Methods and apparatus for enhancing the robustness of watermark extraction from digital host content

1. A method for enhancing the robustness of watermark extraction from digital host content, comprising:

receiving a digital host content at a reception device;

extracting embedded watermarks from the host content, using an extraction device, in accordance with a stego key, the extracting comprising:

(a) extracting a first watermark;

(b) determining a number of errors in the first extracted watermark; and

if the number of errors is above a first pre-determined value;

(c) extracting at least a second watermark;

(d) determining a number of errors in at least the second extracted watermark; and

if the number of errors in at least the second extracted watermark is above a second pre-determined value, combining the extraction results of steps (a) and (c) to cumulatively assess validity of the first extracted watermark and at least the second extracted watermark; and

controlling an operation of a content handling device in accordance with the cumulative assessment.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the combining comprises:

assigning weights to the first and at least the second extracted watermarks;

adding the weights assigned to the first and at least the second extracted watermarks to obtain an accumulated weight value; and

comparing the accumulated weight value to at least a first pre-defined reference value to assess validity of the extracted watermarks.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the assigning of the weights are adapted in accordance with soft decision information.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the soft decision information comprises probability values.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and at least the second extracted watermarks are separated by a pre-determined interval.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the pre-determined interval is a function of the duration of the embedded watermarks.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the separation is a multiple of the duration of the embedded watermarks.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the combining occurs only if the number of errors in at least the second extracted watermark does not exceed a third pre-determined value.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the third pre-determined value is selected in accordance with at least one of a desired robustness, computational efficiency or false positive rate of watermark extraction.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the number of errors in the first and at least the second extracted watermarks are obtained by comparing the detected watermark symbols to a pre-defined template.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the number of errors in the first and at least the second extracted watermarks are estimated by decoding watermark packets that are Error-Correction-Code encoded.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and the second pre-determined values are determined in accordance with at least one of a desired robustness, computational efficiency, or false positive rate of watermark extraction.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

extracting at least a third embedded watermark prior to the combining, determining a number of errors in at least the third extracted watermark; and

if the number of errors in at least the third extracted watermark is above a third pre-determined value;

averaging symbols of the first, second and at least the third extracted watermarks to produce a composite watermark packet; and

determining a number of errors in the composite watermark packet to assess validity of embedded watermarks.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the averaging is adapted in accordance with soft decision information.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the soft decision information comprises probability values associated with individual bits of the first, second and at least the third extracted watermark.

16. Apparatus for enhancing the robustness of watermark extraction from digital host content, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a digital host content;

an extractor for extracting embedded watermarks from the host content in accordance with a stego key, the extractor configured to:

(a) extract a first watermark;

(b) compute a number of errors in the first extracted watermark; and

if the number of errors is above a first pre-determined value;

(c) extract at least a second watermark;

(d) compute a number of errors in at least the second extracted watermark; and

if the number of errors in at least the second extracted watermark is above a second pre-determined value, combine the extraction results of steps (a) and (c) to cumulatively assess the validity of the first extracted watermark and at least the second extracted watermark.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the extractor is configured to:

assign weights to the first and at least the second extracted watermarks;

add the weights assigned to the first and at least the second extracted watermarks to obtain an accumulated weight value; and

compare the accumulated weight value to at least a first pre-defined reference value.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the extractor is further configured to receive soft decision information for assigning weights to the first and at least the second extracted watermarks.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the extractor is configured to combine the extraction results only if the number of errors in at least the second extracted watermark does not exceed a third pre-determined value.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the extractor is configured to compute the number of errors in the first and at least the second extracted watermarks by comparing the detected watermark symbols to a pre-defined template.

21. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the extractor is configured to compute the number of errors in the first and at least the second extracted watermarks by decoding watermark packets that are Error-Correction-Code encoded.

22. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the extractor is configured to:

extract at least a third embedded watermark, compute a number of errors in at least the third extracted watermark; and

if the number of errors in at least the third extracted watermark is above a third pre-determined value;

produce a composite watermark packet by averaging symbols of the first, second and at least the third extracted watermarks; and

compute a number of errors in the composite watermark packet.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the extractor is configured to receive soft decision information to carry out the averaging.

24. A computer-readable storage medium with a digital host content embodied thereupon, the host content comprising:

one or more auxiliary information symbols that are imperceptibly embedded in the host content, wherein reception of the host content by a content handling device equipped with a watermark extractor triggers the watermark extractor to:

(a) extract a first watermark;

(b) determine a number of errors in the first extracted watermark; and

if the number of errors is above a first pre-determined value;

(c) extract at least a second watermark;

(d) determine a number of errors in at least the second extracted watermark; and

if the number of errors in at least the second extracted watermark is above a second pre-determined value, combine the extraction results of steps (a) and (c) to cumulatively assess validity of the first extracted watermark and at least the second extracted watermark.