Method and system for managing access to data through data transformation

• US 6,351,439 B1
• Filed: 04/01/1999
• Issued: 02/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Miwa, Kunihiko, Kobayashi, Hiroya, Morimoto, Norishige
• Primary Examiner(s): HINDI, NABIL Z
• Application Number:
  US09/269,917
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: 369/53.2, 369/53.22, 369/53.27, 369/47.12, 369/47.13, 369/84, 369/47.18, 369/47.19
• US Class Current: 369/47.18
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0035 Output size adaptive watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0051 Embedding of the watermark in the spatial domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0061 Embedding of the watermark in each block of the image, e.g. segmented watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0064 for copy protection or copy management, e.g. CGMS, copy only once, one-time copy
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00094 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00768 wherein copy control information is used, e.g. for indicating whether a content may be copied freely, no more, once, or never, by setting CGMS, SCMS, or CCI flags
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00884 involving a watermark, i.e. a barely perceptible transformation of the original data which can nevertheless be recognised by an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91314 the copy protection signal being a pulse signal inserted in blanking intervals of the video signal, e.g. pseudo-AGC pulses, pseudo-sync pulses
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91321 the copy protection signal being a copy protection control signal, e.g. a record inhibit signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91328 the copy protection signal being a copy management signal, e.g. a copy generation management signal [CGMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91335 the copy protection signal being a watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

In providing a system that can manage access to data to effectively prevent illegal access to the data or the like, there is provided a system for embedding access management information that prepares management information for managing access to the data, and embeds the management information in the data through data transformation without changing amount of data. In managing access to data, there is provided a method that extracts management information embedded in the data through data deformation without changing amount of data, and manages access to the data according to the extracted management information. There is also provided a method for changing management of access to the data according to the type of medium in which the data is stored (RAM or ROM). The management information further contains information for controlling recording of the data, reception of the data, playback of the data, interference of output of the data, duplication history of the data, or modification of the management information. The access management method can prevent illegal duplication of data or the like, and can effectively protect a work.

Claims

1. A method for managing access to data by utilizing management information comprising a plurality of bits embedded in the data through data transformation without changing the amount of the data, the method comprising the steps of:

defining a plurality of sets of data regions in the data for the plurality of bits to be embedded in the data, each of the data regions in each set having at least one pixel and the data regions in each set being in mutually high characteristic correlation with each other;

comparing characteristic values between the data regions in each set and embedding a bit of the plurality of bits in each set of data regions by expressing the bit as a function of the characteristic values comparison and a value of the bit;

extracting the plurality of bits of the management information embedded in the data by comparing the characteristic values between the data regions in the defined plurality of sets; and

managing access to said data according to said extracted management information.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said step for managing the access comprises a step of changing management of access to said data according to the type of medium for storing said data.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein said type of medium is ROM, RAM or R.

4. The method as set forth in any one of claims 1 through 3, wherein said management information contains information for controlling storage of said data, reception of said data, playback of said data, interference of output of said data, duplication history of said data, or modification of said management information.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4, wherein said step for managing the access comprises a step of, after managing the access to said data according to said management information, embedding, separate from said management information, additional information for managing access to said data in said data, said management information and said additional information managing subsequent access to said data.

6. A system for managing access to data by utilizing management information comprising a plurality of bits embedded in said data through data transformation without changing the amount of data, the system comprising:

a mechanism for defining a plurality of sets of data regions in the data for the plurality of bits to be embedded in the data, each of the data regions in each set having at least one pixel and the data regions in each set being in mutually high characteristic correlation with each other;

a mechanism for comparing characteristic values between the data regions in each set and embedding a bit of the plurality of bits in each set of data regions by expressing the bit as a function of the characteristic values comparison and a value of the bit;

an extractor for extracting the plurality of bits of the management information embedded in the data by comparing the characteristic values between the data regions in the defined plurality of sets; and

a unit for managing access to said data according to said extracted management information.

7. The system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said unit for managing access comprises a unit for changing management of access to said data according to the type of medium for storing said data.

8. The system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said type of medium is ROM, RAM or R.

9. The system as set forth in any one of claims 6 through 8, wherein said management information contains information for controlling storage of said data, reception of said data, playback of said data, interference of output of said data, duplication history of said data, or modification of said management information.

10. The system as set forth in claim 9, wherein said unit for managing access comprises:

a unit for, after managing the access to said data according to said management information, embedding, separate from said management information, additional information for managing access to said data in said data; and

a unit for managing subsequent access to said data according to said management information and said additional information.

11. A computer program device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for managing access to data by utilizing management information comprising a plurality of bits embedded in the data through data transformation without changing the amount of the data, the method comprising:

defining a plurality of sets of data regions in the data for the plurality of bits to be embedded in the data, each of the data regions in each set having at least one pixel and the data regions in each set being in mutually high characteristic correlation with each other;

comparing characteristic values between the data regions in each set and embedding a bit of the plurality of bits in each set of data regions by expressing the bit as a function of the characteristic values comparison and a value of the bit;

extracting the plurality of bits of the management information embedded in the data by comparing the characteristic values between the data regions in the defined plurality of sets; and

managing access to the data according to the extracted management information.