Information embedding method and apparatus

• US 20040260935A1
• Filed: 07/08/2004
• Published: 12/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoda, Akira, Ito, Wataru, Usami, Yoshinori
• Application Number:
  US10/885,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20040260935A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32144 embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3252 Image capture parameters, e.g. resolution, illumination conditions, orientation of the image capture device H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3254 Orientation, e.g. landscape or portrait; Location or order of the image data, e.g. in memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information

Abstract

Supplementary information related to original data is embedded in the original data without being lost or altered and without degrading the quality of the original data. A photographing condition regarding photographing of the original image data is generated as the supplementary information by supplementary information generating unit and stored on a network in a supplementary information database. Storage management information such as a URL address of where the supplementary information is stored is generated by storage management information generating unit and embedded the original image data by using deep layer encryption. The original image data in which the storage management information has been embedded are recorded in a recording medium. Since the storage management information has a smaller amount of data than the supplementary information, quality of the original data is not degraded even when the storage management information is embedded in the original image data.

Claims

1. An information embedding method comprising the steps of:

dividing an original image represented by original image data into a plurality of areas and for obtaining image data for each area; and

embedding supplementary information related to each area in the image data for each area by carrying out deep layer encryption on the supplementary information.

2. An information embedding method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the original image is divided into a plurality of block areas.

3. An information embedding method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the original image is divided into areas of each object included in the original image.

4. An information embedding method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supplementary information is information regarding image processing on each area.

5. An information embedding method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the supplementary information is information regarding image processing on each area.

6. An information embedding method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the supplementary information is information regarding image processing on each area.

7. An information embedding method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supplementary information is information showing a search keyword of each area.

8. An information embedding method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the supplementary information is information showing a search keyword of each area.

9. An information embedding method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the supplementary information is information showing a search keyword of each area.

10. An information embedding apparatus comprising:

division means for dividing an original image represented by original image data into a plurality of areas and for obtaining image data for each area; and

embedding means for embedding supplementary information related to each area in the image data for each area by carrying out deep layer encryption on the supplementary information.

11. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program to cause a computer to execute the procedures of:

dividing an original image represented by original image data into a plurality of areas and for obtaining image data for each area; and

embedding supplementary information related to each area in the image data for each area by carrying out deep layer encryption on the supplementary information.