Image processing apparatus, data processing method, and storage medium

• US 7,079,278 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2005
• Issued: 07/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sato, Akihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Rogers, Scott A.
• Application Number:
  US11/108,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20050219605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• Field of Search: 358/3.28, 358 113- 115, 358/403, 382/100, 705/52, 705/57, 713/176, 340/5.8, 340/5.86, 340/5.2, 340/5.4, 340/5.54
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing

Abstract

The present invention provides an image processing system which can make switch-over between a copy-permitted state and a copy-prohibited state automatically according to the type of production while securely protecting the production.

For the purpose, the system causes a detecting portion to detect the presence of predetermined information (i.e., production information) in image data, when that image data is sent from a user side terminal to be output from an output device. If the results of this detection indicate its presence, the system prohibits outputting of that image data from the output device. With this, the system releases an output-prohibited state of the above-mentioned image data based on the results of comparison between a password sent from the user side terminal and a password present in that image data.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus which comprises:

detecting means for detecting digital watermark information contained in data;

obtaining means for obtaining an address of a device which holds a data list relating to said data from said detected digital watermark information; and

display means for displaying an inquiry as to whether or not a user intends to receive said data list by using said detected digital watermark information.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said data is an image, a speech, or a movie.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said data list has written therein a plurality of data pieces and charge information for said plurality of data pieces.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein data reception is performed by selecting a user'"'"'s desired data from said data list and inputting the number of a cash card of said user.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data relates to a painting and said data list contains information about another product of a creator of the painting.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data relates to a musical composition and said data list contains information about another product of a composer of the musical composition.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data relates to a book and said data list includes information about another product of an author of the book.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data relates to a photograph and said data list includes information about another product of a photographer who took the photograph.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said data list includes information about other content produced by the same person who created the data.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the content is selected from the group consisting of an image, a painting, music, a book, and a photograph.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said data list is an index listing a plurality of items of data, each item of data corresponding to an image, a movie, or sound.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said index further lists, for each of the plurality of items of data, a corresponding fee.

13. An image processing method comprising:

a step of detecting digital watermark information contained in data using detecting means;

a step of obtaining an address of a device which holds a data list relating to said data from said detected digital watermark information using obtaining means; and

a step of controlling display of an inquiry as to whether or not a user intends to receive said data list by using said detected digital watermark information.

14. A storage medium for computer-readably storing a program to achieve an image processing method which comprises:

a step of detecting digital watermark information contained in data using detecting means;

a step of obtaining an address of a device which holds a data list relating to said data from said detected digital watermark information using obtaining means; and

a step of controlling display of an inquiry as to whether or not a user intends to receive said data list by using said detected digital watermark information.

15. A computer-readable program embodied in a computer-readable medium to be used to achieve an image processing method which comprises:

a step of detecting digital watermark information contained in data using detecting means;

a step of obtaining an address of a device which holds a data list relating to said data from said detected digital watermark information using obtaining means; and

a step of controlling display of an inquiry as to whether or not a user intends to receive said data list by using said detected digital watermark information.