Methods, systems, and devices for processing private media content captured by sensors operating in privacy modes of operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11317147-B2
Application number	US-202016861944-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2020
Priority date	Apr 29, 2020
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

An electronic device includes one or more sensors capturing media content from an environment of the electronic device. One or more processors, operable with the one or more sensors, determine whether the media content is private media content. The electronic device includes a private data store and a public data store. When the one or more processors determine the media content is the private media content, the one or more processors store the private media content in the private data store and preclude transmission of the private media content from the private data store to another electronic device. When the one or more processors determine the media content is other than the private media content, the one or more processors store the media content in the public data store and permit transmission of the media content to the another electronic device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method in an electronic device, the method comprising:
capturing, with one or more sensors, media content from an environment of the electronic device;
determining, with one or more processors of the electronic device, whether the media content is private media content; and
when the media content is the private media content:
storing, by the one or more processors, the private media content in a private data store situated in the electronic device; and
precluding, by the one or more processors, transmission of the private media content from the private data store to another electronic device;
further comprising, when the media content is other than the private media content:
storing, by the one or more processors, the media content in a public data store; and
permitting, by the one or more processors, transmission of the media content to the another electronic device;

further comprising receiving, at a user interface of the electronic device prior to the capturing the media content, user input designating the media content as the private media content;
further comprising:
enabling, by the one or more processors, at least one sensor of the electronic device operable to capture the media content, thereby allowing the at least one sensor of the electronic device to capture the media content; and
disabling, by the one or more processors, at least one other sensor of the electronic device operable to capture the media content, thereby precluding the at least one other sensor from capturing the media content.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the private data store and the public data store are separated.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one sensor of the electronic device comprises a media content capture sensor that is hard wired to the private data store.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the at least one other sensor of the electronic device comprises another media content capture sensor that is hard wired to the public data store.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, at a user interface of the electronic device after the storing the media content in the public data store, user input designating the media content as the private media content;
storing, by the one or more processors, the private media content in the private data store situated in the electronic device; and
causing, by the one or more processors, deletion of the media content from the public data store.

6. The method of claim 2 , further comprising receiving, at a user interface, other user input requesting transmission of the private media content to the another electronic device and presenting, in response to the other user input at the user interface, a prompt indicating that the private media content is precluded from transmission to the another electronic device.

7. The method of claim 6 , the prompt requesting additional authorization to transmit the media content to the another electronic device, the method further comprising:
receiving, at the user interface, the additional authorization to transmit the private media content to the another electronic device in response to the prompt;
ceasing, by the one or more processors in response to the receiving the additional authorization to transmit the private media content to the another electronic device, the precluding the transmission of the media content to the another electronic device; and
causing, by the one or more processors in response to the ceasing, a communication device to transmit the media content to the another electronic device.

8. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
presenting, by the one or more processors at a user interface of the electronic device after the one or more sensors capture the media content and before the one or more processors determine whether the media content is the private media content, a prompt requesting user input designating the media content as the private media content if the media content is the private media content; and
receiving the user input designating the media content as the private media content;
wherein the determining whether the media content is the private media content occurs as a function of the user input.

9. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining, by a location detector operable with the one or more processors, a location of the electronic device when the one or more sensors capture the media content;
wherein the determining whether the media content is the private media content occurs as a function of the location of the electronic device when the one or more sensors capture the media content.

10. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
receiving, by the one or more sensors, contextual data input from the environment of the electronic device;
wherein the determining whether the media content is the private media content occurs as a function of the contextual data input.

11. An electronic device, comprising:
one or more sensors capturing media content from an environment of the electronic device;
one or more processors, operable with the one or more sensors and determining whether the media content is private media content;
a private data store, situated in the electronic device and operable with the one or more processors;
a user interface receiving user input designating the media content as the private media content prior to the one or more sensors capturing the media content; and
a public data store operable with the one or more processors;
wherein:
when the one or more processors determine the media content is the private media content, the one or more processors:
store the private media content in the private data store; and
preclude transmission of the private media content from the private data store to another electronic device; or

when the one or more processors determine the media content is other than the private media content, the one or more processors:
store the media content in the public data store; and
permit transmission of the media content to the another electronic device; and

the one or more sensors comprise at least a first sensor operable to capture the media content when the user input designates the media content as the private media content and at least a second sensor operable to capture the media content when the user input fails to designate the media content as the private media content, the one or more processors enabling the at least a first sensor and disabling the at least a second sensor in response to the user input.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the public data store is situated at a cloud server in electronic communication with the electronic device across a network.

13. The electronic device of claim 12 , further comprising a user interface receiving user input designating the media content as the private media content after the one or more processors store the media content in the public data store, the one or more processors further, in response to the user input:
storing private media content in the private data store;
deleting storage of the media content in the public data store; and
precluding transmission of the private media content to the another electronic device.

14. The electronic device of claim 11 , the one or more sensors comprising at least one audio sensor.

15. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise at least one image capture device.

16. The electronic device of claim 11 , further comprising a context engine receiving contextual data from the environment

Assignees

• Motorola Mobility Llc

Inventors

• Alameh Rachid
• Simerson Jarrett
• Von Ruff Alvin

Classifications

• H04L63/08

  for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32) · CPC title

• H04W12/06

  Authentication · CPC title

• H04N21/41407 Primary

  embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop (constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57) · CPC title

• H04N5/772

  the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure · CPC title

• H04N21/44218 Primary

  Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV programme (methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45) · CPC title