Active data hiding for secure electronic media distribution

• US 6,850,910 B1
• Filed: 10/22/1999
• Issued: 02/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Gelman, Alexander D., Yu, Hong Heather, Fish, Robert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hewitt, II, Calvin L
• Application Number:
  US09/425,592
• Time in Patent Office: 1,929 Days
• Field of Search: 705/50, 705/51, 705/53, 705/54, 705/57, 705/1, 705/52, 705/58, 705/59
• US Class Current: 705/51
• 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: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63345 by transmitting keys key distribution for secret or secure communication H04L9/08; network support of key management H04L63/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]

Abstract

A method is provided for distributing multimedia content in an electronic media distribution system. The method includes the steps of: (a) providing active hidden data, where the active hidden data includes a plurality of executable machine instructions; (b) embedding active hidden data into the host data stream, thereby forming an embedded data stream; (c) transmitting the embedded data stream from a content provider device to a player device; (d) extracting the active hidden data from the embedded data stream on the player device; and (e) executing the active hidden data on the player device.

Claims

1. A method for distributing executable code in an electronic media distribution system, the media distribution device having a content providing device and at least one player device, comprising the steps of:

embedding the executable code and error correction data operable to ensure errorless extraction of the executable code into a media sound file host data stream to form an embedded data stream, the executable code being embedded orthogonal to the error correction data in the embedded data stream, thereby avoiding interference between embedded bits and ensuring extractability of the executable code and the error correction data so that errorless extraction of the executable code can be achieved, including embedding the executable code and the error correction data into singular points and maskee points of the host data stream to render the embedded bits imperceptible to a human auditory system, where a singular point, masker point and maskee point are defined as follows;

a singular point I(j) is defined as iff sign (I(j))=−

sign(I(j−

1)) &

sign(I(j)=−

sign(I(j+1));

a masker point I(j) is defined as a point with an intensity value larger than a threshold δ

, i.e., amp(I(j))>

δ

;

a maskee point I(j^k) is defined as a point that is under the mask of a masker point I(j), i.e., amp(I(j^k))<

mask(amp(I(j)));

transferring the embedded data stream from the content providing device to the player device;

extracting the executable code and the error correction data from singular points and maskee points of the embedded data stream on the player device;

using the error correction data to ensure the errorless extractability of the executable code from the embedded data stream; and

executing the executable code on the player device when the executable code is extracted without error from the embedded data stream.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of embedding authentication data orthogonal to the executable code and error correction data, and authenticating the embedded data stream using the authentication data prior to extracting the executable code.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of encrypting the executable code prior to embedding the executable code into the host data signal and decrypting the executable code prior to executing the executable code on the player device.

4. An electronic media distribution system for distributing executable code in a host data stream, the media distribution device having a content providing device and at least one player device, the content provider device comprising:

a bit stream generator receiving executable code and converting the executable code into an active bit stream;

a first encoder receiving the active bit stream and the host data stream and embedding the active bit stream into the host data stream, thereby forming an embedded data stream; and

a second encoder receiving error correction data operable to ensure errorless extraction of the active bit stream and the embedded data stream and embedding the error correction data into the embedded data stream, orthogonal to the active bit stream in the embedded data stream; and

 

the at least one player device comprising;

a first decoder receiving the embedded data stream and extracting the error correction data from the embedded data stream;

a second decoder receiving the embedded data stream from the first decoder and extracting the active bit stream;

a correction module receiving the active bit stream and the error correction data, and using the error correction data to ensure errorless extractability of the active bit stream from the embedded data stream; and

an initiator for executing the active bit stream on the player device,

wherein said first encoder and said second encoder are operable to embed the executable code orthogonally to the error correction data in singular points and maskee points of the host data stream to render the embedded bits imperceptible to a human auditory system, where a singular point, masker point and maskee point are defined as follows;

a singular point I(j) is defined as iff sign (I(j))=−

sign(I(j−

1)) &

sign(I(j)=−

sign(I(j+1));

a masker point I(j) is defined as a point with an intensity value larger than a threshold δ

, i.e., amp(I(j))>

δ

;

a maskee point (I(j^k) is defined as a point that is under the mask of a masker point I(j), i.e. amp(I(j^k))<

mask(amp(I(j))); and

wherein said first decoder and said second decoder are operable to extract the active bit stream and the error correction data from the singular points and maskee points of the host data stream.