Method and apparatus for transmitting, receiving and decoding data using encoded patterns of changing colors

• US 8,555,065 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2011
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Clutch Authentication Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey Thomas Cesnik
• Inventors: Cesnik, Jeffrey Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Hosuk
• Application Number:
  US13/216,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20130051553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 380/200, 713168-170, 713/176, 713/182, 713/186, 726 26- 28, 382/100, 382115-118, 382/124
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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

Abstract

A system and method for encoding, transmitting and decoding data is described which defines a plurality of bit patterns into a predetermined color combination of red/green/blue colors. A message is formed from the plurality of bit patterns and the message is then arranged into a recognizable format with a message protocol. The message is transmitted to a decoder, which decodes the message and displays the message on a display. A use is provided to establish a two factor authentication mechanism to authenticate a user by a requester.

Claims

1. A method of encoding, transmitting and decoding data by a processor comprising the steps of:

a. defining a plurality of bit patterns, each said bit pattern corresponding to a predetermined color combination of red, green and blue channels;

b. encoding a message from said plurality of bit patterns;

c. arranging said message into a recognizable format with a message protocol;

d. transmitting said message as a sequence of flashing colors to a decoder;

e. decoding said message by said decoder; and

f. displaying said message on a display.

2. A method of encoding, transmitting and decoding data by a processor according to claim 1 wherein said encoding step comprises the steps of defining a set of variables including:

a. letting M represent said message to be transmitted and received, defined by an n-bit sequence M=(b₁, b₂, . . . , b_n);

b. letting C be a set of k colors reserved for data encoding, defined as C=(c₁, c₂, . . . , c_k), with each c_i defined as an RGB tuple (r_i, g_i, b_i) and where k is a power of two;

c. letting c_b be a color BLACK, which may appear in C;

d. letting c_w be a reserved color WHITE, not appearing in C;

e. letting c_r be an optional reserved color indicating a sequence of two repeating colors, also not appearing in C;

f. letting d=log₂(k) be the number of data bits represented per color;

g. letting r be the number of data encoding colors per frame, where a frame is an (r+2) block of sequential colors transmitted in group succession;

h. letting f;

[0, k−

1]→

C be a function defined by f(i)=c_i+1, to be used to encode any d-bit value as a color;

i. letting f−

1;

C→

[0, k−

1] be a function defined by f−

1(c_i)=i−

1, which is the inverse of f and is used to decode colors to d-bit values;

j. letting j=n/d, which will be the length of the color sequence to encode M;

k. performing the encoding steps of;

l. padding M so its length is the next multiple of (d*r) to ensure that M'"'"'s encoding ends on an exact frame boundary;

m. dividing M into j sequential and distinct d-bit subsequences (M₁, M₂, . . . , M_j) such that M=M₁M₂ . . . M_j;

n. encoding the subsequences using f into a color sequence E=(e₁, e₂, . . . , e_j) where e_i=f(M_i); and

o. inserting the subsequence (c_w, c_b) every r-th color in E, starting at M₁;

whereby the subsequence (c_w, c_b) serves as a frame delimiter within the protocol as well as max/min calibration values used for value normalization and color detection.

3. A method of encoding, transmitting and decoding data by a processor according to claim 2 wherein an optional step after step n. includes replacing each repeating pair of colors (e_i, e_i+1) where e_i=e_i+1 with (e_i, c_r) whereby repeating colors are encoded with a color transition which is more likely to be detected and decoded properly.

4. A method of encoding, transmitting and decoding data by a processor according to claim 1 wherein said decoding step comprises the steps of defining a set of variables including:

a. letting M represent said message to be transmitted and received, defined by an n-bit sequence M=(b₁, b₂, . . . , b_n);

b. letting C be a set of k colors reserved for data encoding, defined as C=(c₁, c₂, . . . , c_k), with each c_i defined as an RGB tuple (r_i, g_i, b_i) and where k is a power of two;

c. letting c_b be a color BLACK, which may appear in C;

d. letting c_w be a reserved color WHITE, not appearing in C;

e. letting c_r be an optional reserved color indicating a sequence of two repeating colors, also not appearing in C;

f. letting d=log₂(k), the number of data bits represented per color;

g. letting r be the number of data encoding colors per frame, where a frame is an (r+2) block of sequential colors transmitted in group succession;

h. letting f;

[0, k−

1]→

C be a function defined by f(i)=c_i+1, to used to encode any d-bit value as a color;

i. letting f<sup>−

1</sup>;

C→

[0, k−

1] be a function defined by f<sup>−

1</sup>(c_i)=i, which is the inverse of f and is used to decode colors to d-bit values;

j. letting j=n/d, which will be the length of the color sequence to encode M;

k. performing the decoding steps of;

l. dividing S into subsequences, (S₁, S₂, . . . , S_n) bounded by local maxima corresponding to c_w and of length equal to the number of colors per frame (r), plus the framing delimiters (c_w, c_b);

m. calibrating and transforming all values within each frame S_i, use the local maxima'"'"'s and minima'"'"'s r, g, b values corresponding to the transmitted (c_w, c_b) values to yielding the original transmitted sequence E;

n. restoring the original M_i subsequences of M by applying f<sup>−

1</sup> to each element of E;

(f<sup>−

1</sup>(e_l), f<sup>−

1</sup>(e₂) . . . , f<sup>−

1</sup>(e_j))=(f<sup>−

1</sup>(f(M₁)), f<sup>−

1</sup>(f(M₂)), . . . , f<sup>−

1</sup>(f(M_j))=(M₁, M₂, . . . , M_j); and

o. concatenating each M_i to obtain M;

M=M₁M₂ . . . M_j.

5. A method of encoding, transmitting and decoding data by a processor according to claim 4 wherein an optional step after step m. includes restoring duplicate symbols by replacing each e_i=c_r in E with its predecessor e_i−

1.

6. A method of encoding, transmitting and decoding data by a processor according to claim 1 wherein said defining step includes representing a binary number that corresponds to said predetermined color combination of red, green and blue channels.

7. A method of encoding, transmitting and decoding data by a processor according to claim 1 wherein said defining step includes representing character data that corresponds to said predetermined color combination of red, green and blue channels.

8. A method of encoding, transmitting and decoding data by a processor according to claim 1 wherein said transmitting step is performed at a bit rate in the range of approximately 30 to 300 bits per second.

9. A method of encoding, transmitting and decoding data by a processor according to claim 1 wherein said transmitting step of said encoded data is performed by a transmitter selected from the group consisting essentially of a computer screen, a television and a projection system.

10. A method of encoding, transmitting and decoding data by a processor according to claim 1 wherein said decoding step is performed by a decoder selected from the group consisting essentially of an RGB color sensor, a cell phone with video capability and a video capable smart device.

11. A method of encoding, transmitting and decoding data by a processor according to claim 1 wherein the arranging protocol step includes a calibration protocol providing a full-intensity combination of red, green and blue color channels at predetermined sequences during the transmission.

12. A two factor authentication method comprising the steps of:

a. Entering a user name to a requester by a user wishing to be authenticated;

b. Looking up a cryptographic key by requester, said key corresponding to a user'"'"'s implementing device,

c. encoding a challenge as changing colors that only the user'"'"'s device can successfully decode;

d. presenting the encoded challenge to the user as a sequence of flashing colors on a display screen;

e. holding the implementing device up to the display screen by the user;

f. decoding the challenge by the implementing device;

g. decrypting the challenge by the implementing device;

h. submitting the password and successfully decoded and decrypted challenge by the user to the requester;

i. determining whether or not the challenge corresponds to the encoded challenge by the requester and therefore whether or not the identity and validity of the user corresponds to a stored record.

13. A two factor authentication method according to claim 12 wherein said encoding step comprises encoding a challenge phrase as changing colors that only the user'"'"'s implementing device can successfully decode.

14. A two factor authentication method according to claim 12 wherein said encoding step comprises encoding a challenge that includes a set of characters as changing colors that only the user'"'"'s implementing device can successfully decode.

15. A two factor authentication system comprising:

a. a transmitter configured to display a plurality of bit patterns as a sequence of flashing colors in a predetermined color combination of red, green and blue channels;

b. an implementing device having a microprocessor and a display; and

c. said microprocessor configured to decode and decrypt said plurality of bit patterns displayed by said transmitter into a challenge;

whereby said challenge is displayed on said display of said implementing device, to provide a security system that allows a user to respond to said transmitter with a decoded and decrypted challenge to pass a two factor authentication test.