Protecting content on a mobile device from mining

• US 9,563,671 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2016
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• 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): Vu, Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHWARTZ, RAPHAEL M
• Application Number:
  US15/189,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20160306860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 230 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 identifying a mining-restriction mark in low order bits or high order bits in a frame buffer of a mobile device and determining whether the mining-restriction mark prevents mining of content. Mining includes non-transient storage of a copy or derivations of data in the frame buffer. The method may also include preventing the mining of data in the frame buffer when the mining-restriction mark prevents mining.

Claims

1. 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;

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

2. The mobile device of claim 1, 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.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, the memory further storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the mobile device to perform operations including:

identifying, in content to be sent to the frame buffer, text in the content that matches a mining-restriction trigger;

inserting the mining-restriction mark into the content; and

providing the content to the frame buffer for display on the display device.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, 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 memory stores a mining-restriction trigger that prevents mining of all content;

inserting the mining-restriction mark into the content responsive to the determining; and

providing the content to the frame buffer for display on the display device.

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

6. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein when the device cannot interpret the hash as its own device identifier the mining-restriction mark prevents mining of content.

7. A mobile device comprising:

at least one processor;

a display device; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, generates a user interface configured to;

receive a mining-restriction trigger, the mining-restriction trigger being associated by default with a first mining-restriction mark that prevents mining;

receive a restriction for the mining-restriction trigger;

replace the 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.

8. The mobile device of claim 7, 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.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, executes a content agent configured to:

read data from the frame buffer;

determine that the data includes the mining-restriction trigger; and

prevent, responsive to the determining, the mining of the data.

10. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, executes a content agent configured to capture content displayed on the display device and wherein the user interface is further configured to:

receive an indication that disables mining of content; and

terminate, in response to receiving the indication, the content agent.

11. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, executes a content agent configured to capture content displayed on the display device and wherein the user interface is further configured to:

receive an indication that disables mining of content; and

store the indication as a second mining-restriction trigger, and

wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the mobile device to;

copy second content for display on the display device to a frame buffer,

determine that the second mining-restriction trigger exists, and

insert, responsive to the determining, the first mining-restriction mark in the frame buffer, wherein the first mining-restriction mark prevents the content agent from mining the data in the frame buffer.

12. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein as part of receiving the mining-restriction trigger, the user interface is further configured to:

receive a selection of a portion of content displayed on the display device;

receive a label for the portion; and

generate the mining-restriction trigger based on the label and the portion of the content selected.

13. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the mobile device to:

perform recognition, by a first application running on the mobile device, on content generated by a second mobile application;

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

determine that the mining-restriction trigger permits mining of the content;

determine a restriction for the content based on the mining-restriction mark; and

provide the restriction with the content for further processing.

14. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein the mining-restriction trigger is received from a user as part of an install of an application running on the mobile device.