Using Biometric Verification to Grant Access to Redacted Content

• US 20140366158A1
• Filed: 06/08/2013
• Published: 12/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Shepherd, Matthew Elliott, Han, Byron Bay, Marciniak, Craig Alan, Whalley, Andrew Roger
• Granted Patent: US 9,721,107 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes

Abstract

Some embodiments provide an electronic device with a novel content redaction engine. The content redaction engine of some embodiments determines whether to redact content for output based on whether a user is biometrically verified. When the content redaction engine receives verification data indicating that the user is biometrically verified, the device displays content without any portion redacted. On the other hand, when the content redaction engine does not receive such verification data, the device displays the content with at least a portion redacted. The electronic device of some embodiments additionally includes a biometric reader and a biometric verification engine. The biometric reader reads a person'"'"'s uniquely identifying biometric data (e.g., thumbprint/fingerprint, iris scan, voice, etc.). This biometric information is then read by the biometric verification engine for comparison to a stored set of verified user biometric data. When the biometric data matches the stored data, the person is verified.

Claims

1. A machine readable medium storing a program for execution by at least one processing unit, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

receiving a set of content, at least a portion of which is marked for redaction;

receiving biometric verification data indicating whether a user is verified through biometric data;

when the biometric verification data indicates that the user is verified, displaying the set of content without any portion redacted;

when the biometric verification data indicates that the user is not verified, displaying the set of content with the marked portion redacted.

2. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of content comprises text content.

3. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of content comprises a portion of a message for display on a device with a locked screen.

4. The machine readable medium of claim 3, wherein the message is one of a Short Message Service (SMS) message and an electronic mail message.

5. The machine readable medium of claim 3, wherein the set of instructions for displaying the set of content with the marked portion redacted comprises a set of instructions for displaying a sender of the message without displaying content of the message.

6. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions for displaying the set of content with the marked portion redacted comprises a set of instructions for blurring the marked portion of the set of content.

7. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions for displaying the set of content with the marked portion redacted comprises a set of instructions for displaying the set of content without the marked portion.

8. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the biometric data comprises one of fingerprint and thumbprint data.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a set of processing units;

a display device for displaying content; and

a machine readable medium storing;

a biometric verification engine which when executed by at least one of the processing units evaluates biometric data to determine whether to verify a user; and

a content redaction engine which when executed by at least one of the processing units determines whether to redact content for output to the display device based on whether the biometric verification engine verifies the user.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a biometric data reader for reading biometric data of a user for evaluation by the biometric verification engine.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the biometric data reader reads fingerprint information.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the biometric verification engine comprises a set of instructions for comparing the fingerprint information from the biometric data reader to a stored fingerprint for a verified user.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the biometric verification engine comprises a set of instructions for comparing the fingerprint information from the biometric data reader to a plurality of stored fingerprints for a plurality of different users.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the machine readable medium further stores a content redaction engine which when executed by at least one of the processing units receives a set of content and tags the content with redaction information that specifies (i) a redacted portion of the content and (ii) viewing permissions for the redacted portion.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the content redaction engine comprises a user interface for receiving selection of the redacted portion of the content and the viewing permissions for the redacted portion.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the viewing permissions comprise different viewing permissions for different users of the electronic device.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the viewing permissions comprise different viewing permissions for different contacts of a user of the electronic device.

18. A machine readable medium storing a content redaction engine for execution by at least one processing unit, the content redaction engine comprising:

a biometric verification interface for receiving biometric verification data that indicates whether a biometric reader is currently receiving verified biometric data;

a content output module for outputting text marked for redaction in non-redacted form only when the biometric reader is currently receiving verified biometric data.

19. The machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein the content output module is for redacting the marked text for output when the biometric reader is not currently receiving verified biometric data.

20. The machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein the content output module is for redacting the marked text for output a particular period of time after the biometric reader is no longer receiving verified biometric data.

21. The machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein the biometric reader reads fingerprint information.

22. The machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein the machine readable medium is for execution by at least one processing unit of a mobile device.

23. The machine readable medium of claim 22, wherein the biometric reader is part of a button of the mobile device that causes the mobile device to perform additional operations when pressed.

24. A method comprising:

receiving content for output on a device;

determining that at least a portion of the received content is to be redacted;

displaying the content with the portion of the content redacted;

based on biometric data, determining whether a user of the device is verified; and

based on a determination that the user is verified, displaying the content without redacting the portion of the content.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the content comprises a message for display when the device has a locked screen.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein displaying the content with the portion of the content redacted comprises displaying a sender of the message and redacting the content of the message.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein displaying the content with the portion of the content redacted comprises blurring the portion of the content.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein displaying the content with the portion of the content redacted comprises not displaying the portion of the content.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein the content comprises a document and the portion of the content to be redacted comprises a portion of the document marked for redaction by a particular user.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the particular user is a user of a different device that sent the document to the verified user.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the particular user is the verified user.