Systems and methods for metadata embedding in streaming medical data

• US 8,891,814 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2012
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Vlachos, Michail, Yu, Philip S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Liew, Alex
• Application Number:
  US13/491,561
• Publication Number:
  US 20120281894A1
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382128-134
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0071 using multiple or alternating watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0051 Embedding of the watermark in the spatial domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0052 Embedding of the watermark in the frequency domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0061 Embedding of the watermark in each block of the image, e.g. segmented watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0083 whereby only watermarked image required at decoder, e.g. source-based, blind, oblivious

Abstract

Systems and methods for embedding metadata such as personal patient information within actual medical data signals obtained from a patient are provided wherein two watermarks, a robust watermark and a fragile watermark are embedded in a given medical data signal. The robust watermark includes a binary coded representation of the metadata that is incorporated into the frequency domain of the medical data signal using discrete Fourier transformations and additive embedding. Error correcting code can also be added to the binary representation of the metadata using Hamming coding. A given robust watermark can be incorporated multiple times in the medical data signal. The fragile watermark is added on top of the modified medical signal containing the robust watermark in the spatial domain of the modified medical signal. The fragile watermark utilizes hash function to generate random sequences that are incorporated through the medical data signal.

Claims

1. A method for embedding metadata within medical data, the method comprising:

embedding within actual medical data in a given medical data signal a robust watermark comprising an encrypted version of metadata related to the actual medical data that given medical data signal wherein removal of the robust watermark disturbs the actual medical data; and

embedding a fragile watermark into that given medical data signal on top of a resulting medical data signal containing the robust watermark in least significant bits of the medical data signal to provide tamper identification of the actual medical data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of embedding the robust watermark further comprises embedding the robust watermark in a transformed domain of the given medical data signal.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising using an orthogonal transform to provide the transformed domain.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the orthogonal transform comprises a Fourier transform or wavelet decomposition.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of embedding the robust watermark in the transformed domain further comprises using at least one of additive embedding and multiplicative embedding to alter only the magnitude of a plurality of coefficients in the transformed domain within the given medical data signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the given medical data signal comprises a one dimensional time-series sequence.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of embedding the robust watermark further comprises applying an inverse discrete Fourier transformation to a discrete Fourier transformation comprising magnitude modified descriptors to obtain a modified time-series sequence of the medical data signal containing the embedded metadata.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of embedding the robust watermark further comprises embedding a plurality of copies of the robust watermark into the medical data signal.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of embedding the robust watermark further comprises:

partitioning the time-series sequence into a plurality of subsequences; and

embedding the robust watermark in each one of the plurality of subsequences.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein each subsequence comprises a first bit string length, the watermark comprises a second bit string length and the first bit string length is three times the second bit string length.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of embedding the robust watermark further comprises randomly generating a binary code representation of the metadata using the metadata in combination with a secret key.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of randomly generating the binary code further comprises using the metadata and the secret key in a cryptographically secure hash function.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of embedding the robust watermark further comprises incorporating an error correcting code into the binary code representation of the metadata.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of incorporating the error correcting code further comprises using Hamming coding.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of using Hamming coding further comprises mapping four bit groupings from the binary code into seven bit groupings.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of embedding the fragile watermark further comprises embedding the fragile watermark in a spatial domain of the medical data signal.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata comprises personal information for a patient from which the medical data signal was obtained.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing a computer-readable code that when read by a computer causes the computer to perform a method for embedding metadata within medical data, the method comprising:

embedding within actual medical data in a given medical data signal a robust watermark comprising an encrypted version of metadata related to the actual medical data that given medical data signal wherein removal of the robust watermark disturbs the actual medical data; and

embedding a fragile watermark into that given medical data signal on top of a resulting medical data signal containing the robust watermark in least significant bits of the medical data signal to provide tamper identification of the actual medical data.