Memory Based Content Display Interception

• US 20090128573A1
• Filed: 02/09/2006
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bioobservation Systems Limited
• Original Assignee: Bioobservation Systems Limited
• Inventors: Lambe, Canice, Hussey, Garrett
• Application Number:
  US11/884,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20090128573A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/530
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

In one aspect, the invention relates to a method for blocking or otherwise regulating content. The method includes the steps of intercepting a call to a graphics API; determining if the image meets the requirements for further analysis; and if the image meets the requirements for further analysis, generating a structure to represent the array of pixels in the image; analyzing the image structure for determination of inappropriate content; and preventing the display of the image if the determination is that the content is inappropriate.

Claims

1. A method of regulating content, the method comprising the steps of:

intercepting a call to a graphics API, the call associated with an image;

determining if the image meets a requirement for further analysis;

if the image meets the requirement for further analysis, generating a structure to represent the image;

analyzing the image structure to determine if the image contains inappropriate content; and

preventing the display of the image if the content is inappropriate.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the structure is selected from the group consisting of a DIB structure, a JPEG structure, a TIF structure, a memory element, image data, and an image structure native to the graphics API.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of intercepting the call to the graphics API is performed by a proxy DLL.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of intercepting the call to the graphics API is performed by patching an address table of a binary program file.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of intercepting the call to the graphics API is performed by patching at least one API call.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of preventing the display is performed by replacing the image with another image.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of preventing the display is performed by blending the image with a second image.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of preventing the display is performed by distorting the image.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the image resides in memory.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the structure is selected from the group consisting of a DIB structure, a JPEG structure, a TIF structure, a memory element, image data, and an image structure native to a graphics API.

12. The system of claim 10 further comprising a cache, wherein the cache is analyzed for image data that contains inappropriate content.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the image analyzer generates a pointer in response to inappropriate content, wherein the pointer is stored in the cache and points to image data.

9. A content regulation system comprising:

a graphics API call interceptor adapted to respond to content access;

an image determination module in communication with the graphics API call interceptor, the image determination module adapted to determine if an image meets the requirements for further analysis;

a structure generator in communication with the image determination module to represent the array of pixels in the image as a structure if the image meets the requirements for further analysis;

an image analyzer in communication with the structure generator, the image analyzer determining if there is inappropriate content within the structure; and

a display modifier in communication with the image analysis module to modify the image if the determination is that the content is inappropriate.

14. A method of blocking content from being displayed comprising:

intercepting a call to a text API, the call related to a text segment;

analyzing the text segment to determine if the text segment contains inappropriate content; and

preventing the display of the text segment if the determination is that the content is inappropriate.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of displaying an altered version of the text segment if the content is inappropriate.

16. A method of regulating access to content, the method comprising the steps of:

intercepting an image display call associated with an image prior to the image being displayed to a user;

evaluating the image using an image processing engine to generate a probability value in response to the image, the probability value indicative of a likelihood that the image contains inappropriate content; and

regulating access to the image based upon an existing probability threshold.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of transforming the image to substantially obscure the image in response to the existing probability threshold.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of transforming the image is performed on a per pixel basis.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of intercepting an image display call is performed in system memory.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of intercepting the image display call is performed by a proxy DLL.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of intercepting the image display call is performed by patching address tables of a binary program file.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of intercepting the image display call is performed by patching at least one API.