Image capture methods and devices employing steganographic processing

• US 6,744,907 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2003
• Issued: 06/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1994
• 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:
  US10/358,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20030112998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 483 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/232, 380/210, 380/287, 380/51, 380/54, 380/55, 283/74, 283/113, 283/901, 399/366
• US Class Current: 382/100
• 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 1/0071 using multiple or alternating watermarks
• 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: 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 20/00115 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: 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 1/32208 : 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 1/32229 : 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 1/32251 : 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 2101/00 : Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/323 : for tracing or tracking, e.g. forensic tracing of unauthorized copies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 : which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/328 : Processing of the additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection

Abstract

An image capture device is provided with processing circuitry that steganographically embeds plural-bit auxiliary data within the captured image data. The embedding may be accomplished by adding a low level noise signal to the image data, where the noise signal has the auxiliary data encoded therein. Image data output by the device thus conveys auxiliary data that can be used for a variety of purposes.

Claims

1. An image capture device comprising:

a housing having disposed therein both;

photosensors for producing image data corresponding to a physical subject; and

a processor for steganographically encoding the image data with plural bit auxiliary data to yield encoded image data, wherein the amplitude of the steganographic encoding varies as a non-linear function of the image data encoded thereby.

2. A scanner according to claim 1.

3. A method of operating an image capture device, the image capture device including a housing having disposed therein both a photosensor array and a processor, the method comprising:

presenting a physical subject to the photosensor array to produce image data corresponding to said subject; and

processing said image data with said processor to steganographically encode plural bit auxiliary data therein, thereby yielding encoded image data, the steganographic encoding varying as a non-linear function of the image data encoded thereby.

4. An image capture device comprising:

a housing having disposed therein both;

photosensors for producing image data corresponding to a physical subject; and

a processor for steganographically encoding the image data with plural bit auxiliary data to yield encoded image data, wherein the image data is redundantly encoded with the plural-bit auxiliary data, so that the auxiliary data can be recovered from first and second non-overlapping portions of the processed image data.

5. A scanner according to claim 4.

6. A method of operating an image capture device, the image capture device including a housing having disposed therein both a photosensor array and a processor, the method comprising:

presenting a physical subject to the photosensor array to produce image data corresponding to said subject; and

processing said image data with said processor to steganographically encode plural bit auxiliary data therein, thereby yielding encoded image data, the image data being redundantly encoded with the plural-bit auxiliary data, so that the auxiliary data can be recovered from first and second non-overlapping portions of the processed image data.

7. An image capture device comprising:

a housing having disposed therein both;

photosensors for producing image data corresponding to a physical subject; and

a processor for steganographically encoding the image data with plural bit auxiliary data to yield encoded image data, wherein the auxiliary data serves to identify the capture device.

8. A scanner according to claim 7.

9. A method of operating an image capture device, the image capture device including a housing having disposed therein both a photosensor array and a processor, the method comprising:

presenting a physical subject to the photosensor array to produce image data corresponding to said subject; and

processing said image data with said processor to steganographically encode plural bit auxiliary data therein, thereby yielding encoded image data, the auxiliary data serving to identify the capture device.

10. An image capture device comprising:

a housing having disposed therein both;

photosensors for producing image data corresponding to a physical subject; and

a processor for steganographically encoding the image data with plural bit auxiliary data to yield encoded image data, wherein the auxiliary data includes calibration data facilitating decoding of the auxiliary data despite subsequent corruption of the steganographically encoded image data.

11. A scanner according to claim 10.

12. A method of operating an image capture device, the image capture device including a housing having disposed therein both a photosensor array and a processor, the method comprising:

presenting a physical subject to the photosensor array to produce image data corresponding to said subject; and

processing said image data with said processor to steganographically encode plural bit auxiliary data therein, thereby yielding encoded image data, the auxiliary data including calibration data facilitating decoding of the auxiliary data despite subsequent corruption of the steganographically encoded image data.

13. An image capture device comprising:

a housing having disposed therein both;

photosensors for producing image data corresponding to a physical subject; and

a processor for steganographically encoding the image data with plural bit auxiliary data to yield encoded image data, wherein certain portions of the image data are left unencoded.

14. A scanner according to claim 13.

15. A method of operating an image capture device, the image capture device including a housing having disposed therein both a photosensor array and a processor, the method comprising:

presenting a physical subject to the photosensor array to produce image data corresponding to said subject; and

processing said image data with said processor to steganographically encode plural bit auxiliary data therein, thereby yielding encoded image data, wherein certain portions of the image data are left unencoded.

16. An image capture device comprising:

a housing having disposed therein both;

photosensors for producing image data corresponding to a physical subject; and

a processor for steganographically encoding the image data with plural bit auxiliary data to yield encoded image data, wherein the device includes a control permitting a user of the device to adjust a strength of steganographic encoding to a relative higher value—

to enhance robustness of the encoding, or to adjust said strength to a relatively lower value—

to enhance invisibility of the encoding.

17. A scanner according to claim 16.