Image processing apparatus, method, computer program and recording medium

An image processing method comprising:

• a first step of 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;
• a second step of rearranging a bit sequence of the generated multiplexed information into a prescribed bit sequence;
• and
• a third step of 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 second step includes:
• a multiplexed-information dividing step of dividing multiplexed information into a plurality of blocks of a predetermined size;
• an image-information dividing step of dividing image information into a plurality of tiles mapped to said blocks;
• and
• a two-dimensional shuffling step of 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.

A computer program, embodied in a computer-readable medium, for controlling an image processing apparatus that prints image information, comprising:

• program code of a first step of 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;
• program code of a second step of rearranging a bit sequence of the generated multiplexed information into a prescribed bit sequence;
• and
• program code of a third step of 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 second step includes:
• a multiplexed-information dividing step of dividing multiplexed information into a plurality of blocks of a predetermined size;
• an image-information dividing step of dividing image information into a plurality of tiles mapped to said blocks;
• and
• a two-dimensional shuffling step of 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.