Utilizing data reduction in steganographic and cryptographic system

• US 8,160,249 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wistaria Trading Inc.
• Original Assignee: Blue Spike, Inc.
• Inventors: Moskowitz, Scott A., Berry, Mike W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoffman, Brandon
• Application Number:
  US12/655,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20100153734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 380/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/046 of operations, operands or results of the operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/608 Watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/16 the keys or algorithms being changed during operation
• 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 1/32272 Encryption or ciphering

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods for protecting a data signal using the following techniques: applying a data reduction technique to reduce the data signal into a reduced data signal; subtracting the reduced data signal from the data signal to produce a remainder signal; embedding a first watermark into the reduced data signal to produce a watermarked, reduced data signal; and adding the watermarked, reduced data signal to the remainder signal to produce an output signal. A second watermark may be embedded into the remainder signal before the final addition step. Further, cryptographic techniques may be used to encrypt the reduced data signals and to encrypt the remainder signals before the final addition step. The present invention also relates to a system for securing a data signal including: computer devices for applying a data reduction technique to reduce the data signal into a reduced data signal; means to subtract the reduced data signal from the data signal to produce a remainder signal; means to apply a first cryptographic technique to encrypt the reduced data signal to produce an encrypted, reduced data signal; means to apply a second cryptographic technique to encrypt the remainder signal to produce an encrypted remainder signal; and means to add the encrypted, reduced data signal to the encrypted remainder signal to produce an output signal.

Claims

1. A system for securing a data signal comprising:

a first processor coupled to a memory to apply a data reduction technique to reduce the data signal into a reduced data signal;

a subtractor to subtract said reduced data signal from the data signal to produce a remainder signal;

a second processor to apply a first cryptographic technique to encrypt the reduced data signal to produce an encrypted, reduced data signal;

a third processor to apply a second cryptographic technique to encrypt the remainder signal to produce an encrypted remainder signal; and

an adder to add said encrypted, reduced data signal to said encrypted remainder signal to produce an output signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first, second and third processors are comprised of one, two or three separate processors.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory contains a copy of the data signal and the subtractor to subtract the reduced data signal to produce a remainder signal uses the memory copy of the data signal for the subtraction.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said second and third processors to apply a first and second cryptographic technique utilizes a watermarking technique for encoding a digital watermark in a signal.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said second and third processors to apply a first and second cryptographic technique utilizes a scrambling technique.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data reduction technique comprises a data compression technique.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the data compression technique comprises selective sampling of the data signal in a domain selected from the group comprising the time domain, bit depth domain, and the frequency domain.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said system is configured to use said first processor to apply said data reduction technique, said system is configured to use said subtractor to subtract said reduced data signal from said data signal, said system is configured to use said third processor to apply said cryptographic technique, and said system is configured to use said adder to add said encrypted, reduced data signal to said encrypted remainder signal.

9. A system for securing a data signal comprising the steps of:

an analyzer for evaluating the data signal to determine its characteristics and reducibility;

a selector for selecting at least one appropriate data reduction technique for the data signal;

a processor coupled to a memory to apply said at least one appropriate data reduction technique;

an encoder for encoding at least one digital watermark in the data signal or data reduced signal; and

an output for supplying an output signal corresponding to the data signal.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the analyzer analytically splits the data signal into a plurality of discrete data substreams;

and wherein the processor applies the appropriate data reduction technique selected for at least one of the plurality of data substreams.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the appropriateness of said at least one data reduction technique is determined by the selector with reference to data signal or data substream characteristics selected from at least one of:

(a) desired output quality for said output signal;

(b) desired data reduction ratio;

(c) audio character of data;

(d) video character of data;

(e) text character of data;

(f) executable software character of data.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein a different appropriate data reduction technique is chosen by the selector for each of the plurality of data substreams.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising the steps of performing upon at least one of said data substreams by the processor:

(a) a scrambling technique;

(b) an encryption technique.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one of said steps of watermarking, scrambling, or encrypting by the processor comprises applying at least one cryptographic key.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said at least one cryptographic key is derived at least in part from the data signal.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said at least one cryptographic key is not derived from the data signal.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein the appropriateness of the at least one data reduction technique is determined by the selector with reference to data signal characteristics selected from at least one of:

(a) desired output quality for said output signal;

(b) desired data reduction ratio;

(c) audio character of data;

(d) video character of data;

(e) text character of data;

(f) executable software character of data.

18. A system for protected distribution of a data file comprising:

(a) an encoder for encoding one or more digital watermarks in the data file using data reduction techniques in creating said digital watermark, wherein the use of data reduction techniques comprises creation of a reduced portion of the data file and a remainder portion of the data file;

(b) and a transmission device for distributing the digitally watermarked file to an end user.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein both the reduced portion and the remainder portion of the data file are embedded by the encoder with said one or more digital watermarks.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said watermarked, reduced portion is recombined with said watermarked, remainder portion of said data file by an adder to produce an output signal.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein said step of encoding said one or more digital watermarks in the data file with the encoder is performed on a central computer server and said watermarked data file is subsequently transmitted to an end user output device.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said step of distributing with a transmission device comprises distributing over a public data network.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said public data network comprises the internet.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein said system of further configured to supply the end user with a detector for detecting information about said digital watermark.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein said data file comprises a file selected from the group containing music files, audio files, video files, still image files, streaming media files, and executable computer software files.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein at least one of said digital watermarks created using data reduction comprises a universal copy control watermark for prevention of unauthorized data file copying.

27. The system of claim 18, wherein at least one of said digital watermarks created using data reduction comprises a forensic watermark for tracing of historical data regarding the distribution history of the data file.

28. The system of claim 18 wherein said system is configures to use said encoder to encode said one or more digital watermarks in the data file using data reduction techniques, and said system is configured to use said transmission device for distributing the digitally watermarked file.

29. A system for securing a data signal comprising:

memory;

at least one processor coupled to a said memory, and said system configured to use said at least one processor to apply a data reduction technique to reduce the data signal into a reduced data signal;

at least one subtractor, and said system configured to use said at least one subtractor to subtract said reduced data signal from the data signal to produce a remainder signal;

said system configured to use said at least one processor to apply a first cryptographic technique to encrypt the reduced data signal to produce an encrypted, reduced data signal;

said system configured to use said at least one processor to apply a second cryptographic technique to encrypt the remainder signal to produce an encrypted remainder signal; and

at least one adder, said system configured to use said at least one adder to add said encrypted, reduced data signal to said encrypted remainder signal to produce an output signal.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the memory stores a copy of the data signal and said at least one subtractor is configured to retrieve said copy of said data signal stored in said memory.

31. A system for protected distribution of a data signal comprising:

(a) at least one encoder for encoding one or more digital watermarks in the data signal using data reduction techniques in creating said digital watermark, and said system configured to use said at least one encoder to encode said one or more digital watermarks in the data signal using data reduction techniques, wherein the use of data reduction techniques comprises creation of a reduced portion of the data signal and a remainder portion of the data signal; and

(b) at least one transmission device for distributing the digitally watermarked signal to an end user, and said system configured to use said at least one transmission device to distribute said digitally watermarked signal.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein said system is configured to use said at least one encoder to embed both the reduced portion and the remainder portion of the data signal with said one or more digital watermarks.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein said system further comprises at lest one adder, and said system is configured to use said at least one adder to recombine said watermarked, reduced portion with said watermarked, remainder portion of said data signal.

34. A system for securing a data signal comprising:

memory;

at least one processor coupled to a said memory, and said system configured to use said at least one processor to apply a data reduction technique to the data signal to create a reduced portion of the data signal and a remainder portion of the data signal;

at least one encoder for encoding one or more digital watermarks in the reduced portion of the data signal thereby creating a digital watermarked reduced portion of the data signal;

at least one adder or subtractor, and said system configured to use said at least one adder or subtractor to add or subtract said digitally watermarked reduced portion of the data signal to the data signal to thereby produce a secure version of said data signal.