Encoding and Decoding Auxiliary Signals

• US 20090232350A1
• Filed: 02/09/2009
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Stach, John, Sharma, Ravi K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,706,570 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0064 Geometric transfor invariant watermarking, e.g. affine transform invariant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0052 Embedding of the watermark in the frequency domain

Abstract

This disclosure describes methods and systems for encoding and decoding signals from a host signal such as audio, video or imagery. One claim recites a method comprising: receiving a host signal carrying an auxiliary signal; extracting data representing at least some features of the host signal, said extracting utilizes one or more processors; using the data representing at least some features of the host signal to determine a key; and detecting the auxiliary signal in a transform domain associated with the key, the detecting utilizes one or more processors. Other claims and combinations are provided as well.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining a media signal representing audio or video;

extracting with one or more processors a reduced-bit representation of the media signal;

adapting a digital watermark embedding process with the reduced-bit representation of the media signal; and

embedding with one or more processors a digital watermark in the media signal with the influenced digital watermark embedding process.

2. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processors to perform the method of claim 1.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the watermark embedding process embeds at least a reference signal in the media signal that is used to correct or compensate for geometric distortion.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the reduced-bit representation is used to generate the reference signal.

5. A method comprising:

obtaining a media signal representing audio or video;

extracting with one or more processors a reduced-bit representation of the media signal;

influencing a digital watermark embedding process with the reduced-bit representation of the media signal; and

embedding with one or more processors a digital watermark in the media signal with the influenced digital watermark embedding process, wherein said act of embedding embeds at least a reference signal in the media signal that is used to correct or compensate for geometric distortion,

the reduced-bit number seeds a pseudorandom number generator used to generate the reference signal.

6. A method comprising:

obtaining a media signal representing audio or video;

extracting data representing at least some features of the media signal said extracting utilizes one or more processors;

influencing a steganographic embedding process with the data; and

steganographically embedding a signal in the media signal with the influenced steganographic embedding process, wherein the steganographic embedding process embeds at least one signal component in a transform domain that is dependent on the data, said steganographically embedding utilizes one or more processors.

7. A method comprising:

obtaining a media signal representing audio or video;

extracting data representing at least some features of the media signal, said extracting utilizes one or more processors;

influencing a steganographic embedding process with the data; and

steganographically embedding a signal in the media signal with the influenced steganographic embedding process, wherein the data is used to generate an embedding key associated with a transform domain, said steganographically embedding utilizes one or more processors.

8. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processors to perform the method of claim 7.

9. A method comprising:

receiving a media signal comprising a digital watermark hidden therein, the media signal representing audio or video electronic signals;

extracting data representing at least some features of the media signal, said extracting utilizes one or more processors;

adapting detection of a digital watermark detector with the data; and

analyzing the media signal to detect the digital watermark hidden therein with the influenced digital watermark detector, said analyzing utilizes one or more processors.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the digital watermark comprises a reference signal, and wherein the data is associated with detecting the reference signal.

11. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processors to perform the method of claim 9.

12. A method comprising:

receiving a media signal comprising a digital watermark hidden therein, the media signal representing audio or video electronic signals;

extracting data representing at least some features of the media signal, said extracting utilizes one or more processors;

influencing detection of a digital watermark detector with the data; and

analyzing the media signal to detect the digital watermark hidden therein with the influenced digital watermark detector, wherein the digital watermark comprises at least one component that is detectable in a transform domain, and wherein the transform domain is associated with data, said analyzing utilizes one or more processors.

13. A method comprising:

receiving a media signal comprising an auxiliary signal, the media signal representing audio or video;

extracting data representing at least some features of the media signal, said extracting utilizes one or more processors;

influencing detection of a signal detector with the data; and

analyzing the media signal to detect the auxiliary signal with the influenced signal detector, wherein the data is used to determine a detection key used by the signal detector to detect the auxiliary signal, said analyzing utilizes one or more processors.

14. A method comprising:

receiving a media signal comprising an auxiliary signal, the media signal comprising audio or video;

extracting data representing at least some features of the media signal, said extracting utilizes one or more processors;

influencing detection of a signal detector with the data; and

analyzing the media signal to detect the auxiliary signal with the influenced signal detector, wherein the data seeds a pseudorandom number generator used at least in part in detecting the auxiliary signal, said analyzing utilizes one or more processors.

15. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processors to perform the method of claim 14.

16. A method comprising:

receiving a media signal comprising a signal hidden therein, the media signal representing audio signals or video signals;

extracting data representing at least some features of the media signal, said extracting utilizes one or more processors;

influencing detection of a signal detector with the data; and

analyzing the media signal to detect the signal hidden therein with the influenced signal detector, wherein the act of influencing detection of the signal detector with the data comprises at least an act of utilizing a transform domain that is associated with data, said analyzing utilizes one or more processors.

17. A method comprising:

receiving a host signal carrying an auxiliary signal;

extracting data representing at least some features of the host signal, said extracting utilizes one or more processors;

using the data representing at least some features of the host signal to determine a key; and

detecting the auxiliary signal in a transform domain associated with the key, said detecting utilizes one or more processors.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the host signal comprises at least audio or imagery.

19. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processors to perform the method of claim 17.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the attributes seed a pseudo-random number generator used to determine the key.

21. A method comprising:

receiving an audio or video signal comprising an auxiliary signal hidden therein;

computing a value associated with the audio or video signal;

influencing detection of a signal detector with the value, the value specifies magnitudes of at least some coefficients associated with the auxiliary signal; and

analyzing the audio or video signal to detect the auxiliary signal with the influenced signal detector.

22. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processors to perform the method of claim 21.

23. The method of claim 21 where the value influences a phase of at least some coefficients associated with the audio or video signal in a transform domain.