Patent ID: 7404083
Filing Date: 2008-07-22
Classification: G06T,H04N

Abstract:
1. An image signal processing apparatus comprising: an input device that inputs one of a still image signal into which one type of electronic watermark has been superimposed and a still image signal having no electronic watermark, the electronic watermark being selected from among a plurality of electronic watermarks each of which is to be decoded through one of a plurality of different electronic watermark decoding algorithms; a recording processing device that records the input still image signal into a recording medium: a memory unit that stores a plurality of different electronic watermark decoding algorithms each of which decodes the electronic watermark in the still image signal input through the input device; an identification circuit that judges whether or not one of the plurality of electronic watermark decoding algorithms set in advance matches algorithms employed to decode the electronic watermark in the input still image signal; a decode circuit that, upon the identification circuit judging a match, decodes the electronic watermark by using the electronic watermark decoding algorithms judged by the identification circuit stored in the memory unit prior to permitting the recording processing device to record the input still image signal into the recording medium; and a display device, wherein the identification circuit utilizes a first electronic watermark identification algorithm to detect the electronic watermark in the input still image signal, and if unsuccessful, utilizes a second electronic watermark identification algorithm, and so on, until a predetermined number of iterations is performed by the identification circuit and the recording processing device is permitted to record the input still image signal into the recording medium after and not before the display device displays either the electronic watermark that has been decoded by the decode circuit or a message, after the predetermined number of iterations, that no electronic watermark is detected.