Information processing apparatus and information processing method

• US 7,925,042 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2004
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Wada, Minoru, Kimura, Tomohiro, Fujii, Ryousuke, Suzuki, Mitsuyoshi, Magai, Koichi, Ito, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): AZARIAN, SEYED H
• Application Number:
  US11/579,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20080285789A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,462 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/103, 382/107, 382/116, 382135-140, 382/168, 382/181, 382/189, 382/201, 382/232, 382/243, 382/254, 382/274, 382/276, 382/291, 382/305, 382/312, 707/5, 380/201, 1/1, 715/708, 715/716
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0092 Payload characteristic determination in a watermarking scheme, e.g. number of bits to be embedded
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0051 Embedding of the watermark in the spatial domain
• 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 1/32229 with selective or adaptive application of the additional information, e.g. in selected regions of the image H04N1/32213 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32347 Reversible embedding, i.e. lossless, invertible, erasable, removable or distorsion-free embedding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3254 Orientation, e.g. landscape or portrait; Location or order of the image data, e.g. in memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3266 of text or character information, e.g. text accompanying an image H04N2201/3226 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3273 Display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/328 Processing of the additional information

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes an additional information conversion means for converting a text of related information into additional information and outputting this additional information, and for outputting an amount of additional information for each point of interest, an embedding region allocating means for outputting region management information including the amount of additional information, for allocating an embedding region for the additional information in an original digital input image on the basis of image size information and the amount of additional information, and for outputting information on the embedding region as region information, and an information embedding means for embedding the region management information in a predetermined region in the original digital input image, and also embedding the additional information in the original digital input image on the basis of the region information to generate and output a watermarked image.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an image display means for displaying an original digital input image, and for outputting information on a size of the image;

a point of interest specifying means for specifying a point of interest in the original digital input image currently displayed on a basis of an inputted instruction;

a related information output means for inputting related information on said point of interest, and for outputting a text of the related information;

an additional information conversion means for converting the text of said related information to additional information and outputting this additional information, and for outputting an amount of the additional information on said each point of interest;

an embedding region allocating means for outputting region management information including said amount of additional information, for allocating an embedding region for said additional information in said original digital input image on a basis of said image size information and said amount of the additional information, and for outputting information on said embedding region as region information; and

an embedding information means for embedding said region management information in a predetermined region in said original digital input image, and also embedding said additional information in said original digital input image on a basis of said region information to generate and output an watermarked image.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said point of interest specifying means outputs coordinate information on the specified point of interest, and said embedding region allocating means outputs said region management information after incorporating said coordinate information on the specified point of interest into said region management information.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said point of interest specifying means outputs coordinate information on the specified point of interest, and said additional information conversion means outputs said additional information after incorporating said coordinate information on the specified point of interest into said additional information.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said point of interest specifying means outputs mark information on the specified point of interest, and said additional information conversion means outputs said additional information after incorporating said mark information on the specified point of interest into said additional information.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said information processing apparatus includes a related information adjustment means for outputting an amount of remaining additional information which can be additionally embedded on a basis of said image size information and said amount of additional information, and said related information input means inputs the related information on a basis of said amount of remaining additional information.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said point of interest specifying means outputs coordinate information on the specified point of interest, said related information input means outputs a number of characters included in the text of the inputted related information, and characterized in that said information processing apparatus includes a display position determining means for determining a display position at which said related information is to be displayed in said original digital input image so that said related information does not overlap the point of interest to be displayed on a basis of said coordinate information on the specified point of interest and said number of characters included in the text of the inputted related information, and said additional information conversion means outputs said additional information after incorporating said display position information into said additional information.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that said point of interest specifying means outputs mark information on the specified point of interest, and said display position determining means determines said display position in consideration of said mark information on the specified point of interest.

8. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an information detection means for detecting and outputting region management information from a predetermined region of a watermarked image in which additional information including a text of related information on a point of interest and region management information including an amount of additional information for said each point of interest are embedded, for detecting and outputting said additional information from said watermarked image on a basis of region information mentioned below, and for outputting a digitized output image from said watermarked image;

an image display means for displaying said digitized output image, and for outputting image size information on a size of said digitized output image;

an embedding region allocating means for allocating an embedding region for said additional information in said digitized output image on a basis of said image size information and an amount of additional information included in said region management information, and for outputting information on said embedding region as region information;

an additional information reverse conversion means for carrying out reverse conversion of the additional information detected by said information detection means, and for outputting the text of the related information on the point of interest;

a point of interest display means for displaying a point of interest which is specified in said digitized output image on a basis of coordinate information on the specified point of interest included in either said region management information or said additional information;

a related information display means for inputting the text of the related information on said point of interest, for outputting a number of characters included in said text, and for displaying the related information in said digitized output image on a basis of display position information mentioned below; and

a display position determining means for determining a display position at which the related information is to be displayed in the original digital input image so that said related information does not overlap the point of interest to be displayed on a basis of the coordinate information on said point of interest and said number of characters included in the text of the related information.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that said point of interest display means displays the point of interest on a basis of mark information included in said additional information, and said display position determining means determines a position of display of the related information in consideration of said mark information.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that said information detection means detects said region management information, and releases said region management information from said watermarked image after outputting said region management information.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that said information detection means detects said additional information, and releases said additional information after outputting said watermarked image.

12. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an information detection means for detecting and outputting region management information from a predetermined region of a watermarked image in which additional information including a text of related information on a point of interest and region management information including an amount of additional information for said each point of interest are embedded, for detecting and outputting said additional information from said watermarked image on a basis of region information mentioned below, and for outputting a digitized output image from said watermarked image;

an image display means for displaying said digitized output image, and for outputting image size information on a size of said digitized output image;

an embedding region allocating means for allocating an embedding region for said additional information in said digitized output image on a basis of said image size information and an amount of additional information included in said region management information, and for outputting information on said embedding region as region information;

an additional information reverse conversion means for carrying out reverse conversion of the additional information detected by said information detection means, and for outputting the text of the related information on a point of interest and display position information indicating a position of display of said related information at which it does not overlap the point of interest to be displayed;

a related information display means for displaying the specified point of interest in said digitized output image on a basis of coordinate information on the point of interest included in either said region management information or said additional information; and

a related information display means for inputting the text of the related information on said point of interest, and for displaying the related information in said digitized output image on a basis of said display position information.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that said point of interest display means displays the point of interest on a basis of mark information included in said additional information.

14. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

displaying an original digital input image, and outputting information on a size of the image;

specifying a point of interest in the original digital input image currently displayed on a basis of an inputted instruction;

inputting related information on said point of interest, and outputting a text of the related information;

converting the text of said related information into additional information and outputting this additional information, and outputting an amount of the additional information on said each point of interest;

outputting region management information including said amount of additional information, allocating an embedding region for said additional information in said original digital input image on a basis of said image size information and said amount of the additional information, and outputting information on said embedding region as region information; and

embedding said region management information in a predetermined region in said original digital input image, and also embedding said additional information in said original digital input image on a basis of said region information to generate and output a watermarked image.

15. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

detecting and outputting region management information from a predetermined region of a watermarked image in which additional information including a text of related information on a point of interest and region management information including an amount of additional information for said each point of interest are embedded;

outputting a digitized output image from said watermarked image;

displaying said digitized output image, and outputting image size information on a size of said digitized output image;

allocating an embedding region for said additional information in said digitized output image on a basis of said image size information and an amount of additional information included in said region management information, and outputting information on said embedding region as region information;

detecting and outputting the additional information from said watermarked image on a basis of said region information;

carrying out reverse conversion of said detected additional information, and outputting the text of the related information on the point of interest;

displaying a point of interest which is specified in said digitized output image on a basis of coordinate information on the point of interest included in either said region management information or said additional information;

inputting the text of the related information on said point of interest, and outputting a number of characters included in said text;

determining a display position at which the related information is to be displayed in the original digital input image so that said related information does not overlap the point of interest to be displayed on a basis of the coordinate information on said point of interest and said number of characters included in the text of the related information, and outputting the display position information; and

inputting the text of said related information, and displaying the related information in said digitized output image on a basis of said display position information.

16. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

detecting and outputting region management information from a predetermined region of a watermarked image in which additional information including a text of related information on a point of interest and region management information including an amount of additional information for said each point of interest are embedded;

outputting a digitized output image from said watermarked image;

displaying said digitized output image, and outputting image size information on a size of said digitized output image;

allocating an embedding region for said additional information in said digitized output image on a basis of said image size information and an amount of additional information included in said region management information, and outputting information on said embedding region as region information;

detecting and outputting the additional information from said watermarked image on a basis of said region information;

carrying out reverse conversion of said detected additional information, and outputting the text of the related information on a point of interest and display position information indicating a position of display of said related information at which it does not overlap the point of interest to be displayed;

displaying the specified point of interest in said digitized output image on a basis of coordinate information on the point of interest included in either said region management information or said additional information; and

inputting the text of said related information, and displaying the related information in said digitized output image on a basis of said display position information.