Protecting content on a mobile device from mining

• US 9,401,000 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2014
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Spector, Alfred Zalmon, Petrou, David, Aguera-Arcas, Blaise, Sharifi, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Koziol, Stephen R
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHWARTZ, RAPHAEL M
• Application Number:
  US14/570,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20160063660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2465 Query processing support for facilitating data mining operations in structured databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1062 Editing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/54 by adding security routines or objects to programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/60 Memory management
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

Systems and methods prevent or restrict the mining of content on a mobile device. For example, a method may include determining that content to be displayed on a screen includes content that matches a mining-restriction trigger, inserting a mining-restriction mark in the content that protects at least a portion of the content, and displaying the content with the mining-restriction mark on the screen. As another example, a method may include identifying, by a first application running on a mobile device, a mining-restriction mark in frame buffer data, the mining-restriction mark having been inserted by a second application, and determining whether the mining-restriction mark prevents mining of content. The method may also include preventing mining when the mining-restriction mark prevents mining and, when the mining-restriction mark does not prevent mining, determining a restriction for the data based on the mining-restriction mark and providing the restriction with the data for further processing.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, on a client device, that content to be displayed on a screen of a mobile device includes content that matches a mining-restriction trigger;

inserting a mining-restriction mark in the content that protects at least a portion of the content;

displaying the content, including the inserted mining-restriction mark, on the screen;

identifying, by a content agent, the mining-restriction mark in the content subsequent to display on the screen; and

disregarding, by the content agent, the portion of the content protected by the mining-restriction mark responsive to identifying the mining-restriction mark.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a user of the mobile device, text, wherein the text is the mining-restriction trigger.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mining-restriction trigger is determined by a developer of an application that generated the content.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the mining-restriction trigger protects less than all the content,

wherein inserting the mining-restriction mark includes positioning the mining-restriction mark so that the portion of the content is encompassed by the mining-restriction mark and remaining content is not.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a user of the mobile device, an indication of a data element,

wherein the data element is the mining-restriction trigger.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mining-restriction trigger represents a data element and determining that the content includes content that matches the mining-restriction trigger includes determining that the content includes content that matches a pattern for the data element.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mining-restriction trigger specifies a text format and determining that the content includes content that matches the mining-restriction trigger includes determining that the content includes text with the text format.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mining-restriction trigger is a media type.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the mining restriction mark is visible to a user of the mobile device and provides an indication to the user that the portion is protected.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the mining-restriction mark has a color or pattern that provides an indication of a type of protection provided.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion represents all of the content.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the mining-restriction mark includes a hash of a device identifier for the mobile device.

13. A mobile device comprising:

at least one processor;

a display device; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the mobile device to perform operations including;

determining that content to be displayed on the display device includes content that matches a mining-restriction trigger;

inserting a mining-restriction mark in the content that protects at least a portion of the content;

triggering display of the content, including the inserted mining-restriction mark, on the display device;

identifying, by a content agent, the mining-restriction mark in the content subsequent to display on the display device; and

disregarding the portion of the content protected by the mining-restriction mark responsive to identifying the mining-restriction mark.

14. The mobile device of claim 13, the memory further storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the mobile device to perform operations including:

identifying the mining-restriction mark in low order bits or high order bits in a frame buffer of the mobile device,

determining whether the mining-restriction mark prevents mining of content, wherein mining includes non-transient storage of a copy or derivations of data in the frame buffer, and

preventing mining of data in the frame buffer when the mining-restriction mark prevents mining.

15. The mobile device of claim 14, the memory further storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the mobile device to perform operations including:

determining a restriction for the data in the frame buffer based on the mining-restriction mark when the mining-restriction mark does not prevent mining; and

providing the restriction with the data for further processing.

16. The mobile device of claim 13, the memory further storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the mobile device to perform operations including:

determining that the mining-restriction trigger protects less than all the content,

wherein inserting the mining-restriction mark includes positioning the mining-restriction mark so that the portion of the content is encompassed by the mining-restriction mark and remaining content is not.

17. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the mining-restriction mark is a first mining-restriction mark that prevents mining and the memory further storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the mobile device to perform operations including:

receiving a restriction for the mining-restriction trigger;

replace an association of the mining-restriction trigger with the first mining-restriction mark with an association of the mining-restriction trigger with a second mining-restriction mark that permits mining with the restriction; and

store the mining-restriction trigger associated with the second mining-restriction mark.

18. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, executes a mobile application configured to:

generate content for display on the display device;

determine that the content includes content that matches the mining-restriction trigger;

insert the second mining-restriction mark in the content; and

provide the content to a frame buffer for display on the display device.

19. The mobile device of claim 13, the memory further storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the mobile device to perform operations including:

receiving, from a user of the mobile device, an indication of a data element,

wherein the data element is the mining-restriction trigger.

20. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the mining-restriction trigger represents a data element and determining that the content includes content that matches the mining-restriction trigger includes determining that the content includes content that matches a pattern for the data element.

21. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the mining restriction mark is visible to a user of the mobile device and provides an indication to the user that the portion is protected.