INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD, COMPUTER PROGRAM AND COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20090097699A1
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Okihara, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,125,691 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/163 Handling of whitespace

Abstract

A watermark information embedding apparatus generates a document image from electronic document data that has been input thereto, modifies the electronic document data based upon the document image and embeds information in the electronic document data. The apparatus includes a document image generator for generating a document image from the electronic document data; a document analyzer for detecting layout information of each constituent image in the generated document image; a normalization information calculation unit for calculating normalization information, which is for normalizing placement of each constituent image, based upon the detected layout information; a modification unit for modifying the electronic document data; and an embedding unit for embedding information in the modified electronic document data.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for embedding information in electronic document data that has been input thereto, comprising:

image generating means for generating a document image from the electronic document data;

detecting means for detecting layout information of each constituent image in the generated document image;

calculating means for calculating normalization information, which is for normalizing placement of each constituent image, based upon the detected layout information; and

embedding means for modifying the electronic document data based upon the calculated normalization information and embedding information in the modified electronic document data.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image generating means generates the document image at a resolution at which the layout information is capable of being detected by said detecting means.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the layout information includes information relating to position and size of each constituent image;

and

said calculating means calculates spacing of each constituent image based upon the layout information.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each constituent image is a circumscribing rectangle of each character image;

and

said detecting means calculates spacing of the circumscribing rectangle of each character image.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein on the basis of character spacing calculated by said detecting means, said calculating means calculates an average value of character spacings between a rectangle of interest, which is a circumscribing rectangle of interest, and circumscribing rectangles adjacent to the rectangle of interest, and calculates normalization information necessary in order that each character spacing will attain the average value.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when modifying the electronic document data, said embedding means modifies information corresponding to at least one of position and size of the circumscribing rectangle.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising means for modifying the electronic document data in such a manner that it will correspond to the normalization information calculated in view of the document image.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said embedding means embeds information by adjusting character spacing of each character in the electronic document data based upon predetermined information.

10. A computer-readable recording medium storing a computer program which, by being read in by a computer, causes the computer to function as the information processing apparatus set forth in claim 1.

9. An information processing method of embedding information in electronic document data that has been input, comprising:

an image generating step of generating a document image from the electronic document data;

a detecting step of detecting layout information of each constituent image in the generated document image;

a calculating step of calculating normalization information, which is for normalizing placement of the constituent images, based upon the detected layout information; and

an embedding step of modifying the electronic document data based upon the calculated normalization information and embedding information in the modified electronic document data.