# US 12,720,133 B2 · Synchronized interleaved watermarking > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,720,133 B2 - Document ID: US12720133B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/198,484 - Filed: 2023-05-17 - Published: 2024-11-21 - Granted: 2026-08-25 - Earliest claimed: 2023-05-17 - Assignees: Synamedia Limited - Applicants: Synamedia Limited - Inventors: Ian John Bastable; James Leigh Cunningham; Gwenaël Jacques Doërr; Michal Irit Devir; Alla Mikhlin; Anatoly Seldin; Max Sorkin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12720133B2 ## CPC - H04N 21/23892: {involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level} - H04N 21/8358: involving watermark {(protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467)} - H04N 21/2347: involving video stream encryption - H04N 21/2365: Multiplexing of several video streams - H04N 21/242: Synchronisation processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Programme Clock References] {(arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18)} - H04N 21/26606: {for generating or managing entitlement messages, e.g. Entitlement Control Message [ECM] or Entitlement Management Message [EMM] (arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14)} - H04N 21/8456: {by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract Techniques for synchronized interleaved watermarking are described. In various embodiments, a headend provisions control words (CWs), generates entitlement control messages (ECMs) for producing the CWs, where each of the ECMs is associated with a watermark identifier (WMID) symbol index assigned to a watermark cryptoperiod, moves portion(s) from a video stream to auxiliary streams, generates versions of the portion(s) to embed watermark symbols within the watermark cryptoperiod, where each version represents a respective watermark symbol, and encrypts the versions using the CWs at start of the watermark cryptoperiod. On the client side, a client device storing a WMID obtains the video and encrypted auxiliary streams and the ECMs referencing the WMID symbol index and selects and decrypts an auxiliary stream using a CW during the watermark cryptoperiod based on the respective watermark symbol, the WMID symbol index, and the WMID before re-multiplexing the video and auxiliary streams for rendering. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: at a server including one or more processors and a non-transitory memory: provisioning multiple control words used in a watermark cryptoperiod, including specifying to multiple entitlement control message generators (ECMGs) watermark cryptoperiod information of the watermark cryptoperiod, and causing the multiple ECMGs to notify a watermark inserter the watermark cryptoperiod information, wherein a cryptoperiod for encrypting a video stream is different from the watermark cryptoperiod for watermark embedding in multiple auxiliary streams associated with the video stream; assigning, by the watermark inserter, a watermark identifier symbol index to the watermark cryptoperiod in response to receiving the notification of the watermark cryptoperiod information and signaling the watermark identifier symbol index to the ECMGs; generating, by the multiple ECMGs, multiple entitlement control messages for producing the multiple control words, including associating each of the multiple entitlement control messages with the watermark identifier symbol index; moving, by the watermark inserter, one or more portions from the video stream to the multiple auxiliary streams and generating, by the watermark inserter, multiple versions of the one or more portions to embed watermark symbols within the watermark cryptoperiod, wherein each of the multiple versions is associated with a respective one of the watermark symbols; and encrypting, upon receiving signaling of start of the watermark cryptoperiod according to the watermark cryptoperiod information, the multiple versions using the multiple control words at the start of the watermark cryptoperiod. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple entitlement control messages are synchronized according to the watermark cryptoperiod, independent of the cryptoperiod associated with the video stream. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the watermark identifier symbol index is calculated based on one or more of a start time of the watermark cryptoperiod, a duration of the watermark cryptoperiod, and a length of the watermark symbols. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more portions correspond to one or more transport packets, one or more bytes, or one or more seconds. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein moving the one or more portions from the video stream to the multiple auxiliary streams and generating the multiple versions of the one or more portions to embed the watermark symbols within the watermark cryptoperiod includes: profiling the video stream to identify one or more portions for applying the watermark symbols; generating watermark metadata for encoding the watermark symbols in the one or more portions; and generating the multiple versions of the one or more portions by duplicating the one or more portions from the video stream and applying the respective one of the watermark symbols to a respective one of the multiple versions according to the watermark metadata. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: encrypting the video stream according to the cryptoperiod, independent of the watermark cryptoperiod; and multiplexing the encrypted multiple auxiliary streams and the encrypted video stream along with the multiple entitlement control messages for transmission. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: incrementing the watermark identifier symbol index assigned to a next watermark cryptoperiod. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining whether the one or more portions for embedding the watermark symbols within the watermark cryptoperiod are more than a predefined threshold for watermark robustness; and in accordance with a determination that the one or more portions are not more than the predefined threshold for watermark robustness, forgoing incrementing the watermark identifier symbol index for a next watermark cryptoperiod. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: moving a part from a next portion of the video stream to the multiple auxiliary streams without embedding any of the watermark symbols; generating an entitlement control message for producing a control word used in a next watermark cryptoperiod; and encrypting the part in the multiple auxiliary streams using the entitlement control message in the next watermark cryptoperiod. ### Claim 10 A server comprising: one or more processors; a non-transitory memory; and one or more programs stored in the non-transitory memory, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the server to: provision multiple control words used in a watermark cryptoperiod, including specifying to multiple entitlement control message generators (ECMGs) watermark cryptoperiod information of the watermark cryptoperiod, and causing the multiple ECMGs to notify a watermark inserter the watermark cryptoperiod information, wherein a cryptoperiod for encrypting a video stream is different from the watermark cryptoperiod for watermark embedding in multiple auxiliary streams associated with the video stream; assign, by the watermark inserter, a watermark identifier symbol index to the watermark cryptoperiod in response to receiving the notification of the watermark cryptoperiod information and signal the watermark identifier symbol index to the ECMGs; generate, by the multiple ECMGs, multiple entitlement control messages for producing the multiple control words, including associating each of the multiple entitlement control messages with the watermark identifier symbol index; move, by the watermark inserter, one or more portions from the video stream to the multiple auxiliary streams and generate, by the watermark inserter, multiple versions of the one or more portions to embed watermark symbols within the watermark cryptoperiod, wherein each of the multiple versions is associated with a respective one of the watermark symbols; and encrypt, upon receiving signaling of start of the watermark cryptoperiod according to the watermark cryptoperiod information, the multiple versions using the multiple control words at the start of the watermark cryptoperiod. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The server of claim 10, wherein the multiple entitlement control messages are synchronized according to the watermark cryptoperiod, independent of the cryptoperiod associated with the video stream. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The server of claim 10, wherein the watermark identifier symbol index is calculated based on one or more of a start time of the watermark cryptoperiod, a duration of the watermark cryptoperiod, and a length of the watermark symbols.