Patent ID: 8315424

Claim:
An image processing apparatus configured to embed embedment information in image data to generate embedded image data, the apparatus comprising: an embedment information acquisition unit configured to acquire embedment information to be embedded in the image data; a usage property information acquisition unit to acquire usage property information indicating a usage property of the embedded image data to be generated from a user, the usage property information including a request of the user for the embedded image data and a usage purpose of the embedded image data; an information embedment manner determination unit configured to determine an information embedment manner to embed the embedment information to the image data according to the usage property information of the embedded image data; and an information embedment unit configured to embed the acquired embedment information in the image data based on the information embedment manner determined by the information embedment manner determination unit, wherein the information embedment manner determination unit is further configured to: define a plurality of functions that are required to be added to the image data so as to generate the embedded image data having the usage property specified by the usage property information acquired from the user; select, from a plurality of information embedment manners, an information embedment manner based on the defined plurality of functions as the information embedment manner to be used for embedding the embedment information to the image data; calculate, for each one of the plurality of information embedment manners, similarity between the defined plurality of functions and a plurality of available functions that can be provided by each of the plurality of information embedment manners; and select the information embedment manner based on the calculated similarity.