Mobile terminal having camera for inserting watermark data into image data and method thereof

• US 7,511,859 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2004
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pantech Corporation (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pantech & Curitel Communications Incorporated (Pantech Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lim, Joon-Hee
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Douglas Q
• Application Number:
  US10/960,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20050073725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,637 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/3.28, 358/3.27
• US Class Current: 358/3.28
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3281 Encryption; Ciphering

Abstract

The mobile terminal for inserting watermarking data into image data and the method thereof are disclosed. The mobile terminal includes a first storage for storing watermark data of an image; a camera module for obtaining an image and converting the image into an analog electric image data; an image data encoder for encoding the analog electric image data into digital image data and inserting the watermark data stored in the first memory into the digital image data; a second storage for storing the encoded image data having the watermark data of the image; and a controller for controlling the image data encoder to encode the image data obtained through the camera module with inserting the watermark data of the image data stored in the first storage.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a first storage to store watermark data including source information;

a camera module to obtain an image and to convert the image into analog electric image data;

an image data encoder to encode the analog electric image data into digital image data and to insert the watermark data stored in the first storage into the digital image data to generate encoded image data;

a second storage to store the encoded image data having the watermark data,

wherein the source information comprises an electronic serial number (ESN) or a phone number of the mobile terminal obtaining the image.

2. The mobile terminal as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an image data compressor to compress the encoded image data having the watermark data to generate compressed image data and to allow the compressed image data to be stored in the second storage.

3. A method for inserting watermark data into image data, the method comprising the steps of:

a) obtaining an image and converting the image into analog electric image data;

b) encoding the analog electric image data into digital image data and inserting watermark data into the digital image data to generate encoded image data; and

c) storing the encoded image data having the watermark data,

wherein the watermark data includes source information, the source information comprising an electronic serial number (ESN) or a phone number of a mobile terminal obtaining the image.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, the method further comprising the step of:

d) compressing the encoded image data having the watermark data to generate compressed image data and storing the compressed image data.