Watermarking an image in color plane separations and detecting such watermarks

• US 6,763,122 B1
• Filed: 10/23/2000
• Issued: 07/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Miller, Marc, Reed, Alastair M., Rodriguez, Tony, Gustafson, Ammon, Rhoads, Geoffrey B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jayanti K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Choobin, Barry
• Application Number:
  US09/694,465
• Time in Patent Office: 1,359 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/162, 382/167, 382/175, 382/163, 713/176, 358/1.9, 358/518, 358/500, 358/3.28, 715/517, 283/70, 283/73, 380/51, 380/243, 101/54, 101/453
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0028 Adaptive watermarking, e.g. Human Visual System [HVS]-based watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/005 Robust watermarking, e.g. average attack or collusion attack resistant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0065 Extraction of an embedded watermark; Reliable detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32309 in colour image data
• 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

Abstract

Colored images are divided into color planes and watermarks are inserted into the individual color planes. One or more watermarks can be inserted into one or more of the color planes. In order to print a color image the image is divided into color planes corresponding to the colors of ink used for printing. A separate plate is used to print each color. The different plates must be precisely aligned. Any misalignment will cause blurring in the image and may make it difficult or impossible to read a watermark in the image. Misalignment of the plates can cause the watermark data in one color plane to, in effect, cancel out the watermark data in a different color plane. With the present invention a watermark is inserted into a selected color plane only, thus there is no cancellation due to misalignment of color plates. The watermark detection and reading can be done after the image is divided into color planes.

Claims

1. A method of watermarking an image comprising the steps of

dividing said image into color planes,

determining the dominant color plane in said image,

inserting watermarking data in said dominant color plane,

whereby misregistration of color plates when said image is printed will not affect the detectability or readability of said watermarking data.

2. A method of watermarking an image comprising the steps of

dividing said image into color planes,

dividing each color plane into multiple areas,

determining the dominant color plane in each of said areas,

inserting watermarking data in the dominant color plane in each area,

whereby misregistration of color plates when said image is printed will not affect the detectability or readability of said watermarking data.

3. A method of watermarking an image comprising the steps of

dividing said image into color planes,

determining the dominant color plane in said image,

inserting watermark data in said dominant color plane if said dominant color plane is on the yellow-blue axis and inserting the watermark data in the strongest secondary color plane if said dominant color plane is not on the yellow-blue axis, whereby misregistration of color plates when said image is printed will not affect the delectability or readability of said watermark.

4. A method of watermarking an image comprising:

dividing an image into a plurality of color planes;

inserting a digital watermark into at least one of the color planes; and

using separate printing plates to print each of said color planes,

wherein said watermark is adaptively inserted into the at least one of the color planes.

5. The method recited in claim 4 wherein watermarks are inserted in two or more of said color planes.

6. A method of watermarking media comprising:

dividing the media into color planes;

determining the dominant color plane in the media; and

inserting watermark data in the dominant color plane,

wherein misalignment of printing color plates will not render the watermark data undetectable when the media is printed with the misaligned color plates.

7. A method of steganographically marking media comprising:

dividing the media into different colors;

determining a first dominant color of the different colors; and

steganographically inserting data in the first dominant color if the first dominant color is on the yellow-blue axis and steganographically inserting the data in a second dominant color if the first dominant color is not on the yellow-blue axis,

wherein the first dominant color is more dominant than the second dominant color, and wherein misalignment of printing color plates will not render the data undetectable when the media is printed with the misaligned color plates.

8. A method of watermarking media comprising:

dividing the media into a plurality of colors;

adaptively inserting a digital watermark into the dominant color; and

using separate printing plates to respectively print each of said colors,

wherein the digital watermark remains detectable despite printing plate misalignment.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising inserting a digital watermark into a less dominant color.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the digital watermark in the less dominate color has a first orientation, and the digital watermark in the dominant color has a second different orientation.