Image analysis – Applications
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-29
2001-06-26
Johns, Andrews W. (Department: 2721)
Image analysis
Applications
C382S296000, C382S100000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06252971
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
This invention is directed to a system and method for embedding and automatically detecting invisible digital watermarks in halftone images, or any image which uses microstructures to simulate a continuous tone image.
2. Description of Related Art
Methods for protecting copyrightable works have evolved from a simple designation below the work to highly complex methods for embedding watermarks in the work. Watermarking can take two basic forms: visible and invisible. Visible watermarks are the commonly-seen copyright logos or symbols that are generally affixed to the work before sales or distribution. Especially in the case of images, the presence of the watermark is very visible, and is generally difficult to remove without damaging the image. Generally speaking, visible watermarks do not harm the image, even though the watermarks may detract from the overall esthetics of the image. Furthermore, the visible watermark is a potential target for fraud. Since a fraudulent copier is actually placed on notice regarding the presence of the watermark, it is possible to attempt to remove the visible watermark from the image.
Invisible watermarks are far more creative and can encompass the standard and commonly seen copyright logos or symbols, as well as company logos, serial numbers, origin and identification marks, and/or encrypted data. These invisible watermarks are embedded into the work in a way which is not generally discernable without the aid of a visualization device such as a key or a computer. Theoretically, these embedded images can be retrieved from the work anytime in the work's history or from any other form or embodiment into which the work may have been translated. This allows the owner to track the work and to clearly establish ownership rights when those rights are in dispute. Furthermore, since the embedded watermark image is essentially invisible to the unaided eye, the likelihood of tampering with or removal of the watermark is reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides a system and method for embedding and retrieving digital watermarks that overcomes the problems associated with recovering these marks from non-original images.
This invention further provides a system and method that allows previously unretrievable embedded invisible watermarks to be recovered from works that have been converted from a digital format to a printed copy, such as a print, or from a reproduction made, for example, on a photocopier.
This invention also provides a system and method that uses phase-shifted stoclustic screens that are capable of embedding an invisible watermark in an image.
This invention additional provides a system and method that uses different transition halftones screens as tiles to compose character-shaped watermarks in an image.
Invisible watermark retrieval depends generally on the pixel-to-pixel comparison between a bitmap of a halftone image and the bitmap of a halftone image having a certain shift relative to itself. In some areas the bitmap and its shifted version are highly correlated, i.e., near identical, while in other areas they are uncorrelated or highly “conjugately correlated,” i.e., one bitmap is the inverse of the other bitmap. The pixel-to-pixel comparison between the original and the shifted bitmaps can provide a contrast between the correlated areas and other areas. Therefore, the embedded, or hidden, watermark becomes visible.
However, retrieval of the original bitmaps from printed copies is not trivial, especially from high-resolution printed copies. Both printing and scanning processes introduce overlapping, distortion and nonuniformity, as well as noise, to the embedded image. The exact bitmap information in very dark regions of the image of the printed copy is difficult to recover. Even in the brighter regions of the image, where there is greater contrast, retrieving the digital watermark is expected to be successful only in a statistical sense. A spatial separation between the two adjacent correlated halftone patterns varies and the amount of shift is generally not an integer number of bitmap pixels on rescanned images. Accurately determining the spatial separation, or the location or the correlation peak, becomes the most critical requirement when attempting to retrieve hidden watermarks.
Regular cluster halftone screens generate cluster dots aligned with a predefined grid. However, stochastically clustered or “stoclustic” screens provide the freedom to locate the clusters arbitrarily. Therefore, it is possible to design stoclustic screens with watermarks in a similar manner to stochastic screens, in which the centers of the clusters are stochastically located. Therefore, information hidden by stoclustic screens are based on the cluster-to-cluster correlation, so that detection of invisible watermarks will be easier than the pixel-to-pixel correlation. However, stochastically embedded large clusters do not look pleasant, and are generally only useful where the embedded clusters are small.
Therefore, by using phase-shift stoclustic screens, a method of embedding and retrieving cluster screens is available which is suitable to applications where replacing halftone dots by large stochastic screens is not desirable.
These and other features and advantages of this invention are described in or are apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.
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Alavi Amir
Johns Andrews W.
Oliff & Berridge PLC.
Xerox Corporation
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