User-controllable screen privacy software

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10025938-B2
Application number	US-201615059230-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2016
Priority date	Mar 2, 2016
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

The disclosure relates to software that provides fine-grained user control over when and how a software-based privacy filter is used to reduce clarity and/or visibility associated with content rendered on a display screen. For example, according to various aspects, the software may have access to the display screen and various other components that can be used to detect and/or track a current context associated with information displayed on the screen. As such, based on the current context, the software may determine an area displayed on a screen having current interest to one or more authorized users and activate a software-based privacy filter configured to reduce the clarity and/or visibility associated with information displayed on the screen outside the area having the current interest to the one or more authorized users as needed (e.g., based on a sensitivity level associated with the displayed information, sensor-based inputs indicating a sensitive context, etc.).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for providing user-controllable screen privacy, comprising:
monitoring, via software executing on a user device, a current context associated with information displayed on a screen of the user device;
determining, via the software executing on the user device, an area displayed on the screen having current interest to one or more authorized users based at least in part on the monitored current context indicating that the one or more authorized users are interacting with information positioned within the determined area; and
activating, via the software executing on the user device, a software-based privacy filter configured to reduce visibility associated with information displayed on the screen outside the area having the current interest to the one or more authorized users.

2. The method recited in claim 1 , further comprising receiving a user input that indicates the area having the current interest to the one or more authorized users, wherein the user input that indicates the area having the current interest to the one or more authorized users comprises one or more of a touch gesture or a touchless gesture.

3. The method recited in claim 1 , further comprising receiving information from one or more sensors on the user device that indicates the area having the current interest to the one or more authorized users.

4. The method recited in claim 3 , wherein the information received from the one or more sensors comprises one or more of biometric data, a current gaze detected using a camera positioned on a same side of the user device as the screen, a voice input received at a microphone on the user device, or location data detected using one or more location sensors on the user device.

5. The method recited in claim 1 , further comprising determining a sensitivity level associated with the software-based privacy filter according to information received from one or more sensors on the user device.

6. The method recited in claim 1 , further comprising determining a potential need to activate the software-based privacy filter according to information received from one or more sensors on the user device.

7. The method recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, at the user device, a change in the area displayed on the screen having the current interest to the one or more authorized users; and
adjusting the software-based privacy filter to reduce visibility associated with information displayed on the screen outside the changed area having the current interest to the one or more authorized users.

8. The method recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
using one or more sensor-based inputs received from one or more sensors on the user device to determine the one or more authorized users among one or more people located in sufficient proximity to view the screen;
tracking the one or more authorized users using the one or more sensor-based inputs to detect a change in the area displayed on the screen having the current interest to the one or more authorized users; and
adjusting the software-based privacy filter to reduce visibility associated with information displayed on the screen outside the changed area having the current interest to the one or more authorized users.

9. The method recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
using one or more sensor-based inputs received from one or more sensors on the user device to determine one or more unauthorized users that are located in sufficient proximity to view the screen; and
adjusting the software-based privacy filter such that information displayed on the screen within the area having the current interest to the one or more authorized users is visible to the one or more authorized users and not visible to the one or more unauthorized users.

10. An apparatus, comprising:
a screen configured to display information; and
one or more processors configured to execute software configured to cause the one or more processors to:
monitor a current context associated with the information displayed on the screen;
determine an area displayed on the screen having current interest to one or more authorized users based at least in part on the monitored current context indicating that the one or more authorized users are interacting with information positioned within the determined area; and
activate a software-based privacy filter configured to reduce visibility associated with information displayed on the screen outside the area having the current interest to the one or more authorized users.

11. The apparatus recited in claim 10 , further comprising:
one or more input devices configured to receive a user input indicating the area having the current interest to the one or more authorized users according to one or more of a touch gesture or a touchless gesture.

12. The apparatus recited in claim 10 , further comprising:
one or more sensors configured to provide, to the software, one or more sensor-based inputs indicating the area having the current interest to the one or more authorized users.

13. The apparatus recited in claim 12 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more of a biometric sensor, a camera positioned on a same side of the apparatus as the screen and configured to detect a current gaze associated with the one or more authorized users, a microphone configured to receive voice input, or one or more location sensors configured to detect location data.

14. The apparatus recited in claim 10 , further comprising:
one or more sensors, the executed software further configured to cause the one or more processors to determine a sensitivity level associated with the software-based privacy filter according to information received from the one or more sensors.

15. The apparatus recited in claim 10 , further comprising:
one or more sensors, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine a potential need to activate the software-based privacy filter according to information received from the one or more sensors.

16. The apparatus recited in claim 10 , the executed software further configured to cause the one or more processors to:
detect a change in the area displayed on the screen having the current interest to the one or more authorized users; and
adjust the software-based privacy filter to reduce visibility associated with information displayed on the screen outside the changed area having the current interest to the one or more authorized users.

17. The apparatus recited in claim 10 , further comprising:
one or more sensors configured to generate one or more sensor-based inputs indicating one or more people located in sufficient proximity to view the screen, the executed software further configured to cause the one or more processors to:
use the one or more sensor-based inputs to determine the one or more authorized users among the one or more people located in sufficient proximity to view the screen;
track the one or more authorized users using the one or more sensor-based inputs to detect a change in the area displayed on the screen having the current interest to the one or more authorized users; and
adjust the software-based privacy filter to reduce visibility associated with information displayed on the screen outside the changed area having the current interest to the one or more authorized users.

18. The apparatus recited in claim 10 , further comprising:
one or more sensors configured to generate one or more sensor-based inputs indicating one or more people located in sufficient proximity to view the screen, the exe

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Krishnamurthi Govindarajan

Classifications

• G06F21/6245

  Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes · CPC title

• G06F2221/2111

  Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS · CPC title

• G06F1/1684 Primary

  Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675 · CPC title

• G06F21/32

  using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints · CPC title

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title