A method of verifying an authenticity of a printed item includes: photographing the printed item to obtain a photographic image of the printed item, retrieving reference data of the printed item, the reference data including a reference image of the printed item, determining a test noise parameter from the photographic image of the printed item, determining a reference noise parameter from the reference image, comparing the test noise parameter of the photographic image of the printed item to the reference noise parameter of the reference image, and determining an authenticity of the printed item from a result of the comparing. The determining the authenticity of the printed item from the result of the comparing may include establishing from the reference noise parameter of the reference image and the test noise parameter of the printed item.

The present disclosure relates to advanced image processing and encoded signal processing. One claim currently recites an image processing method comprising the acts: receiving a digital representation of artwork, the artwork having an area of uniform color; generating a two-dimensional data signal that redundantly encodes a plural-bit message, the data signal comprising plural elements, each of which has a single bit value; receiving a two-dimensional synchronization signal comprising plural elements, each of which has a plural-bit value, each element of said data signal having an element of the synchronization signal corresponding thereto; processing the two-dimensional data signal with the two-dimensional synchronization signal and with a gradient function to yield a two-dimensional gradient marking signal; and printing an ink counterpart of the gradient marking signal on a medium with the artwork, said printing comprising printing plural dithered two-dimensional blocks of at least four contiguous elements each, in which one or more elements of each block are printed to be dark. Of course, other claims and combinations are described as well.

In some arrangements, product packaging is digitally watermarked over most of its extent to facilitate high-throughput item identification at retail checkouts. Imagery captured by conventional or plenoptic cameras can be processed (e.g., by GPUs) to derive several different perspective-transformed views—further minimizing the need to manually reposition items for identification. Crinkles and other deformations in product packaging can be optically sensed, allowing such surfaces to be virtually flattened to aid identification. Piles of items can be 3D-modelled and virtually segmented into geometric primitives to aid identification, and to discover locations of obscured items. Other data (e.g., including data from sensors in aisles, shelves and carts, and gaze tracking for clues about visual saliency) can be used in assessing identification hypotheses about an item. Logos may be identified and used—or ignored—in product identification. A great variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

The present technology relates to image signal processing. One aspect of the present technology involves analyzing reference imagery gathered by a camera system to determine which parts of an image frame offer high probabilities of—relative to other image parts—containing decodable watermark data. Another aspect of the present technology whittles-down such determined image frame parts based on detected content (e.g., a cereal box) vs expected background within such determined image frame parts.

A method of tracking a source display panel from which an illegal copy of an image is captured by a camera is provided. The method includes generating a content image visible to human eyes using a visible light component integrated in an integrated light emitting source; generating a watermark image invisible to the human eyes in real time using an invisible light component integrated in the same integrated light emitting source; and simultaneously displaying the content image and the watermark image on the source display panel. Generating the watermark image includes generating an image of an identifier unique to the source display panel. The method further includes analyzing the image captured by the camera to extract the image of an identifier unique to the source display panel; and identifying the source display panel based on the identifier unique to the source display panel.

A method for transforming an input array of pixel data into an output array of data, to yield enhanced expression of a digital watermark signal in the output array. One such method includes, for each pixel in the input array, generating a first datum that indicates a value difference between said pixel and a neighboring pixel in a first direction, the first data thereby collectively comprising a first directional difference array. Similarly, for each such pixel in the input array, generating a second datum that indicates a value difference between said pixel and a neighboring pixel in a second direction, the second data thereby collectively comprising a second directional difference array. One or more transforms to a spatial frequency domain are then performed, using these first and second directional difference arrays as input data. First and second results from the one or more transformations are then combined to yield an output array. The just detailed process causes the digital watermark signal in the output array to exhibit a greater signal-to-noise ratio than in the digital watermark signal in the input array. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

An example apparatus includes: memory; instructions in the apparatus; and at least one processor to execute the instructions to: check for proof of trust information in one or more pre-determined positions in a trusted digital image, the proof of trust information including a secure output marker, the secure output marker indicative of information corresponding to a trusted output area of the trusted digital image; decrypt the secure output marker using one or more security keys from a trusted execution environment (TEE), the TEE isolated from a computing application; and enable activation of a trusted output indicator in response to a match between first data corresponding to the secure output marker and second data corresponding to the trusted output area of the trusted digital image.

A digital watermark analysis apparatus, comprising an image capturing unit for capturing a printed product where additional information is embedded by superimposing a pattern on an image to acquire a captured image, a calculation unit for calculating a spatial frequency characteristic of each small area in the captured image, a specifying unit for specifying an embedded signal strength and an embedding position of the additional information, a decision unit for deciding, based on the embedding position information and the embedded signal strength information, a position in the captured image of a marker detection area for detecting a marker as a reference position for acquiring the additional information, and an acquisition unit for detecting a marker in the marker detection area and acquiring the additional information in the captured image with reference to the detected marker.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for detecting and decoding a visually imperceptible or perceptible watermark. A watermark detection apparatus determines whether the particular image includes a visually imperceptible or perceptible watermark using detector a machine learning model. If the watermark detection apparatus detects a watermark, the particular image is routed to a watermark decoder. If the watermark detection apparatus cannot detect a watermark in the particular image, the particular image is filtered from further processing. The watermark decoder decodes the visually imperceptible or perceptible watermark detected in the particular image. After decoding, an item depicted in the particular image is validated based data extracted from the decoded visually imperceptible or perceptible watermark.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining a visually imperceptible or a visually perceptible watermark and outputting a result based on the determination. A watermark decoder receives an input image. The watermark decoder applies a decoder machine learning model to decode a watermarks at different levels of zoom. The water mark decoder determines whether a watermark was decoded to obtain a decoded watermark. The watermark decoder outputs a result based on the determination whether the watermark was decoded through application of the decoder machine learning model to the input image that includes outputting a zoomed output decoded through application of the decoder machine learning model to the input image.