Protecting content on a mobile device from mining

• US 9,836,597 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2016
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• 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): Park, Chan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHWARTZ, RAPHAEL M
• Application Number:
  US15/379,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20170091448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 356 Days
• 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 method comprising:

identifying, by a first application running on a mobile device, a mining-restriction mark in frame buffer data for the mobile device, the mining-restriction mark having been inserted by a second application prior to output on 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 the frame buffer data;

preventing the mining when the mining-restriction mark prevents mining;

determining a restriction for the data 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.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the restriction is an expiration date for objects extracted from the data or for the copy of the data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the restriction prevents sharing of the copy of the data and objects extracted from the data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the restriction prevents sharing of the copy of the data and objects extracted from the data after an expiration date.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a first mobile device and the restriction prevents mining on a second mobile device but not the first mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mining-restriction mark is visible to a user of the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, during an install of the second application, a user interface that requests an indication from a user of the mobile device of whether to insert the mining-restriction mark; and

receiving the indication from the user that indicates the mining-restriction mark is to be inserted, wherein the second application inserts the mining-restriction mark responsive to receiving the indication.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the mining-restriction mark prevents mining of a first portion of the data that is less than all the data; and

providing a remaining portion of the data for mining when the mining-restriction mark prevents mining of the first portion, the remaining portion excluding the first portion.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the mining-restriction mark prevents mining of a first portion of the data that is less than all the data; and

when the mining-restriction mark prevents mining of the first portion;

obscuring the first portion of the content, and

providing the content for further processing, the content including the first portion obscured.

10. A method comprising:

identifying, by a first mobile application running on a mobile device, a mining-restriction mark in content generated by a second mobile application,

determining whether the mining-restriction mark prevents mining of the content, wherein mining includes storage of a copy or derivations of the content generated by the second mobile application;

preventing the mining when the mining-restriction mark prevents mining;

determining a restriction for the content based on the mining-restriction mark when the mining-restriction mark does not prevent mining; and

providing the restriction with the content for further processing.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the restriction is an expiration date.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the restriction enables the content to be shared with a second mobile device but prevents the second mobile device from sharing the content.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the restriction prevents indexing of the content.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the restriction prevents sharing the content with a second mobile device.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the mining-restriction mark includes a hash of a device identifier for the mobile device.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the mining-restriction mark applies to a first portion of the content and not to a second portion of the content.