Layered security in digital watermarking

• US 8,345,316 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2009
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Bradley, Brett A., Hannigan, Brett T., Barr, John Kennedy
• Primary Examiner(s): Haskins, Twyler
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURLESON, MICHAEL L
• Application Number:
  US12/422,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20100091336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,359 Days
• Field of Search: 358/3.28, 382/165, 382/181, 713/176
• US Class Current: 358/3.28
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0028 Adaptive watermarking, e.g. Human Visual System [HVS]-based watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0071 using multiple or alternating watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0083 whereby only watermarked image required at decoder, e.g. source-based, blind, oblivious
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32149 Methods relating to embedding, encoding, decoding, detection or retrieval operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32283 Hashing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32304 Embedding different sets of additional information
• 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 2201/3236 Details of authentication information generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3239 using a plurality of different authentication information

Abstract

A media object authentication system uses layers of security features based on digital watermarks embedded in media objects. The system generates a first digital watermark with a message payload carrying data about the object, such as a hash of text data printed on the object. The first digital watermark is combined with a content signature derived from features of the media object, such as frequency domain attributes, edge attributes, or other filtered version of the media signal (e.g., image photo on a secure document) on the media object. This combination forms a new digital watermark signal that is embedded in the host media object. To verify the object, the digital watermark payload is extracted and compared with the data about the object. The combined digital watermark and content signature is also evaluated to authenticate the media signal on the media object.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

compute a hash of information on a media object;

generate a pattern from the hash;

compute a content signature from a media signal in the media object;

combine the content signature and the pattern to form a content dependent pattern; and

embed the content dependent pattern as a digital watermark into the media object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the media object comprises a security document, and wherein the one or more processors compute the hash from information on the security document.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the information on the security document is printed on the document.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the media object is a card, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to compute the hash from information comprising personal data about a bearer of the card.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate the pattern from the hash by spreading the hash over a carrier signal.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the carrier signal comprises a pseudorandom number.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate the pattern from the hash based in part on error collection encoding the hash.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to compute the content signature from frequency domain features of the media signal.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the media signal comprises an image, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to compute the content signature from edge features of the image.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to compute the content signature based in part on filtering neighborhoods of samples within the media signal.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured embed the pattern and the content dependent pattern as separate digital watermarks into the media object.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the media object comprises an image to be printed, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to embed the separate digital watermarks at different spatial image resolutions in the image.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to combine the content dependent pattern with the pattern by transforming elements of the pattern based on the content dependent pattern.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the transforming elements comprises a pointwise multiplication.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the transforming elements comprises selectively inverting elements of the pattern based on values of the content dependent pattern.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are configured to print the media object.

17. A system comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

compute a first pattern;

derive a content dependent signature from a media signal in a media object;

combine the content dependent signature and the first pattern to form a content dependent pattern; and

measure the content dependent pattern embedded as a digital watermark in the media signal to provide a measurement of authenticity of the media signal.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are configured to compute the first pattern by extracting a first digital watermark from the media signal.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the first digital watermark carries a message payload comprising a hash of data about the media object, and wherein the hash is used in a second measurement of authenticity of the media signal.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the media object comprises a printed object and wherein the hash of data about the media object comprises a hash of data on the printed object.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the one or more processors are configured to compute the hash from text data printed on the printed object.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are configured to extract the first digital watermark and the content dependent pattern as separate digital watermarks.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the first digital watermark comprises calibration attributes used to geometrically calibrate the media signal before extracting the content dependent pattern.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the content dependent pattern selectively transforms elements of the first pattern.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the one or more processors are configured to selectively transform elements of the first pattern by inverting elements of the first pattern.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate the first pattern by extracting a digital watermark message from the media signal;

performing error correction decoding of the message, and combining the message with a pseudorandom number.

27. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

generate the first pattern from a digital watermark extracted from the media signal;

measure a strength of the first digital watermark; and

use the measurement of strength of the first digital watermark to adapt the measurement of authenticity based on the content dependent pattern.

28. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are configured to print the media object.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising:

instructions to compute a hash of information on a media object;

instructions to generate a pattern from the hash;

instructions to compute a content signature from a media signal in the media object;

instructions to combine the content signature and the pattern to form a content dependent pattern; and

instructions to embed the content dependent pattern as a digital watermark into the media object.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising:

instructions to compute a first pattern;

instructions to derive a content dependent signature from a media signal in a media object;

instructions to combine the content dependent signature and the first pattern to form a content dependent pattern; and

instructions to measure the content dependent pattern embedded as a digital watermark in the media signal to provide a measurement of authenticity of the media signal.