System and method for steganographic image display

• US 8,890,892 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2009
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pixar (The Walt Disney Company), Pixar Animation Studios Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Pixar (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Glynn, Dominic, Apodaca, Anthony A., Bogart, Rod, Crawford, David W., Nemeth, Ed
• Primary Examiner(s): Amini, Javid A
• Application Number:
  US12/617,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20110122152A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,832 Days
• Field of Search: 345/629, 348/239
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2358/00 Arrangements for display data security
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/001 using specific devices not provided for in groups G09G3/02 - G09G3/36, e.g. using an intermediate record carrier such as a film slide; Projection systems; Display of non-alphanumerical information, solely or in combination with alphanumerical information, e.g. digital display on projected diapositive as background slide projectors per se G03B23/00 = 42 HP
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for generating images. The method includes receiving first and second target images. The method further includes computing a delta image based on a difference between the first target image and the second target image and a technique for multiplexing a first display image with the delta image, where the first display image multiplexed with the delta image, when viewed by a person in an ambient setting, is perceived as the second target image. Advantageously, a hidden image is obscured from an ambient observer, while still providing the ambient observer with a target image that is intended to be perceived.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating images, the method comprising:

receiving a first target image comprising a first human-perceptible image;

receiving a second target image, dissimilar from the first target image, comprising a second human-perceptible image;

subtracting the second target image from the first target image, at each image location, to generate a first display image;

generating a second display image that is perceivable as the second target image;

splitting the second display image into a third display image and a fourth display image, wherein neither the third display image nor the fourth display image is recognizable as the second target image, and

multiplexing the first display image with the third display image and the fourth display image to generate a fifth display image that is perceivable as the first target image when viewed in an ambient setting;

wherein the fifth display image, when viewed via a visual aid, is perceivable as the second target image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second display image is similar to the second target image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second display image corresponds to the second target image but is not similar to the second target image.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the first display image multiplexed with the second display image on a display device, or storing the first display image multiplexed with the second display image in a memory.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein displaying comprises projecting the first display image and the second display image in an alternating pattern.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first display image multiplexed with the second display image, when viewed by the person though a shutter that blocks one display image each time that image is projected, is perceived as the second target image to the person.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the first display image multiplexed with the second display image, when viewed by the person though a filter that blocks one display image, is perceived as the second target image.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein multiplexing the first display image with the second display image comprises performing time division multiplexing.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein multiplexing the first display image with the second display image comprises performing wavelength division multiplexing, phase division multiplexing, polarization multiplexing, and/or chromatic multiplexing.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein computing the first display image and the second display image is further based in part on a difference between a first compare image that is perceived when the first display image multiplexed with the second display image is displayed on a first display device and a second compare image that is perceived when the first target image is displayed on a second display device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein computing the first display image and the second display image is further based in part on a difference between a first compare image that is perceived when the first display image multiplexed with the second display image is viewed by the person though a filter that blocks one display image and a second compare image that is perceived when the second target image is displayed on a second display device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first target image represents a scene that is a subset of a scene represented by the second target image.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the second target image represents a scene that is a subset of a scene represented by the first target image.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first target image is visually unrelated to the second target image.

15. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a computer system to generate images, by performing the steps of:

receiving a first target image comprising a first human-perceptible image;

receiving a second target image, dissimilar from the first target image, comprising a second human-perceptible image;

subtracting the second target image from the first target image, at each image location, to generate a first display image;

generating a second display image that is perceivable as the second target image;

splitting the second display image into a third display image and a fourth display image, wherein neither the third display image nor the fourth display image is recognizable as the second target image, and

multiplexing the first display image with the fourth display image and the fifth display image to generate a fifth display image that is perceivable as the first target image when viewed in an ambient setting;

wherein the fifth display image, when viewed via the visual aid, is perceivable as the second target image.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the second display image is similar to the second target image.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the second display image corresponds to the second target image but is not similar to the second target image.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the first display image multiplexed with the second display image, when viewed by the person though a filter that blocks one display image, is perceived as the second target image.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein multiplexing the first display image with the second display image comprises performing time division multiplexing, wavelength division multiplexing, phase division multiplexing, polarization multiplexing, and/or chromatic multiplexing.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein computing the first display image and the second display image is further based in part on a difference between a first compare image that is perceived when the first display image multiplexed with the second display image is displayed on a first display device and a second compare image that is perceived when the first target image is displayed on a second display device.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein computing the first display image and the second display image is further based in part on a difference between a first compare image that is perceived when the first display image multiplexed with the second display image is viewed by the person though a filter that blocks one display image and a second compare image that is perceived when the second target image is displayed on a second display device.

22. A system, comprising:

a device configured to;

cause a first display image, that is perceivable as a first human-perceptible target image when viewed in an ambient setting, to be displayed,

wherein the first display image is generated by multiplexing a second display image with a third display image and a fourth display image,

wherein the third display image and the fourth display image are generated by splitting a fifth display image into the third display image and the fourth display image;

wherein the fifth display image is generated by subtracting a second human-perceptible target image, dissimilar from the first human-perceptible target image, from the first human-perceptible target image, at each image location,

wherein the second display image is perceivable as the second human-perceptible target image,

wherein the first display image, when viewed via a visual aid, is perceivable as the second human-perceptible target image.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the fifth display image is similar to the second target image.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the fifth display image corresponds to the second target image but is not similar to the second target image.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the device is further configured to multiplex the second display image with the fifth display image.

26. The system of claim 22, further comprising a multiplexing device configured to multiplex the second display image with the fifth display image.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein the second display image multiplexed with the fifth display image, when viewed by the person though a filter that blocks one display image, is perceived as the second target image.

28. The system of claim 22, wherein the second display image is multiplexed with the third display image and the fourth display image using time division multiplexing, wavelength division multiplexing, phase division multiplexing, polarization multiplexing, and/or chromatic multiplexing.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein the device comprises a film projector.

30. The system of claim 22, wherein the device comprises a media player configured to playback an optical disc or digital data on a display device.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the display device comprises a television or computer display or digital projector.

32. A computer-implemented method for generating images, the method comprising:

receiving a first target image comprising a first human-perceptible image;

receiving a second target image, dissimilar from the first target image, comprising a second human-perceptible image;

receiving a third target image, dissimilar from the first target image, comprising a third human-perceptible image;

subtracting the second target image and the third target image from the first target image, at each image location, to generate a first display image;

generating a second display image that is perceivable as the second target image;

generating a third display image that is perceivable as the third target image;

splitting the third display image into a fourth display image and a fifth display image, wherein neither the fourth display image nor the fifth display image is recognizable as the third target image; and

multiplexing the first display image with the second display image, the fourth display image, and the fifth display image to generate a sixth display image that is perceivable as the first target image when viewed in an ambient setting;

wherein the sixth display image, when viewed via a first visual aid, is perceivable as the second target image,

wherein the sixth display image, when viewed via a second visual aid, is perceivable as the third target image.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the second display image is similar to the second target image, and wherein the third display image is similar to the third target image.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the second display image corresponds to the second target image but is not similar to the second target image, or the third display image corresponds to the third target image but is not similar to the third target image.

35. The method of claim 32, further comprising displaying the first display image multiplexed with the second display image, the fourth display image, and the fifth display image on a display device, or storing the first display image multiplexed with the second display image and the third display image in a memory.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein the first display image multiplexed with the second display image, the fourth display image, and the fifth display image, when viewed by the person though a filter that blocks the first display image and the third display image, is perceived as the second target image.

37. A computer-implemented method for generating images, the method comprising:

receiving a first target image comprising a first human-perceptible image;

receiving a second target image, dissimilar from the first target image, comprising a second human-perceptible image;

subtracting the second target image from the first target image, at each image location, to generate a first display image;

generating a second display image that is perceivable as the second target image; and

multiplexing the first display image with the second display image to generate a third display image that is perceivable as the first target image when viewed in an ambient setting;

wherein the third display image, when viewed via a visual aid, is perceivable as the second target image,

wherein computing the first display image and the second display image is further based in part on a difference between a first compare image that is perceived when the first display image multiplexed with the second display image is displayed on a first display device and a second compare image that is perceived when the first target image is displayed on a second display device.