Field-based watermark insertion and detection

• US 5,991,426 A
• Filed: 12/18/1998
• Issued: 11/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: Signafy Incorporated
• Inventors: Cox, Ingemar J., Miller, Matthew L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Application Number:
  US09/216,499
• Time in Patent Office: 340 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/232, 380/7, 380/54, 348/473
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0085 Time domain based watermarking, e.g. watermarks spread over several images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32304 Embedding different sets of additional information

Abstract

A digital watermark is inserted into multimedia data containing two image fields by placing a positive watermark into a first field and a negative watermark into a second field. The positive watermark and negative watermark are opposite of one another. The two fields can be interlaced fields of a field-based video signal or alternate rows of a frame-based video signal. The watermark is extracted from field-based watermarked data by separating the watermarked data into two fields and subtracting one of the fields from the other field to generate a watermarked signal. The resultant watermarked signal is processed in a conventional manner to extract and detect the watermark.

Claims

1. A method of inserting a watermark into data comprising the steps of:

receiving data to be watermarked in the form of a first and a second field;

inserting a first watermark into a first field for generating a first watermarked field;

inserting a second watermark, opposite of the first watermark, into a second field for generating a second watermarked field; and

combining said first watermarked field and said second watermarked field for generating field-based watermarked data.

2. A method of inserting a watermark into data as set forth in claim 1, where said data is a field-based video input signal.

3. A method of inserting a watermark into data as set forth in claim 1, where said data is a frame-based video input signal.

4. A method of inserting a watermark into data as set forth in claim 1, where said data is a baseband video input signal.

5. A method of inserting a watermark into data as set forth in claim 1, where said receiving data comprising separating an interlaced video signal into two fields.

6. A method of inserting a watermark into data as set forth in claim 1, where said receiving data comprises separating a frame-based video signal into two fields by separating alternate rows of the video signal.

7. An apparatus for inserting a watermark into data comprising:

separator means for receiving an input data signal and separating the input data signal into a first and second field;

first watermark inserter for inserting a first watermark into the first field for generating a first watermarked field;

second watermark inserter for inserting a second watermark, opposite the first watermark, into the second field for generating a second watermarked field; and

a recombiner for combining said first watermarked field and said second watermarked field for generating field-based watermarked data.

8. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7, where said data is interlaced video and said separator means separates the interlaced video into first and second fields.

9. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7, where said data is frame-based video and said separator means separates alternating rows of video into first and second fields.

10. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7, further comprising synchronizing means for synchronizing said first watermarked field and said second watermarked field as inputs to said recombiner.

11. A method of detecting a watermark in field-based watermarked data comprising the steps of:

partially decoding field-based watermarked data input;

summing subblocks from a first field of the data input and subtracting subblocks from a second field of the input data for generating a watermarked signal;

extracting a watermark from the watermarked signal; and

decoding the extracted watermark.

12. A method of detecting a watermark as set forth in claim 11, where said first field and said second field are interlaced rows of field-based watermarked data.

13. A method of detecting a watermark as set forth in claim 11, where said first field and said second field are alternate rows of field-based watermarked data.

14. A method of detecting a watermark as set forth in claim 11, where a watermark in said first field is the opposite of a watermark in said second field.

15. An apparatus for detecting a watermark in field-based watermarked data comprising:

decoder for partially decoding field-based watermarked data input;

accumulator arrays for summing subblocks from a first field of the data input and subtracting subblocks from a second field of the input data for generating a watermarked signal;

watermark extractor for extracting a watermark from the watermarked signal; and

watermark decoder for decoding the extracted watermark.

16. An apparatus as set forth in claim 15, where a watermark in said first field is the opposite of a watermark in said second field.

17. A method of detecting a watermark in frame-based watermarked data comprising the steps of:

partially decoding frame-based watermarked data input;

accumulating subblocks of decoded data input;

transforming the accumulated subblocks of decoded data input into pixel domain;

separating the pixel domain data into a first field and a second field;

summing data in the first field and subtracting data in the second field for generating accumulated watermark data arrays;

transforming the accumulated watermarked data arrays into transform domain for generating a watermarked signal;

extracting a watermark from the watermarked signal; and

decoding the extracted watermark.

18. A method of detecting a watermark in frame-based watermarked data as set forth in claim 17, where said data input comprises n×

n subblocks and said accumulating subblocks, accumulates said data input in arrays having 2n×

n dimension.

19. A method of detecting a watermark in frame-based watermarked data as set forth in claim 17, where said first field and said second field are contained in alternating rows in the subblocks.

20. An apparatus for detecting a watermark in frame-based watermarked data comprising:

decoder for partially decoding frame-based watermarked data input;

accumulator array for accumulating subblocks of decoded data;

first transform means for transforming said accumulator array subblocks of decoded data into pixel domain;

first accumulator arrays for accumulating data in a first field of pixel domain accumulated subblocks;

second accumulator arrays for accumulating data in a second field of pixel domain accumulated subblocks;

third accumulator means for accumulating watermarked data by subtracting data in the second field of pixel domain from data in the first field of pixel domain;

second transform means for transforming said accumulated watermarked data into a transform domain for generating a watermarked signal;

watermark extractor for extracting a watermark from said watermarked signal; and

watermark decoder for decoding the extracted watermark.

21. An apparatus for detecting a watermark in frame-based watermarked data as set forth in claim 20, where said first transform means and said second transform means transform data between pixel domain and discrete cosine transform domain.

22. An apparatus for detecting a watermark in frame-based watermarked data as set forth in claim 20, where said first and second accumulator arrays comprise arrays of 2n×

n subblocks, where the first field and second field are contained in alternate rows of the accumulator arrays.