Method and system to announce or prevent voyeur recording in a monitored environment

• US 20060218410A1
• Filed: 02/02/2006
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Robert, Arnaud, Heath, Robert Harry
• Application Number:
  US11/346,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20060218410A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/189
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 11/00 Arrangements, systems or apparatus for checking, e.g. the occurrence of a condition, not provided for elsewhere
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19686 Interfaces masking personal details for privacy, e.g. blurring faces, vehicle license plates
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/12 for acoustic communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/14 for the transfer of light or images, e.g. for video-surveillance, for television or from a computer screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/82 related to preventing surveillance, interception or detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/822 by detecting the presence of a surveillance, interception or detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/825 by jamming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/166 Passage/non-passage of the television signal, e.g. jamming, band suppression scrambling and descrambling H04N7/167

Abstract

To address the problem of unauthorized recording by one or more recording devices (200), a monitoring system (100) monitors an environment (300). The monitoring can include the broadcast by the monitoring system of a recording device restriction signal to alert each recording device of a recording restriction within the monitored signal. Alternatively the monitoring system upon detecting a recording presence signal transmitted by a recording device to indicate its presence, can broadcast a warning signal and/or a recording device disable signal to inhibit device recording.

Claims

1. A method comprising for communicating recording restrictions to at least one recording device comprising the step of broadcasting, within a defined environment, a recording device restriction signal for reception by the at least one recording device to alert the device of at least one recording restriction within the defined environment.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the recording device restriction signal comprises at least one of an auditory signal, a visible signal, a radio-frequency signal, and wireless signal.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of broadcasting the recording device restriction signal with specific characteristics to indicate different recording restrictions.

4. The method according to claim 1 further including the step of receiving from the at least one recording device an acknowledgement of receipt of the recording device restriction signal.

5. A method for operating a recording device, comprising the steps of:

receiving within a defined environment, a recording device restriction signal to alert the device of at least one recording restriction within the defined environment; and

transmitting an acknowledgement signal to indicate receipt of the recording device restriction signal.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the recording device restriction signal comprises at least one of an auditory signal, a visible signal, a radio-frequency signal, and wireless signal.

7. The method according to claim 5 further comprising the step wherein the recording device restriction signal has different characteristics to indicate different recording restrictions.

8. The method according to claim 5 further including the step providing an indication at the recording device of receipt of the recording device restriction signal.

9. The method according to claim 5 further comprising the step of inhibiting the recording capability of the recording device upon receipt of the recording device restriction signal.

10. The method according to claim 9 further comprising the step of inhibiting different recording capabilities of the recording device based on different characteristics of the recording device restriction signal.

11. The method according to claim 10 further comprising the step of providing a display indicating of a type of recording capability restriction then in effect.

12. A method for detecting the presence of least one recording device in a monitored environment comprising the step of receiving from the at least one recording device a recording device presence signal that indicates the presence of a recording device having recording capabilities within the monitored environment.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the recording device presence signal comprises at least one of an auditory signal, a visible signal, a radio-frequency signal, and wireless signal.

14. The method according to claim 12 further comprising the step of transmitting an acknowledgement signal to the recording device upon receipt of the recording device presence signal.

15. The method according to claim 12 further comprising the step of broadcasting, within the monitored environment a recording device disable signal for receipt by the recording device to inhibit device recording.

16. The method according to claim 12 wherein the recording device disable signal comprises at least one of all auditory signal, a visible signal, a radio-frequency signal, and wireless signal.

17. The method according to claim 12 wherein the recording device disable signal has different characteristics to inhibit different types of recording.

18. The method according to claim 12 further comprising the step generating a warning upon detecting the presence of at least one recording device.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein the warning comprises at least one of an auditory signal, a visual signal, an e-mail message, a telephone call, or a disruption created in the monitored environment.

20. A method for detecting the presence of a recording device and for disabling recording, comprising the steps of:

receiving a recording device presence signal from recording device upon the entry of the recording device in a monitored environment; and

broadcasting a recording device disable signal to at least partially inhibit recording by the recording device responsive to receipt of the recording device presence signal.

21. The method according to claim 20 further comprising the steps of:

locating the at least one recording device within the monitored environment; and

targeting the broadcasting of the recording device disable signal responsive to locating the recording device

22. The method according to claim 20 further including the step of relaying the recording device disable signal from the at least one recording device to another recording device.

23. A monitoring system for preventing unauthorized recording by a recording device comprising:

means for receiving a recording device presence signal from recording device upon the entry of the recording device in a monitored environment; and

mean is for broadcasting a recording device disable signal to at least partially inhibit recording by the recording device responsive to receipt of die recording device presence signal.

24. A recording device, comprising:

means for receiving within a defined environment, a recording device restriction signal to alert the device of at least one recording restriction within the defined environment; and

means for transmitting an acknowledgement signal to indicate receipt of the recording device restriction signal.