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US 7,548,643 B2Granted
Methods, objects and apparatus employing machine readable data
AssigneeDigimarc Corporation
InventorsBruce L. Davis, Geoffrey B. Rhoads
Life of this patent
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AssigneeDigimarc Corporation
InventorsBruce L. Davis, Geoffrey B. Rhoads
Estimating the term…
The present invention relates generally to steganography and data hiding. One claimed combination recites an apparatus including circuitry having measurable performance or operating characteristics, and steganographic indicia including or linking to plural-bit data pertaining to the performance or operating characteristics. Other combinations are described and claimed as well.
A method comprising:
A method comprising:
A method comprising:
An object comprising:
An object comprising:
An apparatus comprising:
An apparatus comprising:
An object comprising:
An apparatus comprising:
An apparatus comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Labels, tag tickets, or similar identification or indication means
Characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code: with optically detectable marking
Using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards: active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including…
Identity check for transactions: biometric identity checks
Term ended 11 Sep 2018 (estimated)
Drawings are temporarily unavailable. Open the PDF at USPTO
The invention relates to methods and systems for inconspicuously marking utilitarian objects (e.g. microprocessors, compact disks, pharmaceutical tablets, bolts and hardware, wristwatches, automotive components, etc.) with digital data.
Sometimes things are not what they seem. An Intel integrated circuit, sold by a local computer shop as a 400 MHz Pentium II, may have been a 333 MHz Pentium II when it left the Intel factory. A defense contractor who ordered a specially-tested $50 bolt for use in a demanding aerospace application may be supplied with an inferior 50 cent bolt instead. Many enterprises suffer by such fraudulent product substitution.
Considering more particularly the integrated circuit case, IC manufacturers rigorously test their chips to assure that published specifications are met under all expected operating conditions. A chip that meets specs when operated at 400 MHz commands a substantial price premium over a chip that meets specs only at 333 MHz.
FIG. 1 shows an integrated circuit having a textured package according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 detail steps in an encoding process used in one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an apparatus used to decode textured product markings according to one embodiment of the invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, an integrated circuit 10 includes an exterior housing, or package 12. The housing can be formed in numerous ways. One is by injection molding. Another is by known ceramic-shaping techniques. At some point prior to shipment, the surface micro-topology of an area 14 on the housing is shaped in a seemingly random manner. (The area 14 can span the entire housing, if desired.) In the preferred embodiments, the patterning is substantially uniform across its extent, and may look like pebbling, mottling, graininess, or roughness. Yet this seemingly random surface conveys plural-bit digital information.
In an illustrative production cycle, a semiconductor wafer is processed to form several integrated circuits. Testing is conducted to determine the speed rating (or other grade) of each circuit. (The testing can be done while all the circuits are still on the wafer, or after the wafer has been diced into dies, or after the dies have been packaged in a housing.) The housing is shaped with a texture that reflects the test results, and/or other circuit characteristics.
The circuits then enter the stream of commerce and eventually end up at a computer manufacturer. On receipt, the manufacturer checks the circuits' grade using a simple hand-scanner. The scanner reflects light from the textured surfaces of the integrated circuit packages, producing data that is fed to a microprocessor-based terminal. The terminal decodes the data and extracts the encoded information (optionally referring to a look-up-table or database to expand coded values into textual descriptions). The terminal presents a display of the decoded information (e.g. speed rating, date and place of manufacture, etc.), and logs same into an inventory control database. If the decoded speed rating is different than that marked on the package, the manufacturer can return the circuit to the distributor as being non-conforming.