Patent US6449377B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6449377B1
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US
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Methods and systems for watermark processing of line art images
Assignee: Digimarc Corp
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Filing: 1998-05-06
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Granted: 2002-09-10
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Expires: 2018-05-06
Abstract
Abstract Line art on banknotes and the like is subtly altered to steganographically encode plural-bit digital information. For example, the lines' widths or spacings can be locally changed so as to slightly modulate the apparent luminance of the document. The encoded information can be decoded using suitably-equipped processing equipment and used to identify a document as a banknote. Various anti-counterfeiting actions can then be taken.
Inventors
- 👤 Geoffrey B. Rhoads
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 07:15
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/00838; H04N1/0084; H04N1/00843; H04N1/00846; B; B42; B42D; B42D25/00; B42D25/20; B42D25/29; G; G06; G06T; G06T1/00; G06T1/0021; G06T1/0028; G06T1/005; G06T1/0064; G06T1/0071; G06T7/00; G06T7/0002; G07; G07D; G07D7/00; G07D7/003; G07D7/0034; G07D7/004; G10; G10L; G10L19/00; G10L19/018; H04N1/00002; H04N1/00005; H04N1/00026; H04N1/00037; H04N1/00092; H04N1/00127; H04N1/00204; H04N1/00244; H04N1/00856; H04N1/00859; H04N1/00864; H04N1/00867; H04N1/0087; H04N1/00875; H04N1/32; H04N1/32101; H04N1/32144; H04N1/32149; H04N1/32203; H04N1/32208; H04N1/32219; H04N1/32261; H04N1/32288; H04N1/32304; H04N1/32309; B29; B29C; B29C45/00; B29C45/14; B29C45/1418; G06T2201/00; G06T2201/005; G06T2201/0051; G06T2201/0065; H04N2201/00; H04N2201/32; H04N2201/3201; H04N2201/3204; H04N2201/3205; H04N2201/3207; H04N2201/3225; H04N2201/3226; H04N2201/3233; H04N2201/3239; H04N2201/3246; H04N2201/3249; H04N2201/3269; H04N2201/327; H04N2201/3271; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S283/00; Y10S283/901
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
85 words
A method of embedding binary data in a banknote, comprising: providing nominal line art for the banknote; defining a plurality of virtual regions in at least an excerpt of said line art, each of said regions having an area less than 0.001 square inches; and changing a luminance value of plural of said regions to embed binary data therein, wherein said changes are not apparent to a human viewer of the banknote, yet can be detected from visible light scan data corresponding to said banknote.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
85 words
A method of embedding binary data in a banknote, comprising: providing nominal line art for the banknote; defining a plurality of virtual regions in at least an excerpt of said line art, each of said regions having an area less than 0.001 square inches; and changing a luminance value of plural of said regions to embed binary data therein, wherein said changes are not apparent to a human viewer of the banknote, yet can be detected from visible light scan data corresponding to said banknote.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising changing said luminance by modulating the width of plural lines in said line art.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising changing said luminance by modulating the position of plural lines in said line art.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising changing said luminance by inserting new lines in said line art.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
10 words
A banknote produced by the process of claim 1 .
Claim 7
Independent Claim
60 words
A method for encoding plural-bit digital data in a banknote, to facilitate later machine identification of the banknote, comprising: receiving initial banknote artwork including plural artwork elements; changing the position o r dimension of certain of said artwork elements to steganographically encode said plural-bit digital data, yielding adjusted banknote artwork; and printing a banknote corresponding to said adjusted banknote artwork.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
60 words
A method for encoding plural-bit digital data in a banknote, to facilitate later machine identification of the banknote, comprising: receiving initial banknote artwork including plural artwork elements; changing the position o r dimension of certain of said artwork elements to steganographically encode said plural-bit digital data, yielding adjusted banknote artwork; and printing a banknote corresponding to said adjusted banknote artwork.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 6 in which the initial banknote artwork includes line art, and the method includes slightly changing the positions of lines comprising said artwork to encode said plural-bit data.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 7 that includes, for at least one line, changing its position in a first direction at a first region therealong, and changing its position in a second direction different than the first at a second region therealong.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 6 in which the banknote artwork includes line art, and the method includes slightly changing the widths of lines comprising said artwork to encode said plural-bit data.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 9 , that includes, for at least one line, increasing its width in a first region, and decreasing its width in a second region.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 6 that includes: defining an array of regions spanning at least an excerpt of the initial banknote artwork; and changing the artwork within plural of said regions to either increase or decrease the respective luminance of each.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 11 in which the defining includes imposing a virtual grid over said excerpt.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 6 that includes adjusting said initial artwork by inserting one or more new lines therein.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
10 words
A banknote produced by the method of claim 6 .
Claim 17
Independent Claim
31 words
A method of watermarking a banknote to convey auxiliary data, the banknote including an element having a contour, characterized in that the method includes spatially shifting the location of said contour.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
31 words
A method of watermarking a banknote to convey auxiliary data, the banknote including an element having a contour, characterized in that the method includes spatially shifting the location of said contour.
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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) | 2005-09-09 | 2006-03-11 | 2006-09-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-09-09 | 2010-03-11 | 2010-09-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-09-09 | 2014-03-11 | 2014-09-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |