Modifying restricted images

• US 8,792,673 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2011
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Malamud, Mark A., Rinaldo, Jr., John D., Levien, Royce A., Lord, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W
• Application Number:
  US13/136,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20120093355A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/276, 382/284, 348/598, 380/205, 380/207, 380/210
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 Insert-editing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

An apparatus, device, methods, computer program product, and system are described that determine a restricted image within a media asset, modify the restricted image to obtain a modified image that includes at least one shared image attribute of the restricted image, and produce a modified media asset that includes the modified image.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining identity information of a subject included within a restricted image within a media asset;

modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the subject with another subject; and

producing a modified media asset that includes the modified image.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining identity information of a subject included within a restricted image within a media asset comprises:

determining identity information associated with the restricted image, including at least receiving an attribute describing a person.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining identity information of a subject included within a restricted image within a media asset comprises:

associating at least a portion of the media asset with a user capture device used to capture the media asset.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining identity information of a subject included within a restricted image within a media asset comprises:

associating at least a portion of the media asset with a user known to have captured the media asset.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining identity information of a subject included within a restricted image within a media asset comprises:

associating at least a portion of the media asset with a setting content of the restricted image.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining identity information of a subject included within a restricted image within a media asset comprises:

determining an attribute of a concurrently-imaged object within the media asset.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein determining identity information of a subject included within a restricted image within a media asset comprises:

performing image recognition analysis on a portion of the media asset.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein determining identity information of a subject included within a restricted image within a media asset and modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the subject with another subject comprise:

determining identity information of a human subject included within a restricted image; and

modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the image of the human subject with another human subject, the modified image having a shared image attribute including a shared shape.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein determining identity information of a subject included within a restricted image within a media asset comprises:

performing facial recognition analysis on a portion of the media asset.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein determining identity information of a subject included within a restricted image within a media asset comprises:

analyzing metadata associated with the restricted image.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein analyzing metadata associated with the restricted image comprises:

analyzing a closed-captioning stream that is associated with the media asset.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein determining identity information of a subject included within a restricted image within a media asset comprises:

evaluating an attribute of the restricted image against image-restriction criteria.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein determining identity information of a subject included within a restricted image within a media asset comprises:

determining a preference of a user who captured the media asset.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein determining identity information of a subject included within a restricted image within a media asset comprises:

determining a preference of a producer of the restricted image.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein determining identity information of a subject included within a restricted image within a media asset comprises:

determining a restricted image within at least one of a still picture or a video stream.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the subject with another subject comprises:

replacing the restricted image with a modified image selected from a database of replacement images that are known to include at least one shared image attribute with the restricted image.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the subject with another subject comprises:

modifying the restricted image via replacing the restricted image with a modified image selected from a database of replacement images that are known to include at least one shared image attribute with the restricted image, the modifying the restricted image occurring without modifying the at least one shared image attribute.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the subject with another subject comprises:

maintaining a presentation context of the media asset within the modified media asset.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the subject with another subject comprises:

determining that the modified image is associated with modified identity information that is different from identity information associated with the restricted image.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the subject with another subject comprises:

obscuring an identity of a human subject of the restricted image by replacing the human subject with a replacement human subject having a different identity.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the subject with another subject comprises:

modifying the restricted image via replacing the restricted image with a modified image selected from a database of replacement images that are known to include at least one shared image attribute with the restricted image to obtain the modified image that includes, as the at least one shared image attribute, one or more image attributes from a group including a shape, a size, a contour, an outline, a color, a pattern, an anatomy, a figure, a frame, a form, a glyph, a symbol, a word, a feature, a facial feature, a gender, or a race.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the subject with another subject comprises:

modifying the restricted image to include clothing or other covering when the restricted image is determined to include indecent or obscene material.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the subject with another subject comprises:

modifying the restricted image based on preference information.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the subject with another subject comprises:

determining that payment has been received for the modifying of the restricted image.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the subject with another subject comprises:

modifying the restricted image at an image capture device.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the subject with another subject comprises:

modifying the restricted image at a print device.

27. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the subject with another subject comprises:

modifying the restricted image at a remote processing service.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the subject with another subject comprises:

encrypting information regarding the restricted image.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the subject with another subject comprises:

preventing the restricted image from being rendered.

30. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the subject with another subject comprises:

maintaining a presentation of a human face within the modified image when the restricted image includes a restricted human face.

31. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the subject with another subject comprises:

producing the modified media asset as a digital modified media asset.

32. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least replacing the subject with another subject comprises:

outputting the modified media asset.

33. A computer program product comprising:

at least one non-transitory computer readable medium including at least;

one or more instructions for determining identity information of a subject included within a restricted image within a media asset,

one or more instructions for modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least one or more instructions for replacing the subject with another subject, and

one or more instructions for producing a modified media asset that includes the modified image.

34. A system, comprising:

circuitry for determining identity information of a subject included within a restricted image within a media asset; and

circuitry for modifying the restricted image to obtain a modified image, including at least circuitry for replacing the subject with another subject.