Image analysis – Applications
Reexamination Certificate
1998-01-27
2001-02-06
Lee, Thomas D. (Department: 2724)
Image analysis
Applications
C382S232000, C382S251000, C380S054000, C283S113000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06185312
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of embedding watermark-information so as not to be perceived by the human senses when other information is embedded in digital information, and to a method of reading the watermark-information embedded in the digital information and to apparatus therefor. The term watermark-information is used herein to describe the information to be embedded, due to its analogy to the watermark used to prevent forging of banknotes.
2. Description of the Related Art
The technique of embedding other information into digital information so as not to be perceived by the human senses has now been widely used for the protection of copyright of digital information contents or in systems for preventing false reproduction, by embedding the copyright information, the user ID and the like into the information contents.
With the conventional technique, however, there is a problem in that the embedded information is easily deleted by the lossy compression processing or the compilation processing of the digital information represented by the JPEG (Joint Photograph Expert Group) and the MPEG (Motion Picture Expert Group). Furthermore, since the processing is complicated, it has been difficult to perform embedding and reading of the motion picture and the like on a real-time basis. Assuming that the object in which the information is embedded is, for example, an image, since an area where the luminance change is small is comparatively easily perceived by the human sense, it is difficult to perform embedding without deteriorating the image quality. Moreover, in the lossy compression, the pixel information is deleted in an area where the luminance change is small rather than in an area where the luminance change is large. Therefore, when the lossy compression is performed after the information is embedded with respect to an image having a small luminance change, there is a problem in that the embedded information cannot be read.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the present invention to make it possible to read embedded information even if compression processing or compilation processing are performed, and to minimize the deterioration of the digital information even if information has been embedded in the digital information, which have been problems with the technique of embedding the information which can not be perceived by the human senses.
With a view to attaining the above objectives, there is provided a method of embedding information comprising the steps of: dividing data to be processed into fixed size data groups which are called blocks; obtaining coefficients by carrying out orthogonal transformation for each block; determining coefficients in which the watermark-information will be embedded by using a random sequence which is generated by initial value; sequentially embedding the watermark-information, which has arbitrary length of bits, by quantizing value of said coefficients using a predetermined value for quantization; and carrying out inverse orthogonal transformation for modified coefficients to form block in which the watermark-information is embedded, as well as combining the divided blocks and reconstructing the original form. Also provided is an apparatus therefor, and a recording medium which stores the information embedding program.
Furthermore, in order to read the information from the data embedded with information by the above-mentioned method, there is provided a method of reading information comprising the steps of: dividing the information-embedded data into blocks; determining coefficients from which the watermark-information will be read by using a random sequence which is generated by initial value which is used at the time of embedding the watermark-information; obtaining the coefficients by carry out orthogonal transformation for each block; sequentially reading each bit of the embedded watermark-information; and outputting the read watermark-information. Also provided is an apparatus therefor, and a recording medium which stores the information reading program.
As described above, when the information is embedded, then by embedding the information to the orthogonal transformation coefficient which is relatively not affected by quantization by the data compression, the embedded information can remain even if extreme compression is performed. Moreover, by suitably carrying out quantization using local features of the digital information which is the object of the information embedding, then deterioration of the digital information after embedding is minimal compared to with normal embedding methods.
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Nakamura Takao
Ogawa Hiroshi
Takashima Yoichi
Chen Wenpeng
Lee Thomas D.
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
Pennie & Edmonds LLP
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