Protecting privacy with secure digital signage in vehicle registration plates

• US 9,684,797 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2014
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Vaughn, Robert Lawson
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pan, Peiliang
• Application Number:
  US14/566,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20160171219A1
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 726 26, 713150, 713189
• 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 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload

Abstract

Various systems and methods for protecting privacy with secure digital signage in vehicle registration plates are described herein. A system with an electronic registration plate for protecting privacy with secure digital signage, the electronic registration plate attached to a vehicle, the system may include a data access module to: access, a data store of registration numbers, the data store including a plurality of unique registration plate numbers and assigned to the vehicle; and retrieve a registration plate number from the data store; and a display module to present the registration plate number on the electronic registration plate.

Claims

1. A system with an electronic vehicle registration plate for protecting privacy with secure digital signage, the electronic vehicle registration plate configured to attach to a vehicle, the system comprising:

a data store configured to store simultaneously thereon a plurality of unused registration plate numbers that are predetermined and assigned to the vehicle for one specific owner when the vehicle is registered;

a data access module that provides privacy protection by repeatedly changing an active registration plate number, wherein the data access module is configured to access the data store and retrieve a new unused registration plate number from the plurality of unused registration plate numbers from the data store; and

a display module configured to present the new unused registration plate number on the electronic vehicle registration plate as the active registration plate number.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data access module is further configured to:

maintain a record of which registration plate numbers have been presented on the display module.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the display module is further configured to:

disable presentation of the active registration plate number on the electronic vehicle registration plate while the vehicle is stationary.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of unused registration plate numbers are specific to a region corresponding to a registration region of the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the data access module retrieves the new unused registration plate number in a non-sequential order from the plurality of unused registration plate numbers on the data store.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data access module retrieves each new unused registration plate number from the plurality of unused registration plate numbers one at a time in random order.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of unused registration plate numbers are generated based on input provided by a person associated with the vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the data store is located at a remote location from the electronic vehicle registration plate, and wherein to retrieve the new unused registration plate number, the data access module is further configured to:

query the remote location for the new unused registration plate number; and

receive the new unused registration plate number from the remote location.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the remote location comprises a cloud server.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the data store, the data access module, and the display module are all located at the electronic vehicle registration plate.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the data access module is further configured to:

determine that a new registration plate number is needed; and

retrieve the new unused registration plate number when the new registration plate number is needed.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein to determine that the new registration plate number is needed, the data access module is further configured to:

monitor a distance traveled by the vehicle; and

determine that the new registration plate number is needed after the vehicle has traveled a threshold distance.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the threshold distance is five miles.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein to monitor the distance traveled by the vehicle, the data access module is further configured to:

access a location tracking system installed on the electronic vehicle registration plate.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein to monitor the distance traveled by the vehicle, the data access module is further configured to:

interface with an onboard system, the onboard system including a location tracking system.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the location tracking system comprises a global positioning system.

17. A method of protecting privacy with secure digital signage, the method comprising:

storing, in a data store, simultaneously a plurality of unused registration plate numbers that are predetermined and assigned to a vehicle for one specific owner when the vehicle is registered;

accessing the data store by an electronic vehicle registration plate attached to the vehicle;

retrieving a new unused registration plate number from the plurality of unused registration plate numbers from the data store;

presenting the new unused registration plate number on the electronic vehicle registration plate as an active registration plate number; and

repeating the accessing, retrieving, and presenting steps multiple times to provide privacy protection by repeatedly changing the registration plate number shown by the electronic registration plate.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

maintaining a record of which registration plate numbers have been presented on the electronic vehicle registration plate.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

disabling presentation of the active registration plate number on the electronic vehicle registration plate while the vehicle is stationary.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the plurality of unused registration plate numbers are specific to a region corresponding to a registration region of the vehicle.

21. At least one non-transitory machine-readable medium including instructions for protecting privacy with secure digital signage, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

store, in a data store, simultaneously a plurality of unused registration plate numbers that are predetermined and assigned to a vehicle for one specific owner when the vehicle is registered;

access the data store by an electronic vehicle registration plate attached to the vehicle;

retrieve a new unused registration plate number from the plurality of unused registration plate numbers from the data store;

present the new unused registration plate number on the electronic vehicle registration plate as an active registration plate number; and

repeating the accessing, retrieving, and presenting steps multiple times to provide privacy protection by repeatedly changing the registration plate number shown by the electronic registration plate.

22. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions which cause the machine to:

Maintain a record of which registration plate numbers have been presented on the electronic vehicle registration plate.

23. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions which cause the machine to:

determine that a new registration plate number is needed; and

retrieve the registration plate number when the new registration plate number is needed.

24. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions to determine that the new registration plate number is needed comprise instructions which cause the machine to:

monitor a distance traveled by the vehicle; and

determine that the new registration plate number is needed after the vehicle has traveled a threshold distance.

25. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the instructions to monitor the distance traveled by the vehicle comprise instructions which cause the machine to:

access a location tracking system installed on the electronic vehicle registration plate.