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• US 20050002585A1
• Filed: 06/04/2002
• Published: 01/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Viisage Technology AG (Idemia Identity & Security Germany AG)
• Original Assignee: ZN Vision Technologies AG (Idemia Identity & Security Germany AG)
• Inventors: von der Malsburg, Christoph, Clasen, Martin, Werner, Martin, Brauckmann, Michael, Gehlen, Stefan
• Application Number:
  US10/480,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20050002585A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for reversibly rendering at least one object in an image unrecognizable, whereby each object to be rendered unrecognizable is automatically detected in an original image and at least one data set is generated comprising image information for the representation of the image in which each object to be rendered unrecognizable is, in fact, rendered unrecognizable, and additional information that permits the restoration of each object that has been rendered unrecognizable in the image.

Claims

1. A method for reversibly rendering at least one object in an image unrecognizable, comprising the steps of:

automatically detecting any object to be rendered unrecognizable in an original image,

generating at least one data set comprising;

image information for representation of the image in which each object to be rendered unrecognizable is in fact rendered unrecognizable,

additional information to be able to restore each object rendered unrecognizable in the image.

2. A method according to claim 1 in which a data set is generated comprising the image information and the additional information.

3. A method according to claim 1 in which at least two data sets are generated, whereby a first data set comprises the image information and a second data set comprises the additional information.

4. A method according to claim 1 in which each object is rendered unrecognizable with the same code.

5. A method according to claim 1 in which at least two objects are rendered unrecognizable with different codes.

6. A method according to claim 1 in which each object of a previously determined object class is automatically detected and rendered unrecognizable.

7. A method to restore at least one object rendered unrecognizable in an image according to a method according to claim 1, comprising the steps of:

evaluating the additional information in order to generate a restored partial image information corresponding to the at least one object rendered unrecognizable,

replacing a corresponding area of the image information by the restored partial image information.

8. A method according to claim 7 with which, in an image with several objects rendered unrecognizable, individually selectable objects are restorable.

9. A method according to claim 7 with which all objects rendered unrecognizable are restored with at least one specified common characteristic.

10. A method according to claim 7 with which all objects rendered unrecognizable are restored.

11. A method according to claim 2 in which each object is rendered unrecognizable with the same code.

12. A method according to claim 3 in which each object is rendered unrecognizable with the same code.

13. A method according to claim 2 in which at least two objects are rendered unrecognizable with different codes.

14. A method according to claim 3 in which at least two objects are rendered unrecognizable with different codes.

15. A method according to claim 4 in which each object of a previously determined object class is automatically detected and rendered unrecognizable.

16. A method according to claim 5 in which each object of a previously determined object class is automatically detected and rendered unrecognizable.

17. A method to restore at least one object rendered unrecognizable in an image according to a method according to claim 2, comprising the steps of:

evaluating the additional information in order to generate a restored partial image information corresponding to the at least one object rendered unrecognizable,

replacing a corresponding area of the image information by the restored partial image information.

18. A method to restore at least one object rendered unrecognizable in an image according to a method according to claim 3, comprising the steps of:

evaluating the additional information in order to generate a restored partial image information corresponding to the at least one object rendered unrecognizable,

replacing a corresponding area of the image information by the restored partial image information.

19. A method to restore at least one object rendered unrecognizable in an image according to a method according to claim 6, comprising the steps of:

evaluating the additional information in order to generate a restored partial image information corresponding to the at least one object rendered unrecognizable,

replacing a corresponding area of the image information by the restored partial image information.

20. A method according to claim 8 with which all objects rendered unrecognizable are restored with at least one specified common characteristic.