Filtering data requiring confidentiality in monitor mirroring

• US 8,347,395 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2006
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthineers AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Fischer, Axel
• Primary Examiner(s): Shiferaw, Eleni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Branske, Hilary
• Application Number:
  US11/364,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20060200066A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,500 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3, 707/9, 707/10, 707/100, 709/217, 709/219, 726/26, 726/27, 726/2, 726/21, 726/22, 726/23, 604/20, 345/2.1, 345/2.2, 345/698, 713/13, 713/154
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for monitor mirroring in the display of data requiring confidentiality is disclosed, including a computer system, an identification unit that identifies the data requiring confidentiality, and a filter unit that filters the identified data requiring confidentiality, so that only the filtered data and data not requiring confidentiality are shown on the monitor. The screen content of the monitor can thereupon be mirrored onto a further monitor.

Claims

1. A method for monitor mirroring of a computer system in the display of data sets that include data requiring confidentiality, the method comprising:

identifying data requiring confidentiality from data sets that are to be displayed at a first monitor and a second monitor;

filtering out the data requiring confidentiality from a representation of the data sets when the second monitor is connected to the first monitor, wherein filtering out the data includes deleting the data requiring confidentiality from the representation of the data sets, such that the filtered data sets are non-confidential information;

displaying the filtered data sets on the first monitor, wherein the data requiring confidentiality is not displayed;

performing the monitor mirroring with the filtered data sets onto the second monitor when the second monitor is connected to the first monitor, such that screen content for the filtered data sets of the first monitor is the same as screen content for the filtered data sets of the second monitor when the first monitor is mirrored on the second monitor; and

reconfiguring the filtered data sets displayed on the first monitor when the connection is terminated, such that the data requiring confidentiality is displayed on the first monitor when a user of the first monitor is authorized to view the data requiring confidentiality,

wherein the data requiring confidentiality from the data sets is identified before the monitor mirroring is performed.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the filtering includes anonymizing, pseudonymizing the data requiring confidentiality, or combinations thereof.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the monitor mirroring includes the mirroring of the first monitor onto a plurality of second monitors, the plurality of second monitors comprising the second monitor.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein at least one of the filtering and the identifying is done automatically.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein filtering is operable to be deactivated.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein the data requiring confidentiality involve medical data.

7. The method as in claim 6, wherein the data requiring confidentiality is in Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the displayed filtered data sets are stored in memory.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein the identifying is controlled via a data structure of the data sets.

10. The method as in claim 2, wherein at least one of the filtering and the identifying is done automatically.

11. The method as in claim 10, wherein filtering is operable to be deactivated.

12. The method as in claim 11, wherein the data requiring confidentiality involve medical data.

13. The method as in claim 10, wherein the identifying is controlled via a data structure of the data sets.

14. The method as in claim 1, further comprising automatically recognizing a connection of the second monitor, such that filtering is triggered automatically.

15. An apparatus for monitor mirroring in a display of data sets that include data requiring confidentiality, the apparatus comprising:

an identification unit operable to identify the data requiring confidentiality from a quantity of data sets that are to be displayed;

a filter unit operable to filter out the data sets, such that the data requiring confidentiality is deleted from the data sets;

a first monitor associated with a computer system and configured to display the filtered data sets;

a second monitor, the filter unit being operable to delete the data requiring confidentiality when the second monitor is connected to the first monitor; and

a mirroring module operable to execute the monitor mirroring when the second monitor is connected to the first monitor, such that the filtered data displayed on the first monitor is mirrored onto the second monitor, such that screen content for the filtered data sets of the first monitor is the same as screen content for the filtered data sets of the second monitor when the first monitor is mirrored on the second monitor,

wherein the filter unit is located downstream of the computer system and upstream of the first monitor and the second monitor,

wherein the filter unit is configured to reconfigure the filtered data sets displayed on the first monitor when the connection is terminated, such that the data requiring confidentiality is displayed on the first monitor when a user of the first monitor is authorized to view the data requiring confidentiality, and

wherein the identification unit is operable to identify the data requiring confidentiality from the quantity of data sets that are to be displayed before the monitor mirroring is executed.

16. The apparatus as in claim 15, wherein the filter unit is located upstream of a graphical interface of the computer system.