Patent ID: 7079267

Claim:
An image processing apparatus comprising: error correction encoding means for calculating an error correction code from additional information to be added to image information, and generating multiplexed information in which the error correction code calculated has been added to the additional information; shuffling means for rearranging a bit sequence of the generated multiplexed information into a prescribed bit sequence; and multiplexing means for embedding the multiplexed information, in which the bit sequence has been rearranged, in the image information, wherein the multiplexed information is composed of bits arrayed two-dimensionally, and said shuffling means includes: a multiplexed-information dividing unit for dividing multiplexed information into a plurality of blocks of a predetermined size; an image-information dividing unit for dividing image information into a plurality of tiles mapped to said blocks; and a two-dimensional shuffling unit for newly mapping the tiles, which have been mapped to the blocks obtained by division, to prescribed tiles, and wherein the number and placement of the tiles into which the image information has been divided is identical with the number and placement of the blocks into which the tiles have been divided.