Digital watermarking employing both frail and robust watermarks

• US 6,574,350 B1
• Filed: 02/03/2000
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B., Gustafson, Ammon E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jayanti K.
• Application Number:
  US09/498,223
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/232, 382/162, 382/112, 382/218, 382/219, 382/233, 380/28, 380/232, 702/191, 705/1, 713/176, 372/201, 372/528, 358/296
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1418 the inserts being deformed or preformed, e.g. by the injection pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/29 Securities; Bank notes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0071 using multiple or alternating watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0052 Embedding of the watermark in the frequency domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30144 Printing quality
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0002 Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/253 visually
• 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: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/20 Testing patterns thereon G07D7/004, G07D7/005 take precedence
• 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 7/12 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: H04N 1/00002 Diagnosis, testing or measuring; Detecting, analysing or monitoring not otherwise provided for error detection, error correction or monitoring in digital computers or digital computer components G06F11/00
• 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 1/00092 : relating to the original or to the reproducing medium, e.g. imperfections or dirt detecting properties of a sheet H04N1/00681
• 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 1/00973 : from a remote device, e.g. receiving via the internet instructions input to a computer terminal
• 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 1/32219 : involving changing the position of selected pixels, e.g. word shifting, or involving modulating the size of image components, e.g. of characters H04N1/32224 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32229 : with selective or adaptive application of the additional information, e.g. in selected regions of the image H04N1/32213 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32261 : in binary data H04N1/32256 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32304 : Embedding different sets of additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32309 : in colour image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3232 : Robust embedding or watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32331 : Fragile embedding or watermarking
• 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 2201/3239 : using a plurality of different authentication information
• 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

Abstract

Image, video, or audio data is encoded with both a frail and a robust watermark. The two watermarks respond differently to different forms of processing (e.g., copying the object may render the frail watermark unreadable), permitting an original object to be distinguished from a processed object. Appropriate action can then taken in response thereto.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a set of sampled data;

analyzing said set of sampled data for first and second watermark information, the first watermark information being encoded relatively strongly and the second watermark information being encoded relatively weakly; and

based on a result of said analysis, determining whether the set of sampled data corresponds to an original, or a degraded reproduction of an original, wherein the presence of the first but not the second watermark information indicates a conversion that has impaired the second watermark information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least the first watermark is effected by slight alterations to the sampled data'"'"'s color.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the conversion comprises at least scanning and reprinting.

4. A method comprising:

receiving a set of sampled data;

analyzing said set of sampled data for first and second watermarks;

determining, based on characteristics of the two watermarks, whether the set of sampled data corresponds to an original, or a degraded reproduction of an original; and

controlling operation of equipment in accordance with said determination.

5. The method of claim 4 that includes disabling an operation of said equipment in accordance with said determination.

6. The method of claim 5 that includes disabling said operation if one of said watermarks is detected and the other is not.

7. A storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon causing a computer programed thereby to perform the method of claim 4.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a set of sampled data;

analyzing said set of sampled data for first and second watermarks—

one relatively frail and one relatively robust; and

determining, based on a result of said analysis, whether the set of sampled data corresponds to an original, or a degraded reproduction of an original, wherein the set of sampled data corresponds to an original only if both of said watermarks are detected.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least the first watermark is effected by slight alterations to the data sample'"'"'s color.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a degraded original results from at least scanning and reprinting of an original.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a set of data including a first digital watermark and a second digital watermark;

analyzing the data set to determine whether the first digital watermark is present in the data set and to determine a condition of the second digital watermark; and

based on the presence of the first digital watermark and the condition of the second digital watermark, determining whether the data set corresponds to an original, or to a degraded reproduction of an original.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the sampled data corresponds to a degraded reproduction of an original when the first digital watermark is present in the data set, and the condition of the second digital watermark is at least one of degraded and undetectable.

13. A method of receiving and anaylzing sets of sampled data to differentiate copies of an original document from the original document, the document containing a first digital watermark including a first set of characteristics and a second digital watermark including a second set of characteristics, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first set of sampled data including the first and second watermarks from the original document and comparing the resultant values to generate a first set of results;

receiving a second set of sampled data including first and second watermarks from a copy of the original document and comparing the resulting values to generate a second set of results; and

analyzing differences between the first and second sets of results to differentiate the original document from the copy of the original document.