Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 03165583 2022-06-21
BACKTRACEABLE INVISIBLE WATERMARK ADDING METHOD AND
APPARATUS THEREOF
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of computers, and
more particularly to
a backtraceable invisible watermark adding method and an apparatus thereof.
Description of Related Art
[0002] Generally, for protecting sensitive privacy information, it is a common
practice that a
brand adds its exclusive watermarks into images or interfaces directly or
indirectly, so as
to prevent unauthorized use. In the event of unauthorized use or
dissemination, the
watermark can be helpful to identify the responsible disseminator. Without
such a
watermark, the responsible disseminator can only be identified through its
user name. If
the dissemination was made anonymously, more investigation has to be conducted
by
specialists at the back end.
[0003] However, adding such a watermark directly in the content can form
interference with
information display and thus is adverse in terms of esthetics. In addition, a
user anyway
wanting to avoid the tracking mechanism of the watermark may electronically
remove
the watermark. Even if the brand can track back to the initial disseminator
through IP
search, the process is time- and effort-consuming and costly. While the brand
may use a
watermark to carry a user ID so as to further deter a user from disseminating
sensitive
information, once the user removes the watermark in some manner before
dissemination,
it is still impossible for the brand to directly identify the information
disseminator. In this
case, to identify the initial disseminator, all involved parties have to be
questioned or all
1
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-06-21
CA 03165583 2022-06-21
involved IPs have to be checked, which process is also time- and effort-
consuming and
costly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] To solve the problems in the prior art, the present invention
embodiment provides a
backtraceable invisible watermark adding method and an apparatus thereof to
overcome
the shortcoming of the conventional solution of adding watermarks directly
into images
or software interfaces that the watermarks can esthetically interfere display
of information
and when removed by users can lead to a time- and effort-consuming and costly
process
of tracking unauthorized dissemination.
[0005] To solve the foregoing technical issues, the present invention adopts
the following
technical schemes.
[0006] In one aspect, the present invention provides a backtraceable invisible
watermark adding
method, which comprises the following steps:
[0007] in a software interface to which a watermark is to be added, selecting
at least one location
for the watermark to be placed;
[0008] for the location for the watermark to be placed, building at least one
invisible watermark
pattern correspondingly, wherein the invisible watermark pattern includes
information of
a software user; and
[0009] embedding the invisible watermark pattern to the location for the
watermark to be placed,
so as to obtain the interface with the invisible watermark embedded therein.
[0010] Further, the step of in a software interface to which a watermark is to
be added, selecting
at least one location for the watermark to be placed comprises:
[0011] selecting a background pattern of the software interface as the
location for the watermark
to be placed; and/or,
2
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-06-21
CA 03165583 2022-06-21
[0012] selecting a button in the software interface as the location for the
watermark to be placed;
and/or,
[0013] selecting an icon in the software interface as the location for the
watermark to be placed.
[0014] Further, the step of for the location for the watermark to be placed,
building at least one
invisible watermark pattern correspondingly comprises:
[0015] extracting the information of the software user, graphing the
information of the software
user so as to generate the invisible watermark pattern.
[0016] Further, the information of the software user includes digits that
forms a worker
identification number of the user, and the step of graphing the information of
the software
user so as to generate the invisible watermark pattern comprises:
[0017] graphing digits 0 through 9 differently, so as to generate different
first images; and
[0018] according to a sequence of the digits of the worker identification
number of the user,
rearranging the first images, so as to generate the invisible watermark
pattern
corresponding to the digits of the worker identification number of the user.
[0019] Further, the step of graphing the information of the software user
further comprises:
[0020] predefining a second image for general use, rearranging the first
images according to the
sequence of the digits of the worker identification number of the user, and
adding the
second image into the rearranged images, so as to generate the invisible
watermark
pattern corresponding to the digits of the worker identification number of the
user.
[0021] In another aspect, the present invention provides a backtraceable
invisible watermark
adding apparatus, which comprises:
[0022] a location acquiring module, for in a software interface to which a
watermark is to be
added, selecting at least one location for the watermark to be placed;
[0023] a watermark generating module, for the location for the watermark to be
placed, building
at least one invisible watermark pattern correspondingly, wherein the
invisible watermark
3
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-06-21
CA 03165583 2022-06-21
pattern includes information of a software user; and
[0024] a watermark embedding module, for embedding the invisible watermark
pattern to the
location for the watermark to be placed, so as to obtain the interface with
the invisible
watermark embedded therein.
[0025] Further, the location acquiring module is for:
[0026] selecting a background pattern of the software interface as the
location for the watermark
to be placed; and/or,
[0027] selecting a button in the software interface as the location for the
watermark to be placed;
and/or,
[0028] selecting an icon in the software interface as the location for the
watermark to be placed.
[0029] Further, the watermark generating module comprises:
[0030] an information extracting unit, for extracting the information of the
software user;
[0031] a graphing unit, for graphing the information of the software user.
[0032] Further, the graphing unit comprises:
[0033] a converting sub-unit, for graphing digits 0 through 9 differently, so
as to generate
different first images; and
[0034] a rearranging sub-unit, for according to a sequence of the digits of
the worker
identification number of the user, rearranging the first images, so as to
generate the
invisible watermark pattern corresponding to the digits of the worker
identification
number of the user.
[0035] Further, the graphing unit further comprises:
[0036] a filling sub-unit, for predefining a second image for general use,
rearranging the first
images according to the sequence of the digits of the worker identification
number of the
user, and adding the second image into the rearranged images.
4
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-06-21
CA 03165583 2022-06-21
[0037] The technical schemes of the embodiments of the present invention
provide the following
beneficial effects:
[0038] 1. The backtraceable invisible watermark adding method and its
apparatus of the
embodiments of the present invention graph predetermined digits or letters to
generate an
invisible watermark adapted to the interface scene, so that the watermark can
be hidden
in scene elements pre-existing in the interface and displayed with the scene
as a whole in
the interface in a manner that the invisible watermark is unperceivable to
users; and
[0039] 2. The backtraceable invisible watermark adding method and its
apparatus of the
embodiments of the present invention build invisible watermarks that can be
used in the
scene of interface of any software and hidden in the interface scene from user
perception,
and the invisible watermark patterns can carry information of software users,
so that in
the event of information privacy breach, the developer can backtrack the
breacher
according to invisible watermark pattern, thereby making privacy breach
backtracking
much more efficient.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0040] The accompanying drawings are provided herein for better understanding
of the present
invention and form a part of this disclosure. The illustrative embodiments and
their
descriptions are for explaining the present invention and by no means form any
improper
limitation to the present invention, wherein:
[0041] FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a backtraceable invisible watermark adding
method according to
one exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and
[0042] FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of a backtraceable invisible watermark
adding apparatus
according to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-06-21
CA 03165583 2022-06-21
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0043] To make the foregoing objectives, features, and advantages of the
present invention
clearer and more understandable, the following description will be directed to
some
embodiments as depicted in the accompanying drawings to detail the technical
schemes
disclosed in these embodiments. It is, however, to be understood that the
embodiments
referred herein are only a part of all possible embodiments and thus not
exhaustive. Based
on the embodiments of the present invention, all the other embodiments can be
conceived
without creative labor by people of ordinary skill in the art, and all these
and other
embodiments shall be encompassed in the scope of the present invention.
[0044] FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a backtraceable invisible watermark adding
method according to
one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As show, the method
comprises the
following steps.
[0045] Si: in a software interface to which a watermark is to be added,
selecting at least one
location for the watermark to be placed.
[0046] Specifically, the software interface for the watermark to be added is
analyzed so as to
properly select at least one location for the watermark to be placed in the
software
interface for the watermark to be added.
[0047] As a more preferred implementation, in the embodiment of the present
invention, one of
the following locations may be selected in the software interface for the
watermark to be
added as the location for the watermark to be placed:
[0048] selecting a background pattern of the software interface as the
location for the watermark
to be placed; and/or,
[0049] selecting a button in the software interface as the location for the
watermark to be placed;
6
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-06-21
CA 03165583 2022-06-21
and/or,
[0050] selecting an icon in the software interface as the location for the
watermark to be placed.
[0051] It is to be noted herein that, in the embodiment of the present
invention, the location for
the watermark to be placed is not limited to the foregoing three alternatives
and may be
any location in the software interface.
[0052] S2: for the location for the watermark to be placed, building at least
one invisible
watermark pattern correspondingly, wherein the invisible watermark pattern
includes
information of a software user.
[0053] Specifically, corresponding to the selected location for the watermark
to be placed, at
least one invisible watermark pattern is built. In particular, predetermined
digits or letters
or the like are graphically designed to generate a watermark form adapted to
the scene
elements of the software interface. The watermark form can be displayed
together with
the scene of the software interface in a manner that the watermark is
unperceivable to
users.
[0054] As a more preferred implementation, in the embodiment of the present
invention, the
information of the software user is first extracted and then graphed, so as to
generate the
invisible watermark pattern.
[0055] As a more preferred implementation, in the embodiment of the present
invention, the
information of the software user includes a worker identification number of
the user, and
the step of graphing the information of the software user so as to generate
the invisible
watermark pattern comprises:
[0056] graphing digits 0 through 9 differently, so as to generate different
first images; and
[0057] according to a sequence of the digits of the worker identification
number of the user,
rearranging the first images, so as to generate the invisible watermark
pattern
7
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-06-21
CA 03165583 2022-06-21
corresponding to the digits of the worker identification number of the user.
[0058] As a more preferred implementation, in the embodiment of the present
invention, the step
of graphing the information of the software user further comprises:
[0059] predefining a second image for general use, rearranging the first
images according to the
sequence of the digits of the worker identification number of the user, and
adding the
second image into the rearranged images, so as to generate the invisible
watermark
pattern corresponding to the digits of the worker identification number of the
user. It is to
be noted herein that the second image may be added to a specific location
according to
practical needs (for example, as a prefix or a suffix of the rearranged
images), or may be
added at any other location.
[0060] For example, for a scan-and-shop software, the invisible watermark
pattern of the present
invention may be designed into the form of a two-dimensional code. Assuming
that the
worker identification number of a user is a combination of 8 digits, each of
the digits is
first graphed depending on which it is in 0 through 9, so as to generate
different first
images. Then according to the sequence of the digits in the worker
identification number
of the user, the corresponding first images are rearranged into the form of a
two-
dimensional code. To be specific, the first images corresponding to the digits
in the
worker identification number of the user are arranged into a 3x3 matrix, so as
to generate
a combined image like a nine-square combination. Since the worker
identification
number of the user has only 8 digits, there will be a void image location.
Because a two-
dimensional code icon always includes an irregular image form at its lower
right corner,
an image for general use (i.e., the second image) may be designed and affixed
to the nine-
square combination images at the tail to join the combination, so that the
generated
invisible watermark pattern looks very similar to a two-dimensional code icon
to the
extent that the difference therebetween is basically unperceivable to naked
eyes.
Alternatively, the generated invisible watermark pattern may be sized to a
button in the
software interface and then added to a button to form a two-dimensional code
button.
8
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-06-21
CA 03165583 2022-06-21
[0061] When a user screenshots a page and shares the image to others, the
invisible watermark
pattern in the two-dimensional code will be sent out simultaneously, and the
user will
think it as a button of the two-dimensional code without awareness that there
is a
watermark. When an administrator finds that someone hold the unauthorized
screenshot
image containing product prices, the administrator can track back to the user
who shared
this image through the invisible watermark pattern in the two-dimensional code
in the
screenshot image, thereby conducing privacy breach backtracking.
[0062] The step S3 is about embedding the invisible watermark pattern to the
location for the
watermark to be placed, so as to obtain the interface with the invisible
watermark
embedded therein.
[0063] Specifically, the invisible watermark pattern is such hidden in the
existing scene of the
scene of the software interface that it is unperceivable to users.
Nevertheless, the
developer can easily recognize it. In the prior art, a backtracking process
after a privacy
breach can take hours or even days. By contrast, with the technical schemes of
the
embodiments of the present invention, such a process can be done in 1 to 2
minutes. In a
software interface, there may be plural locations for the watermark to be
placed. For
different locations for the watermark to be placed, the invisible watermark
pattern may
be embedded in different ways as further described below.
[0064] If the background pattern of the software interface is taken as the
location for the
watermark to be placed, the color of the invisible watermark pattern is
adjusted according
to the color of the background pattern, and the adjusted invisible watermark
pattern is
embedded into the background pattern, so that the invisible watermark pattern
is hidden
in the background pattern to the extent that the invisible watermark pattern
and the
background pattern fit in each other. For example, the color of the background
pattern is
of a solid color value #F8F8F8, and the color of the invisible watermark
pattern may be
9
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-06-21
CA 03165583 2022-06-21
adjusted to #F6F6F6, so when the invisible watermark pattern is embedded into
the
background pattern, users cannot tell the two apart with their eyes, yet the
watermark can
be easily read by a machine.
[0065] If a button in software interface is taken as the location for the
watermark to be placed,
the invisible watermark pattern is sized to the button, and the invisible
watermark pattern
is added to the array of buttons. For example, the digits in the worker
identification
number of the user are graphed to generate an invisible watermark pattern in
the form of
a two-dimensional code, and properly sized before placed into a button
location in the
software interface.
[0066] If an icon in software interface is taken as the location for the
watermark to be placed, the
invisible watermark pattern is adapted to the pattern form of an icon, so that
the invisible
watermark pattern can be hidden in the icon and become unperceivable to
general users.
The invisible watermark pattern carries the information of the registered
user. Therefore,
once the user involves privacy breach, he/she can be easily identified through
the invisible
watermark pattern. Therein, for practical implementations, the form of the
invisible
watermark pattern may be designed with one or more icons blended therein.
[0067] FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of a backtraceable invisible watermark
adding apparatus
according to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the
apparatus comprises:
[0068] a location acquiring module, for in a software interface to which a
watermark is to be
added, selecting at least one location for the watermark to be placed;
[0069] a watermark generating module, for the location for the watermark to be
placed, building
at least one invisible watermark pattern correspondingly, wherein the
invisible watermark
pattern includes information of a software user; and
[0070] a watermark embedding module, for embedding the invisible watermark
pattern to the
location for the watermark to be placed, so as to obtain the interface with
the invisible
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-06-21
CA 03165583 2022-06-21
watermark embedded therein.
[0071] As a more preferred implementation, in the embodiment of the present
invention, the
location acquiring module is specifically for:
[0072] selecting a background pattern of the software interface as the
location for the watermark
to be placed; and/or,
[0073] selecting a button in the software interface as the location for the
watermark to be placed;
and/or,
[0074] selecting an icon in the software interface as the location for the
watermark to be placed.
[0075] As a more preferred implementation, in the embodiment of the present
invention, the
watermark generating module comprises:
[0076] an information extracting unit, for extracting the information of the
software user; and
[0077] a graphing unit, for graphing the information of the software user.
[0078] As a more preferred implementation, in the embodiment of the present
invention, the
graphing unit comprises:
[0079] a converting sub-unit, for graphing digits 0 through 9 differently, so
as to generate
different first images; and
[0080] a rearranging sub-unit, for according to a sequence of the digits of
the worker
identification number of the user, rearranging the first images, so as to
generate the
invisible watermark pattern corresponding to the digits of the worker
identification
number of the user.
[0081] As a more preferred implementation, in the embodiment of the present
invention, the
graphing unit further comprises:
[0082] a filling sub-unit, for predefining a second image for general use,
rearranging the first
images according to the sequence of the digits of the worker identification
number of the
user, and adding the second image into the rearranged images.
11
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-06-21
CA 03165583 2022-06-21
[0083] To sum up, technical schemes of the embodiments of the present
invention provide the
following beneficial effects:
[0084] 1. The backtraceable invisible watermark adding method and its
apparatus of the
embodiments of the present invention graph predetermined digits or letters to
generate an
invisible watermark adapted to the interface scene, so that the watermark can
be hidden
in scene elements pre-existing in the interface and displayed with the scene
as a whole in
the interface in a manner that the invisible watermark is unperceivable to
users; and
[0085] 2. The backtraceable invisible watermark adding method and its
apparatus of the
embodiments of the present invention build invisible watermarks that can be
used in the
scene of interface of any software and hidden in the interface scene from user
perception,
and the invisible watermark patterns can carry information of software users,
so that in
the event of information privacy breach, the developer can backtrack the
breacher
according to invisible watermark pattern, thereby making privacy breach
backtracking
much more efficient.
[0086] It is to be noted that work division among the foregoing functional
modules for the
backtraceable invisible watermark adding apparatus of the present embodiment
to add
watermarks is merely exemplary. In practical implementations, the work
division may be
made among different functional modules. In other words, the internal
architecture of the
order-based phoning system may be reconfigured with different functional
modules to
perform all or a part of the functions as described previously. In addition,
since the
backtraceable invisible watermark adding apparatus of the present embodiment
and the
disclosed backtraceable invisible watermark adding method in the previous
embodiment
stem from the same conception, the details of its implementation can be
learned from the
description made to the method of the previous embodiment, and no repetition
is made
herein.
12
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-06-21
CA 03165583 2022-06-21
[0087] As will be appreciated by people of ordinary skill in the art,
implementation of all or a
part of the steps of the method of the present invention as described
previously may be
realized by having a program instruct related hardware components. The program
may
be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the program is about
performing
the individual steps of the methods described in the foregoing embodiments.
The storage
medium may be a ROM, a hard drive, an optical disk, or the like.
[0088] The preferred embodiments of the present invention described previously
are not intended
to limit the present invention. Any modification, equivalent replacement, and
improvement made under the spirit and principle of the present invention shall
be
embraces in the scope of the present invention.
13
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-06-21
