Determining whether two or more creative works correspond

• US 7,593,545 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2008
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Nitzberg, Mark, Powell, Robert D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns; Andrew W
• Application Number:
  US12/189,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20080298703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/232, 380/210, 380/287, 380/54, 713/176, 370/527, 370/259, 348/461
• US Class Current: 382/100
• 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: G06T 1/0028 Adaptive watermarking, e.g. Human Visual System [HVS]-based watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0064 Geometric transfor invariant watermarking, e.g. affine transform invariant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0051 Embedding of the watermark in the spatial domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0081 whereby both original and watermarked images are required at decoder, e.g. destination-based, non-blind, non-oblivious
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0047 using checkcodes, e.g. coded numbers derived from serial number and denomination
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0056 involving markings of altered colours
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/2008 using pre-processing, e.g. de-blurring, averaging, normalisation or rotation
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/2033 Matching unique patterns, i.e. patterns that are unique to each individual paper
• 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 7/12 Card verification
• 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 1/32245 Random or pseudorandom selection of pixels
• 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 1/3232 Robust embedding or watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3235 : Checking or certification of the authentication information, e.g. by comparison with data stored independently
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 : which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes

Abstract

The presently claimed invention relates generally to creative works and determining whether two or more creative works correspond. One claim recites a method including the acts of: (a) identifying plural local extrema within a two dimensional array of data signal that corresponds to a first creative work; (b) storing information relating to the plural local extrema identified in act (a) in a computer database for future reference; (c) thereafter, identifying plural local extrema within a two dimensional array of data signal that corresponds to a second creative work; and (d) determining correspondence between information relating to the plural local extrema identified in act (c) with the stored information, to thereby determine whether the first creative work and second creative work correspond. Of course, other claims and combinations are provided as well.

Claims

1. A method comprising the acts of:

(a) identifying plural local extrema within a two dimensional array of data signal that corresponds to a first creative work;

(b) storing information relating to the plural local extrema identified in act (a) in a computer database for future reference;

(c) thereafter, utilizing a configured multi-purpose electronic processor for identifying plural local extrema within a two dimensional array of data signal that corresponds to a second creative work; and

(d) determining correspondence between information relating to the plural local extrema identified in act (c) with the stored information, to thereby determine whether the first creative work and second creative work correspond.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored information comprises a signature for the first creative work, by which it can later be recognized.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said two dimensional arrays comprises an array of image pixels, representing images in a visible domain.

4. The method of claim 1 that further includes altering at least certain of the local extrema identified in act (a) before storing the information in act (b).

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the local extrema comprise local maxima or local minima.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the plural local extrema comprise local maxima or local minima.

7. A programmed computing device storing instructions in memory, said instructions are executable by said programmed computing device to perform the acts of claim 1.

8. A computer readable media comprising instructions stored thereon to cause a multi-purpose electronic processor to perform the acts of claim 1.

9. A method comprising the acts of:

(a) determining plural local extrema within a two dimensional array of data that corresponds to a first creative work;

(b) storing information relating to the plural local extrema determined in act (a) in a record for future reference;

(c) thereafter, utilizing a configured multi-purpose electronic processor for determining plural local extrema within a two dimensional array of data that corresponds to a second creative work; and

(d) using at least a configured multi-purpose electronic processor, determining correspondence between information relating to the plural local extrema identified in act (c) with the stored information, to thereby determine whether the first creative work and second creative work correspond.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the stored information comprises a signature for the first creative work, by which it can later be recognized.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein each of said two dimensional arrays comprises an array of image pixels, representing images in a visible domain.

12. The method of claim 9 that further includes altering at least certain of the local extrema identified in act (a) before storing the information in act (b).

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the local extrema comprise local maxima or local minima.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the plural local extrema comprise local maxima or local minima.

15. A programmed computing device storing instructions in memory, said instructions are executable by said programmed computing device to perform the acts of claim 9.

16. A computer readable media comprising instructions stored thereon to cause a multi-purpose electronic processor to perform the acts of claim 9.

17. An apparatus comprising:

memory; and

a multi-purpose electronic processor configured to;

(a) determine plural local extrema within a two dimensional array of data that corresponds to a first creative work;

(b) store information in said memory, the information relating to the plural local extrema determined in (a) in a record for future reference;

(c) thereafter, determine plural local extrema within a two dimensional array of data that corresponds to a second creative work; and

(d) determine correspondence between information relating to the plural local extrema identified in (c) with the information stored in the memory, to thereby determine whether the first creative work and second creative work correspond.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the stored information comprises a signature for the first creative work, by which it can later be recognized.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein each of said two dimensional arrays comprises an array of image pixels, representing images in a visible domain.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 that further includes altering at least certain of the local extrema identified in (a) before storing the information in (b).

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the local extrema comprise local maxima or local minima.

22. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the plural local extrema comprise local maxima or local minima.

23. The apparatus of claim 17 in which said multi-purpose electronic processor is operating to perform one of the functions recited therein.