US5850481A — Steganographic system

Claim 1

Independent Claim 67 words

A paper medium having steganographically encoded data stored therein, the steganographically encoded data being produced in accordance with the following method: providing first and second signals; modulating the first signal with the second to produce a third signal, wherein the second signal cannot be discerned from the third signal without the first signal; shaping the surface micro-topology of the paper medium in accordance with the third signal.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 67 words

A paper medium having steganographically encoded data stored therein, the steganographically encoded data being produced in accordance with the following method: providing first and second signals; modulating the first signal with the second to produce a third signal, wherein the second signal cannot be discerned from the third signal without the first signal; shaping the surface micro-topology of the paper medium in accordance with the third signal.

Claim 3

Independent Claim 72 words

A method of texturing a surface of a physical medium to provide identification markings thereon, the method comprising: providing first and second signals, the first signal being a pseudo-random noise signal; modulating the first signal with the second to produce a third signal, wherein the second signal cannot be discerned from the third signal without the first signal; shaping the surface micro-topology of the physical medium in accordance with the third signal.

Claim 4

Independent Claim 72 words

A method of texturing a surface of a physical medium to provide identification markings thereon, the method comprising: providing first and second signals, the first signal being a pseudo-random noise signal; modulating the first signal with the second to produce a third signal, wherein the second signal cannot be discerned from the third signal without the first signal; shaping the surface micro-topology of the physical medium in accordance with the third signal.

Claim 5

Independent Claim 103 words

A method of texturing a surface of a physical medium to provide identification markings thereon, the method comprising: providing first and second signals, the second signal being a binary signal having "1" and "0" states; modulating the first signal with the second to produce a third signal, wherein the second signal cannot be discerned from the third signal without the first signal; shaping the surface micro-topology of the physical medium in accordance with the third signal, wherein the modulating includes multiplying successive portions of the first signal by first or second multiplicands depending on a binary value of the second signal corresponding thereto.

Claim 6

Independent Claim 103 words

A method of texturing a surface of a physical medium to provide identification markings thereon, the method comprising: providing first and second signals, the second signal being a binary signal having "1" and "0" states; modulating the first signal with the second to produce a third signal, wherein the second signal cannot be discerned from the third signal without the first signal; shaping the surface micro-topology of the physical medium in accordance with the third signal, wherein the modulating includes multiplying successive portions of the first signal by first or second multiplicands depending on a binary value of the second signal corresponding thereto.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 11 words

A document encoded in accordance with the method of claim 3.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 12 words

A plastic card encoded in accordance with the method of claim 3.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 15 words

A physical medium having steganographically encoded data produced in accordance with claim 3 stored therein.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 11 words

A document encoded in accordance with the method of claim 2.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 18 words

The physical medium of claim 6 in which the physical medium comprises a magnetic or electronic storage medium.

Claim 12

Independent Claim 45 words

A method of processing a light sensitive medium prior to exposure, comprising: generating an image having auxiliary data steganographically encoded therein; and exposing the light sensitive medium with said image at an exposure level that does not impair subsequent use of the medium for imaging.

Claim 13

Independent Claim 45 words

A method of processing a light sensitive medium prior to exposure, comprising: generating an image having auxiliary data steganographically encoded therein; and exposing the light sensitive medium with said image at an exposure level that does not impair subsequent use of the medium for imaging.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 9 words

An emulsion film processed in accordance with claim 9.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 9 words

An X-ray film processed in accordance with claim 9.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 12 words

A silver halide photographic printing paper processed in accordance with claim 9.

Claim 17

Independent Claim 159 words

A method of steganographically encoding a set of source data with a set of auxiliary data, each of said sets of data comprising a plurality of elements, the method including: (a) providing a set of independent data, said set of independent data being independent both of the set of auxiliary data and of the set of source data, the set of independent data comprising a plurality of elements; (b) processing one element of said set of independent data in accordance with a corresponding element of the set of auxiliary data to produce a processed datum; (c) combining the processed datum with an element of said set of source data to produce an encoded datum, said combining including performing a binary addition operation between the processed data and said element of source data; and (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) for other elements of the sets of independent, auxiliary data, and source data, thereby producing a set of encoded data.

Claim 18

Independent Claim 159 words

A method of steganographically encoding a set of source data with a set of auxiliary data, each of said sets of data comprising a plurality of elements, the method including: (a) providing a set of independent data, said set of independent data being independent both of the set of auxiliary data and of the set of source data, the set of independent data comprising a plurality of elements; (b) processing one element of said set of independent data in accordance with a corresponding element of the set of auxiliary data to produce a processed datum; (c) combining the processed datum with an element of said set of source data to produce an encoded datum, said combining including performing a binary addition operation between the processed data and said element of source data; and (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) for other elements of the sets of independent, auxiliary data, and source data, thereby producing a set of encoded data.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 12 words

A plastic card encoded in accordance with the method of claim 2.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 100 words

The method of claim 13 in which the elements of the set of source data are bytes each comprised of N bits B 1 , B 2 , B 3 , B 4 . . . B N , where B 1 is a least significant bit and B N is a most significant bit, said addition rippling up the bits of various of said bytes to change bit B 4 in at least certain of said bytes, wherein detectable artifacts of the steganographic encoding persist even if the three least significant bits of each encoded byte are entirely corrupted.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 24 words

The method of claim 13 wherein a difference between the set of encoded data and the set of source data appears as pseudo-random noise.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 142 words

A steganographic encoding method comprising: providing a set of digital data, said set comprising M bytes, each byte including N bits B 1 , B 2 , B 3 , B 4 . . . B N , where B 1 is a least significant bit and B N is a most significant bit; providing a set of overlay data comprising M elements; and adding to each byte of the set of digital data an element of the overlay data corresponding thereto, said adding serving to change a majority of bytes in the set of digital data, said addition rippling up the bits of various of said bytes to change bit B 4 in at least certain of said bytes, wherein detectable artifacts of the steganographic encoding persist even if the three least significant bits of each encoded byte are entirely corrupted.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 142 words

A steganographic encoding method comprising: providing a set of digital data, said set comprising M bytes, each byte including N bits B 1 , B 2 , B 3 , B 4 . . . B N , where B 1 is a least significant bit and B N is a most significant bit; providing a set of overlay data comprising M elements; and adding to each byte of the set of digital data an element of the overlay data corresponding thereto, said adding serving to change a majority of bytes in the set of digital data, said addition rippling up the bits of various of said bytes to change bit B 4 in at least certain of said bytes, wherein detectable artifacts of the steganographic encoding persist even if the three least significant bits of each encoded byte are entirely corrupted.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 48 words

The method of claim 17 in which said addition ripples up the bits of various of said bytes to change bit B 5 in at least certain of said bytes, wherein detectable artifacts of said steganographic encoding persist even if the four least significant bits are entirely corrupted.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 15 words

A physical medium having steganographically encoded data produced in accordance with claim 2 stored therein.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 12 words

The method of claim 13 in which the source data represents video.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 14 words

The method of claim 20 in which the source data represents a video signal.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 16 words

The method of claim 13 in which the independent data is psuedo-random sequence of digital values.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 17 words

The method of claim 13 in which the independent data is perceptually orthogonal to the source data.

Claim 30

Dependent Claim 13 words

The method of claim 13 in which the independent data is Gaussian noise.

Claim 31

Dependent Claim 13 words

The method of claim 13 in which the independent data is white noise.

Claim 32

Dependent Claim 23 words

The method of claim 13 in which the independent data is a noise signal whose histogram has a null at the value "0."

Claim 33

Dependent Claim 14 words

The method of claim 26 in which the noise signal has no "0" values.

Claim 34

Dependent Claim 14 words

The method of claim 13 in which the independent data is a repetitive pattern.

Claim 35

Dependent Claim 22 words

The method of claim 13 which includes deriving the independent data by providing a second set of source data, and scrambling same.

Claim 36

Dependent Claim 18 words

The method of claim 29 in which the second source data represents a human-recognizable image, rather than noise.

Claim 37

Dependent Claim 15 words

The method of claim 30 in which the second source data represents a corporate logo.

Claim 38

Dependent Claim 26 words

The method of claim 13 in which the set of source data comprises pixel values representing an image in the spatial, rather than spatial frequency, domain.

Claim 39

Dependent Claim 26 words

The method of claim 13 in which the set of source data comprises audio sample values representing audio in the time, rather than the frequency, domain.

Claim 40

Dependent Claim 44 words

The method of claim 13 in which step (b) also includes processing in accordance with a local scaling factor, wherein the processed datum is scaled in accordance with a local characteristic of the set of source data to which it will be binarily added.

Claim 41

Dependent Claim 69 words

The method of claim 13 in which: the set of source data represents an image; and when the encoded image data is represented in the spatial domain, the value of one pixel therein has been changed by the encoding method in accordance with the values of plural elements of the set of auxiliary data, wherein the steganographic encoding effects a multiple element of auxiliary data--to--one pixel of image relationship.

Claim 42

Dependent Claim 71 words

The method of claim 13 in which: the set of source data represents an image in the spatial domain; the encoding method embeds calibration data in the set of encoded data, the calibration data facilitating recovery of the auxiliary data from the set of encoded data without reference to the set of source data, even if the image represented by the set of encoded data is corrupted by a rotation process.

Claim 43

Dependent Claim 20 words

The method of claim 36 in which the calibration data is distinct from the auxiliary data and the independent data.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	2001-12-14	2002-06-15	2002-12-15	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2005-12-14	2006-06-15	2006-12-15	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2009-12-14	2010-06-15	2010-12-15	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Steganographic system

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