Apparatus for identifying a photographer of an image

• US 7,657,056 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2005
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Shin, Jae-Gwan, Park, Jeon-Man, Kang, Dong-Han, Kwon, Seong-Geun
• Primary Examiner(s): AZARIAN, SEYED H
• Application Number:
  US11/145,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20050280720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,702 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/112, 382113-116, 382137-138, 382/156, 382/168, 382181-182, 382/189, 382/198, 382/203, 382/219, 382/232, 382/243, 382/254, 382/274, 382/276, 382/291, 382/305, 382/312, 382/313, 382/318, 382/239, 713/176, 358/1.15, 348/207.99
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/005 Robust watermarking, e.g. average attack or collusion attack resistant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0053 Embedding of the watermark in the coding stream, possibly without decoding; Embedding of the watermark in the compressed domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0065 Extraction of an embedded watermark; Reliable detection
• 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 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32144 embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3283 Compression

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus for processing image data in a portable terminal equipped with a camera. In the apparatus the image data photographed by the camera are coded by a predetermined coding scheme in a photographing mode of the camera, header information of a stream of the coded image data is generated and inserted into the stream, identifying information is generated as a watermark and the watermark is inserted into the stream, and the stream comprising the watermark is stored.

Claims

1. An apparatus equipped with a camera, the apparatus comprising:

an image codec for coding image data photographed by the camera;

a watermark embedder included in the image codec, for embedding information identifying photographer of coded image data into a stream of the coded image data as a watermark;

a memory for storing the stream of the coded image data comprising the watermark, and wherein the watermark is generated by mixing the identifying information and a pseudo-random sequence, the pseudo-random sequence comprising a spreading code or a sequence commonly used for all portable terminals;

wherein the identifying information comprises electronic serial number (ESN) information of a portable terminal;

wherein the apparatus further comprising a communication unit for transmitting the coded image data stored in the memory.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identifying information further comprises a subscriber phone number.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the identifying information further comprises photographed location information.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication unit comprises a communication interface unit connected to an external communication apparatus through a communication cable so as to interface with the external communication apparatus.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the communication unit comprises a radio frequency (RF) communication unit for performing RF communication with a base station.

6. An apparatus for processing image data in a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a camera;

an image processor comprising an image codec, for processing the image data photographed by the camera, and applying the photographed image data to the image codec in a record mode;

the image codec comprising an encoder for coding the image data output from the camera by a predetermined coding scheme, a codec adaptive header inserter for inserting header information into a stream of the coded image data, and a watermark embedder for embedding information identifying photographer of the coded image data into the stream as a watermark;

a memory for storing the stream comprising the watermark in the record mode;

and a communication unit for transmitting predetermined coded image data, which are selected from the coded image data stored in the memory, in a communication mode,

wherein the watermark is generated by mixing the identifying information and a pseudo-random sequence, the pseudo-random sequence comprising a spreading code or a sequence commonly used for all portable terminals;

wherein the identifying information comprises electronic serial number (ESN) information of a portable terminal.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the identifying information further comprises a subscriber phone number.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the identifying information further comprises photographed location information.

9. An apparatus for displaying image data, the apparatus comprising:

a communication unit for receiving image data in a communication mode;

an image codec comprising a watermark extractor for extracting a watermark, which has been inserted at a predetermined location in a stream of coded image data output from the communication unit, and generating information identifying photographer of the coded image data, a header extractor for extracting header information from the stream of the coded image data output from the watermark extractor, and a decoder for decoding the stream of the coded image data output from the header extractor and restoring original image data;

an image processor for processing the image data output from the image codec;

a display unit for displaying the image data output from the image processor,

and a mixer for generating the watermark by mixing the identifying information and a pseudo-random sequence, the pseudo-random sequence comprising a spreading code or a sequence commonly used for all portable terminals;

wherein the identifying information comprises electronic serial number (ESN) information of a portable terminal.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the identifying information further comprises a subscriber phone number.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the identifying information further comprises photographed location information.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the communication unit comprises a radio frequency (RF) communication unit for performing RF communication with a base station.

13. An apparatus for processing image data in a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a camera;

an image processor having an image codec for processing the image data output from the camera and the image processor and a number of pieces of the image data;

a display unit for displaying the image data of the camera;

a communication unit for transmitting the image data coded by the image codec and outputting received coded image data to the image codec in a communication mode; and

the image codec comprising an encoder for coding the image data output from the camera by a predetermined coding scheme, a codec adaptive header inserter for inserting header information into a stream of the coded image data, a watermark embedder for embedding identifying information into the stream as a watermark and outputting the stream to the communication unit, a watermark extractor for extracting the watermark, which has been inserted at a predetermined location in the stream output from the communication unit, and generating the identifying information, a header extractor for extracting the header information from the stream output from the watermark extractor, and a decoder for decoding the stream output from the header extractor and restoring original image data and outputting the restored original image data to the image processor;

wherein the watermark is generated by mixing the identifying information and a pseudo-random sequence, the pseudo-random sequence comprising a spreading code or a sequence commonly used for all portable terminals.

14. A method for processing image data in a portable terminal equipped with a camera, the method comprising the steps of:

coding the image data photographed by the camera using a predetermined coding scheme in a photographing mode of the camera;

generating header information of a stream of the coded image data and inserting the header information into the stream;

generating information identifying photographer of the coded image data as a watermark and inserting the watermark into the stream; and

storing the stream comprising the watermark;

wherein the watermark is generated by mixing a pseudo-random sequence and identifying information, and the pseudo-random sequence comprising a spreading code or a sequence commonly used for all portable terminals;

wherein the identifying information comprises electronic serial number (ESN) information of a portable terminal.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the identifying information further comprises a subscriber phone number.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the identifying information further comprises photographed location information.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the subscriber number is linked to an owner of the portable terminal.

18. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the ESN is linked to an owner of the portable terminal.

19. A method for processing image data in a portable terminal equipped with a camera, the method comprising the steps of:

extracting a watermark inserted at a predetermined location of a coded data stream in an image reproduction mode and detecting information identifying photographer of the coded data stream from the extracted watermark;

extracting header information from the data stream from which the watermark has been extracted; and

decoding the data stream from which the header information has been extracted by a predetermined decoding scheme and displaying the decoded data stream;

wherein the extracted watermark is generated by mixing a pseudo-random sequence and the identifying information, and the pseudo-random sequence comprising a spreading code or a sequence commonly used for all portable terminals;

wherein the identifying information comprises electronic serial number (ESN) information of a portable terminal.

20. A method for processing image data in a portable terminal equipped with a camera, the method comprising the steps of:

coding the image data captured by the camera using a predetermined coding scheme in an image capturing mode of the camera;

generating header information for a stream of the coded image data and inserting the header information into the stream;

generating information identifying photographer of the coded image data as an electronic fingerprint and embedding the electronic fingerprint into the stream; and

storing the stream comprising the electronic fingerprint,

wherein the electronic fingerprint is generated by mixing a pseudo-random sequence and identifying information, the pseudo-random sequence comprising a spreading code or a sequence commonly used for all portable terminals;

wherein the identifying information comprises electronic serial number (ESN) information of a portable terminal.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the image data comprises still images or moving pictures.

22. The method as claimed in claim 20, further comprising:

associating a user with the embedded electronic fingerprint via an electronic serial number or phone number of the user terminal.

23. An apparatus equipped with a camera, the apparatus comprising:

an image codec for coding image data photographed by the camera;

a watermark embedder included in the image codec, for embedding identifying information into a stream of the coded image data as a watermark; and

a memory for storing the stream of the coded image data comprising the watermark,

wherein the watermark is generated by mixing the identifying information and a pseudo-random sequence, the pseudo-random sequence comprising a spreading code or a sequence commonly used for all portable terminals;

wherein the identifying information comprises electronic serial number (ESN) information of a portable terminal;

wherein the apparatus further comprises a communication unit for transmitting the coded image data stored in the memory;

wherein the communication unit comprises a communication interface unit connected to an external communication apparatus through a communication cable so as to interface with the external communication apparatus; and

wherein the communication unit comprises a radio frequency (RF) communication unit for performing RF communication with a base station.

24. An apparatus for displaying image data, the apparatus comprising:

a communication unit for receiving image data in a communication mode;

an image codec comprising a watermark extractor for extracting a watermark, which has been inserted at a predetermined location in a stream of coded image data output from the communication unit, and generating identifying information, a header extractor for extracting header information from the stream of the coded image data output from the watermark extractor, and a decoder for decoding the stream of the coded image data output from the header extractor and restoring original image data;

an image processor for processing the image data output from the image codec;

a display unit for displaying the image data output from the image processor; and

a mixer for mixing a pseudo-random sequence and the watermark extracted by the watermark extractor, and extracting the identifying information;

wherein the identifying information comprises electronic serial number (ESN) information of a portable terminal;

wherein the communication unit comprises a radio frequency (RF) communication unit for performing RE communication with a base station; and

wherein the pseudo-random sequence comprises a spreading code or a sequence commonly used for all portable terminals.