IP Library Granted Patent US 12,332,977
Granted Patent B2
US 12,332,977 · App. 17/857,298 · Granted Jun 17, 2025

Method and system for watermarking a USB PD protocol hardware sub-system

Inventors: Shubham Paliwal (Uttar Pradesh, IN); Rakesh Kumar Polasa (Karnataka, IN); Vishnu Mohan Pusuluri (Karnataka, IN); Venugopal Jennarapu (Karnataka, IN)
Assignee: Siliconch Systems Pvt Ltd
G06F21/16G06F1/3215G06F21/44
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,332,977
App. No.
17/857,298
Granted
Jun 17, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system for watermarking a USB Type-C and PD protocol hardware sub-system existing as a part of a SOC/IC system includes a tester to generate a watermarking signal, a device under test (DUT), wherein the DUT is configured with a USB Type-C port with power delivery implementation and including a hardware subsystem configured for watermarking the DUT and transmit a response signal upon receipt of the watermarking signal from the tester. The tester includes a controller including one or more processors that execute a set of executable instructions that are stored in a memory, upon which execution, the processor causes the controller to generate the watermarking signal, the watermarking signal comprises a custom signal and a custom packet associated with a configured custom signal stored in a data buffer that is associated with the SOC/IC system, and transmit the watermarking signal on one or more configuration channel (CC) lines.

Claims (31)

1. A system for watermarking a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Type-C and Power Delivery (PD) protocol hardware sub-system existing as a part of a System on Chip/Integrated Circuit (SOC/IC) system, the system for watermarking comprising:

a tester to generate a watermarking signal;

a device under test (DUT), wherein the DUT is configured with a USB Type-C port with power delivery implementation and including:

a hardware subsystem configured for watermarking the DUT and transmit a response signal upon receipt of the watermarking signal from the tester,

wherein the tester comprises a controller, the controller comprising one or more processors that execute a set of executable instructions that are stored in a memory, upon which execution, the one or more processors cause the controller to:

generate the watermarking signal, said watermarking signal comprises a custom signal and a custom packet associated with a configured custom signal stored in a data buffer that is associated with the SOC/IC system;

transmit the watermarking signal on one or more configuration channel (CC) lines coupled to the USB Type-C port of the USB Type-C and PD protocol hardware sub-system associated with the DUT;

detect, by a watermarking detection mechanism of the tester, the response signal generated and transmitted by the hardware subsystem of the DUT, said response signal is a response to the watermarking signal transmitted by the tester, wherein the watermarking detection mechanism of the tester comprises a multiplexer; and

determine, by a watermarking indication interface associated with the tester, from the response signal received if the DUT is a watermarked or a non-watermarked device based on comparison of the custom signal and the custom packet with a predefined value provided by the tester.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the custom signal and the custom packet further comprises a combination of a preamble, one or more ordered sets composed of K-Codes and an end of packet (EOP), and wherein the predefined value is based on the one or more ordered sets composed of K-Codes.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the DUT is coupled to a USB PD transceiver that receives the watermarking signal and transmits the response signal if the DUT is a watermarked device, wherein the response signal is a combination of a preamble, start of packet (SOP) Ordered Set, a Vendor ID and or a secret code, a cyclic redundancy code (CRC) and an end of packet (EOP).

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the detection of the watermarking signal is based on one or more ordered sets composed of K-Codes, and wherein identification of whether the DUT is a watermarked device by the watermarking indication interface is based on any or a combination of a vendor identity construct of a USB PD specification, and a secret code corresponding to the predefined value provided by the tester.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the system is associated with a look up table associated with the SOC/IC system, said look up table includes a plurality of configured custom signals with at least one of the plurality of configured custom signals corresponding to a watermarking signal detected by the watermark detection mechanism, and wherein transmission of the response signal to the watermarking indication interface is by associated configuration channel lines of a USB PD transceiver.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the data buffer associated with the SOC/IC system is a transmitting or a receiving buffer.

7. A tester for testing watermarking in any Universal Serial Bus (USB) Type-C based system, the tester for watermarking comprising:

a controller comprising one or more hardware processors that execute a set of executable instructions that are stored in a memory, upon which execution, the one or more hardware processors cause the controller to:

generate a watermarking signal to be transmitted on one or more configuration channel (CC) lines in a USB Type-C and Power Delivery (PD) protocol hardware sub-system of a device under test (DUT) during an operation, wherein said watermarking signal comprises a custom signal and a custom packet associated with a configured custom signal stored in a data buffer that is associated with a System on Chip/Integrated Circuit (SOC/IC) system;

transmit the watermarking signal on one or more configuration channel lines coupled to a Type-C port of the USB Type-C and PD protocol hardware sub-system of the DUT;

a watermarking detection mechanism comprising a hardware multiplexer, the watermarking detection mechanism detects a response signal transmitted by the DUT, said response signal is a response to the watermarking signal transmitted by the controller; and

a watermarking indication interface that determines from the response signal received if the DUT is a watermarked or a non-watermarked device.

8. The tester as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the tester detects the response signal from the DUT if the DUT is a watermarked device, and wherein the response signal is a combination of a preamble, start of packet (SOP) Ordered Set, a vendor identity (ID) and a secret code, a cyclic redundancy code (CRC), and an end of packet (EOP).

9. The tester as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the tester provides the custom packet to a USB PD receiver in a predetermined format of the system, and wherein the tester decodes the response signal received in response to the custom packet sent by the tester to match one or a combination of a vendor identity and a secret code built in the system.

10. The tester as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the tester tests the DUT without having a need to have special probes or lab equipment.

11. A method for watermarking a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Type-C and Power Delivery (PD) protocol hardware sub-system existing as a part of a System on Chip/Integrated Circuit (SOC/IC) system, the method for watermarking comprising:

generating a watermarking signal by a tester, said watermarking signal comprises a custom signal and a custom packet associated with a configured custom signal stored in a data buffer that is associated with the SOC/IC system, wherein the tester comprises a controller, the controller comprising one or more processors that executes a set of executable instructions that are stored in a memory;

transmitting the watermarking signal by the tester on one or more configuration channel (CC) lines coupled to a Type-C port of the USB Type-C and PD protocol hardware sub-system associated with a device under test (DUT);

detecting, by a watermarking detection mechanism of the tester, a response signal generated and transmitted by a hardware subsystem of the DUT, said response signal is a response to the watermarking signal transmitted by the tester, wherein the watermarking detection mechanism of the tester comprises a multiplexer; and

determining, by a watermarking indication interface associated with the tester, from the response signal received if the DUT is a watermarked or a non-watermarked device based on comparison of the custom signal and the custom packet with a predefined value provided by the tester.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the custom signal and the custom packet further comprises a combination of a preamble, one or more ordered sets composed of K-Codes and an end of packet (EOP), and wherein the predefined value is based on the one or more ordered sets composed of K-Codes.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the DUT is coupled to a USB PD transceiver that receives the watermarking signal and transmits the response signal if the DUT is a watermarked device, and wherein the response signal is a combination of a preamble, start of packet (SOP) Ordered Set, a Vendor ID and a secret code, a cyclic redundancy code (CRC) and an end of packet (EOP).

14. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the detection of the watermarking signal is based on one or more ordered sets composed of K-Codes, and wherein identification of whether the DUT is a watermarked device by the watermarking indication interface is based on one or a combination of a vendor identity construct of a USB PD specification, and a secret code corresponding to the predefined value provided by the tester.

Assignments (2)
MERGER Recorded Apr 22, 2026
From: SILICONCH SYSTEMS PRIVATE LIMITED
To: L&T SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
Reel/Frame 075446/0549 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 5, 2022
From: PALIWAL, SHUBHAM; POLASA, RAKESH KUMAR; PUSULURI, VISHNU MOHAN; JENNARAPU, VENUGOPAL
To: SILICONCH SYSTEMS PRIVATE LIMITED
Reel/Frame 060400/0184 →
Priority Claims (1)
IN 202241008679 · Feb 18, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230267184A1 · Aug 24, 2023
References Cited (6)
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