Redundantly embedding auxiliary data in source signals

• US 6,778,682 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2002
• Issued: 08/17/2004
• 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:
  US10/209,756
• Publication Number:
  US 20020186863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/232, 380/210, 380/252, 380/287, 380/54, 381/73.1, 704/200.1, 704/273, 370/527, 370/529, 713/176
• 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 2201/327 : 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

The present invention relates to a data hiding method that includes changing values of input pixels corresponding to an input two-dimensional image to encode an N-bit auxiliary data signal therein, thereby yielding encoded output pixels defining an encoded output image. N comprises at least two. The method is characterized in that the N-bit auxiliary data signal is redundantly encoded in the image by at least: changing values of input pixels in a first image location according to a first pattern in order to encode the N-bit auxiliary data signal therein; changing the pattern according to a key to yield a second pattern; and changing values in a second image location according to the second pattern in order to encode the N-bit auxiliary data signal therein.

Claims

1. A data hiding method that includes changing values of input pixels corresponding to an input two-dimensional image to encode an N-bit auxiliary data signal therein, thereby yielding encoded output pixels defining an encoded output image, wherein N comprises at least two, the method being characterized in that the N-bit auxiliary data signal is redundantly encoded in the image by at least:

changing values of input pixels in a first image location according to a first pattern in order to encode the N-bit auxiliary data signal therein;

changing the pattern according to a key to yield a second pattern; and

changing values in a second image location according to the second pattern in order to encode the N-bit auxiliary data signal therein.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the pattern is randomly changed according to the key.

3. A method for embedding plural bit auxiliary information in a source image, the source image comprising a plurality of pixels, said method comprising:

providing the plural bit auxiliary information;

embedding the plural bit auxiliary information in a first image region of the source image, wherein the embedding is achieved through varying a first set of pixels in the first image region according to a first embedding pattern; and

embedding the plural bit auxiliary information in a second image region of the source image, wherein the embedding is achieved through varying a second set of pixels in the second image region according to a second embedding pattern, wherein the first embedding pattern and the second embedding pattern are different patterns, but are related by a key.

4. A method of embedding information in an image characterized in that the information is redundantly embedded throughout the image, wherein each instance of the redundantly embedded information is embedded in an image region according to a key, and wherein the pattern for each instance of the information is unique, but the information represented by each instance does not change across the image.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the pattern for each instance of the information is unique according to the key.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein embedding patterns are randomly selected across the image in accordance with the key.

7. An information embedding method comprising:

providing plural bit auxiliary information;

embedding the plural bit auxiliary information in a source signal according to an embedding form;

altering the embedding form of the plural bit information, wherein the altered form continues to represent the plural bit auxiliary information, and wherein the altered embedding form comprises a pattern; and

embedding the altered embedding form of the plural bit auxiliary information in the source signal.

8. An information embedding method comprising:

providing plural bit auxiliary information;

embedding the plural bit auxiliary information in a source signal according to an embedding form;

altering the embedding form of the plural bit information, wherein the altered form continues to represent the plural bit auxiliary information, and wherein the altered embedding form comprises a randomly altered embedding form of the plural bit information; and

embedding the altered embedding form of the plural bit auxiliary information in the source signal.

9. An information embedding method comprising:

providing plural bit auxiliary information;

embedding the plural bit auxiliary information in a source signal according to an embedding form;

altering the embedding form of the plural bit information, wherein the altered form continues to represent the plural bit auxiliary information, and wherein the embedding form of the plural bit auxiliary information is altered in accordance with a predetermined key; and

embedding the altered embedding form of the plural bit auxiliary information in the source signal.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the embedding form is randomly altered in accordance with the predetermined key.

11. An information embedding method comprising:

providing plural bit auxiliary information;

embedding the plural bit auxiliary information in a source signal according to an embedding form, wherein the source signal comprises a two-dimensional image;

altering the embedding form of the plural bit information, wherein the altered form continues to represent the plural bit auxiliary information, and

embedding the altered embedding form of the plural bit auxiliary information in the source signal.