Policy-Based Image Management

• US 20130011068A1
• Filed: 07/05/2011
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Albouyeh, Shadi E., Lin, Yen-Kwang, Weir, Robert C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,666,167 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/190
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation

Abstract

The different illustrative embodiments provide a method, computer program product, and apparatus for managing an image. A determination is made whether an object is present in a subset of a plurality of images using an identification of the object. A determination is made whether the object is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images using the policy for the user associated with the object responsive to a determination that the object is present in the subset of the plurality of images using a policy for a user associated with the object. A removal action of the object is performed on the subset of the plurality of images responsive to an absence of a determination that the object is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images using the policy.

Claims

1. A method for managing an image comprising:

determining whether an object is present in a subset of a plurality of images using an identification of the object;

responsive to a determination that the object is present in the subset of the plurality of images using a policy for a user associated with the object, determining whether the object is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images using the policy for the user associated with the object; and

responsive to an absence of a determination that the object is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images using the policy, performing a removal action of the object on the subset of the plurality of images.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is a first image and further comprising:

receiving an identification of the object in a second image and a set of desired permissions; and

generating the policy for use of the object in the plurality of images using the set of desired permissions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the object is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images using the policy comprises:

determining whether the subset of the plurality of images includes metadata comprising a first key matching a second key in the policy, wherein the second key indicates the object is permitted to be present in the image; and

responsive to a determination that the subset of the plurality of images includes the metadata comprising the first key matching the second key in the policy, determining that the object is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the object is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images using the policy comprises:

determining whether the user that stored the subset of the plurality of images is permitted to store the subset of the plurality of images, wherein the policy comprises a plurality of users that are permitted to store the image in which the object is present.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the removal action of the object on the subset of the plurality of images comprises:

identifying an administrator of a website on which the subset of the plurality of images is located; and

sending a notification to the administrator indicating that the subset of the plurality of images should be removed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is a trademark.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is a plurality of particular faces, wherein the policy indicates that a first face in the plurality of particular faces is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images with a second face in the plurality of particular faces.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is a particular person.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the identification is a face of the particular person, and wherein determining whether the object is present in the subset of the plurality of images using the identification of the object comprises:

determining whether the face of the particular person is present in the image.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the policy comprises a plurality of users that are permitted to publish imagery of the particular person.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining whether the object is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images using the policy for the user associated with the object comprises:

determining whether a publisher of the subset of the plurality of images is one of the plurality of users that are permitted to publish the imagery of the particular person.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the policy comprises a key that indicates that the image is authorized by the particular person.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to the absence of the determination that the object is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images using the policy, removing the image from a data source that stores the image.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein performing the removal action comprises:

sending a notification to an individual selected from the particular person and a delegate of the particular person.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the particular person is a first particular person, and further comprising:

determining whether a second particular person is present in the subset of the plurality of images; and

wherein determining whether the object is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images using the policy comprises determining whether the first particular person and the second particular person are both permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images, and wherein the policy comprises a set of permissions for the subset of the plurality of images that contains the first particular person.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the removal action of the object on the subset of the plurality of images comprises:

removing the object from the subset of the plurality of images.

17. A computer program product for managing an image, the computer program product comprising:

a computer recordable storage medium;

program instructions, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for determining whether an object is present in a subset of a plurality of images using an identification of the object;

program instructions, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for determining whether the object is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images using a policy for a user associated with the object responsive to a determination that the object is present in the subset of the plurality of images using the policy for the user associated with the object; and

program instructions, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for performing a removal action of the object on the subset of the plurality of images responsive to an absence of a determination that the object is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images using the policy.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the program instructions are stored in a computer readable storage medium in a data processing system, and wherein the program instructions were downloaded over a network from a remote data processing system.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the program instructions are stored in a computer readable storage medium in a server data processing system, and wherein the program instructions are downloaded over a network to a remote data processing system for use in a computer readable storage medium with the remote data processing system.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a bus system;

a storage device connected to the bus system, wherein the storage device includes program code; and

a processor unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processor unit processes the program code to determine whether an object is present in a subset of a plurality of images using an identification of the object;

determine whether the object is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images using a policy for a user associated with the object responsive to a determination that the object is present in the subset of the plurality of images using the policy for the user associated with the object; and

perform a removal action of the object on the subset of the plurality of images responsive to an absence of a determination that the object is permitted to be present in the subset of the plurality of images using the policy.