Use of obfuscation marker to obfuscate a face image and enable computerized face identification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12346480-B2
Application number	US-202318167307-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2023
Priority date	Feb 10, 2023
Publication date	Jul 1, 2025
Grant date	Jul 1, 2025

Abstract

A method and system for use of obfuscation coding. An example method includes a computing system receiving an image that depicts a human face. The method then includes the computing system generating a modified image based on the received image, with the generating of the modified image involving inserting into the received image an obfuscation marker that (i) obfuscates the human face in a manner that prevents a person observing the modified image from identifying the human face and (ii) includes predefined symbology that is interpretable by a machine to identify the obfuscated human face. Further, the method includes using the predefined symbology in the modified image as a basis to take action based on an identity of the human face.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving into a computing system an image that depicts a human face;
generating by the computing system a modified image based on the received image, wherein generating the modified image includes inserting into the received image an obfuscation marker that (i) obfuscates the human face in a manner that prevents a person observing the modified image from identifying the human face and (ii) includes predefined symbology that is interpretable by a machine to identify the obfuscated human face; and
using by the computing system the predefined symbology in the modified image as a basis to take action based on an identity of the human face.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing, by the computing system, the modified image, and later retrieving by the computing system the stored modified image to facilitate the using by the computing system of the predefined symbology as a basis to take the action based on the identity of the human face.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the obfuscation marker comprises a matrix bar code that encodes an identification of the human face.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the matrix bar code comprises a quick response (QR) code.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the obfuscation marker comprises an image of another face that is not a face of the same human as the face depicted in the received image, wherein mapping data correlates the other face with an identification of the human face.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the obfuscation marker comprises a pixelated cloud steganographically encoded with an identification of the human face.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the action comprises determining that a person having the depicted human face is authorized to gain access to a secure system.

8. A computing system comprising:
at least one processor;
at least one non-transitory data storage; and
program instructions stored in the at least one non-transitory data storage and executable by the at least one processor to carry out operations including:
receiving an image that depicts a human face,
generating a modified image based on the received image, wherein generating the modified image includes inserting into the received image an obfuscation marker that (i) obfuscates the human face in a manner that prevents a person observing the modified image from identifying the human face and (ii) includes predefined symbology that is interpretable by a machine to identify the obfuscated human face, and
using the predefined symbology in the modified image as a basis to take action based on an identity of the human face.

9. The computing system of claim 8 , wherein the operations additionally include storing the modified image, and later retrieving the stored modified image to facilitate the using of the predefined symbology as a basis to take the action based on the identity of the human face.

10. The computing system of claim 8 , wherein the obfuscation marker comprises a matrix bar code that encodes an identification of the human face.

11. The computing system of claim 10 , wherein the matrix bar code comprises a quick response (QR) code.

12. The computing system of claim 8 , wherein the obfuscation marker comprises an image of another face that is not a face of the same human as the face depicted in the received image, wherein mapping data correlates the other face with an identification of the human face.

13. The computing system of claim 8 , wherein the obfuscation marker comprises a pixelated cloud steganographically encoded with an identification of the human face.

14. The computing system of claim 8 , wherein the action comprises determining that a person having the depicted human face is authorized to gain access to a secure system.

15. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by at least one processor to carry out operations comprising:
receiving an image that depicts a human face,
generating a modified image based on the received image, wherein generating the modified image includes inserting into the received image an obfuscation marker that (i) obfuscates the human face in a manner that prevents a person observing the modified image from identifying the human face and (ii) includes predefined symbology that is interpretable by a machine to identify the obfuscated human face, and
using the predefined symbology in the modified image as a basis to take action based on an identity of the human face.

16. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the operations additionally include storing the modified image, and later retrieving the stored modified image to facilitate the using of the predefined symbology as a basis to take the action based on the identity of the human face.

17. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the obfuscation marker comprises a matrix bar code that encodes an identification of the human face.

18. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the matrix bar code comprises a quick response (QR) code.

19. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the obfuscation marker comprises an image of another face that is not a face of the same human as the face depicted in the received image, wherein mapping data correlates the other face with an identification of the human face.

20. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the obfuscation marker comprises a pixelated cloud steganographically encoded with an identification of the human face.

Assignees

• Roku Inc

Inventors

• Riise Soren
• Ramesh Sunil
• Cutter Michael
• Levitian Karina

Classifications

• G06F21/6245

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

• G06F21/32

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

• G06F2221/2141

  Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices · CPC title

• G06V40/172 Primary

  Classification, e.g. identification · CPC title

• G06F21/6254 Primary

  by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification · CPC title