Facial recognition based content blocking system

• US 20090041311A1
• Filed: 08/09/2007
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Jon Hundley
• Original Assignee: Jon Hundley
• Inventors: Hundley, Jon
• Application Number:
  US11/891,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20090041311A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/17 the unit being an image region, e.g. an object
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4318 by altering the content in the rendering process, e.g. blanking, blurring or masking an image region image enhancement or restoration in general G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for blocking content. In one embodiment, an image is examined for pre-selected body portions. If the image contains a body portion (e.g. an image of a face larger than a pre-selected portion of the image) access is allowed. Otherwise, the content may be obscured or blocked with a translucent object either before or after an initial transmission. The image may be part of a video stream such as an instant messaging, web-cam, or video chat room session. The image may be sent or received and-may be examined with facial recognition technology. Additionally, the image may be tagged to indicate whether it contains the sub-image. In addition, the method may be incorporated in a computer program associated with a particular instant messaging program (e.g., the program is a Miranda IM add-on). Server, network, and client computers which may incorporate portions of the program are also provided.

Claims

1. A method of blocking content comprising:

determining whether a live video image contains a sub-image of a pre-selected portion of a body;

at least partially blocking the image if the image does not contain the sub-image of the pre-selected body portion; and

allowing access to the image if the image contains the sub-image of the pre-selected body portion.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the pre-selected body portion is a face.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the size of the sub-image relative to the image and allowing access to the image only if the sub-image is at least a pre-determined size relative to the image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the blocking includes overlaying at least a portion of the image with a translucent object.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising allowing a user to set the degree of translucency of the object.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising allowing a user to disable the blocking.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the image is associated with an event selected from the group consisting of an instant messaging session, a web-cam transmission, a web-cam viewing, and a video chat room session.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising tagging the image to indicate whether the image contains the sub-image.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising sending the image with the tag.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising receiving the image with the tag.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising determining whether the tag indicates that the image contains the sub-image and blocking at least a portion of the image if so.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising allowing access to the image if the image contains no sub-image of a body portion.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising the determining occurring before an initial transmission of the image.

14. A machine readable medium comprising executable instructions stored thereon for:

determining whether a live video image contains a sub-image of a pre-selected portion of a body;

at least partially blocking the image if the image does not contain the sub-image of the pre-selected body portion; and

allowing access to the image if the image contains the sub-image of the pre-selected body portion.

15. The machine readable medium of claim 14 further comprising executable instructions for determining the size of the sub-image relative to the image and allowing access to the image if the sub-image is at least a pre-determined size relative to the image.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the executable instructions for blocking further comprise executable instructions for overlaying at least a portion of the image with a translucent object.

17. The machine readable medium of claim 16 further comprising executable instructions for allowing the user to set the degree of translucency of the object.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 14 further comprising executable instructions for allowing a user to disable the blocking.

19. The machine readable medium of claim 14 wherein the image is associated with an event selected from the group consisting of an instant messaging session, a web-cam transmission, a web-cam viewing, and a video chat room session.

20. The machine readable medium of claim 14 further comprising executable instructions for tagging the image to indicate whether the image contains the sub-image.

21. The machine readable medium of claim 20 further comprising executable instructions for sending the image with the tag.

22. The machine readable medium of claim 20 further comprising executable instructions for receiving the image with the tag.

23. The machine readable medium of claim 22 further comprising executable instructions for determining whether the tag indicates that the image contains the sub-image and blocking at least a portion of the image if so.

24. The computer program of claim 14 further comprising executable instructions for interfacing with an instant messaging system.

25. A server comprising:

a data source;

a network interface for communicating with a network;

a machine readable medium including executable instructions stored thereon for

receiving at least one live video image from the data source,

determining whether the live video image contains a sub-image of a pre-selected portion of a body,

at least partially blocking the live video image if the live video image does not contain the sub-image of the pre-selected body portion thereby creating a viewable image, and

allowing access to the live video image if the live video image contains the sub-image of the pre-selected body portion thereby creating the viewable image;

a data destination, the machine readable medium further including executable instructions for sending the viewable image to the data destination; and

a circuit for executing the executable instructions and being in communication with the data source, the machine readable medium, and the data destination.

26. The server of claim 25 wherein the network is the data source and the data destination.

27. The server of claim 25 wherein the machine readable medium further includes executable instructions for blocking the image by tagging the viewable image.

28. A client comprising:

a data source;

a network interface for communicating with a network;

a machine readable medium including executable instructions stored thereon for

receiving at least one live video image from the data source,

determining whether the live video image contains a sub-image of a pre-selected portion of a body,

at least partially blocking the live video image if the live video image does not contain the sub-image containing the pre-selected body portion thereby creating a viewable image, and

allowing access to the live video image if the live video image contains the sub-image containing the pre-selected body portion thereby creating a viewable image;

a display, the machine readable medium further including executable instructions for displaying the viewable image on the display; and

a circuit for executing the executable instructions and being in communication with the data source, the machine readable medium, and the display.

29. The client of claim 28 wherein the network is the data source.

30. The client of claim 28 wherein the executable instructions for blocking further comprise executable program instructions for overlaying at least a portion of the live video image with a translucent object.

31. The client of claim 28 wherein the machine readable medium further includes executable instructions for allowing the user to set the degree of translucency of the object.

32. The client of claim 28 wherein the machine readable medium further includes executable instructions for allowing a user to disable the blocking.

33. The client of claim 28 wherein the live video image is tagged to indicate whether the live video image contains the sub-image, the machine readable medium further including executable instructions for determining whether the tag indicates that the live video image contains the sub-image and blocking at least a portion of the live video image if so.

34. A system comprising:

a server including;

a data source,

a first machine readable medium including executable instructions stored thereon for receiving at least one live video image from the data source, and

a first circuit for executing the executable instructions and being in communication with the first machine readable medium; and

a client in communication with the server and including;

a second machine readable medium including executable instructions stored thereon for receiving live video images from the server,

a display, the second machine readable medium further including executable instructions for displaying live video images on the display; and

a second circuit for executing the executable instructions and being in communication with the second machine readable medium, the first machine readable medium including executable instructions for sending live video images to the client computer,

at least one of the first and second machine readable media further including executable instructions for;

determining whether a live video image contains a sub-image of a pre-selected portion of a body,

at least partially blocking the live video image if the live video image does not contain the sub-image of the pre-selected body portion thereby creating a viewable image,

allowing access to the live video image if the live video image contains the sub-image of the pre-selected body portion thereby creating the viewable image, and

sending the viewable image to the client computer if the first machine readable medium includes the executable instructions for determining whether the live video image contains the sub-image of the pre-selected body part.