Monitoring apparatus, computer program and network for secure data storage

• US 20040158718A1
• Filed: 03/19/2004
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno
• Original Assignee: Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno
• Inventors: Roelofsen, Gerrit, Gelbord, Boaz Simon
• Granted Patent: US 7,614,086 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00884 involving a watermark, i.e. a barely perceptible transformation of the original data which can nevertheless be recognised by an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467

Abstract

A monitoring apparatus, a computer program and a network are disclosed for monitoring a representation. The representation comprises a first data string and afterwards two or more output strings are generated by the monitoring apparatus which output strings are stored at separate storage locations.

Claims

1. Monitoring apparatus for monitoring a representation of an object, said monitoring apparatus comprising

means for converting said representation into at least one first data string;

means for generating two or more output strings from which said first data string can be reconstructed and

means for transmitting said two or more output strings to separate storage locations

5. Monitoring apparatus according to any of the preceding claims wherein network communication means are provided for transmission of said two or more output strings and/or additional output string over a network.

9. Monitoring apparatus according to any of the preceding claims wherein event triggering means are provided in order to generate said two or more output strings and transmit these output strings only if said representation has changed with respect to an earlier representation.

10. Monitoring apparatus according to any of the preceding claims wherein selection means are provided to obtain a selection of selected output strings from said two or more output strings.

14. Monitoring apparatus according to any of the preceding claims wherein compression means are provided to compress said first data string, said output strings, said selected output strings and/or said additional output strings.

15. Monitoring apparatus according to any of the preceding claims wherein watermarking means are provided to assign a watermark string to said first datastring.

16. Monitoring apparatus according to any of the preceding claims wherein watermarking means are provided to assign a watermark string to substantially each of said two or more output strings and/or said at least one additional output string and/or said replacement string.

20. Monitoring apparatus according to any of the preceding claims wherein encryption means are provided to encrypt said two or more output strings and/or additional output string and/or selected output strings before these strings are transmitted by said transmission means to said separate storage locations.

2. Monitoring apparatus according to claim 0 wherein said apparatus is a digital camera.

3. Monitoring apparatus according to claim 0 wherein said apparatus is an analog camera the output of which is digitalised by an analog-digital conversion module for obtaining said first data string.

4. Monitoring apparatus according to any of the claims 0-0 wherein combination means are provided to combine said two or more output strings with each other and/or with said first data string resulting in at least one additional output string.

11. Monitoring apparatus according to claim 0 wherein said selected output strings are combined with each other and said first data string by using said combination means as recited in claim 4 to obtain at least one additional output string

6. Monitoring apparatus according to claim 0 wherein said separate storage locations are not part of said monitoring apparatus and said network is used for transmission of said two or more output strings and/or additional output strings to said separate storage locations

7. Monitoring apparatus according to any of the claims 0-0 wherein at least one separate storage location for storing said output string and/or additional output string is located at or near said monitoring apparatus.

8. Monitoring apparatus according to claim 0 wherein the separate storage locations being part of said monitoring apparatus are provided with means to assess the access rights of parties requesting retrieval or access to of one or more output strings and/or additional output strings.

12. Monitoring apparatus according to claims 0 or 0 wherein registration means are provided to register said selected output strings and/or said additional output string.

13. Monitoring apparatus according to claim 0 wherein said registration means assigns a code to said selected output strings and/or additional output string.

17. Monitoring apparatus according to claims 0 or 0 wherein said watermarking means assign a watermark string to said first datastring and/or said two or more output strings comprising an identifier referring to said monitoring apparatus.

18. Monitoring apparatus according to claim 0 wherein said monitoring apparatus identifier comprises a time stamp referring to the generation of said two or more output strings or the transmission of said two or more output strings to said separate storage locations.

19. Monitoring apparatus according to claims 0 or 0 wherein said watermark string comprises an identifier referring to said separate storage locations.

21. Monitoring apparatus according to claim 0 wherein said encryption means use an encryption key which is a function of said identifiers referring to said separate storage locations.

22. A computer program for running on a computer system at least including software code portions performing generation of two or more output strings from which a first data string can be reconstructed, said first data string being obtained from converting a representation of an object monitored by a monitoring apparatus and transmission of said output data strings to separate storage locations.

23. A computer program according to claim 0 wherein said software code portions further include combination portions to combine said two or more output strings with each other and/or with said first data string resulting in at least one additional output string.

24. A computer program according to claims 0 or 0 wherein said software code portions further include portions to select selected output strings from said two or more output strings.

25. A computer program according to claim 0 wherein said software code portions further include portions to combine said selected output strings with each other and first data string to obtain at least one additional output.

26. A computer program according to any of the claims 0-0 wherein said software code portion further include portions to compress said first data string, said output strings, said additional output strings and/or said selected output strings.

27. A computer program according to any of the claims 0-0 wherein said software code portions further include portions to assign a watermark to said first data string, said output strings, said additional output strings and/or said selected output strings.

28. A computer program according to claim 0 wherein said watermark comprises an identifier referring to said monitoring apparatus and/or a time stamp referring to the generation of said two or more output strings or the transmission of said two or more output strings to said separate storage locations and/or an identifier referring to said storage locations.

29. A computer program according to any of the claims 0-0 wherein said software code portions further include portions to encrypt said two or more output strings and/or additional output string and/or selected output strings.

30. A data carrier, stored with data loadable in a computer memory said data representing a computer program for running on a computer system at least including software code portions for performing generation of two or more output strings from which a first data string can be reconstructed said first data string being obtained from converting a representation of an object monitored by a monitoring apparatus and transmission of said output data strings to separate storage locations.

31. A data carrier according to claim 0 wherein said software code portions further include portions as described in at least one of the claims 0-0.

32. A data communication network comprising at least one monitoring apparatus generating a first data string by converting a representation of an object monitored by said monitoring apparatus said first data string being processed by a processor generating two or more output strings from which said first data string can be reconstructed said monitoring apparatus being communicatively connected to said data communication network by network communication means to transmit said two or more output strings over said data communication network to storage locations to store at least one of said one or more substrings.