Watermarking different areas of digital images with different intensities

• US 8,050,450 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2010
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Tony F., Miller, Marc D., Haaga, Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): Strege; John
• Application Number:
  US12/758,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20100284563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 713/176
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0028 Adaptive watermarking, e.g. Human Visual System [HVS]-based watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0092 Payload characteristic determination in a watermarking scheme, e.g. number of bits to be embedded
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0061 Embedding of the watermark in each block of the image, e.g. segmented watermarking
• 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 1/32251 in multilevel data, e.g. greyscale or continuous tone data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32261 in binary data H04N1/32256 takes precedence

Abstract

An image is processed to encode a digital watermark, with different regions thereof processed using different levels of watermark intensity. In an image comprised of elements of differing sizes (e.g., halftone shapes of different sizes, or lines of different width), the different regions can be defined by reference to the sizes of elements contained therein. Regions characterized by relatively small elements can be watermarked at a relatively low intensity. Regions characterized by relatively large elements can be watermarked at a relatively high intensity. A variety of other features are also discussed.

Claims

1. A method of watermarking a digital image to embed a plural-bit watermark specified by a payload tile, said image comprising an two-dimensional array of elements spanning a first area, said payload tile comprising plural values spanning a two-dimensional second area smaller than the first area, said method comprising the acts:

defining a first contiguous region and a second contiguous region, the first region corresponding to a portion of said image where a characteristic of said image falls within a first range, the second region corresponding to a portion of said image where said characteristic of said image falls within a second range different than the first range, the first region having a first control value associated therewith, and the second region having a second control value associated therewith that is different than the first control value, the first and second regions having different sizes;

changing the value of the image elements in the first region in accordance with the payload tile values and the first control value, and changing the value of the image elements in the second region in accordance with said payload tile values and the second control value;

wherein the same payload tile values encode the same plural-bit watermark in both the first and second regions, but change the image by differing amounts in said regions depending on the control values for said regions.

2. The method recited in claim 1 wherein said characteristic comprises width of lines in said image.

3. The method recited in claim 1 wherein said first control value comprises an intensity of said watermark.

10. The method recited in claim 1 wherein said image comprises a line art image and said characteristic of said image comprises the size of the lines in said image.

11. The method recited in claim 1 wherein said characteristic comprises a tone of said image.

12. The method recited in claim 1 wherein said image comprises a series of lines and wherein said characteristic comprises a width of said lines, and wherein said first control value comprises an intensity of said watermark.

13. The method recited in claim 12 wherein said image is watermarked by line width modulation.

4. A method of applying a digital watermark to an image comprising the acts of defining a first region of the image having a tonal value within a first pre-established range, defining a second region of the image having a tonal value within a second pre-established range that is different than the first, the first and second regions being of different sizes, and applying to both the first and second regions the same plural-bit watermark payload, but applying said plural-bit watermark payload at a first intensity in the first region, and applying said plural-bit watermark payload at a second intensity different than the first intensity in the second region.

5. A method of watermarking a half tone image comprising the acts of converting said half tone image into a line art image, filtering said line art image to create a series of masks defining areas of said half tone image having tonal density within a specified range, each range of tonal densities having an appropriate watermark intensity, watermarking said halftone image, the intensity of the watermark in each area being set to said appropriate intensity.

6. A method of watermarking a digital line art image comprising the acts of determining a first region of said image having lines within a first size range, determining a second region of said image having lines within a second size range different than the first, applying a digital watermark representing plural bits to said first region of the image at a first intensity, and applying a digital watermark representing said plural bits to said second region of the image at a second intensity different than the first, wherein the same plural-bits are encoded in different regions at different intensities due to different size ranges of lines therein.

7. A method of watermarking a line art image comprising the acts of determining areas of said image having lines within at least two different size ranges, and applying a digital watermark to said image, the intensity of said digital watermark in each area being dependent on the range of line size therein.

8. The method recited in claim 7 wherein said watermark is applied by modulating the width of said lines.

9. The method recited in claim 7 wherein said determining act is performed by filtering said image.

14. In a method of digitally watermarking a two-dimensional image by changing aspects thereof to steganographically convey a plural-bit payload, the image comprising a pattern of elements to be printed or displayed, an improvement comprising:

defining a payload tile, the payload tile identifying a relative amount of change to be applied to a payload tile-sized portion of the image so that said payload tile-sized portion of the image conveys the plural-bit payload;

defining a first intensity factor that is additionally to be used in changing elements in a first region of said image;

additionally defining a second, different, intensity factor that is additionally to be used in changing elements in a second region of said image;

changing a first portion of the image in accordance with said payload tile and the first intensity favor, the first portion having a size larger than the payload tile; and

changing a second portion of the image in accordance with said payload tile and the second intensity favor, the second portion having a size larger than the payload tile.

15. The method of claim 14 in which the payload tile comprises a two-dimensional tile pattern, which is repeated across the image.

16. A system for watermarking a line art image comprising:

means for determining areas of said image having lines within specific size ranges; and

means for applying a watermark to said image, the intensity of said watermark in each area being established at a selected value;

wherein the means for applying a watermark comprises means for applying the watermark at a first intensity in a first determined area characterized by having lines within a first specific size range, said means also for applying said watermark at a second intensity different than the first, in a second determined area characterized by having lines within a second specific size range different than the first specific size range.