Electronic devices and methods for blurring and revealing persons appearing in images

• US 10,630,866 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2018
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Alameh, Rachid, Balar, Amitkumar, Wylder, James, Simerson, Jarrett, Merrell, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu, Zhenzhen
• Application Number:
  US15/881,793
• Publication Number:
  US 20190238719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 814 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/444 to a particular document or image or part thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/448 Rendering the image unintelligible, e.g. scrambling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2621 Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects during image pickup, e.g. digital cameras, camcorders, video cameras having integrated special effects capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

An electronic device includes an imager and one or more processors operable with the imager. The imager captures at least one image of a plurality of persons. The one or more processors blur depictions of one or more persons of the plurality of persons until a reveal permission instruction is detected.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

capturing, with an imager of an electronic device, one or more images of a plurality of persons within an environment of the electronic device;

blurring, with one or more processors operable with the imager, at least a face of at least one person of the plurality of persons appearing in the one or more images;

transmitting, with a communication circuit operable with the one or more processors, the one or more images to a remote electronic device;

automatically receiving, with the one or more processors, permission from the at least one person to reveal the at least a face of the at least one person in the one or more images by detecting, with the communication circuit, a retransmission of the one or more images from the remote electronic device; and

revealing, by the one or more processors, the at least a face of the at least one person in the one or more images by causing an unblurring the at least a face of the at least one person in the one or more images after automatically receiving the permission.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, with one or more sensors, an authorized user and at least one unauthorized user of the electronic device in the plurality of persons;

wherein the at least one person comprises the at least one unauthorized user of the electronic device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising precluding blurring of the authorized user in the one or more images.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, with one or more sensors, one or more persons from the plurality of persons; and

presenting, on a user interface with the one or more processors, an identification of the one or more persons.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting, with the communication circuit, authentication of the at least one person by the remote electronic device, wherein the unblurring occurs only after the at least one person is authenticated by the remote electronic device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the blurring occurs only upon transmitting the one or more images to the remote electronic device.

7. The method of claim 1, the plurality of persons comprising an authorized user of the electronic device, wherein the blurring of the at least a face of the at least one person of the plurality of persons appearing in the one or more images leaves depictions of the authorized user unblurred.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of persons comprises an authorized user of the remote electronic device, further comprising unblurring a blurred image of the authorized user appearing in the one or more images.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, with the communication circuit operable with the one or more processors, the one or more images to remote electronic devices belonging to the plurality of persons.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

detecting, with the communication circuit, a response to;

the electronic device; and

each electronic device of the remote electronic devices; and

unblurring a blurred image of an authorized user of the electronic device transmitting the response in the one or more images.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more images each comprise a digital negative and a corresponding photographic rendering, further comprising precluding, with the one or more processors, access to the digital negative in the electronic device until permission is received from each person of the plurality of persons.

12. An electronic device, comprising:

an imager;

one or more processors operable with the imager;

the imager capturing at least one image of a plurality of persons;

the one or more processors blurring depictions of one or more persons of the plurality of persons until a reveal permission instruction is detected;

the reveal permission instruction comprising retransmission, by at least one remote electronic device, of the at least one image to another electronic device;

the one or more processors revealing a depiction of at least one person of the plurality of persons upon detecting the reveal permission instruction.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, the one or more processors unblurring the depictions of persons from which the reveal permission instruction is received after the reveal permission instruction is received.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, further comprising a communication circuit operable with the one or more processors, the communication circuit transmitting the at least one image to the at least one remote electronic device.

15. The electronic device of claim 12, further comprising delivering an unblurring tool to the at least one remote electronic device in response to detecting the reveal permission instruction.

16. The electronic device of claim 13, further comprising a communication circuit operable with the one or more processors, the communication circuit transmitting the at least one image to the at least one remote electronic device and prompting the at least one remote electronic device for the reveal permission instruction.

17. The electronic device of claim 12, further comprising a memory, wherein the at least one image comprises a digital negative and a corresponding photographic rendering, the one or more processors storing the digital negative in the memory unblurred, wherein the blurring occurs in the corresponding photographic rendering.

18. A method, comprising:

detecting, with one or more processors of an electronic device, depictions of a plurality of persons in one or more images;

blurring, with the one or more processors, at least some depictions of at least some persons of the plurality of persons in the one or more images while leaving at least one depiction of at least one person of the plurality of persons unblurred;

passively detecting, with a communication circuit of the electronic device operable with the one or more processors, permission to unblur a depiction of a permitting person of the plurality of persons in the one or more images by a remote electronic device retransmitting the one or more images; and

causing, by the one or more processors, unblurring of the depiction of the permitting person of the plurality of persons in the one or more images.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising identifying, with one or more sensors, an authorized user of the electronic device, wherein the at least one person comprises the authorized user of the electronic device.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising prompting, with the communication circuit, remote electronic devices for the permission.