Wearable device for disrupting unwelcome photography

• US 9,140,444 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2013
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ostendo Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: Medibotics, LLC
• Inventors: Connor, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coughlin, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, GLENN D
• Application Number:
  US13/967,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20150049487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 362/277, 362/613, 362/103, 362/269, 362/285, 362/341, 362/157, 362/458, 315/149, 315/159, 346/600
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21L 4/00 Electric lighting devices with self-contained electric batteries or cells
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/006 by means of optical elements, e.g. films, filters or screens, being rolled up around a roller
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0008 Clothing or clothing accessories, e.g. scarfs, gloves or belts
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0076 Safety or security signalisation, e.g. smoke or burglar alarms, earthquake detectors; Self-defence devices
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/304 for pictures

Abstract

This invention is a wearable device and method for disrupting unwelcome photography by a proximal imaging device in order to protect a person'"'"'s privacy. This invention can be embodied in a device worn by the person whose privacy is to be protected comprising: a wearable light source; an ambient light sensor; an inbound light guide that harvests light from an ambient light source; a data processing unit that selects the use of light from the wearable light source, from the ambient light source, or from both the wearable light source and the ambient light source to disrupt unwelcome photography; and an outbound light guide that directs light from the wearable light source, from the ambient light source, or from both the wearable light source and the ambient light source toward the proximal imaging device in order to disrupt unwelcome photography.

Claims

1. A wearable device for disrupting unwelcome photography in order to protect a person'"'"'s privacy comprising:

a wearable light source that is worn by a person whose privacy is to be protected from unwelcome photography;

a data processing unit;

an outbound light guide that refracts, reflects, focuses, directs, and/or guides light energy from the wearable light source toward a proximal imaging device in order to disrupt unwelcome photography by the proximal imaging device; and

an outbound light guide mover that moves the outbound light guide in order to better refract, reflect, focus, direct, and/or guide light energy toward the proximal imaging device.

2. The wearable device in claim 1 wherein a proximal imaging device is defined with respect to the person whose privacy is to be protected from unwelcome photography as a device which is capable of recording images and/or taking pictures, which has a direct line-of-sight to the person, and which is within a sufficiently short distance from the person to record identifiable images and/or take identifiable pictures of that person.

3. The wearable device in claim 1 wherein this device further comprises an inbound light guide that harvests, refracts, reflects, focuses, directs, and/or guides light energy from an ambient light source.

4. The wearable device in claim 1 wherein this device further comprises a light sensor.

5. The wearable device in claim 1 wherein this device further comprises a proximal imaging device tracker that detects and/or tracks a proximal imaging device.

6. The wearable device in claim 1 wherein this device further comprises a wearable power source.

7. The wearable device in claim 1 wherein the data processing unit selects and/or adjusts the use of light energy from an ambient light source, the use of light energy from a wearable light source, or the use of a combination of light energy from both ambient and wearable light sources based on one or more factors selected from the group consisting of:

the absolute amount of ambient light energy from an ambient light source;

the amount of ambient light energy that can be harvested from an ambient light source;

the variation in light energy from an ambient light source over time;

the area variability or homogeneity of ambient light;

the area concentration or diffusion of ambient light;

the total amount of ambient light energy from all ambient light sources;

the movement of a person wearing a photography-disrupting device relative to an ambient light source;

the movement of an ambient light source relative to the person wearing a photography-disrupting device;

the type of ambient light source;

the spectrum of ambient light;

the location or direction of an ambient light source relative to the location, direction, or orientation of a proximal imaging device;

the location or direction of an ambient light source relative to the location, direction, or orientation of a wearable photography-disrupting device;

the amount of ambient light energy from a single ambient light source relative to the total amount of ambient light energy;

the amount of light energy that can be produced by a wearable light source;

the amount of energy in a wearable power source that is available to power a wearable light source;

the type of proximal imaging device detected;

the location of a person wearing a photography-disrupting device as determined by a GPS system;

the movement of a person wearing a photography-disrupting device relative to the pull of gravity, the earth, or a GPS system; and

current or predicted weather conditions.

8. The wearable device in claim 3 wherein this device further comprises an inbound light guide mover that moves the inbound light guide in order to better harvest, refract, reflect, focus, direct, and/or guide light energy from an ambient light source.

9. The wearable device in claim 3 wherein the outbound light guide refracts, reflects, focuses, directs, and/or guides light energy from the wearable light source, light energy from an ambient light source, or light energy from both the wearable light source and an ambient light source toward a proximal imaging device in order to disrupt unwelcome photography by the proximal imaging device.

10. The wearable device in claim 3 wherein this device further comprises an ambient light source tracker that detects and/or tracks an ambient light source.

11. The wearable device in claim 4 wherein the data processing unit uses results from the light sensor in order to select and/or adjust the use of light energy from a wearable light source, the use of light energy from an ambient light source, or the use of light energy from both a wearable light source and an ambient light source in order to disrupt unwelcome photography by the proximal imaging device.

12. A wearable device for disrupting unwelcome photography in order to protect a person'"'"'s privacy comprising:

a wearable light source that is worn by a person whose privacy is to be protected from unwelcome photography;

an inbound light guide that harvests, refracts, reflects, focuses, directs, and/or guides light energy from an ambient light source;

a light sensor;

a data processing unit that uses results from the light sensor in order to select and/or adjust the use of light energy from the wearable light source, the use of light energy from the ambient light source, or the use of light energy from both the wearable light source and the ambient light source in order to disrupt unwelcome photography by the proximal imaging device;

an outbound light guide that refracts, reflects, focuses, directs, and/or guides light energy from the wearable light source, light energy from the ambient light source, or light energy from both the wearable light source and the ambient light source toward the proximal imaging device in order to disrupt unwelcome photography by the proximal imaging device; and

an outbound light guide mover that moves the outbound light guide in order to better refract, reflect, focus, direct, and/or guide light energy toward a proximal imaging device.

13. A method for disrupting unwelcome photography in order to protect a person'"'"'s privacy comprising:

selecting one or more light sources from a set of two or more light sources that includes at least one wearable light source worn by a person whose privacy is to be protected from unwelcome photography and at least one ambient light source; and

guiding, refracting, reflecting, focusing, directing, and/or channeling light energy from the one or more selected light sources toward a proximal imaging device in order to disrupt unwelcome photography by the proximal imaging device.