Hiding codes in input data

• US 7,412,074 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2006
• Issued: 08/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Nitzberg, Mark, Powell, Robert D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns; Andrew W
• Application Number:
  US11/535,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20070086619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/232, 380/210, 380/252, 380/287, 380/54, 713/176, 370/527, 370/529, 348/461
• 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: G06T 1/0028 Adaptive watermarking, e.g. Human Visual System [HVS]-based watermarking
• 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 2201/0081 whereby both original and watermarked images are required at decoder, e.g. destination-based, non-blind, non-oblivious
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0047 using checkcodes, e.g. coded numbers derived from serial number and denomination
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0056 involving markings of altered colours
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/2008 using pre-processing, e.g. de-blurring, averaging, normalisation or rotation
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/2033 Matching unique patterns, i.e. patterns that are unique to each individual paper
• 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 7/12 Card verification
• 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 1/32229 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 1/32245 Random or pseudorandom selection of pixels
• 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 1/3232 Robust embedding or watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3235 : Checking or certification of the authentication information, e.g. by comparison with data stored independently
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 : which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes

Abstract

The present invention relates to hiding codes in input data. In one embodiment, a method is provided including: obtaining input data associated with image or visual information; selecting portions of the input data to hide a plural-bit code based at least in part on predetermined data; and modifying selected portions of the input data to hide the plural-bit code at least in part on changing one or more values of the input data at or around the selected portions. Other embodiments are described and claimed as well.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining input data associated with image or visual information;

selecting portions of the input data to hide a plural-bit code based at least in part on predetermined data that is not used as a reference for the input data; and

modifying selected portions of the input data to hide the plural-bit code at least in part by changing one or more values of the input data at or around the selected portions.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the selected portions comprises one or more numeric values.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the selected portions comprises one or more values representing image or visual information.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the portions correspond to one or more locations within the input data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one selected portion comprises a block of data representing image or visual data.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of modifying considers at least a relationship of image attributes of different image portions.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the input data is derived from image or visual information.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the image or visual information comprises at least luminance data.

9. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions to perform the method of claim 1.

10. A method comprising:

obtaining input data associated with image or visual information;

selecting portions of the input data to hide a plural-bit code based at least in part on predetermined data; and

modifying selected portions of the input data to hide the plural-bit code at least in part by changing one or more values of the input data at or around the selected portions, wherein the predetermined data is based, at least in part, on a random function.

11. A method comprising:

obtaining input data associated with image or visual information;

selecting portions of the input data to hide a plural-bit code based at least in part on predetermined data; and

modifying selected portions of the input data to hide the plural-bit code at least in part by changing one or more values of the input data at or around the selected portions, wherein the predetermined data comprises a pattern.

12. A method comprising:

obtaining input data associated with image or visual information;

selecting portions of the input data to hide a plural-bit code based at least in part on predetermined data; and

modifying selected portions of the input data to hide the plural-bit code at least in part by changing one or more values of the input data at or around the selected portions, wherein the predetermined data is associated with the plural-bit code.

13. A method comprising:

obtaining input data associated with image or visual information;

selecting portions of the input data to hide a plural-bit code based at least in part on predetermined data; and

modifying selected portions of the input data to hide the plural-bit code at least in part by changing one or more values of the input data at or around the selected portions, wherein an amount of modification applied by the act of modifying is based at least in part on a function of image or visual attributes.

14. A method comprising:

obtaining an input signal represented by plural data elements, the plural data elements representing image or visual information;

selecting at least some data elements from the plural data elements to be changed to effect hiding of a code in the input signal, said selecting being facilitated at least in part by predetermined data that is not evaluated with respect to the the input signal;

changing values associated with selected data elements to hide the code within the input signal.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the predetermined data is based, at least in part, on a random function.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the predetermined data comprises a pattern.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the predetermined data is associated with the code.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein each of the selected portions comprises one or more numeric values.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein each of the selected data elements comprises one or more values associated with image or visual information.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein the data elements correspond to one or more positions of the input signal.

21. The method of claim 14 wherein at least one selected data element comprises a block of data representing image or visual data.

22. The method of claim 14 wherein an amount of change applied by the act of changing is based at least in part on a function of image or visual attributes.

23. The method of claim 14 wherein the act of changing considers at least a relationship of image attributes of different image portions.

24. The method of claim 14 wherein the input signal is derived from image or visual information.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the image or visual information comprises at least luminance data.

26. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions to perform the method of claim 14.

27. A method comprising:

obtaining input data representing image or visual data;

selecting at least some portions of input data to be changed to effect hiding of a code in the input data, said selecting being facilitated at least in part by predetermined criteria, the predetermined criteria is not directly dependent on the input data or samples there from;

adjusting values associated at or around a first set of selected portions in a relatively positive manner, while adjusting values associated at or around a second set of selected portions in a relatively negative manner.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the predetermined criteria is based, at least in part, on a random function.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the predetermined criteria comprises a pattern.

30. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions to perform the method of claim 27.

31. A method comprising:

obtaining input data representing image or visual data;

selecting at least some portions of input data to be changed to effect hiding of a code in the input data utilizing predetermined criteria, the predetermined criteria is based, at least in part, on a random function; and

changing selected portions of the input data by reducing values associated with the selected portions of the input data.

32. A method comprising:

obtaining input data representing image or visual data;

selecting at least some portions of input data to be changed to effect hiding of a code in the input data utilizing predetermined criteria, the predetermined criteria comprises a pattern; and

changing selected portions of the input data by reducing values associated with the selected portions of the input data.

33. A method comprising:

obtaining input data representing image or visual data;

selecting at least some portions of input data to be changed to effect hiding of a code in the input data utilizing predetermined data, the predetermined criteria is based, at least in part, on a random function; and

changing selected portions of the input data by removing data associated with the selected portions of the input data.

34. A method comprising:

obtaining input data representing image or visual data;

selecting at least some portions of input data to be changed to effect hiding of a code in the input data utilizing predetermined data, the predetermined criteria comprises a pattern; and

changing selected portions of the input data by removing data associated with the selected portions of the input data.

35. A method comprising:

obtaining input data associated with image or visual information;

selecting portions of the input data to hide a plural-bit code based at least in part on predetermined data, and

modifying selected portions of the input data to hide the plural-bit code at least in part by changing one or more values of the input data at or around the selected portions, the code being imperceptible to a human viewer of the modified input data.

36. A method comprising:

obtaining an input signal represented by plural data elements, the plural data elements representing image or visual information;

selecting at least some data elements from the plural data elements to be changed to effect hiding of a code in the input signal;

changing values associated with selected data elements to embed the code within the input signal, the code being embedded in the input signal in an imperceptible manner.

37. A method comprising:

obtaining input data representing image or visual data;

selecting at least some portions of input data to be changed to effect hiding of a code in the input data; and

changing selected portions of the input data by reducing values associated with the selected portions of the input data, the code being substantially imperceptible to a human viewer of the changed input data.

38. A method comprising:

obtaining input data representing image or visual data;

selecting at least some portions of input data to be changed to effect embedding of a code in the input data; and

changing selected portions of the input data by removing data associated with the selected portions of the input data, the code being embedded in the input data in a substantially imperceptible manner.