Method for secure delivery of digital image data using an embedded watermark based on a receiving indentity
View Patent ↗It is made possible to specify a person receiving data in delivering data such as image data. Also, to render it possible to reliably verify a range of received data, specific information is embedded changing an embedding position for each receiver receiving data delivery when data 120 , such as image data, voice data and the like, is delivered via a public line network 120 . At a receiver side, the above-mentioned specific information is read out by employing information reading means 114 that the embedding position is made known to, and the read information is encrypted and output along with information to specify a receiver.
1. A data delivery method comprising the steps of:
specifying an embedding position of specific information over a predetermined range in data to be delivered from a server system to a client system;
embedding said specific information in said data at said embedding position at said server system;
transmitting said data with said specific information embedded at said embedding position from said server system to said client system; and
reading out said specific information from said data at said client system by employing information reading means to which said embedding position is made known,
wherein said embedding position is based on an identification of a receiver receiving said data, and
wherein said specific information is embedded within said data as an electronic watermark.
2. The data delivery method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said data is delivered via a public line network.
3. The data delivery method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein information reading is performed with a printer at said client system and information to specify said printer is output from said printer as said information to specify said receiver.
4. The data delivery method as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising:
after reading out said specific information at said client system, encrypting said specific information and said identification of said receiver and outputting an encrypted output at said client system; and
returning said encrypted output from said client system to said server system.
5. The data delivery method as set forth in claim 4 , wherein said encrypted output is returned to said server system via a public line network.
6. A storage medium having stored software for executing a data delivery method comprising the steps of:
specifying an embedding position of specific information over a predetermined range in data to be delivered from a server system to a client system;
embedding said specific information in said data at said embedding position at said server system;
transmitting said data with said specific information embedded at said embedding position from said server system to said client system; and
reading out said specific information from said data at said client system by employing information reading means to which said embedding position is made known,
wherein said embedding position is based on an identification of a receiver receiving said data, and
wherein said specific information is embedded within said data as an electronic watermark.
7. The storage medium as set forth in claim 6 , wherein said data is delivered via a public line network.
8. The storage medium as set forth in claim 6 , wherein said step of information reading is performed with a printer at said client system and information to specify said printer is output from said printer as said information to specify said receiver.
9. The storage medium as set forth in claim 6 , wherein said method further comprises:
after reading out said specific information at said client system, encrypting said specific information and said identification of said receiver and outputting an encrypted output at said client system; and
returning said encrypted output from said client system to said server system.
10. The storage medium as set forth in claim 9 , wherein said step of returning said encrypted output utilizes a public line network to return said encrypted output.
11. The storage medium as set forth in claim 6 , wherein said data is an image data or a voice data.
12. The data delivery method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said data is an image data or a voice data.
13. The data delivery method as set forth in claim 1 ,
wherein a plurality of embedding positions are specified in said specifying step,
wherein said predetermined range is an entirety of a data length such that said specific information is spread across an entirety of said data.
14. The storage medium as set forth in claim 6 ,
wherein a plurality of embedding positions are specified in said specifying step,
wherein said predetermined range is an entirety of the data length such that said specific information is spread across an entirety of said data.
15. A data server, comprising:
a network interface configured to receive a request for data from a requesting client on a network;
a data retriever configured to retrieve said data requested by said requesting client;
an encoder configured to determine an embedding position and configured to embed specific information at said embedding position in said data retrieved by said data retriever; and
a transmitter configured to transmit said data with said specific information embedded at said embedding position to said requesting client,
wherein said embedding position is based on an identification of a requesting user of said requesting client, and
wherein said specific information is embedded within said data as an electronic watermark.
16. The data server of claim 15 , further comprising a decrypter
configured to decrypt an encrypted message from said requesting client, wherein said encrypted message includes an embedding position information of said specific information in said data received by said requesting client and includes an identification information of said requesting user, and
configured to verify said embedding position information encrypted in said encrypted message with said embedding position determined by said encoder and to verify said identification information in said encrypted message with said identification of said requesting user.
17. A data requesting client, comprising:
a data requester configured to request data from a server over a network;
a data receiver configured to receive said data from said server over said network;
a position determiner configured to determine an embedding position of specific information embedded in said data; and
an encrypter configured to encrypt said embedding position determined by said position determiner and an identification of a requesting user of said data requesting client as an encrypted message and configured to transmit said encrypted message to said server,
wherein said embedding position is based on said identification of said requesting user of said data requesting client for said data, and
wherein said specific information is embedded within said data as an electronic watermark.
18. The data delivery method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said specific information includes an identification of a provider of said data or an identification of said data server or both.
19. The data delivery method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the step of reading out said specific information includes extracting said specific information from said data.
20. The storage medium as set forth in claim 6 , wherein said specific information includes an identification of a provider of said data or an identification of said data server or both.
21. The storage medium as set forth in claim 6 , wherein the step of reading out said specific information includes extracting said specific information from said data.
22. The data server of claim 15 , wherein said specific information includes an identification of a provider of said data or an identification of said data server or both.
23. The data requesting client of claim 17 , wherein said specific information includes an identification of a provider of said data or an identification of said server or both.
24. The data requesting client of claim 17 , wherein said data receiver includes a data extractor to extract said specific information from said data.
25. The data delivery method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the identification of the receiver is unique to that receiver.
26. The storage medium as set forth in claim 6 , wherein the identification of the receiver is unique to that receiver.
27. The data server of claim 15 , wherein the identification of the requesting user is unique to that requesting user.
28. The data requesting client of claim 17 , wherein the identification of the requesting user is unique to that requesting user.