Methods for decoding watermark data from audio, and controlling audio devices in accordance therewith

• US 6,587,821 B1
• Filed: 11/17/1999
• Issued: 07/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Application Number:
  US09/442,441
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/232, 380/31, 380/42, 380/252, 380/287, 704/200.1, 704/270, 704/273, 370/522, 370/523, 370/527, 370/528, 370/529, 381/73.1, 705/57, 705/58
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1408 by using cryptography for digital transmission H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• 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 1/0057 Compression invariant watermarking
• 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 7/004 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 20/00007 Time or data compression or expansion audio compression based on psychoacoustics G10L19/00; data processing for reproducing audio data at different playback speeds G10L21/04; video compression H04N19/00; data compression per se H03M7/30
• 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 20/00115 : wherein the record carrier stores a unique medium identifier
• 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 20/00181 : using a content identifier, e.g. an international standard recording code [ISRC] or a digital object identifier [DOI]
• 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: G11B 20/10037 : A/D conversion, D/A conversion, sampling, slicing and digital quantisation or adjusting parameters thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 : Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/00014 : the compressed signal being an audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10546 : specifically adapted for audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10555 : wherein the frequency, the amplitude, or other characteristics of the audio signal is taken into account
• 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 1/32149 : Methods relating to embedding, encoding, decoding, detection or retrieval operations
• 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 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 2005/91342 : the copy protection signal being an authentication signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/9135 : by superimposing the spectrally spread copy protection signal onto the video signal
• 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 2201/328 : Processing of the additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/89 : using holographic recording H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/90 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 : using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 : involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 283/901 : Concealed data

Abstract

Methods for decoding auxiliary control information from audio and using same to control an audio appliance. Various arrangements are disclosed. One method correlates a filtered version of the audio with predetermined noise data to discern plural bits of hidden data. The data thereby extracted is used to trigger some response in the appliance, such as enabling or disabling certain operations.

Claims

1. A method of processing audio to decode auxiliary control information encoded therein, the audio being represented by primary data, the auxiliary control information being included with plural-bit auxiliary data, the method comprising:

decoding the auxiliary control information from the primary data; and

controlling an audio device in accordance with the decoded auxiliary control information, wherein the auxiliary control information includes an instruction for controlling use of the audio, and an index to a data enabling additional control of the audio.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the auxiliary control information triggers a meter for royalty tracking or billing.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the auxiliary control information is repeated throughout the audio enabling control of individual excerpts of the audio.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the auxiliary control information indicates which audio content is subject to free use and which audio content is subject to use restriction.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the auxiliary control information introduces a perceptible noise degradation that is removable in response to payment.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein a different and imperceptible code is embedded in the audio in response to payment.

7. A method of processing audio to decode plural-bit auxiliary data subliminally encoded therein, the audio being represented by digital data, characterized in that the method comprises:

providing noise-like data;

processing the audio in accordance with the noise-like data to decode the auxiliary data therefrom; and

disabling or enabling a capability of an audio device in accordance with at least some of the decoded auxiliary data;

wherein the auxiliary control information includes an instruction for controlling use of the audio, and an index to a data enabling additional control of the audio.

8. The method of claim 7 in which the processing includes correlating a reference noise signal with a first set of data, the first set of data corresponding to the audio.

9. The method of claim 8 in which the first set of data is high-pass filtered prior to performing said correlation.

10. The method of claim 7 in which the processing includes performing a dot product operation between two sets of data, a first of said sets being said noise-like data, the second of said sets corresponding to the audio.

11. The method of claim 10 in which the second set of data is high-pass filtered prior to performing said dot product operation.

12. The method of claim 7 in which the capability is a recording capability.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein the auxiliary data triggers a meter for royalty tracking or billing.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein the auxiliary data is repeated throughout the audio enabling control of individual excerpts of the audio.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the auxiliary data indicates which audio content is subject to free use and which audio content is subject to use restriction.

16. The method of claim 7 wherein the auxiliary data introduces a perceptible noise degradation that is removable in response to payment.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein a different and imperceptible code is embedded in the audio in response to payment.

18. An audio device responsive to a control signal steganographically embedded in audio information to limit use of the device, the control signal taking the form of a low level broadband noise-like signal that has been combined with the audio information, the noise signal encoding the control signal;

wherein the control signal includes an instruction for controlling use of the audio, and an index to a data enabling additional control of the audio.

19. The audio device of claim 18 in which the noise signal encodes a plural-bit control signal.

20. The audio device of claim 18 including a correlation detector for detecting the control signal, the correlation detector receiving as one input a noise-like reference signal.

21. The device of claim 20 in which the correlation detector receives as a second input a high-pass filtered version of the audio information.

22. The device of claim 20 in which the correlation detector performs a dot product operation between two sets of data, a first of said sets being said noise-like reference signal, the second of said sets corresponding to the audio information.

23. The device of claim 18 wherein the control signal triggers a meter for royalty tracking or billing.

24. The device of claim 18 wherein the control signal is repeated throughout the audio enabling control of individual excerpts of the audio.

25. The device of claim 24 wherein the control signal indicates which audio content is subject to free use and which audio content is subject to use restriction.

26. The device of claim 18 wherein the control signal introduces a perceptible noise degradation that is removable in response to payment.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein a different and imperceptible code is embedded in the audio in response to payment.