Linking of computers using information steganographically embedded in data objects

• US 6,324,573 B1
• Filed: 08/06/1998
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• 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): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/130,624
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 713/201, 709/200, 709/217, 709/218, 709/245, 709/219, 709/250, 709/302, 709/300, 707/10, 707/104, 707/501, 380/3, 380/4, 380/5, 380/6, 380/28, 380/54, 345/335, 345/339
• US Class Current: 709/217
• 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

A given data object was effectively contain both a graphical representation to a network user and embedded information, such as the URL address of another network node, thereby to permit the object itself to serve as an automated hot link. The underlying development tools and web site browsers create and identify such an object for use in a manner similar to a hot link, as provided on the World Wide Web.

Claims

1. A method of initiating access to a first computer process from a second computer process, said first and second computer processes being capable of operating upon data objects and content files, the method comprising:

creating a data object which contains particular information that can be used to initiate a particular action in said first computer process;

steganographically embedding said data object in a content file which can be operated upon by said second computer process;

operating upon said content file by said second computer process; and

said second computer process utilizing said particular information to initiate a link to said first computer process.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the creating step includes the substep of including in the content file a human-perceptible indicium for indicating the presence of the steganographically embedded data object.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the steganographically embedded data object includes a URL address.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the steganographically embedded data object includes an index number for use in accessing a data base in the first computer process.

5. A system for initiating access to a first computer process from a second computer process, said first and second computer processes being capable of operating upon data objects an content files, said system comprising:

a data object which contains particular information which can be used to initiate a particular action in said first computer process;

a content file accessible to said second computer process which has steganographically embedded therein said data object; and

means in said second computer process for operating upon said content file and for using said data object to initiate a link to said first computer process.

6. A system according to claim 5 in which the data object distributable over a computer network that has sites with discrete addresses, the data object including:

user interface information presentable to a user at one of the network sites in audio or visual form; and

address information steganographically embedded in the content file, the address information being indicative of a discrete address of a site of one of said computer processes.

7. The system of claim 6 in which the data object further includes an icon presentable to a user at one of the network sites in audio or visual form, the icon being indicative of the presence of the steganographically embedded address information.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the user interface information is graphic data visually presented to a user at one of the network sites.

9. A system according to claim 5 implemented as a computer network system that has a plurality of sites, each site having a discrete address, the system including means for distributing a hypertext document that comprises said data object and an attached header file, an improved hypertext document comprising a data object having address information embedded therein and improved user interface programs which automatically recognize the existence of the address information, and which automatically route users to that address after user instructions to do so.

10. A system according to claim 5 in which the data object includes function code defining a linking function;

the second computer process, including;

means for extracting the function code from the decoded data object; and

means for executing the linking function in accordance with the function code.

11. A system according to claim 10 in which the function code includes software operable on the second computer process to route the user to the address in the decoded data object.

12. A system according to claim 10 in which the first computer analyzes the data object to determine whether it recognizes and can execute the function code.

13. A method according to claim 11 in which the data file includes a hypertext document.

14. A system according to claim 5 in which the data object includes a URL comprising an address and the first computer process includes means responsive to initiation of the link for sending a data file to the second computer process.

15. A system according to claim 5 in which the network includes a data communications medium by which the first and second computer process are connected, each computer process on the network having a unique address.

16. A system according to claim 15 in which the data communications medium includes an internet connection and the first and second computer processes each have one said address which includes a domain name, the data object including the domain name of the first computer process.

17. A system according to claim 5 including means for imprinting the steganographically embedded data object in a visible image and means for inputting a data file defining the visible image as the content file into the first computer process.