Detecting hidden auxiliary code signals in media

• US 7,672,477 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2008
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1993
• 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:
  US12/207,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20090067672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/232, 348/460, 348/461, 348/473, 348/474, 380/210, 380/287, 380/54, 381/73.1, 704/200.1, 704/273, 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 1/0057 Compression invariant watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0052 Embedding of the watermark in the frequency domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0065 Extraction of an embedded watermark; Reliable detection
• 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: 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 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/26 for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus ticket printing or the like apparatus G07F17/42
• 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 1/00838 : 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 1/32144 : 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 1/32208 : 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

Abstract

Methods for embedding and reading identification codes from media signals use embedded code signals modulated with the auxiliary message. These embedded code signals convey hidden tracking codes in images, video, music and printed objects. The embedded code signals are embedded by varying characteristics of the signal. The identification code varies for different copies of a media signal and indexes distribution information such as point of sale information and ownership information.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a code signal imperceptibly embedded in a host signal, the code signal including a plurality of registration symbols and variable message information symbols, where both the registration symbols and variable message information symbols are redundantly embedded as embedded code signals in the host signal, the method comprising:

using a programmed electronic processor, detecting embedded code signals corresponding to the registration symbols and the variable message information symbols;

verifying detection of the embedded code signals corresponding to the registration symbols; and

verifying detection of the variable message information symbols by checking correspondence of the values of the variable message information symbols relative to the registration symbols with an expected sequence of values.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the embedded code signals comprise a universal set of embedded code signals that remain the same for different instances of host signals.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein checking correspondence comprises checking variable message information symbols at symbol locations within a sequence of symbols, the symbol locations identified relative to location of the registration symbols.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the variable message information symbols comprise binary symbols with binary values.

5. A programmed computing device comprising instructions stored in memory to cause said programmed computing device to perform the method of claim 3.

6. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to cause an electronic processor to perform the method of claim 3.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein detection values of an embedded code signal is combined for plural locations of the redundantly embedded code signal.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the combined detection values of redundant instances of the embedded code signal provide a detection value for verifying detection.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein correspondence among the detection values for redundant instances of the embedded code signals for a sequence of variable message information symbols relative to the registration symbols provide confirmation that the code signal has been accurately detected.

10. A programmed computing device comprising instructions stored in memory to cause said programmed computing device to perform the method of claim 9.

11. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to cause an electronic processor to perform the method of claim 9.

12. The method of claim 1 in which the code signal is perceptually adapted to the host signal.

13. A programmed computing device comprising instructions stored in memory to cause said programmed computing device to perform the method of claim 12.

14. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to cause an electronic processor to perform the method of claim 12.

15. A programmed computing device comprising instructions stored in memory to cause said programmed computing device to perform the method of claim 1.

16. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to cause an electronic processor to perform the method of claim 1.

17. An apparatus comprising:

electronic memory for buffering a host signal, the host signal comprising a code signal imperceptibly embedded therein, the code signal including a plurality of registration symbols and variable message information symbols, in which both the registration symbols and the variable message information symbols are redundantly embedded as embedded code signals in the host signal; and

an electronic processor programmed for;

detecting embedded code signals in the host signal corresponding to the registration symbols and the variable message information symbols;

verifying detection of the embedded code signals corresponding to the registration symbols; and

verifying detection of the variable message information symbols by checking correspondence of the values of the variable message information symbols relative to the registration information symbols with an expected sequence of values.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 in which the embedded code signals comprise a universal set of embedded code signals that remain the same for different instances of host signals.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 in which checking correspondence comprises checking variable message information symbols at symbol locations within a sequence of symbols, the symbol locations identified relative to location of the registration symbols.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 in which the variable message information symbols comprise binary symbols with binary values.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 in which the electronic processor is operating to perform at least one of the functions recited therein.

22. The apparatus of claim 17 in which detection values of an embedded code signal is combined for plural locations of the redundantly embedded code signal.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 in which the combined detection values of redundant instances of the embedded code signal provide a detection value for verifying detection.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 in which correspondence among the detection values for redundant instances of the embedded code signals for a sequence of variable message information symbols relative to the registration symbols provide confirmation that the code signal has been accurately detected.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 in which the electronic processor is operating to perform at least one of the functions recited therein.

26. The apparatus of claim 17 in which the code signal is perceptually adapted to the host signal.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 in which the electronic processor is operating to perform at least one of the functions recited therein.

28. The apparatus of claim 17 in which the electronic processor is operating to perform at least one of the functions recited therein.