correlated to the individual whose image appears in the photograph.

28. The document of claim 27 wherein the biometric information is a fingerprint image.

29. The document of claim 26 which additionally includes human-readable text information located thereon, said encoded information in the photograph serving to represent, redundantly, some of the text information.

30. The document of claim 29 in which said encoded information directly expresses said text information.

53. The photo ID document of claim 26 wherein the photograph includes plural columns of pixels, and the encoding changes pixels in more than two of said columns.

54. The photo ID document of claim 53, wherein the encoding changes pixels in all of said columns.

55. The photo ID document of claim 26 wherein the encoding casts a slight snow effect on the photograph, but does not otherwise corrupt same.

56. The photo ID document of claim 26 wherein the encoding does not alert a human viewer of the photograph that anything other than photograph of the individual is present.