Methods and apparatus for embedding watermarks

• US 8,351,645 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2011
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Media Research, Inc. (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Srinivasan, Venugopal
• Primary Examiner(s): Tabatabai, Abolfazl
• Application Number:
  US13/283,271
• Publication Number:
  US 20120039504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 439 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/232, 382/240, 713/176, 713/179, 380/51, 380/54, 380/252, 380/287, 370522-529, 283/72, 283 74- 81, 283/85, 283/93, 283/113, 283/901, 358/3.28
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/0212 using orthogonal transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/27 characterised by the analysis technique

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for embedding a watermark are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein to embed a watermark in a compressed data stream comprises obtaining a set of transform coefficients included in the compressed data stream, the set of transform coefficients having a respective first set of mantissa codes and a respective set of exponents, the first set of mantissa codes associated with a respective set of mantissa step sizes, identifying a first transform coefficient from the set of transform coefficients having a smallest magnitude among the set of transform coefficients, determining a second set of mantissa codes based on the first transform coefficient and the set of step sizes, and replacing the first set of mantissa codes included in the compressed data stream with the second set of mantissa codes to embed the watermark without uncompressing the compressed data stream.

Claims

1. A method to embed a watermark in a compressed data stream, the method comprising:

obtaining a set of transform coefficients included in the compressed data stream, the set of transform coefficients comprising a first set of mantissa codes and a set of exponents, the first set of mantissa codes associated with a respective set of step sizes;

identifying a first transform coefficient from the set of transform coefficients having a smallest magnitude among the set of transform coefficients;

determining a second set of mantissa codes based on the first transform coefficient and the set of step sizes; and

replacing the first set of mantissa codes in the compressed data stream with the second set of mantissa codes to embed the watermark without uncompressing the compressed data stream.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein determining the second set of mantissa codes based on the first transform coefficient and the set of step sizes comprises normalizing the first set of mantissa codes based on the first transform coefficient.

3. A method as defined in claim 2 further comprising adjusting a first mantissa code from the first set of mantissa codes by a first amount to determine a corresponding second mantissa code to be included in the second set of mantissa codes, the first mantissa code being associated with the first transform coefficient.

4. A method as defined in claim 3 further comprising adjusting the first set of mantissa codes, except for the first mantissa code, based on the normalized first set of mantissa codes and the set of step sizes to determine the second set of mantissa codes.

5. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the watermark comprises different combinations of frequency components used to represent different possible data values.

6. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the watermark conveys information identifying media content conveyed by the compressed data stream.

7. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the compressed data stream comprises a compressed audio data stream, and the set of transform coefficients comprises a set of transform modified discrete cosine transform coefficients.

8. A tangible machine readable storage device or optical disk, storing machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

obtain a set of transform coefficients included in a compressed data stream, the set of transform coefficients comprising a first set of mantissa codes and a set of exponents, the first set of mantissa codes associated with a respective set of step sizes;

identify a first transform coefficient from the set of transform coefficients having a smallest magnitude among the set of transform coefficients;

determine a second set of mantissa codes based on the first transform coefficient and the set of step sizes; and

replace the first set of mantissa codes in the compressed data stream with the second set of mantissa codes to embed a watermark in the compressed data stream without uncompressing the compressed data stream.

9. A storage device or optical disk, as defined in claim 8 wherein to determine the second set of mantissa codes based on the first transform coefficient and the set of step sizes, the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to normalize the first set of mantissa codes based on the first transform coefficient.

10. A storage device or optical disk, as defined in claim 9 wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to adjust a first mantissa code from the first set of mantissa codes by a first amount to determine a corresponding second mantissa code to be included in the second set of mantissa codes, the first mantissa code being associated with the first transform coefficient.

11. A storage device or optical disk, as defined in claim 10 wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to adjust the first set of mantissa codes, except for the first mantissa code, based on the normalized first set of mantissa codes and the set of step sizes to determine the second set of mantissa codes.

12. A storage device or optical disk, as defined in claim 8 wherein the watermark comprises different combinations of frequency components used to represent different possible data values.

13. A storage device or optical disk, as defined in claim 8 wherein the watermark conveys information identifying media content conveyed by the compressed data stream.

14. A storage device or optical disk, as defined in claim 8 wherein the compressed data stream comprises a compressed audio data stream, and the set of transform coefficients comprises a set of transform modified discrete cosine transform coefficients.

15. A system to embed a watermark in a compressed data stream, the system comprising:

an interface to receive a compressed data stream; and

a processor to;

obtain a set of transform coefficients included in a compressed data stream, the set of transform coefficients comprising a first set of mantissa codes and a set of exponents, the first set of mantissa codes associated with a respective set of step sizes;

identify a first transform coefficient from the set of transform coefficients having a smallest magnitude among the set of transform coefficients;

determine a second set of mantissa codes based on the first transform coefficient and the set of step sizes; and

replace the first set of mantissa codes in the compressed data stream with the second set of mantissa codes to embed the watermark without uncompressing the compressed data stream.

16. A system as defined in claim 15 wherein to determine the second set of mantissa codes based on the first transform coefficient and the set of step sizes, the processor is to normalize the first set of mantissa codes based on the first transform coefficient.

17. A system as defined in claim 16 wherein the processor further is to adjust a first mantissa code from the first set of mantissa codes by a first amount to determine a corresponding second mantissa code to be included in the second set of mantissa codes, the first mantissa code being associated with the first transform coefficient.

18. A system as defined in claim 17 wherein the processor further is to adjust the first set of mantissa codes, except for the first mantissa code, based on the normalized first set of mantissa codes and the set of step sizes to determine the second set of mantissa codes.

19. A system as defined in claim 15 wherein the watermark conveys information identifying media content conveyed by the compressed data stream, and the watermark comprises a different combination of frequency components used to represent different possible data values.

20. A system as defined in claim 15 wherein the compressed data stream comprises a compressed audio data stream, and the set of transform coefficients comprises a set of transform modified discrete cosine transform coefficients.