Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and recording medium

• US 10,275,846 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2017
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Shindoh, Hidenori
• Primary Examiner(s): Couso, Jose L
• Application Number:
  US15/591,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20170345117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0028 Adaptive watermarking, e.g. Human Visual System [HVS]-based watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0051 Embedding of the watermark in the spatial domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0052 Embedding of the watermark in the frequency domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/20 using local operators

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes circuitry that determines whether or not an image described based on image data is continuous with an area where watermark information is to be embedded to generate a determination result and changes, in accordance with the determination result, the area where the watermark information is to be embedded.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

circuitry configured to;

receive inputted image data;

retrieve digital watermark information, to be embedded in the image data, and predetermined coordinate values for embedding each value of the watermark information into the image data;

determine, for each of the predetermined coordinate values, whether or not an image described based on the image data is continuous or non-continuous with a watermark information area where a respective value of the watermark information is to be embedded, based on the predetermined coordinate values, to generate a determination result;

change, in accordance with the determination result, the area where the respective value of the watermark information is to be embedded when the determination result indicates that the image data is not continuous with the watermark information area;

embed each respective value of the watermark information in the image data based on the determination result for each respective value; and

output the image data with the embedded watermark information,

wherein the image data is continuous with the watermark information area when, among pixel values which directly surround the watermark information area, there are pixel values opposing each other via a pixel in the watermark information area which have a same digitalized gradation value as the pixel in the watermark information,

the image data is non-continuous with the watermark information area when, among pixel values which directly surround the watermark information area, there are no pixel values opposing each other via the pixel in the watermark information area which have a same digitalized gradation value as the pixel in the watermark information.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the circuitry shifts, when the determination result indicates that the image based on the image data is not continuous with the watermark information area, the watermark information area from a first position to a second position, the second position being an area continuous with the image based on the image data.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the circuitry moves, when the determination result indicates that the image based on the image data is not continuous with the watermark information area, the watermark information area from the first position to an edge of the image.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a memory to store a setting that sets a method of modifying the area where the watermark information is to be embedded,

wherein the circuitry:

shifts the watermark information area if the memory stores a setting of shifting the watermark information area; and

moves the watermark information area to the edge if the memory stores a setting of moving the watermark information area to the edge.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the circuitry further:

determines whether or not a first resolution of the image data matches a second resolution of a plotter apparatus that outputs the image data into which the watermark information is embedded;

converts, when the first resolution of the image data does not match the second resolution of the plotter apparatus, the image data from the first resolution to the second resolution; and

determines, when the watermark information is to be embedded in the image data whose resolution is converted into the second resolution, whether or not the watermark information area is continuous with the image based on the image data.

6. A system, comprising:

the information processing apparatus of claim 5; and

the plotter apparatus to output an image based on the image data into which the watermark information is embedded.

7. A method of processing information performed by circuitry of an information processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving inputted image data;

retrieving digital watermark information, to be embedded in the image data, and predetermined coordinate values for embedding each value of the watermark information into the image data,

determining, for each of the predetermined coordinate values, whether or not an image described based on the image data is continuous or non-continuous with a watermark information area where a respective value of the watermark information is to be embedded, based on the predetermined coordinate values, to generate a determination result;

changing, in accordance with the determination result, the area where the respective value of the watermark information is to be embedded when the determination result indicates that the image data is not continuous with the watermark information area;

embedding each respective value of the watermark information in the image data based on the determination result for each respective value; and

outputting the image data with the embedded watermark information,

wherein the image data is continuous with the watermark information area when, among pixel values which directly surround the watermark information area, there are pixel values opposing each other via a pixel in the watermark information area which have a same digitalized gradation value as the pixel in the watermark information,

the image data is non-continuous with the watermark information area when, among pixel values which directly surround the watermark information area, there are no pixel values opposing each other via the pixel in the watermark information area which have a same digitalized gradation value as the pixel in the watermark information.

8. A non-transitory, computer-readable recording medium storing a program that, when executed by one or more processors of an information processing apparatus, causes the processors to implement a method of processing information, comprising:

receiving inputted image data;

retrieving digital watermark information, to be embedded in the image data, and predetermined coordinate values for embedding each value of the watermark information into the image data;

determining, for each of the predetermined coordinate values, whether or not an image described based on the image data is continuous or non-continuous with a watermark information area where a respective value of the watermark information is to be embedded, based on the predetermined coordinate values, to generate a determination result;

changing, in accordance with the determination result, the area where the respective value of the watermark information is to be embedded when the determination result indicates that the image data is not continuous with the watermark information area;

embedding each respective value of the watermark information in the image data based on the determination result for each respective value; and

outputting the image data with the embedded watermark information,

wherein the image data is continuous with the watermark information area when, among pixel values which directly surround the watermark information area, there are pixel values opposing each other via a pixel in the watermark information area which have a same digitalized gradation value as the pixel in the watermark information,

the image data is non-continuous with the watermark information area when, among pixel values which directly surround the watermark information area, there are no pixel values opposing each other via the pixel in the watermark information area which have a same digitalized gradation value as the pixel in the watermark information.