Anti-piracy system for wireless telephony

• US 6,064,737 A
• Filed: 10/13/1998
• Issued: 05/16/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B.
• Primary Examiner(s): CANGIALOSI, SALVATORE A
• Application Number:
  US09/172,324
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 380/4, 380/18, 380/23, 380/28, 380/54, 382/232
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• 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 2019/06253 for a specific application
• 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 20/306 using TV related infrastructures external card used for payment with client device H04N21/4185
• 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 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0064 Geometric transfor invariant watermarking, e.g. affine transform invariant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0081 whereby both original and watermarked images are required at decoder, e.g. destination-based, non-blind, non-oblivious
• 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 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: G10L 19/018 : Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00891 : embedded in audio data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 : wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0662 : with particular pseudorandom sequence generator
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 : with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 : Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• 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 1/00846 : based on detection of a dedicated indication, e.g. marks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00875 : Inhibiting reproduction, e.g. by disabling reading or reproduction apparatus
• 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 2201/0091 : Digital copier; digital 'photocopier' H04N2201/0093 and H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 : of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• 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 2201/3274 : Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 : Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 : Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24876 : Intermediate layer contains particulate material [e.g., pigment, etc.]

Abstract

A method and system are described for reducing the theft of wireless telephony services, such as cellular systems and PCS systems, altering voice data to steganographically embed verification data therein. The verification data comprises a plurality of symbols which are steganographically detected at the carrier facility to confirm authorized use of the wireless device.

Claims

1. In a method of detecting fraud in a wireless communications system, the system including a carrier facility and a plurality of wireless communications devices, each wireless communications device providing identification data to the carrier facility used by said facility in detecting fraudulent use of the device, the identification data comprising a plurality of symbols, each wireless device sending voice data corresponding to a user'"'"'s voice to the carrier facility, an improvement comprising:

altering the voice data to steganographically embed verification data therein, said verification data comprising a plurality of symbols;

steganographically detecting said verification data from the voice data at the carrier facility, and using said detected verification data to confirm authorized use of the wireless device, wherein the user'"'"'s voice data serves as the carrier of the verification data from the wireless device to the carrier facility.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the verification data and the identification data include a plurality of shared symbols in common, and the method includes checking the identification data and the verification data for correspondence between said shared symbols.

3. The method of claim 1 which includes modulating an intermediate carrier signal with data corresponding to the user'"'"'s voice, and in which said altering alters said intermediate carrier signal to steganographically embed the verification data therein.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the voice data is an analog signal.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the voice data is a digital signal.

6. In a wireless personal communications transceiver, said transceiver including a microphone coupled to a transmitter and a receiver coupled to a speaker, the transceiver including means for transmitting a wireless signal modulated with a voice signal corresponding to a user'"'"'s voice, an improvement comprising means for altering said voice signal to steganographically embed a multi-symbol auxiliary data string therein, wherein transmission of the wireless voice signal also conveys the auxiliary signal hidden therein.

7. The transceiver of claim 6 which includes altering the voice signal at baseband.

8. The transceiver of claim 6 which includes modulating an intermediate carrier signal to produce a voice signal at a frequency band above baseband, and altering the modulated signal to steganographically embed the multi-symbol auxiliary data string therein.

9. The transceiver of claim 6 in which the voice signal is a digital signal.

10. The transceiver of claim 6 in which the auxiliary data string comprises data used by a carrier facility to identify fraudulent use of the transceiver.