Watermarked information embedding apparatus

• US 20070104350A1
• Filed: 10/25/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oki Data Corporation (OKI Electric Industry Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Maeno, Kurato
• Granted Patent: US 8,270,663 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0064 Geometric transfor invariant watermarking, e.g. affine transform invariant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0065 Extraction of an embedded watermark; Reliable detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32203 Spatial or amplitude domain methods H04N1/32309 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32208 involving changing the magnitude of selected pixels, e.g. overlay of information or super-imposition H04N1/32219, H04N1/32224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32219 involving changing the position of selected pixels, e.g. word shifting, or involving modulating the size of image components, e.g. of characters H04N1/32224 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32229 with selective or adaptive application of the additional information, e.g. in selected regions of the image H04N1/32213 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes

Abstract

The watermarked information embedding apparatus which inputs an image and embeds watermarked information in the input image, comprises: picture element determining means which determines whether it is a picture element constituting a background image for each of picture elements which constitute the input image; background picture element removing means which removes all of background picture elements determined as picture elements constituting the background image by the picture element determining means; and watermarked information embedding means which embeds the watermarked information in an image constituted by a picture element from which the background picture element constituting the input image is removed by the background picture element removing means.

Claims

1. A watermarked information embedding apparatus which inputs an image and embeds watermarked information in the input image, comprising:

picture element determining means which determines whether it is a picture element constituting a background image for each of picture elements which constitute the input image;

background picture element removing means which removes all of background picture elements determined as picture elements constituting the background image by the picture element determining means; and

watermarked information embedding means which embeds the watermarked information in an image constituted by a picture element from which the background picture element constituting the input image is removed by the background picture element removing means.

2. The watermarked information embedding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the picture element determining means determines whether the background image is a picture element constituting at least one of a shaded image, a photograph image and a half-tone image.

3. The watermarked information embedding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the picture element determining means classifies all of background points constituting the background image based on a shape and a position of the background point with respect to each background point which is a point of aggregation in which one or more picture elements constituting the background image.

4. The watermarked information embedding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the picture element determining means classifies all of background points constituting the background image based on a shape, a cycle and a phase of the background point with respect to the with respect to each background point which is a point of aggregation in which one or more picture elements constituting the background image.

5. The watermarked information embedding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the background picture element removing means estimates a position of the background point and determines whether the background point should be removed, based on a shape, a cycle and a phase of the background point, when the background point which is a point at which one or more picture elements constituting the background image are aggregated is superposed on at least one of a plurality of picture elements constituting a character, a sign and a ruled line of the input image.

6. The watermarked information embedding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the background picture element removing means removes a portion of the background point except the superposed portion thereof when the background point which is a point at which one or more picture elements constituting the background image are aggregated is superposed on at least one of a plurality of picture elements constituting a character, a sign and a ruled line of the input image.

7. The watermarked information embedding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the background picture element removing means estimates a portion of the background point except the superposed portion based on a region comprising at least one of the character, the sign and the ruled line, and removes the same when the background point which is a point at which one or more picture elements constituting the background image are aggregated is superposed on at least one of a plurality of picture elements constituting a character, a sign and a ruled line of the input image.

8. The watermarked information embedding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the background picture element removing means deletes one or more picture elements constituting an isolated point of the picture elements constituting the input image, based on a pattern dictionary prepared based on at least one of a shape, a cycle and a phase of the background point.

9. The watermarked information embedding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means which converts data described in page description language into input image.

10. A watermarked information embedding apparatus which inputs an image and embeds watermarked information in the input image, comprising:

picture element determining means which determines whether it is a picture element constituting a background image for each of picture elements which constitute the input image;

image separating means which separates, from the input image, a background image comprising a background picture elements which is determined as a picture element constituting the background image by the picture element determining means; and

watermarked information embedding means in which the background image of the input image is separated by the image separating means and the watermarked information is embedded in the remaining image;

wherein

the watermarked information is embedded by the watermarked information embedding means in accordance with concentration and/or density of the picture element constituting the separated background image.

11. The watermarked information embedding apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the picture element determining means determines whether the background image is a picture element constituting at least one of a shaded image, a photograph image and a half-tone image.

12. The watermarked information embedding apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the picture element determining means classifies all of background points constituting the background image based on a shape and a position of the background point with respect to each background point which is a point of aggregation in which one or more picture elements constituting the background image.

13. The watermarked information embedding apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the picture element determining means classifies all of background points constituting the background image based on a shape, a cycle and a phase of the background point with respect to the with respect to each background point which is a point of aggregation in which one or more picture elements constituting the background image.

14. The watermarked information embedding apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the image separating means estimates a position of the background point and determines whether the background point should be deleted, based on a shape, a cycle and a phase of the background point, when the background point which is a point at which one or more picture elements constituting the background image are aggregated is superposed on at least one of a plurality of picture elements constituting a character, a sign and a ruled line of the input image.

15. The watermarked information embedding apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the image separating means deletes a portion of the background point except the superposed portion thereof when the background point which is a point at which one or more picture elements constituting the background image are aggregated is superposed on at least one of a plurality of picture elements constituting a character, a sign and a ruled line of the input image.

16. The watermarked information embedding apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the image separating means estimates a portion of the background point except the superposed portion based on a region comprising at least one of the character, the sign and the ruled line, and deletes the same from the input image when the background point which is a point at which one or more picture elements constituting the background image are aggregated is superposed on at least one of a plurality of picture elements constituting a character, a sign and a ruled line of the input image.

17. The watermarked information embedding apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the image separating means deletes one or more picture elements constituting an isolated point of the picture elements constituting the input image, based on a pattern dictionary prepared based on at least one of a shape, a cycle and a phase of the background point.

18. The watermarked information embedding apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the image separating means deletes, from the input image, a portion of the background point except the superposed portion thereof, and records all of the picture elements constituting the background point in the background image when the background point which is a point at which one or more picture elements constituting the background image are aggregated is superposed on at least one of a plurality of picture elements constituting a character, a sign and a ruled line of the input image.

19. The watermarked information embedding apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising means which converts data described in page description language into input image.