Digital watermarks and postage

• US 6,804,379 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2001
• Issued: 10/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1994
• 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:
  US09/939,298
• Publication Number:
  US 20020076081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/232, 382/101, 380/210, 380/252, 380/287, 380/54, 713/176, 705/405, 705/408, 705/410, 283/71, 283/72, 283/85, 283/93, 283/113, 283/901
• US Class Current: 382/101
• 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 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 1/0064 Geometric transfor invariant watermarking, e.g. affine transform invariant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0051 Embedding of the watermark in the spatial domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0052 Embedding of the watermark in the frequency domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0061 Embedding of the watermark in each block of the image, e.g. segmented watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0065 Extraction of an embedded watermark; Reliable detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition
• 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 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 20/00224 : wherein the key is obtained from a remote server
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00557 : wherein further management data is encrypted, e.g. sector headers, TOC or the lead-in or lead-out areas
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00855 : involving a step of exchanging information with a remote server
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00876 : wherein physical copy protection means are attached to the medium, e.g. holograms, sensors, or additional semiconductor circuitry
• 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 1/00843 : based on recognising a copy prohibited original, e.g. a banknote pattern authentication and markers therefor, forgery detection G06V20/95; character recognition G06V30/10; document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/40; testing paper currency or similar valuable papers for genuineness G07D7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00846 : based on detection of a dedicated indication, e.g. marks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00867 : with additional data, e.g. by adding a warning message details of embedding additional information in an image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0087 : with hidden additional data, e.g. data invisible to the human eye
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00875 : Inhibiting reproduction, e.g. by disabling reading or reproduction apparatus
• 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 1/32149 : 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 1/32219 : 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 1/32251 : in multilevel data, e.g. greyscale or continuous tone data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32261 : in binary data H04N1/32256 takes precedence
• 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 1/32304 : Embedding different sets of additional information
• 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 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 2201/3239 : 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
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/916 : Fraud or tamper detecting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 : Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]

Abstract

Postal stamps are steganographically encoded with plural bit data. This data can represent information such as value, or zip code. Or it can serve as a pointer to a remote data repository, where additional information is stored.

Claims

1. A postal stamp representing postage value, the stamp having a front side presenting human-perceivable indicia, and having a rear side provided with adhesive, the stamp having plural bits of auxiliary data steganographically encoded in said human-perceivable indicia.

2. The postal stamp of claim 1 in which the steganographic encoding is manifested in printing of the front side of the stamp, and can be sensed from scan data produced by scanning the stamp with visible light and sampling visible light reflected thereby.

3. The postal stamp of claim 1 in which the auxiliary data represents a postal value of the stamp.

4. The postal stamp of claim 1 in which the auxiliary data represents a zip code.

5. The postal stamp of claim 4 in which the auxiliary data represents a zip code of a recipient.

6. The postal stamp of claim 1 having a graphic comprised of plural pixels, wherein the steganographic encoding affects the luminance of certain of said pixels.

7. The postal stamp of claim 1 in which the steganographic encoding is manifested in an auxiliary layer that is laminated to a base substrate.

8. The postal stamp of claim 1 in which the auxiliary data comprises a pointer or an index to a collection of data in which additional information is stored.

9. The postal stamp of claim 8 in which the auxiliary data comprises a pointer to a particular record in a remote database.

10. The postal stamp of claim 1 in which the auxiliary data is encoded in a two-dimensional grid array comprising plural rectangular tiles.

11. The postal stamp of claim 1 in which the steganographic encoding can be decoded from scan data produced by scanning the stamp with visible light, and sampling the visible light reflected thereby.

12. A postal stamp representing postage value and having plural bits of auxiliary data steganographically encoded therein, wherein the steganographic encoding is manifested in texture of the stamp.

13. A postal stamp representing postage value and having plural bits of auxiliary data steganographically encoded therein, wherein the steganographic encoding comprises a 128 by 128 element array.

14. A method of producing a postal stamp having postage value, comprising:

providing a graphic represented in digital form;

steganographically encoding the graphic to redundantly embed plural bits of auxiliary data therein; and

printing the graphic on a substrate, the printed graphic serving as postage;

wherein the redundancy permits recovery of all of said bits notwithstanding at least certain corruptions of the encoding.

15. The method of claim 14 in which the auxiliary data represents a postal value.

16. The method of claim 14 in which the auxiliary data represents a zip code.

17. The method of claim 16 in which the auxiliary data represents a zip code of a recipient.

18. The method of claim 14 in which the graphic comprises plural pixels, and the steganographic encoding affects the luminance of certain of said pixels.

19. The method of claim 14 in which the auxiliary data comprises a pointer or an index to a collection of data in which additional information is stored.

20. The method of claim 14 in which the auxiliary data comprises a pointer to a particular record in a remote database.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising establishing an electronic link to said database and obtaining data from said record.

22. The method of claim 14 in which the auxiliary data is encoded in a two-dimensional grid array comprising plural rectangular tiles.

23. The method of claim 14 in which the steganographic encoding can be decoded from scan data produced by scanning the printed graphic with visible light, and sampling the visible light reflected thereby.

24. A method of producing a postal stamp having postage value, comprising:

providing a graphic represented in digital form;

steganographically encoding the graphic to embed plural bits of auxiliary data therein; and

printing the graphic on a substrate, the printed graphic serving as postage;

wherein the steganographic encoding comprises a 128 by 128 element array.

25. A method comprising:

producing optical scan data by scanning a postal stamp with visible light and sensing visible light reflected thereby, the postal stamp having postage value;

steganographically decoding plural bits of auxiliary data from said postal stamp; and

controlling some aspect of an apparatus in accordance with the decoded data.

26. The method of claim 25 in which the plural bits comprise address information, and the method further includes establishing an electronic link to an address related to said address information and obtaining data-from said address.

27. A method comprising:

producing optical scan data by scanning a postal stamp with visible light and sensing visible light reflected thereby, the postal stamp having postage value;

steganographically decoding plural bits of auxiliary data from said postal stamp notwithstanding skewed scanning of the postal stamp, relative to a normal orientation thereof, and

controlling some aspect of an apparatus in accordance with the decoded data.

28. A method comprising:

producing optical scan data by scanning a postal stamp with visible light and sensing visible light reflected thereby, the postal stamp having postage value;

steganographically decoding plural bits of auxiliary data from said postal stamp; and

controlling some aspect of an apparatus in accordance with the decoded data;

wherein the steganographic decoding includes performing a domain transformation on the scan data.