Patent US7136502B2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US7136502B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Printing media and methods employing digital watermarking
Assignee: Digimarc Corp
•
Filing: 2005-02-03
•
Granted: 2006-11-14
•
Expires: 2025-02-03
Abstract
Abstract Stationery, or other printable media, is encoded with a digital watermark. The watermark is not conspicuous to a human observer of the media, yet conveys plural bits of auxiliary information when optically scanned and digitally processed. The watermark can be formed by ink-jet printing, or otherwise. The encoded information can be used for various purposes, including authenticating the document as an original, linking to associated on-line resources, and distinguishing seemingly-identical versions of the same document (document serialization).
Inventors
- 👤 Geoffrey B. Rhoads
- 👤 Aruna B. Kumar
- 👤 Trent J. Brundage
- 👤 Brett T. Hannigan
- 👤 Tony F. Rodriguez
- 👤 J. Scott Carr
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-10 02:07
CPC Classifications
G; G11; G11B; G11B20/00; G11B20/00086; G11B20/00884; G11B20/00891; B; B41; B41J; B41J2/00; B41J2/005; B41J2/01; B41J29/00; B41J29/38; B41J29/393; B41J3/00; B41J3/407; B41M; B41M3/00; B41M3/10; B42; B42D; B42D15/00; B42D15/0073; B42D15/0093; B42D25/00; B42D25/20; B42D25/29; D; D21; D21H; D21H21/00; D21H21/14; D21H21/40; G03; G03G; G03G15/00; G03G15/50; G03G15/5029; G03G15/65; G03G15/6588; G03G15/6594; G06; G06Q; G06Q10/00; G06Q10/10; G06Q20/00; G06Q20/30; G06Q20/34; G06Q20/341; G06Q20/38; G06Q20/40; G06Q20/401; G06Q20/4014; G06Q20/40145; G06Q30/00; G06Q30/02; G06Q40/00; G06Q40/02; G06T; G06T1/00; G06T1/0021; G06T1/005; G06T1/0071; G06T7/00; G06T7/0002; G06T7/0004; G06T7/001; G07; G07C; G07C9/00; G07C9/20; G07C9/22; G07C9/25; G07C9/253; G07D; G07D7/00; G07D7/003; G07D7/0032; G07D7/0034; G07D7/004; G07F; G07F17/00; G07F17/16; G07F17/26; G07F7/00; G07F7/08; G07F7/086; G07F7/10; G07F7/1008; G07F7/1016; G07F7/12; G10; G10L; G10L19/00; G10L19/018; G11B20/00094; G11B20/00166; G11B20/0021; G11B20/00217; G11B20/00413; H; H04; H04B; H04B1/00; H04B1/66; H04B1/665; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/00002; H04N1/00005; H04N1/00026; H04N1/00037; H04N1/00071; H04N1/00074; H04N1/00079; H04N1/00092; H04N1/00681; H04N1/00684; H04N1/00726; H04N1/00962; H04N1/00968; H04N1/23; H04N1/2307; H04N1/2323; H04N1/2369; H04N1/32; H04N1/32101; H04N1/32144; H04N1/32149; H04N1/32203; H04N1/32208; H04N1/32219; H04N1/32251; H04N1/32261; H04N1/32288; H04N1/32304; H04N1/32309; H04N1/32352; H04N5/00; H04N5/76; H04N5/91; H04N5/913; B29; B29C; B29C45/00; B29C45/14; B29C45/1418; B41M3/14; G03G2215/00; G03G2215/00362; G03G2215/00443; G03G2215/00451; G06T2201/00; G06T2201/005; G06T2201/0051; G06T2201/0052; G06T2201/0061; G06T2207/00; G06T2207/30; G06T2207/30108; G06T2207/30144; H04N1/32106; H04N1/32122; H04N2005/91307; H04N2005/91321; H04N2005/91335; H04N2201/00; H04N2201/32; H04N2201/3201; H04N2201/3204; H04N2201/3205; H04N2201/3207; H04N2201/3225; H04N2201/3226; H04N2201/3233; H04N2201/3239; H04N2201/3249; H04N2201/3269; H04N2201/327; H04N2201/3271; H04N2201/328
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
80 words
A substrate useful in forming a printed object, characterized in that the substrate has been processed to encode a steganographic digital watermark pattern thereon that does not impair subsequent use of the substrate, yet encodes multi-bit binary data, the presence of said multi-bit binary data not being apparent to a human observer of the printed object, said steganographic pattern being detectable by visible-light scanning of the printed object to yield data from which the multi-bit binary data can be recovered.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
80 words
A substrate useful in forming a printed object, characterized in that the substrate has been processed to encode a steganographic digital watermark pattern thereon that does not impair subsequent use of the substrate, yet encodes multi-bit binary data, the presence of said multi-bit binary data not being apparent to a human observer of the printed object, said steganographic pattern being detectable by visible-light scanning of the printed object to yield data from which the multi-bit binary data can be recovered.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The substrate of claim 1 wherein said processing locally changes an ink absorption attribute of the substrate.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
The substrate of claim 1 wherein the digital watermark pattern degrades when photocopied, so that the printed object can be distinguished from a photocopy thereof.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
The substrate of claim 3 comprising a second digital watermark pattern, the second pattern being robust against photocopying.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
The substrate of claim 1 in which the substrate has first and second sides, and both sides have watermark patterns.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
31 words
The substrate of claim 1 wherein a first region of the substrate conveys a first watermark payload, and a second, different region of the substrate conveys a second, different watermark payload.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
The substrate of claim 1 wherein said multi-bit binary data comprise an identifier, said identifier serving to convey information indicative of an electronic address.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
29 words
The substrate of claim 7 in which the identifier comprises a pointer into a remote data structure, the remote data structure storing an electronic address corresponding to said substrate.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
10 words
An invoice printed on the substrate of claim 7 .
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
31 words
The substrate of claim 1 wherein the plural bits of digital information serve to identify the type of substrate to a printer, so that the printer can tailor print parameters accordingly.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
29 words
The substrate of claim 1 in which the watermark pattern is formed on a side of said substrate opposite a side to which final end-user printing is later applied.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
12 words
The substrate of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises an envelope.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
11 words
The substrate of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises stationery.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
16 words
The substrate of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises blank magazine or newspaper printing stock.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
62 words
The substrate of claim 1 in which the steganographic digital watermark pattern comprises an arrangement of line segments extending between virtual squares in a virtual grid of such squares that extends across at least part of said substrate, wherein each of said line segments has one end in one of said virtual squares and a second end in an adjoining virtual square.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
46 words
The substrate of claim 15 wherein: said line segments are straight and of differing lengths; the number of line segments equals the number of virtual squares; and at least some of said line segments are not connected, at either end, to others of said line segments.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
82 words
A method of processing a blank substrate prior to formation of a printed object, the method comprising encoding the substrate with a steganographic digital watermark pattern that does not impair subsequent use of the substrate, yet encodes multi-bit binary data, the presence of said multi-bit binary data not being apparent to a human observer of the printed object, said steganographic pattern being detectable by visible-light scanning of the printed object to yield data from which the multi-bit binary data can be recovered.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
82 words
A method of processing a blank substrate prior to formation of a printed object, the method comprising encoding the substrate with a steganographic digital watermark pattern that does not impair subsequent use of the substrate, yet encodes multi-bit binary data, the presence of said multi-bit binary data not being apparent to a human observer of the printed object, said steganographic pattern being detectable by visible-light scanning of the printed object to yield data from which the multi-bit binary data can be recovered.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 17 wherein the digital watermark pattern is designed to degrade when photocopied, so that the original printed object can be distinguished from a photocopy thereof.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 17 wherein the method further includes passing the processed substrate through a printer for end-user printing, recognizing the pattern thereon, and tailoring a printing parameter accordingly.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 17 in which the watermark pattern is formed on a side of said substrate opposite a side to which final end-user printing is later applied.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
72 words
In a method of forming a printable substrate that includes applying plural layers to a film substrate, an improvement comprising tailoring the tone or density of at least one of said layers to form a machine readable indicia encoding plural bits of digital data, the method including mathematically transforming the plural bits of digital data into a two-dimensional array of values, and defining the indicia by reference to the array of values.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
72 words
In a method of forming a printable substrate that includes applying plural layers to a film substrate, an improvement comprising tailoring the tone or density of at least one of said layers to form a machine readable indicia encoding plural bits of digital data, the method including mathematically transforming the plural bits of digital data into a two-dimensional array of values, and defining the indicia by reference to the array of values.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 21 in which the film substrate is translucent, and the layers are opacification layers.
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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) | 2009-11-13 | 2010-05-15 | 2010-11-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2013-11-13 | 2014-05-15 | 2014-11-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2017-11-13 | 2018-05-15 | 2018-11-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |