US7054461B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Authenticating printed objects using digital watermarks associated with multidimensional quality metrics
Assignee: Digimarc Corp
•
Filing: 2002-02-15
•
Granted: 2006-05-30
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Expires: 2022-02-15
Abstract
Abstract The disclosure describes an authentication system and related methods for authenticating printed objects. The system uses an information-based metric along with one or more print quality metrics to provide accurate detection or classification of a counterfeit printed object. The print quality metric evaluates attributes of a subject image associated with the original printer, ink or paper to detect degradation of those operations due to copying operations like an image scanning and halftone printing subsequent to the original printing of the object. The information-based metric measures message symbol errors in an optically readable code, such as a digital watermark.
Inventors
- 👤 Claude Zeller
- 👤 Donald G. Mackay
- 👤 William Kilmartin
- 👤 Robert A. Cordery
- 👤 William A. Brosseau
- 👤 Hugh L. Brunk
- 👤 Stephen K. Decker
- 👤 Jun Tian
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 09:59
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T1/00; G06T1/0021; G06T1/005; G06T1/0078; G06T2201/00; G06T2201/005; G06T2201/0202
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 45
Claim 1
Independent Claim
92 words
A printed object authentication system comprising: a print quality processor for measuring one or more print quality metrics from a subject image scanned from a printed object; a message decoder for extracting message symbols from the subject image and determining an information based metric based on accuracy of the symbols extracted from the subject image; and a classifier in communication with the decoder and processor for receiving the print quality and information based metrics and classifying the subject image as an original or copy as a function of each of the metrics.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
92 words
A printed object authentication system comprising: a print quality processor for measuring one or more print quality metrics from a subject image scanned from a printed object; a message decoder for extracting message symbols from the subject image and determining an information based metric based on accuracy of the symbols extracted from the subject image; and a classifier in communication with the decoder and processor for receiving the print quality and information based metrics and classifying the subject image as an original or copy as a function of each of the metrics.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the message decoder comprises a digital watermark decoder for extracting the message symbols embedded in the subject image.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
40 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the print quality and information based metrics are related such that values of the metrics do not change in the same manner in response to image degradation due to copying of the printed object.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system of claim 1 wherein information is embedded in the subject image that is used to evaluate the one or more print quality metrics.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
The system of claim 4 wherein the information includes a parameter describing attributes of artwork features in the subject image.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
The system of claim 4 wherein the information includes a parameter describing attributes of a printer used to print an original version of the printed object.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
The system of claim 4 wherein the information includes a parameter describing attributes of ink or paper type used to print an original version of the printed object.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
The system of claim 4 wherein the information identifies a type of classifier to be used in classifying the subject image.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the print quality parameter is a measure of attributes of a printer used to print the printed object.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the print quality parameter is a measure of print growth.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the print quality parameter is a measure of blurring in the subject image.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
26 words
The system of claim 1 wherein a bar code metric measured from a bar code in the subject image is used to classify the subject image.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
34 words
The system of claim 12 wherein the message decoder comprises a bar code reader, and the bar code metric corresponds to the information-based metric based on recovery of symbols encoded in the bar code.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 12 wherein the bar code metric corresponds to a print quality metric.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
29 words
The system of claim 14 wherein the information based metric corresponds to a metric determined from reading message symbols carried in a digital watermark embedded in the subject image.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the subject image comprises a postal indicia on the printed object.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
68 words
A method for embedding auxiliary information into an image to be printed on a printed object and used to authenticate the printed object, the method comprising: embedding auxiliary information into the image so that the auxiliary information degrades in response to a copy operation on the printed object; and embedding print information about a print attribute into the image, such that the auxiliary information includes the print information.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
68 words
A method for embedding auxiliary information into an image to be printed on a printed object and used to authenticate the printed object, the method comprising: embedding auxiliary information into the image so that the auxiliary information degrades in response to a copy operation on the printed object; and embedding print information about a print attribute into the image, such that the auxiliary information includes the print information.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 17 wherein embedding auxiliary information comprises embedding a digital watermark carrying the auxiliary information in the image.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 17 wherein the print attribute includes a property of a printer used to print the printed object.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 17 wherein the print attribute includes a property of ink used to print the printed object.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 17 wherein the print attribute includes a property of paper used to print the printed object.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
14 words
A printed object including embedded information created by the method of claim 17 .
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
21 words
The printed object of claim 22 wherein the printed object comprises mail with a postal indicia carrying the embedded auxiliary information.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 17 wherein embedding the auxiliary information in the image comprises generating the image for printing on the printed object, the image having characteristics that convey the auxiliary information, and machine readability of the auxiliary information in the image degrades in response to the copy operation.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
44 words
method of claim 17 wherein embedding of the auxiliary information in the image comprises adjusting values of the image to embed the auxiliary information in the image, and machine readability of the auxiliary information in the image degrades in response to the copy operation.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 17 wherein machine readability of the auxiliary information in the image degrades in response to the copy operation.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 26 wherein the readability of the auxiliary information is used to measure whether the printed object is an original.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
17 words
A computer readable medium on which is stored instructions for performing the method of claim 17 .
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
93 words
A printed object authentication system comprising: a print quality processor for measuring one or more print quality metrics from a subject image scanned from a printed object; a digital watermark decoder for detecting a digital watermark from the subject image and determining a digital watermark metric based on the detected digital watermark in the subject image; a classifier in communication with the decoder and processor for receiving the print quality and digital watermark based metrics and classifying the subject image as an original or copy as a function of each of the metrics.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
93 words
A printed object authentication system comprising: a print quality processor for measuring one or more print quality metrics from a subject image scanned from a printed object; a digital watermark decoder for detecting a digital watermark from the subject image and determining a digital watermark metric based on the detected digital watermark in the subject image; a classifier in communication with the decoder and processor for receiving the print quality and digital watermark based metrics and classifying the subject image as an original or copy as a function of each of the metrics.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
27 words
The system of claim 29 wherein the digital watermark metric measures strength of an embedded digital watermark to detect degradation of the subject image due to copying.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
23 words
The system of claim 29 wherein the digital watermark metric measures accuracy of recovery of embedded message symbols carried in the digital watermark.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of claim 29 wherein the subject image comprises a postal indicia on the printed object.
Claim 36
Independent Claim
66 words
A method for authenticating a printed object comprising: measuring one or more print quality metrics from a subject image scanned from the printed object; extracting message symbols from the subject image and determining an information based metric based on accuracy of the symbols extracted from the subject image; and classifying the subject image as an original or copy as a function of each of the metrics.
Claim 37
Independent Claim
66 words
A method for authenticating a printed object comprising: measuring one or more print quality metrics from a subject image scanned from the printed object; extracting message symbols from the subject image and determining an information based metric based on accuracy of the symbols extracted from the subject image; and classifying the subject image as an original or copy as a function of each of the metrics.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 33 including: using a print quality metric to set an adaptive threshold for the information based metric, and classifying the subject image as an original or copy by evaluating the information based metric against the adaptive threshold.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 33 including: using a statistical model classifier, which has been trained on a test set of originals and copies as a function of each of the metrics, to classify the subject image as an original or copy.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
17 words
A computer readable medium on which is stored instructions for performing the method of claim 33 .
Claim 41
Independent Claim
65 words
A method of authenticating printed objects comprising: measuring one or more print quality metrics from a subject image scanned from a printed object; detecting a digital watermark from the subject image and determining a digital watermark metric based on the detected digital watermark in the subject image; and classifying the subject image as an original or copy as a function of each of the metrics.
Claim 42
Independent Claim
65 words
A method of authenticating printed objects comprising: measuring one or more print quality metrics from a subject image scanned from a printed object; detecting a digital watermark from the subject image and determining a digital watermark metric based on the detected digital watermark in the subject image; and classifying the subject image as an original or copy as a function of each of the metrics.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 37 including: using a print quality metric to set an adaptive threshold for the information based metric, and classifying the subject image as an original or copy by evaluating the information based metric against the adaptive threshold.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 37 including: using a statistical model classifier, which has been trained on a test set of originals and copies as a function of each of the metrics, to classify the subject image as an original or copy.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
17 words
A computer readable medium on which is stored instructions for performing the method of claim 37 .
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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) | 2009-05-29 | 2009-11-28 | 2010-05-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2013-05-29 | 2013-11-28 | 2014-05-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2017-05-29 | 2017-11-28 | 2018-05-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |