Method and system for encoding image and audio content

• US 6,647,129 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2002
• Issued: 11/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Application Number:
  US10/142,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20030026451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/232, 348/460, 348/461, 348/473, 348/474, 380/201, 380/202, 380/203, 380/210, 380/216, 380/231, 380/287, 380/54, 381/73.1, 704/200.1, 704/273, 370/527, 370/529, 713/176, 725/14, 725/18, 725/20
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1408 by using cryptography for digital transmission H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• 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 1/005 Robust watermarking, e.g. average attack or collusion attack resistant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0057 Compression invariant watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0052 Embedding of the watermark in the frequency domain
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/253 visually
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0032 using holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/004 using digital security elements, e.g. information coded on a magnetic thread or strip
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/26 for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus ticket printing or the like apparatus G07F17/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• 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: G07F 7/1016 Devices or methods for securing the PIN and other transaction-data, e.g. by encryption arrangements for secret communication, see H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/12 Card verification
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00007 Time or data compression or expansion audio compression based on psychoacoustics G10L19/00; data processing for reproducing audio data at different playback speeds G10L21/04; video compression H04N19/00; data compression per se H03M7/30
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00094 : involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00115 : wherein the record carrier stores a unique medium identifier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00166 : involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier, e.g. music or software
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00181 : using a content identifier, e.g. an international standard recording code [ISRC] or a digital object identifier [DOI]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 : involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• 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: G11B 20/10037 : A/D conversion, D/A conversion, sampling, slicing and digital quantisation or adjusting parameters thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 : Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/00014 : the compressed signal being an audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10546 : specifically adapted for audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10555 : wherein the frequency, the amplitude, or other characteristics of the audio signal is taken into account
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/665 : using psychoacoustic properties of the ear, e.g. masking effect
• 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 1/32144 : 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 1/32203 : 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 1/32251 : in multilevel data, e.g. greyscale or continuous tone data
• 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 2005/91321 : the copy protection signal being a copy protection control signal, e.g. a record inhibit signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91335 : the copy protection signal being a watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91342 : the copy protection signal being an authentication signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/9135 : by superimposing the spectrally spread copy protection signal onto the video signal
• 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 2201/3226 : 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 2201/327 : which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3271 : Printing or stamping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/328 : Processing of the additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/89 : using holographic recording H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/90 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 : using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 : involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 283/901 : Concealed data

Abstract

Image or audio content data is encoded to steganographically convey plural bit auxiliary data. The content data is thereafter subjected to lossy compression/decompression, and the auxiliary data can still be recovered and used, e.g., to control associated audio or video equipment.

Claims

1. A method of embedding multi-bit auxiliary data into an input motion picture or content signal that is thereafter compressed to yield a compressed signal, and thereafter discerning the multi-bit auxiliary data from a non-identical counterpart to a signal obtained by decompressing the compressed signal, the method comprising:

providing an input content signal comprising a plurality of samples, each sample having a value associated therewith;

for each of a plurality of samples, transforming the value thereof in accordance with at least some of said multi-bit auxiliary data, wherein a first encoded content signal is produced having the auxiliary data embedded therein;

compressing the first encoded content signal;

decompressing the compressed, first encoded content signal to produce a second encoded content signal, said second encoded content signal being non-identical to the first encoded content signal due to said compression/decompression process; and

discerning the multi-bit auxiliary data from the second encoded content signal without reference to the input content signal.

2. The method of claim 1 in which all of said acts occur in the spatial image domain, rather than some occurring in a transformed, frequency domain.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the transforming includes also processing the value of said plurality of samples in accordance with samples of a pseudo-random noise signal.

4. A method of embedding multi-bit auxiliary data into an input audio content signal that is thereafter compressed to yield a compressed signal, and thereafter discerning the multi-bit auxiliary data from a non-identical counterpart to a signal obtained by decompressing the compressed signal, the method comprising:

providing an input content signal comprising a plurality of samples, each sample having a value associated therewith;

for each of a plurality of samples, transforming the value thereof in accordance with at least some of said multi-bit auxiliary data, wherein a first encoded content signal is produced having the auxiliary data embedded therein;

compressing the first encoded content signal;

decompressing the compressed, first encoded content signal to produce a second encoded content signal, said second encoded content signal being non-identical to the first encoded content signal due to said compression/decompression process; and

discerning the multi-bit auxiliary data from the second encoded content signal without reference to the input content signal.

5. The method of claim 4 in which all of said acts occur in the temporal domain, rather than some occurring in a transformed, frequency domain.

6. The method of claim 4 in which the transforming includes also processing the value of said plurality of samples in accordance with samples of a pseudo-random noise signal.

7. A method of embedding multi-bit auxiliary data into an input motion picture content signal that is thereafter compressed to yield a compressed signal, and thereafter discerning the multi-bit auxiliary data from a non-identical counterpart to a signal obtained by decompressing the compressed signal, the method comprising:

providing an input content signal comprising a plurality of samples, each sample having a value associated therewith;

for each of a plurality of samples, transforming the value thereof in accordance with at least some of said multi-bit auxiliary data, wherein an encoded content signal is produced having the auxiliary data embedded therein;

wherein the encoded content signal can undergo lossy compression/decompression, and the auxiliary data can still be discerned therefrom, notwithstanding said losses.

8. A method of embedding multi-bit auxiliary data into an input audio content signal that is thereafter compressed to yield a compressed signal, and thereafter discerning the multi-bit auxiliary data from a non-identical counterpart to a signal obtained by decompressing the compressed signal, the method comprising:

providing an input content signal comprising a plurality of samples, each sample having a value associated therewith;

for each of a plurality of samples, transforming the value thereof in accordance with at least some of said multi-bit auxiliary data, wherein an encoded content signal is produced having the auxiliary data embedded therein;

wherein the encoded content signal can undergo lossy compression/decompression, and the auxiliary data can still be discerned therefrom, notwithstanding said losses.