JP2001024873A - Printer and information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer which can obtain a printed matter in which a digital watermark having a fixed quality or characteristic is buried even when the characteristics of a printing means change. SOLUTION: A carrier pattern generating section 103 outputs a carrier pattern by changing the carrier pattern based on the information on the characteristics of a watermark burying picture printing section 104 inputted from the section 104. A data modulating section 102 modulates secret data which are to be concealed with respect to the carrier pattern outputted from the generating section 103. A data superposing section 101 superposes the data outputted from the modulating section 102 upon the picture data to be buried. The printing section 104 prints the data outputted form the superposing section 101 on a form 105.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention, for example, embeds concealment data (secret data) in embedded image data and prints it on a print medium, thereby generating a printed matter that can be detected only with the naked eye by the embedded image data. Related to a printing device.

Further, the present invention, for example, embeds concealment data in embedded image data and prints it on a print medium, thereby generating a printed material that can detect only the embedded image data with the naked eye, and embedding from the generated printed material. The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that reads and restores embedded concealed data.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, for example, when transmitting image data, a method of inserting a digital watermark into the image data has been proposed in order to prevent the received image data from being exploited or altered.

[0004] As such a digital watermarking technique, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-248935 discloses the characteristics of high spatial frequency components and color difference components that are hardly perceived by humans with respect to image data output to a printed material. A digital watermark insertion method for embedding data by utilizing the method is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-7241 discloses a method for concealing an electronic watermark using a public key for copyright management of digital contents and a distribution system.

Also, embedded image data on which secret data is superimposed has an area suitable for embedding and an area not suitable for embedding. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-51650 discloses a method of dividing embedded image data into small areas and determining whether to hide the embedded image data for each area.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-32200 discloses a method of inserting a digital watermark into image data transmitted and received by a computer, which embeds the data in a high spatial frequency component of an image that is difficult for a human to perceive.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 10-191017 discloses a method of inserting a digital watermark into image data transmitted and received by a computer, which embeds the data in a delicate density change of an image that is difficult for a human to perceive.

Further, a method for preventing a printed material from being duplicated has been devised. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-275203 discloses a system in which a frequency spectrum pattern of fingerprint information is recorded as magnetic data, and image data obtained by performing inverse conversion is printed and collated. The validity of the card or printed matter can be confirmed.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-221536 discloses a method of reading a random pattern different for each sheet, such as a pattern of powder particles, and recording the feature amount of the random pattern with different information.

[0011]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-24893
The technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5 (1999) -1995 is based on the premise that the characteristics of the printing means are known, and under different conditions, the watermark may be confirmed with the naked eye or may not be restored.

Further, in the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-248935, a special optical device is used for restoring a watermark pattern.
Accordingly, another optical device is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus which can obtain a printed material in which a digital watermark having a certain quality or characteristics is embedded even when the characteristics of the printing means change.

In the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-7241, it is possible to confirm the validity of the owner by using a digital watermark. Does not guarantee security. That is, in this technique, communication of confidential information is not performed by embedding image data for the purpose of protecting embedded image data. Furthermore, this technique is based on the premise that digital data is transferred without deterioration, and does not consider printing output.

In view of the above, according to the present invention, in security data communication premised on mediation of printed matter, security of data issuance of print contents and data communication with a terminal device for issuing printed matter is enhanced, thereby improving the security of the entire system. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing device that can be designed.

In the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-7241, the embedded image data is issued by the host device and cannot be selected by the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus capable of selecting arbitrary embedded image data on a printed matter issuing terminal device operated by a user.

In the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-248935, it is necessary to use a special optical device for restoring a watermark pattern, and it is difficult to realize automatic detection of a printed matter. On the other hand, JP-A-11-32200
In the techniques disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-191017 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-191017, detection can be automated, but it can be realized on the premise of digital data transfer without deterioration, and cannot be applied to printed images. .

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus and an information processing apparatus capable of reading and restoring a printed digital watermark pattern.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus capable of obtaining a printed material having a structure that facilitates restoration on the premise of reading.

Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-51650 does not include a method for knowing the area where the embedded image data is concealed at the time of reading, and it is difficult to realize mechanical detection.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-248935 discloses a printing method in which a digital watermark is embedded.
Not only is a special optical device required, but it is necessary to understand that the watermark data has the correct content. In particular, when changing watermark data one by one in order to ensure high security, it is difficult to confirm whether the data is correct.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus capable of obtaining a printed matter in which the validity of the printed matter can be easily confirmed after printing.

Further, in the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-7241, the reproduction of the embedded image data is restricted by causing the image deterioration of the embedded image data by the digital watermark. This presupposes digital image communication without deterioration in data transfer, and cannot cope with printing output.

Further, the purpose is to protect embedded image data, but not to protect embedded secret data. Further, the data to be protected is user information, and is not a system for securing security with information that differs for each sheet.

In addition, the use of personal information in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-275203 and the use of special paper in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-221536 have a problem in that security cannot be assured by print contents alone.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an information processing apparatus that performs security printing based on unique information that is different for each printed material in a form that is difficult for humans to perceive, and that the reading side outputs data after confirming its validity. The purpose is to provide.

[0028]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus that changes a pattern based on characteristic information of a printing unit and outputs the changed pattern. Data modulating means for modulating hidden data, data superimposing means for superimposing data outputted from the data modulating means on embedded image data, and printing data outputted from the data superimposing means on a print medium Printing means.

A printing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention provides a pattern generating means for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of a printing means, and modulating concealment data on the pattern output from the pattern generating means. Data modulating means, data superimposing means for superimposing data output from the data modulating means on embedded image data, data encrypting means for encrypting data output from the data superimposing means, The apparatus includes a data decrypting unit that decrypts data encrypted by the encrypting unit, and a printing unit that prints data output from the data decrypting unit on a print medium.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus for generating a pattern by changing a pattern based on characteristic information of the printing unit, and modulating concealment data on the pattern output from the pattern generating unit. Data modulation means, data encryption means for encrypting data output from the data modulation means, data decryption means for decrypting the data encrypted by the data encryption means, and data output from the data decryption means Data superimposing means for superimposing data on the embedded image data, and printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus for generating a pattern by changing a pattern based on characteristic information of a printing unit, and modulating concealment data on the pattern output from the pattern generating unit. Data modulating means, data superimposing means for superimposing data output from the data modulating means on embedded image data, and first printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium And second printing means for printing a pattern output from the pattern generating means on the print medium.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus comprising: a pattern generating means for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of a printing means; and modulating concealment data with respect to a pattern output from the pattern generating means. Data modulating means, and data superimposing means for superimposing data output from the data modulating means on embedded image data,
First printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a printing medium, and second printing means for printing a pattern output from the pattern generating means on the printing medium.
Printing means, data reading means for reading image data on the print medium printed by the first printing means and the second printing means, and generating the pattern from the image data output from the data reading means. Data extracting means for extracting data output from the means, and data restoring means for restoring the hidden data from image data output from the data reading means based on the data output from the data extracting means. ing.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus comprising: a pattern generating means for outputting a pattern whose period or frequency is determined based on the characteristic information of the printing means as a pattern having different phases for at least two regions; Data modulating means for repeatedly modulating concealed data for at least two regions with respect to a pattern outputted from the generating means, and data superimposing means for superimposing data outputted from the data modulating means on embedded image data. And printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, a printing apparatus includes: a generating unit that outputs a pattern whose frequency or period is determined based on characteristic information of a printing unit; and a mask that hides a pattern output from the pattern generating unit. A data modulating means for modulating data, and superimposing data output from the data modulating means on the embedded image data, and corresponding to a frequency or a period at an end of the embedded image data with respect to the superimposed partial region. And a printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium.

A printing apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention provides a pattern generating means for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of a printing means, and modulating concealment data on the pattern output from the pattern generating means. Data modulating means, data superimposing means for superimposing data output from the data modulating means on embedded image data, and first printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium And a second printing means for printing a pattern for checking print quality on the print medium using the pattern output from the pattern generating means.

An information processing apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention provides a unique information generating means for generating unique information of a print medium, a pattern generating means for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of the printing means, Data modulating means for mixing and modulating concealment data and print medium specific information output from the unique information generating means with respect to the pattern output from the generating means, Data superimposing means for superimposing on embedded image data; first printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium; and unique information output from the unique information generating means. A second printing unit for printing on a printing medium, and reading image data on the printing medium printed by the first printing unit and the second printing unit. And over data reading means, and a data restoring means for restoring the unique information of the hidden data and the print medium from the image data outputted from the data reading means,
Data extracting means for extracting the unique information of the print medium printed by the second printing means from the image data output from the data reading means, and print medium unique information and the data extraction output from the data restoring means Data collating means for collating the unique information of the print medium outputted from the means, and data control means for controlling not to output the concealed data outputted from the data restoring means to the outside according to the collation result of the data collating means. Is provided.

An information processing apparatus according to a tenth aspect of the present invention comprises: a unique information generating means for generating unique information of a print medium; a pattern generating means for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of the printing means; Data modulating means for mixing and modulating concealment data and print medium specific information output from the unique information generating means with respect to the pattern output from the generating means, Data superimposing means for superimposing on embedded image data, first printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium, and a pattern output from the pattern generating means on the print medium. A second printing unit that prints on the printing medium, a third printing unit that prints the unique information output from the unique information generating unit on the print medium, A data reading unit for reading image data on the print medium printed by the first printing unit, the second printing unit, and the third printing unit; First data extraction means for extracting a pattern output from the pattern generation means, and the concealment data and the image data from the image data output from the data reading means based on the data output from the first data extraction means. Data restoration means for restoring unique information of a print medium; second data extraction means for extracting unique information of a print medium printed by the third printing means from image data output from the data reading means; The print medium unique information output from the data restoration means is compared with the print medium unique information output from the second data extraction means. And over data collation means,
Data control means for controlling not to output concealed data output from the data restoration means to the outside according to the result of the comparison by the data comparison means.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus comprising: image characteristic measuring means for measuring image characteristic information of embedded image data; and pattern generating means for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of a printing means. Data modulating means for mixing and modulating concealment data and image feature information outputted from the image feature measuring means with respect to the pattern outputted from the pattern generating means, and data outputted from the data modulating means. Data superimposing means for superimposing data on embedded image data, first printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium, and image feature information output from the image feature measuring means. Printing means for printing the image on the printing medium, and an image on the printing medium printed by the first printing means and the second printing means. A data reading means for reading over data,
Data restoring means for restoring the concealment data and the image feature information of the embedded image data from the image data outputted from the data reading means; and the second printing means from the image data outputted from the data reading means. A data extracting unit for extracting image feature information of the embedded image data printed by the data extracting unit; a data matching unit for matching image feature information output from the data restoring unit with image feature information output from the data extracting unit; And data control means for controlling not to output the concealment data outputted from the data restoration means to the outside in accordance with the result of the collation by the collation means.

An information processing apparatus according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention comprises: an image feature measuring means for measuring image feature information of embedded image data; and a pattern generating means for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of a printing means. Data modulating means for mixing and modulating concealment data and image feature information outputted from the image feature measuring means with respect to the pattern outputted from the pattern generating means, and data outputted from the data modulating means. Data superimposing means for superimposing on the embedded image data, first printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium, and printing the pattern output from the pattern generating means. A second printing unit that prints on the medium, and a third printing unit that prints the image feature information output from the image feature measurement unit on the print medium. Printing means, third printing means for printing data output from the image feature measuring means, and the printing printed by the first printing means, the second printing means, and the third printing means. Data reading means for reading image data on a medium, first data extracting means for extracting a pattern output from the pattern generating means from image data output from the data reading means,
Data restoring means for restoring the concealment data and the image feature information of the embedded image data from image data outputted from the data reading means based on the data outputted from the first data extracting means; Second data extracting means for extracting image characteristic information of the embedded image data printed by the third printing means from the image data output from the means, and an image of the embedded image data output from the data restoring means A data collating unit for collating the characteristic information with the image characteristic information of the embedded image data output from the second data extracting unit; and concealment data output from the data restoring unit according to the collation result of the data collating unit. Data control means for controlling not to output to the outside.

An information processing apparatus according to a thirteenth aspect comprises a first image feature measuring means for measuring image feature information of embedded image data, and a pattern for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of a printing means. Generating means; data modulating means for mixing and modulating concealment data and image feature information output from the first image feature measuring means with respect to a pattern output from the pattern generating means; Data superimposing means for superimposing data output from the means on embedded image data, printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium, and the printing performed by the printing means Data reading means for reading image data on a medium, and the concealment data and the embedded image data from the image data output from the data reading means. Data restoring means for restoring the image characteristic information of the image data, second image feature measuring means for measuring the image feature information of the embedded image data from the image data outputted from the data reading means, and Data matching means for matching image feature information of the embedded image data to be output with image feature information of the embedded image data output from the second image feature measuring means; Data control means for controlling not to output the concealment data outputted from the data restoration means to the outside.

An information processing apparatus according to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention comprises a first image characteristic measuring means for measuring image characteristic information of embedded image data, and a pattern for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of a printing means. Generating means; data modulating means for mixing and modulating concealment data and image feature information output from the first image feature measuring means with respect to a pattern output from the pattern generating means; Data superimposing means for superimposing data output from the means on embedded image data, and a first means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium.
Printing means, and a second printing means for printing a pattern output from the pattern generating means on the print medium,
A data reading unit for reading image data on the print medium printed by the first printing unit and the second printing unit; and an image data output from the pattern generation unit based on the image data output from the data reading unit. First data extracting means for extracting a pattern, and image characteristics of the hidden data and the embedded image data from image data output from the data reading means based on data output from the first data extracting means. Data restoring means for restoring information, second image feature measuring means for measuring image feature information of embedded image data from the image data outputted from the data reading means, and image data outputted from the data restoring means. The image feature information of the embedded image data and the image feature information of the embedded image data output from the second image feature measuring means are A data collating means for coupling, and a data control means for controlling the concealment data outputted from the data restoring means according to the collation result of the data matching unit so as not to output to the outside.

According to the first aspect of the invention, even when the characteristics of the printing means change, the digital watermark printing which can obtain the same quality and high security by changing the security embedding information according to the characteristics such as the resolution and the printing method. realizable.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in security data communication premised on mediation of a printed matter, communication data is encrypted to thereby issue data of print contents and data communication with a terminal for issuing a printed matter. The security can be enhanced to improve the security of the entire system. Further, it is possible to issue the data of the printed matter with high security from a remote host device.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by encrypting the data obtained by modulating the concealed data, printing with high security can be performed, and the data is superimposed on the embedded image data on the terminal device side. Thus, the user can arbitrarily select the embedding image data. Further, it is possible to issue the data of the printed matter with high security from a remote host device.

According to the fourth and fifth aspects of the present invention, image data in which a digital watermark is embedded and information representing the embedded information are read from the printed matter on which the embedded information is also printed, so that the embedded information is embedded. Concealed data can be reliably reproduced.

According to the sixth and seventh aspects of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a printed material in which a digital watermark is embedded, which can simplify the process of analyzing the information of the concealment data printing by the reading means.

According to the eighth aspect, it is possible to easily confirm that the print image in which the concealment data is embedded is printed at an appropriate quality by a single criterion of a display that can be understood by a human.

According to the ninth and tenth aspects,
By including the unique information of the printed material in the watermark, the reading side outputs the data after collating the watermark data with the data transmitted by other means on the reading side, so that the security of the information transmission method through the printed material is output. Can be improved.

According to the eleventh and twelfth inventions, the feature information of the embedded image data is included in the watermark, and the watermark data and the feature information transmitted by another means are read on the reading side. By outputting the data after the collation, the security of the information transmission method via the printed matter can be improved.

According to the thirteenth and fourteenth aspects, the characteristic information of the embedded image data is included in the watermark, and the characteristic information of the embedded image data is measured again on the reading side. By outputting the data after the collation, the security of the information transmission method via the printed matter can be improved.

[0051]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, the first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 schematically shows the configuration of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment. This printing apparatus includes a data superimposing unit 101 as a data superimposing unit, a data modulating unit 102 as a data modulating unit, a carrier wave pattern generating unit 103 as a pattern generating unit, and a watermark embedding image printing unit 104 as a printing unit. It is configured.

With such a configuration, a printed matter P in which the secret data is concealed is output from the secret data (concealed data) and the image data to be embedded, and by recovering the secret data from the printed matter P, the printed matter can be used as an intermediary. Highly secure information transmission is realized. In the following description, “watermark data”, “embedded data”, and “secret data” have the same meaning.

Hereinafter, each part will be described in detail.

The watermark-embedded image printing unit 104 sends, for example, resolution information to the carrier pattern generation unit 103 as characteristic information of the printing unit (hereinafter abbreviated as print characteristic information). The carrier pattern generation unit 103 generates a regular pattern having a frequency component sufficiently higher than that of the embedded image data, based on the print characteristic information from the watermark embedded image printing unit 104. This is, for example, a lattice-like pattern as shown in FIG. 2, and the period T of this pattern changes depending on print characteristic information, for example, resolution. here,
The printing characteristic information may be information corresponding to a printing method such as an electrophotographic method or an ink jet method, a gamma characteristic, a modulation method, and an identification number, in addition to the resolution of the printing unit.

The carrier wave pattern generator 103 includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a print characteristic database 301 for obtaining a period T from print characteristic information, and a periodic image generator 302.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the print characteristic database unit 301 outputs a corresponding cycle T for the input resolution information. FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the print characteristic database unit 301 when the identification number of the print unit is the print characteristic information. The other print characteristic information includes the print method, the gamma characteristic, and the modulation method. Can also be realized with a similar structure.

The periodic image generating section 302 outputs image data Q (x, y) taking data of “−1” or “1” according to the following equation 1 with respect to the cycle T.

[0060]

(Equation 1)

FIG. 6 shows carrier pattern data output from the periodic image generator 302 when the cycle T = 3, which is output from the carrier pattern generator 103.

The data modulator 102 modulates the pattern of the secret data to be embedded with respect to the data output from the carrier pattern generator 103 by phase modulation or amplitude modulation.
Here, the secret data to be embedded is, for example, binary image data R (x, y) as shown in FIG. In this example, an example of a machine-readable barcode pattern is shown.

The data modulating section 102 applies a low-pass filter LPF for removing high-frequency components to the image data R (x, y) to be embedded as shown in the following equation (2).
After conversion into R '(x, y) multiplied by (x, y), modulation is performed on the carrier pattern Q (x, y).

R ′ (x, y) = R (x, y) * LPF (x, y) (2) The low-pass filter LPF (x, y) is, for example, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (5), this is realized by replacing the average value in the local area of 5 pixels vertically and 5 pixels horizontally with the target pixel as the center. As a result, the filtered R '(x, y) becomes
It takes a value between "0" and "1". For example, the phase modulation is performed according to the following equation (3).

Q ′ (x, y) = Q (x, y + g (R ′ (x, y))) (3) where g (x) is “0” when x = 0 and x = This is a function that takes “3” when 1 and “1” when 0 <x <1. The amplitude modulation is performed according to the following equation (4).

Q ′ (x, y) = Q (x, y) * (− 2 * R ′ (x, y) +1) (4) The data superimposing unit 101 performs the following processing on the modulated carrier wave pattern. The embedding image data is superimposed. These are the RGB data Pr (x, y), Pg of the embedded image data.
For (x, y) and Pb (x, y), the modulated carrier pattern Q '(x, y) according to the following equation (5):
Are superimposed.

Qi (x, y) = Pi (x, y) + Q ′ (x, y) * Vi (5) (i = r, g, b) where Vr, Vg, and Vb are color difference amounts. , The brightness is set to “0” or approximately “0”, and the intensity is set to be approximately equal to or less than the human visual limit. For this, for example,
(Vr, Vg, Vb) = (0.36, 0.16, -0.
004) is used.

The output data is "0" if it is less than "0",
If the value is “1” or more, clipping is performed to the value of “1”.

The watermark-embedded image printing unit 104 converts the RGB image data output from the data superimposing unit 101 into CMY values as printing ink amounts, forms an image 106 on a paper 105 as a printing medium, and Outputs P.
This conversion is performed, for example, according to the following equation (2).
A method for obtaining Cc values Oc, Om, and Oy from the image data is known.

[0070]

(Equation 2)

Here, Acr, Acg, Ac in the above equation (2)
b, Amr, Amg, Amb, Ayr, Ayg, Ayb
Is a value depending on the chromaticity of each ink used, and is selected as a value suitable for the watermark embedded image printing unit 104.

The printed matter P uses the lattice filter 109 having the same spatial frequency as the printed carrier wave pattern, so that the carrier wave pattern modulated by the principle of interference is canceled and the embedded secret data is visually checked. become able to. It is not convenient to prepare a plurality of the lattice filters 109 in accordance with the resolution of the watermark embedded image printing unit 104, but it is necessary to match the spatial frequency of the carrier wave pattern on the printed material P with the frequency of the lattice filter 109 on the printing side. In this apparatus, all kinds of printing means can be handled by one kind of lattice filter 109.

This works effectively when a plurality of terminal devices having printing means are connected as shown in FIG. 9 and a printed matter is issued online. In FIG. 9, a plurality of terminal devices 90
2, 903, and 904 send the print characteristics and identification numbers, which are the respective outputs, to the data issuing host device 901. At the same time, the image data in which the digital watermark is embedded is output.

As described above, by generating the image data in which the digital watermark is embedded according to the characteristics of the printing unit or the terminal device, the digital watermark printed matter P which can be visually confirmed by the single grid filter 109 is printed. A printing device can be realized.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, even when the characteristics of the printing section change, the security embedding information is changed according to the characteristics such as the resolution and the printing method, so that the same high quality can be obtained. Security printing becomes possible. In addition, even if the resolution of the printing unit increases,
The resolution of the watermark after printing is made constant, and it can be confirmed by the same reading means such as an optical grating.

Next, a second embodiment will be described.

A plurality of terminal devices 90 as shown in FIG.
2, 903 and 904 are connected to the data issuing host device 901, and when receiving data transfer, security of data transfer may be required. The second embodiment responds to this request.

FIG. 10 schematically shows the configuration of a printing apparatus according to the second embodiment. This printing device
Data superposition unit 1 constituting data issuing host device 901
01, data modulator 102, carrier pattern generator 10
3, a data encryption unit 1001 as a data encryption unit, a watermark embedded image printing unit 104 constituting the terminal device 902, and a data decryption unit 1002 as a data decryption unit. Among them, a data superimposing unit 101, a data modulating unit 102, a carrier pattern generating unit 103, and a watermark embedding image printing unit 104
Has the same function as the first embodiment described above,
Detailed description is omitted.

In FIG. 10, in a system for issuing watermarked image data by communication, a data issuing host device 901 includes a carrier wave pattern generator 103.
Generates a carrier pattern based on the print characteristic information transmitted from the watermark embedded image printing unit 104 of the terminal device 902, and the data modulation unit 102
03, the secret data is modulated on the carrier wave pattern from the data modulation unit 03, the data superimposition unit 101 superimposes the embedded image data on the data modulated by the data modulation unit 102, and the data encryption unit 1001 transmits the data The output data of the unit 101 is encrypted and transmitted to the terminal device 902.

In the terminal device 902, the data decryption unit 1002 restores the received encrypted image data, converts it into printable image data, and
4 and print on paper 105.

The watermark embedded image printing unit 1 of the terminal device 902
04 transmits the print characteristic information of the terminal device 902 to the carrier pattern generating unit 103 of the data issuing host device 901, and this characteristic information can be used as key information of data encryption in the data encryption unit 1001.

For example, if an identification number unique to the terminal device 902 is sent as print characteristic information, the data encryption unit 100
1 is a data superimposing unit 101 using the identification number as key information.
The carrier wave pattern generation unit 103 can generate the carrier wave pattern by obtaining the information such as the required resolution from the identification number.

Thus, the data issuing host device 901
The print image data transmitted from the terminal device 902 can be securely transmitted to the terminal device 902 via the network by being encrypted using the key information transmitted from the terminal device 902.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to issue high-security print data from a remote host device. In addition, by encrypting communication data, printing with high security can be performed. Further, by encrypting the communication data based on the print characteristic information unique to the terminal device sent from the terminal device, printing with high security can be performed.

Next, a third embodiment will be described.

The third embodiment also satisfies the same requirements as in the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 schematically shows a configuration of a printing apparatus according to the third embodiment. This printing device
Data modulating unit 1 constituting data issuing host device 901
02, a carrier pattern generating unit 103, a data encrypting unit 1101 as a data encrypting unit, a data superimposing unit 101, a watermark embedding image printing unit 104, and data as a data decrypting unit constituting the terminal device 902. It comprises a decryption unit 1102. Among them, a data superimposing unit 101, a data modulating unit 102, a carrier pattern generating unit 103, and a watermark embedding image printing unit 104
Has the same function as the first embodiment described above,
Detailed description is omitted.

In FIG. 11, in a printed matter issuing system in which watermark data is issued via communication and image data is freely selected on the terminal device side, in the data issuing host device 901, the carrier wave pattern generating section 103 includes a terminal device. 902, a carrier pattern is generated based on the print characteristic information transmitted from the watermark embedded image printing unit 104, the data modulation unit 102 modulates the secret data with respect to the carrier pattern from the carrier pattern generation unit 103, The encryption unit 1101 encrypts output data of the data modulation unit 102 and transmits the data to the terminal device 902.

In the terminal device 902, the data decryption unit 1102 restores the received encrypted image data, and the data superimposition unit 101 superimposes the embedded image data on the restored data to form printable image data. The data is converted, sent to the watermark embedded image printing unit 104, and printed on the paper 105.

The watermark embedded image printing unit 1 of the terminal device 902
04, the print characteristic information of the terminal device 902 is transmitted to the carrier pattern generating unit 103 of the data issuing host device 901. This characteristic information can be used as key information for data encryption in the data encryption unit 1101.

For example, if an identification number unique to the terminal device 902 is sent as print characteristic information, the data encryption unit 110
1 uses the identification number as key information and
The carrier wave pattern generation unit 103 can generate the carrier wave pattern by obtaining the information such as the required resolution from the identification number.

Thus, the data issuing host device 901
The print image data transmitted from the terminal device 902 can be securely transmitted to the terminal device 902 via the network by being encrypted using the key information transmitted from the terminal device 902.

In this printing apparatus, the data superimposing unit 1
Since 01 is attached to the terminal device 902 side, the embedding image data can be selected on the terminal device 902 side, and the secret data can be embedded in the printed matter according to the user's preference.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, it is possible to issue print data with high security from a remote host device, and the user can arbitrarily select embedded image data. it can. Also, by encrypting the carrier wave data based on the terminal device-specific print characteristic information sent from the terminal device, high-security printing can be performed, and the carrier wave data is superimposed on the embedded image data on the terminal device side. The user can arbitrarily select the embedding image data.

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described.

When restoring secret data from printed matter,
Sometimes it is necessary to know information about printing, such as the carrier pattern. The fourth embodiment responds to this request.

FIG. 12 schematically shows a configuration of an information processing apparatus including a printing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. This information processing apparatus includes a data superposition unit 101, a data modulation unit 102, a carrier wave pattern generation unit 103, a watermark embedding image printing unit 104, a carrier wave pattern information printing unit 1201 as a printing unit, and an image data reading unit as a data reading unit. 107, a carrier pattern analyzing unit 1203 as data extracting means, and a data decoding unit 108 as data restoring means. Among these, the data superimposing unit 101, the data modulating unit 102, the carrier pattern generating unit 103, and the watermark embedding image printing unit 104 have the same functions as those of the first embodiment described above. Omitted.

In FIG. 12, carrier wave pattern generator 1
Numeral 03 outputs a carrier wave pattern of a fixed cycle based on the print characteristic information output from the watermark embedded image printing unit 104. The data modulation section 102 modulates the secret data to be concealed with respect to this carrier wave pattern,
1 superimposes a modulated carrier wave pattern on embedded image data. The watermark embedded image printing unit 104 prints the superimposed image data on a sheet 105 as an image 106. At the same time, the carrier wave pattern information printing unit 1201
Prints the data output from the carrier wave pattern generator 103 on the paper 105 as an image 1202.

As shown in FIG. 13, the printed matter P thus printed has the watermark embedding image 106 and the carrier wave pattern 1202 printed on the paper 105. By decoding the carrier wave pattern 1202, the printed matter P is printed. Information such as the cycle, start position, and phase can be known.

The image data reading unit 107 outputs the printed matter P
The upper image data is read optically. The carrier pattern analysis unit 1203 extracts and analyzes the carrier pattern 1202 from the image data read by the image data reading unit 107, thereby acquiring the data of the carrier pattern necessary for restoring the concealment data.

The data decoding unit 108 extracts the image 106 from the image data output from the image data reading unit 107 based on the carrier pattern data obtained by the carrier pattern analysis unit 1203, and restores the secret data. I do.

In this restoration, the same extraction by interference as in the case of restoration using an optical grating may be performed on digital image data. For example, when the period of the carrier wave pattern that is phase-modulated in the x direction with respect to the image a (x, y) is detected as T, the restored image b (x, y) is expressed by the following equation (7). Can be sought.

B (x, y) = a (x, y) * sin (x * 2 * PAI / T + p) (7) where PAI is a constant representing the pi, and p is a variable representing the phase. is there. If the phase p is unknown, the calculation of the above equation (7) is actually performed while changing the phase p, and an optimal restored image is obtained by selecting the one that maximizes the integral amount of the entire image. Can be.

Further, in FIG. 12, the carrier wave pattern information printing unit 1201 can be included in the watermark embedding image printing unit 104. In such a configuration, FIG.
Are printed by the same printing means, the phase of the carrier wave pattern 1202 directly corresponds to the phase of the carrier wave pattern of the watermark embedding image 106.

FIG. 14 shows another printing form according to the fourth embodiment. In this example, in the information processing apparatus shown in FIG.
Encodes and prints the carrier pattern. The code 1401 in FIG. 14 represents information such as the frequency or cycle of the carrier wave pattern and the phase. The carrier wave pattern analysis unit 1203 reads this code, restores the data as carrier wave pattern data, and outputs the data.

As a result, the carrier wave pattern information printing unit 1
Even when the printing accuracy of 201 is insufficient, the carrier wave pattern analyzer 1203 can detect the data of the carrier wave pattern.

Further, when the phase is unknown, it is conceivable to simplify the calculation procedure for obtaining the equation (7) while changing the phase p.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, information representing the characteristics of the carrier wave pattern is printed at the same time, and the image data in which the digital watermark is embedded from the printed matter and the information representing the characteristics of the carrier wave pattern are printed. By reading the embedded secret data, the embedded secret data can be reliably reproduced.

Next, a fifth embodiment will be described.

FIG. 15 shows a printed matter P printed according to the fifth embodiment, and the configuration of the printing apparatus is the same as that of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. In FIG. 12, a carrier pattern generation unit 103 combines and outputs a plurality of carrier patterns whose phases are shifted in advance. In FIG. 15, the secret data is repeatedly modulated into four carrier wave patterns having different phases, and four repetition patterns 1501, 1502, 1503, 1
The image 106 including 504 is printed.

As a result, the carrier wave pattern analyzer 120
3, the data decoding unit 108 only needs to perform an analysis related to the frequency or the period. If the data decoding unit 108 generates a carrier pattern at an arbitrary phase and correlates with the input image, the data decoding unit 108 Either one of them can recover the secret data as the one having the closest phase.

As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, it is possible to obtain a printed material in which a digital watermark is embedded, which can simplify the process of analyzing secret data by the reading means.

Next, a sixth embodiment will be described.

FIG. 16 shows a printed matter P printed according to the sixth embodiment. The configuration of the printing apparatus is the same as that of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. In FIG. 12, a data modulating unit 102 modulates data in accordance with a position to be embedded in a part of the embedded image data, and simultaneously converts the data of the carrier pattern data and the data indicating the area to be embedded into one edge of the image. Combine.

The edge pixel pattern 1604 shown in the enlarged image in FIG. 16 has a broken line portion and a portion other than the broken line portion, and the broken line portion indicates the area 16 in which the secret data is embedded.
03, and the period of the broken line represents the period of the carrier pattern. This pixel pattern 1604 cannot be read unless it has a high resolution, and is therefore difficult for humans to perceive. As a result, the data of the carrier wave pattern and the embedding range can be sensed at the time of reading in a form that is difficult for humans to sense.

As described above, according to the sixth embodiment, it is possible to obtain a printed material in which a digital watermark is embedded, which can simplify the process of analyzing secret data by the reading means. Also, by analyzing the edge pattern that is difficult for humans to perceive in the image, it is possible to obtain a printed material with an embedded digital watermark that can easily detect the position of the embedded area of the secret data and the frequency component of the carrier wave pattern. Can be.

Next, a seventh embodiment will be described.

As for the printed matter P in which the secret data is concealed, there may be a case where a method for confirming that the printing has not failed immediately after printing is required. The seventh embodiment responds to this request.

FIG. 17 schematically shows a configuration of a printing apparatus according to the seventh embodiment. This printing device
It comprises a data superimposing unit 101, a data modulating unit 102, a carrier wave pattern generating unit 103, a watermark embedded image printing unit 104, and a print confirmation pattern generating unit 1701. Among these, the data superimposing unit 101, the data modulating unit 102, the carrier pattern generating unit 103, and the watermark embedding image printing unit 104 have the same functions as those of the first embodiment described above. Omitted.

In FIG. 17, carrier wave pattern generator 1
Numeral 03 outputs a carrier wave pattern of a fixed cycle based on the print characteristic information output from the watermark embedded image printing unit 104. The data modulation section 102 modulates the secret data to be concealed with respect to this carrier wave pattern,
1 superimposes the modulated carrier wave pattern on the embedded image data. The watermark embedded image printing unit 104
The superimposed image data is stored on a sheet 105 as an image 106
Print as

At the same time, a print confirmation pattern generation unit 1701
Print print pattern data to the watermark embedded image printing unit 1
04. After printing the image 106, the watermark embedded image printing unit 104 prints the print confirmation pattern data on the paper 105 as a print confirmation image 1702.

FIG. 18 shows an example of the printed matter P. In the print confirmation pattern 1803, the same image is transmitted which always transmits the same normal print regardless of the difference of the printed matter P, and it is confirmed that the printing is normal to anyone. I can do it. This is achieved by using the above-mentioned optical grating, for example, “O
It is sufficient that the display of "K" can be sensed.
On the other hand, in the image 106 in which the secret data is concealed, different image data is printed for each sheet, so that a human cannot confirm whether the printing was normal.

FIG. 19 shows another printing form of the printed matter P in the seventh embodiment. Printed matter P is paper 1
05 starts from the upper end 1902 and the lower end 1903
Is printed last. Accordingly, the print confirmation pattern 1901 is printed after the image 106 in which the secret data is embedded.

Thus, when one color of ink is consumed in the course of printing the image 106 by an ink-jet color printer or the like, the print confirmation pattern 1901 is reliably printed with the consumed ink. Note that the print confirmation pattern 1901 includes a print pattern in which a print failure state such as “NG” is expressed when all of a plurality of colors are not aligned, and an “OK” normal print state when all of the plurality of colors are aligned. May be any of the patterns expressed.

As a result, in the seventh embodiment, printing confirmation can be easily performed on important printed matter in which secret data is embedded.

As described above, according to the seventh embodiment, it is confirmed that the image data in which the secret data is embedded is printed with an appropriate quality in the printed matter printed while conveying the paper. It can be easily confirmed by a single criterion of a display that can be understood by humans.

Next, an eighth embodiment will be described.

When reading confidential data from printed matter, there is a case where a function of not outputting confidential data to a falsified or forged one is required. The eighth embodiment responds to this request.

FIG. 20 schematically shows a configuration of an information processing apparatus according to the eighth embodiment. This information processing apparatus includes a data superposition unit 101, a data modulation unit 102, a carrier wave pattern generation unit 103, a watermark embedding image printing unit 10
4. carrier wave pattern information printing unit 1201, unique information issuing unit 2001 as unique information generating means, unique information printing unit 2002 as printing means, image data reading unit 107,
Carrier pattern analysis unit 1203, data decoding unit 10
8. a unique information extraction unit 2004 as data extraction means;
It comprises a collation unit 2005 as data collation means and a data control unit 2006 as data control means. Among these, the data superimposing unit 101, the data modulating unit 102, the carrier pattern generating unit 103, and the watermark embedding image printing unit 104 have the same functions as those of the first embodiment described above. 120
1. Image data reading unit 107, carrier wave pattern analysis unit 1
203 and the data decoding unit 108 have the same functions as those of the above-described fourth embodiment, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 20, carrier wave pattern generator 1
Numeral 03 outputs a carrier wave pattern of a fixed cycle based on the print characteristic information output from the watermark embedded image printing unit 104. At the same time, the unique information issuing unit 2001
Output different unique information for each sheet. Data modulator 10
Reference numeral 2 denotes a secret data to be concealed and a unique information issuing unit 2 with respect to the carrier wave pattern from the carrier wave pattern generation unit 103.
001 and modulated. The data superimposing unit 101 superimposes a modulated carrier wave pattern on embedded image data. Watermark embedded image printing unit 104
Transmits the superimposed image data on paper 105 as image 1
06 is printed.

At the same time, the carrier wave pattern information printing section 120
1 prints data output from the carrier wave pattern generator 103 on the paper 105 as an image 1202. Further, the unique information printing unit 2002
1 outputs the unique information on the paper
Print as 03.

The image data reading unit 107 reads the printed matter P
The upper image data is read optically. The carrier pattern analysis unit 1203 extracts and analyzes the carrier pattern 1202 from the image data read by the image data reading unit 107, thereby acquiring the data of the carrier pattern necessary for restoring the concealment data.

The data decoding unit 108 extracts the image 106 from the image data output from the image data reading unit 107 based on the carrier pattern data obtained by the carrier pattern analysis unit 1203, and modulates the image 106 into the carrier pattern. The secret data and the unique information of the printed matter that have been erased are restored.

The unique information extracting unit 2004 extracts the unique information pattern 2003 from the image data output from the image data reading unit 107 to output the unique information of the printed matter.

[0135] The collating unit 2005 is composed of the data decrypting unit 108
And the unique information of the printed matter output from the unique information extraction unit 2004, and outputs the result of the comparison to the data control unit 2006. The data control unit 2006 includes the data decoding unit 1
08 and receives the secret data output from the
The secret data is output to the outside only when the collation result outputted by the.

As a result, only when the printed matter P is correct,
Secret data is output, and highly secure information transmission can be realized.

As described above, according to the eighth embodiment, the unique information of the printed matter is included in the watermark, and the reading side collates the watermark data with the data transmitted with the information by another means. By outputting the data later, it is possible to improve the security of the information transmission method via the printed matter.

Next, a ninth embodiment will be described.

The ninth embodiment also satisfies the same requirements as in the eighth embodiment.

FIG. 21 schematically shows a configuration of an information processing apparatus according to the ninth embodiment. This information processing apparatus includes a data superposition unit 101, a data modulation unit 102, a carrier wave pattern generation unit 103, a watermark embedding image printing unit 10
4. Carrier pattern information printing unit 1201, image feature measurement unit 2101 as image feature measurement unit, image feature information printing unit 2102 as printing unit, image data reading unit 10
7, carrier pattern analysis unit 1203, data decoding unit 1
08, image feature information extraction unit 21 as data extraction means
04, a collating unit 2105 as a data collating unit, and a data control unit 2006. Among these, the data superimposing unit 101, the data modulating unit 102, the carrier pattern generating unit 103, and the watermark embedding image printing unit 104 have the same functions as those of the first embodiment described above. Reference numeral 1201, image data reading unit 107, carrier pattern analysis unit 1203, and data decoding unit 108 have the same functions as in the above-described fourth embodiment, and data control unit 2006 uses the above-described eighth embodiment. Since it has the same function as, detailed description is omitted.

In FIG. 21, carrier wave pattern generator 1
Numeral 03 outputs a carrier wave pattern of a fixed cycle based on the print characteristic information output from the watermark embedded image printing unit 104. At the same time, the image feature measuring unit 2101 measures the feature amount of the embedded image data, for example, the average luminance. The data modulation unit 102 modulates the carrier pattern from the carrier pattern generation unit 103 by mixing secret data to be concealed and feature amount information measured by the image feature measurement unit 2101. The data superimposing unit 101 superimposes a modulated carrier wave pattern on embedded image data. The watermark embedded image printing unit 104 prints the superimposed image data on a sheet 105 as an image 106.

At the same time, the carrier wave pattern information printing section 120
1 prints data output from the carrier wave pattern generator 103 on the paper 105 as an image 1202. Further, the image feature information printing unit 2102 includes the image feature measurement unit 2
The feature amount information output by 101 is printed as barcode 2103 on paper 105.

The image data reading unit 107 outputs the print P
The upper image data is read optically. The carrier pattern analysis unit 1203 extracts and analyzes the carrier pattern 1202 from the image data read by the image data reading unit 107, thereby acquiring the data of the carrier pattern necessary for restoring the concealment data.

The data decoding section 108 extracts the image 106 from the image data output from the image data reading section 107 based on the carrier pattern data obtained by the carrier pattern analysis section 1203 and modulates the image 106 into a carrier pattern. The feature information of the secret data and the embedded image data that have been set is restored.

The image feature information extracting unit 2104 converts the image data output from the image data reading unit 107
By extracting the image feature pattern 2103, feature amount information of the embedded image data is output.

The collating unit 2105 includes a data decoding unit 108
And the feature amount information (for example, average luminance) of the embedded image data output from the image feature information extraction unit 2104 is compared, and the comparison result is output to the data control unit 2006.
The data control unit 2006 receives the secret data output from the data decryption unit 108, and outputs the secret data to the outside only when it matches the collation result output by the collation unit 2105.

As a result, only when the printed matter P is correct,
Secret data is output, and highly secure information transmission can be realized.

As described above, according to the ninth embodiment, the characteristic information of the embedded image data is included in the watermark, and the reading side transmits the watermark data and the characteristic information by another means. By outputting the data after collation with the object, the security of the information transmission method using printed matter as a medium can be improved.

Next, a tenth embodiment will be described.

The tenth embodiment also satisfies the same requirements as in the eighth embodiment.

FIG. 22 schematically shows a configuration of an information processing apparatus according to the tenth embodiment. This information processing apparatus includes a data superimposing unit 101, a data modulating unit 102,
Carrier wave pattern generating unit 103, watermark embedded image printing unit 1
04, carrier wave pattern information printing unit 1201, image feature measuring unit 2101, image data reading unit 107, carrier wave pattern analyzing unit 1203, data decoding unit 108, image feature measuring unit 2201 as image feature measuring unit A matching unit 2205 as a data matching unit;
And a data control unit 2006. Among them, the data superposition unit 101 and the data modulation unit 10
2. The carrier pattern generating unit 103 and the watermark embedded image printing unit 104 have the same functions as those of the first embodiment, and include a carrier pattern information printing unit 1201, an image data reading unit 107, and a carrier pattern analyzing unit. 1203,
The data decoding unit 108 has the same function as that of the above-described fourth embodiment, and the data control unit 2006 has the same function as that of the above-described eighth embodiment.

In FIG. 22, carrier wave pattern generator 1
Numeral 03 outputs a carrier wave pattern of a fixed cycle based on the print characteristic information output from the watermark embedded image printing unit 104. At the same time, the image feature measuring unit 2101 measures the feature amount of the embedded image data, for example, the average luminance. The data modulation unit 102 modulates the carrier pattern from the carrier pattern generation unit 103 by mixing secret data to be concealed and feature amount information measured by the image feature measurement unit 2101. The data superimposing unit 101 superimposes a modulated carrier wave pattern on embedded image data. The watermark embedded image printing unit 104 prints the superimposed image data on a sheet 105 as an image 106. At the same time, the carrier wave pattern information printing unit 1201 prints the data output from the carrier wave wave pattern generator 103 on the paper 105 as an image 1202.

The image data reading unit 107 uses the print P
The upper image data is read optically. The carrier pattern analysis unit 1203 extracts and analyzes the carrier pattern 1202 from the image data read by the image data reading unit 107, thereby acquiring the data of the carrier pattern necessary for restoring the concealment data.

The data decoding unit 108 extracts the image 106 from the image data output from the image data reading unit 107 based on the carrier pattern data obtained by the carrier pattern analysis unit 1203, and modulates the image 106 into the carrier pattern. The feature information of the secret data and the embedded image data that have been set is restored.

The image feature measuring section 2201 converts the image data output from the image data reading section 107
, For example, an average luminance is measured as a feature amount of the embedded image data.

The collating unit 2205 is a data decoding unit 108
And the feature amount information (for example, average luminance) of the embedded image data output from the image feature measuring unit 2201, and outputs the matching result to the data control unit 2006. The data control unit 2006 receives the secret data output from the data decryption unit 108 and outputs the secret data to the outside only when it matches the collation result output by the collation unit 2205.

As a result, only when the printed matter P is correct,
Secret data is output, and highly secure information transmission can be realized.

As described above, according to the tenth embodiment, the characteristic information of the embedded image data is included in the watermark, and the reading side measures the characteristic information of the embedded image data again. By outputting the data after collation with the watermark data, it is possible to improve the security of the information transmission method using the printed matter as a medium.

[0159]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus capable of obtaining a printed material in which an electronic watermark having a certain quality or characteristics is embedded even when the characteristics of the printing means are changed. it can.

Further, according to the present invention, in security data communication premised on mediation of printed matter, the security of data issuance of print contents and data communication with a terminal device for issuing printed matter is enhanced, and the security of the entire system is improved. A printing device that can be improved can be provided.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus capable of selecting arbitrary embedded image data on the side of a printed matter issuing terminal device operated by a user.

Further, according to the present invention, a printing apparatus and an information processing apparatus capable of reading and restoring a printed digital watermark pattern can be provided.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus capable of obtaining a printed material having a structure that facilitates restoration on the premise of reading.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus capable of obtaining a printed matter in which the validity of the printed matter can be easily confirmed after printing.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the security printing is performed in such a manner that it is difficult for humans to perceive based on the unique information which is different for each printed material, and the reading side confirms the validity and outputs the data. A processing device can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a printing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a carrier wave pattern.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a carrier pattern generator.

FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of data stored in a print characteristic database.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of data stored in a print characteristic database.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of image data output from a carrier pattern generator.

FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of the structure of secret data to be embedded.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of a filter for smoothing secret data to be embedded.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a system that issues print data through communication.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a printing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a printing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of an information processing apparatus including a printing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printed material on which data of a carrier wave pattern is printed.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printed material on which data of a carrier wave pattern is printed as a code.

FIG. 15 is a view showing an example of a printed matter printed by partially shifting the phase of a carrier wave pattern according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cycle or frequency of a carrier wave pattern and an edge pattern indicating a partial area in which secret data is embedded, according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a printing apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printed matter including an image for confirming that printing has been normally performed.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printed matter including an image for confirming that printing has not been normally performed.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of an information processing apparatus according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of an information processing apparatus according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

P: printed matter, 101: data superimposing section (data superimposing means), 102: data modulating section (data modulating means), 10
3... Carrier pattern generation unit (pattern generation means), 10
4: watermark embedded image printing unit (printing means), 105: paper (print medium), 107: image data reading unit (data reading unit), 108: data decoding unit (data restoration unit),
109 Lattice filter, 1001 Data encryption unit (data encryption unit), 1002 Data decryption unit (data decryption unit), 1101 Data encryption unit (data encryption unit), 1102 Data decryption unit (data decryption unit) Means), 1
201: carrier wave pattern information printing unit (printing means), 12
03 ... Carrier wave pattern analysis unit (data extraction means), 17
01: print confirmation pattern generation unit, 2001: unique information issuing unit (unique information generation unit), 2002: unique information printing unit (printing unit), 2004: unique information extraction unit (data extraction unit), 2005: collation unit (data Collation means), 200
6 Data control unit (data control unit), 2101 Image feature measurement unit (image feature measurement unit), 2102 Image feature information printing unit (printing unit), 2104 Image feature information extraction unit (data extraction unit), 2105 ... Matching unit (data matching unit), 2201... Image feature measuring unit (image feature measuring unit), 2205.
Print characteristic database unit, 302... Periodic image generation unit, 9
01: data issuing host device, 902, 903, 904
... Terminal device.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kazuyo Hashiya 70, Yanagicho, Kochi-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside the Toshiba Yanagicho Plant (72) Inventor Osamu Kuratomi 70, Yanagicho, Kochi-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Toshiba Yanagicho In-plant F-term (reference) 2C061 BB08 CL10 5B057 CA01 CA08 CA12 CB01 CB08 CB12 CB16 CB19 CE06 CE08 CE09 CE11 CG07 CH08 CH18 DA08 DA17 DB02 DB06 DB09 DC09 5C076 AA02 AA14 AA21 AA22 AA27 AA40 BA06

Claims (23)

[Claims] 1. A pattern generating means for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of a printing means, a data modulating means for modulating concealment data with respect to a pattern outputted from the pattern generating means, A data superimposing means for superimposing data output from the means on the embedded image data; and a printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium. apparatus. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic information of the printing unit input to the pattern generating unit includes any one of a resolution, a gamma characteristic, a printing system, identification information, and a modulation system of the printing unit. The printing device according to claim 1. 3. The pattern generating unit includes: a data converting unit that outputs periodic data based on input characteristic information of the printing unit; and a periodic image that generates an image pattern based on the periodic data output from the data converting unit. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising generating means. 4. The pattern generating means includes: a data converting means for outputting periodic data from the input resolution data of the printing means; and a periodic image generating an image pattern based on the periodic data output from the data converting means. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising generating means. 5. The pattern generating unit includes: a data converting unit that outputs periodic data based on input identification information of a printing unit; and a periodic image that generates an image pattern based on the periodic data output from the data converting unit. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising generating means. 6. A pattern generating means for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of a printing means, a data modulating means for modulating concealment data with respect to a pattern outputted from the pattern generating means, Data superimposing means for superimposing data output from the means on embedded image data; data encryption means for encrypting data output from the data superimposing means; and data encrypted by the data encryption means. A printing apparatus, comprising: data decoding means for decoding data; and printing means for printing data output from the data decoding means on a print medium. 7. The printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the data encrypting unit encrypts data output from the data superimposing unit using characteristic information of the printing unit as key information. 8. A pattern generating means for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of a printing means, a data modulating means for modulating concealment data on a pattern outputted from the pattern generating means, Data encryption means for encrypting data output from the means, data decryption means for decrypting the data encrypted by the data encryption means, and data output from the data decryption means as embedded image data. A printing apparatus, comprising: a data superimposing unit that superimposes data on the printing medium; and a printing unit that prints data output from the data superimposing unit on a print medium. 9. A pattern generating means for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of a printing means, a data modulating means for modulating concealment data with respect to a pattern outputted from the pattern generating means, Data superimposing means for superimposing data output from the means on embedded image data; first printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium; output from the pattern generating means And a second printing means for printing the pattern to be printed on the print medium. 10. The printing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said second printing means prints at least one information of a frequency or a cycle and a phase of the pattern output from said pattern generating means. 11. The printing method according to claim 9, wherein said second printing means encodes and prints at least one information of a frequency or a period and a phase of the pattern output from said pattern generating means. apparatus. 12. A pattern generating means for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of a printing means, a data modulating means for modulating concealment data on a pattern outputted from the pattern generating means, Data superimposing means for superimposing data output from the means on embedded image data; first printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium; output from the pattern generating means A second printing unit for printing the pattern to be printed on the print medium; a data reading unit for reading image data on the print medium printed by the first printing unit and the second printing unit; Data extracting means for extracting data output from the pattern generating means from image data output from the data reading means; The information processing apparatus being characterized in that comprising a data restoring means for restoring the hidden data from the image data output from said data reading means on the basis of the data output from the data extracting means. 13. The second printing means prints at least one of a frequency or a cycle and a phase of a pattern output from the pattern generation means, and the data extraction means outputs the information output from the pattern generation means. 13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein at least one of a frequency or a cycle and a phase of the pattern is extracted. 14. The second printing means encodes and prints at least one of a frequency or a cycle and a phase of a pattern output from the pattern generating means, and prints the encoded information.
13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the data extraction unit extracts at least one of a frequency or a period and a phase of the pattern output from the pattern generation unit. 15. A pattern generating means for outputting a pattern whose period or frequency is determined based on characteristic information of a printing means as a pattern having a different phase for at least two regions, and a pattern output from the pattern generating means. On the other hand, data modulation means for repeatedly modulating concealment data for at least two regions, data superimposition means for superimposing data output from the data modulation means on embedded image data, and data output from the data superimposition means And a printing means for printing data on a print medium. 16. A pattern generating means for outputting a pattern whose frequency or cycle is determined based on characteristic information of a printing means, a data modulating means for modulating concealment data with respect to a pattern output from the pattern generating means. Data superimposing means for superimposing data output from the data modulating means on embedded image data and adding a signal corresponding to a frequency or a cycle to an end of the embedded image data in the superimposed partial region And a printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium. 17. A pattern generating means for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of a printing means, a data modulating means for modulating concealment data on a pattern outputted from the pattern generating means, Data superimposing means for superimposing data output from the means on embedded image data; first printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium; output from the pattern generating means And a second printing means for printing a pattern for print quality confirmation on the print medium using the pattern to be printed. 18. A unique information generating means for generating unique information of a printing medium, a pattern generating means for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of the printing means, and a pattern output from the pattern generating means. Data modulating means for mixing and modulating the concealment data and the print medium specific information output from the specific information generating means; and superimposing the data output from the data modulating means on the embedded image data. Data superimposing means; first printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium; and second printing means for printing unique information output from the unique information generating means on the print medium. Printing means; data reading means for reading image data on the print medium printed by the first printing means and the second printing means; Data restoring means for restoring the concealment data and the unique information of the print medium from image data output from the data reading means, and a print medium printed by the second printing means from image data output from the data reading means Data extracting means for extracting the unique information of the print medium; data matching means for comparing the print medium unique information output from the data restoring means with the print medium unique information output from the data extracting means; An information processing apparatus, comprising: data control means for controlling not to output concealed data output from the data restoration means to the outside in accordance with a result of comparison by the means. 19. A unique information generating means for generating unique information of a print medium, a pattern generating means for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of the printing means, and a pattern output from the pattern generating means. Data modulating means for mixing and modulating the concealment data and the print medium specific information output from the specific information generating means; and superimposing the data output from the data modulating means on the embedded image data. Data superimposing means, first printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium, and second printing means for printing a pattern output from the pattern generating means on the print medium A third printing unit that prints the unique information output from the unique information generating unit on the print medium; a first printing unit and a third printing unit. Data reading means for reading image data on the print medium printed by the second printing means and the third printing means; and a pattern output from the pattern generating means based on the image data output from the data reading means. First data extracting means for extracting the hidden data and the unique information of the print medium from the image data outputted from the data reading means based on the data outputted from the first data extracting means. Data restoring means; second data extracting means for extracting unique information of a print medium printed by the third printing means from image data outputted from the data reading means; printing outputted from the data restoring means Data collating means for collating the unique information of the medium with the unique information of the print medium output from the second data extracting means; The information processing apparatus being characterized in that includes a data control means for controlling the concealment data outputted from the data restoring means according to the collation result of the data matching unit so as not to output to the outside. 20. An image feature measuring means for measuring image feature information of embedded image data, a pattern generating means for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of a printing means, and an output from the pattern generating means. Data modulating means for mixing and modulating concealment data and image feature information outputted from the image feature measuring means on the pattern; and superimposing data outputted from the data modulating means on embedded image data. A data superimposing unit, a first printing unit that prints data output from the data superimposing unit on a printing medium, and a second printing unit that prints image feature information output from the image feature measuring unit on the printing medium. 2 printing means, and data reading means for reading image data on the printing medium printed by the first printing means and the second printing means. Data restoring means for restoring the concealment data and the image feature information of the embedded image data from the image data output from the data reading means; and the second data from the image data output from the data reading means. A data extracting unit that extracts image feature information of the embedded image data printed by the printing unit; and a data matching unit that matches image feature information output from the data restoring unit with image feature information output from the data extracting unit. An information processing apparatus comprising: means for controlling the concealment data output from the data restoration means so as not to be output to the outside in accordance with the result of the comparison by the comparison means. 21. An image feature measuring unit for measuring image feature information of embedded image data, a pattern generating unit for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of a printing unit, and an output from the pattern generating unit. Data modulating means for mixing and modulating concealment data and image feature information outputted from the image feature measuring means on the pattern; and superimposing data outputted from the data modulating means on embedded image data. A first printing unit that prints data output from the data superimposing unit on a print medium, and a second printing unit that prints a pattern output from the pattern generating unit on the print medium. Means, a third printing means for printing the image feature information output from the image feature measuring means on the print medium, and the image feature meter Third printing means for printing data output from the means, and data for reading image data on the printing medium printed by the first printing means, the second printing means, and the third printing means. Reading means; first data extracting means for extracting a pattern output from the pattern generating means from image data output from the data reading means; and data based on the data output from the first data extracting means. A data restoration unit for restoring the concealment data and the image feature information of the embedded image data from the image data output from the data reading unit; and a third printing unit from the image data output from the data reading unit. A second data extraction unit for extracting image feature information of the printed embedded image data; Data collating means for collating the image characteristic information of the embedded image data with the image characteristic information of the embedded image data output from the second data extracting means; and An information processing apparatus, comprising: data control means for controlling output of concealed data so as not to be output to the outside. 22. A first image feature measuring means for measuring image feature information of embedded image data; a pattern generating means for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of a printing means; Data modulating means for mixing and modulating concealment data and image feature information outputted from the first image feature measuring means with respect to the outputted pattern, and embedding data outputted from the data modulating means Data superimposing means for superimposing image data, printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium, and data reading for reading image data on the print medium printed by the printing means Means for restoring the image characteristic information of the concealment data and the embedded image data from the image data output from the data reading means. -Second image feature measuring means for measuring image feature information of embedded image data from image data output from the data reading means; embedded image data output from the data restoring means Data collating means for collating the image characteristic information of the embedded image data outputted from the second image characteristic measuring means with the image characteristic information of the embedded image data; Data control means for controlling not to output hidden data to the outside. 23. First image feature measuring means for measuring image feature information of embedded image data; pattern generating means for changing and outputting a pattern based on characteristic information of a printing means; Data modulating means for mixing and modulating concealment data and image feature information outputted from the first image feature measuring means with respect to the outputted pattern, and embedding data outputted from the data modulating means Data superimposing means for superimposing image data, first printing means for printing data output from the data superimposing means on a print medium, and a pattern output from the pattern generating means on the print medium. Second printing means for printing, and data for reading image data on the print medium printed by the first printing means and the second printing means Reading means; first data extracting means for extracting a pattern output from the pattern generating means from image data output from the data reading means; and data based on the data output from the first data extracting means. Data restoration means for restoring the hidden data and image feature information of the embedded image data from the image data output from the data reading means; and image features of the embedded image data from the image data output from the data reading means. Second image feature measuring means for measuring information; image feature information of embedded image data output from the data restoring means; and image feature of embedded image data output from the second image feature measuring means. Data collating means for collating information with the data reconstructing means according to the collation result of the data collating means. The information processing apparatus comprising: the data control unit, by comprising a controlling concealment data so as not to output to the outside.