Protecting content displayed on a mobile device

• US 9,443,102 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2015
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cohen, Guy M., Horesh, Lior, Horesh, Raya, Pistoia, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, DAO Q
• Application Number:
  US14/599,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20160210473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/032 Protect output to user by software means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/18 Image warping, e.g. rearranging pixels individually
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/166 using acquisition arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/068 for control of viewing angle adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2358/00 Arrangements for display data security
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2003 Display of colours specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/32 semiconductive, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 : Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 : detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system for protecting content includes a mobile device screen including a plurality of pixels, whereby each of the plurality of pixels have first sub-pixel units that include a first viewing angle and second sub-pixel units that include a second viewing angle. Within each of the plurality of pixels, the first sub-pixel units are adjacent to the second sub-pixel units. A processing unit is coupled to the mobile device screen and determines a portion of the mobile device screen that displays sensitive content. The processing unit obscures the sensitive content displayed on the portion of the mobile device screen by deactivating the first sub-pixel units at the portion of the mobile device screen that displays the sensitive content and activates the second sub-pixel units at the portion of the mobile device screen that displays the sensitive content.

Claims

1. A system for protecting content comprising:

a mobile device screen including a plurality of pixels, each of the plurality of pixels having both first sub-pixel units that include a first viewing angle and second sub-pixel units that include a second viewing angle, wherein within each of the plurality of pixels the first sub-pixel units are adjacent to the second sub-pixel units; and

a processor coupled to the mobile device screen, the processor determining at least a portion of the mobile device screen that displays a plurality of predetermined sensitive content, the processor obscuring the sensitive content displayed on the at least a portion of the mobile device screen by deactivating the first sub-pixel units including the first viewing angle at the portion of the mobile device screen that displays the sensitive content and activating the second sub-pixel units including the second viewing angle at the portion of the mobile device screen that displays the sensitive content; and

a camera device coupled to the processor, the camera device detecting one or more users viewing the mobile device screen, wherein the detecting of one or more unauthorized users is based on a determination that an image of the one or more users has a comparison value below a threshold value when comparing the image of the one or more users to a plurality of images stored in a database of authorized users, and wherein based on the camera device detecting the one or more unauthorized users viewing the mobile device screen, the processor obscures the sensitive content displayed on all portions of the mobile device screen by deactivating the first sub-pixel units and deactivating the second sub-pixel units.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an infrared (IR) light emitter embedded in the mobile device screen, wherein the IR light emitter is activated and deactivated by the processor, and wherein based on the camera device detecting a second camera device or set of camera devices, the IR light emitter generates an infrared signal that saturates an image sensor of the second camera device or set of camera devices.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the IR light emitter includes one or more IR light emitting diodes located within the each of the plurality of pixels.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the IR light emitter includes one or more IR light emitting diodes that are embedded either within a peripheral portion of the mobile device screen or stacked under the plurality of pixels.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the second sub-pixel units that include the second viewing angle comprise a collimator lens that collimates a diverging light output from the respective second sub-pixel units.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the second sub-pixel units that include the second viewing angle comprise an optical beam steering mechanism for directing an optical output of the each of the second sub-pixel units towards an authorized viewer of the displayed sensitive content.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second viewing angle has a smaller viewing angle relative to the first viewing angle for visually obscuring the sensitive content at viewing angles that exceed the second viewing angle.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first sub-pixel units that include the first viewing angle each include a first red light emitting diode, a first green light emitting diode, and a first blue light emitting diode, and wherein the second sub-pixel units that include the second viewing angle each include a second red light emitting diode, a second green light emitting diode, and a second blue light emitting diode, wherein the second viewing angle has a smaller viewing angle relative to the first viewing angle for visually obscuring the sensitive content at viewing angles that exceed the second viewing angle.