DETECTION OF AND PRIVACY PRESERVING RESPONSE TO OBSERVATION OF DISPLAY SCREEN

• US 20140201844A1
• Filed: 01/14/2013
• Published: 07/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lookout Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Lookout Incorporated
• Inventors: BUCK, Brian James
• Granted Patent: US 8,973,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/50 Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/032 Protect output to user by software means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2358/00 Arrangements for display data security
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters

Abstract

The security and privacy of a user is enhanced by monitoring the background environment in which the user is working for changes. In an embodiment, a first or reference image is acquired using a front-facing camera of the user'"'"'s computing device. A second or target image is acquired using the front-facing camera. The images are compared and an alert is generated if there is a change in background that exceeds a threshold. The change may be a person who has entered the environment and is watching the computing device screen. The alert may include reducing the visibility of information shown on the screen.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining a first image of an area from a front-facing camera of a computing device, the first image having a foreground and a background;

receiving a second image of the area from the front-facing camera, the second image having a foreground and a background;

comparing the background of the second image with the background of the first image to identify a change in the background in the second image; and

if the change is identified, then alerting a user of the computing device if the change exceeds a predetermined threshold amount.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of alerting the user comprises:

obscuring at least a portion of information shown on an electronic screen of the computing device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of alerting the user comprises:

displaying an image associated with the change on an electronic screen of the computing device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of alerting the user comprises:

displaying a notification message on an electronic screen of the computing device to inform the user of the change.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of alerting the user comprises:

moving an input box from a first position on an electronic screen of the computing device to a second position on the electronic screen, different from the first position.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of alerting the user comprises:

obscuring a first portion of information shown on an electronic screen of the computing device; and

not obscuring a second portion of information shown on the electronic screen.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of alerting the user comprises:

determining that input to a first input field shown on an electronic screen of the computing device should be protected;

obscuring the input to the first input field;

determining that input to a second input field shown on the electronic screen does not need to be protected; and

not obscuring the input to the second input field.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of alerting the user comprises:

reducing visibility of information shown on an electronic screen of the computing device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein during the receiving the second image, the second image is not shown on an electronic screen of the computing device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the computing device comprises a mobile communications device.

11. A method comprising:

obtaining a first image of an area from a front-facing camera of a computing device, the first image having a foreground and a background;

receiving a second image of the area from the front-facing camera, the second image having a foreground and a background;

determining that an object captured in the background of the second image is not in the background of the first image; and

upon the determination, alerting a user of the computing device.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of alerting the user comprises:

obscuring at least a portion of information shown on an electronic screen of the computing device.

13. The method of claim 12 comprising:

after the step of obscuring the at least a portion of information, determining that the object captured in the background of the second image is not in a background of a third image of the area, the third image having been captured by the front-facing camera after the second image; and

upon the determination that the object is not in the background of the third image, undoing the obscuring.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein during the step of receiving the second image, the second image is not shown on an electronic screen of the computing device.

15. The method of claim 11 comprising:

determining that the user has moved to a different area;

obtaining a third image of the different area from the front-facing camera;

receiving a fourth image of the different area from the front-facing camera for monitoring of the different area; and

in response to determining that the user has moved to the different area, deleting the first image of the area.

16. A method comprising:

monitoring a position of a mobile communications device having an electronic screen showing information;

determining that a tilt from the position exceeds a threshold value; and

upon the determination, obscuring at least a portion of the information.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the threshold value is about 8 degrees.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the threshold value is about 5 degrees.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the threshold value ranges from about 5 degrees to about 8 degrees.

20. The method of claim 16 comprising:

after the step of obscuring the at least a portion of the information, determining that the tilt from the position is below the threshold value; and

upon the determination that the tilt is below the threshold value, not obscuring the at least a portion of the information.