Motion video signal processing for recording or reproducing – Local trick play processing – With randomly accessible medium
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-05
2004-10-12
Boccio, Vincent (Department: 2615)
Motion video signal processing for recording or reproducing
Local trick play processing
With randomly accessible medium
C386S349000, C380S203000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06804452
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for generating a recording signal including image data and control information intended for preventing the illegal copying of the image data, an apparatus for making a copy of the image data according to the control information, and a recording medium on which the image data and the control information are recorded.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, the image data or image information of movies or the like is protected by the copyright in many cases. The unauthorized copying of the image data protected by the copyright is basically prohibited. Therefore, a method is required to effectively prevent the illegal copying of the image data.
The illegal copying of the image data based on the NTSC (National Television System Committee) system is generally prevented by the method described below. Specifically, the copy condition information (hereinafter referred to as “CCI”) is embedded beforehand in the portion of the signal containing image data which corresponds to the vertical blanking time. This CCI contains information indicating that copying the image data is prohibited or information indicating that copying the image data is permitted only once. Upon detection of the CCI when copying image data, it is possible to recognize whether the image data can be copied or copying it is prohibited.
However, the portion of the signal containing the image data which corresponds to the vertical blanking time performs the function of what is called the synchronizing signal. Therefore, this portion is not important as image data. This portion is often removed in signal processing such as the digitizing process. In the digitizing process for recording image data on a DVD, for example, the signal portion corresponding to the vertical blanking time is replaced with other synchronizing signals suitable for the digitizing processing.
When this digitizing process is executed, therefore, the CCI embedded in the portion corresponding to the vertical blanking time is lost. As a result, the copying of the image data cannot be effectively prevented by CCI.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an image recording signal generating apparatus, an image recording signal recording apparatus, an copying apparatus, and a recording medium which can prevent the loss of the control information including the copy control information such as CCI and thus can prevent the illegal copying.
The above-mentioned object can be achieved by a recording signal generating apparatus according to the present invention. The recording signal generating apparatus is an apparatus for generating a recording signal by converting an image signal and outputting the generated recording signal to an external device. The image signal includes image data corresponding to an image to be displayed on a display screen of a display device. The image data includes a plurality of data pieces each corresponding to different one of a plurality of image elements which compose the image. The recording signal generating apparatus includes: a control information placing device for placing a control information piece onto one of the plurality of data pieces corresponding to one of the plurality of image elements that is to be located at an outer edge portion of the image when the image is displayed on the display screen; and a generating device for generating the recording signal by converting the image signal including the reproduction control information piece. The control information piece includes information to control an operation of the external device. In addition, the external device is, for example, a signal recording device, a signal transmission device, a signal reproducing device, a copying device, signal processing device or the like.
In this apparatus, the control information piece is placed onto one of the plurality of data pieces corresponding to one of the plurality of image elements that is to be located at an outer edge portion of the image when the image is displayed on the display screen. That is, the control information piece is placed onto an outer edge portion of the image. This means that the control information piece is contained in the image data. In other words, it becomes part of the image.
Therefore, as long as contents of the image data is not directly or drastically changed, the control information piece is maintained. Accordingly, the control information piece is maintained, if a process of converting a format of the image data into a different one while keeping contents of the image data, such as the aforementioned digitizing process, is carried out. Accordingly, it can be prevented that the control information piece is removed from the image.
In addition to this advantage, since the control information piece is placed onto the outer edge portion of the image, the control information piece is inconspicuous or invisible when the image is displayed on the display screen. For example, when the image is displayed on the display screen of a typical display device, the outer edge portion of the image is hidden by a screen frame or the like. In this case, the control information piece is invisible. Although the whole of the image is displayed in a visible state in another type of display device, the control information piece is located at the outer edge portion of the image, so that it is inconspicuous. Accordingly, the degradation of the quality of the image can be prevented.
The control information piece may include copy condition information indicating whether or not copying the recording signal is permitted. Therefore, the copy condition information can be always maintained, so that the image can be protected from illegal copying or the like.
Further, a copy protection information placing device may be added to the aforementioned recording signal generating apparatus. The copy protection information placing device is a device for placing a plurality of copy protection information pieces onto a plurality of data pieces each corresponding to different one of the plurality of image elements that is to be located at a part of the image to be displayed within a visible region of the display screen. Each of the plurality of copy protection information pieces is a watermark, for example. Further, information to identify the data piece on which the control information piece is placed may be placed onto the copy protection information pieces. Therefore, an authorized reproduction or copying apparatus can correctly detect the control information piece according to the copy protection information pieces. However, the effect of copy protection can be made strong, because it is very difficult or almost impossible for an unauthorized reproduction or copying apparatus to find the control information piece.
Furthermore, if each of the plurality of data pieces is pixel data corresponding to a pixel of the image, and if the pixel data includes a luminance value representing luminance of the pixel, the control information placing device places the control information piece onto the pixel data by replacing its luminance value with the control information piece. In this case, it is preferable that the control information placing device has: a calculation device for calculating an average of a first luminance value included in the data piece (i.e., pixel data) previous to a target data piece onto which the control information piece is to be placed and a second luminance value included in the data piece next to the target data piece; a generation device for generating the control information piece by changing the calculated average depending on whether or not copying the recording signal is permitted; and a replacing device for replacing the luminance value of the target data piece with the generated control information piece. Thus, the control information piece is generated on the basis of the an average of luminance values included in the neighboring data pieces located at both sides
Higashi Hidejiro
Kuroda Kazuo
Moriyama Yoshiaki
Sugaya Kazumi
Yamauchi Keiichi
Boccio Vincent
Fletcher James A
Pioneer Electronic Corporation
Pitney Hardin LLP
LandOfFree
Apparatus for generating recording signal including image... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Apparatus for generating recording signal including image..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Apparatus for generating recording signal including image... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3304059