IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,619,688
Granted Patent B2
US 12,619,688 · App. 18/177,697 · Granted May 5, 2026

Document sharing protection with watermark

Inventors: Xi Chen (Redmond, WA); Kalin Georgiev Toshev (Redmond, WA)
Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
G06F21/16G06K7/1447
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,619,688
App. No.
18/177,697
Granted
May 5, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided is a computing system for protection against document sharing. The computing system includes a processor having associated memory, the processor being configured to execute instructions using portions of the memory to cause the processor to implement a compliance portal where a policy is established covering a plurality of documents, transmit the policy to a client device having a display screen, and in response to receiving an indication that the client device has triggered the policy, instruct the client device to modify a graphics pipeline to add an opaque watermark to a screen image displayed on the display screen.

Claims (44)

1 . A computing system for protection against unauthorized document sharing, comprising:

a server computing device including a processor having associated memory, the processor being configured to execute instructions using portions of the memory to cause the server computing device to:

implement a data leak prevention compliance portal where a policy is established covering a plurality of documents;

transmit the policy to a client device having an associated display screen, wherein the policy, in response to being triggered at the client device, causes the client device to modify a graphics pipeline by a windows manager of the client device at an operating system (OS) level to add an opaque watermark to a screen image displayed on the display screen;

receive a camera-captured image of the display screen including at least a portion of the watermark; and

decode secure information from the watermark.

2 . The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the secure information is encoded in the watermark as a hash value.

3 . The computing system of claim 2 , wherein the server computing device is further configured to:

receive the secure information and the hash value corresponding to the secure information once the client device has triggered the policy;

store the secure information and hash value; and

in response to a query including the hash value that is decoded from the watermark, retrieve the secure information.

4 . The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the secure information is encoded in a graphical pattern of the watermark.

5 . The computing system of claim 4 , wherein the graphical pattern illustrates a binary code using at least one of dots and dashes.

6 . The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the secure information includes at least one of a document file name, a document file type, a document file path, a timestamp, and a device and/or user identifier of the client device.

7 . The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the policy is further configured to cause the client device to divide the screen image into a plurality of regions and display the watermark in each of the plurality of regions.

8 . The computing system of claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of regions is divided into a plurality of blocks including an anchor block indicating a start or a stop of a graphical pattern of the watermark.

9 . The computing system of claim 7 , wherein each block encodes 1 bit of data in a graphical pattern such that the graphical pattern of one region formed of the plurality of blocks encodes a plurality of bits of data.

10 . The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the screen image is a final rendered screen image displayed by the entire display screen.

11 . A method for protection against unauthorized document sharing, comprising:

at a server computing device:

implementing a data leak prevention compliance portal where a policy is established covering a plurality of documents; and

transmitting the policy to a client device having an associated display screen, wherein the policy, in response to being triggered at the client device, causes the client device to modify a graphics pipeline by a windows manager of the client device at an operating system (OS) level to add an opaque watermark to a screen image displayed on the display screen;

receiving a camera-captured image of the display screen including at least a portion of the watermark; and

decoding secure information from the watermark.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the secure information is encoded in the watermark as a hash value.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising, at the server computing device:

receiving the secure information and the hash value corresponding to the secure information once the client device has triggered the policy;

storing the secure information and hash value; and

in response to a query including the hash value that is decoded from the watermark, retrieving the secure information.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the secure information is encoded in a graphical pattern of the watermark.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the graphical pattern illustrates a binary code using at least one of dots and dashes.

16 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the secure information includes at least one of a document file name, a document file type, a document file path, a timestamp, and a device and/or user identifier of the client device.

17 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the policy is further configured to cause the client device to divide the screen image into a plurality of regions and display the watermark in each of the plurality of regions.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein each of the plurality of regions is divided into a plurality of blocks including an anchor block indicating a start or a stop of a graphical pattern of the watermark.

19 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the screen image is a final rendered screen image displayed by the entire display screen.

20 . A computing system for protection against unauthorized document sharing, comprising:

a server computing device including a processor having associated memory, the processor being configured to execute instructions using portions of the memory to cause the server computing device to:

implement a data leak prevention compliance portal where a policy is established covering a plurality of documents; and

transmit the policy to a client device having an associated display screen, wherein the policy, in response to being triggered at the client device, causes the client device to:

divide a screen image displayed on the display screen into a plurality of regions;

modify a graphics pipeline by a windows manager of the client device at an operating system (OS) level to add a watermark to be displayed in each of the plurality of regions; and

divide each of the plurality of regions into a plurality of blocks each including an anchor block indicating a start or a stop of a graphical pattern of the watermark;

receive a camera-captured image of the display screen including at least a portion of the watermark; and

decode secure information from the watermark.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 2, 2023
From: CHEN, XI; TOSHEV, KALIN GEORGIEV
To: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
Reel/Frame 062863/0488 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240296209A1 · Sep 5, 2024
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