US6728390B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Methods and systems using multiple watermarks
Assignee: Digimarc Corp
•
Filing: 2001-12-07
•
Granted: 2004-04-27
•
Expires: 2021-12-07
Abstract
Abstract Two or more digital watermarks, with different characteristics, are embedded in a document. The characteristics are chosen so that the watermarks will be affected in different manners if the document is subsequently copied or reproduced. The detection process or mechanism reads two or more of the watermarks and compares their characteristics. While wear and handling may change the characteristics of the digital watermarks in a document, the relationship between the characteristics of the multiple digital watermarks in a document will nevertheless give an indication as to whether a document is an original or a copy of an original. Document wear can be independently assessed and used as an aid in interpreting the detected watermark characteristics.
Inventors
- 👤 Geoffrey B. Rhoads
- 👤 Ammon E. Gustafson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 11:57
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/00002; G; G06; G06T; G06T1/00; G06T1/0021; G06T1/005; G06T1/0071; G06T7/00; G06T7/0002; G06T7/0004; G07; G07C; G07C9/00; G07C9/20; G07C9/22; G07C9/25; G07C9/253; G07F; G07F7/00; G07F7/08; G07F7/086; G07F7/12; G10; G10L; G10L19/00; G10L19/018; H04N1/00005; H04N1/00026; H04N1/00037; H04N1/00092; H04N1/32; H04N1/32101; H04N1/32144; H04N1/32149; H04N1/32288; H04N1/32304; H04N1/32309; H04N1/32315; H04N1/32331; H04N1/32352; G06T2201/00; G06T2201/005; G06T2201/0051; G06T2201/0052; G06T2201/0202; G06T2207/00; G06T2207/30; G06T2207/30108; G06T2207/30144; G11; G11B; G11B20/00; G11B20/00086
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
64 words
A method of steganographically encoding an object with auxiliary information, characterized by adding first and second data to the object to thereby steganographically encode same, the first data having a relatively higher likelihood of withstanding a corruption operation, the second data having a relatively lower likelihood of withstanding said corruption option, wherein said corruption operation comprises compression and subsequent decompression by a lossy process.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
64 words
A method of steganographically encoding an object with auxiliary information, characterized by adding first and second data to the object to thereby steganographically encode same, the first data having a relatively higher likelihood of withstanding a corruption operation, the second data having a relatively lower likelihood of withstanding said corruption option, wherein said corruption operation comprises compression and subsequent decompression by a lossy process.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 1 that further includes performing compression and subsequent decompression operations on said object, and thereafter successfully detecting the first data but not successfully detecting the second data.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said corruption operation comprises MPEG compression and decompression.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the object represents a motion picture.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
10 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the object represents audio.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second data are added at the same time.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said object is a printed document, and the corruption operation comprises reproduction.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
A computer storage medium having stored thereon a digital object processed in accordance with the method of claim 1 .
Claim 10
Independent Claim
110 words
A method to analyze an image of a printed object to determine whether the printed object is a copy or an original, the printed object comprising first steganographic data embedded therein and second steganographic data embedded therein, wherein the first steganographic data comprises a first characteristic and the second steganographic data comprises a second characteristic, said method comprising: machine-reading the first Steganographic data and the second steganographic data from the image to evaluate the first and second characteristics; comparing a condition of the first characteristic relative to a condition of the second characteristic; and based on said comparing step, determining whether the printed object is a copy or an original.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
110 words
A method to analyze an image of a printed object to determine whether the printed object is a copy or an original, the printed object comprising first steganographic data embedded therein and second steganographic data embedded therein, wherein the first steganographic data comprises a first characteristic and the second steganographic data comprises a second characteristic, said method comprising: machine-reading the first Steganographic data and the second steganographic data from the image to evaluate the first and second characteristics; comparing a condition of the first characteristic relative to a condition of the second characteristic; and based on said comparing step, determining whether the printed object is a copy or an original.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 9 , wherein the first characteristic is designed to change differently relative to the second characteristic when subjected to distortion.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 10 , wherein the distortion comprises a color transformation.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
11 words
The method of claim 10 , wherein the distortion comprises compression.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 10 , wherein the distortion comprises a print operation.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
77 words
A method comprising: receiving a set of sampled data; analyzing said set of sampled data for a first watermark and a second watermark; determining, based on a signal comparison of the first and second watermarks, whether the set of sampled data corresponds to an original, or a degraded reproduction of an original; and controlling operation of equipment in accordance with said determination, wherein the first and second watermarks are designed to change differently when subjected to distortion.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
77 words
A method comprising: receiving a set of sampled data; analyzing said set of sampled data for a first watermark and a second watermark; determining, based on a signal comparison of the first and second watermarks, whether the set of sampled data corresponds to an original, or a degraded reproduction of an original; and controlling operation of equipment in accordance with said determination, wherein the first and second watermarks are designed to change differently when subjected to distortion.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
72 words
A method comprising: sensing a first parameter related to a first steganographic watermark from a printed document; sensing a second parameter related to a second steganographic watermark from the printed document; and by reference to at least a comparison of the first and second parameters, assessing whether the document is likely an original document, wherein the first and second steganographic watermarks are designed to change differently when subjected to a corruption process.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
72 words
A method comprising: sensing a first parameter related to a first steganographic watermark from a printed document; sensing a second parameter related to a second steganographic watermark from the printed document; and by reference to at least a comparison of the first and second parameters, assessing whether the document is likely an original document, wherein the first and second steganographic watermarks are designed to change differently when subjected to a corruption process.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 15 , wherein the corruption process comprises a color transformation.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 15 , wherein the corruption process comprises compression.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 15 , wherein the corruption process comprises a print operation.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 15 , wherein the corruption process comprises image capture.
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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) | 2007-04-27 | 2007-10-27 | 2008-04-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-04-27 | 2011-10-27 | 2012-04-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-04-27 | 2015-10-27 | 2016-04-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |