Methods and tangible objects employing textured machine readable data

• US 6,882,738 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2003
• Issued: 04/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B., Davis, Bruce L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Application Number:
  US10/693,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20040156529A1
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/104, 382/128, 382/232, 380/210, 380/252, 380/287, 380/54, 713/176, 235/462.13, 235/468, 283/72, 283/85, 283/901, 427/7, 428/916, 424/10.1, 206/828, 206/534, 206/459.1
• US Class Current: 382/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06009 with optically detectable marking G06K19/063, G06K19/08 take precedence
• 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 1/0021 Image 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 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: G09F 3/00 Labels, tag tickets, or similar identification or indication means medals or badges A44C3/00; making labels B31D1/02; sheets temporarily attached together B42F; labelling B65C; labels on record carriers G11B23/38, G11B23/40; Seals; Postage or like stamps
• 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 20/00876 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: H01L 2223/54486 : Located on package parts, e.g. encapsulation, leads, package substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/544 : Marks applied to semiconductor devices or parts, e.g. registration marks, alignment structures, wafer maps test patterns for characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes H01L22/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/573 : using passive means
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 : Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 : Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• 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 1/00838 : Preventing unauthorised reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00846 : based on detection of a dedicated indication, e.g. marks or the like
• 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 1/32208 : 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 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 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 206/828 : Medicinal content

Abstract

A tangible object (such as a microprocessor, wristwatch, pharmaceutical, compact disc, vehicle part, etc) is surface-textured to encode a plural-bit code thereon. In one arrangement, this encoding conveys date information. In use, the object can be imaged by a scanner apparatus, and the resulting scan data analyzed to discern the plural-bit code. The decoded date information can be used in a determination relating to the object. For example, at a port of entry, date information encoded on a Rolex wristwatch can be used to determine whether importation of the wristwatch should be permitted. The texture-encoded data can also convey other information, such as a vehicle identifier for an automotive part, a place of fabrication, a specification with which the part complies, etc.

Claims

1. A substantially three-dimensional article having the exterior thereof shaped to define a textured steganographic pattern, the pattern encoding a plural-bit data payload, the existence of said data payload not being evident to a human viewer of the article, but the plural bits of payload data being detectable by computer processing of visible light scan data corresponding to said textured steganographic pattern, the data payload including date data.

2. An article used in health care, according to claim 1.

3. A container for an article, the container having the exterior thereof shaped to define a textured steganographic pattern, the pattern encoding a plural-bit data payload, the existence of said data payload not being evident to a human viewer of the article, but the plural bits of payload data being detectable by computer processing of visible light scan data corresponding to said textured steganographic pattern, the data payload including date data.

4. A container for a health care product, according to claim 3.

5. A container for a pharmaceutical, according to claim 4.

6. A method of processing a substantially three-dimensional physical object having a plural-bit code steganographically encoded thereon, the encoding taking the form of texturing that shapes the exterior of said object, the method comprising:

acquiring visible light scan data corresponding to at least a portion of said shaped exterior;

discerning the plural-bit code from said scan data;

by reference to said plural-bit code, determining date information; and

at least in part by reference to said determined date information, determining if a transaction involving the object should be refused.

7. The method of claim 6 in which the date information specifies a date beyond which a transaction involving the object should be refused.

8. A component part for a vehicle, the part having a surface region on which is formed a seemingly random texture pattern, said pattern encoding machine-readable data.

9. The component part of claim 8, wherein said texture pattern is formed by applying a patterned layer of material over a smooth surface.

10. The component part of claim 8 wherein said vehicle has an identifier associated therewith, and the machine readable data includes said vehicle identifier.

11. The component part of claim 8 wherein said machine readable data includes data associated with a date of fabrication of said component part.

12. The component part of claim 8 wherein said machine readable data includes data associated with a place of fabrication of said component part.

13. The component part of claim 8 wherein said machine readable data includes data indicating a specification with which the component part complies.

14. The component part of claim 8 wherein said machine readable data represents at least 32 bits of information.

15. The component part of claim 14, wherein said information is encoded with redundancy, permitting accurate decoding of the information nothwithstanding localized corruption to the pattern.

16. The component part of claim 8 wherein on casual human inspection, said texture pattern looks like pebbling of the surface.

17. The component part of claim 8 wherein said texture pattern has a depth of 250 microns or less.

18. A component part for an automobile according to claim 8.

19. A bolt according to claim 8.

20. A component part for a vehicle, the component part having a textured surface region, said texture comprising a rectangular array of cells, a pattern of said array of cells encoding machine-readable data.