Transmarking of multimedia signals

• US 7,373,513 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2001
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Levy, Kenneth L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): Son; Linh L D
• Application Number:
  US09/810,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20010044899A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,615 Days
• Field of Search: 713/176, 382/100, 382/232, 726/26
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/14 the marking being sensed by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/18 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06253 for a specific application
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1447 extracting optical codes from image or text carrying said optical code
• 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: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• 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 2201/0051 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: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/253 visually
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0034 using watermarks
• 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 7/086 : 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: G10L 15/26 : Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• 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 20/00115 : wherein the record carrier stores a unique medium identifier
• 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 20/00884 : 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 2020/10537 : Audio or video recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/31 : using in-band signals, e.g. subsonic or cue signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 : which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 : the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 : Media network packetisation
• 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 1/00973 : from a remote device, e.g. receiving via the internet instructions input to a computer terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32106 : separate from the image data, e.g. in a different computer file
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 : in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 : attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• 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 1/3216 : using Fourier transforms
• 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 1/32229 : with selective or adaptive application of the additional information, e.g. in selected regions of the image H04N1/32213 takes 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 1/32352 : Controlling detectability or arrangements to facilitate detection or retrieval of the embedded information, e.g. using markers for decoding, detection or retrieval operations H04N1/32149 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 : in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23892 : involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 : involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• 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 2201/3225 : of data relating to an image, a page or a document
• 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 2201/3249 : data relating to a linked page or object, e.g. hyperlink
• 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 2201/3274 : Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3276 : of a customised additional information profile, e.g. a profile specific to a user ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 : Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

A method of transmarking a watermarked media signal to adapt the watermark to the robustness and perceptibility constraints of a new environment. This transmarking method detects the first digital watermark in the media signal. It then embeds message information from the first digital watermark into a second digital watermark in the media signal before the media signal undergoes a transformation process. The second digital watermark is adapted to survive the transformation process. A variation of this method detects the first digital watermark in the media signal, converts the media signal to a different format, and embeds message information from the first digital watermark into a second digital watermark in the converted media signal. The second digital watermark is adapted to robustness or perceptibility parameters associated with the new format.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmarking a media signal by acts of;

detecting a first digital watermark in the media signal, the media signal being embedded with the first digital watermark using a first digital watermark embedding method;

embedding detected message information from the first digital watermark into a second digital watermark in the media signal before the media signal undergoes a transformation process such that the second digital watermark is adapted to parameters or characteristics associated with i) the transformation process or ii) with the media signal so as to better survive the transformation process relative to at least the first digital watermark.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second digital watermark is increased in amplitude relative to the first digital watermark to survive the transformation process.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second digital watermark is embedded using a different steganographic embedding method than the first digital watermark embedding method.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first digital watermark is at least partially removed before embedding the second digital watermark.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the message information includes message symbols and further including:

decoding the message symbols from the first watermark; and

re-embedding the decoded message symbols from the first watermark into the second watermark.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the message symbols include an index to a database entry that stores information about the media signal.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the message symbols include a content identifier.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the second digital watermark is embedded using a robustness parameter that is used to control embedding so that the second digital watermark is adapted to survive the transformation process;

and the robustness parameter is specified by a rendering, editing or transmission process that is going to process the media signal after the second digital watermark is embedded in the media signal such that the second digital watermark is adapted to robustness constraints of the rendering, editing or transmission process.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the robustness parameter specifies watermark signal strength, redundancy, or frequency domain locations of the second digital watermark so that the second digital watermark is more likely to survive the transformation process than the first digital watermark.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the second digital watermark is embedded using a perceptual quality parameter that is used to control embedding so that the second digital watermark has a perceptual quality adapted for the transformation process;

and wherein the perceptual quality parameter is specified by a rendering, editing or transmission process that is going to process the media signal after the second digital watermark is embedded in the media signal such that the second digital watermark is adapted to perceptual quality constraints of the rendering, editing or transmission process.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the second digital watermark is embedded using a feedback process that repeatedly embeds at least portions of the second digital watermark and selectively adjusts the strength of the second digital watermark in portions of the media signal according to degradation of the watermark measured after applying a degradation process to the watermarked signal or according to perceptual quality measurements.

12. A computer readable medium on which is stored software for performing the method of claim 1.

13. A method of transmarking a media signal comprising:

detecting a first digital watermark in the media signal, the first digital watermark being embedded in the media signal using a first digital watermark embedding method;

converting the media signal to a different format;

embedding detected message information from the first digital watermark into a second digital watermark in the converted media signal such that the second digital watermark is adapted to robustness or perceptibility parameters associated with the different format.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the different format is a compressed format of the media signal.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the second digital watermark is encoded with greater signal strength than the first digital watermark to survive transformation of the media signal in the different format.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the second digital watermark is encoded with lesser signal strength than the first digital watermark so as to be less perceptible in the different format of the media signal.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein at least a portion of the first digital watermark is removed before converting the media signal to the different format.

18. A computer readable medium comprising software for performing the method of claim 13 stored thereon.

19. A transmarker for transmarking a media signal previously embedded with a first digital watermark using a first digital watermark embedding method, comprising:

means for detecting the first digital watermark in the media signal;

means for embedding detected message information from the first digital watermark into a second digital watermark in the media signal before the media signal undergoes a transformation process such that the second digital watermark is adapted to parameters or characteristics associated with i) the transformation process or ii) with the media signal so as to better survive the transformation process relative to at least the first digital watermark.

20. A transmarker for transmarking a media signal, comprising:

means for detecting a first digital watermark in the media signal, the first digital watermark being embedded in the media signal using a first digital watermark embedding method;

means for converting the media signal to a different format;

means for embedding detected message information from the first digital watermark into a second digital watermark in the converted media signal such that the second digital watermark is adapted to robustness or perceptibility parameters associated with the different format.