Digital watermarks

• US 8,483,426 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2010
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B., Carr, J. Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): TUCKER, WESLEY J
• Application Number:
  US12/881,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20110058707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/232
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1418 the inserts being deformed or preformed, e.g. by the injection pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/00 Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof printing processes to produce identification or security features B41M3/14
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/29 Securities; Bank notes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/14 the marking being sensed by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/18 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06253 for a specific application
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1447 extracting optical codes from image or text carrying said optical code
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• 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 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0028 Adaptive watermarking, e.g. Human Visual System [HVS]-based watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0057 Compression invariant watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0051 Embedding of the watermark in the spatial domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0202 whereby the quality of watermarked images is measured; Measuring quality or performance of watermarking methods; Balancing between quality and robustness
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/253 : visually
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0034 : using watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/004 : using digital security elements, e.g. information coded on a magnetic thread or strip
• 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: G10L 19/018 : Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• 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: 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 1/32122 : in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• 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 1/3216 : using Fourier transforms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32187 : with selective or adaptive application of the additional information, e.g. in selected frequency coefficients
• 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 1/32219 : involving changing the position of selected pixels, e.g. word shifting, or involving modulating the size of image components, e.g. of characters H04N1/32224 takes 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32277 : Compression
• 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 1/32304 : Embedding different sets of additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32352 : Controlling detectability or arrangements to facilitate detection or retrieval of the embedded information, e.g. using markers for decoding, detection or retrieval operations H04N1/32149 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23892 : involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 : involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• 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 2201/3225 : of data relating to an image, a page or a document
• 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 2201/3239 : using a plurality of different authentication information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3249 : data relating to a linked page or object, e.g. hyperlink
• 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 2201/3274 : Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/328 : Processing of the additional information

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to information encoding, data hiding, steganography and digital watermarking. One claim recites: using a programmed electronic processor, encoding content with a plural-bit digital watermark in accordance with initial encoding parameters; determining an assessment of the encoded plural-bit digital watermark in each of two or more portions of the content; for each of the two or more portions of the content, adjusting at least one of the initial encoding parameters according to a determined assessment for a respective portion of the content; and using a programmed electronic processor, encoding the content with said plural-bit watermark in accordance with adjusted encoding parameters. Other claims are provided as well.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

encoding, using an electronic processor, content with a plural-bit digital watermark in accordance with initial encoding parameters to yield an encoded content;

transforming the encoded content to yield a transformed encoded content;

reverse transforming the transformed encoded content to yield a reverse transformed encoded content;

determining an assessment of the encoded plural-bit digital watermark in each of two or more portions of the reverse transformed encoded content;

for each of the two or more portions of the content, adjusting at least one of the initial encoding parameters according to the assessment for a respective portion of the content; and

encoding the content with the plural-bit watermark in accordance with the at least one adjusted encoding parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the portions of the content comprises two or more bits of the plural-bit digital watermark.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the content comprises audio or video.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the assessment comprises a signal to noise ratio.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the assessment corresponds to a robustness of a portion of the digital watermark encoded in a respective portion of the content.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the robustness corresponds to two or more bits of the plural-bit digital watermark.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the assessment corresponds to an encoding strength or signal strength.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the two or more portions each comprises transform domain values or coefficients.

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

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to cause an electronic processor to perform the method of claim 5.

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

12. An electronic apparatus programmed to perform the method of claim 1.

13. An electronic apparatus programmed to perform the method of claim 5.

14. An electronic apparatus programmed to perform the method of claim 6.

15. A method comprising:

obtaining a first content item from a batch of N content items, where N comprises an integer;

embedding, using an electronic processor, watermark information in the first content item to yield a watermarked first content item;

transforming the watermarked first content item, yielding a transformed watermarked first content item;

reverse transforming the transformed watermarked first content item to yield a reverse transformed watermarked first content item;

determining one or more parameters based on the reverse transformed watermarked first content item;

utilizing the one or more parameters to inform a subsequent embedding process; and

embedding watermarks in the second to N content items with the informed subsequent embedding process.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the N content items comprise audio or video.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the watermarks comprise plural-bit data.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the act of transforming comprises compression.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more parameters correspond to signal intensity.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the N content items comprise audio-visual works.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to cause an electronic processor to perform the method of claim 15.

22. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to cause an electronic processor to perform the method of claim 19.

23. An electronic apparatus programmed to perform the method of claim 15.

24. An electronic apparatus programmed to perform the method of claim 19.

25. A method comprising:

obtaining data corresponding to user input, the user input relating to data transformation;

encoding, using an electronic processor, information in content to yield an encoded content;

transforming the encoded content with reference to at least the data to yield a transformed encoded content;

reverse transforming the transformed encoded content to yield a reverse transformed encoded content;

analyzing the reverse transformed encoded content; and

based at least in part on the analyzing, determining whether to encode the information in the content under different encoding conditions.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the content comprises audio or video.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the information comprises plural-bits.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the user input indicates a relative level of transformation.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the act of analyzing determines a relative strength of the encoding within the content.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the act of encoding acts upon transform domain coefficients.