Information processing apparatus, method, program, and storage medium

• US 20090103137A1
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Ishii, Masaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,416,462 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.170
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0051 Embedding of the watermark in the spatial domain
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32149 Methods relating to embedding, encoding, decoding, detection or retrieval operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/444 to a particular document or image or part thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3271 Printing or stamping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/328 Processing of the additional information

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a first information acquisition unit, a second information acquisition unit, a third information acquisition unit, and an information embedder. The first information acquisition unit obtains target information. The second information acquisition unit obtains given information to be embedded in the target information. The third information acquisition unit obtains control information for accessing the given information. The information embedder generates embed information from the given information and the control information and embeds the embed information in the target information.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a first information acquisition unit configured to obtain target information;

a second information acquisition unit configured to obtain given information to be embedded in the target information;

a third information acquisition unit configured to obtain control information for accessing the given information; and

an information embedder configured to generate embed information from the given information and the control information and embed the embed information in the target information.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a converter configured to convert the control information, obtained by the third information acquisition unit, using a one-way function,

wherein the information embedder generates the embed information from the given information and the converted control information.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a converter configured to convert the control information, obtained by the third information acquisition unit, using public key encryption,

wherein the information embedder generates the embed information from the given information and the converted control information.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a printing device configured to output the target information having the embed information embedded therein to a recording medium.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a fourth information acquisition unit configured to obtain target information having embed information embedded therein, the embed information including given information and control information for accessing the given information;

an information extractor configured to extract the embed information from the target information, obtained by the fourth information acquisition unit, and extract the control information from the embed information;

a fifth information acquisition unit configured to obtain access information for receiving authorization of an access to the given information;

an output determiner configured to determine whether or not output of the given information is authorized; and

an information output unit configured to output the given information from the target information when the output determiner determines that output of the given information is authorized.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a converter configured to convert the access information, obtained by the fifth information acquisition unit, using a method corresponding to a method used in converting the control information.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an alerting device configured to provide an alert when the output determiner determines that output of the given information is not authorized.

8. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

obtaining target information;

obtaining given information to be embedded in the target information;

obtaining control information for accessing the given information;

generating embed information from the given information and the control information; and

embedding the embed information in the target information.

9. The information processing method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of converting the control information using a one-way function,

wherein the generating step generates the embed information from the given information and the converted control information.

10. The information processing method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of converting the control information using public key encryption,

wherein the generating step generates the embed information from the given information and the converted control information.

11. The information processing method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of outputting the target information having the embed information embedded therein to a recording medium.

12. The information processing method according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

obtaining target information having embed information embedded therein, the embed information including given information and control information for accessing the given information;

extracting the embed information from the target information;

extracting the control information from the embed information;

obtaining access information for receiving authorization of an access to the given information;

determining, based on the control information and the access information, whether or not output of the given information is authorized; and

outputting the given information from the target information whenever the determining step determines that output of the given information is authorized.

13. The information processing method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of converting the access information using a method corresponding to a method used in converting the control information.

14. The information processing method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of outputting an alert whenever the determining step determines that output of the given information is not authorized.

15. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that causes a computer to execute a method of:

obtaining target information;

obtaining given information to be embedded in the target information;

obtaining control information for accessing the given information;

generating embed information from the given information and the control information; and

embedding the embed information in the target information.

16. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

obtaining target information having embed information embedded therein, the embed information including given information and control information for accessing the given information;

extracting the embed information from the target information;

extracting the control information from the embed information;

obtaining access information for receiving authorization of an access to the given information;

determining, based on the control information and the access information, whether or not output of the given information is authorized; and

outputting the given information from the target information whenever the determining step determines that output of the given information is authorized.

17. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the method further comprises converting the access information using a method corresponding to a method used in converting the control information.

18. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the method further comprises outputting an alert whenever the determining step determines that output of the given information is not authorized.