US6131161A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Marking a digitally encoded video and/or audio signal
Assignee: US Philips Corp
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Filing: 1996-10-03
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Granted: 2000-10-10
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Expires: 2016-10-03
Abstract
Abstract An electronic watermarking scheme is proposed that can significantly increase the security of copy protection mechanisms. The watermarking methods works at high level in the hierarchy of the (MPEG) source signal. This ensures that the watermark is easily detectable, but difficult to erase without significant transcoding effort. Such transcoding is considered a difficult and expensive task that may furthermore lead to loss of quality or increase in bit rate.
Inventors
- 👤 Johan P. M. G. Linnartz
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 01:42
CPC Classifications
G; G11; G11B; G11B20/00; G06; G06T; G06T1/00; G06T1/0021; G06T1/0085; G06T1/005; G11B20/00086; G11B20/0021; G11B20/00217; G11B20/00253; G11B20/00405; G11B20/00884; H; H04; H04N; H04N19/00; H04N19/60; H04N19/61; H04N21/00; H04N21/20; H04N21/23; H04N21/238; H04N21/2389; H04N21/23892; H04N21/80; H04N21/83; H04N21/835; H04N21/8358; H04N5/00; H04N5/76; H04N5/91; H04N5/913; G06F; G06F2211/00; G06F2211/007; G06T2201/00; G06T2201/005; G06T2201/0053; G06T2201/0065; H04N2005/91307; H04N2005/91321; H04N2005/91335; H04N2005/91342
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
123 words
A method of watermarking a digitally encoded signal which is decoded prior to being displayed, comprising the steps of: assigning a predetermined value to a selected encoding parameter of a digitally encoded signal having a plurality of coding parameters, the selected encoding parameter relating to encoding a signal and which, when modified, requires at least two other encoding parameters of the signal to be modified in order to maintain the format of the signal or prevent errors in the decoding of the signal; and encoding the signal with the predetermined value so as to produce a detectable watermark in the signal which prevents copying of the signal and that cannot be removed unless the signal is decoded and reencoded without the predetermined value.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
123 words
A method of watermarking a digitally encoded signal which is decoded prior to being displayed, comprising the steps of: assigning a predetermined value to a selected encoding parameter of a digitally encoded signal having a plurality of coding parameters, the selected encoding parameter relating to encoding a signal and which, when modified, requires at least two other encoding parameters of the signal to be modified in order to maintain the format of the signal or prevent errors in the decoding of the signal; and encoding the signal with the predetermined value so as to produce a detectable watermark in the signal which prevents copying of the signal and that cannot be removed unless the signal is decoded and reencoded without the predetermined value.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the digitally encoded signal is an MPEG signal, and wherein the predetermined value is the number of slices in a frame.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein successive frames alternately comprise a modulo-N and a modulo-M number of slices in which N and M are integers.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method according claim 3, wherein N and M have different values.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
69 words
A method of decoding a digitally encoded signal which has been encoded by setting an encoding parameter to a predetermined value, comprising the steps of: detecting, in the digitally encoded signal, the predetermined encoding parameter used to encode the signal; preventing copying of the digitally encoded signal if the signal contains the predetermined value; and decoding the digitally encoded signal if the signal does not contain the predetermined value.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
69 words
A method of decoding a digitally encoded signal which has been encoded by setting an encoding parameter to a predetermined value, comprising the steps of: detecting, in the digitally encoded signal, the predetermined encoding parameter used to encode the signal; preventing copying of the digitally encoded signal if the signal contains the predetermined value; and decoding the digitally encoded signal if the signal does not contain the predetermined value.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the digitally encoded signal is an MPEG signal, and wherein the predetermined value is the number of slices in a frame.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein successive frames alternately comprise a modulo-N and a modulo-M number of slices in which N and M are integers.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method according claim 7, wherein N and M have different values.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
121 words
An encoder for watermarking a digitally encoded signal which is decoded prior to being displayed, the encoder comprising; assigning means for assigning a predetermined value to a selected encoding parameter of a digitally encoded signal having a plurality of coding parameters, the selected encoding parameter relating to encoding a signal and which, when modified, requires at least two other encoding parameters of the signal to be modified in order to maintain the format of the signal or prevent errors in the decoding of the signal; and encoding means for encoding the signal with the predetermined value so as to produce a detectable watermark in the signal that cannot be removed unless the signal is decoded and reencoded without the predetermined value.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
121 words
An encoder for watermarking a digitally encoded signal which is decoded prior to being displayed, the encoder comprising; assigning means for assigning a predetermined value to a selected encoding parameter of a digitally encoded signal having a plurality of coding parameters, the selected encoding parameter relating to encoding a signal and which, when modified, requires at least two other encoding parameters of the signal to be modified in order to maintain the format of the signal or prevent errors in the decoding of the signal; and encoding means for encoding the signal with the predetermined value so as to produce a detectable watermark in the signal that cannot be removed unless the signal is decoded and reencoded without the predetermined value.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
77 words
A decoder for decoding a digitally encoded signal which has been encoded by setting an encoding parameter to a predetermined value, the decoder comprising: detecting means for detecting, in the digitally encoded signal, the predetermined encoding parameter used to encode the signal; preventing means for preventing copying of the digitally encoded signal if the signal contains the predetermined value; and decoding means for decoding the digitally encoded signal if the signal does not contain the predetermined value.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
77 words
A decoder for decoding a digitally encoded signal which has been encoded by setting an encoding parameter to a predetermined value, the decoder comprising: detecting means for detecting, in the digitally encoded signal, the predetermined encoding parameter used to encode the signal; preventing means for preventing copying of the digitally encoded signal if the signal contains the predetermined value; and decoding means for decoding the digitally encoded signal if the signal does not contain the predetermined value.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
106 words
A system comprising: an encoder which to assigns a predetermined value to a selected encoding parameter of a digitally encoded signal having a plurality of coding parameters and encode a signal which is decoded prior to being displayed with the predetermined value so that, when modified, at least two other encoding parameters of the signal must be modified in order to maintain the format of the signal or prevent errors in the decoding of the signal so as to produce a watermark in the signal, the encoding parameter relating to encoding the signal; and an electronic storage medium which stores the signal encoded by the encoder.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
106 words
A system comprising: an encoder which to assigns a predetermined value to a selected encoding parameter of a digitally encoded signal having a plurality of coding parameters and encode a signal which is decoded prior to being displayed with the predetermined value so that, when modified, at least two other encoding parameters of the signal must be modified in order to maintain the format of the signal or prevent errors in the decoding of the signal so as to produce a watermark in the signal, the encoding parameter relating to encoding the signal; and an electronic storage medium which stores the signal encoded by the encoder.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
28 words
A system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the encoded signal is an MPEG signal, and wherein the predetermined value is the number of slices in a frame.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
31 words
A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein successive frames of the MPEG signal alternately comprise a modulo-N and a modulo-N number of slices in which N and M are integers.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
12 words
The system according claim 13, wherein N and M have different values.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
91 words
A system comprising: an encoder for assigning a predetermined value to a selected encoding parameter and for encoding a signal with the predetermined value so as to produce a watermark in the signal, the encoding parameter relating to encoding the signal; an electronic storage medium which stores the signal encoded by the encoder; and an electronic device which reads the encoded signal from the electronic storage medium, which decodes the signal if the predetermined value is not detected, and which prevents decoding of the signal if the predetermined value is detected.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
91 words
A system comprising: an encoder for assigning a predetermined value to a selected encoding parameter and for encoding a signal with the predetermined value so as to produce a watermark in the signal, the encoding parameter relating to encoding the signal; an electronic storage medium which stores the signal encoded by the encoder; and an electronic device which reads the encoded signal from the electronic storage medium, which decodes the signal if the predetermined value is not detected, and which prevents decoding of the signal if the predetermined value is detected.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-10-10 | 2004-04-10 | 2004-10-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-10-10 | 2008-04-10 | 2008-10-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-10-10 | 2012-04-10 | 2012-10-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |