Method for providing privately viewable data in a publically viewable display

• US 6,597,328 B1
• Filed: 08/16/2000
• Issued: 07/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Stern, Edith H., Willner, Barry E.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANG, KENT WU
• Application Number:
  US09/640,121
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 345/629, 345/4, 345/5, 345/7-9, 345/2.1, 345/102, 345/99, 359/443, 359/483, 359/489, 359/501, 359/454, 359/464, 359/465
• US Class Current: 345/9
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/001 using specific devices not provided for in groups G09G3/02 - G09G3/36, e.g. using an intermediate record carrier such as a film slide; Projection systems; Display of non-alphanumerical information, solely or in combination with alphanumerical information, e.g. digital display on projected diapositive as background slide projectors per se G03B23/00 = 42 HP
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/403 the images being monoscopic

Abstract

A method for providing privately viewable data in a publically viewable display includes the steps of: positioning obscuring lights proximate to the publicly viewable display; generating a sequencing pattern; generating a data signal, the data signal comprising private data frames; providing the data signal to the publicly viewable display; activating and deactivating obscuring lights according to the sequencing pattern; and, opening and closing a shuttered display in a set of active glasses in accordance with the sequencing pattern. In consequence, a user viewing the display with the active glasses can view the private data while unauthorized viewers without the active glasses can view only the private data obscured by the obscuring lights.

Claims

1. A method for providing privately viewable data in a publicly viewable display comprising the steps of:

positioning obscuring lights proximate to said publicly viewable display;

generating a sequencing pattern;

generating a data signal, said data signal comprising private data frames;

providing said data signal to said publicly viewable display;

activating and deactivating obscuring lights according to said sequencing pattern; and

,

opening and closing a shuttered display in a set of active glasses in accordance with said sequencing pattern,

whereby a user viewing said display with said active glasses can view said private data and unauthorized viewers without said active glasses can view only said private data obscured by said obscuring lights.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said sequencing pattern is encoded.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of activating and deactivating said obscuring lights comprises the steps of:

activating said obscuring lights; and

,

responsive to sync pulses in said sequencing pattern, deactivating and reactivating said obscuring lights.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of opening and closing said shuttered display comprises the steps of:

closing said shuttered display; and

,

responsive to sync pulses in said sequencing pattern, opening and closing said shuttered display.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein said step of opening and closing said shuttered display comprises the steps of:

decoding said encoded sequencing pattern; and

,

responsive to sync pulses in said sequencing pattern, opening and closing said shuttered display.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said sequencing pattern corresponds to alternating displays of said private data and said private data masked by said obscuring lights.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said positioning step comprises the step of positioning strobe lights about the publicly viewable display.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said positioning step comprises the step of positioning fiber optic light pipes in said publicly viewable display.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said publicly viewable display is a laptop computer display panel.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said publicly viewable display is an ATM display screen.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of opening and closing said shuttered display comprises the step of opening and closing shutters in said shuttered display.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of opening and closing said shuttered display comprises the step of polarizing and depolarizing lenses in said shuttered display.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein said generated data signal further comprises public data frames interspersed among said data frames in accordance with said sequencing pattern.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said private data frames comprise sets of private data portions, said portions combining to form said private data, wherein said portions are displayed sequentially according to said sequencing pattern.

15. A system for providing privately viewable data in a publicly viewable display comprising:

a computer comprising a display, a display driver, and at least one applications program;

a display obscuring system comprising an encoder and obscuring lights positioned proximate to said publicly viewable display;

an encoder algorithm disposed in said encoder for generating a sequencing pattern for driving said obscuring lights;

a pair of active glasses having a shuttered display; and

,

a data communications link communicatively linking said display obscuring system with said active glasses;

said at least one applications program providing private data in a data signal to said display driver;

said display driver providing said data signal to said publically viewable display;

said display obscuring system activating and deactivating said obscuring lights according to said sequencing pattern;

said active glasses receiving said sequencing pattern across said data communications link; and

,

said active glasses opening and closing said shuttered display in accordance with said sequencing pattern,

whereby a user viewing said display with said active glasses can view said private data generated by said application, and unauthorized viewers without said active glasses can view only said private data masked by said obscuring lights.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein said data communications link is a wireless data communications link.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein said active glasses include a decoder for decoding said sequencing pattern.

18. The system according to claim 15, wherein said computer activates and deactivates said obscuring lights when indicated by sync pulses in said sequencing pattern.

19. The system according to claim 15, wherein said obscuring lights comprise fiber optic light pipes positioned in said display.

20. The system according to claim 15, wherein said obscuring lights comprise strobe lights positioned circumferentially about said display.

21. The system according to claim 17, wherein said decoder decodes said sequencing pattern;

and, responsive to sync pulses in said sequencing pattern, opens and closes said shuttered display.

22. The system according to claim 15, wherein said sequencing pattern corresponds to alternating displays of said private data and said private data masked by said obscuring lights.

23. The system according to claim 15, wherein said data signal further comprises masking data interspersed among said private data according to said sequencing pattern.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein said sequencing pattern corresponds to alternating displays of said private data and said private data masked by said masking data and said obscuring lights.

25. A machine readable storage, having stored thereon a computer program for providing privately viewable data in a publicly viewable display, said computer program having a plurality of code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

generating a sequencing pattern;

generating a data signal, said data signal comprising private data frames;

providing said data signal to the publicly viewable display;

activating and deactivating obscuring lights positioned about the publicly viewable display according to said sequencing pattern; and

,

opening and closing a shuttered display in a set of active glasses in accordance with said sequencing pattern,

whereby a user viewing said display with said active glasses can view said private data and unauthorized viewers without said active glasses can view only said private data obscured by said obscuring lights.

26. The machine readable storage according to claim 25, wherein said sequencing pattern is encoded.

27. The machine readable storage according to claim 25, wherein said step of activating and deactivating said obscuring lights comprises the steps of:

activating said obscuring lights; and

,

responsive to sync pulses in said sequencing pattern, deactivating and reactivating said obscuring lights.

28. The machine readable storage according to claim 25, wherein said step of opening and closing said shuttered display comprises the steps of:

closing said shuttered display; and

,

responsive to sync pulses in said sequencing pattern, opening and closing said shuttered display.

29. The machine readable storage according to claim 26, wherein said step of opening and closing said shuttered display comprises the steps of:

decoding said encoded sequencing pattern; and

,

responsive to sync pulses in said sequencing pattern, opening and closing said shuttered display.

30. The machine readable storage according to claim 25, wherein said sequencing pattern corresponds to alternating displays of said private data and said private data masked by said obscuring lights.

31. The machine readable storage according to claim 25, wherein said obscuring lights are strobe lights positioned circumferentially about the publicly viewable display.

32. The machine readable storage according to claim 25, wherein said obscuring lights are fiber optic light pipes positioned in said publicly viewable display.

33. The machine readable storage according to claim 25, wherein said publicly viewable display is a laptop computer display panel.

34. The machine readable storage according to claim 25, wherein said publicly viewable display is an ATM display screen.

35. The machine readable storage according to claim 25, wherein said step of opening and closing said shuttered display comprises the step of opening and closing shutters in said shuttered display.

36. The machine readable storage according to claim 25, wherein said step of opening and closing said shuttered display comprises the step of polarizing and depolarizing lenses in said shuttered display.

37. The machine readable storage according to claim 25, wherein said generated data signal further comprises public data frames interspersed among said data frames in accordance with said sequencing pattern.

38. The machine readable storage according to claim 37, wherein said private data frames comprise sets of private data portions, said portions combining to form said private data, wherein said portions are displayed sequentially according to said sequencing pattern.